Chapter 9
Tide
There’s a joint hanging from my lips as I sit back and watch the guys.
Another local trafficker. They beat the shit out of him as I watch.
I thought about getting a little piece of the action to ease some of the tension in me, but I decided against it.
Instead, I sit back and smoke a joint, thinking about her.
What he said to her. What he did about what I told him.
He made me choose. My own fucking son made me choose between him and a woman, and I chose the woman.
Does that make a piece of shit? Probably but I can’t let her go.
I don’t care what Christian thinks about it.
In reality, I should let her go. I should let her live her life and be happy.
Maybe that would be for the best. Maybe that’s exactly what I should do.
I finish my joint and stand from my seat, walking back up the steps and out into the main room. Most of the guys are downstairs enjoying the show, while a few of them linger up here.
“Where you goin’?” Ranger asks when I head for the door.
“I think I fucked up,” I tell him.
“About what?”
“Choosin’ Mylah over Christian.”
“I don’t know what to say about that, Tide. That shit was tense.”
“I know it. I need to talk to Christian,” I tell him as he nods his head.
I shove through the door and head out to my bike, climbing on and revving up the engine.
I take off, needing to clear my head and think about what I’ve done.
Then there’s Beth. Why does she want me back?
Why is she even around? It’s been years since we’ve been together, and she made it clear she didn’t want either of us. Why now?
I ignore the annoying urge to snap her neck for showing back up at such a bad time and race down the street. I turn the corner and park outside of Christian’s place, killing the engine and climbing off my bike. I leave my helmet hanging from the handlebars as I stroll up the steps.
Raising my hand, I knock on the door, but when it opens it isn’t Christian standing there. Mylah looks at me, her lips parting slightly.
“What are you doing here?”
“Surprised you still live here after what I told him.”
“We’re not on speaking terms, but I have nowhere else to go.”
“Is he here?” She shakes her head just as her eyes widen.
“Tide,” she screams right before something hits me in the back of the head. I stumble forward, nearly taking her down as we’re forced inside. I grab her wrist and pull her behind me, blinking my eyes to get them to focus after that blow.
“This was too easy,” a man says as he stands in front of me. Mylah grips the back of my shirt in her hand, her hand shaking.
“What the fuck is this?” I ask, looking at the men surrounding us. I can fight, but not seven of them.
“This isn’t any of your concern, but since you’re here.” The man shrugs as they all begin to move on us.
“Mylah, run!” I yell as I pull away from her and swing.
It does no good. One man moves to grab her, and anger surges in my veins.
I swing again, hitting one in the face, causing him to stumble back, but another takes his place.
He steps up to me and swings while another grabs my arms, jerking them behind me.
Another blow to the stomach has me falling to my knees.
I don’t know what the hell is going on or who these guys are.
I don’t know what they want, or who they were looking for, but they have us now.
“Take them to the van,” one of the men shouts as another kicks me in the ribs. I huff out a breath as I’m dragged from the living room of my son's house and out the door. I hope to hell someone around here sees this but it isn’t likely. Everyone’s at work in this uppity neighborhood.
Thrust into the back of a van, I fall onto my face, not realizing they bound my wrists with zip-ties.
I groan and roll to my side to see Mylah being shoved in next to me.
Her arms are behind her back, a gag in her mouth.
Pure hot rage sings in my veins, and I know I will kill every one of them for touching her.
“You okay?” I ask when the van starts moving. She nods her head as I shift a little.
“We’re gonna be okay,” I tell her. She closes her eyes before opening them once more and locking them with mine. She needs me now. I have to be stronger for her now.
The van jostles and throws us around as the driver takes the curves quickly. I try to think, try to time us as we drive. I don’t think it’s been quite ten minutes when the van skids to a stop.
Before I know it, the back door is being thrown open, and we’re both being yanked out. Tears leak down Mylah’s cheeks when I realize we’re in a warehouse. I take in my surroundings, get my bearings, so that when the time comes, I can figure a way out of this mess.
I’m dropped to the floor, and that’s when it all starts. The kicks, the punches, her cries through the gag. It doesn’t take long for me to black out.