by E. C. Land
Waking up groggily, I feel completely disoriented. I try to lift a hand to run it over my face, but I’m unable to move my arms.
In fact, I can’t move my arms or my legs. I’m strapped down to what I can only imagine is a gurney or something similar and from the fact I feel wetness between my legs, my water’s been broken.
What the hell?
This isn’t good.
I then remember calling Breaker, Owen’s screams, someone covering my mouth.
Opening my eyes, I look around me and find myself in what I consider a horror movie scene set up. The walls look grim with vines growing along them, causing the whole room to give off an extremely creepy vibe. There’s dirt everywhere. It has to be some old abandoned medical facility.
Where am I? Where’s Owen? I can hear crying from somewhere not far and I know in my gut it has to be him.
Bile rises in my throat and I’m scared of what is happening.
Footsteps resound in the room, and I look in the direction they’re coming from and find the nurse who had been in the elevator with me.
“Oh good, you’re awake,” she says brightly as she comes to stand at my side with what looks like an IV bag. “I’ve already started your IV, but now it’s time to start the pitocin to get your labor going.”
“No,” I whisper weakly. I don’t want my labor started.
Not here.
Not now.
Not in a place like this or without Breaker. Fear takes hold and I don’t know what to do.
“We have to. My sister is very mad with you and is not happy. She’ll be here soon and we’ll get the baby, and I promise I’ll make sure your death isn’t painful.” The woman is a lunatic. How is it she’s able to work in a hospital and they do not notice?
I shake my head and catch the sight of another woman stepping into the room and I recognize her right away.
Tricks.
Damnit, what the hell is up with clubwhores and them wanting to kill me?
Chapter Ten
Breaker
Getting back to my bike, I listen to the voicemail Nora left me. “Hey, I’m done with my appointment. I’m going to take Owen across the street to get lunch if you want to meet me over there. I love yo . . .”
The voicemail ends with my ol’ lady’s voice cutting out and my son’s screams filling the line.
Motherfucker.
Why didn’t I just check it earlier? Better yet, why didn’t I come with her? None of this would have happened if I’d come along.
Fuck me. I’m going to murder whoever did this.
Last time it was a clubwhore who drugged her and got her out of the clubhouse. This time, I don’t even want to think of who could’ve done this.
I need to get her back, her and our son. She’s pregnant and I can’t lose any of them. Not her, not my son, and not the son Nora carries within her.
“What’s going on, brother?” Pipe asks as I pull the phone from my ear.
“Something’s happened to Nora and Owen,” I snarl, clutching my phone tight enough in my hand that I’m surprised it doesn’t shatter to pieces.
“What do you mean?” Shock and Steel speak up at the same time.
I play the voicemail for them while Pipe pulls his phone out and calls Chains for me.
“I need to go in there and speak to security to see if they have anything on the cameras with what happened,” I grind out.
“Brother, let’s get back to the clubhouse. Fuse can get into their system and see if he can’t find something,” Steel says in a deadly calm voice.
Nodding, I look one last time at my ol’ lady’s SUV and get on my bike. Starting my bike, I lift the kickstand, hit the throttle, and race in the direction of the clubhouse. My mind goes over all the things that my family could be going through right now.
Owen’s only a toddler and now he’s going through something traumatic. He doesn’t deserve to be dealing with this shit.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
Hitting the throttle, I push my bike to go as fast as it can.
The gate swings open for me when I come barreling toward it. I come to a stop in front of the clubhouse, push the kickstand down, and cut the bike’s motor.
Hopping off, I storm into the clubhouse, finding my brothers all standing there waiting to hear what happened.
“CHURCH,” Chains snaps loudly with one look at my face.
We all pile into the room and take our seats.
“What happened?” Chains demands the moment the door closes behind the last brother.
I pull my phone out of my pocket and play the recording once again. Hearing it for the third time, it’s like knives to my gut.
“I also got this call from an unknown number. The first time they hung up. The second time was with heavy breathing coming through the line before they hung up. I called Nora to check on her. The calls didn’t sit well with me, so I told her I’d meet her there.”
“Fuse, you able to get anything on the security footage yet?” Tyres grinds the question out.
“I’m going through it now.” Fuse’s eyes don’t leave the screen of his laptop in front of him. “I have her on camera pushing the stroller out to the SUV, but when she rounds it, I can’t see her anymore. Not until . . . oh shit . . .”
“What?” I demand, balling my hands into fists.
“Two women shove her into a car. One I’ve never seen before, the other is Tricks.”
“Hold up. Did you just say Tricks?” I snarl, banging my fist against the table.
“Yeah, brother,” he mutters and turns the laptop in my direction to see the paused image of the women who are stealing my woman away.
Motherfuckin’ hell.
This is what happens when jealous bitches don’t get their way. First, it was Dee. She couldn’t get over the fact I wasn’t letting her sit on my dick anymore. Now, this shit and I didn’t even fuck the bitch.
“Can you track what Tricks has been doing in the last few months since she stopped coming around?” Chains asks.
