by Blair Grey
Though I tried to get more information out of Ryder, he wasn’t telling me a thing, which only added to the mystery. I didn’t know what to think. Did he know the truth and wasn’t telling me for some reason? Or, was it just as much a mystery to him as it was to the rest of us?
There was no way for me to know for sure, and all I could do was just push through and try to find out any information I could.
And to do that, I was going to have to get through these little tasks and be welcomed into the club as much as possible. It wasn’t easy, that was for damn sure, but it was necessary. I hated to think that I might be helping my father in his illegal activities, but I decided at the end of the day, it was better to do this and not know what I was doing than otherwise.
So, I dropped off the box.
I looked around the warehouse briefly before setting the box on the floor next to the door. It was then that I realized the warehouse was meant to store guns. There was no doubt in my mind they were illegally trafficked, and my father was likely getting ready to make another run with them. I hoped I would be out before that went down, or somehow Jett would be able to pull off a raid of his own and take control over them before something happened.
I didn’t want to get caught in a gunfight. I might know how to shoot, but that didn’t mean I wanted to be part of it. I just wanted to get through this and go back to my normal life.
“Well, well, well,” a voice said.
I turned, startled.
Keenan, one of my father’s favorites, came slinking over to me out of the shadows. I had no idea he was even at the warehouse, and I bristled.
“What do you want?” I asked.
“I was just wondering what a pretty little thing like you was doing here, that’s all,” he said. “And, no hello? What’s that all about?”
“I don’t have time for this,” I told him. “I’m doing a job for my dad, then I’m getting out of here.”
“Oh, I’m sure you’ve got the time,” he cooed. “I don’t take long taking what I want.”
“I don’t care what you want,” I said. “I’m not interested in your offer, so thanks, but no thanks.”
“Offer?” he asked with a laugh. “I’m not offering you anything. And, to think, your mind is on the same thing mine is. I would say that’s more than coincidence, wouldn’t you? Perhaps you’re thinking of doing the same thing without even realizing it?”
“I’m thinking of telling you to fuck off,” I snapped. “I’m not going to sleep with you, and if you dare try to make me, you’ve got another thing coming.”
“Oh, is that a threat?” he asked with a laugh. “That’s alright. I like it when they fight. It really gets me all excited for what’s about to happen. Come on, it’s not going to take too long, and with the desk right here, I can bend you over, spread your little ass and-”
“I said fuck off!” I snapped. I turned to go, but in an instant, Keenan was on me. He grabbed me, pushing me forward first into the door, then peeling me off. I tried not to scream, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of knowing he was stronger than me and scaring me in the process. I knew he could get what he wanted from me if he just took it, but I wasn’t going to let that happen.
I shoved him back. “If you dare come near me, I’m going to tell my father!”
“Your dad would be thrilled to know you’ve hit it off with the boys. Don’t you think he had something like that in mind when he let you back into the club in the first place? He certainly didn’t do it because he likes you, so you can get that out of your head right now,” Keenan laughed.
“It’s none of your business what my father was doing. I’m warning you right now, if you dare come near me again, you’ll find yourself in a world of hurt! I’m not here for you to use as a plaything, and you’ll find that out the hard way if you must!” I snapped.
Keenan looked at me like I’d gone crazy, and there was a part of me that wondered if I had. I didn’t think I’d find myself in this situation, and I surprised even myself with the way I’d reacted. But, I wasn’t going to put up with him treating me like that, and if I had to fight back hard, then I would.
I knew I couldn’t go to my father about it. He was right. My dad would want me to get with one of the men in the club, and that wasn’t going to happen. So, I’d have to keep this to myself. But, I wasn’t going to stand by and let him take advantage of me. He was going to have to respect me whether he liked it or not, that was for damn sure.
Keenan was clearly debating what to do, but I wasn’t going to stick around and find out what he decided. With a final glare, I turned and pushed my way back through the door, refusing to let the adrenaline wear off until I was safely back in my car.
I fought the tears that formed in my eyes. I wasn’t going to break down. There was no way I would give him that satisfaction if he were to be looking out the window. No, I would get out of there, and I would head straight back home.
I knew I wasn’t supposed to call Ryder from my house, but I didn’t care. He had to know things were starting to get out of hand, and the sooner we could get things rolling, the better. He could talk to Jett about what I had found, and we could figure out a plan with the information I had been able to give them already.
I might not know where my mother was, but at least I had enough information to give them a start. I didn’t know how long it would take for them to put together a plan, but I knew without a doubt we had to get something going soon.
I wasn’t going to wind up pregnant with one of these bastard’s babies, and I wasn’t going to be passed around from one to the other, either. I knew what I wanted, and I was going to fight for it.
Life had thrown me a lot of hardship already, I wasn’t going to sit back and let myself be taken advantage of again.
I was on a mission, and I wasn’t going to quit.
But something had to change soon – or I might end up in a bad spot.
