by Khloe Wren
Hold on, little dove. I’m coming for you.
Chapter Ten
Veronica
My uncle had forced his men to drive without stopping for anything more than gas, food and bathroom breaks. The upside to this was it hadn’t given him time to start mauling me yet. Although I knew that time was limited as the convoy of cars passed through the gates at the edge of his property and delivered me right back to the hell I’d tried so hard to escape.
“Remember your promise, baby.”
I loathed that endearment. He’d always used it on me. Baby girl, sweet baby or simply baby, like he’d called me just now. It made me want to punch something every time I heard it. But I knew any attempt at violence wouldn’t end well for me right now, so I breathed away the anger and tried to focus on a memory of Blade calling me his little dove.
Dr. Maestro sat rigid beside me. He was now wearing a pair of pants that were way too big for him, while I was wearing nothing but a men’s button up shirt. Apparently Uncle Allen didn’t think to bring spare clothing for me, much less for the doctor. One of his men had offered up his spare change of clothes, thankfully, so neither of had to sit here for the long drive buck-ass naked.
The car rolled to a stop and after Uncle Allen stepped free of the vehicle, he turned and held his hand out for me to take so he could help me from the car. I hated to touch him at all, but knew it was easier to give in on something as trivial as touching his hand. But I released the hold as soon as I could, wrapping my arms around my waist. Once we were a few feet from the car, I turned to see Dr. Maestro slowly following us as we headed toward the house. My feet were bare and I was grateful for the freshly swept, paved path. I focused on each of the carefully laid stones as we moved closer to the house. My prison. By the time we reached the door, my body trembled as the ball of dread in my stomach grew bigger. This was it. I glanced around quickly, taking in the trees, grass, even the sleek, black cars sitting in the driveway. I took deep breaths of the air. Unlike L.A., there was no smoke in it here. Just clean, country air.
“Come, Victoria.”
His sharp voice had me stepping through the door for what I suspected would be the last time. The thud of it closing behind me echoed through me like a church bell. Dr. Maestro came to stand close to my side, close enough I could feel his body heat. Staff came running toward us when my uncle called out to them.
“Take him to a guest room. He’ll need clean clothes. Do not let him leave.”
I glanced over to the doctor’s face. His features were stony and I had no clue what to tell him. He’d heard me barter for his freedom, a freedom my uncle was already denying. But I knew better than to call him on it in front of his staff. I’d ask later when it was just the two of us, to see if I could convince him to let the man go. He really hadn’t deserved the hell he’d already suffered, let alone what he’d suffer here under my uncle’s hand.
Since I was looking in another direction, watching Dr. Maestro be led away, I didn’t see what my uncle intended to do until it was too late to brace against it. In quick movements, he wrapped his hands around my biceps in a harsh grip before he thrust me toward two waiting guards.
“Take her to her room. Make sure the windows and doors are guarded at all times.” One of his lackeys wrapped his hand around my wrist, shackling me. My uncle’s fingers on my chin forced me to look back at him. “You will clean yourself. I want every speck of dirt removed from your body, do you understand?”
I didn’t bother giving him a verbal answer, just nodded and followed the men as they led me away from the entrance. They stayed silent as they led me through the house and up a flight of stairs. Of course he’d put me in a room on the top floor. He probably thought the higher drop from the window would stop me from using it as an exit. I didn’t care if I broke both my legs jumping from the thing, as soon as the doctor was free, I intended to try it.
We came to a closed door and the guard not holding me moved to slide a key into the lock and opened the door.
“The bathroom and closet have been stocked for you. Meals will be delivered to you.”
His voice was deep and void of all emotion. I didn’t even attempt to try to talk him into setting me free. I knew it would be fruitless, and no doubt he’d report the attempt to my uncle and I’d pay for it later. The moment the other guard released my wrist, I stepped through the door. Before I could take a full breath, it was closed behind me and I heard the lock click. Closing my eyes, I let my tears fall.
