by M. T. Ossler
“Nothing, baby, nothing,” I say, but she can see right through me. She’s worried, and I need to stop her from thinking anything bad.
“Baby, I need you to stay calm for me. I can’t have you freaking out. Remember what Doc said, if your pressure goes too high again, you would have to be admitted to the hospital. I can’t protect you in there. Can you stay calm and not worry about anything for me. I need you to trust me to take care of things. Please, do that for me, baby.” I say in a calm and soothing tone, which I don’t feel at all inside right now.
That’s all she’s getting from me until we get home and I can make sure her blood pressure is good. Then, I’ll relax her the best way I know how, and tell her the rest later, if need be.
A storm is raging inside me, and I swear, as God is my witness, I’m going to find Anton and end this by the end of the weekend. That bastard’s ass is going to be torn to fuckin’ shreds, and he’s going to be tortured for days.
It’s Wednesday afternoon, so that gives me four days to get him in my clutches and finally end this shit on my terms.
I look over at Jules, and she gives me a look not to tell Bella anything until I’ve had time to figure it all out. She was sitting next to Ace at the table when he received the call from Gator, and I watched her face the whole time until I left. She heard everything Gator said. She knows if I tell Bella it could set her off, and hurt her and the babies. That is why I’m not going to tell her everything just yet. I cannot chance her health over all this, I won’t lose her or our babies if I can help it. Her and our babies are my top priority, and Gigi is next on that list. I will find her before it’s too late and keep her safe.
“Gio, I promise, I trust you more than anyone. Please, just tell me what happened?”
“We need to get home, mio angelo, then we will talk. Everything is under control and will be fine. Okay?” She nods, and I let her go and run to my side of the cage to get us home.
The whole drive back, I contemplate how to tell Bella all this without harming her.
I promised Bella I would protect her and our family, and you can bet your ass that’s exactly what I plan on doing. With an army at my side, I will end this shit, once and for all. My girls and my baby boys will never fear that monster ever again.
I will have Gigi back in our arms, unharmed if it’s the last thing I do.
We get back, and I carry her straight up to our apartment with everyone following us. Once I have her settled in our bed, I can see she wants her answers, and I still don’t have a clue how to tell her.
“Baby, I have to leave you with mom, Jules, Sam, and Ces for a little while. The guys and i have Church, there is some shit going down that needs our immediate attention. I’ll be back soon, and we can talk more. I shouldn’t be more than a couple of hours. I promise. I need you to stay here, take a nap and eat. Can you do that for me?” She nods, and I kiss her.
“We love you, Princess. Please stay here and be a good girl, okay.” Val says sternly from the door.
“I love you all too. I’ll be good, but I want answers when you all return,” she says sassily.
I tuck her in, place a kiss on her nose, and tell her how much I love her and our boys. Before I even leave the room, she’s out cold.
Mom stops me in the kitchen on my way out to give me a hug and tells me to do whatever it takes to get her back to us safely. Val filled her in before we got home.
Now, it’s time to come up with a plan and search for my other girl. She is so going to get her ass beat when I get my hands on her for this stunt of defiance. Once I get her back in my arms, I may never let her go again. Bella and I will be keeping her close for the rest of our life’s. I’m never letting go of my girls, ever!
I can’t believe Gigi fell for his shit and didn’t trust my brothers and me enough to keep them all safe. I have to remind myself, she’s just a teenager and easily manipulated. I’m sure that’s exactly what that bastard did to get her to leave the safety of the compound.
He used Bella against her sister and Gigi wanted to protect Bella and our babies. She doesn’t want his hands on her again to hurt her. Especially, after what happened a few weeks ago in the bar.
The other thing that worries me, and I hope Gator is on top of it, how the hell did she manage to get out undetected? We need to check all our fences around the compound immediately. I’ll tell you one thing if I find out someone in this compound had anything to do with it, I will split him or her in half with my bare hands.
