Chapter 40
Looking around the room, trying to figure out what to do with Low.
“Is this the only room set up?” I ask, looking at Dan.
“No, there’s another one.” He nods his head. “Across the hall, they asked me which one was better.”
“Why was this one better?” Drew asks.
“Because I had a gun to my head.”
“What?”
“I had to pick the one that was better; they’re literally the same. So I just picked one. It’s obvious they have no idea what they’re doing.” He nods out of the room.
“I mean, obviously, is an understatement.” Drew mumbles.
We both do our best attempt at ignoring her. She sits down next to Low, her hand coming out and lying on her arm. Dan looks at me, nodding to the side of the room.
“She okay?”
“We don’t have time to make sure she’s okay.” I tell him. “Let’s get everyone out alive and then we’ll worry about okay.”
Slowly, he nods his head.
“Can we get Low over there safely?”
“As long as everything goes smoothly and fast.”
“Of course, cause when’s easy ever been the club’s MO. Any other rooms?” I ask him.
“What?”
“They’ll immediately check across the hall. Are there any other ones?”
“I have no idea.” He shrugs.
“What do you need?”
“Bare minimum enough room for the bed and enough wattage to run the machine.”
“Come on.” I nod towards the door.
* * *
“Okay.” Standing up, shaking out my arms as if I’m amping myself up to take it on.
“You coming?” Z asks.
“Yeah, yeah, hold on.” I call back to him.
“Drew,” I whisper to her, nodding towards the door.
“Let’s go.”
Shaking my head, I look down at her then towards the hall, back from where we came.
“Eli?” comes through the comms again.
“Again, give me a second.” I mumble to the comms before looking back at Drew.
“I’m coming.” She demands.
“The fuck she is.” Comes in unison through my ear.
“Yeah, no shit.” I bite out again.
I hate this fucking thing, sometimes.
“Tell them…”
“Stop,” I lower my voice, almost demanding as I look at her.
“I’m not staying back.”
“I’d never ask you to stay back.” I pause.
“What the fuck, Eli?” Zeke starts.
“If you let her, I’m gonna beat the fu —”
Pulling the comms out of my ear, keeping out anything more than one voice.
“I’d never ask you to stay back; I know you can handle your own. But someone needs to stay back to watch them. To protect them. And I dunno about you, but Dan doesn’t really strike me as someone who’s competent with a gun.”
“Oh,” she whispers, sighing. Glancing over her shoulder and looking back at the bed. “But what if…”
“Nothing’s happening to me.”
“How can you be so sure?”
Reaching up, tapping the tattoo on my chest, and looking back at her.
Smirking, she nods again. She understands I’m not really saying that I’m positive nothing will happen, but that for this we’ve got to have faith it won’t.
That without that faith, there’s no way I’m going out there.
“Sketch…” I whisper, causing her to look back at me. “I love you.” Pulling her close, pressing my lips to hers.
Her hand grips my shirt, holding onto me as if she never wants to let me go, as if I’m the thing that’ll save her from the world.
And give me the chance, I’ll do just that.
Pulling away, pressing my lips to hers again, her eyes searing into my soul as I pull back.
“I love you, too.”
I can’t stop the smile from my face, leaning back and kissing her one more time. Just in case it’s only ever one more time.
“Even if something goes bad,” I whisper as I pull back, searching her face for my everything. “You’ve made everything…” I’m not even sure how to end it.
She’s made everything in the last few years.
She’s made everything better.
She’s made everything seem possible.
She’s made me want everything I never thought I would.
Shaking her head, she sighs, “Just come back to me.”
“Always.” Reaching to our side and gripping the rifle, handing it to her. “Now, show everyone what it means to be the daughter of an outlaw.”
She laughs, nodding her head.
Looking at her once more, I exhale deeply, pushing the handle of the door down and pulling it inward.
I can see the fear in her eyes. I’m sure they’re matching the same that mine wear.
Giving her a half-nod. “Keep the door locked until I get back. Anyone who tries to come in here without knocking —”
“Yeah, yeah, I know, blow their damn head off.”
“Drew Anderson, as eloquent as ever.”
She smirks again, biting her lip as I close the door, putting my comms back in and moving down the hall.
“Where am I meeting you guys?” I ask.
“Jeez, finally.” Z calls back. “You think you can muffle that shit next time. I don’t wanna hear it.”
There’s a chuckle that comes through.
“Fuck off.” I mumble back, making the laughter grow.
“A group of us backtracked,” Z tells me.
“What?”
“Yeah, you told us about the tunnels. I brought a couple of others back to the property. I think we’re almost through it now.”
“Eli.” A whisper calls out for me.
Turning around, I see Drew coming towards me.
“Drew?”
“Shit,” Z mutters again. “She’s not —”
“I got it.” I tell him.
