THE BABY OATH

by Sophia Gray

  I tried to break away, to run down the hall, but his hand plunged into my hair, dragging me back toward him. I crashed into his chest and his ugly voice growled into my ear. “Do that again, and I’ll fucking beat you before you see your little girl. Or maybe I’ll fucking beat you with her watching.”

  I nodded as best I could with his hand gripping my hair so fucking tight I swore it was going to start pulling out of my scalp. “Walk.” He gave me a shove and I started moving my feet toward the side door he pointed out to me. Cursing, I realized I should have walked around the entire building before coming inside.

  The bright afternoon sun blinded me when I stepped back onto the graveled pavement. I got a little shove when I paused to adjust to the light and heard Brittany yelp after a sharp slap to her ass got her moving as well. She nearly bumped into me, muttering an apology. I looked at her as though she were crazy.

  She kidnapped my kid and she apologized for bumping into me! I looked around the surrounding area, praying for a miracle I knew wouldn’t happen. I knew I had fucked myself even more by being too stubborn to listen.

  A black beat up and rusted out truck was parked against the building. Assuming that was where he wanted me to go, I shuffled over to it, still trying to delay, giving Rafe more time to figure out what I had done.

  The door creaked when it opened on the passenger side. There was no back row to the cabin—he was squeezing the three of us into the front row. Wanting to put space between us, I moved out of the way and let Brittany get in. She gave me a wary look, as though she didn’t want to be there any more than I did. Well, fuck her.

  “Buckle up, ladies, safety first.” The bastard laughed when he shifted the truck into gear and floored the gas as he peeled out of the lot. I hit the door when he turned, feeling Brittany slam into me at the same time. My shoulder screamed from the impact, but I didn’t complain. I wouldn’t give the fucker the satisfaction.

  I watched the road as Gray drove us away from town, memorizing any sort of landmark I could make out so when I got Maddie away from him, I would know how to get us back home. A part of me still looked for Rafe’s motorcycle, even though I knew it was hopeless. He had no idea where I was.

  Stephanie was kind enough to let me spend the night at her place. I couldn’t go home after talking with Chrissy because I knew Rafe would show up. And if he showed up, I’d have to let him in, and if I let him in, I knew I’d end up giving in to whatever he wanted. After explaining everything to Stephanie, she ushered me into her kitchen and poured me a big glass of wine.

  By the time I was ready to fall asleep she decided that we needed to let Rafe help. “He’s not a bad guy, hon, he’s just well—”

  “Bossy!” I pointed out, probably louder than I had needed to.

  She laughed. “Well, he’s that, too. Jason was a bossy bastard, too.” But the way she said it made her sound as though she missed that bossiness. “Those guys only get that way with women they care about. Now I know I gave a big show of how horrible the club is and what an asshole Rafe is, but that was my sorrow talking and not me.”

  “Right.” I had scoffed. “No, you were right about him.” I pointed my wine glass at her. “I asked about what you said, and he didn’t even deny it. Said right to my face that he may have killed but he never murdered. Like there’s a fucking difference. He’s not a soldier fighting some war.”

  “Maybe not in the government sense, but in the MC world, yeah, every day is a warzone. At least in these parts. Every club has a part of the town, or a part of some business—guns, drugs, fuck even the prostitutes you see walking the streets are part of one of the MCs—so when one of them steps on the toes of another the shit hits the fan.” She poured a little more wine into my glass.

  “Well, my baby girl is gone and it’s all his fault.” I put the glass down on the table harder than needed, almost breaking the stem.

  She took a deep breath. “I won’t say it’s not his fault, I mean it’s because of his fucking vengeance that Gray’s going after him. Gray killed my husband, played a big part in my brother getting killed, so I can’t say that I’m against him going after him, but your daughter shouldn’t be involved. That’s Gray though, that fucked up man just does what the fuck he wants without caring about the club or anyone else. The club never would sanction a child being kidnapped, especially not one attached to a member.”

  “How does that help? That Gray is doing what he wants and not playing by some screwed up rules?”

  “It doesn’t change anything. I only meant that Rafe will get the other members to rally up and get your daughter back. But we have to let him know what’s going on.”

  “No.” I all but shouted at her. The disgruntled look she gave me warned me she wasn’t done pushing the subject. And I was right.

  “Fine. Maybe I’ll just have Rafe come here and talk some since into you. And remember, I know the man, I know how he talks sense.”

  My eyes widened at the implied threat. It wasn’t bad enough that Rafe constantly threatened to tan my ass, but now his friends were threatening to sick him on me?

  Seeing as I had not many options, I’d told her exactly what was going to happen with Gray. I told her the warehouse, what time, everything. I knew she’d go straight to Rafe with the information at first light. But I would be gone.

  And she’d be handing him all the wrong information.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Gray pulled into the lot of an abandoned building two towns over from home. Brittany sat beside me silently crying, and I didn’t know if it was from the humiliation of what was happening to her, or if she was in pain. I didn’t give a shit either.

