by Erin Trejo
“They sell them! Please, don’t kill me! I’m only to keep them until they show up!”
“Who are they?” I grind my teeth painfully together as I press the knife against his throat. His eyes widen, Wolf chuckles.
“My only contact is March! That’s all I know!”
That name sends a chill down my spine. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, his words from the apartment hitting me hard. He told me to keep her close. He knew Temple was pregnant.
“Son of a bitch!” I roar before plunging the knife into his throat. Tag releases him and he falls to the floor.
“What are we doin’ with this? The rest of the house is clear,” Wolf adds.
“Get out. Get the fuck out and call the police.”
“What?” I turn and look down at the crying little boy before moving toward him. Lifting him into my arms, I sit against the wall and try to soothe him.
“What the fuck are you doin’, brother?” Wolf asks cocking his head to the side to study me. I don’t give a shit what he thinks. I know what I need to do right now.
“Get the fuck out, Wolf. Call the goddamn police and give them an anonymous tip. Tell Sly I got this one.” He shakes his head unsure of what to do. I don’t blame him. I wouldn’t either but I can’t leave these kids like this.
“This isn’t our problem!” Tag roars, his voice thundering through the room. I cut my eyes to our newest patched member and smirk. I’ll have his colors pulled in no time if that’s the kind of man he wants to be.
“I said get out,” I tell them once more, gritting my teeth as the little boy in my arms slowly calms. Wolf blows out a breath and shakes his head as he turns and ushers the others out of the room. I watch them go, not really giving a shit that I’m going to be caught in the middle of this mess. Looking down at the little boy, his eyes slowly fluttering closed once more, I realize this could have been my kid. We never know what’s going to happen in the future. Glancing around, most of the kids are babies. All have to be younger than two years old. They are dirty and clearly malnourished. The smell in the room is horrific but I can’t seem to care. All I care about is that they are safe now. That somewhere their parents are missing them. Somewhere out there they probably have family who are missing them like crazy. Looking back down at the little boy in my arms, I run my hand over his little head.
“You’re gonna be okay now, buddy.” I can hear the sirens and I smile knowing that Wolf did what he was told to do. It won’t be long before I’m being hauled into the local police station but just one glance around the room tells me it’s worth it. I want to run to Temple, I do but I know if anyone understood the situation it would be her. She wouldn’t have left them either. She would have stayed and made sure they were safe first.
The police call out as they make entry.
“Up here!” I call back.
In seconds the room is in chaos. The little boy is taken from my arms and I’m pinned against the wall being cuffed. It’s not that I didn’t expect it, I did. The cop is spouting off all kinds of questions as he drags me from the room and down the stairs. Shoving me into the back of the police car, I smirk. I sit in silence as I watch the scene unfold. One child after another is brought out and set onto the lawn of the disgusting house. Paramedics move from child to child checking them. My heart slowly calms inside of me knowing that they will be okay now. They will be safe but as that thought settles inside of me, so does another. March is going to die. He’s going to die for what he did with these kids. He’s going to die for looking at my girl.
Twenty-Three
Temple
The baby kicks and moves around. It’s a strange feeling to know that that is your child in there. I roll over onto my side trying to get some sleep. I was scared shitless when everything was happening but just hearing Shaft’s voice made it all better. I was in and out of it for a while, but I feel better now, just tired. Shaft hasn’t called back and it makes me worry. I hate this feeling. Dez has been by my side since I got here but she went out a little while ago thinking I was asleep. I needed to have a few minutes to myself. I do feel safe here and I don’t think whoever it was could get in, but it still makes me nervous. I’m about to roll over when the door flies open. My heart leaps thinking its Shaft but it’s not. Instead, Sly strolls in.
“Hey,” I say softly.
“Hey, darlin’. Need to talk to you.” I shove myself up and scoot against the headboard as I nod.
“Shaft is in jail.”
“What? How? What happened?”
