Blaze (The Protectors Series) Book #10

by Teresa Gabelman

  “Isn’t that crazy? Nobody can control animals.” Jenny continued her sniffling rant. “But Pollard swore to it, and I think Drake started to believe it because I heard them making plans on how they would use you.”

  “Jenny.” Katrina didn’t really want to hear any more; she didn’t need to hear any more. She knew exactly what would happen if she fell under Drake’s power again. Leaning back, she grasped Jenny’s shoulders so she could look at her. “How long have they been gone?”

  “Not even a week,” Jenny replied, then bit her lip as tears flowed. “I think. I kind of lose time.”

  Katrina gave her a sad smile with a nod. “I know.” Using the edge of the blanket, she wiped the tears from Jenny’s face.

  It seemed as if the drug fog Jenny had been under had started to clear. She looked down at herself as if finally realizing she was naked underneath the blanket, then shifted uncomfortably. Her angry eyes rose to meet Katrina’s. “Pollard raped me while I was out, didn’t he?”

  “I’m sorry.” Katrina didn’t know what else to say. Jenny was a beautiful girl, inside and out, but the drugs and lifestyle were taking their toll. She looked as if life had chewed her up and spat her out more than once.

  “The bastard!” Jenny’s chin trembled, but her head tilted back and her shoulders straightened. “I want out. I want out like you. Can you help me? Please, Katrina.”

  Katrina didn’t know what to say. She could hardly help herself, but she knew she couldn’t say no. “Yes, I’ll help you.”

  Sloan had been standing close by, listening, his face set in stone. “Slade, find a rehab center that can take her ASAP.”

  Jenny looked up at Sloan, fresh tears flowing as she stood and walked toward him with the blanket wrapped around her. She looked so small and slight standing in front of the massive Warrior, but that didn’t stop her from wrapping an arm around him, holding him tightly as she cried her gratefulness.

  “Thank you,” Katrina mouthed silently to Sloan.

  Slade took Jenny back to the couch and started asking her questions while he was on the phone. Jill had taken Katrina’s place and was consoling her. Katrina stood, knowing that Jenny was being taken care of, and glanced toward the steps then back to Sloan and Blaze, who were staring at her.

  “If she’s right, they’ve only been gone for less than a week, so there’s no way they took everything.” Katrina turned and headed toward the stairs. With each step she climbed, the memories slammed into her like a bad movie. She actually stopped in the middle to collect herself.

  She felt Blaze as he paused on the step below her. His presence gave her peace of mind, making her feel safe.

  “Katrina?” was all Blaze said, because it was obvious she wasn’t okay.

  “Sorry, just needed a second.” She looked up the rest of the stairs, sighed a deep sigh, and continued. Going to the end of the long hallway, passing closed doors along the way, she stopped at the last door. As she reached out, a large hand stopped her from gripping the doorknob.

  “Whose room is this?” Blaze gently moved her behind him, where Sloan, Sid, Jax, Adam, and Steve stood in a line.

  “Samuel Drake’s,” she replied, then noticed she was being pulled behind the long line of Warriors.

  “Would he set traps?” Jax turned his head slightly to look at her.

  Katrina noticed Blaze had stopped and was looking at her, not opening the door. “No, but then again, I wouldn’t put it past him.”

  “Proceed with caution.” Sloan had turned back toward Blaze.

  “Cover her,” Blaze ordered, still not opening the door.

  She was surprised when Jax took her in his arms and turned his back toward the door with her cocooned by his body. She heard the door open, heard orders being shouted, and then she was let go.

  The Warrior line moved as they all made their way into the room. Katrina was the last to enter. Her eyes quickly scanned the room with disgust. Nothing of her mother’s remained, but she was glad about that. Samuel Drake had never deserved someone like her mother.

  The Warriors searched the room but came up short, which she knew they would. She made her way toward the closet and peeked inside. The closet had been cleaned out except for clothes hanging pressed against one end.

  Stepping inside, she began removing the clothes, tossing them to the other side of the closet.

