Chapter 25
COLT
“Son of a bitch.” I tore away from Hawk, my feet skidding on the ground as I eyed the drone hovering roughly sixty feet up, the shape silent and ugly above the treeline. I barely made out the shape of a camera rig underneath, one of those professional mounts, not some kid’s toy from a box store.
Whoever was flying it didn’t bother hiding.
They wanted us to see it. Even as I tracked it and ran, they didn’t fly away.
That single thought chilled my blood and sent my body hurtling faster toward the truck.
I yanked the door open and grabbed the rifle from the seat before Hawk figured out my plan.
“Colt…”
I didn’t hear the rest of it. The stock slammed into my shoulder, and I sighted through the scope, zeroing in on the drone. The shot cracked hard and fast, my shoulder absorbing the blow with barely a shift in my stance.
The drone shuddered, dropped left, then blew apart on the way down, pieces hitting the dirt in a shower of plastic and bent rotors.
The yard went dead quiet.
I lowered the rifle, ignoring the ringing in my ears. My hands tightened around the rifle as Hawk set his hands on his hips and dropped his head.
“Fuck, Colt.” He shook his head side to side. “You just told them we were watching.”
“They already knew.” I worked the bolt out of habit and set the rifle across the hood. “They sent it here, Hawk. They were watching us watch them. Whoever was on the other side knew damned fucking well that we saw them. If I’d let them go, it was like giving them a free pass.”
Hawk didn’t argue, which meant he’d realized I was right and was probably pissed he couldn’t argue with me.
Diesel jogged around the side of the house, saw the wreckage, and pulled up short. He stared at the busted drone, then Hawk.
Hawk pointed at the pile of busted components. “Figure out what you can.”
Diesel crouched over the mess and pulled apart pieces with his bare hands. He turned several over, checked the undercarriage, the camera housing, and then the battery pack.
I stayed beside the truck, willing my thoughts to focus on what I needed to do to protect my family instead of giving in to the consuming fire of rage that obliterated my rationality.
I had more to lose than ever. I’d ridden away once and it had cost me Callie. Never again.
The screen door screeched, then clapped shut.
They knew we were watching, and because I’d given in to my need to protect so quickly, they now knew how close I was to losing control.
Every breath hurt. My lungs tried to work, but my heart raced and a ringing in my ears caused my vision to spin. I could not lose Callie or my son.
I refused to let that even be a thought.
Callie crossed the porch and stopped at the steps, arms wrapped around herself.
Her face paled. She must have realized what Diesel was taking apart.
Her gaze slid to me, then the rifle I couldn’t bring myself to put away.
A lift of her chin brought the shadows under her eyes into view, but she walked down the steps with a strong stride, not stopping until she stood next to Diesel.
“This isn’t hobby equipment.” Diesel lifted the camera from the housing. “This is a three thousand dollar camera.”
I didn’t think it was possible for Callie to get any paler, but she proved me wrong. Her voice came out clear and strong despite the way her body swayed like she might drop at any second. “Wade doesn’t have that kind of money.”
“This is bigger than your bastard of a stepfather.” I needed her to understand that once and for all.
We were up against an entire club who, from the looks of the scorch marks on the side of the house, would stop at nothing to get that ledger.
“This is organized and funded. And it’s a damn sight more patient than a man like Wade could pull off. ”
I’d never met the man but from what Callie told us, and what I’d learned on my own, he was the fuck around and find out kind of guy who would rather do all the wrong things because he thought it would get results faster than approach with a fool-proof plan.
“No one rides alone until I say different.” Hawk called me back to the problem with his order. He met my gaze without apology or flinching. Same as always.
I nodded once. I wasn’t going anywhere. My running away days were long gone.
“I’m going to check on Cody.” I needed to see him. Needed to ground myself in the solid reality of being a father.
Some men might’ve questioned Callie about Cody’s parentage. I might not have the ability to trust many people, but that kid was mine through and through.
I left them to tear apart the drone and made my way past Callie into the house. Men sat in the open living room, concern on most of their faces. They didn’t try to talk to me as I passed. Probably because of the look on my face. I didn’t need to see it to feel the deep scowl that warned them off.
The door to Cody’s and Callie’s room was cracked open, the nightlight leaving a tiny beam of yellow on the floor.
I stopped at the door and pulled my face into a smoother expression that wouldn’t scare the shit out of my kid. He was tough, but he didn’t need me adding to his worry.
I pushed the door open and took a step inside.
Cody lay curled in the bed, his back against the headboard and his arms looped over his knees. He’d pulled his hood over his head and buried his face in the depths. He stiffened when the door creaked.
“It’s just me.” I broke for the boy in the bed that reminded me of myself at that age, and I hated that he’d been through so much. “Sorry for all the noise.” I crossed to the bed and sat on the edge. “You want me to get your mom?”
A tiny head shake, then his face poked out of the hood. He pushed the material back and down and tugged the strings side to side while sitting up. “Is it over?”
Fuck. What was I supposed to tell him?
He scanned my face, and I realized I didn’t have to say a damned thing. The kid was too smart for his own good, and he’d seen too much to be lied to.
“We’re going to do everything we can to protect you.” The promise grounded me, even if Cody gave me an incredulous look with both eyebrows arched.
