by Franca Storm
He rose to his feet and came around behind me. “Let me,” he spoke at my ear, reaching for the necklace.
I lifted my hair off the back of my neck as he positioned it and clasped it for me, before drawing back. I gazed down at the beautiful piece of jewelry. “You remembered me telling you that tulips are my favorite flowers.”
“Yeah. I also wanted you to know that this ain’t just about fucking to me. Know we got caught up in it for the last couple of weeks, but—”
I took his hand in mine. “I know, Scott.”
“Yeah?”
“Of course,” I said, bringing his hand to my face and nuzzling his palm. “It’s obvious that you’re all in with me.” I looked into his gray eyes, so full of warmth and love. “Do you feel it from me?”
I’d gone so long standing at a distance and closing myself off that I was worried it might have become a part of who I am, that I might still be doing it without even consciously realizing.
He nodded and told me without hesitation, “Abso-fucking-lutely.”
I released a breath I hadn’t realized I’d actually been holding in. “Good. Very good.”
“You don’t gotta worry so much, Dani. You ain’t as broken as you think you are.” He kissed the top of my head, then sat down next to me looking bright and hopeful. “So, I told you we had something to celebrate.”
“Yeah, I remember.”
“It’s a two-part deal.”
He looked apprehensive about telling me whatever it was. Any kind of nervousness really wasn’t a character trait synonymous with Scott Tate, so seeing it from him now put me on edge. I shifted my weight uneasily and braced myself. “I’m listening.”
“Gus Wakefield is gonna be handled any day now.”
I started in surprise. “He’s… what?”
“Between the intel you gave me and what one of my contact’s been able to pull, we’ve put together a strong case against him. The evidence is undeniable. I’ve got somebody with the power to act on it without any repercussions coming their way and the fucker is going down. Hard too, given all the shit he’s done. Means the truth’s gonna come out about Don too. Neither of them are gonna be a problem to you or nobody.”
“Oh my God,” I breathed. “How? How is this possible? Who do you know who has the power to do this? The frigging President of the country?”
“Not that high up,” was all he said.
“You know somebody like that, though?” I pushed.
He shrugged. “I know a lot of people, love. This guy, though? I saved his life when we served together. He owed me one. This is him honoring that.”
“You wasted a favor like that on me?”
He frowned, clearly not liking that. “Wasted? Fuck, no. This is your freedom, your life we’re talking about.”
“I know. It’s just… this is a lot. I don’t know what to say.” I threw my arms around him and hugged him to me. “Thank you. I can’t believe it. It’s really going to be over? I can get back to my life, stop hiding away?”
“Yeah,” he confirmed. “And I know how important it is for you to get your power back with Don, so you can be a part of his takedown, if that’s still what you want. The Gus situation is another level and has gotta be handled a different way. But Don is all yours.”
“Wow.”
I couldn’t believe he’d done this for me. Used a massive favor like that to help me. Actually ensured I could be a part of it and get the closure I desperately needed. That he got that so well meant so much to me.
“And the other part of all this, the second thing for us to celebrate is, now you can go back to Mosaic, you’re gonna need to rebuild your rep after being away for two years. I’ve got a job for you if you’re game. I need somebody for a new development the club’s working on. A chain of burlesque clubs. I wanna hire you as the architect.”
I moved to protest, to tell him that he didn’t need to do that, but he held up his hand, telling me, “I ain’t just handing it to you blindly. I’ve seen your work, remember? During the tour. I know you well. You get the club, I know you’re gonna get my vision for this job real well. You’re perfect for it, love.”
“Okay, wow, yes. Yes, I’d love to do it.” I took his hands and told him earnestly. “You’ve given me my life back.”
He smiled, then wrapped his arms around me. “You’ve done the same for me.”
19
~Spartan~
I STRODE ACROSS THE LOT.
Shrugging my leather jacket on as I went, I headed to my bike over by the far end of the Iron Kings clubhouse lot.
I snatched my helmet off the handlebars.
Rushed footsteps had me holding off on putting it on.
Turning, I saw Deviant jogging up to me.
“Prez, hold up!”
I rolled my eyes. What did he think I was doing? “I’m holding.”
I weren’t gonna for long, though. I had urgent shit to take care of and the timing was real tight. Everything was in place, organized down to the second. I couldn’t be late.
“Good, yeah,” he said, breathing hard as he came to a stop in front of me. He bent forward, his palms resting on his leather pants as he tried to catch his breath.
Jesus. It weren’t like he was outta shape. He must’ve been running for a while to be in such a fucking state. It meant whatever he’d come out to tell me was urgent.
Just what I didn’t need right now.
Was it impossible to go half a fucking day, as I’d planned, without being wired in to the club? Half a day. That was all I needed to sort this shit with those Wakefield assholes and get Dani her freedom back.
“Just sprinted from the other side of the clubhouse to catch you before you took off,” Deviant told me once he’d managed to get his breath back. “Top speed, Prez. Fuck.”
“What’s so urgent then?” I pressed, trying like hell not to show how anxious I was about getting outta here. I didn’t want it raising questions. As far as the club knew, I was just headed down to Ricky’s to workout.