He reaches over and grabs my hand, giving it a squeeze. “You know he was out on a run. Shit didn’t go as planned. I’m workin’ on it now.”
“What does that mean?”
“I can’t talk about that right now. I just wanted you to know that I was handlin’ it. You’re stayin’ here until we get shit handled. He doesn’t want you out on your own,” Sly says. I nod my head but I still don’t understand. “It’s nothin’ personal and he wasn’t doin’ anything wrong, Temple. I can see the look in your eyes. I’ll give you more information in a while. For now, just let me handle the lawyers and everything, okay?”
I nod one more as my stomach sinks. I’m glad he wasn’t doing anything wrong but then why was he arrested to begin with? Sly stands and leaves the room, leaving me with more questions than I had before. Now not only was someone following me but Shaft is in jail. Could my day get any worse?
Sleep isn’t an option now so I shove off the bed and head out into the main room. There are guys everywhere, the girls are sort of lingering in the background. Is this how it is when something happens around here? I see Dezzy and Angel in the corner talking and make my way over.
“I thought you were sleeping?” Dez asks pulling me in for a hug.
“Not after hearing he was in jail. Do you know anything?” Just as I ask her, my phone rings. When I pull it out, I don’t recognize the number so I move away from the group before I answer.
“Hello?”
“Temple? It’s me, Wanda.”
“Wanda. Oh my God do you know what’s going on? No one here will tell me anything,” I whisper into the phone hoping like hell that she has some kind of news that I don’t.
“He’s being held right now for questioning. I don’t have all the details just yet. All I know is that they were out doing whatever they do and somehow he was left in a house full of small kids.”
“What? Small kids? I don’t understand,” I tell her, shaking my head as if she can actually see me. I’m even more confused now. How would they have ended up in a house full of kids? Why is there a house full of kids?
“Apparently it was some kind of illegal adoption ring. These kids… my God, Temple, they were all kidnapped and were being sold to the highest bidder.” The pain in her voice nearly guts me. Bile rises in my throat as I run down the hallway and into the bathroom. I lose it. I throw up until my sides ache and my chest hurts. I grab the counter and pull myself up when I hear her on the phone still. Grabbing it, I bring it to my ear.
“I’m sorry.”
“I understand, sweetheart. It’s a mess. I know Marc isn’t involved in this. There is no way he would ever do such a thing. He loves children,” she says I can hear her heart breaking with her voice.
“I know that. He didn’t do this. We will get him out. I know we will.” I try my best to reassure her but I don’t know what’s happening behind the scenes. I don’t know what all of this means.
“Try to rest, honey. I know Sly is doing all he can to get him home. When he does get there will you let me know? I’d like to know my son is safe.”
“Why don’t you just come here and wait with me?”
She laughs a little. “That’s not my place. As much as I’d love to be there, this isn’t Marc’s first round in the county jail. He’ll be fine, Temple. Just remember that.”
“Okay. I’ll call you.” The line goes dead and so does a piece of my heart. When I open the bathroom door, Wolf is standing there waitin
g on me.
“Wanna walk outside with me?” he asks. I nod and follow him down the hall and out the side door. The air is cooler tonight, a slight breeze blowing my hair. Wolf takes a deep breath and sighs.
“We were lookin’ for a drug house. It was supposed to be an easy hit, yeah?” I watch him following along. “House was empty all the way up until the last room in the upstairs. It was fuckin’ eerily quiet. Shaft went in and there was a ton of kids sleepin’ on the floors. One little boy started screamin’ so Shaft picked him up and held him until he stopped. There was one guy that we somehow missed that came in.” He looks off into space as if he doesn’t want me to know but I do.
“You guys killed him.” He nods slowly.
“Not until we got what we wanted out of him first. Shaft wouldn’t leave. Told me to call the cops and tell Sly he’s got this. He didn’t wanna leave them kids without protection.”
