Chapter 24
Regan
D oc changed my bandage and reminded me to keep the wound covered so it would heal.
Then, after hugging Wren and promising to see her soon, I watched her walk away with Jacob and Hailey.
Stella stood beside me with Hawk behind us as Devlin, Lucian, James, Rhys, Seth, Booker, and Caldwell spoke with Gunner and Skid.
“Is this ever going to end?” I asked.
Stella chimed in, offering reassurance. “I used to believe the Syndicate and my father were too powerful to bring down, but we’re so close to the end that I now believe it’s almost over.”
“She’s right,” Hawk added. “When I was working for them, they were all-powerful, but now, they hide in the shadows, kidnap innocent people, and have resorted to borrowing money to remain relevant.”
“I’m . . . I’m sorry I didn’t say anything sooner. Maybe I could’ve prevented all this,” I reasoned and felt a hand on my shoulder.
Stella was offering reassurance. “There was no way you could’ve known any of this would happen. He played all of us, but now, you have the power to close the lid on Sergey once and for all.”
Trying to smile, I still felt guilt from years of keeping secrets, and I believed she realized that because the next thing I knew, Stella had me pulled into a hug as she whispered, “You have to find forgiveness for yourself, Regan. You survived and you’ve been so hard on yourself.
Find a way to lighten your heart and give yourself grace. ”
“I’ll try,” I returned, and she patted me on the back. Stepping away, I asked, “Will you promise to take care of Wren? She’s innocent in all this, and I don’t want her to worry.”
Hawk stepped up. “She’s under the protection of the Death Hounds, and if anyone tries to get to her, they’ll have a war on their hands they can’t possibly win. I swear to you, Regan, Wren is safe.”
I felt my nose tingle, indicating tears were coming, so I sniffled as I replied, “Thank you . . . for everything.”
“That’s what family is for,” Stella replied. “I’m here if you need anything. I just can’t be a part of that side of things again. Not with Matthew and Anna asleep in our cabin.”
I understood her need for peace and tranquility since her entire life had been filled with chaos and pain.
If she could achieve it, I hoped I could as well.
I watched Hawk wrap his arm over her shoulder as she rested her head against him.
He was so protective of her, like all the brothers and members of the whole family were.
I looked across at Seth, and he somehow knew because he turned to glance at me. His smile was calming, and as I walked over to him, I decided right then and there that Sergey didn’t deserve to have any more control over my life.
I’d kept his secrets, not out of loyalty but out of shame, and now that they were all on the table, I had nothing to hide from anymore.
And I planned on starting my new life today.
When I got to the group getting ready to leave for Atlanta, I pressed beside Seth and took his hand into mine.
He looked down and winked with a smile before returning to the conversation.
The look of apprehension was clear on the face of every man there.
In the past, women in this family had to save themselves, like I did earlier tonight.
Having one walk into battle with them seemed abnormal, but I meant what I’d said—I would find Giovanni and Ricardo, with or without them.
I still didn’t know what secrets I’d kept were real or not, but hearing Wren say Giovanni wanted account information from me reassured me that the numbers I wrote in that little black book were real.
Trying to remember any part of the number sequence, I realized I was drawing a blank.
Parts of number chains were there, but sections were missing.
Fuck! I’d repeated those numbers in my head every day when I was with Kelly, but after I was rescued, I broke the habit, refusing to dwell or cling on to old habits.
Now, when I needed to remember, I couldn’t seem to pull it together.
I felt a squeeze on my hand and looked to see Seth giving me a concerned look.
‘Are you okay?’ he mouthed, and I shrugged, being honest for the first time in years.
Exhaling, I looked out at the men around me and simply said, “We need to move before Giovanni comes back this way and we miss him. Or before he gets wind of John and runs.”
“You heard the lady,” Devlin replied. “Load up.”
There were two SUVs from Devlin’s fleet parked near the closed gate of the compound.
Seth and I, along with James, Rhys, and Booker, got into one, while everyone else piled into the other.