This was it. These four walls were now my life.
Swiping the tears away, I looked around the room. It wasn’t the one I’d stayed in before my escape. This one was fancier, as though my uncle thought if he gilded my cage enough, I wouldn’t notice it was still a cage. The four poster bed looked soft and inviting, and since I had barely slept in the car and was still coming off whatever drugs Elita’s man had pumped me full of, I was ready to sleep for a damn week. Not that my uncle would allow me that luxury. No doubt I’d only have an hour, maybe two before he came storming in here expecting me to be open to his attentions. Damn, but I hoped he came alone. What he’d do to me was bad enough, but to have witnesses? Others join in at his request would be more than I could handle today. If he did that, it would utterly destroy my soul in minutes. Leave nothing left within me. I knew it would happen at some point, but I just prayed it wouldn’t be today.
With a heavy sigh, I went to the dresser and opened drawers until I found underwear, a t-shirt and leggings. Then I went into the bathroom and winced when I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I looked like I felt. Fucking terrible. I flipped the shower on to warm up while I stripped out of the shirt. I opened the cupboard and pulled out new bottles of shampoo, conditioner and body wash. All the exact same as I’d used as a teenager. Memories of my youth assailed me and nearly sent me to my knees. I forced myself to enter the cubicle and step under the warm flow of water. As I washed myself clean, I watched the dirt swirl and go down the drain, feeling as though each speck of dirt was a piece of me being washed away.
Blade
Despite the fact we’d only stopped when absolutely necessary, we hadn’t caught up with Jovan and his crew before we had to turn off toward the Cowboys’ clubhouse. Their president stood with his arms crossed as we all pulled up in front of the former hotel.
“Evening, men. Welcome to the Satan’s Cowboys clubhouse. Make yourself at home, grab a shower, clean up. Help yourselves to coffee and food in the kitchen. We’ll meet in church in an hour.”
With that, he turned and headed inside, leaving us to decide whether to follow him in or not. I didn’t want to wait five minutes, let alone a fucking hour. What would happen to Veronica in that time? Mac appeared at my side and with a firm grip on my arm, led me inside. He didn’t release his hold until he had me up a flight of stairs and into one of the bedrooms.
“I know you want to go now, but we have to wait.”
I shook my head, how could he understand? “I can’t—”
“Zara has been taken twice from me, and held at gunpoint on a third occasion. Trust me, brother. I get it. But you can’t just run in there on a fucking suicide mission. Think, Blade. Jovan has an entire crew backing him up. If we’re going to get your woman out of there alive, we need to go in with a plan.”
Unable to stay still, I began to pace around the room. I heard what he was saying. Knew he was right. Didn’t mean I had to like it.
“Still hate all this fucking waiting. He’s not going to hold off on hurting her.”
Mac rested against the wall, folding his arms over his chest. “I think he will for a few hours, at least. He had to get back to his compound, then arrange his men to keep the property guarded. I’d also guess he’d want her cleaned up before he’d touch her. That all gives us some time. But even if I’m wrong and he’s already gone after her, tell me what’s worse—him touching her once before we go in and end him, or running in and getting yourself killed, which will leave him open to abusin
g her for the rest of her life. That’s the choice here.”
I growled and clenched my fists, wanting to hit something, someone, but having nothing in front of me to vent on.
“Helluva fucking choice, Mac.”
He gave me a solemn nod. “I agree. Neither option is ideal, but you know life rarely presents us with the perfect solution. We gotta make the most of what we have. And in this case, you’ve hit the fucking jackpot on that one. You got two MCs ready to ride to help you get her back. Scout called Viper as soon as Keys told us about the connection between Jovan and Veronica. Didn’t take long for the Cowboys to work out what a fucking bastard he was and that he needed to be taken out. They’d already started working on a plan to take the fucker out before he took Veronica. We’ve got this. Before the sun rises, you’ll have her back in your arms.”
