Once I sent the message, I tried to call the prospect, but it was busy. One of the other brothers must’ve beat me to it. Instead, I dialed Korrie’s number to let her know we were safe. I had a fierce need to hear her voice.
It kept going to voicemail.
“Goddamn it,” I muttered. Figuring her phone died, I called Hawk.
“I heard what happened. You okay?” was his immediate greeting. Fading fast from trying to save Squirrel, I laid my head back against the glass.
“Yeah. Hey, Korrie’s phone died, can you get her for me?” I asked him.
“Of course. Hold on.” I heard him talking to Julia, then his boots walking down the hall. Then he knocked on her door. He knocked again. “Korrie?” he called before I heard the door open.
More footsteps, him calling her name again, then I heard him talking to Jasmine and Trace. A heavy feeling began to settle in my stomach.
“She’s not in here,” he said, sounding confused. “Let me see if she’s with Kira.”
When she wasn’t with Kira or any of the other places he checked, dread spread like hot tar within me—heavy, sticky, and toxic.
A commotion in the background sent my already rattled nerves into overdrive.
“Prospect at the gate just called in and confirmed she left the compound in your truck. Says she left to go to the store for the kid but hasn’t come back yet.”
“What?” I shouted, then reeled myself in.
“Easy, son. We messaged Facet, and he’s on it. He’s already looking at footage and checking traffic cams for signs of which direction she headed.”
“Why the fuck didn’t the prospect check with one of you to see if anyone cleared her leaving? He was told no one in or out!” I was rapidly losing my shit.
“He’ll be dealt with,” Hawk assured me.
Voodoo glanced in the rearview at me in question. His phone rang, and he answered it over the speaker system. “Yeah.”
“We have a problem,” Venom’s voice carried through the vehicle.
“I think we already know,” he replied in a worried tone as his eyes locked with mine in the mirror.
“Angels”—Robbie Williams
Again, Angel had left for something termed “club business.” I didn’t bitch, because he’d warned me before that his job was extremely private. The only thing he’d told me about what he did was that they cleaned up the trash that beat the system or that the system let go free. With what I knew, I had a pretty good idea that they were some kind of mercenaries or hit men.
Angel may have distracted me the other night, but I hadn’t let it go. An idea had come to me, and tonight was the perfect opportunity.
Digging in his jacket pocket, I grinned triumphantly when I pulled out his truck keys.
“Love you, sweetheart,” I said to Trace when I went in to check on him. Jasmine was sitting in his room with him, reading a book while he played video games.
“I’m going out back to get some fresh air. Feel like I’m climbing the walls,” I said with a relaxed smile to Jasmine.
She nodded and gave me a tight smile.
Standing in the shadows of the hall, heart pounding, I waited until everyone that stayed behind was occupied. While the prospect at the bar was busy cleaning, I slipped out the back door. The door made a soft snick as I gently closed it, which sent my heart stuttering.
Waiting out back to see if anyone followed, I shivered from the cold. When all remained calm, I casually walked around the building and unlocked Angel’s truck. When I started it up, the loud rumble of his exhaust made me cringe. I’d forgotten how loud it was.
Pulling out of the row of vehicles, I approached the closed gate.
“Wait! Where are you going? I was told no one in or out by Prez when they left,” the prospect questioned after stepping from the security shack I’d hidden in.
“I’m just running to the store for meds. Trace is running a fever, and we’re out of his meds,” I smoothly lied, hoping my bounding pulse wasn’t noticeable.
“No one in there has anything,” he replied suspiciously.
“He can’t swallow pills,” I said with an apologetic shrug.
“I need to verify first,” he said, then dialed on his phone.
Shit.
I hadn’t thought about how I’d get past the gate guard.
Impatiently, I waited as he dialed several numbers, obviously not getting an answer. “No one’s answering,” he said in frustration. I couldn’t believe my luck.