Booker, who was behind the row Seth and I were sitting in, tapped me on the back.
I turned and saw he was offering me something.
“You need to eat to regain your strength, since you insist on joining this merry band of maniacs.”
I took what he offered, a peanut butter protein bar, and then a bottle of water appeared over my shoulder. I took it before responding, “Thank you.”
Seth took the bottle from me and opened it while I ripped the top open the top of the bar and took a bite.
Chewing took effort, and it was then I began to understand their worry about me being with them.
I’d lost a lot of blood, and even though Doc gave me a pint back, plus a bag of saline, I was still easily exhausted.
Resting my head on Seth’s shoulder, I continued to take small bites, determined to finish it.
Periodically, he would lift the bottle to my mouth, and I’d take a swallow, helping to wash down the dry bar.
I remembered finishing the food and taking a swallow of water before handing the bottle back to Seth, then my eyelids got heavy, and no matter how much I blinked or tried to keep them open, I kept falling asleep.
Worried they would turn around and make me stay behind, I tried to sit up, only for Seth to gently pull me back.
Whispering softly to me, he said, “We have at least two hours until we get to Atlanta after getting on the plane. Rest now so you can be ready.”
I tried to shake my head, only for Seth to wrap his arm around me, pulling me closer to his chest. Placing a kiss on the top of my head, he softly said, “I promise I won’t leave you behind. I’m right by your side, so please, baby, sleep.”
Seth was so warm as I snuggled closer to him. There was some conversation happening in the front seat between Rhys and James, but I couldn’t understand the words. My eyelids were so heavy, and as hard as I tried, I couldn’t stop sleep from overtaking me.
“What do we have here?” Kelly snarled at someone behind me, but I kept my eyes forward, refusing to get involved. “I told you that you’re to eat in your room. No one wants to stare at your ugly face.”
I made that mistake the second week I was here when she decided that whipping her son, Sergey Junior, with a belt because he dared to speak with one of the ‘working girls’.
She thought him to be better than everyone here, so when he let his young eyes stray to the flesh being paraded around him, she disciplined him until he begged her to stop.
No one cared how she treated the boys. I’d never seen the other son, or even heard his name, but I heard the way she screamed at him.
I felt bad for the poor kid, but there wasn’t anything I could do.
Inside the walls of this house, Kelly ruled with an iron fist, and she wasn’t afraid to use it on anyone who crossed her.
She seemed to be adopting the new role of official head of the Syndicate, speaking openly about when her precious son was going to be initiated.
I knew all about the ceremonies from Sergey, so hearing this woman boast about how she was going to rule over everything made me want to laugh in her face. But I refrained.
There was no way any of the potential new members were going to let a woman be in charge, especially one not connected to any of the families by blood.
But what did I know, really? Sergey had rolled over on most of the families, and a few others walked away, refusing to be drawn into the power play.
Potential new members wouldn’t have any of the original leaders to guide them, so she very well could’ve become the boss.
And I feared how painful that was going to be.
I’d been in the house for eight months, and every time I was questioned about what Sergey had told me and whether I knew where the money was, I gave them a stone face.
They may get my cries of pain, but they wouldn’t get anything from me that would help them gain more power.
The person Kelly was belittling in front of the few of us awake this early in the morning mumbled something, and she demanded, “Speak up.”
“I think . . . I found something,” the small, frightened voice replied.
“Why didn’t you say that to begin with?” she questioned before she and the other person left the room.
The house was nice, but the wooden floor had some creaks.
I’d stayed awake so many nights and sat silently so many days that I knew when someone was moving around.
I didn’t know where they’d gone, but they left me and two other women alone in the dining room.
The men who kept an eye on things were outside smoking cigarettes, so we were alone, which was rare in a whorehouse.
“I wonder what she had that poor boy looking for,” the blonde woman said, and I barely lifted my eyes to glance at her.
She and the other woman were working girls who seemed to love the attention of the men who frequented the house. But like me, they kept their eyes averted whenever Kelly was on a rampage.