  “What are you doing?” Blaze peered in, watching her, then quickly ducked back out when she threw more clothes toward him. “Katrina?” He growled her name.

  Katrina ignored him, staring at the false wall, and knew without a doubt, Drake didn’t empty out everything. Feeling around, she frowned, realizing it was nailed shut. With a grin, she leaned back, lifted her leg, and with total satisfaction, she kicked against the wall, sending the false wall smashing into another wall.

  “Take that, you bastard,” she cursed as she peeked inside and chuckled. Turning, she then made her way toward Blaze and out of the closet. With a sweep of her hand, she motioned toward the hole. “And that is why I came.”

  Blaze looked at her for a second before squeezing himself inside. His curse had her smiling and the other Warriors staring. Once he came out, his surprised gaze landed on her, and then he gave her a nod of respect.

  “What the fuck is it?” Sloan looked between them both.

  “Guns, money, and God knows what else,” Blaze said, then frowned. “But I don’t think any of us can fit back there.”

  “I can, and it will be my pleasure.” Katrina walked past them and disappeared into the closet.

  “Son of a bitch.” Sloan’s curse trailed behind her; he actually sounded happy.

  “And this isn’t the only place. The garage closest to the house also has a secret room. Since no one was guarding it, I doubt anything was left there, but it might be worth checking.” Katrina knew that what she was doing at that very moment was a death warrant. Samuel Drake would kill her for sure if he got his hands on her, yet, for some reason, that wasn’t bothering her as much as she would have thought. She was much too excited to finally get revenge on the bastard.

  “Why would he leave all that here?” Steve asked, nodding toward where Katrina stood.

  No one answered as they all looked toward Katrina. And she knew exactly why he would leave anything behind.

  “Because Samuel Drake is that arrogant, and he thinks no one would ever steal from him.” Katrina looked over her shoulder into the closet, then back to the Warriors. “He thought wrong.”

  ******

  Blaze couldn’t help but admire her strength. At first, she hadn’t wanted to come anywhere near this place, and neither had he; he still didn’t want her there. Yet, without her, they never would have known about the major stash of guns, money, and drugs hidden behind the walls.

  For over two hours they worked as she tirelessly handed things out of the hole in the closet. He stayed close, grabbing them and handing them off to Steve as Jax and Adam took pictures and Sid logged everything. Damon, Jared, and Duncan had returned after locking the three assholes up. Damon stood watch while Jared and Duncan went to find the hidden room in the garage. Katrina gave them exact details on how to find it, but she had been right. It was empty.

  Finally, Katrina stepped out from the wall. “That’s it.” She sneezed as wisps of dust flew out of her hair. Waving her hand in front of her face, she scrunched her nose. “It’s so dusty in there.”

  Reaching up, Blaze clasped a handful of her hair. Its softness amazed him. As curly as it was, he would have thought it would be coarse, but what the fuck did he know about women’s hair. He rubbed it between his fingers for a second longer before letting go. Their eyes met, his intense, hers surprised.

  “Cobweb.” His voice was rough, scraping his throat as the word escaped.

  “Oh.” She lifted her hands and ruffled her hair. “Thank you. Hope there are no spiders in this mess. I’ve actually thought about shaving it off.” She sighed, pulling a sticky, stringy cobweb from her hair.


  “No!” His tone was a little more demanding than he’d intended it to be, and thank fuck Sid found that moment to peek into the closet.

  “Come on, guys.” Sid huffed. “I don’t want to be here all fucking night. Let’s get a move on.”

  Katrina peeked around Blaze with a smile. “It’s done.”

  “Well fuck, why didn’t you say so?” Sid ducked back out of the closet and then reappeared. “Well, come on and help carry this shit to the van and stop staring at each other, or do you want me to close the door to give you some privacy so you can—”

  “Sid, get the fuck out of here,” Blaze warned as he backed up, then pushed Sid out of the way.

  Sid chuckled, but moved. At Sid’s words, Blaze had felt something he had never felt before: embarrassment. What the fuck was he doing, touching her, staring at her, alone with her in a fucking closet? As soon as he made sure she was safe, he needed to leave, move on. He did nothing better than moving on. Staying in one place was not in his blood, never had been and never would be; even a beautiful redhead couldn’t change that.

