Rough & Real

by Hayley Faiman

  “How?” I hiss.

  She shakes her head rapidly. “I don’t know, but for now, we need to focus on trying to stay alive. They held a gun to my head, Rosie. The look in their eyes, they’re high as shit. There’s no reasoning with them.”

  At her words, my bottom lip starts to tremble too. All of my hope vanishes. She’s right. We’re doomed, and we need to shift our focus from running to surviving.

  I close my eyes and I pray. I hope that God or whoever, can hear me. I need help, we need help, and I pray that my daddy finds us. Fast.

  I would like to think that no news is good news, and in some cases, that is probably true. In this case, it isn’t, not even close. It’s been hours and I’m still locked up under guard and key in West’s room. I haven’t heard a peep, nothing, about my daughter.

  My sons are… somewhere, and I haven’t seen West since he tossed me in here like yesterday’s garbage. I want my babies, and I want my husband. No matter how much he pisses me off right now, I need him, I want my family together. I’m trying to stay strong but I’m weakening. Fuck, I don’t know how much more I can take.

  There’s a rustling outside of my room and then a pounding on the door. Rushing over to it, I unlatch the bolt and am caught staring at Chad and Brian. Well, Chad’s face and Brian’s back because he’s got Tinker in a headlock and his face pushed against the door.

  “Oh my God, you’re okay,” Chad sighs.

  I look from Brian to Chad and give him a shaky smile. “I’m okay,” I whisper.

  “Brian she’s okay, you can let the Neanderthal go, sweetie,” Chad cries out.

  Brian steps back but Tinker swings around and tries to punch him in the face, missing terribly as Brian side-steps him.

  “Tinker, stop,” I cry.

  Tinker growls and looks to me, clearly completely frustrated. “That fuck almost choked me out,” he growls.

  “We thought she was being beaten bloody. We’ve been asking your people where she is for hours,” Chad states.

  “They can come in with me, can’t they? I’m going insane,” I plead.

  Tinker looks from Brian to Chad, and then back to me and tips his head back to look at the ceiling. “If Camo asks, it’s your head, not mine. I’ll fucking deny, deny, deny,” he announces.

  Grabbing Chad’s hand, I tug him inside and Brian quickly follows. Tinker slams and locks the door behind Brian, and I launch myself at my friends. “Those girls down there are fucking crazy, they kind of scare me and yet, I’m in awe of them,” Chad whispers against my ear.

  I step back and look at them before I burst out into laughter. “They can be a tiny bit scary, can’t they?”

  Brian’s eyes widen before he turns to Chad. “A tiny bit?”

  “Ivy, they’re terrifying. I love them to pieces. You know I gave all of them a free session at the gym. I want to be part of your pack.” He smiles.

  I laugh again, thankful for these two beautiful men and the timing that they came into my life. “Now, I assume he found out about the sexy prospect?” Brian asks.

  We walk over to the bed and I sink down to lean against it with my ass on the hard floor. “He found out. He said he didn’t know what he wanted to do with me yet,” I whisper. “Have you seen my boys down there?” I ask immediately.

  “Both boys are fine. Your brother came and got them, took them to his room where he said Serina had movies and snacks all set up for them. He’s keeping them away from the crowd, and with family,” Brian explains. I let out a sigh of relief before he goes on. “Your oldest boy, Remi. He gave West a piece of his mind, stood up for you. It was pretty badass.”

  My eyes water as he speaks. I want them here with me, I want to hold them and know they’re safe from whoever these fucking monsters are that took my Rosalie. “For the record, your brother is pissed that West wouldn’t let them come in here with you. Your husband is conflicted.”

  I snort. “That’s an understatement. Honestly?” I ask. They both look at me and wait for me to go on. “He’s been conflicted, for a long time. I’ve chosen to ignore it, and now it’s spiraled out of control,” I admit.

  “Then it’s time you took charge, reined him in, and stopped taking his shit,” Chad states.

  I nod once, my eyes shifting back and forth between these men. I’ve come to care for them so much, and I don’t think that I would have been able to go through half of what I have without them. “I think you’re right.”