“Oh, that’s because they’re all on some mission or something, right? Do you need to go inside to ask the guys in there?” I prayed he wouldn’t want to leave his post. “I swear I won’t be long. I’m literally running to the dollar store up the road.” He appeared to consider, and I pressed him further, adding in the fact that it was one of the members’ son. “I’m really worried about my son. He’s Angel’s boy. It’s not good for him to have a fever for long.”
He sighed. “Okay, but come straight back.”
“Of course!” I said with a relieved grin. For about three seconds, I felt bad that he would probably get in trouble for letting me go. I gave him my brightest smile, fake as fuck, but well-practiced over the years. Hoping it wouldn’t be too bad for him, I nodded for good measure. “Thank you!”
He unlocked the gate, and I rushed out and down the road.
Checking the rearview once for followers, I headed south toward downtown Des Moines.
I thought about calling Angel, but when I looked at my phone, it was almost dead. Deciding not to worry him when he was out doing potentially dangerous shit, I didn’t leave a message. The last thing I wanted to do was add more stress to his plate. With any luck, I’d be back before he was with no one the wiser.
Well, except for the poor prospect. I shoved my guilt down and drove.
Unless, of course, I ended up in jail.
As the miles passed, I was repeatedly tempted to abort my insane mission and drive back to the clubhouse. By the time I pulled into the parking lot across from the luxury hotel, I’d worked myself up until I was nauseous.
“This needs to be finished,” I told myself, steeling my nerves. Opening my purse, I pulled out the gun Angel had given me when we’d first arrived. Then I affixed the silencer to the barrel. They were illegal as hell in Iowa, but what I was preparing to do was far from legal. I checked the clip, then chambered a round. Safety on, I stared at the weapon in my hand.
The realization hit me.
There was a strong possibility I was going to jail tonight, but my son would be safe from the bitch who was unfortunately his grandmother. A mirthless laugh escaped me, but I pushed away the insanity that was lurking at the edges of my consciousness.
My phone was at 6 percent. Good enough.
The call rang once.
“Korrie.” My name was spoken without emotion.
“I need to see you. Are you alone?”
“Are you?”
“Yes. I’ll be there shortly.” She gave me her room information and I ended the call.
Two deep breaths, and I tucked the weapon back in my purse and exited the vehicle.
Crossing the street, I dodged a car and continued to the brightly lit entryway. After smoothing my hair in the glass and adjusting my expensive leather jacket, I pasted a serene expression on my face. Then I approached the elevators. Thankful to have it to myself, I stepped on.
It seemed to move at a snail’s pace, but finally it dinged and silently slid open. I approached the double doors that led to my mother’s suite. Knocking on the door, I worked to compose myself.
“This is unexpected,” my mother said with a bored expression as the door swung open.
“We need to talk,” I said as I pushed past her. Stopping in front of the large windows, I stared out over the city lights.
“By all means, come in,” she drawled, then the door clicked shut. The clinking of ice against crystal told me she was making herself a drink. Then she said, “Your friends
are good at making enemies.”
Fighting off my rage, I turned to face her. “I cannot believe you gave birth to me.”
She rolled her eyes and took a sip of her drink. “Well, if we’re here to discuss our feelings, the truth is I never wanted to have children. The only reason you’re even here is a drunken night and forgotten birth control.”
“Wow, thanks, Mother.” Absolutely disgusted, I scoffed. “So why did you bother to take me with you when you left Dad? Oh wait, because it was another act of manipulation. Something you’re so very good at.”
She gave a mirthless laugh. “Have you been talking to your father?”
Fury bubbled within, and I wanted to scream. I wasn’t sure which was worse, having a mother like her or a father like Angel had dealt with growing up.
“Did you even lose a second of sleep over your grandson being stolen with plans to be trafficked?” The tremor in my voice made me angry, because I wanted to show as much emotion as she had. None.
She took another sip of her drink and gave me a look of mock concern. “Whatever are you talking about?”
