Chapter Twenty-Eight
I startle awake to the sound of a fire alarm blazing.
“What in the world…” I mutter, rubbing my eyes. “Matty, is there a fire?”
He ignores my question, but I feel him roll over in bed. His phone lights up the room, and the sound stops immediately.
“Sorry, Mami, go back to sleep,” he says as he dives out of bed.
“Matty, I’m not going back to bed when there could be a fire,” I tell him as I whip the covers off of me.
Then it hits me. That’s not the fire alarm. That’s the alarm that’s set up for the bracelets.
“Matt, where is she? Is she in danger?” I demand, jumping out of bed myself.
“Please stay here. I will have someone with you. I need to go.”
“Go?” I scream. “Go where? You aren’t going anywhere without me. Where is my daughter?”
He ignores me, sliding on his boots. When he walks out of the room, I quickly put on clothes, making it to the living room as he has his hand on the door.
“Loyal, talk to me!” I demand.
I hate the way my voice quivers, but thankfully he doesn’t notice.
He stops and looks at me with a look I don’t know how to describe. “I don’t know what is going on yet. Dex is monitoring her location and tracking her. She isn’t harmed. He could see that much from the cameras. That is all I know.”
I fold my arms across my chest. “Good, then let’s go. We are wasting time.”
“Sami, you aren’t going anywhere. It could be dangerous,” he argues.
“Yeah, which means my daughter is in danger. She’s my responsibility. I’m coming,” I tell him as I grab his leather jacket and put it on before walking toward the door.
“Mami…”
I shake my head. “I’m sorry, but you aren’t talking me out of it. Either you let me get on the back of that bike with you or I get in my car and follow anyway. I am going to get my daughter, and there is nothing, and I do mean nothing, that will stand in my way.”
He looks pained as he takes in my words. I don’t want to throw it in his face, but he isn’t a parent. He cares for Farrah, but he didn’t raise her. He didn’t make his whole life about her. If something happens to her, it might as well happen to me too.
I won’t sit by idly while she is in danger. I can’t. My body and mind wouldn’t let me.
“Fine. But you have to listen. If I tell you to stay back,” he demands.
I nod. “I stay back.”
“Okay, lets go. We’re taking my bike.”
I slip my feet into shoes as I follow him out the front door. We rush across my yard to his driveway. He grabs something from his saddlebag and slips it on as he jumps on.
As I start to get on, he speaks. “Dex says the dot is moving.”
I jump on, and before I’m even securely on, he starts moving.
“Hold on!” he shouts, right before we take off.
My hands rub the fabric, and I realize what it was he put on. A bulletproof vest. Dread fills my stomach.
Does he really think that it’s necessary? That whatever we are about to walk into will require this level of protection?
As we start to move, I lay my head between his shoulder blades, and my head begins to spiral. I want to ask him how he knows that Dex said that. Did he get a text when I wasn’t looking?
I should be mad we didn’t grab helmets, but I can’t be. Not when my baby is in danger.
Then I hear it. The sound of bikes. Not just one or two, but a dozen. I turn my head and watch as they fall in formation around us. Savage speeds ahead, and I peek over Loyal’s shoulder and watch him take the lead.
Something about them coming to us, surrounding us as we chase down Farrah, makes my heart squeeze.
It almost feels as if we really are family. When one’s in danger, they all come.
It also makes me feel like this might just be okay.
Because of that, I look around and quickly realize I have no idea where we are. I’ve lived in San Antonio my entire life. How can I not know where we are?
Is this some weird way to Billy’s house?
I tap Loyal’s stomach and yell, “Where are we going?”
He shakes his head, never once taking his eyes off the road.
Dammit.
My stomach is in knots with the amount of worry and dread filling me. That and blame.
I never should have let her go with him. I should have run when we had the chance. I should have fought harder so she wouldn’t have been put in this situation. Should have done what every divorced wife told me to do and kept better records of his indiscretions.
God, this is all my fault.
I press my head into his shoulders once again and begin to pray.
Dear God or whoever’s out there, please watch out for my daughter. Don’t let any harm come to her. Let us get to her in time. Please, I’m begging you. She is the best part of me, and I need her. Please let her be okay and come out of this unscathed.
Just as I finish my prayer, the bikes start to slow down. I lift my head and watch as someone in the back of a truck waves us through a giant metal gate. As we pass by, I catch part of the sign.
Private Airstrip.
My stomach sinks.
Oh god, no. No. No. No.
I might have thought about running off with her, but surely he can’t be trying to do it himself.
Once through the gate, the bikes spread out, and everyone speeds up.
Fear eats at me, making me feel like I’m choking. Just when I think it can’t get any worse, a plane sitting on the tarmac comes into view. Its stairs are down, and there is a car parked close by.
I watch as Billy gets out and rounds to the back of the car. He reaches in and grabs Farrah.
Feeling completely helpless, I watch as my baby fights to stay here with us.
The sound of bikes catches their attention, and I swear Billy starts fighting Farrah harder, and she puts up more of a fight as he starts to drag her up the stairs.
That’s right, baby. Just wait, we’re almost there. This is almost all over.
I don’t care what they do to my ex. This ends tonight. Come hell or high water.
I swear to Christ I’ve never jumped out of bed as fast as I did when the panic alarm went off. Without even looking at it, I knew who was in trouble. If only Sami would have listened and stayed home where it was safe. I’m going to worry about her as much as I worry about Farrah.
