by A. M. Myers
Glancing down at my phone, I dial Storm’s number. As it rings in my ear, I tug my hand through my hair and resume my pacing as my heart races. The more my mind spins, the less and less sense all this makes. Izzy wouldn’t leave me, I know it as surely as I know my own fucking name so then, where is she?
“What?” Storm growls and I release a breath as I stop in the middle of the living room.
“Izzy’s gone.”
He sucks in a breath. “What? When?”
“Fifteen minutes ago, maybe,” I say, my hand shaking as I sink into the couch and drop my head into my palm. “Joe called me to say that she left in my truck and I found a note on the counter.”
“She left you?” he hisses and I shake my head. I don’t know how I know but I’m certain that there is something else going on.
“No. She wouldn’t do that.”
He’s quiet for a moment and I’m sure he’s probably feeling sorry for me, thinking I’m a poor, miserable bastard who can’t accept the truth but I know Izzy better than anyone. She didn’t leave me, not after she finally admitted her love for me and said she was mine. Not after she agreed to marry me. Finally, he sighs.
“All right, listen… I’m going to send Ali and Carly over to watch your kid and you head to the clubhouse. We’ll meet there and talk.”
I nod. “Okay.”
“Oh,” he adds. “And bring the note with you.”
“Sure,” I answer, nodding again. After we hang up, I rush back into the bedroom and throw clothes on as quickly as I can. By the time I walk back into the living room, Carly and Ali are knocking at my door in their pajamas.
“Hey,” Ali says, walking in and wrapping her arms around me as she shakes her head. “She wouldn’t leave you, no matter what Logan thinks. She loves you and she’s happier than I’ve ever seen her.”
I nod, fighting past the lump in my throat. “I know.”
“Good.”
Carly lays a hand on my arm. “Go find her, Smoke. We’ve got things covered here.”
“Yeah, okay,” I whisper, glancing over at my son as my thoughts spin. “I’m not sure when he ate last and there are diapers and wipes over there somewhere…”
“We’ve got this,” Ali assures me and Carly nods. “Go.”
Leaving them with DJ, I grab the note off of the counter and run out to the driveway before remembering that Izzy took my damn truck and my bike is at the clubhouse.
Shit.
I pull my phone out of my pocket but before I can call anyone to come pick me up, Maverick pulls up in front of me in his Jeep. Maverick’s house is closest to mine and I’m grateful that he decided to check in on his way to the clubhouse. As I shove my phone back in my pocket, I jog over and slip into the passenger seat, nodding to him.
“Heard you might need a ride.”
I nod. “Thanks.”
He peels out of the driveway and I grip the bar above my head as he flies down the back roads, whipping past the forest as we race to find my girl.
“You heard anything yet?”
Maverick shakes his head. “Naw. Storm sent Kodiak and Marley to go check the main road but they haven’t reported back yet.”
The main road?
I don’t want to know what the hell Storm expects to find out on the highway that leads to the compound so I don’t ask but my imagination has no trouble coming up with possibilities. Bloody, awful possibilities that make my stomach churn.
She’s okay.
I repeat those words to myself over and over again like a mantra, like I can will it to be true with sheer will power and my love for my girl.
“What do you think happened?” Maverick asks as we near the clubhouse and I shake my head, not wanting to go there but it’s too late for that.
“I think Dominic has her. I have no fucking clue how he got to her but…”
He sighs. “Joe says she left the compound on her own. I know you don’t want to admit it, Smoke, but I think you really need to consider that she left.”
“No,” I snap, cutting him off as he turns into the parking lot. “She didn’t leave me. I know her. You don’t.”
He stays silent as we pull into a space in front of the doors and I immediately jump out, not bothering to wait for him as I pound up the steps to the clubhouse.
I have to get inside and find out what the hell is going on.
I have to make a plan to find Izzy and bring her back home.
As I walk inside, Storm looks up and the look on his face makes my stomach drop. Kodiak and Marley share his expression and I stop.
“What?”
Storm grimaces. “Your truck was found on the side of the road two miles south of here.”
“And Izzy?”
“Smoke,” he says, shaking his head. “She wasn’t there.”
I nod, immediately slipping into battle mode. “Dominic has to have her. That’s the only thing that makes sense. We know where he is so let’s go there.”
“Hold up,” Kodiak says, crossing his arms over his chest. “We need a damn plan.”
“We have one,” Tate says, joining our group from the dining room with her brother by her side. I didn’t see him come in behind me but my focus wasn’t on him. Maverick sighs and nods.