A tear slides down my cheek. “Why are you telling me this?”
Wolf turns to look at me now and the intensity in his gaze nearly knocks the breath from my lungs.
“You need to know what kind of man you’re gettin’ with him. He’s a good guy that does bad things. Some don’t see the difference but Shaft is different. He has a heart inside of him that beats for more than this club.” His words mean more to me than he could possibly know. I nod my head fully understanding what he’s saying as tears continue to flow. Wolf grabs my shoulder and pulls me into him as I cry.
“Thank you,” I whisper.
“Don’t thank me. He would do the same for me. I just didn’t want you sittin’ around thinkin’ the worst of the man. He’s got his head on straight when it comes to you and this baby.” And just like that, I find myself loving Shaft a little more.
Twenty-Four
Shaft
“I’m not going to ask you again!”
“Then don’t. Just like last time I’ll tell you the same,” I smart off as the piece of shit Detective slams his hands on the table in front of me.
“Who do you work for?”
“Your mom,” I say with a smirk. He’s around the table in seconds grabbing the front of my shirt in his hands.
“What were you doing in that house?” he hisses the same question once more.
“I was doin’ your mom like I told you earlier. That old pussy is some good shit. You should try it,” I laugh until his fist slams into my eye. I still chuckle as his friend comes in and pulls him back.
“You are going to hang for this! Kids? Really?” he screams as he points at me.
“Let’s be real here. I heard a kid scream. I went to check it out. I didn’t think anyone lived in that goddamn beat-to-hell piece of shit house. I didn’t know I would stumble into a whole shit ton of kids.”
“And the dead guy?” the other asks raising his eyebrow. I shrug.
“Dead when I got in there. Don’t know who the hell killed him.” They look at me and know I’m lying but I sure as hell won’t tell them what he told us. March. That motherfucker is mine and no one else’s. The club gets him.
“You expect us to believe that?”
“I called it in, didn’t I?” I ask keeping my eyes narrowed on his. We’ve been doing this for at least three hours. I’m dead tired and I’ve had about enough of this shit but if they want to keep playing, I will do the same.
“It was anonymous,” asshole adds.
“No shit! Did you think I’d call in and say ‘hey officer, I’m a member of SBMC and there’s a house full of kids’? You dumb fucks would have come in there with guns blazin’ and shootin’ for fun.” Crossing my arms over my chest, I glare at the two of them when someone knocks on the door. Dick one moves to answer it before heading out of the room.
“Are those kids safe?” I ask needing to know. I need to know that they got them all out of there and that they are somewhere those bastards can’t hurt them anymore. The guy eyes me a minute before blowing out a breath and moving to sit in the chair in front of me.
“They were malnourished. None of them seemed to be ill or hurt in any other way.”
I blow out a breath and run my hand through my hair thanking God for that. My revenge on March would have been that much worse if they had been.
“Good. That’s good.” He’s about to say more when the door opens and a man in a suit walks in.
“If you aren’t charging my client, then I suggest you let him go.” This must be the lawyer Sly had called in. Our typical lawyer was out of town on business and made it a point to tell us to stay out of trouble until he came back but we don’t follow the rules.
“He’s free to go,” the Detective says. I shove out of my chair and head toward the door when he stops me. “Hey.” I turn and look over my shoulder at him.
“What?”
“I know you know more. It isn’t a matter of what you’re telling us. I know you know more and when you find that son of a bitch, make him pay.” I raise my eyebrow wondering why in the hell this man is telling me this. It isn’t until his next words that I know. “My son was kidnapped when he was young. He was never found.” My heart crashes into my ribs as I nod my head giving him my word without incriminating myself. I turn and follow the lawyer out of the room and down the hall. Asshole Detective gives me a few looks but I just smirk and keep walking.
“I would ask if you want to press charges for that eye but I’m assuming not,” the lawyer says.
“I’m good. Just wanna get home.”
