She shakes her head. “What do you mean?”
I shrug. “I’ve decided to take my daughter out of this plastic palace and send her to the state school with the kids of real families. If you want, I’ll take you with me.”
I laugh as I see the spark in her eye. She grins slowly.
“That sounds like a plan.”
Nodding towards the classroom, I grin.
“Then we’d better rescue our princesses from the tower and take them to safety. Show me the way.”
As we enroll the two girls in the local school, it feels like the best decision I’ve ever made. All the other Reaper’s kids go here and I’ve finally opened my eyes. This where we belong - where Cassie belongs. I made Jennifer’s decision for her because of the lost look in her eyes. As Ashton’s friend it’s my duty to look out for her. Whatever problem she has is now mine. The invitation to our house was made with one aim in mind. If Jennifer needs a place to go, I know the perfect one.
It must be three hours after I left that I return home. What I find when I get there is unexpected to say the least.
31
Ashton
Once Ryder leaves I decide to find Bonnie. If I stay here on my own, I’ll be one anxiety-ridden mess. I hear the bikes fire up and leave about twenty minutes after Ryder and wonder what’s happening. Occasionally they go without him but not often. I know he wouldn’t want them at Cassie’s school so it must be something else.
It doesn’t take long and I reach Bonnie’s house and knock loudly. I feel anxious and worry what will happen. Ryder isn’t the sort to make a scene and upset his daughter but I saw the fire in his eyes and the resolve harden his face.
Bonnie opens the door and instantly realizes something is up.
“My God, Ashton, you’re as pale as a ghost. Is everything ok with Cassie?”
I nod but can’t stop the tears from filling my eyes and she drags me inside.
“Come on girlfriend, you’re gonna tell me everything?”
Nodding, I follow her in.
I watch her make me a strong coffee and falteringly I tell her everything. Now I’ve started I can’t stop, and it starts with the Club and ends with Ryder heading off for revenge. By the time I finish she sucks in her breath.
“Man, that is some story, honey. I can’t believe you’ve had to deal with so much in such a short space of time. No wonder you wanted to learn how to fight.”
I nod miserably and she looks at me kindly.
“Listen, Ryder may be one hard son of a bitch but he won’t do anything to upset his baby. He’ll sort this, you have no reason to doubt that. As for your other problem, so what if your daddy finds you? I’ve never known anyone leave this place unless they want to. Ryder won’t allow it and you know you’re protected, don’t you?”
I nod, but she doesn’t know my daddy. He isn’t one to let a bunch of bikers stand in the way of what he wants. I’m not stupid enough to think for one minute he wants his daughter back. No, it’s his prize bargaining chip that he’s missing. If I don’t marry Marshall Emmerson, then the deal they made will be null and void and daddy will lose everything.
I hang out at Bonnie’s for a good hour talking everything through before we decide to head to the guys' gym and get in some training. Bonnie thought it best to occupy my mind in a productive way which suits me just fine.
As we walk the short walk to the gym, we hear tires crunching on the gravel drive out the front. It sounds as if there are lots of them but they aren’t the usual sounds of the bikes. These sound like cars and Bonnie looks at me with worry in her eyes.
“Something’s happening. That’s not normal.”
She silences me with a finger to her lips and pulls me into the shade of a nearby tree. We move stealthily through them until we have a view of the yard. My heart starts hammering as I see trucks, cars, and vans all parked in the yard. Streams of men are pouring from them and taking up their stations all around. They are surrounding the compound and Bonnie looks at me with a hard glint in her eye. “Feds.”
I feel my heart hammering as I hear shouting. We hear somebody crashing through the trees and Bonnie pulls me deeper into the forest.
“Come on, we’ll hide out here until they leave.”
As we crash through the trees, I worry what’s happening. I hope Ryder’s ok. I hear shouting - lots of shouting and Bonnie whispers.
“They must know that half the men are missing. Nobody would dare come here if the guys were home. They must have been watching.”
I say fearfully, “What do you think they want?”
Bonnie shrugs. “Who knows, but as soon as the guys return all hell will break loose. We’ll hide out in the dugout until they return.”
The dugout is some way through the trees and I would never know it was here. Bonnie leads me through a covered doorway on the floor of the forest and I see some steps leading downwards. My heart thumps as the trap door closes behind us and she flicks a switch and the light illuminates a bare boarded room, with bunks lining the wall.
She grins, “Not very homely but a good place to hide. Nobody will find us here unless they know about it. It’s also soundproofed and you could shoot a gun in here and nobody would know.”
My eyes widen as I see the very things lining the walls. Rows upon rows of guns are locked in place and under them are cupboards stuffed with rations and supplies.
I look around in total shock and Bonnie laughs softly. “Ryder had this built as a safe place for the women to run to if anyone came here for revenge. We are taught to defend ourselves in every way and this is just one of them.”
Shaking my head, I sink down into a nearby seat and try to take it in. I whisper, “What if the children come here? It’s not safe with these guns around.”