“He’s in Baton Rouge for a reason and it has to have something to do with us,” he says, glancing over at Tate. “We think the only way to handle this is to just go there and ask him. We’ve tried reaching out and he never even answered us but he wants something. He wouldn’t be here if he didn’t.”
Kodiak balks. “Absolutely fucking not. You are not going to confront that asshole.”
“Lincoln,” Tate whispers, looking up at her husband. “He’s my father and whether you like it or not, I’m involved in this.”
They stare at each other, having a whole argument without uttering a single word and finally, he hisses a curse and turns away from us. His shoulders are rigid and when he turns around again, he looks resigned.
“Fine. Let’s get this shit over with, shall we?”
Storm nods, stepping back up to our little group. “Only me, Smoke, Kodiak, Tate, and Maverick. If we show up with any more than that, it’ll look like we’re mounting an attack.”
“Aren’t we?” Marley asks and he shakes his head, sighing.
“We can’t afford to. He’s got us outmanned and outgunned. This is a negotiation and I’m just hoping his fucking kids can get him to release Izzy to us.”
A fist squeezes my chest. “And if they can’t?”
“Let’s load up,” he calls, giving me a look that tells me all I need to know. He has no fucking idea what we’ll do if we can’t convince Dominic to give Izzy back to us. The thought terrifies me more than I want to admit. Ever since this all started, Dominic, through Luca and Gio, have been thwarting us at every turn. There is nothing to stop him from wiping us all out other than Tate and Maverick but even I’m not convinced that they’re enough to win him over. How the hell do we take down someone with so much power?
We all load up into one of the large SUVs and as I sink into the back seat, I close my eyes and picture Izzy yesterday morning as she rocked DJ around the kitchen as “I Put a Spell on You” by Annie Lennox played in the background. Sunlight was streaming in through the sliding glass doors and her laugh was so carefree. When she smiled at me, her eyes glittering like stars, I remember sitting on the couch and thinking that I’d finally made it. I finally had the life I’ve wanted, the life I planned for. How naive of me to think that my life was made, especially with Dominic still lurking in the background but being with Izzy makes it easy to forget sometimes.
Memories of finding her unconscious on the porch fill my mind and the same dread I felt when I picked up her cold, clammy hand fills me now. What if Dominic has already killed her to keep her quiet? I picture her, lying in a pool of blood just like the other woman I loved and lost and pain rips through my chest.
I can’t lose her.
I can’t sit my son d
own one day and tell him that his mommy isn’t ever going to come home because she’s dead.
A stuttered breath rushes out of me and Kodiak nudges me with his shoulder, pulling my gaze across the car.
“It’ll be all right, Smoke.”
I nod before leaning my head back against the seat and closing my eyes. God, I wish I believed that. Once again, it was my job to protect the woman I loved and I failed. Story of my fucking life, right?
“We’re here,” Storm says as the SUV pulls to a stop. Guards rush out with guns drawn but begin to lower them as Dominic King himself walks down the steps like he’s been expecting us and gives them the command to stand down. We all pile out of the car and he grins as his gaze drifts over the five of us.
“Well, this is a surprise,” he finally says and I resist the urge to roll my eyes as his gaze lands on his children. “Tate, Theo, I’m glad you’re here.”
Tate takes a step forward but Kodiak puts an arm out, stopping her from going any further. “We’re not here to play games, Dominic. We want Izzy back.”
“Why don’t we come inside and talk?” He doesn’t wait for anyone to respond, turning and walking back up the stairs like the monarch he thinks he is. And what do we do? Stand firm in protest? No, we follow him like loyal little subjects but I’m almost certain that’s part of the game. He leads us into the mansion Streak showed us a few weeks back but my focus remains on him as we walk into a large living room with two separate sitting areas. On the edge of the room is a large chair that looks like a throne and Dominic turns back toward us before sinking into it.
“Now, what were you saying, darling daughter?”
She snarls. “We want Izzy back.”
“Ah, yes,” he says, picking at invisible lint on his slacks and I barely resist the urge to slam my fist into his face. I hate this monster, have since my very first run-in with him, but coming after my girl brought it to a whole new level. “Now we have a problem because I can’t just give her to you.”
“Why not?” Storm asks and a flicker of annoyance passes over his face before he masks it. Interesting. He’s happy to play this game all night long with his kids but it seems like if anyone else steps in, he doesn’t like it.
“Well, she saw something she shouldn’t have. I need assurances that she won’t run off to the police and tell them her story.”
I cross my arms over my chest. “Why does it matter? You’d just have it disappear again.”