Gator better have sent the prospects out to do it already. Especially Dusty, when I get my hands on that little shit, he is going to wish he was never born.
I remember the agony I felt in my heart when I found out what he did to Bella. Ya, and this just about matches that feeling, if not worse.
This is the worse news, her being with him and knowing what that sick bastard is capable of doing to her. He could annihilate her worse than he did Bella, which would devastate Bella all over again.
When Ace said her name and his, a sharp pain sliced my heart.
Thankfully, Val and the guys have stayed quiet, too quiet for me, but quiet all the same in front of Bella. I can’t have her finding out until the time is right. Soon, I will calm her and tell her. When we can be alone and naked, I will give her some details, but not until then.
We enter the meeting room and the second I lay eyes on Dusty, I push all my worries aside, and my fury comes back with a vengeance.
He’s standing against the sidewall looking down at his feet. I don’t even think, I just pounce on him, pinning him to the wall with my forearm against his throat.
“How could you be so stupid to let her get to your phone? Does she lead you around by your dick too? Are you that fuckin’ desperate for the kid that you would let your cock make all your decisions?” I growl at him as Ace and Blaze try to get me off him. I don’t budge, I’m in beast mode, and I’m like a brick-fuckin’ wall.
“If anything happens to her, anything, I’m holding you fully accountable. I’ll be dragging your ass to the shed, you got me, shithead.” His face is pale from losing oxygen.
“Let him go,” Gator orders and after a second of hesitation, I do. He starts to cough, filling his lungs with air.
Val, Lorenzo, Romeo, and Bash come up to my side and growl at Dusty.
“I didn’t know she was sneaking my phone this whole time, man. I care about her, a lot, and I don’t want anything to happen to her, that’s why I always stay as close to her as I can,” he takes a deep breath and then looks me in the eyes.
“If something happens to her, it will be my fault, and you have my permission to take me to the shed, not like you need it. I feel horrible that I let this happen.” He rubs his chest over his heart, not even bothering with his throat anymore. His heart hurts more than his throat. I know the feeling, but I can’t give him a pass on this one. He doesn’t know what Anton is capable of doing to her, I do.
He must see the look in my eyes, and her brothers because he opens his big fuckin’ mouth again.
“I know what he did to Bella, so does Gigi. She’s not stupid, she figured it out the day they knocked us off the road. I don’t want that to happen to her, I’ll do whatever it takes to get her back. All I want to do is help,” he says, knocking the wind out of me.
I bend forward with my hands on my knees and control my breathing and emotions before I kill him with my bare hands. I feel a hand on both my shoulders from one of the guys.
Val comes in front of me, I’m sure he wants his turn with the kid too. He’s going to have to wait.
“Enough of this shit. Beast, straighten your shit out. Everyone, take a Goddamn seat, now,” Gator orders and I do as I’m told.
As I sit, I see Maddox beside Gator, at the head of the table, the look on his face is pure hatred. Not towards me, towards Antonio. He knows the whole truth about what happened to my girl. As do most of my brothers, after the encounter with Anton at the bar, a
few weeks ago.
He’s another man that I had to add to the list of haters, that what a piece of the bastard.
Gator starts Church and Throttle informs us of what he’s found. She’s close, at a hotel, a few miles away, which gives us a chance to get to her. He’s probably waiting for a chance to get Bella before he leaves. I hope Gigi is unharmed when we get her back.
We formulate a plan and get things ready to leave at midnight.
Gator ordered all our brothers, from the other chapters to get their asses here ASAP for back up.
He’s sending 50 of our best men with me and the guys to get her out safely. We will be getting Anton before he slips away.
He has a dozen men, from Maddox’s Club because the hotel is close to their Clubhouse, surrounding the hotel now, on guard, just in case they move her. Or, if Anton leaves for any reason they are to follow him.
As Church is wrapping up - three hours later - Gator receives a call from Torch. Bella found a note in her nightstand from Gigi, and she’s hysterical. She also received a text on her cell.