Bonnie laughs. “The kids wouldn’t be able to grab the guns. They are locked in place with a fingerprint recognition system. Only those authorized to shoot are loaded onto the system. Nobody gets these guns unless Ryder wants them to.”
I shake my head in amazement. I still have so much to learn about the place I now call home. I watch Bonnie lift a revolver from the wall and look at her in surprise. “Can you shoot, Bonnie?”
She laughs. “Just a little. Before I became Snake’s old lady I worked for the Feds. I was considered a crack shot, and it’s where I learned my craft.”
I look at her with interest. Wow, this is interesting stuff. She carries on.
“I was assigned a mission to infiltrate a gang of bikers on the other side of town. It was all going well, and I found out every dirty deal they were involved with. I was the intelligence gatherer and boy did I find out some stuff. The trouble is, the Reapers were sent in before I could complete my mission. Somebody higher up than my boss called it and they forgot to inform me. The fact I could defend myself earned me my life as those guys mean business when they attack. I managed to get out and hide in the woods. It was there that Snake found me.”
I am mesmerized as I see the faraway look in Bonnie’s eyes as she remembers. She continues softly.
“I gave a good fight, but the bastard overpowered me in the end. I’m not sure why, but he brought me back here instead of turning me in, or even worse sending me to meet my maker like so many others that day. I didn’t make things easy on him though. I didn’t know that he’d been sent to remove me from the situation to protect my cover. The bastard kept that one to himself and enjoyed torturing me by keeping me prisoner when he should have let me go.”
She laughs. “I soon stopped complaining though. I mean, he’s so hot and I am a red-blooded woman after all. I had a lot of fun resisting him but well, you know how things panned out.”
I stare at her in awe. “You were a Fed? What made you give it up?”
She smiles. “Love conquers all. I couldn’t leave Snake once I found him and so I handed in my shield and enrolled in college instead. The rest you know. I became Snake’s old lady and we live a very satisfactory life here. I wouldn’t want it any other
way.”
We fall silent and I think about her story. It seems that everyone here has some sort of amazing story behind them. I haven’t even scratched the surface of what happens here.
I look around me nervously.
“So, what happens now?”
She throws me a can and rolls her eyes.
“We wait.”
I try to still my pounding heart and worry about the others. I look at her fearfully. “Will the others be ok?”
Bonnie nods. “I wouldn’t worry. Even though we have unwelcome visitors nobody will care. We don’t have security for a reason. Mostly people know not to come here. It’s the unspoken rule and if they do they suffer the consequences. Despite there only being a handful of bikers here they are perfectly capable of defending us. Even the feds are no match for a Reaper and they will soon learn that the hard way. By the time the rest of them arrive back the feds won’t know what’s hit them.”
I stare at her in amazement and she laughs.
“Listen, Ryder will be back soon and sort it out. In the meantime, the guys will take care of our visitors and make sure they feel extremely uncomfortable.”
I whisper. “What do you think they want?”
Bonnie fixes me with a hard look.
“I think that’s obvious. They’ve come for you, Ashton. It’s why I brought you here for safety. We are not leaving this dugout until Ryder says so and if I must, I will shoot the bastards first before letting them take you.”
32
Ryder
I see them as soon as I climb the dirt track to the compound. Many vehicles are abandoned in the yard with bikers standing around marking their men. Feds are everywhere looking around them nervously as my men stare them down. Fuck, just what I need.
Flash approaches when I pull up and nods. “They’re inside.”
I say softly. “How many?”
He grins. “Three. They’re waiting with Snake and Brewer in your office.”
I growl. “The girls?”
He grins. “Nowhere to be found. I’m guessing the dugout. We’ve left them there until you send for them.”
I feel some relief at his words. Today appears to be a good day for sorting Ashton’s problems out.
I feel the stares as I walk. Curiosity reaches out and hits me as I cut through the scores of men taking up unwanted residence in my yard. As I head inside, I see more of my men standing guard over even more Feds who look nervous as hell.
There can only be one reason why they are here and I feel the excitement beginning to take hold. At last, I get to meet my father-in-law.
By the time I reach my office my mask is in place and I swing the door open and stride inside. Snake grins as he stands watch over two men sitting either side of the one I want the most. Ashton’s daddy.
The look he gives me would melt steel and I stare at him with a blank expression. Then I look at the men beside him and recognize they are Feds, not from these parts but unmistakably establishment.
Sitting down in my chair, I look at them with a hard expression.
“What’s your business?”
Ashton’s daddy goes to speak but one of the Feds beats him to it.
“We have a warrant to search this compound as we believe you are holding an Ashton Mortimer against her will. She’s a missing person and we’re here to return her where she belongs.”
Her father speaks up. “Hand her over, boy. This has gone on long enough. If you’ve hurt one hair on my baby’s head you will spend the rest of your life in the penitentiary.”
Snake laughs out loud and I shake my head and glare at him.
Ignoring his words, I turn to the man in charge.
“On whose authority have you come here?”
The man pushes a piece of paper across the desk with the signature of a man I don’t know. The accompanying description shows this is basic stuff. I reach for my phone and dial my contact at the FBI in Washington.