“You weren’t picking up your cell,” he said, cocking an eyebrow. It wasn’t like me to miss anything, I was always glued to my phone. Hell, I had to be with all the shit I was responsible for, the boys, the businesses. But I didn’t have my cell on right now. I’d switched it off an hour and a half ago. Instead, I was patched into a COMM frequency with the team involved in taking down the Wakefield brothers via the earpiece in my right ear. Having my cell phone on would be distracting and dangerous, especially once the mission got underway.
I shrugged off his suspicions. “Yeah? And?”
“Jesse’s been trying to get a hold of you for the last hour or so. He says it’s urgent and he wants you to call him back ASAP.”
Jesse? Fuck.
“All right. Thanks. I’ll give him a call.”
Deviant scrutinized me. “Is everything all right?”
“Yeah. Why wouldn’t it be?”
“When Jesse’s involved in something, it’s usually hardcore and means some bad shit is going down.”
“Well, it ain’t this time. All’s well, brother.”
“Yeah?” he pressed.
“Yeah.” I pulled my cell outta my jacket pocket. “Gonna call him back now. You need anything else?”
He shook his head. “All good here.”
“All right. I’ll be back later tonight.”
With that, he took off back across the lot and headed inside the clubhouse.
I breathed a sigh of relief, then dialed Jesse.
The second he picked up, that relief died a quick death. The anxiety in his tone was intense. “Thank God, Spartan. Took you long enough.”
“You know, picking up your calls right fucking immediately ain’t the only bull I’ve got on my plate.”
“Whatever you’re doing, and I know you’re doing something, because you always pick up right away, you need to hold off for now.”
“Why?”
“I’ve got another lock on Knox.”
<
br /> Adrenaline shot through me.
I froze.
I couldn’t speak for a good few seconds with the shock of it.
It’d been weeks since that bitch of a day when we’d got to Knox’s place too late, because of his roadblock. I’d figured he’d been in the wind and was gonna stay that way for a long time.
“You’re sure?”
“Yeah, but I don’t know how long we have. After what he pulled last time, we can’t be too careful. He’s not gonna stay in one place too long now. We need to move ASAP to get to him.”
“Text me the address. I’ll head there in a couple of hours.”
“A couple of hours? ASAP, Spartan. Like, now. Right now.”
“I can’t.”
“What?”
“I can’t. I got something to take care of first.”
“I figured that already with you being so hard to get a hold of, but you need to drop whatever the hell it is and head down before we lose that bastard again.”
“Jesse,” I growled in warning. And he’d accused me of being the obsessed one? Jesus Christ. He was way too deep into this now, way too intense and desperate about it.
“I don’t get it. You were all gung-ho about this, on me constantly about tracking this asshole down. What is so important that it could possibly take precedence over taking down Knox Price?”
“My woman.”
There was a long beat where nothing was said. I figured he was in some kinda shock from my revelation. I hadn’t wanted to tell him. I was keeping it a secret for a good reason. But it was the only thing he’d understand, the only thing that could explain my choice here.
“Shit,” he choked. “That waitress from your town’s local bar that Finn told me about?”
The two of them were like a couple of gossiping old bitches. “Yeah. Her. I’m helping her with something. It’s already set up, everything in place. There’s no backing out. So, like I said, I’ll be there in a couple of hours, all right?”
Again, there was a delay in him responding.
“Jesse?” I pressed. I was running outta time. I had to get going right the hell now. “You hearing me?”
“Yeah,” he finally responded. “I heard you. It’s all good. I’ll see you in a couple of hours. I’ll send you the details.”
“All right. Good.”
With that, we hung up and I pocketed my phone and mounted my bike.
As I started the bike and pulled outta the lot, the call nagged at me.
Jesse had been real insistent and intense about me dropping what I was doing and heading down right away, then he’d suddenly just agreed to wait?
Something was off with that.
Problem was, I didn’t have time to think on it or do shit about it.
Dani was counting on me. She needed me.
Taking down Knox was all I’d thought about for so long, my chief goal. The thing I’d been training for, preparing to give my all to.
And now I’d delayed it, pushed it off to the side.
For her.
I smiled to myself.
I was finally breaking free.
I was finally living.
20
~Daniella~
I’D MADE THE DEAL.
It was the plan I’d originally intended to execute on my own, until I’d allowed Scott into my life and he’d pointed out the problem with it and found another way instead.
Now, it was merely a smokescreen, a ploy to draw that maniac, Don, out and get him down here out in the open.
Given what a money whore he was and how desperate he’d become, I hadn’t doubted that he’d take the bait.
I’d been proven right and he’d been proven just as predictable as ever when I’d called him with my offer and he’d jumped on it.
Now I stood in the spacious courtyard of my mansion, leaning against my front door with a gym bag full of cash beside me. I was trying my best to affect a casual pose even as I battled my nerves.
Every now and then Scott would chime in via my earpiece and offer words of comfort and reassurance. He was keeping me abreast of the situation too, letting me know what he and the half a dozen armed federal agents were up to as they remained concealed several feet from me, some in the surrounding forest and a couple stationed in my home.