I don’t think twice, and neither do her brothers. I don’t wait for anyone to follow me either, I just book it to my girl, to soothe her before she hurts herself or our babies. She could cause herself to have a stroke or go into early labor.
I have a duty to protect her and our family, by any means possible, I fuckin’ will. I have a way to relax her; I just have to be alone with her first.
Chapter 28
Gigi
My sister has become my world, we have always been close, but since everything... We’ve leaned on one another more. As much as she has protected me, I want to do the same for her. She’s been through so much and stayed strong through it all. I love my big sister so much, she is my hero, and I aspire to be just like her when I get older. That’s why I’m doing this, it’s all for her and my nephews. I wanted to prove to everyone that I’m not just the spoiled baby in our family; I’m also smart and can help.
For the last few months, I’ve been stealing Dusty’s phone. Shortly after we arrived here and I got close to him. It wasn’t hard, I know how to be sneaky, and he trusts me. I hated betraying his trust like this, but I needed to contact my friends. I only stayed in touch with one, my best friend from back home, Abigail, I call her Abby.
We’ve been friends since kindergarten; her family is not involved in our family business. Her dad is a stockbroker on Wall Street, and her mom is a veterinarian with her own practice.
I’ve missed my social life so much back home and my friends, that’s why I started sneaking his phone. I know Gio told me I couldn’t, but I figured if they were going to keep things from me this wouldn’t be the worst I could do. I stayed off my social media accounts and made a fake one from Dusty’s phone. At first, I just went on his Facebook account and checked on my friends to stay in the loop of their lives. After a while, I just had to make contact with Abby, so about two months ago, I set up a fake account and messengered her that it was me.
I never expected Anton to find me and contact me, but he’s smarter than I am apparently. Today, he contacted me when I snuck Dusty’s phone and texted Abby. He sent me pictures of Gio and Bella getting in the SUV here at the compound before they left for her doctor’s appointment. He also had pictures of Ace, Blaze, Snake, Hawk, and Ryder on their bikes with Jules and Ces. His message was that if I didn’t find a way to lose the trash (Gio and his brothers) and come alone to the meeting spot, he would kill them all. He even threatened to find Dusty and take him out too. I can’t let that happen.
As much as I don’t want to leave the compound alone, or at all, I have too. I wish I could at least tell Dusty, I don’t want to leave him. I like him, a lot, and he’s become so important to me. I get butterflies in my belly when he’s around, and when he touches me... I feel sparks fly between us. I always want to be close to him, it calms me, and I feel safe with him. He filled the pain in my heart with happiness from losing my parents, and when my brothers weren’t here. Gio, Gator, Ace, and Blaze have helped fill the void too. It’s nice to have all the men I do in my life and Gio’s brothers looking out for me like my own brothers. I missed them so much, I’m so happy they’re finally back. I just wish it was for good, and they didn’t have to leave us, someday.
Bella and I will have to figure that out soon, I’m sure.
When I heard Val yelling at Gio that night, I jumped out of bed without thinking and ran right into my big brother's arms, launching myself at him. I didn’t want to let go of him, Romeo, Bash, or Lorenzo - for all intense and purposes, Lorenzo is our brother - but Gio insisted I get some sleep because I had to meet with Rosie in the morning for school. After spending some time with them, he sent me to Ces’s room with Jules to sleep. I didn’t argue with him, he had his hands full with my sister. Apparently, she passed out when she saw our brothers and Jules told them what Anton did to her.
It’s hard to believe sometimes that Anton did this to her, I believe he did, it’s just hard. I’ve known him my whole life, and he was like a brother to me too. Granted, I wasn’t as close to him as I am with Lorenzo, but he was part of our family. He was always nice to me and protective.