“Yeah, I should be able to,” Fuse says and turns the laptop back toward him. His fingers fly across the keys as he works his magic.
“What the hell would Tricks want with Nora?” Axel asks.
“Yeah, it’s not like you fucked her or anything. She knew you didn’t want her. You made that shit clear and she’d been cool with it,” Pitch Black growls, nostrils flaring in anger.
I’m sure his mind is in a dark place right now like mine. If this could happen to my ol’ lady while pregnant a-fuckin’-gain, this could happen to Angelina.
Fuck me, these women have been through hell and back. What else is going to happen?
“Shit, unless Tricks gave up her shit to someone else, she’s in Vegas,” Fuse announces.
“How’s that possible? We just saw that bitch’s face on the camera?” Pipe sneers.
“What’s her last location in Vegas?” Tyres asks, narrowing his gaze.
“Her card’s been used to stay at some hotel on the Strip the last five days. Her cell shows she’s been talking to someone with a local area code up there.” Fuse furrows his brow.
Chains pulls out his phone. A few seconds later, he’s got it on speaker.
“Hello,” the voice filling the other end of the line says.
“Damon, it’s Chains,” my Prez says, giving us the answer as to who he called. The President of Reapers Rejects MC Las Vegas chapter. They have a club near Vegas that we’re allies with but not entirely close to like our Montana charter.
“What can I do for you, Chains? I haven’t heard from you in a while,” Damon says.
“Hate to bother you after your club helped in the search for Lyrica and those fuckwads who took her, but I need a favor,” Chains states, his eyes coming to mine. I nod, knowing what he’s doing. The favor would be done in return when they need it and whatever that favor is, I’ll be a part of helping.
“That wasn’t a problem. You all would do the same if the situation were reverse
d. Now, what’s this favor?”
Chains asks if Damon could send any of his men to the hotel Fuse says the name of and check to see if Tricks is actually there or not. I don’t blame him for verifying. We’ve seen some fucked up bullshit over the years and this is one hell of a situation that involves my ol’ lady, again.
“Yeah, we’ll take a look and get back to you. Need me to do anything with her if it’s her?” Damon asks, agreeing to check it out.
“If it’s her, just leave her be for now,” Chains says and finishes the conversation and hangs up. He places his phone on the table and meets each of our gazes. “Right, we’ll know shortly if Tricks is in Vegas. For now, let’s focus on getting Nora back because I swear to fuck if this is some more bullshit with assholes playing us, I’m going to ban all fuckin’ strays from this place.”
“Go for it, Prez. If I want pussy, I can easily find my own and bring her back to my room,” Pipe pipes up.
“We’ll discuss that at a later date. Now, what were the last coordinates for Nora?” Tyres mutters.
My cousins are just as worried about my ol’ lady as I am.
This is what family does.
Family.
Fuck me.
Sitting forward, I slam my hand on the table, pick up my phone, and call Levi. Not wanting to do so.
“Is my sister in labor?” he grunts out his question.
“No,” I muttered, not wanting to think about what he’s doing, considering the moans in the background.
“Then what are you calling me for?”
“Didn’t you, Dash, and Flynn put a tracing device on my Owen?” I ask, thinking about the military-style dog-tags they’d given him with his name and everything on it.
“Yeah, what about it? There’s one in the sapphire necklace we gave our sister as well,” he says. The moans come to an end and he seems to be moving. “Why are you asking?”
“I need the coordinates on them both. I don’t have time to explain,” I grind out, my mind whirling with the thought of all that Nora and Owen could be going through right now.
“Right, I’ll text them to you in two minutes. If you need help, we’ll be there. Call me with updates,” Levi says, having gotten what I mean by not having time to explain. With what he does for a living, it’s not hard.
Hanging up, I sigh and keep my phone in hand.
“Tracing device?” Fuse asks. “Damn, that’s a fuckin’ good idea. At least we wouldn’t have to worry about not finding them again.”
Yeah, but we shouldn’t be having to worry about finding our ol’ ladies anyway. Not when we’re supposed to be protecting them.
My phone beeps with a text from Levi.
“Got the coordinates, let’s go,” I snarl, needing to get out of here and finding my family.
When I get them back, they’re not going anywhere without me again. Never again. I just hope I get them back before it’s too late.
Chapter Eleven
Nora
As Tricks steps closer into the room, I get a better look at her and furrow my brow, something’s not right.
What the hell?
This chick isn’t Tricks.
She looks just like her, but there are some things different. I know she’s not been around in months and I know why. She’d called me a few weeks ago asking me to meet her, which I did at the diner not too far away. Tricks apologized to me for hurting me and explained that she did hit on Breaker once, but when he’d told her he had an ol’ lady, she backed off.
“I didn’t mean to hurt you,” Tricks whispers. “I was just being friends with him. Nothing more.” I could see the sincerity in her eyes and know she’s speaking the truth.
“I believe you.” I nod.
“Thank you, I just wanted to let you know that after what happened the other week, it won’t happen again. At least not with me. I’ve decided to move to Vegas and I’m starting over there.”