A flash of the Josefina taking her last breath in my arms had my knees weakening and I crumpled to the floor.
“She’s not Josefina, brother. Veronica’s strong, a fighter. And her uncle doesn’t want her dead. He wants to possess her, not kill her. We’ll get you both through this.”
Staring at my hands, I couldn’t respond to him. All I could see was the memory of Josefina’s blood on my hands. I was toxic to the women I cared for.
Ignoring what Bank had told me earlier, I knew what I had to do.
“After we get her back, I have to let her go.”
“What the fuck? Blade, cut the shit.” Mac’s boots stomped closer to me until I saw them past my hands. “Stand up and look me in the eye. Right fucking now.”
He was using a commanding tone that I suspected he’d developed during his time in the USMC, and it was compelling enough I was on my feet before I’d made the decision to follow the order. His eyes were blazing with fury and I clenched my jaw against what he was about to say.
“I’m here in this room not only because it’s my fucking job as the Charon’s VP, but because we’re friends. And as your friend, I’m telling you to not be stupid. You and Veronica both got some seriously fucked-up shit in your past, but you’ve only known each other for less than a month. Give it a chance. You might not be meant to spend your lives together, but what if you are? What if Veronica is the one who is supposed to smooth out your rough edges? And you’re the one who’s meant to show her she’s safe enough to put down some fucking roots and live a little? You wanna throw away all of that because your past came back and bit you both in the ass? Hate to tell you, Blade, but right now, it’s her past that’s causing the drama, not yours. With Elita dead and her brother not wanting to take over, your past is done. By the time we finish in Greenswood, her past is gonna be dead and buried too. So what the fuck are you running from, exactly?”
With my hands on my hips, I glared at Mac. “You’ve been spending too much time with Arrow.”
His face broke into a grin, which just pissed me off even more. He slapped me on the shoulder as he moved toward the door. “Take a shower and try to relax a little, Blade. I’ll go grab your bag and bring it up.”
I watched him leave, not moving until the door closed behind him. Then with a heavy sigh, I scrubbed my palms over my face.
“Fuck!”
This was a mess, but Mac was right. There was nothing I could do at the moment, other than get myself as prepared as possible to go in and rescue my woman when the time came. With that thought in mind, I headed to the bathroom, stripped and hit the shower. All the while I cleaned the grime and dirt from the past two day’s trials, I planned my strategy, each slice I’d deliver to Allen Jovan to get the retribution he deserved for touching what was mine. A bullet was too kind for him.
It was an hour and a half later that I was once more getting into the passenger seat of the van beside Bank. We’d finished up in church. I’d been silent as I’d listened to the Cowboys lay out the plan they’d formulated. Scout and Mac made some suggestions and things got finalized. Now we were ready to ride. All told, nearly fifty men were riding up to Jovan’s property. There would be no surprise attack with that many bikes rolling in, so the vans were going in first. We had ours and the Cowboys were taking one of theirs. Keys and Donna were on their way from Bridgewater with the Charon’s ambulance as well, and would head straight for Jovan’s.
I prayed we didn’t need it.
It was a silent trip as we drove the short distance from Cutler to Greenswood. Jovan had a large spread on the outskirts of town and we made our way to the road that curved behind the property, pulling in behind a grove of trees.
“Remember, no engaging with anyone until the others get here.”
I gave Bank a nod, but we both knew if I saw Veronica being compromised in any way, I was going to jump in and end that shit, plan be damned. Bank shook his head, clearly reading my intentions.
“Let’s go.”
At my words, we both jogged over to the old fence. Thanks to the rusted barb wire strands no longer being pulled tight, when Bank cut each one, they fell useless to the ground rather than flying back in our faces. With what the Cowboys had found out, we knew Jovan didn’t have his guards patrol this back fence line so the downed fence wouldn’t get noticed anytime soon. A pretty big oversight on his part, but one we were more than happy to take advantage of.