  “Fuck yes we are,” Brian states.

  I lean my head against Chad’s shoulder while I take Brian’s hand and on the floor of West’s clubhouse bedroom, I cry and pray. I pray for my baby, and I cry for what she’s suffering right now. I pray that whatever she’s going through that we’ll find a way to heal her.

  I cry for my marriage, but I let out a sigh as I feel a peace wash over me. We’ll work it out. I love him and I know that he loves me. This is just a gigantic hurdle, but we’re meant to be, we have been and nothing we’ve done has been easy, but we’ve always come out quite all right.

  We wait for the prospects to arrive and when Derek walks through the door, I can’t hold back my growl. The fuck. He gives me a smirk, that is until MadDog tells them to move the bodies into the middle of the living room. Then he tells them to search for something they can tamper with that would cause a house fire.

  “Waiting for Hacker to get back with me on this Kodie kid’s info,” MadDog murmurs.

  I’m so focused on watching Derek that I just lift my chin in acknowledgment but don’t look away from him. There’s something about him that I don’t like. I don’t know what it is, or maybe I do. Maybe I don’t like the fact that he took advantage of my wife and of me. As a prospect, I could kill him for touching my Old Lady.

  “You gonna let that slide?” MadDog asks.

  I think about his words. “I’m not sure what I’m going to do yet,” I admit.

  Part of me wants to teach him a lesson, the other part of me wants to teach Ivy one. Then there’s that part of me that I’ve been fighting with, the part that wants to see exactly how he touched my wife, and if she liked it.

  “Better figure it out,” MadDog grumbles.

  I turn away from Derek when my phone rings. It’s Tinker and my brows pull together, my heart races as I imagine something is wrong with Ivy. “Hello,” I bark.

  “Just wanted to let you know her two friends ganged up on me to get into your room,” he announces.

  With a chuckle, I imagine Brian and Chad ganging up on Tinker. They probably kicked his ass since I don’t recall the last time he stepped foot in a gym, let alone got any type of exercise that wasn’t fucking some whore.

  “That’s fine,” I murmur.

  This whole thing has lasted longer than I expected, and Ivy is probably a complete mess. I really should let her go to her brother’s room to be with the boys, but I’m being fucking stubborn, and an ass. Not really some new trait, it’s just who I am sometimes, and I know that she’ll forgive me—she always does.

  One of the prospects comes over to us and announces that there’s a gas leak in the house now which makes MadDog chuckle. His phone rings and I watch him answer it, his eyes go from their normal color to almost black with anger. Fuck the man can be truly terrifying.

  “Text me the address,” he announces, turning to the prospect. “Set fire to the bodies first. I want them good and burned before the rest of the house goes up in flames. Don’t get fucking caught,” he sighs.

  “What’s goin’ on, Pops?” Fury asks.

  MadDog grins. “We found an address for Kodie. It’s in the fucking ghetto, and he’s been renting it with a roommate for six months. Hacker’s facial recognition shit came back and we got a hit on Benny and Kodie. They’ve both been popped for burglary.”

  “Let’s go get those little fucks, and our girls,” I announce.

  MadDog lifts his chin with a smile. “I’m ready to maim some boys that thought they could fuck with the Devils,” he rasps.

&
nbsp; “I haven’t really maimed anyone in a while. This should be fun,” Fury chuckles.

  We hurry out of the back of the house with Blinder staying behind to supervise the prospects. The rental house is only twenty minutes away so we ride together. I’m on fucking edge, anxious to get my baby back, but also terrified of what she’s suffered at the hands of these pricks.

  We still don’t know their endgame. Not one of them called anyone to make any types of demands, which makes me think that their intentions aren’t ransom. They want our girls for something else and I refuse to let my mind wander into what that could mean.

  When we arrive at the rental house’s street, we all kill our bikes. The house they’re staying at is about halfway down the block. “When the prospects are finished, have them come here to watch our bikes. For now, Roach, you stay with them and keep an eye out. Send out a text if you have a problem. Call Sniper out here, I want him ASAP,” MadDog growls.

