Chapter Eleven.
Blue
Something had changed last night. Although Nun hadn’t said anything, I’d felt it.
She’d accepted something and made peace with it.
While I wanted to push, that was the wrong thing to do.
Nun did things at her pace. Meanwhile, I had to collect Kiki; she needed some items for our trip.
I was taking her away thanks to Belladonna and Sapphire’s generosity.
The new companion was also coming with us and had settled in fantastically.
Cyber had generously run her background and given Susan Topps the all-clear.
She’d moved in last week, and Aunt Kiki had been overjoyed with her so far.
They were connecting really well. Susan was a widower with a pretty sad story, but she was a cheery person despite that.
She and Kiki got on like a house on fire.
I pulled up outside Aunt Kiki’s, whistling as I climbed out. As I reached the front entrance, I paused. It was ajar.
“Aunt Kiki?” I called. Had she seen me coming? I pushed the door open and stared in disbelief. The hallway had been tossed.
“Aunt Kiki! Susan!” I roared and rushed through the rooms. I didn’t find either of them, but the entire house had been ransacked.
Panic growing, I darted upstairs and noticed someone lying in the spare bedroom. I ran in and found Susan; her eyes were wide open, and she was sobbing. I snatched the handkerchief that had been shoved in her mouth, and her cry tore me in half.
“They took Kiki!” she cried.
I punched in the emergency number and began untying her bonds.
“Nine-one-one, what’s your emergency?”
“My aunt’s house has been broken into and her companion tied up, and my aunt’s been taken,” I shouted. “I need police and an ambulance. We gotta find my aunt! She’s disabled.”
“What is the address?”
I quickly gave it as I checked Susan over for injuries. I found a lump on her head and some dried blood.
“Did you see who it was?” I asked.
“No. I heard a woman’s voice, and Kiki called out, ‘It’s you.’ Blue, she seemed to know her,” Susan replied. Her eyes crossed, and I squeezed her hand.
“Stay with me, Susan; an ambulance is coming.”
Body rigid and words escaping me, I waited as the paramedics arrived first, followed by some uniformed cops. I explained what I knew, and Susan spoke briefly as they called in a detective. Twenty minutes later, Wylde rolled up. Worry clouded his expression when he saw me.
“This is a person you know?”
“It’s my aunt, Hayden. Someone took her. Susan mentioned Kiki recognised her,” I replied, clutching his jacket sleeve. Wylde nodded and turned as Cassidy entered.
“Do you have a picture? We’ll get an alert sent out,” Cassidy responded.
“The lady in the ambulance said this happened yesterday evening.” My breakfast rose in my throat, and I darted for the downstairs cloakroom.
I spewed everything up and kept retching.
While I’d been at the club with Nun, someone had attacked my aunt.
Once my stomach had nothing left, I returned to Wylde and Cassidy.
“We’ve put a BOLO out for her, and uniforms are speaking to the neighbours. Blue, we’ve got to ask some questions,” Cassidy stated.
“Okay,” I murmured.
“Let’s go outside. CSI is on its way,” Wylde said.
Fuck. Crime scene. The reality of what was happening hit me, and I gasped for breath. This couldn’t be happening.
“Hold it together, Blue. You’re doing great, buddy,” Cassidy urged. I walked out of the house and bent over with my hands on my knees. I dragged in some air and reined in my emotions. Aunt Kiki needed me to think clearly, not to panic.
“Blue! Blue!” someone shouted, and I looked up.
“Mrs Douns,” I answered.
“Dear boy, I heard nothing, but my surveillance may have picked something up. Can you send an officer over?” she called.
“Your cameras don’t point this way, Mrs Douns,” I responded, grating my teeth.
“One of the grandchildren knocked it with a ball a few days ago. There may be a clue,” Mrs Douns stated, and Cassidy cocked his head.
“House!” Wylde yelled, and a uniformed officer jogged over. “Go with this lady; she thinks her cameras might have captured the abduction.”
“Sure,” Katie House replied and headed for Mrs Douns.
“Blue, does your aunt have any enemies?” Cassidy asked.
“No, she’s a great person.”
“Has she had a fight or upset anyone lately?”
I went to say no, but paused. “It wasn’t Kiki, but Nun and I caught Loretta Brown here; she was applying for the job.”
“Loretta Brown?” Cassidy frowned.
“Nun said she was a Gerrit.”
Cassidy and Wylde swapped glances. Wylde stepped away and pulled out his phone.
“That’s a problem, isn’t it?” I snapped, scared by Wylde’s reaction.
“A little while back, someone beat the shit out of Jed, Luther Gerrit’s grandson. Luther’s one of the ‘Elder Gerrits’. Jed refused to say who did it. If the Gerrits think the Harlots were responsible, they might have taken Kiki as retaliation,” Cassidy explained.