He answers quickly - as always and I say in a hard voice.
“It would appear we have a problem here, Mack. Some of your guys have stormed my compound with a warrant for a missing girl. I wanna know what you’re gonna do about it?”
I can almost hear his voice shake from here as he says roughly, “Pass the phone to the Fed in charge.”
I hand the phone to him and enjoy watching him pale significantly and the sweat breaks out and runs down his face. His eyes fix on me with fear as he fidgets in his seat. All he says is, “Yes sir, I’m sorry. Yes, of course, leave it with me.”
Mr. Mortimer looks at him with confusion as the guy hands the phone back to me and swallows hard.
“I’m sorry, sir, for the inconvenience. We should leave now and let you carry on with your day.”
He stands but Mr. Mortimer pulls him down.
“Where are you going? This isn’t over, my daughter’s here and you know it. I’m not leaving until I see her.”
The Fed flashes me a look of apology as he fixes Mr. Mortimer with a withering look.
“That’s up to you but we have no jurisdiction here. If you want to stay then you’re on your own.”
Ashton’s father bellows. “You fucking good-for-nothing cowards. You just wait until I get hold of your superior. Heads will roll for this.”
He looks back at me and sneers. “You may have run these lily-livered imbeciles out of town but I’m not leaving without my daughter. You good-for-nothing son of a bitch if you’ve hurt her you’ll pay for it.”
Settling back in my chair, I take a moment to admire his bravery. Then again, on second thoughts, I know it’s borne out of the desperation of a man who stands to lose everything.
I look over at Snake and nod.
“Bring Ashton here.”
As I watch Snake go, I fix her daddy with a wicked look.
“Let’s just see what Ashton wants, shall we?”
33
Ashton
The air in the dugout is stifling and I soon feel sleepy. Bonnie is good company but I’m anxious to know what’s happening.
It must be a good hour later that we hear the trapdoor open and we both stiffen. Bonnie raises her gun and points it at the entrance. We hear heavy steps approaching and she calls out, “Who’s there?”
We hear Snakes’ unmistakable growl.
“Who d'you think?”
She grins at me. “Oh, I’m not sure. Tell me the password and maybe I won’t shoot.”
An extremely terse reply shouts, “You know who it fucking is and if you think about shooting, I’ll spank that fine ass of yours into next week until you can’t sit down for a month.”
She winks and laughs. “Password recognized, you may approach.”
She lowers her gun and Snake fills the dugout with his considerable frame. He rolls his eyes, and she giggles at his expression. Then he turns to me and looks guarded.
“I’m sorry, darlin’, but you’ve got a visitor.”
My heart starts hammering.
“Who is it? Are Ryder and Cassie ok?”
He nods but his expression remains blank.
“Cassie’s at school and Ryder’s in his office with, um… your father.”
All of my strength drains out of me and I feel as if the bottom has dropped out of my world. Daddy is here. I knew he would find me but I never thought he would come himself.
I start to shake and the tears fill my eyes. Bonnie looks concerned and moves across and puts her arm around my shoulders.
“It’s ok, honey. I’ll come with you. Nothing can harm you with us to look out for you.”
I gulp for air and nod. “I’m sorry, it’s just unexpected, really. Of course, I’ll come. It needs to be done.”
As I follow Snake out, Bonnie brings up the rear.
It’s time to grow a backbone and take on the one man I despise more than I have ever hated anyone in my life.
My father.
As we reach the compound, I notice all the cars have gone except for one. I breathe a little ea
sier as I recognize the threat has diminished slightly.
Snake and Bonnie walk next to me and we don’t say a word. The tension is stifling me and making it difficult to breathe. My heart hammers in time with every step I take and I swallow hard. This is it, just me and him. No Tyler to help me this time, just my husband. My panic subsides a little at the thought of Ryder. He’ll be there for me, I just know it.
As I stand outside the door to his office, I prepare myself for what’s about to happen inside. Then, with a deep breath, I push the door open.
I almost can’t look at him but my eyes are drawn to the large overbearing shape of my father who stands the minute I walk into the room. He rushes over and grabs my hand pulling me to him until I almost can’t breathe. I feel his relief but I’m not stupid. He’s just glad to have his investment in his grasp and that’s all I ever was to him.
He whispers, “It’s ok, sugar, daddy’s here. I’ve come to set you free.”
Pushing back, I fix him with a hard look. I move out of his arms and move behind the desk and take Ryder’s hand. “I don’t think so, daddy.”
Ryder squeezes my hand reassuringly as my father looks at us with total shock.
“What do you mean? Of course, you’re coming with me. I insist on it.”
I shrug.
“You can insist all you want but my life is here now.”
I fix him with a withering look and say softly, “With my husband.”
The shock on his face makes my heart lift a little. He sinks back into the chair and looks at us wildly as the realization sets in. His virgin sacrifice has gone—forever.
There is silence as we wait for him to speak. All of us looking at the man struggling to understand what’s just happened.
He looks up and his eyes narrow.
“We’ll see about that. You foolish girl, do you know what you’ve done?”
His face turns purple as he starts to shout.
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