“Yes,” he sighs, rolling his eyes. “But it costs money to do that and as it stands now, I will make money off your little baby mama.”
I jerk back, blinking at him, but Tate takes a step forward as she levels a glare at her father. “How?”
“I suppose I might be willing to make a deal with you though,” he adds, ignoring Tate’s question completely as he lets his gaze slowly travel over each one of our faces.
“What kind of deal?” Kodiak asks. This time, the annoyance that slashes across his face isn’t brief and he turns to Tate’s husband with lethal intent in his eyes.
“You will not speak.”
“What kind of deal?” Storm repeats, his voice on a razor’s edge as his impatience radiates off him. Dominic turns back to our president and smiles.
“I want the club to work for me.”
“No,” I whisper as I take a step back like he struck me.
“Absolutely not,” Maverick agrees, shaking his head as he stares daggers at his father. Dominic just shrugs, not at all bothered and my stomach sinks.
No.
No.
No.
This can’t be happening.
I can’t leave this place without Izzy.
“We’ll figure something out,” Storm whispers to me, too quiet for anyone else to hear and I shake my head. I can’t. How in the hell am I supposed to walk away from here without her? As I take a step forward, Dominic turns to me.
“Take me.”
He laughs. “What the hell would I do with you?”
“I don’t care,” I answer, my body shaking with my anger as I clench my fists at my sides. “As long as Izzy is free.”
“Interesting… but no. I think I’ll hang on to Miss Hutton.”
Tate flashes a panicked glance in my direction before turning back to her father. “There has to be something else you want…”
He hums, watching her as he mulls it over. My heart beats against my rib cage and my breath catches in my lungs. Cold calculation lights up his eyes as he turns to look at his son before glancing back at Tate with a grin.
“Okay, I have another deal for you but this is your last chance. Refuse me and Isabelle stays here.”
Tate nods and Maverick steps up next to his sister, grabbing her hand. Dominic’s gaze flicks to the gesture but he doesn’t react to it.
“Truthfully, the reason I came back to Baton Rouge and set up shop here, so to speak, was because I want a relationship with the two of you…”
Kodiak growls but Tate grabs his hand to calm him and I suspect, keep her father from killing him right here.
“If you two will agree to weekly dinners with me, I suppose I could release Miss Hutton under the conditions that should you fail to hold up your end of the bargain, I will kill her.”
“No!” Kodiak roars but Tate and Maverick glance at each other, some unspoken conversation happening between them, before they turn back to Dominic and nod.
“You have a deal.”
Dominic grins and my stomach sinks. Why the hell do I feel like we just walked into something we have no idea how to navigate?
Epilogue
Ten Days Later
Oops!
Yeah, I ran out of time to get this book all the way down before it had to be submitted to Amazon and instead of making you all wait longer for Izzy and Diego’s story, I decided to just include the link for the epilogue here. So, if you want to find out how this all ends, click the link below and download your copy!
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Other Books by A.M. Myers
The Hidden Scars Series
Hidden Scars (Emma & Nix’s story):
readerlinks.com/l/453170
Collateral Damage (Daisy & Tucker’s story):
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Evading Fate (Addilyn & Trey’s story):
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Bayou Devils MC Series
Hopelessly Devoted (Storm & Ali’s story):
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Addicted To Love (Chance & Carly’s story):
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Every Breath You Take (Kodiak & Tate’s story):
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It Ends Tonight (Smith & Quinn’s story):
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Little Do You Know (Henn & Kady’s story):
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Never Let Me Go (Moose & Juliette’s story):
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Every Little Thing (Fuzz & Piper’s story):
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Wicked Games (Streak & Rowan’s story):
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BDMC: Second Generation
This Ain’t Love (Rodriguez & Izzy’s story):
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Almost Is Never Enough (Rooster’s Story):
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About the Author
A.M. Myers lives in Cody, Wyoming – a little town about an hour away from Yellowstone National Park – with her husband and their two boys. She has been writing for most of her life and even had a poem nationally published in the sixth grade but the idea of writing an entire book always seemed so daunting until a certain story got stuck in her head and wouldn’t leave her alone until she started typing. Now, she can’t imagine a time when she won’t be letting all of the stories in her head spill out onto paper.
A.M. Myers writes emotional, gripping romantic suspense novels that will leave you swooning and hanging off the edge of your seat from start until finish. When she is not writing, you can usually find her up in the mountains with her boys, camping, fishing and taking photos of the beautiful landscape she is lucky enough to call home.