  Roach lifts his chin and punches some buttons on his phone before putting it up to his ear. The rest of us take off on foot to the house. The neighborhood is just as shitty as I’d anticipated, maybe even a little worse. Every house is more rundown than the last.

  Movement catches the corner of my eyes and I watch as a drug deal is made on the sidewalk, all while kids play in the front yard. This shit shouldn’t bother me, not when it’s probably dope we brought into the country, and yet, it fucking does. It bothers the hell out of me.

  “You don’t shove it up their nose or in their veins,” Soar murmurs.

  I glance up at him and he lifts his chin toward the deal. “Know what you’re thinking. I’ve thought about it a million times since being clean, especially since having kids. But, brother, they’re going to score no matter what. Until they want to change, they’ll continue to get high. Whether we supply it or another group does. They’ll always get their shit.”

  Trying to push that shit out of my head, understanding the logic but still not feeling all that great about it. We collectively stop one house before our target.

  “We have to surround the place, try to get in any way we can. The last thing we want is the girls to get hurt. We’re going in completely blind,” MadDog whispers.

  “Should we wait for Sniper? Maybe he can set up across the street,” Fury suggests.

  MadDog shakes his head. “Fuck that, I’m not waiting almost an hour for him to show up, then another however long for him to set up. I want my fucking daughters back,” he growls.

  “We go in quiet and we go in quick,” Soar murmurs.

  Fury juts his chin out. “Let’s do this.”

  We all make noises of agreement and head toward the house. Mammoth and Soar go around the back. Fury, MadDog and I go in the front. We have no clue where they’re at, but we’re running high on our emotions and as I pull my gun out of its holster, I send a prayer that my Rosalie is all in one piece.

  MadDog goes against everything we’ve said and literally lifts his leg and kicks the cheap ass door open.

  “Holy fuck,” Fury moans. “Pops, that is not quiet.”

  MadDog already has his gun in his hand and is storming inside of the shitty little house. We file in one at a time to follow him. Mammoth and Soar are already coming up from the back with their weapons drawn and I suck in a breath when I see Riley on the couch, a knife held to her throat and that Benny kid behind her.

  “Welcome boys,” he grins.

  MadDog growls, but I don’t let him speak. “Where are the other girls?” I demand.

  Benny smirks as his other hand wraps around Riley’s stomach. MadDog growls, again, and I glance up at Riley who has tears swimming in her eyes. “Daddy,” she whispers.

  Benny’s hand slides up her body and squeezes her breast hard before he hisses. “Shut the fuck up, you dirty little cum dumpster.”

  My fingers tighten on the grip of my gun and it takes everything inside of me not to fill this little fuck with bullets. “Touch her again like that, call her names, and I’ll fill your head with bullets, kind of like I did to your parents,” MadDog rumbles.

  “Liar,” Benny states.

  MadDog lets out a bark of laughter and I feel movement from beside me. It’s Fury and from the corner of my eye, I watch him make his way down the hall with Soar at his back. Once we know all the girls are safe then we can get these punks strung up and we can play.

  “Honestly, I couldn’t listen to that fat bitch mother of yours squawk for another minute. I think killing her really did the world a service,” I shrug.

  Benny stands up, his emotions not in check as he screams, releasing Riley at the same time. Riley scrambles away from him, crawling until she’s behind MadDog’s legs.

  “Wow. Had I known it would have been that easy, I would have opened with that,” I shrug.

  MadDog chuckles. “No shit.” We keep both of our guns trained on the kid and wait. He’s still got a knife which if he wanted to try and charge us with it, he might be able to do some damage, but he wouldn’t live long enough to see what he inflicted.

  “Where’s your sister and Rosalie?” MadDog asks, keeping his eyes trained on Benny.

  “In the back bedrooms,” she whispers through her muffled sobs.

  A few minutes later, Soar comes in carrying a kid that looks around fifteen by the collar of his shirt and Fury has the other guy, who is in his early twenties, and he’s frog marching him into the room. There’s only three of them and I know there have to be more. Then the back door opens and Mammoth walks in, his gun pointed at the backs of two more guys in their early twenties.

  “Look, the gang’s all here,” he announces as he forces them to stand with their friends.