  “Get out,” Gray barked, and hopped out of his side.

  “Do whatever he says, Beth. Don’t try to run, okay? Please don’t try to run,” Brittany pleaded with me, her eyes as large as tea cups and her face pale. For a moment I felt a twinge of sympathy.

  “Why did you help him?” I asked before I could think better of it.

  “He said he’d kill her if I didn’t help him. If he had to get her by himself, he’d just kill her.” Fat tears rolled down her cheeks, and a small puddle of snot began to pool beneath her nose. With her hands taped up behind her, she couldn’t wipe herself.

  “You should have told me what was going on.”

  “I didn’t know! Not really. I didn’t ask him about club crap. He made it clear not to talk about the club with him.”

  The door swung open and his fat grubby hands were on my arm. He yanked me out of the truck and left me to fall flat on my ass and grabbed for her next. “I said to get the fuck out, not have a fucking slumber party in there!” When he got Brittany out of the car he gave her ass five hard slaps. Did any biker not spank his woman?

  He glared down at me until I righted myself. A pebble had lodged itself into my knee as I leveraged it to get to my feet. The burn gave me something to focus on as I walked behind him toward the door. My heart pounded in my chest, my ribs hurt from the force of it.

  The stench of dirt and old garbage filled the room we stepped into. The only window was up high on the wall and covered with a dark sheet, only allowing a very minimal amount of light in. I walked behind Gray, each sound of his boot stepping on the filthy concrete floor echoed in my brain making my head hurt more with each step.

  By the time we reached a room off in the back, my lungs burned from whatever chemicals had been used in the building and left to decompose on their own. The door was shut, with a bolted lock on the outside. My baby girl had to be inside. I reached for the handle but stopped when Gray covered it with his large one. “Step back.” He jerked his head at me.

  I gave him a look that I hoped explained to him in detail the million ways I was going to kill him once this was all over with, then took a step out of the way. He pulled a key ring from his front pocket and fiddled with the lock until he got the right key.

  A single snap of metal and the lock was open. He slowly turned the door knob, looking over
his shoulder at me, watching my torment as he pushed the door open. I tried to step forward, but a shake of his head made me stop.

  Finally, after he must have had enough fun, he stepped out of the ay and bowed to me, allowing me finally to enter. I noticed Brittany was behind me, but wasn’t coming in with me.

  The room was hot and dark. The windows had been covered with navy blue sheets taped around them, careful not to let any extra light in the room. A single light bulb swung from a fixture on the ceiling. In the corner, huddled on an air mattress was Maddie. She looked up, her little eyes squinting at the light shining into the room from outside the door. Once she saw me, she squealed.

  “Mama!” She leapt up from the bed, wincing as she stepped onto the ground. I scooped her up in my arms and hugged her so tightly to my chest, she began to cough. Lessing my grip, I kissed her head hard and hugged her again.

  Other than smelling like she’d been dragged through the garbage piles I saw outside, she seemed no worse for wear. I turned, ready to bolt from the room, but Gray blocked my exit. “No way, sugar baby. We need Rafe here first. Then we’ll talk about you two going home.”

  “I told you, we broke up. I’m not seeing him. He won’t come. “

  “Let’s hope that’s not true.” He looked at my little girl, smiling with his thin lips curled over his nasty teeth. “Right, baby girl? You want your new daddy to come save you, right? You don’t want to stay cooped up in this smelly room no more.”

  Maddie clung to me tighter, burning her face in my neck. “What did you do to her?” I demanded.

  “Nothing. Little shit’s just scared of the dark probably.”

  “Gray.” Brittany called to him from outside, her voice sweeter than honey. “Gray, can you cut my hands loose. I already apologized, I’m real sorry.”

  Gray looked over his shoulder, out the door and smirked. “Bitch needs her last leg of her punishment, then we’ll give Rafe a call.” He gave me a wink then stepped out of the room, slamming it shut. I put Maddie down and ran to the door, yanking on the handle, but I heard the bolt slide into place on the other side and the keys jangle as he locked it.

  I screamed. At the top of my lungs I screamed and yanked at the door, kicking it and kicking at hit with all my force. Nothing budged, and no one answered. I felt tears start to burn my eyes and I leaned against the door, my chest heaving with my breaths.

  “Mommy?” Maddie’s little voice brought me out of my moment of panic. I swiped my hand across my eyes, and crouched down to her level. Her hair was messy, and there was as smudge of dirt on her cheek.

  “It’s okay, baby. We’re going to be okay. Are you hurt anywhere?” I asked, looking her up and down. She was still dressed in the shorts and t-shirt I had her in the day before.

  “No. That mean man wasn’t nice though. He pushed me and I tripped. My foot hurts a little but it’s better than before.”

  I sat her on the air mattress and picked up the foot she pointed to and inspected it. No bruising or swelling. Thank god. She probably just pulled a little muscle in her foot when she tripped. “It’s okay now. That man won’t hurt you again.”