“What are you doing?” I ask her.
“I’m gonna go back. I just need you to know something…”
Tilting my head, telling by her demeanor it’s something she wants me to know in case anything happens.
She fumbles with her hands. “I wasn’t telling the truth before.”
“About what?”
I can hear a commotion start through the comms, a couple of gunshots echoing off walls.
Worry lines her face as she continues to look at me, but obviously it’s not about what I can hear happening around her, but about what she’s about to tell me.
“The only reason,” her words run together as she says it, “I was only relieved about the miscarriage is because we had just broken up, so I didn’t have to tell you I was pregnant in the first place.”
Silence.
Silence is now the only thing coming through the comms. Which is eerier than anything I’ve heard through the comms before.
I know I’m not hearing things, and I know it isn’t because I’ve been stunned and my mind isn’t processing anything, but because everyone has heard what she just said.
“God. Dammit.” I mumble under my breath, closing my eyes.
“Uh, the fuck did she just say?” Zeke’s voice shouts through my ear.
Opening my eyes again, I look at her, only she’s not turned around and briskly making her way back to the room.
“No, Sketch, no. Stop. Please.” Still whispering, reaching out and grabbing her arm, turning her back around. “I wasn’t meaning that towards you.” I stare directly at her, attempting to do my best at tuning Zeke’s yelling out, but pointing up to my ear.
Her eyes widen as she looks back at me, covering her mouth, realizing that she’s just informed the entire MC of what happened only days after they all just found out about us.
Smirking, I pluck it out of my ear again, handing it to her.
“But...”
“I’ll figure it out.” I laugh before I cup my hand around it, muting it. “Plus, it may help if you talk your brother down before I see him with a gun in his hands.”
Hearing the door down from us open, we both immediately draw our weapons, waiting for whoever it is.
“Chill,” Z calls out.
“You got another comms?” she asks Z, who nods, reaching into his pocket and walking it over to where we stand.
I can feel her hand shake on my arm, worried about what he’s going to think about what she thinks he just learned.
Leaning over, I whisper to her. “Z already knew.”
Her brow furrows as she watches him come closer. He nods his head, telling her he knows what I just told her.
I’m sorry. He mouths to her, pulling her in for a quick hug.
“How?” she whispers as he hands her the comms.
She and I both place them in our ears before Z looks back over, nodding to me to come with them.
“We’ll talk later.” Before glancing at Z and nodding. “I’ll catch up.” I tell the small group before grabbing Drew’s hand and moving quickly down the hall, making sure she’s secure, and then back out.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” Zeke’s voice is shouting through my comms as soon as I’m sure she’s safe again and paying enough attention to hear him again.
“Zeke, calm down.” Drew calls out as I meet back up with the group.
“Oh, great.”
Z glances over at me, trying not to laugh as I come up next to him, and he says. “We’ve got more important things to deal with right now.”
“Yeah, remember. Deal with this shit, then kick the shit out of me.”
I’m sure the failed attempts of silent laughter pisses him off more.
“Don’t fucking talk to me right now,” Zeke starts. “Z, how are you there, with him and haven’t fucking shot him yet?”
“Zeke!” Drew shouts.
“No, you —”
“Calm down!” Both Z and I snap back at him, looking at one another and realizing that it’s for the same reasons.
“Don’t let your head best you.” Z tells him. “Stay in the game.”
“What’s the plan?” I ask Z even though grumbles are still coming through.
“We found the girls.” Axe responds.
“It’s the same wing they held us in.” I can hear Billie in the background.
“Probably the most secure.” I mumble not to anyone.
Z glances over at me, nodding again.
“Who’s even still alive that knows about it?” Billie asks in the distance again.
“It was some old guy,” Drew starts.
“What?” Axe asks.
“Yeah, he said he took Low because he knew he’d need a way to keep me in line.” She pauses as if she’s trying to remember exactly what he said. “Oh, yeah!” she gasps. “He kidnapped Ella and Mom.”
“When she was pregnant with you.” Z says from next to me.
“What?” I ask.
“Yeah. How’d you know?”
The gunshot through the comms silences us.
“Shit,” I mumble. “Who?”
“Here,” Jag says.
“Good idea,” Z points at me. “Yeah, if there’s fire coming from anywhere, call it out so we know. Also, Axe get all the girls out.”
“Marc,” Axe responds, I can hear the hatred in his voice alone.
“What?”
“That’s his name.” He repeats himself.
“Shit,” Ace mumbles, I think finally hearing the conversation, and I can hear the keyboard clicking. “You’re right. He’s the ex-fed who went to prison after he almost killed me. And he got out right after Ash and Caroline were killed.”
“Right after?” Drew asks.
“Motherfucker,” I mumble, causing Z and the others to look over at me. “He set it up.”