Chapter Fourteen #2
“Yeah, but he also thinks he knows who is best to love me, and that would be like me telling him that no matter how he feels, he should only love Mom, and trust me, I know how that story ends, and it never ends well. They can’t do anything but argue.
” She sighed. “I’m so sorry. Let’s not waste this trip arguing. ”
Maeve laughed. “We’re not arguing. We’re talking. I am not going to judge you for the relationship you have with your father. That is between you and your dad. I’m not here to judge.”
“How did my dad even get you?” Charlotte asked.
“I happen to consider your father quite the catch.”
Charlotte laughed.
The journey didn’t take as long as she thought it would, but she frowned when she saw the old sign for the Peterson Ranch, that she knew hadn’t been in operation for quite some time.
“Maeve, I don’t think this is a good idea,” Charlotte said.
There was nowhere to turn around, and as they came out of the long driveway, Andy was there, and the bastard shot out a tire. This was not good.
She noticed that Martha was also tied to a chair, and the older woman looked absolutely petrified.
****
Savage didn’t go to the mechanic shop as he promised Charlotte he would.
The truth was, he was finally understanding his feelings for Charlotte, and he wanted to marry her, to spend the rest of his life with her.
He wanted to grow old with her, have lots of babies, and fall in love. He wanted it all.
“You know, they serve the best damn coffee in Rivermont Ridge,” Doc said, surprising Savage as he took a seat opposite him.
They were sitting outside, and it was cold as fuck, even though the sun was out, but it still had a layer of snow on the ground that had gotten hard. He’d already seen a couple of the shop owners throwing down salt, in the hope of making it safer for people to walk.
“I didn’t expect to see you here,” he said.
“Yeah, well, I had a conversation or two with a couple of women last night, and even though I want to take my gun out and shoot you, as well as stab you, I also know my daughter is going to be pissed at me if I hurt you any more than I already have.”
“So, you’re being nice?” Savage asked.
“I’m trying to come to terms with all that I have learned,” he said.
Savage could understand that.
“Charlotte has been my little girl for nineteen years, Savage. I want what is best for her. I did not expect to open that video and see you and my daughter making out as if you were a couple of fucking teenagers.”
“I intend to pay the sender a visit for invading our privacy,” Savage said. He didn’t like Lucas, and it would be easy to deal with him. The little shit was a bully, and bullies were easy to deal with, especially when you were bigger, meaner, and willing to do anything to get the message across.
“You and Charlotte, this is the real deal between the two of you?” Doc asked.
“Yes.”
“And I can’t sway you to anything other than that?”
“I love her, Doc. I tried to stay away. Trust me, I fucking tried, but I just ... she’s in there.” He pointed to his head, then down to his chest. “And she’s in there, and I know I fucked up. I should have come to you, but Charlotte wasn’t ready.”
Doc nodded. “I’m not saying I like this. In fact, I fucking don’t, and right now, I want to beat the crap out of you, choke you, and shoot you.”
“You pretty much want to kill me by any means necessary,” he said.
“You’re getting it,” Doc said, but then he held out his leather jacket. “But I don’t accept you screwing my daughter and leaving the club. You want to screw my daughter, you want to marry her, you will do so being a member of the club. You’re not going to get away that easy.”
“Have you talked to Charlotte?” Savage asked, taking his jacket and sliding it on over his other one, seeing as it was fucking cold.
“Not yet, I know she might need a little time. She’s a strong one, and sometimes, I don’t realize how strong.”
“She’s not, you know,” Savage said. “She is strong, but you sometimes overestimate her ability to cope. She struggles, and I know she still mourns the loss of her brother, but because you and Nancy can’t talk about it, it’s hard for her.”
Doc sighed. “It’s where I failed. I failed my daughter and my son.”
Savage gave him the silence he needed.
Doc looked pained.
And then, Savage’s cell phone went off, invading the silence. “Shit, fuck,” he said. “I’m sorry.” And he had every intention of turning the damn thing off, when he saw Paulie’s name on the screen. “I’ve got to take this. Paulie, what is it, man?”
“You’ve got to get to the Peterson ranch, and you’ve got to do so now.
So, I’ve been following the details, and Maeve and Betty are set to inherit the whole Bernadette estate, and we’re talking millions of dollars.
Martha has been collecting wealth and bonds and all kinds of shit.
She is a savvy investor and has been for a long time.
I just got an alert that a message from Martha to Maeve was sent for an unscheduled appointment, and with the direction to take them to the Peterson ranch.
You need to move. I don’t like this feeling.
The message doesn’t read anything like Martha’s. I can only assume it’s from Andy.”
“Shit!”
He hung up and got to his feet. “Please tell me you kept Nitro and Iron on guard with Maeve,” Savage said, getting to his feet.
“No, I sent them to do perimeter checks,” Doc said.
“Get them to the Peterson ranch. There’s no time to explain. Maeve’s life is in danger.”
Savage ran to his bike, and he called Charlotte’s number, but of course, she wasn’t going to answer. If Maeve was going to work on Martha, that meant Charlotte would be there with her, which put the two women in the line of fire.
This day could not get any worse.
He started his bike and had no choice but to take it as easy as he could, because the roads were slippery as fuck.
All he could think about was Charlotte. He didn’t have enough time with her, and he had to get to the Peterson ranch. Doc was right behind him, and he knew he would put the alert out on the club. They had to get to their women, and they had to do it fast.
Savage couldn’t stop cursing himself for not talking to Charlotte sooner. This was so fucking messed up, and he would never forgive himself if something happened to her. Charlotte was his only focus. If Andy had even harmed so much as a hair on her head, he was going to fucking kill him.
When they were only five minutes from the access point, Savage stopped his bike. “There’s two ways to get to Andy, either of us can do this. It’s a shot from right up there, the tree line.”
“You go,” Doc said. “I’ll be there as a distraction.”
“Damn it, Doc, he will shoot you.”
“No, he fucking won’t. He won’t even get the chance, because you’re going to be there.” Doc nodded at him. “Go and protect our women, Savage. That’s an order.”
“You go on the bike, he’ll hear you.”
Doc climbed off his bike. “Hurry,” Doc said, and was already taking off toward the ranch.
“Shit!”
Savage was able to get to his place on his bike. Once he was at his location, he pulled his binoculars from his pouch and got into position, being careful not to alert anyone to his presence.
He saw Martha Bernadette tied to a chair, unable to escape.
Tears were streaming down her face, and she was trying to scream through the gag he’d placed over her mouth.
He spotted Maeve and Charlotte next. They were both on their knees, with their hands behind their backs.
Both looked terrified, although he was proud to see the women also looked really pissed at being on their knees.
Clearly, both women turning up had shocked Andy, as he kept flashing the gun between them, as if he wasn’t sure who to fire at first. He kept alternating, and Savage reached for his gun. He was going to need good aim. There was no way he would risk sneaking up from this angle.
His anger surged forward as he watched Andy clearly screaming something, as he pointed the gun at Charlotte’s head.
The barrel pressed to that very spot, and he couldn’t handle it.
Dropping the binoculars, he held his gun poised, and it was like he knew Andy was about to take absolutely everything away from him.
Savage stared down the barrel of his gun. If he missed now, shit was going to hit the fan very fucking quickly, and that wasn’t good. He needed to be accurate. For Charlotte. For both of them.
He was going to marry her.
And then he took his aim and fired.