  Chapter 7

  Katrina stayed out of the way as the Warriors continued to carry the stash out to the van.

  “I still can’t believe they left all this here.” Steve picked up a large amount of cash, fanning himself with it before taking a big whiff as he looked at it longingly.

  “They do this every time they feel the police may raid,” Katrina replied, gaining the interest of every Warrior in the room. “If they have to move fast without any notice, they have confidence no one will find their hidden safe rooms. And death will come for any member who reveals where they are.”

  The room was deadly quiet as they all stared at her. None flinched at her words, knowing them to be true.

  “They will come back like they always do when the heat is off them.” Katrina shrugged as if what she had just said about death didn’t bother her, and honestly, it didn’t. It had been her way of life. “This is their main location.”

  “And you don’t know where they are now?” Sloan asked, his eyes narrowed slightly.

  “If I did, you’d know,” Katrina replied, understanding his distrust, but not liking it. “They’re all probably spread out, but they never run to the same place. Except when things calm down, they all end up back here.”

  Finally, the attention was off her as they collected the rest of the stuff. She followed them down the hall, the last in line, but stopped in front of one of the closed doors. Watching Blaze disappear down the steps, Katrina looked back at the door and bit her lip with indecision.

  Knowing she would regret not doing it, she opened the door to her past one more time. The familiar smell of her old world hit her hard. The Baby Soft perfume she had used every day must have seeped into the interior of the room because the smell surrounded her. It smelled familiar, but it didn’t bring her comfort, only anxiety.

  The first object she spotted was her guitar. Her fingers itched to pick it up and play, something she had missed. When she’d run, she’d taken nothing with her. There were only two things in her room she would have taken: her guitar and the picture of her and her mother. She glanced toward her small bedside table and saw that it was missing. Not a big shocker, since things she cared about always seemed to end up missing. She was actually surprised her guitar was still there.

  Slowly, she moved further into the room, her eyes seeing nothing but the guitar. Reaching out, she picked it up and brought it to her. Closing her eyes, she began to play. God, how she’d missed it. Jax had let her use his a few times while she watched Daniel for Pam and Duncan, but his had felt foreign in her hands. Her guitar felt like an old friend who had comforted her on many lonely nights.

  As she quietly strummed, she looked around. The dust was thick and cobwebs hung in the corners, but other than that everything seemed the same. Her whole life had been a vicious cycle of drama that came with the MC, but once she’d closed her door, she’d always been able to escape for a short time, lost in her music.

  As she stood strumming the song she’d played for Daniel, she sang along. Losing herself for just a second seemed natural to her, especially considering where she was. How many times had she done this? Hundreds? Thousands? No, most probably she had done this a million times before to escape the hell that resided outside her room.

  With a sigh, she stopped, realizing that this was part of her past and she needed it to stay a part of her past, even the object that had been her best friend. Before she could lay the guitar back on the bed, a voice from her past filled the room.

  “Don’t stop, baby girl.” Her father’s voice surrounded her, turning the tiny moment of reminiscing into horror. “I’ve missed hearing you sing.”

  She didn’t move, just stayed completely still, afraid to turn around to find him behind her, yet she had to know. With every ounce of courage she had, she laid the guitar on the bed then slowly turned. She was alone. Her father wasn’t with her.

  “I’ve been waiting for you, baby girl.” His voice echoed in the room. “I knew you couldn’t stay away.”

  His false endearment made her want to vomit as her eyes searched, finding a small box on her beat-up dresser. There were two lights on it; one was red. She knew that box. It was a Petcube. With a frown, she stepped closer. Her father was seriously demented. She didn’t even know what to say. Although she was relieved beyond words, obviously, that he wasn’t in the room, to know he had set this up to catch her coming back blew her away.

  “It’s time to come home.” Her father’s tone became more demanding. “Enough is enough.”