“Don’t play games, Mother dear. Are you really going to sit there and pretend like you didn’t stop by the clubhouse and tell me I wouldn’t see my son again?” My voice rose an octave by the end of my question. I was beginning to lose control.
“Perhaps you should see a therapist, dear. I think you’ve become delusional,” she said with a pathetic excuse for a sympathetic frown. After all, the woman wouldn’t know sympathy unless she was acting it out like she did for her voters.
Finally snapping, I stormed toward her. To her credit, she didn’t so much as flinch. I was beginning to think she may not be human. That, or she sold her soul to the devil. “You are an inhuman, sadistic bitch!”
“Don’t be dramatic,” she fiercely whispered as she narrowed her eyes.
My hand slipped into my bag, and I pulled out the gun, pressing it to her temple. “Kentucky state representative Eugenia Florentine commits suicide in Iowa hotel suite,” I said through clenched teeth.
A flicker of fear flitted through her green eyes before the mask was back in place. “Is this what you’ve reduced yourself to? You have your son back; what more do you want? Shouldn’t you enjoy your time with him while you can? Because trust me when I tell you, I’m the least of your worries as an enemy.”
Her response told me she knew exactly who had taken my son, otherwise she wouldn’t have known I had him back. And neither would she be able to throw around the threats she was tossing out.
“Who? Former senator Damon?” At my question, her nostrils flared, and I knew I was correct.
The lock disengaging sounded before the door swung open, pulling my gaze up. Shock hit me as I watched Angel, Ghost, Phoenix, and Raptor walk in.
Angel’s mocha-colored eyes ignored my mother and the gun I held to her head as they locked on me. “Baby, you don’t want to do this,” he murmured, and my eyes watered, blurring my vision momentarily.
A tear slipped free to slide down my cheek as my finger trembled on the trigger. “Yes, I do. As long as she’s alive, I’ll never feel like our son is safe.”
Slowly, he shook his head. “He needs you—his mother. If you end up in prison for murder, how do you think he’s going to feel?” He attempted to rationalize, but I didn’t want to hear it, because it might deter me from what I needed to do.
“He’ll have you and Jasmine,” I replied as another tear trailed down my face to drip off my chin.
Phoenix took a slow step forward, as did Ghost. “Don’t you play your disappearing act, or I’ll pull the trigger right now,” I said to Ghost. He held up his hands in surrender and took a step back.
“Baby, I honestly could care less if she lives or dies, but we already have this covered,” Angel tried again. Confusion clouded my head as I looked from Angel to his brothers, then briefly down at my mother. “Trust me, Korrie. Put the gun down, and let’s go see our son.”
Shaking my head, I took a deep breath and pushed the gun into my mother’s head harder. Her sharp inhale echoed through the room. “No. They’ll think it’s suicide,” I tried to argue as my nerves began to fray.
Angel sighed. “Maybe,” he conceded. “But trust me when I tell you this isn’t something you want to live with. Right now, emotion is driving you. Later, you can’t take it back. It won’t ever go away. Taking a life, no matter how vile that life may be, is something that will haunt you forever. It will steal a part of your soul—part of who you are. Let us handle this.”
He took another step closer and raised a hand, palm up. “Give me the gun, Korrie.”
My eyes closed in defeat as the tears streamed freely. The gun was carefully pried from my hand, and I lifted my lids to see Angel handing it to Ghost. He gathered me close as sobs wracked my frame.
“You made a very poor choice. All of you,” my mother whispered angrily.
I declined to answer her as Angel bustled me out of the room and to a service elevator at the other end of the hall. Before the doors slid shut, Phoenix, Raptor, and Ghost slipped on with us, and we descended in silence.
“She’s not going to let this rest,” I choked out through my tears.
“She’s not going to have a choice,” Angel said quietly into my hair, then kissed the top of my head as I clenched his shirt tightly.
