by Harley Stone
Link squeezed me against him. “Even then, you were a queen, babe.”
I sure hadn’t felt like a queen then, and I didn’t feel like one now. “She doesn’t want me to give up the case, but she’s in danger. And she’s the only family I have left. I can’t lose her.”
He stroked my hair out of my face and kissed my forehead. “You won’t lose her, babe, and she’s not your only family. Not anymore. You have me, and I have a whole club of brothers and a shit-ton of friends who won’t stand for this bullshit. We’ll find her. I promise you that.”
“You can’t make that kind of promise, Link.”
“I just did. I need you to trust me on this. You’re my woman, and I’m sure as hell not gonna stand by and let some asshole threaten your grandmother to get you to drop your morals.” He thumbed away the tears from my cheeks and pressed a kiss against my lips.
Needing his strength and confidence, I grabbed hold of him and held on tight.
“Trust me, Em. I won’t let you down. If we have to tear this entire city down to its goddamn studs, we’ll find her.”
I was terrified for my grandmother, but I believed him.
Link
AFTER FINDING OUT about Emily’s grandmother, we spent a couple hours making calls, got dressed, and came downstairs only to find Havoc waiting for us.
“Emily, I am so sorry,” he said. “I… I… We can…”
She held up a hand. “Stop. None of this is your fault. That bastard thinks he can bully me into giving up this case, but he has no clue what he’s done. Now he’s going to feel our full fury and we are going to take his ass down. That’s what’s going to happen, Havoc. You can keep your unnecessary apologies and channel them into anger to help Link find my grandmother, because your help is all I need from you.”
My queen. There she was in all her fearsome beauty. I wanted to cover her, surround her, hide her from the world, but now was not the time for that. Now was the time to escort her to her battlefield and hurry to mine. Giving Emily a quick kiss goodbye, I left her in the common area with Jayson and her phone and joined the Dead Presidents gathering in our meeting room.
It was barely after nine a.m., Booker and Hawk had arrived and were downing coffee while catching up with Wasp and Eagle in the back. I joined them, thanking each of the Dogs of Fire for coming.
“How are Dani and the kids?” I asked Booker.
He grinned. “They’re great. Dani’s as feisty as ever.”
I chuckled. “I bet,” I said, then I turned to Hawk. “What about Payton? I heard Lily shacked up with Ace’s kid. That true?”
Hawk nodded. “Yeah, got myself a grandkid.”
“No shit?”
Hawk raised an eyebrow. “You see Payton, though, you don’t fuckin’ call her grandma, she’ll geld you.”
I laughed. I’d only met Payton a handful of times, but she was the sister of an FBI agent, and now the old lady of a bounty hunter, so she knew how to take care of herself… and the woman could shoot. I’d seen it myself.
Pops and the old crew came in, bringing with them a mix of retired and active servicemen. Leaving the Dogs with Wasp and Eagle, I made the rounds, personally thanking everyone who’d shown up before heading to the front of the room. There, I went over what had happened before passing around a few pictures of Emily’s grandmother.
After a brief question and answer period, Wasp, Eagle, Havoc, and I worked together to break people up into teams. Some hit the streets, some hit the phones, and some hit the internet, but everyone went to work. Saturday, Sunday, and Monday were a blur of staggered shifts, delivered meals, and pots of coffee. Even the old ladies and club whores put aside their differences to keep everyone fed, caffeinated, and the station clean and functioning.
Emily split her time between helping the women and preparing her case. Since I didn’t want her or Jayson out of my sight, they rescheduled her Monday appointments and worked from the station. Monday afternoon I caught Jayson, looking haggard and worn, making two cups of coffee in the kitchen.
Refilling my own cup, I asked, “How’s she holding up?”
I’d checked on Emily a few times, but knew she wanted me focused on finding her grandmother, and not worrying about her, so I was trying to keep my distance. Still, I worried.