My blood ran cold, and I felt dizzy. “Kiki has no connection with the club. Cassidy, she’s never set foot there.” I grabbed his sleeve.
“Blue, the Gerrits don’t care.”
“I’m sending a black and white to Loretta’s,” Wylde muttered, jogging back.
I sat down on the grass and dropped my head into my hands. Had I brought danger to Kiki? I’d never forgive myself if I had.
Sapphire
“Hey,” I said, answering Wylde’s call.
“Babe, I need an answer. Were you involved in Jed Gerrit’s beating?” he demanded.
“What’s happened?” I heard the alarm in his voice.
“Sapphire, I need the truth.”
“Tell me what has happened, Wylde,” I retorted. I couldn’t lie to him, but I wouldn’t incriminate my sisters.
“Someone broke into Blue’s aunt’s house last night and took his aunt. They beat her companion, who can’t identity anyone. Blue’s tearing himself up,” Wylde remarked.
“I’ll organise on this end,” I said and cut him off. I dialled Nun immediately. “Get to Kiki’s now. Someone’s abducted her; Blue needs you.”
“What?” Nuns startled squawk came through clearly.
“Kiki’s been kidnapped. Move.” I ended the call. “Sparrow!” I roared as I punched in Earl Gerrit’s number.
“Sapphire,” he answered sourly as Sparrow entered.
“Someone linked to this club was abducted. Loretta was seen at her house. Now, Earl, if I find out Loretta has taken her, let alone touched a hair on her head, we’re at war.
No second chances, no doubts, instant declaration, and kill on sight.
You listening? My club will ride and wipe you out in a week. ”
“I’ll call you back.”
“She’d best be alive, you get me, Earl,” I spat.
“I’ll ring you later,” Earl snapped and hung up.
“I’ve sent an alert; all sisters are being recalled. Where do you want us?” Sparrow asked.
“We hit the Gerrits. If Kiki is harmed, it’s war, and we eliminate those fuckers today.”
Over the next half hour, the club rolled in and tooled up, with Lantern being the last. She must have been tattooing a client.
“We’re riding on the Gerrits. Blue’s Aunt Kiki has been taken, and Loretta Brown, formerly Gerrit, might be behind it. Nun chased her away from Kiki’s.”
“Do we have identification?” Blade asked.
“No. But considering what we know of Blue and Kiki, it is unlikely the woman pissed someone off. The only other option is the Bloody Femmes, and if they have her, she’s dead.
So let’s go with the Gerrits and pray we’re right.
Kiki, for all intents and purposes, is going to be Nun’s mother-in-law,” I stated.
“What if we are wrong?” Heart questioned.
“Then Earl will love getting restitution from us,” I answered. I was fair; if Earl had done this to me, I’d expect the same.
“Time to ride,” Sparrow said as I began marching through the rec room.
“Do you need another person?” Priest asked.
“No. Stay with Brielle and arm yourself. We don’t know if this is a diversion,” I replied. “Jazz, Fume, and Ace are staying. Protect the clubhouse and listen to Jazz. She’s in charge, Priest, not you. And she knows the escape routes.”
Priest nodded as we disappeared through the doors.
I hit my bike and rode out. The Gerrits all lived together on some land they’d bought, all in trailers.
The older generation, Earl Luther and so on, had brick-built houses.
As far as myself and Portsmouth were concerned, the Gerrits were a plague on society.
They were involved in most of the illegal shit happening.
After a few run-ins, the Elders had learned not to cross us.
And after what we did to Jed as a warning—they’d be leery.
However, they were probably gearing up right now.
The problem with Gerrits was that you killed one and two more popped up.
They were inbred shits. The Elders hated me, which was fine; I loathed them in return, but we had agreed to stay out of each other’s shit.
Jed pushed it when he attempted to extort money from Candle, and we taught him a severe lesson.
This served as a warning to the remaining Gerrits. They didn’t respect women and treated them like shit. They’d tried to treat us like bimbos and paid a heavy price.
Maybe it was past time; they needed a reminder. If they had forgotten what we were capable of, more fool them.
I parked outside the rickety gate that kept people out, and Sparrow blew it open. We rode down the dusty road towards the hovels the Gerrits called home. The first thing I noticed was that the kids were missing; I silently contacted Belladonna.
‘Warn everyone. The brats ain’t visible; they’ve been hidden away. The Gerrits are expecting us and bloodshed.’
‘Will do,’ Belladonna confirmed.
As their trailers appeared, we rode close and stopped. I could see people staring.
“Let’s move. Weapons out. Any sign of a twitchy finger, we’ll shoot,” I declared and began walking.
The club fanned out, all of us alert and ready to act. The Gerrits started forming, and Earl shoved his way through.
“Dammit, Sapphire. I said I’d call ya,” he barked and spat on the ground.
“I think you underestimate what this woman means. Does Loretta have her?”
“You shoulda waited for—”