His hazel eyes hardened, the look in them so like mine that my heart broke. No six year old should look like that. The worst thing he should have to worry about was whether he lost his favorite toy car.
Cody scooted across the bed and wrapped both of his arms around one of mine. He held on tight, a tremor shaking his body. “You have to look out for Mama too.”
A sleepy yawn interrupted him, and he nestled against my leg, turning so his back pressed into my thigh and he gripped my forearm.
I opened my hand, and he put his face in my palm.
God this kid. I would do anything for him. Anything.
No one was taking him from me. Not him or Callie. I’d die first. I’d kill every single person standing between us if I had to, but I would not ever give them up.
Cody trusted me. He didn’t know I was his father, but he trusted me. I brushed his hair away from his forehead and kissed the messy mop of tangles. “I got you, kid. It’s going to be okay.”
Someway, somehow, I’d keep that promise.
Cody sighed and snuggled in. I didn’t dare move, barely even breathed, until he fell asleep. Even then, I hesitated to break the moment.
I would have to eventually. Callie would want to go to bed, and I needed to talk to her too.
The house settled around me with a few familiar creaks and groans.
Light footsteps tracked down the hall, and I recognized Hawk’s tread on the stairs.
He and Diesel would probably be up all night checking out the drone.
Cody’s lips parted with a puff of air, and he rolled away from me, releasing my hand and grabbing his pillow. He stuffed it beneath his head without opening his eyes, and the slack jaw gave way to a tiny grin and a chuckle as he dreamed.
I pushed to my feet and made my way to the door, leaving it cracked the same way I’d found it.
Where would Callie be? She hadn’t interrupted me, which was its own kind of surprise.
I backtracked toward the kitchen before realizing she’d want to be as far away from the fire as possible. Hawk told her to stay away from the shop, so that was out.
I paused at the end of the hallway and swung left, toward the back door.
Callie sat in a wooden chair a few feet from the door, her body curved forward with her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands. On anyone else, it would look like defeat. On Callie, it read as a warrior preparing for the next round. She raised her head at my approach but stayed seated.
“Hi.” I grabbed the nearest chair and set it in front of her, dropping into it and raking both hands through my hair.
Callie lifted her head and gave me a weary look, the kind she reserved for moments when she couldn’t decide how to deal with me.
I deserved it.
“Hey.” It came out rough, and she straightened in the chair.
I leaned forward and put my elbows on my knees, inviting her to return to her former posture. The porch light on the other side of the door shone across the yard, illuminating several trees and the men patrolling the perimeter. It also highlighted the dried tear streaks on her cheeks.
Fuck. “I’m sorry for being an asshole.”
She didn’t jump to defend me.
I hadn’t expected her to. I twisted the ring on my middle finger, warming the metal against my skin and giving my hands something to do so I wouldn’t drag her into my lap and beg her to stay with me.
“There’s no excuse. I could give you a couple reasons why I do that, but the truth is, I’m scared and I don’t know what to do.
But that’s no reason to take it out on you. ”
“No.” She shook her head. “It doesn’t.”
I dropped my hands between my knees. “I’m working on it, Callie. I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure you know that I’d never do anything to hurt you or Cody.”
She kept quiet a long time, her gaze skimming my face as she considered me. “You scared me tonight, but not the way you think.”
“How?” The rifle?
“The look on your face after you shot down the drone. For just a second, you checked out. I couldn't tell what you’d do next, and that’s terrifying for me.”
Because she’d lived with a psycho who thought hurting little girls and their mother made him a tough guy. “I would never–”
“I know. I wasn’t afraid you’d hurt me. Not like that.” She searched my face again, her throat working.
I held still and let her look. I owed her that much. “You have an amazing kid.” I managed a tiny smile. “He told me to look out for you.”
Her jaw tightened, and her eyes dulled a fraction. “I love him so much it scares me. I’d die if something happened to him. And yet I can’t seem to keep him safe. Every time I turn around, someone wants to hurt us. Well, they want to hurt me and the best way to do that is to hurt him.”
“We won’t let that happen.” She had to know that, but sometimes saying it out loud made it feel more real.
Callie exhaled and sat back in her chair, tipping her head toward the ceiling. The line of her throat caught in the faint light, and she closed her eyes. She brought her head down. “I’m afraid of how much I need this to work. I don’t have a lot of room left to be wrong about people.”
“You’re not wrong about us. About me.” I stood and held out my hand. “Come on. I’ll walk you to your room.”
“I don’t want to go to my room yet.” She let me pull her to her feet but stopped in front of me, pressing her palm flat against my chest. “Hawk and Diesel promised to let me know as soon as they learned something about the drone. I can’t sleep, and I don’t want to keep Cody awake.”
“I have a solution.” I might not have a lot of great qualities but I was excellent at distractions.
Her lips quirked in that hint of a smile I’d come to love. “Good thing your room is right there.”
I gasped and splayed a hand over my heart. “Callie, are you propositioning me?” I wiggled my eyebrows and tugged her hands until she stepped closer. “All you had to do was ask.”
“But the apology was so cute.” She kissed my cheek. “Sometimes you are an asshole. It’s good that you can recognize that.”
“I’m also a god in bed.” I looped my arms around her waist and walked backward toward my room. “I can make you forget everything.”
“Good.” She fisted her hands in my shirt as I kissed her.