“What are you going to do?” I ask.
“There’s a company called Crave where you can do different things within the company. What I want to do, I could easily do still here, but they have a place in Vegas, and I figured I’d check it out and see if I want to do more.” She shrugs.
“Okay, if you need anything, though, call,” I say, meaning every word.
Maybe it’s because I finally got to talk to her and see that she was harmless when it came to Breaker. I don’t know, but seeing this look-a-like, I know it’s not Tricks. It’s a fraud who botched themselves to look just like another woman.
Who the fuck does something like that anyway?
“Who are you?” I ask as the nurse places the tube connected to the bag of pitocin to my IV.
The fake Tricks comes closer and my heart races. Who the hell is she?
Glaring at me, she flips her hair over her shoulder. “You know who I am? I mean, like seriously, did you think Breaker could only want you?” She giggles insanely.
This bitch is nuts.
“Breaker didn’t sleep with you, Tricks,” I say, stating the truth he didn’t sleep with the real Tricks.
“But he did,” fake Tricks says, narrowing her gaze. “And once I have you out of the picture, he’ll be mine again.”
“Why did you have to get in the way? I’m supposed to have Breaker’s children, not you. Not some skanky clubwhore.” The slap comes as if in slow motion as I’m unable to comprehend this fake bitch’s words.
What is she talking about me getting in the way?
“Breaker was mine. Mine. Mine. Mine,” she says, lifting her hands up to her head and pulling off some Nancy Downs act from The Craft with the way she’s shaking her head vigorously.
“Breaker’s my husband. He’s been my ol’ man since we met,” I say, wanting her to get it out of her head. But I know it’s a moot point.
“I have the pitocin going in her system now. It won’t take too long, maybe four, five hours,” the nurse says, cutting in.
“Can’t we just cut the baby out and leave her to die?” fake Tricks whines.
“No, you wanted my help and I’m helping, but you aren’t going to do it any other way. We have time and when Breaker comes because you know he will, he’ll see she’s dead and that you’re giving him his children. That you’ll make a good mommy to them while lying under him,” the nurse mutters.
Seriously?
This look-a-like wants to take my place in Breaker’s bed and be me but yet look like Tricks.
“You’re both delusional,” I snap as the first contractions start to hit.
“I wouldn’t say that if I were you,” the nurse says. “Oh, and I put it on a fast drip, so you’ll be feeling yourself going into labor any minute.
Clenching my teeth, I count through the contraction.
“Go check on the brat while I have a word with this whore,” fake Tricks orders.
Nodding, the nurse leaves with the instructions not to touch the surgical tools or anything else.
Both women are nuts and it makes me want to never trust another person again.
Fake Tricks moves to stand right next to the bed near the head, where she leans forward. “You ruined everything. You and that horrible ugly witch in the clubhouse that Chains claimed.”
“What are you talking about?” Now I’m truly confused.
“You and that bitch took everything that was supposed to be mine. Both of them were supposed to be mine. But there’s no way I can have Chains because that bitch he’s with will shoot me. You, on the other hand, are weak. You wouldn’t know how to do a damn thing. It’s why I’m going to take your place. Only not as you,” she snickers mechanically.
“If you think of me as weak, then why strap me down so I can’t move?” I snap, trying to figure out who this bitch is.
“You’re strapped down to keep you from escaping. When you die, it won’t be out in the bayou where the gators will get you, but here where I can watch,” fake Tricks sneers. “I want to watch you suffer for what you and that ugly little bitch took
from me.”
“Go to hell,” I grind out, a second contraction starting to hit.
“As they say been there, done that, now it’s time for you to enjoy your trip. Only your trip will be longer than mine and much more permanent.”
Owen’s cries grow louder as if he were in pain just then and I struggle against the restraints to get to him.
No. No. No.
This can’t happen.
Ignoring fake Tricks and her delusions, I focus on my son’s screams. Screams that will haunt me for the rest of my life if I make it out of this alive.
No, I will make it out of this alive. And I’ll do it with my family.
I trust Breaker and the club to come for Owen and me.
My ol’ man will stop at nothing for us. I can feel it in my soul.
He’s coming and this bitch will feel my outrage once he does.
It’s one thing to mess with a woman’s man. It’s a totally different story when you fuck with a woman’s family, her kids especially.
When Breaker comes for us, I’ll make sure I get to pull the trigger this time.
Chapter Twelve
Breaker
The coordinates take us deep into the bayou to some location that leads to an abandoned medical clinic that shut down nearly fifteen years ago. It takes longer than I like to think for us to get there.
Knowing I needed to have something to put both Nora and Owen in, I grabbed my truck. Chains got into the passenger seat next to me.
Our brothers surround the truck as we pull off onto the road leading to where Nora and Owen’s tracers are showing them to be.
I’m not a man to pray, but right now, if I weren’t behind the wheel, I’d be on my knees. So instead, I send a silent prayer up to whoever would be listening and ask them to keep my family safe.