“Not well,” Jayson admitted. “Tired. Cranky. She needs sleep, but she won’t listen to me. Every time I bring it up, she sends me out here for more coffee. It’s not the same, Link. Not the same.”
I nodded, understanding his struggle all too well. “I’ll make sure she sleeps tonight. She’ll need it for court tomorrow.”
Court. Tomorrow. We were running out of time. I’d spent the past three days with Booker and Hawk, tracking the mayor’s money to different properties he owned. Then we’d dispatch a crew to go search it. So far, we’d found drugs and guns, but no sign of Annabel. My gut twisted as I thought about all the things that could be happening to Emily’s grandma. I’d promised to find the old lady, and with every second that ticked by, I felt the weight of that promise settle a little heavier around my shoulders. Soon, it would be choking me.
“Still no word, huh?” Jayson asked.
“Lots of leads. We’re following every one of them, but so far, we haven’t found shit. We’ll keep at it, and I know she’ll turn up.” I just hoped it would be in time. “What about you, Jay? You need anything?”
Rabbit walked into the kitchen, and Jayson’s gaze followed him. “I got food, coffee, eye candy galore, what more could I need?” he asked.
Rabbit glanced our direction and Jayson winked at him.
Shaking his head and chuckling, Rabbit kept walking. Rumor was that Jayson had hit on half my club, and they thought he was hilarious.
“All right. You need anything, you let me know,” I said.
Jayson picked up the coffee cups and headed for the door. “Just find Annabel and make the assholes who took her pay.”
***
After dinner, I found Emily on the sofa in my office, her eyelids appeared to be propped open by an invisible layer of willpower, while Jayson stared at his computer screen. Emily lifted her head and watched me, not daring to ask the question she’d asked so many times before. Giving her a slight shake of my head, I let her know we still hadn’t found Annabel.
We were doing everything we could, and we were close. I could feel it. Now I needed to get Emily’s mind off her missing grandma, so she could focus on court tomorrow.
“You know how I got through the Q-course and made it into Special Forces?” I asked.
Emily shook her head still watching me.
“While you’re in the course, you go days with no sleep. It’s a killer, and I was dead on my feet. Pops had warned me about it and told me to take some chewing tobacco with me. I didn’t chew, but understood the value of it when my eyes wouldn’t stop trying to close. Finally, I did as the old man had suggested and put a chew in, dipped my finger into my mouth, and stuck it in my eye.”
Her face contorted. “Ouch. And gross.”
“Yeah, it burned like a mother-fucker, believe that. But I was wide awake for at least another couple of hours. When I started drifting off again, I’d put in another chew and do it again.”
“Now that’s commitment,” Jayson said.
“It is,” Emily agreed. “You here to bring me a can of chew? Because I’m committed, but I don’t think I can handle the taste of chew, much less the feel of it in my eye.”
“You could handle it, but I wouldn’t want you to. I, however, can go at least another day before I crash, and I will, if it’s necessary. But you have a different battle, baby. You have court tomorrow and you need your rest.”
She started to argue, but I interrupted by telling Jayson to get out of here. He cast her the briefest of glances before scurrying out the door.
It closed behind him, and Emily muttered, “Traitor.”
“Don’t be salty,” I said, taking her laptop and setting it on my desk. “He cares about yo
u. We all do.”
“Then you’d let me stay busy, so I don’t think about her and what she’s got to be going through,” Emily replied.
“Trust me, sweetheart. I know what you need.”
Before she could argue, I scooped her off the couch and carried her upstairs and into our room. It was strange how quickly my mind had converted my personal space to our room, but I couldn’t deny that Emily belonged there. That I wanted her there.
“Get ready for bed,” I said, setting her down.
“I’m not going to be able to sleep,” she replied.
“Trust me, Em. You need sleep and I’m going to get you there.”
She must have been truly exhausted, because she didn’t even argue, but slipped into the restroom and washed up before joining me back in the bedroom. I stripped off her clothing and laid her in bed, crawling in naked beside her. She was stiff as a board and I could almost see the wheels in her mind spinning. I tried to kiss her, but she pulled away.