  “Come home?” She repeated the words that snapped her out of her stupor. “You had me beaten, you murdered my mother, and you’re forcing me to marry a piece of shit that I hate.”

  “She didn’t mean that, Breaker.” Her father’s whispered words sounded through the speaker on the Petcube.

  “The hell I didn’t. I meant every word.” It was amazing how brave she felt. Maybe it was because her father wasn’t in front of her, maybe it was her training with the Warriors, or maybe it was because she knew Blaze was close.

  The red light on the Petcube began to move. She realized it was a laser. She watched it hit her shoe and move up her leg, up her body, then she squinted as it blinded her momentarily.

  “You will come home, Kat.” Her father’s voice was no longer friendly. She was no longer his baby girl. This was Samuel Drake ordering her to do as he said, but she was no longer Kat. She would never be Kat again, and it was time he realized it.

  “Never,” she responded, looking directly at the Petcube and feeling freedom from just speaking that one word.

  ******

  As soon as Blaze hit the stairs to find Katrina, the most beautiful sound he had ever heard greeted him. He knew she was singing quietly, but his keen hearing picked up her angelic voice instantly. He stopped on the stairs, listening, stunned. She was absolutely amazing. Disappointment hit him as her voice quieted, followed by rage when he heard a male voice. He knew for a fact everyone else was downstairs.

  With ease, he jumped the rest of the steps and hit the floor running. Making himself slow to be prepared and in control, he stopped at the door to scope the situation. What he saw turned his blood to fire; his eyes blazed as he rushed into the room. A red target laser was centered on Katrina’s forehead. With blinding speed, he pulled her into his arms, shielding her body before looking for the threat. He found none.

  “It’s the Petcube.” Katrina’s voice was muffled by his chest as he held her close. “On the dresser.”

  Blaze looked and saw the black box. Before he could say anything, a voice came from that area.

  “Who’s your hero, baby girl?” a man’s voice asked pleasantly, yet held a hard edge. “Mind your manners and introduce him to your father.”

  Blaze felt her stiffen in his arms. “You’re safe,” he whispered before turning around, keeping her behind him. He noticed the other Warriors had entered but sta
yed out of the view of the small box.

  “Who are you?” The voice had turned from pleasant to nasty in a split second.

  Blaze gave the small box a glare and a sarcastic grin. “Never expected the president of the Iron Drakes to hide behind a pet toy.”

  “Oh, snap!” Steve’s whisper reached his ears, but Blaze didn’t react other than to raise his eyebrow.

  “Listen, motherfucker.” The voice turned deadly, but it didn’t affect Blaze. He had faced down many mean bastards in his lifetime, and this man was no different. He would lose, he would probably die, but he most definitely would never lay a hand on Katrina.

  “No, you listen, motherfucker.” Blaze cut him off, leaning toward the box. “I will find you and when I do, I, along with the rest of the VC Warriors, will take you down.”

  “You have no idea who you’re dealing with!” Samuel’s voice shouted throughout the room. “No fucking clue who I know and what I’m capable of.”

  “Ditto, bitch,” Blaze growled. “And you tell Breaker if he comes anywhere near her, he’s a dead man.”

  Blaze was past the point of caring if he was baiting the bastards. He wanted them and wanted them bad. He could hear a man faintly in the background and knew it must be the bastard Breaker.

  “Hey, Breaker, why don’t you stop hiding behind that piece of shit and come on over, hmmm.” Blaze couldn’t stop. He was the best at pissing people off to the point of wanting to kill him. He just hoped the asshole took the bait. When no one said anything, Blaze grinned without humor. “Pussy.”

  “Kat, you are mine.” Another man’s voice came through the box. “Don’t you ever forget that. I will find you.”

  Blaze felt her fingers clutch at his shirt, felt her shiver, and his rage knew no bounds. “The only thing you will find is me, fucker.” Blaze glared at the box then raised his hand before looking at Sloan. When Sloan nodded, a ball of fire appeared, hovering in his hand. “You want to take anything from here, Katrina?” he whispered over his shoulder.

  “No,” she answered after a brief hesitation. “Nothing.”