“Calling All Angels”—Train
Korrie had fallen into a restless sleep as Raptor drove back to the clubhouse. As I stared out the window into the darkness, my vision glazed over for a moment. My chest ached for her and how close she’d come to making an irrevocable decision. A mother’s love and the lengths she’d go to in order to protect her children knew no bounds, but I was eternally grateful that we’d made it in time to prevent her intended actions.
Too bad her own mother had no maternal instinct.
Sifting my fingers through her silky hair where her head rested in my lap, I wished I had the power to heal mental pain. Then my sister and my woman wouldn’t be suffering. Even Venom’s and Hawk’s abilities were temporary—calming someone’s emotions was a far cry from erasing the memories that caused them.
“She’s going to be okay. Once she sees that we’ve taken care of her bitch of a mother, she’ll be able to breathe easier,” Facet said as he looked over his shoulder to me.
“I hope so,” I murmured.
“It’s all set. By Friday, Saturday morning at the latest,” he assured me.
Dropping my gaze, I watched her sleep as the miles slipped away toward home.
“She’s fierce,” Raptor said with his eyes on the road. “You’re a lucky man.”
I huffed an abbreviated laugh. “You’re absolutely right there.”
“On a different subject. We’re all fully aware she’s your ol’ lady, but is she going to wear your brand soon?” questioned Ghost with a slight curl to his lips that I caught from his profile.
Despite the fucked-up events we’d left behind, a grin snuck up on me as I beamed down at her. “Fuck, yeah.”
“Good shit.”
The rest of the ride was quiet. Korrie barely roused when I carried her in, stripped her clothes off, and settled her in bed.
Unable to sleep, I went in to check on my son, who was sleeping soundly. Brushing the dark hair from his brow, I smiled at the purple frog he slept with. Memories of the day I gave it to Korrie sent a ridiculous flutter through my stomach.
Hell, we’d been kids, but even at sixteen years old, my heart had known she was the one. She’d fallen in love with that thing when we’d gone to Target once with Ogun and Jasmine tagging along. I’d gone back with Ogun later to get it for her. You’d have thought I bought her a fucking Tiffany bracelet.
I was surprised she still had it after all these years.
Unable to stop myself, I kissed my son’s head. He smiled softly in his sleep, and my heart swelled with a love I’d never imagined.
Next, I checked on my sister. She was tangled in her sheets
and covered in sweat, but she was also sleeping soundly. Pain lanced through me. It sucked not being able to do more for her. Shoulders tense, I quietly left the room.
When I stepped out into the hall, the door across the way opened.
Chains looked at me, and I looked at him. Both of us clenched our teeth, and my eyes narrowed on him. “Going somewhere?” I asked.
“Can’t sleep,” he said.
When I stood with my arms crossed, refusing to budge from in front of the room that Jasmine slept in, he moved down the hall. Jaw ticking, I watched him go.
Since I wasn’t sleepy either, I decided to follow him out to the common area. With each step I took, my hands balled up tighter.
The kitchen light was on, and I didn’t see him anywhere in the common area, so I headed that way.
He was drinking a glass of water. When he realized I’d entered the room, he set the glass on the counter before leaning against it with his tattooed arms crossed. “Need something?”
Breathing deeply and pushing back my suspicions, I relaxed. At least for the moment, because there was something I needed him to do for me. The sooner the better.
“Need you to ink Korrie,” I said shortly.
He nodded. “Done. When?”
“This weekend,” I said.
“She know this?”
“She will.”
“Know what you want?”
“Yeah.”
“Roger that. You meeting me at the shop, or you want me to do it here?”
“Shop’s fine.”
Again, he nodded. “Anything else?”
I debated saying what was on my mind but decided to let calmer heads prevail for the time being. Besides, I had no proof, and it had been an emotional night. Squirrel was still unconscious after several transfusions and me doing everything I could. My woman had nearly killed her mother. And we had potentially started a war if we hadn’t gotten all of the Bloody Scorpions like we hoped.
Someone had shot at us. Shot Squirrel, for fuck sake.
Angel: RBMC: Ankeny IA Page 17