  “Girls are in the back bedrooms. I told them to stay there, Riles, why don’t you join them,” Fury murmurs gently.

  I hear her scurry behind me, but there’s no way in hell I can take my eyes off of these fucks. “Sniper’s bringing the van,” Mammoth announces. “Texted me about ten minutes ago, says he’s close.”

  “Where are you taking us?” the youngest one, probably Jerry, asks.

  MadDog laughs and it sounds fucking evil. “What? You guys thought you were big men. Taking our daughters the way you did. You too pussy to accept the consequences?”

  Benny tips his head back, sticking his nose in the air. “You’re all a bunch of has-been washed-up old fucks. You ain’t gonna do shit to us.”

  It’s my turn to burst out laughing. “Boy, I’ve shit bigger turds than you. We’re taking your asses to our warehouse. It’s nice and secluded out there. Nobody will hear you scream,” I grin.

  Benny has the sense to take a big gulp of air and his face pales at my words. It fucking should. The front door opens and Sniper’s gigantic frame fills the space. “Load ‘em up, boys,” he announces with ropes and handcuffs dangling from his fingertips.

  “Let’s go get our girls, they can load up these little piss-ants,” MadDog murmurs to me.

  Together we walk down the hall. It only takes a second to realize which room they’re in. I can hear their sobs from the hallway. My legs start moving a little faster and when I enter the room, the three of them are huddled into a ball in the middle of the floor.

  Riley is the first to stand and she runs past me to launch herself into MadDog’s arms. Rosalie stands next and she runs to me. I finally breathe when her thin arms are around my neck. She breathes against my skin, and my eyes close. She’s alive. “Sweetie,” I whisper.

  “I knew you would save us, Daddy,” she responds.

  I hold her a little tighter. My baby girl is safe. She’s in my arms, and she’s safe. I’m never letting her out of my sight again. The other girls’ frantic voices fill the air as they tell MadDog everything that happened. “Are you okay?” I ask Rosalie quietly.

  “I’m okay, Daddy. They didn’t hurt me, but Daddy?” She whispers. Lowering her to her feet, and my head so that her lips are against my ear. “They hurt Finley, Daddy,” she whispers as tears fill her eyes.


  I close my eyes and tug her against my chest again. I need to feel her. “Let’s go, sweetie,” I murmur.

  “Texas brought an SUV to bring the girls back home,” Fury murmurs from the doorway.

  I watch as Finley’s head lifts at the sound of her older brother’s voice and she rushes over to him wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her face in his chest. Finley and Fury have always been close, and right now maybe he’s exactly what she needs to feel safe.

  Fury picks her up, cradling her like a child and silently walks out of the bedroom. I follow behind him, my arm wrapped around Rosalie’s shoulders, keeping her close to my side. MadDog and Riley follow suit behind me.

  Together we walk to the SUV and I load Rosalie inside, sitting her next to the girls and telling her that I’ll see her as soon as we get back to the clubhouse. MadDog, Fury, and I watch the SUV pull out of the shitty neighborhood, the van full of little pieces of shit behind them.

  “They’re going to suffer,” MadDog states. Fury grunts in agreement. “And pay. Suffer and pay,” I whisper, also agreeing.

  There’s a loud knock on the bedroom door and it bursts open with Tinker standing on the other side. He has a smile as big as the state of Texas on his face and my whole body relaxes. I already know what he’s going to say before the words even leave his lips.

  “They’ve been found. They’re on their way back,” he announces.

  Chad thanks God and Brian squeezes my hand. I jump to my feet but I don’t know what to do. I’m sure I’m not allowed out, but my baby, she’s coming back and I need to see her.

  “He said you could come down to greet her,” Tinker murmurs as he steps to the side.

  I don’t waste even a second. I sprint down to the bar area. Everything and everybody is a blur as I hurry to the clubhouse doors. I wrench it open to see Mary-Anne standing, waiting for her daughters as well.

  “They should be pulling up any second,” she breathes.

  Reaching over to her, I wrap my fingers around hers and give them a squeeze. “They’re alive,” I remind her.