by K. J. Dahlen
Sawyer looked like she didn’t want to speak. Sweat beaded on her temple and she opened her mouth but no words came out. He throat was frozen and she could barely breathe.
“If you don’t tell them, I will,” the kid whispered as he took her hand.
Sawyer looked at her brother.
All the men present could see the resolve in his eyes.
“Micah and Max took Mom away from us and would have done the same to you. I know I’m just a kid but I will die to protect you from them.”
Sawyer smiled as tears fell from her eyes. Reaching out, she cupped her hand along his jaw. “You are a man full grown in my eyes, Jordan. You have been since you and your friends rescued me from that damn warehouse a year ago.” Then she turned and faced Leon to tell her story.
Calico and Jordan interrupted her tale to interject their part of the story and by the time it was finished, Leon had caught up on the twenty year struggle between Max and Jolene. Some of the story he knew, some of it had been reported over the years, but the recent situation with Micah had been new. He glanced at Calico for a moment while he listened to the man’s retaliation. He nodded his head. “You did what any father would have done to protect his daughter. I have no problem with that.” Leon got up and moved over to the corner.
Calderone and Dominic joined him and they conversed between themselves for a moment.
Then Leon came back over to the group and glanced at Sawyer for a moment as he sat down. “My dear, we are not gentle men and our family uses violence to solve many of their problems. Do you understand that?”
Sawyer nodded. “I do understand.”
“But,” he growled. “We are not animals either and we do live by a code of honor. If that honor has been broken, it’s often impossible to get it back. My friend has told me of a conversation he had with his son in law where he was told our family is not unlike an MC and that as hard as some men are in the club, they all live by this same honor.” He leaned back in his seat. “This same honor states that no one comes after our family without reprisal. We learned of Max’s obsession with your mother twenty years ago when it first began. His business ventures began slipping and it was brought to our attention at that time. Max was told back then to leave the woman alone if she wanted nothing to do with him.” Shifting in his seat, he motioned at Calico. “I had no idea he threatened your life or your daughter’s to get her attention. The fact that you left, told us back then, that perhaps you didn’t care about your family enough.”
“That’s a fucking lie!” Calico growled. “Jolene convinced me she didn’t love me or want me there and I don’t stay where I’m not wanted. It didn’t mean I didn’t love them.”
“Ahh, you allowed your pride to chase you away.” Leon nodded. Then he held up his hand before Calico could protest. “Your woman would rather have lived without you than see you dead by Max’s hand. I can understand that, the same as I understand your feelings of betrayal at her actions. But that is not why we are here today.” He stared at Calico for a moment. “The fact that you came to save your daughter after not seeing her for that long a time tells me that you love her very much. In that, I find no fault. My granddaughter was lost to us for over sixteen years and the day she returned, I found the love I felt for her was still there only that much stronger. From all reports, Micah Johnson got what he deserved for what he put your daughter through. You’ll get no quarrel on that from us.”
Calico frowned at the man and asked, “Just who the hell are you anyway?”
“I am Leon Vincinti and the head of the East Coast families. My territory runs all the way to Chicago. Max Bordeaux reports to me and has for some time.” He turned to Sawyer. “Do you know the names of the men that took you to the warehouse?”
Sawyer’s eyes narrowed. “Why do you need to know?”
“Because those men broke the rules as well as Max did,” Leon explained. “We do not hurt innocents and unless they deserve it, we do not hurt women. They were not under orders from Max and they had no authority to take you. I don’t need men like that in position to do it again.”
“But you already said you aren’t gentle men,” Sawyer reminded him.
Leon snorted. “We may not be gentle men but we aren’t animals either. These men forgot that and they need to be reminded. There is violence aplenty in this world but we should never use it to control innocent women.”
“It was John Paulson and Jack Fremore,” Jordan replied with a growl in his young voice. His hands curled into fists and he was breathing heavily. “If I’d been bigger and stronger, I would have killed them both for what they did to her.”
Leon turned and stared at the boy for a moment. “I’m sure you would have and right would have been on your side. I know these two men and I don’t care for either one of them.”
After a moment of silence, Calico got to his feet. “And just what are you going to do about this?” he demanded.
Leon grinned and motioned for him to sit down. “I understand your impatience young man, but this won’t take long to settle.”
Calico sat back down. Crossing his huge arms across his chest, he stared at the other man.
“You won’t have to go to Max,” Leon explained to him. “I’ll bring Max here, along with John and Jack. What you do with them is up to you.”
“I plan on killing them,” Calico stated in a cold tone. He stared at Leon with hard eyes.
Leon nodded. “I would expect no less. When we found the man responsible for taking my granddaughter away from us, I wanted his blood as well. It didn’t bring back the missing years but I found great satisfaction in his pain. Every drop of blood he shed brought satisfaction to my bloodlust.”
“I found satisfaction in his death,” Calderone growled.
“As I will when Max Bordeaux breathes his last breath,” Calico gritted.
Leon shifted in his chair and gazed at Sawyer. “Tell me of your mother’s death and what led up to it.”