She thinks I don’t know what he did because I’m too young for her to tell me and understand. I’ve known for a while now. I look up to my big sister more now than before, to have dealt with all that and survived it, she’s like my very own superhero. She’s stronger and braver than I knew a person could be, after an ordeal like that. As much as I wish she didn’t have to go through all that pain, I see why God did it. I hate it, but I see the big picture. God, wanted to bring Gio back into her life, he knew she needed him. I don’t remember the last time I saw my sister truly happy before we came here and she got better. Gio makes her light up, she shines in ways I never knew a person could when she’s with him and in his arms. Even with losing our parents, which I know hurts her the same as me, she’s coping with his help. We all are for that matter, with him, our brothers and his brothers.
I don’t remember Gio, I was too young when he left. But I’ve heard many stories about him from my brothers and Bella. Whenever she would hear his name through the years, she would smile a real, genuine smile that went to her eyes. They were far and few in-between through the years. I knew she had feelings for him; I just wasn’t sure how deep they went. Then I saw them together in the SUV, that night he removed her from the hospital. It was like watching a movie, play out right before my eyes. A Princess Fairy Tale, to a certain extent. In real Fairy Tales, the Princess is saved before the monster hurts her. Her prince charming, always makes it to her in time to save her. Sissy’s Prince didn’t make it in time, but he did save her from further pain to protect her. As miserable as my sister was through the years, she never hurt anyone and has always been good, caring and loving. My sister deserved a real Fairy Tale.
That is why I’m following Anton’s orders, to keep her safe and happy with Gio and their babies, I’ll do whatever he says. Even if it means he hurts me, I don’t want him to hurt her again or make her unhappy. She deserves happiness and love, and I’m going to try, even if it takes my soul.
I write her a quick note telling her how much I love her, and I’m doing this to keep her safe and happy with Gio and the babies. I leave it in her nightstand drawer. Then I run to the part of the fence Anton told me to meet him at in two minutes.
He said no phone, but I’m going to try to sneak it and keep it as long as I can. I know Gio or Throttle will be able to track it and find me. I turn it on silent and tuck it into my panties snug against my hip. It’s an iPhone 6, not a plus, allowing the thinness and size to stay undetected for a while. My long, loose T-shirt will help conceal it under the pocket of my jeans, I hope.
I make it to the fence and find Anton and 3 of his goons already waiting for me. When I get through the hole, they must have put in the fence, they grab my forearm and throw me in the back seat of a blacked out sedan. Like one of the ones that
knocked Aunt Cindy off the road on our way back from her house.
“Brave, just like her big sister,” Anton says, looking at me and I hear laughter come from the front passenger seat. The goon driving and the one next to me in the back seat join him.
“I’ll do whatever you want, just leave my sister alone. You’ve hurt her enough, you bastard,” I say, and he backhands me across the face. A hot searing pain like nothing I have ever felt before explodes in my cheek.
“Keep your fucking sassy mouth shut, little bitch. You’re not what I want; you’re a means to an end. Your bitch sister will come for you, and I’ll have who I want, Izzy and my baby,” Anton spouts out spitting spittle in my face. His hand flies towards me hitting the other side of my face. I hold both sides of my face to stop the radiating pain I feel.
“Those babies are not yours. The devil didn’t spawn his despicable seed, this time,” I say with enough bitterness to slap him across the face.
“Gio won’t let her out of his sight after what you’ve done to her. You’ll never see her again, asshole. He’s going to kill you for taking me and all your stupid looking goons. I’m going to laugh my ass off when he does,” I say laughing now.
I know I’m poking the bear here, him, and I don’t care. I won’t let him claim Gio’s babies, and I’m trying to get his mind off taking my sister. That earns me another backhand to the face, this time from the goon next to me. Anton looks like the devil sitting in front of me, not the man I grew up knowing like a brother.
“She will come, or I will kill you myself and send her baby sister’s head right to her doorstep.” His words cause me to shiver. I don’t want to die because Bella will blame herself, and none of this is her fault. I made the decision to steal Dusty’s phone and contact Abby. I also made the decision to leave the compound and meet Anton.