  “Brittany said he wouldn’t hurt me, she said he was going to take us for ice cream. She lied.” Maddie sniffled and wrapped her arms around my neck, showing no signs of letting go.

  “I know, baby, I know.” I scooted us back against the wall and adjusted her on my lap. It only grew hotter in the room with her on top of me the way she was, but I wasn’t letting her go. I needed to come up with something and quick.

  I heard a scream in the distance and winced. Brittany. He was hurting her, but I couldn’t do anything about it from where I was.

  “She does that a lot when he’s here,” Maddie said. “I don’t know why.”

  “I don’t know either, baby.” I held her closer to me and covered her ear with my hand. Wanting to drown out Brittany’s screams, I began to sing to my girl.

  Rafe had to be able to get us, and I needed to be sure he knew Gray was waiting for him.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  RAFE

  Fifteen members rode their bikes behind me as we made our way to the warehouse Stephanie had told me about. All of them fully on board with what needed to happen.

  Word got out that morning that Javier was dead, and rumor was Gray was the last person to see him alive. No one mentioned that he was stabbed by some mystery guy in his garage, and I wasn’t going to fill in that piece of the news.

  When the members found out Gray had been trying to deal with Javier and getting us back into the drug market, it didn’t take much else to get them to turn. As a club we voted out drugs, and that vote would stick. Once it was known that Javier had been killed and his crew was pointing the finger at Gray, the members weren’t questioning my loyalty anymore.

  “He wasn’t just tarrying to get in the drug trade, I think he was trying to take it over,” I had said to the fifteen that gathered at Beth’s house. I was met with nods and angry agreement. After that they all saddled up and off we rode.

  The summer sun was blasting us with its rays as we drove into the warehouse lot. Sixteen bikes made a lot of noise—Gray would know we were there. I didn’t give a fuck.

  Not another bike or car in sight. My stomach churned. I signaled to JC that I was going in the front door and for him to go around to the side.

  Looking behind me, I checked the other members were all standing ready. I gave a nod the twisted the knob, yanking the door open and running inside, gun already drawn.

  Empty.

  No one was there. Not even a sign that anyone had been there. JC eyed me from across the warehouse with as much of a confused expression as I had.

  “What the fuck?” he asked, his voice echoing off walls of the empty place.

  “Steph said this warehouse,” I called back to him. My phone started dancing in my back pocket and I whipped it out. “Go tell the others to back down.”

  He nodded and headed back out. I answered the call just as the metal door slammed shut. “So, have you figured out that your girlfriend has left you yet?” Gray’s voice slithered through the receiver.

  “Gray.” I turned around, rushing to the offices. “Where the fuck are my girls?” I checked the main office, completely empty. So were the other two smaller ones down the hall.

  “Wouldn’t you love to know.” He laughed in my ear. I heard a woman squirming behind him, muttering something incoherent. “Shut the fuck up unless you want another dozen,” Gray yelled to whoever was with him.

  “If you touched her—”

  “Relax. That’s just my old lady. The bitch just got finished getting her ass whipped and already she’s talking out of turn.”

  Brittany. He must have her with the girls. From the sobs I could hear coming from his end of the phone, I suspected she wasn’t too thrilled about it either.

  “Where’s my girls?” I asked again, my teeth hurting from clenching so tightly.

  “They are fine. I’m not ready for you to meet them again just yet. I need a few things set up first. I’ll have your little whore call you when I’m ready for you to drop by for a visit. In the meantime, I suggest you get your little gang of turncoats and get ready. You aren’t the only one with eyes and ears everywhere. I’m not stupid. I have plenty of guys on my side, guys who see a future of our club that doesn’t involve so many goddamn pussies in it.”

  As he said the words, I heard the rumbling of engines. I cut the call and ran outside. Pulling in and surrounding us was almost half the club. Mostly made up of prospects and newer patched members, but they circled us, riding around us as though they were more vulture than biker.

  JC walked up to me. “What the fuck do they want?”

  “I think they are with Gray. How’d they find us?” The leader, Aaron pulled his bike out of the circle and pulled up to me.

  “Must have followed us,” JC answered before Aaron cut his engine.

  Aaron parked his bike but he didn’t get off. Inst
ead he sat with his arms folded over his chest, eyeing us. “We need to talk,” he said with a twisted grin.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  BETH

  Sweat dripped down my back and Maddie’s hair was matted to her forehead from the heat. I watched her sleep with a heaviness in my chest. Gray hadn’t been back to the room yet and I’d lost all track of time.

  My phone was gone, must have fallen out of my pocket when Gray yanked me from the car. I couldn’t call out, I couldn’t see what time it was, I was completely blind and deaf to the outside world. Except for Brittany’s sobbing. She must have been put in the room beside ours. I could hear her sniffling and crying, but I made no move to comfort her.

  The heat finally got to me and I started banging on the door again. “It’s too fucking hot in here, Gray!” I screamed, aware that I was going to wake up Madison.