Sawyer’s eyes were haunted as she repeated the events of the night Micah broke in and murdered her mother. Her words were broken as she recanted them.
Jordan often broke in when Sawyer couldn’t speak.
She looked over at Leon with tears in her eyes. “When she died in the hospital, I knew Jordan and I had to leave town. Without her, I knew Micah wouldn’t stop until he got his hands on me. That was a month ago and we’ve been on the run ever since. Micah has not been more than two steps behind us all the way. Then three nights ago, he caught up with us and ran us off the road.”
“He damn near killed us!” Jordan all but yelled.
Sawyer shook her head. “What hurts more than the broken ribs he left me with is the fact we had to leave town before we could properly bury our mother. We had to leave her behind unattended. I have no idea what was done with her body or even if it was buried.” Sawyer buried her face in her hands and sobbed.
Calico wrapped her in his arms and held her while she cried.
Jordan’s eyes were wet as well.
Leon leaned toward her and patted her knee. “We’ll find out what happened to her and take care of it. I am truly sorry for what these animals did.”
Sawyer nodded. “I would very much appreciate that.”
Leon turned his calculating gaze to Calico. “I know this whole mess doesn’t sit well with you but it is the way it has to go down. Let us get him here and we’ll turn him and his cohorts over to you. It won’t satisfy the chase but it will satisfy the demand for his blood.”
Calico nodded. “And will our taking care of him upset the balance your family needs to justify his actions?”
Leon smiled. “I’m glad you asked. I think the other members of the family will agree. You have a bigger cause in this matter. We usually take care of matters like this within our own house but as I said before, you have a bigger reason to see this done.”
“I just want you to know something before this happens,” Calico stated.
“I’m not after your permission to do this,” he told Leon. “I was told to report to you out of respect.”
Dominic gasped as he glared at Calico.
Deke sighed and shook his head in disgust. “This is my club, old man and you will not insult family here.”
Dominic stood and opened his mouth to reprimand the biker.
Leon held up his hand. “I know. I was told that too, and I’m glad you heeded that advice. I don’t give you my permission but I do give you and your men my respect. You’ve dealt with me with honor and I appreciate it.”
Deke glared at Calico. “The MC knows territory and honor.”
Calico nodded, as he seemed to realize the situation. “The MC understands respect and we do live by it in most instances. We aren’t afraid to stand up for what we believe in and we ask for help when we need it. Our brothers will stand behind us as we would for them if needed.” He gazed at Deke. “We aren’t afraid of using violence when we need to either but only when we need to and only against those who betray us. We don’t use violence against women and innocent people.”
“Feel free to use all sorts of violence against Max Bordeaux,” Jordan growled the words out. “He deserves every bit of it and so much more.”
Sawyer reached out and took her brother’s hand. Squeezing it tightly, she agreed with him. “He terrorized our mother for twenty years. I hate violence but in this, I have to agree with Jordan. Make him pay for every tear she cried over the years. Make him pay for every time she was afraid. For every day, she watched us leave the house and didn’t know if we would return. For every bruise he put on her soul and her body.”
Calico took her hand in his. “Oh, don’t worry, he’ll pay. He’ll pay for everything.”
“Then justice shall be done by the injured party’s family and so shall it be,” Leon concluded the meeting.
~* * * *~
A short time later while everyone was out in the main room enjoying the get together, Dominic got a phone call. He slipped into Deke’s office to take the call and when he heard what his second in command had to say he fumed with rage. Before he hung up, he told the man on the other end of the call, “Find him. I don’t care what you have to do but you find the bastard and you bring him to me.”
Dominic ended the call and threw his phone at the wall shattering it in tiny pieces. He hadn’t been this mad in years. Then he took a deep breath and allowed the anger inside him to lessen. He couldn’t afford to let his daughter know what was happening. He hadn’t been there to protect her most of her life but he would protect her now.
Gathering the pieces of his phone, he rejoined the party. When he passed one of his men, he handed over the pieces to him. Without looking at the man he said, “I need a new phone.”
The man nodded and took himself out to the limo. Within moments, he returned and handed a new phone to Dominic.
Dominic took it and motioned him away.
Izzy watched the exchange and asked, “What happened?”
Dominic had the grace to look a bit embarrassed. “I have a bit of a temper. When things don’t go my way, I tend to throw my phone at the nearest wall.” Then he shrugged. “I’m a work in progress.”
Melora burst out laughing. She’d been sitting at the same table as Izzy with Sam and Mountain. When everyone looked at her, she finally wiped the tears of laughter away and said, “Izzy does the same thing, only she uses dishes. It takes some doing to get her that mad but she used to break a lot of dishes before she got control of her temper.”
~* * * *~
Mountain chuckled. “I’ve seen her break a dish or two myself.”
Izzy flushed bright red. “I’m not that bad,” she grumbled.
Dominic wrapped his arms around his daughter and hugged her close to him. “I’m glad you got something from me, even if it’s only my bad temper.”