A whole taskforce was geared up to take down Don Wakefield.
They’d already taken in his brother, Gus, earlier today.
My two-year nightmare was almost over.
Just one more hurdle to go.
I knew that Scott had been worried about me doing this. He didn’t want me anywhere near Don, let alone being used as bait to lure him. But, for one thing, he needed luring out, because when his brother had been arrested, Don had gone into hiding to avoid the same fate befalling him. And, secondly, I needed to do this. It wasn’t just about simple closure. I had to stand up to the asshole who’d taken so much from me, who’d invaded my home and stabbed me in an attempt to actually kill me. To get my power back, I had to face off with him.
My earpiece buzzed.
I tapped it to answer and Carl, the taskforce leader, spoke down the line, “Incoming. All units standby.”
Adrenaline spiked through me.
Another buzzing.
“Target confirmed. Miss Moore, get ready.”
“Will do,” I responded, shifting my weight and trying to calm my racing heart.
“You got this, love,” Scott’s voice came down the line.
I smiled to myself, his reassurance helping to calm me somewhat.
A moment later, I heard the crunch of tires coming up my private driveway.
Don’s old truck came into view and before I knew it he was pulling into the courtyard.
He came to a rough stop and climbed out, then stormed up to me.
I swallowed hard and braced myself as he stopped a few feet from me, looking as wild and as enraged as he always did.
“So, you finally got tired of running, huh?”
I nodded.
He gestured at my house. “Calling me back here, though, to the place where I stabbed the shit out of you? That’s a little ill-advised, isn’t it? Then again, being on the run for two years can screw with anybody’s mind. I should know. Because of you, that’s what my life’s been like. I’ve had to walk away from my old life and start over from fucking scratch.”
“Well, now you can do that much more easily,” I said, kicking the gym bag toward him.
He stared at it. “Five hundred thousand? That’s what you said on the phone.”
“That’s right.”
He snatched the bag up and unzipped it, peering inside, inspecting it. He went through several of the wads of bills, checking their validity. Then he zipped it back up and tossed it behind him. Eyeing me curiously, he said, “I’m surprised you didn’t bring that biker with you as your bodyguard.”
I shrugged. “This is a simple business deal. There’s no need for heavy-handedness, is there?”
A creepy smirk spread over his face and he took a step toward me. “I wouldn’t say that.”
The next thing I knew, he was brandishing a blade. He took another step forward. “You ruined my life, stripped everything away from me. Do you think anything can make up for that? You haven’t even apologized. Not once. So, say it! Fucking well apologize and I just might let you live through this.”
“No,” I ground out.
Adrenaline was surging through me like a violent tidal wave now. But there was no flight option this time. It was all just fight.
I wouldn’t back down.
I wouldn’t cower.
Where there had been fear there was now anger.
Where there had been cowering there was now resilience.
And where there had once been weakness, there was now only strength.
“What?” he barked.
“I’m not afraid of you,” I told him, stepping up to him now. “You can’t intimidate me anymore. You deserved what I did and I would do it again.
You risked people’s lives to make money. You had to be stopped. You’re not the victim here, but you created too many from the bullshit you pulled over the years. So did your brother. He’s paying for it now. And so will you.”
With a roar of fury, he came at me with the blade.
I heard buzzing in my ear, commands being issued, the taskforce bursting into action.
But my focus was on the immediate, on Don and the weapon he was wielding like an out of control maniac.
I was beyond grateful for Finn’s training, because I knew exactly what to do.
Grasping his offending wrist, I held it steady, keeping the blade from coming down. Then, I spun into him and executed a lightning fast move to force him to open his hand. The blade clattered to the ground. Using Don’s shock and his weight against him, I hauled him over my shoulder. He hit the ground hard, cursing and grunting. Then, I brought my heel down to his chest, pinning him to the ground and holding him immobilized.
“It’s over,” I seethed.
A rush of movement flooded through the area, all around me then, as the taskforce rushed into the area.
As I watched them subdue Don, cuff him, and read him his rights, I caught sight of Scott hurrying toward me. His arms were around me before I knew it, holding me tightly to him.
“I’m so proud of you,” he spoke at my ear.
“Thank you.”
I was proud of myself too.
I’d done it. I’d stood up to that monster and put him in his place. I’d even overpowered him physically and in a way it felt like it almost undid what he’d done to me. Almost. It would still haunt me, I knew, but knowing I was now powerful enough to defend myself against an attack like that and against a big guy like him… it was a great comfort. It was empowering.
“It’s over,” Scott reminded me. “You’re free now.”
I smiled and sank into him.
We stayed that way for a long while, until I felt a buzzing in my pocket.
“One sec,” I told Scott as I eased back enough to pull out my phone. I frowned when I saw the caller ID.
“It’s Finn.”
It was strange because Finn was a stickler for routine. He called me on a specific day at a specific time to set up our training sessions. Today was nowhere near that time. And we didn’t really have a relationship beyond the whole trainer-student thing.