“We can’t have sex,” she said, rolling on her side to face away from me.
“Why the fuck not?” I asked.
“Because I would feel like shit enjoying myself while Grandma is out there with kidnappers, probably hurt, waiting for us to find her.”
“I get that.” I scooted closer until we were spooning, and then wrapped my arms around her. “But I also get you, baby. You’ve been handling this all and I know you’re a mess inside, and you need to deal with your emotions, so you can rest and start fresh tomorrow.”
“And how the hell do you propose I deal with my emotions, Dr. Lincoln?” she sassed.
“Anger’s a good start.” I grabbed my discarded T-shirt and folded it into a long strip. “You’re so strong. You carry all this shit around and handle it by yourself because you’re used to being the boss, but you don’t have to do that anymore. Not with me. Not in my bed.” I slipped the folded shirt over her eyes and tied it at the back of her head.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“I’m taking over.” I gently rolled her onto her back. “You don’t have to be strong right now, Em. You don’t get to be in charge. You can be needy or upset or whatever the fuck you need to be. I got you. I’m not gonna let anyone see or hurt you. I’m going to take control from you, wear you down, and knock your ass out so you can get some sleep.”
“Think you can do all that, huh?” she asked.
I got out another shirt and tied her to my headboard.
“I know I can. You don’t get to feel guilty about this, because you have no control over what I do to you. It’s on me, baby, so you might as well lay back and enjoy it.”
I sucked one of her nipples into my mouth and worked it until it hardened to a peak. Then I switched to the other one. When her nipples were a beautiful dark pink, my lips roamed down her body, finding their way to her folds. I licked, sucked, and nipped at her core until Emily’s body writhed beneath me, silently begging me for release. Then I positioned myself over her and kissed her deeply as my dick slid into her.
She felt so good under me. Around me. Holding her, kissing her, I fucked her until she found release and tears soaked her makeshift blindfold and streamed down her cheeks.
“Let it out, baby,” I said, encouraging her to release all the pent-up emotions of the past few days. Staying inside her, I kissed away the saltiness of her cheeks as she cried. “I’ve got you. No one can get to you here. No one will see you like this.”
When she finally finished crying, I untied her hands and removed her blindfold. Her eyes were red and swollen and her breathing was still erratic. She tried to roll over and hide from me, but I kept her there.
Looking into her eyes, I said, “I love you, Emily.”
She started to respond, but I didn’t want her to. Not yet. I kissed her lips to interrupt her. Brushing her hair back from her face, I pulled out of her warm, wet pussy and settled in beside her, pulling her against me.
“Now get some sleep.”
I stayed in bed beside her until she passed out, and then I went back downstairs to continue my search for her grandmother.
Emily
WE WERE OUT of time.
I stood in the hallway of the courthouse as numerous could have, should have, would haves flashed through my brain. I wanted to pace. I wanted to bite my nails. I wanted to freak out and slap the mayor’s greasy smile right off his face.
But I would not go down like that.
I’d worked too hard to let the bastard see me fall.
So instead, I held my ground, trusted my man, and prayed like I was watching a comet hurtling toward earth and knew nothing short of divine intervention could stop it.
Jayson, Havoc, and Bull stood around me, looking sharp in their Sunday best. The blazer of my business suit had pockets. Grandma had gotten me a charm bracelet shortly after my parents died, and I kept it in my pocket now, occasionally running my thumb over it, as if the motion would summon her.
But she didn’t magically appear.
Lily and Candice were off-site, protected by Eagle, Rabbit and at least a half-dozen other Dead Presidents until we were ready for them. We weren’t taking any chances with them.
My phone buzzed. I checked it to see some stupid email advertisement.
I wanted to throw the fucking thing across the hall and watch it shatter. Better yet, I wanted break it on Mayor Kinlan’s pearly white dental implants.
“Breathe, Em,” Jayson said, smiling while his eyes flooded with worry.