I couldn’t stop her, though. Not when I saw the determination in her eyes.
As I drive, my mind races. I don’t know what I’ll find or what will happen. I just pray to fucking God I don’t have to kill him. If I do, I don’t know if either of them will ever be able to forgive me.
Up ahead, I see a metal fence come into view. The prospect is waving us through while Dex sits in the passenger seat watching a tablet. Knowing him, he’s probably going over possibilities of what could happen.
I speed through, and Savage lets me speed by him. I know he will be hanging back. Not because he doesn’t like to fight, but because he’s a hell of a sniper thanks to his time in the military, and his long-range gun is probably in the truck with Dex.
I catch movement out of the corner of my eye, but I refuse to look over. My throat is tight as I squeeze the handlebars.
Good girl.
I watch Farrah fight for her life, and make no mistake, that’s exactly what she’s doing. If I didn’t tell her what to do, if she didn’t put up a fight, she would be long gone and we would have been none the wiser until she never showed back up.
Thank fuck I gave her that bracelet.
“Loyal! Fang is waving at you,” Sami yells.
I glance over and see him pointing to the back of my bike, eyes wide.
Somehow without even hearing him, I know what he’s thinking. I need to stop here. Leave her behind. She can’t be too close. I know he’s right, but if I kept going forward, I could make it there faster. Fang points over to my other side, and I look over.
The truck with the prospect and Dex rolls up next to me.
“Go! I got her!” he yells.
“Don’t you do it, Loyal. Don’t you dare fucking stop,” she yells right as the first bullet flies.
Fuckin A.
Was that friendly fire or enemy fire?
Laying off the throttle, I slow down as she pounds on my back.
“No, keep going! You can’t stop! She needs us!” she sobs.
I come to a stop.
“Get off!” I yell.
“No, go!”
“Stop fucking arguing, Sami. You told me you would listen, so fucking do it!” I snap, losing my cool.
For a split second, I feel bad, but then I hear the sound of a ricochet.
Nope. She needs to stay as far back as fucking possible.
The prospect jumps out of the truck and pulls her off of my bike, kicking and screaming.
Pushing the throttle, I rush forward until I reach the fight. When I come to a stop, I drop my bike, not giving a fuck, and pull the gun out of the small of my back.
Farrah’s dad is trying to drag her up the stairs of the plane again as several goons he must have hired block the way. I look around and watch as my brothers surround the plane. Some are even coming from the other side, approaching from behind, which is a blessing and a curse.
Goddammit. We can’t fire. Not directly toward Farrah and Billy and not without the risk of taking out one of our own.
Think dammit, think!
A whizzing sound makes me look up, and if I wasn’t so tense from the situation, I might chuckle as I watch drones come into play.
Dex is at it again. Trying to control a situation from every angle possible.
We just need to buy him enough time to end this positively.
Without too many bodies. My eyes dart to the front of the plane, and I see that there is already someone sitting in the pilot’s seat.
Even from a distance I can see when the red dot appears in the middle of his chest.
Thank fuck. At least Savage is in place. I know he doesn’t plan on taking out the pilot, not unless Billy manages to get Farrah on the plane.
Farrah.
My eyes dart over to her, and it’s almost as if she can feel my eyes on her.
“Loyal!” she yells, fear in her voice.
“What are you doing? Don’t call for him! You’re mine!” Billy snaps, shaking her.
“Let her go!” I demand, aiming my gun at him.
Fuck. If I could just get a clear shot of his arm. Hit him just right where it wouldn’t be fatal, but Farrah could break away.
I watch as he pulls a gun out from behind him, and my heart sinks.
Son of a bitch. Just when I think it can’t get any worse.
“What are you doing? I paid you to take him out!” Billy rants, waving his hand with a gun toward me.
One of them pops off a shot toward me, and I duck. I swear I can feel the air change as the bullet misses my head, just barely.
“Down!” Tiny yells.
Like a fucking groundhog, I pop my head up and see that Tiny took out the guy who popped a shot off at me.
“Thanks!” I shout back.
“This is fucking bullshit! Are you sure we can’t just kill your dad?” Happy calls out to Farrah.
“NO!” Farrah and I cry out at the same time.
I watch as more goons step out of the door of the plane, blocking the top. I watch as one points his gun off to my right, and without thinking about it, I raise my barrel and take the shot. The guy drops back into his buddy, making them stumble back into the plane.
“You guys are supposed to be the best. I paid top dollar, so prove you’re worth it!” Billy shouts.
I watch as a guard to his left falls, and like a true piece of shit he is, Billy lifts Farrah higher and really begins to use her as a human shield.
“Loyal!” she cries out.
“It’s going to be okay!” I shout back, even though I don’t know if it will be.
I hear one of my brothers curse, and I fight the urge to look over. One of the guards on the stairs of the plane spins around and looks under, realizing that they were being approached from behind.
“We’ve got to go! Either let her go or get her up here,” the goon snaps at Billy.
I hear the sound of sirens in the distance.
“It’s over, Billy!” I shout.
“It’s not over until I say it’s over!” he yells.
“Let her go, Billy. You don’t want your daughter to watch you die,” Fang says loudly.
“Daddy, stop. Please just stop,” Farrah begs.
Billy’s eyes find mine, and he looks at me with pure hatred. “This is all your fault.”
He raises his gun and fires.
I feel the bullet hit me, and as I hit the ground, I hear them scream my name. As the world starts to go black, I hear the police yell for them to surrender.