I couldn’t let that happen. No matter what, I had to keep fighting. I had to do it for me.
And, I would.
Chapter 20
Ryder
“I say the sooner we get this underway, the better!” I looked from face to face around the table, making eye contact with Jett, as well as Blade. I didn’t stop with them, either. Trak, Kage, Roman, Knox, Draven, Rocco…everyone was present, and I wasn’t backing down from any of them.
Sure, a couple of the men around the table were merely members just like me, but most of them were men who held rank within the club, and I wasn’t going to keep my mouth shut. I was more than willing to speak my mind when it came to Taylor and how we were handling the situation, and I hoped they would see my persistence in doing so, too.
After all, Jett had heard about what happened to Taylor in the warehouse that afternoon. I called and told him what she had told me as soon as we were off the phone, then I spread the word we were going to have a meeting at the secret safe house that night.
Of course, we had to discuss more than just what had gone down at the warehouse, but that was what had me upset. I couldn’t bring myself to think about Taylor being stuck in that building with that man, and I fought to keep myself from forming a long list of what I wanted to do to the guy if I got the chance.
It wasn’t going to end pretty for him, that was for damn sure. I could already feel the bone crunching beneath the force of my fist when I got that chance. But, I had to keep control over myself. I wanted to be smart about this, and I had to bring in the rest of the MC to take them down with me.
“I agree with that sentiment,” Blade said. “We can’t keep wasting time, but we need to have a plan going into this thing. We can’t just storm the warehouse and hope for the best.”
“Not if we’re going to get my mother out of there, which is what we were planning to do in the first place,” Taylor finally piped up. She hadn’t said much since we got back to the safe house, and I didn’t blame her. When she called me that afternoon, she had been really shaken by what ha
d gone down.
She clung to me and told me everything, only adding to the fury I felt. But, I assured her things were going to be okay, and I wasn’t going to let anyone come near her. I wasn’t about to stand by and let something like that happen again, that was for damn sure.
But still, it bothered me to think she had to go through it at all, and I wanted Jett to do something about the mission. Being concerned about her going through with this in the first place was enough to push me to make this happen quickly, but Jett was more level headed about everything.
He wanted to take his time with the plan and make sure everything was just right before we dove in and made it happen. But, I was afraid if we took too long, we were putting Taylor in unnecessary danger. After all, this whole plan was to get her mother out of there and to safety, so why were we constantly putting Taylor in harm’s way, instead?
But, I knew I didn’t have any real say about it. Jett would call the shots, Blade would enforce them, and the rest would follow suit. I was forced to follow the rules along with everyone else. But, I hoped he would take into consideration how big of a deal this was.
Taylor’s dignity, her safety, perhaps even her entire life was at risk, and the sooner we took care of her, the better.
“Your mother’s not in the warehouse,” Jett told her. “If I had to guess, I’m saying she’s probably either in your father’s house or somewhere nearby. I would doubt he would put her anywhere she would be easily accessible; you’ve not seen any sign of her, at all?”
“None,” Taylor shook her head. “But I’m not getting the impression she’s dead, either. I would think if my father knew that, he would have told me in one way or another, especially since I told him I want to embrace the MC life. It would be something he would use as a way to get me to really dedicate myself to the idea of being with him.”
“Then, we can only assume she’s being kept somewhere they consider her to be safe, and I say we go at it with full force and start with the warehouse, then raid the houses until we get what we’re after,” Jett said.
“That’s what I’m saying,” Blade nodded. “We know how they operate, so let’s come down hard while we have the chance.”
He slapped his fist into his hand for emphasis as he spoke, and I nodded. “That’s exactly right. I think we should take them off guard if possible.”
“They’re always on guard,” Taylor said. “That’s one thing we’re going to have to be careful of when we hit. One wrong move, and my father’s going to come down on top of us like we’re all the enemy.”
“Which is why I’m finding it interesting you’re including yourself in this,” Jett said.
Taylor looked at him in surprise, but relief washed through me. I couldn’t have said it better myself. If I had any say in the matter, there was no way in Hell I was about to let her go along with us on the raid. I didn’t care if she knew the setup firsthand. She told us what we needed to know, and now it was time for her to stay safe while the rest of us went in and took care of business.
“Of course, I’m going along,” Taylor said as she looked from one face to the next around the table. “This is my mother we’re talking about, and we’re going against my father. I’m not going to sit behind like some scared little girl while you go up against my family!”
“I understand and appreciate your passion for this, but you have to realize, we need you to be safe and out of the way. I don’t want to have to worry about you or what you’re doing while we’re trying to get your mother out of there,” Jett replied.
“You don’t have to take care of me!” Taylor snapped. She folded her arms against her side, as she had done so many times, but her eyes were daggers as she glared at Jett.
I took the chance to step in. “I think he’s right,” I said with a shrug. “We’re going to be going in with guns blazing, and if you get caught in the middle-”
“I’m not going to be caught in the middle!” she snapped once more. “Do you really think I’m going to be put in the heart of this operation just to be pushed to the side when things start to get difficult? I don’t think so! I’m going to see this through to the end, and I’m going to be there when we get my mother out of there!”