We stop to sign all the paperwork and shit before they open the doors and let us out. The lawyer doesn’t even say a word, just passes me a card and turns to leave. I guess he wasn’t too happy about having to come out here at this time of night. I turn my head when I hear a car pulling up. One of the prospects jumps out and walks toward me, a smile on his face.
“What the fuck you smilin’ for?” I ask him watching the smile as it fades as quickly as it came.
“Nothin’. I was told to come get you.”
“And you smile like a goddamn fool to do that?” I ask as I walk past him and jump in the front of the truck. There’s a few prospects who make me wonder. This is one of them. He climbs in and we take off as I dig through the glove box for a cigarette. Lighting it up, I roll the window down.
“You really call that in yourself?” he asks. I glance over at him and nod.
“Those kids deserved to know someone cared.”
“It was nice of you. Wish there was more like you out there,” he says sounding a little sad which piques my interest.
“What’s that mean?”
“Just that I had a shit past. Didn’t know my real family. Hell, my older brother said I was adopted. I never really knew. It always felt wrong, ya know?” I can hear the emotion in his voice and maybe I was wrong about the kid. Maybe he’s just a little fucked up in the head.
“You got family now, yeah? With this club. That’s all the family you need, brother. You don’t need to know where you came from. You just need to know where you’re goin’. Keep your head straight, earn them colors, and you have the world at your fingertips, yeah?”
He glances over, a small smile curling the edge of his lips as he nods. There’s something about the broken kids that hurts my heart. I had a good family. My mother was the best anyone could ask for, but I always knew there were kids out there that didn’t have what I did. I knew there were kids who were less fortunate, and the more I hung around the clubhouse back then, the more I saw it in the men that would walk through the doors.
Nothing else is said on the ride back. The silence is golden, just as they say. It gives me a minute to clear my head and think. I know Sly wants an update on the situation but I want that bastard March. He isn’t going to be an easy target to pin down and maybe that’s what makes my blood boil. I want that chase. I want to see his face when he realizes his little scam is coming to an end. I wish I could have seen his face when he heard that I was the one who took down his house.
As soon as we pull into the cl
ubhouse parking lot, I climb out of the truck and am greeted by the guys. I smirk and hug them all.
“She’s inside. Still worked up but Wolf talked to her,” Sly says as he walks with me toward the door.
“Thanks, brother. Can we talk tomorrow?” I ask looking over at him. He nods his head and walk inside. Dez slams into me before I ever get the door closed, her arms nearly strangling me.
“You asshole! We were scared to death,” she yells in my ear.
“No you weren’t. You were happy I was gone,” I tease before setting her back on the floor. That’s when my eyes find hers. Temple chews her lip, looking nervous as tears fill her eyes. Dezzy steps to the side, and I slowly, maybe too slowly, make my way to her. She looks up at me, something shining in her eyes now. Reaching up, I cup her cheek in my hand before I lower my lips to hers. She kisses me back slowly before I rest my forehead against hers.
“You’re here,” she whispers.
“I’m not goin’ anywhere,” I remind her.
“Your eye,” she says reaching up and running her fingers over it. I close my eyes and inhale, letting the feeling of her touching me linger inside.
“Tell me you’re mine, Temple. Just say it,” I beg her.
“I love you, Marc.”
My eyes open slowly and lock with hers. The love I can see, the fear of losing me - it’s all there. I can feel it in her touch. I can sense it in her kiss.
“I love you too.” Grabbing her hand, I lead her down the hallway. I don’t want to fuck her senseless. I don’t want to kiss her. I don’t want anything more than to hold her and our baby in my arms right now. I want to feel them. I want to know that they are real and they are here and mine.
Once we get into the room, I start to pull my clothes off as Temple does the same. There’s more in her eyes than lust. I can see the love. And it’s mine. It’s all fucking mine. When I’m in nothing but my boxers I climb into the bed, pulling the blanket back as she watches me.