Once through the fence, we stayed low and ran up to the side of the house. The Cowboys in the other van were doing the same thing from the other side. Both our jobs were to get inside undetected, so when the rest of the rescue team arrived, and the guards headed out the front to meet them, we could grab Veronica and the doctor and get the fuck out of there with them. Whoever didn’t have their hands full with them would help the others take out all of Jovan’s men. That was going to be the hard part. I wanted it to be my fucking blade that killed the miserable fuck, but if I had Veronica to protect, that would take priority.
With the anticipated body count, we’d decided it was too many to take to the farm to bury so the plan was to load them all into the house and light it up. The authorities would find them, but wouldn’t be able to find enough evidence to do much about it. Hell, considering the shit he got up to and how many people he’d been blackmailing, the cops would probably have a fucking party the asshole was finally gone from their town. Not that I cared. All I cared about right now was getting to Veronica and getting her the hell away from here.
Just as the Cowboys had told us, there were no guards patrolling the perimeter of the yard, however, the man standing beneath a barred window nursing what looked like an AK 47 was new. Had to wonder if that was how Jovan knew Smirnov. It would surprise me if the Russian was an arms dealer.
“Guessing we found where he’s keeping her.”
I nodded at Bank’s whispered words and tried to work out how the fuck I was going to be able to take out the guard. He wasn’t moving around, just standing stationary. I glanced up above him at the only window on this side of the house that had bars over it. It had to be where Veronica was being held. Jovan wouldn’t really give a fuck if the doctor got away now that he had Veronica under lock and key. Time was ticking down but I still couldn’t figure out how to take him out. Shooting the fucker would make too much noise since we didn’t have silencers on our weapons. I could throw a knife and kill him. I was well practiced at taking out a man like that, but the chance of him squeezing the trigger as he died was high and the sound would give us away.
The rumble of Harleys became a low drone of sound and had the guard facing toward the front of the house. I held my breath, hoping he’d leave his position. I blew the breath out when he did just that. After readjusting his weapon, he strode toward the front of the house. He didn’t go out of view, but he was facing forward and focused away from us. Making the most of the distraction, we bolted for the rear of the house and slipped up to a window beside a large tree that would hopefully keep us from the guard’s view long enough for us to get inside.
A fast glance inside showed an unoccupied sitting room, conveniently with a carpeted floor and no furniture s
itting beneath the window. Pulling the glass cutter from my pocket, I scored a circle near the bottom of the window and knocked the piece until it tumbled silently to the carpet. Then I quickly reached in and flipped the latch, sliding the window up so we could enter. Most of the house was dark, which made it easy to stick to the shadows as Bank followed me through the first floor to a rear staircase. No doubt, back in the day, this part of the house would have been for the servants, who wouldn’t have been allowed to use the main staircase at the front of the home. I was extremely grateful the Cowboys had managed to get hold of blueprints for the house so I knew, roughly, how to get to the room behind that barred window.
Keeping my steps light, I jogged down the darkened hallway, slowing when I saw a guard leaning against a wall beside a closed door. He also had a semi-automatic but wasn’t on alert. He had his gun leaning against the wall and had his phone out. His full attention was on the screen that lit up his face in the dark. Pulling out a throwing knife, I took a moment to aim before I let it fly. It embedded deeply into his throat and he dropped his phone to grab his neck but it was too late. I knew where to hit to make death fast and he was seconds away from taking his last breath.
I shoved him away from the doorway he’d fallen in front of and tested the handle. It was locked, and after a quick glance at the dead body, I decided it would be easier to just break the door down. The rumble of the bikes was louder now and I knew the rest of the men were close. Once Jovan realized they were coming for him, he’d most likely come for Veronica. That was why we’d been sent in early, to make sure that didn’t happen.
With that thought in mind, I stepped back and placed a solid kick to the door, slamming the timber panel hard enough the lock gave way and the door busted in.