“Look,” Jett said. “I know you’re upset, but-”
“I’m not just upset! You don’t understand! I’m going to be there. I haven’t seen my mother in a decade! It’s not like I’m just going in there for the fun of it, I’m going to be there for her when she comes home!” Taylor was growing frantic, but Jett wasn’t going to put up with this much longer.
I knew him, and he wasn’t the sort of guy who would put up with such things. He would let her say her piece, but he wasn’t going to let her go into hysterics over it. After a moment of her ranting, he held up his hand to calm her.
“I know you’re upset about this,” he said again. “But trust me when I say you need to stay behind while we take care of it. If you want to be there for your mother, then you’re going to need to be alive, right? What do you think’s going to happen if your father sees you in the charge against him? He’s not going to hesitate when it comes to pulling out the guns, and if you’re front or even in the center of the mess, he’s not going to hold back.”
Taylor looked like she wanted to continue, but I agreed with Jett. I knew it was hard for her to take the back seat and let us handle this, but she didn’t have a choice in the matter. She was going to have to sit back and let us take care of this, and then she could come in when we finally were able to bring her mother home.
I knew Jett would let her see her mother after this was done, even if we did have to put Katherine back into hiding. For now, however, Taylor was just going to have to listen to those who had more experience and knew what they were doing.
It was the only safe way to take care of the situation. Well, the safest way to do it, anyway. There wasn’t anything she could do that would help with the mission, and it would be harder to make sure she was okay while we were trying to break through the walls and beat down doors if she were with us rather than staying home where we knew she was okay.
“Alright,” Jett continued. “We’re going to put this to a vote. I know you’re not happy with the idea of staying behind, Taylor, but you have to trust me. This is for the best, okay?”
She said nothing, waiting for the men to vote on whether she was going along with the fight. Of course, no one in the room wanted her to be in that situation, and it was easy to pass the vote as final. I was relieved Taylor didn’t look at me as I voted. I knew she wasn’t safe going with us, but I didn’t want her to see me voting her to stay, either.
We were making progress in our relationship with each other. I didn’t want her to get pissed off at me all over again – not when we were so close to getting her mother back and putting this all behind us.
But, she kept her eyes on the table in front of her, clenching her jaw when Jett announced she would be staying behind.
“We’ll put this into practice tonight, and hopefully bring the mission to a close in the morning,” he said.
Agreement ran through the room, and I nodded along. The sooner we got this underway, the better, as far as I was concerned. I wanted to find Katherine and put this whole thing behind us just like the rest of them, but more than that, I wanted to get Taylor out of there.
She wasn’t safe being in that MC, no matter who her father was. And, the more time she hung around them, the more chance there was for her to get into some serious trouble.
But perhaps now we found what we had to do to take care of this. We’d get Katherine back, and Taylor would be okay. Things would go back to normal, and I could go back to winning her over.
After all, when I brought her mother home, I knew she would be overjoyed with the reunion. She could forget all about her anger over not being able to go, and we could move on with our lives.
Like so many other things, we’d just move on, and it would be okay.
I just hoped the rescu
e would go well.
And, I hoped more than anything that Katherine was still alive.
Chapter 21
Taylor
I nearly threw my hands into the air in protest and disgust when Jett announced the verdict. I wasn’t going along for the ride, and that was final. They didn’t care how badly I wanted, to go, and they didn’t give a fuck that it was my mother they were trying to save.
From their point of view, this was a dangerous mission, and I wasn’t invited along.
Despite the fact I had been in the thick of things with my father’s MC for more than two weeks, I now had to take a step back and let them swoop in to save the day as though I had nothing to do with it. It was infuriating to say the least, and I was ready to throw a fit over it.
But, I couldn’t argue. I knew the more I tried to convince them to let me come along, the more they were going to tell me it was too dangerous. I couldn’t make Jett change his mind, and I knew Ryder would support his decision, too.
Ryder had been the one making it clear to me he didn’t want me to get involved in the mission in the first place. He wasn’t happy I was hanging around with the other MC, and he really wasn’t happy I was spending time with my father.
He knew the kind of man my father was, and he didn’t want me to be in that situation, at all. But, he didn’t have the say over me, and that meant, he wasn’t going to be able to tell me what I could and couldn’t do.
Except now, he could. Now, he could tell me straight up that I wasn’t going along with them, and with the rest of the MC supporting that choice, I had to go along with it, too. There wasn’t any arguing the matter, there wasn’t any doing things my way.
It was what it was. As much as it pissed me off, that’s all I could do.
“I think we’re all in agreement over how we’re going to take care of this,” Jett said as he looked around the table. I had been so angry with the decision they’d made for me, I hadn’t paid much attention to what the plan itself was. It didn’t matter to me, after all.