Everyone chuckled and then Mountain pulled Izzy away from Dominic and placed her on his lap. All the talk earlier about protecting family had given him a new prospective on what he wanted. He knew Melora was safe now, deeply entrenched in the MC as Sam’s woman. Sam would kill or die for her. Mountain knew he would do anything to protect the woman on his lap. She had become the most important thing in his life.
He nuzzled the back of her neck while he placed his big hands on her growing belly. His child resided within and he couldn’t wait to meet the new person he created with her. He looked over at his daughter, Melora and couldn’t be prouder of the woman she had become. He regretted to fact that he hadn’t been there while she was growing up but he would be for this child. He would be there every single day, he would be able to watch this child of his grow from an infant to a toddler to a child, then finally to an adult. He would teach this child everything he or she needed to know.
He growled when he felt Izzy squirm on his lap. Then he felt the baby kick her where his hand was on her belly. The movement of his son or daughter inside her still had the power to awe him. He’d never been this close to a pregnant woman before and as far as he knew, this was the only child other than Melora he had out there.
The baby kicked again, and Izzy gasped at the movement. She pressed Mountain’s hand into her side and they both felt the baby move within her. Neither of them had wanted to know the sex of the baby until it came into the world, so she didn’t know if she was having a son or daughter. It didn’t really matter to her, she would be happy with either as long as the child was healthy. She leaned back against Mountain and yawned.
Mountain scooted her to her feet and announced, “We should get going. Little mama’s tired and it’s been a long day.” Turning to Dominic, he suggested, “Please feel free to stay with us if you want to, otherwise stop by tomorrow.”
Dominic nodded. “I think for tonight, I’ll stay in town but I’d love to see you tomorrow.”
Mountain nodded and helped Izzy get ready to leave.
~* * * *~
After they had gone, Dominic went over to Leon and whispered in his ear. Then the two of them walked to Deke’s office and went inside. Twenty minutes later, they rejoined everyone in the main room. Both men were quiet the rest of the evening.
Deke carefully watched everything that went on but didn’t say anything. While he was interested in what was going on, he also knew if it was his business, Dominic or Leon would let him know. At least he hoped they would. He didn’t need to get involved with family business but he did need to protect the club and the MC. He also needed to protect his family and those families of the people he had around him.
He caught Leon’s eyes and narrowed his.
Leon barely shook his head, he was telling him not to worry.
Deke sighed deeply. As much as he wanted to, he couldn’t help but worry.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
It was later that night when Izzy got up to go to the bathroom. As she shuffled along, she heard a noise behind her. Turning, she felt a sharp pain in her head and she groaned as she fell to the floor.
The man grunted as he bent to pick her up. Half dragging her to the door, he grunted again. Finally, he bent lowering his torso and flung her body over his shoulder. Her belly didn’t fit but the man didn’t care. He wasn’t careful of her condition.
Izzy registered all his actions but she was too weak to fight.
~* * * *~
A door opened and shut inside the house. Boone along with his cane came out into the hall and looked around. Something had awakened him and he was investigating the odd noise. When he saw nothing amiss, he turned to go back to his bed when his foot stepped in something wet. Boone turned on the light as saw what he stepped in was blood. His gut told him something was terribly wrong.
Shuffling over to his sister’s bedroom, he knocked lightly and called out, “Izzy? Are you there?”
When Mountain pulled the door open a moment later he growled, “What do you want?”
“Is Izzy i
n there? I thought I heard a noise and there’s blood in the hallway.”
Mountain frowned and turned back to the darkened bedroom. Snapping on the light, he found the room empty. “What the fuck?” Boone stepped back as Mountain stepped out and went down the hall. Kneeling beside the drops of blood, he reached out and touched the floor.
Mountain glanced over his shoulder at Boone. “Tell me exactly what you heard?”
Boone shrugged. “I don’t know that I heard anything really. I thought I heard someone groan then I didn’t hear anything else but I got up anyway. Like I said, I checked the hall but there was nothing wrong. I turned to go back to bed and stepped in the blood.” He gazed at the older man. “What’s going on here? Where is my sister?”
“I don’t know but I’m sure as hell going to find out.” Mountain looked around and found yet another drop of blood, then another. The path seemed to be leading toward the door. Mountain followed the trail all the way to the door.
Boone followed as fear ate at him.
Opening the door, he heard the sound of an engine in the distance. Looking out, he found a pair of red taillights disappearing around the corner.
Mountain went back inside and into his bedroom. Moments later, he rejoined Boone in the living room. He’d gotten dressed and was dialing a phone when he returned. “Dominic, sorry to disturb your rest but Izzy was just kidnapped. What the hell is going on?”
Mountain was in a rage a moment later when the phone line went dead and he glared at Boone. “He’s on his way over and we’re not to touch anything.”
“Did he say what was going on?” Boone asked as he made his way over to the sofa and sat down. He was just getting his strength back and his legs were still weak.
“No, but he’ll explain when he gets here or I’ll beat the shit out of him.” Mountain put a few more calls out while he waited for Dominic to arrive.