I gave him my best fake toothy grin in response, and he winced.
“He’ll come through,” Havoc said, his gaze locked on the courthouse doors. “Link always comes through.”
Link hadn’t slept in days. I knew he (along with everyone else) was doing everything in his power to find her, but his efforts didn’t change the fact that Grandma was still missing. And, since I was standing in the courthouse with Havoc beside me as my client, the mayor might have already issued the order for his men to get rid of her.
I knew that walking in, and I’d still come.
What did that say about me?
Less than six feet away, Mayor Kinlan was laughing and joking with his attorney while Noah sat in a wheelchair, his broken arm in a cast, next to his father. The wheelchair was a nice touch. The jury would take one look at it and feel pity for the bastard.
The idea of him getting anyone’s compassion made bile rise in the back of my throat.
I checked my phone again. Still no word from Link. He and two guys from Portland had left early this morning, excited about some lead, but I hadn’t heard from him since. Nobody had. So, at eight fifteen this morning, I’d left the station and headed for work like it was any other day. Like my grandma was safe at home rather than with some asshole who’d threatened her life.
We were called into the courtroom to begin the proceedings. With a heavy heart and a racing mind, I stepped slowly into the courtroom.
Still no sign of Link, Grandma, the cavalry, God, or anyone else who could possibly intervene and help me out. I nodded to Jayson and he sent off a text to Wasp, letting him know we were starting and would need the girls soon.
As I was organizing my briefcase, Mayor Kinlan approached. “I don’t see your supposed witnesses,” he said, barely above a whisper. “Does that mean you’ve come to your senses?”
“Is she okay?” I asked.
“I have no idea who you’re talking about,” he said. “But I’m sure the safety of everyone is in your hands, Ms. Stafford.”
Mayor Kinlan walked away.
I wanted to bow my head and cry, but I couldn’t.
“Emily…” Havoc started.
I knew what he was going to say. He’d started saying it at least a dozen times since we’d left the station. We could leave the girls out of this. Havoc could take the fall. Grandma could live. And she would never forgive me.
I’d never forgive myself.
“No.” My voice cracked. I cleared my throat and trie
d again. “No, Havoc. He’s not getting away with this, and you’re not going to jail for saving a girl.”
Court began.
***
Link
When we were growing up, Naomi went through a stage where she was obsessed with Alice in Wonderland. I never much cared for the movie (especially not after she watched it every day for about three months straight), but holy shit I felt like I was living it now.
Wasp, Booker, Hawk, and I had stumbled into a hole and now we were free-falling, with no clue when we’d reach the bottom. Drugs and guns were just the beginning of the mayor’s operations. Apparently, he was also into sex trafficking.
We’d found a warehouse full of girls, and I still couldn’t fucking believe it. Of all the messed-up shit, sex trafficking?
“This is way above my pay scale,” Wasp said, running a hand through his hair as we leaned against the outside wall of the warehouse.
“He’s got a point,” Hawk said. “We need to call Jaxon and have him send in the feds. This shit goes way deeper than we could have anticipated.”
Jaxon Quinn was the FBI brother to two of the Dogs and he often had the Club’s back when they needed him to.
“I have to find Annabel. I promised Emily I would.”
“We can’t take a chance at them moving these girls,” Booker said.
“I know.” Fuck, I knew. I glanced at my phone and saw it was already eight a.m. No doubt Emily was getting ready for court. I knew I should call her, but what would I say? That I failed? I broke my promise? No. I wasn’t ready to give up yet.
“Maybe the feds will help us speed this up,” Wasp suggested.
“Make the call,” I said, pushing off the wall. “Hawk, Booker, stay here and handle the feds. Wasp, come with me to check out the next warehouse.”
“You sure that’s such a good idea?” Hawk asked.
“No. But I don’t see where I have any other choice.”
“Be careful,” Booker said.
“You too.”
We all shook hands and Wasp and I hurried to our bikes, parked half a block away.
