CONTROL: A Dark Bad Boy Baby Romance (Blackened Souls MC)

by Naomi West

  Saxton pulled his elbow back and connected with Carter’s knee. It wasn’t a strong move, but it got his point across. Carter took a step back and returned with another slam of his gun into Saxton’s head.

  “You don’t like me insulting your girl? So sorry.”

  “You are the sickest fuck I’ve ever met,” Saxton said. “I can’t wait to take you out.”

  “And you really think you’re in a position to do that?”

  “Oh, you have no idea what position I’m in.”

  Saxton smiled at the reflection in the dusty glass and waited.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Sara breathed heavily, but forced her mind to clear. This was no time to let her emotions get in the way or let her thoughts be cloudy. Saxton was there. He’d come to save them. From the moment she heard his voice, she’d been overcome with excitement and relief. He’d come despite the things she’d said to him. He’d put himself in danger to rescue her and Ian.

  She wondered if he had set up the car alarm thing. It had been nothing much when she heard the first alarm go off. But then there was a second, a third, a fourth, and soon too many to count. Someone was out there setting them off. And now she thought she knew why. They were causing a distraction so that Saxton could break in and find her.

  Her heart flooded with feelings for him. She wanted him, she loved him, she was never so happy to be forgiven in all her life. She’d never threaten him again or say something stupid. She’d never do anything that might send him away from her.

  Now that she knew he was here, she’d do whatever it took to keep Carter from killing him. She might have been loyal to Carter once, but her loyalty and love would never belong to him again. Not after he took her and held her here, and more importantly, not after he took Ian and held him and pointed a gun at him. She would never forgive her brother for doing that to his own nephew.

  She’d watched in horror as Saxton had a gun held to his head and Carter put him a choke hold. She thought of Carter’s knife and how this might be the time to use it. But everything had happened so fast and by the time she thought through it enough to act, Carter was pulling Saxton from the room.

  Sara watched Saxton as long as she could, holding his gaze and trying to tell him in her expression that she loved him. The door closed and her throat tightened. She might never see him again. Saxton could already be dead. The only thing keeping her going was the fact that she hadn’t heard a shot. Yet. It could come at any time and she was listening for it.

  After the door closed, she waited to hear the bolt slide to lock them in. But it didn’t happen. Had she just not heard it or had Saxton done something? Was he still finding ways to save her?

  She listened for the footsteps to fade, but with the car alarms still going off, it was impossible to hear anything outside her small cell. She waited for what felt like ages, but was likely only a few minutes. She had to wait until Carter and Saxton were out of sight before making a move.

  When she thought she’d waited long enough, Sara took a step toward the door. She knew what she had to do.

  She turned the knob and pushed very gently. If anyone was out there, she didn’t want to catch their attention by making a noise or too big of a motion. She pushed the door open a small crack, just to see if she could. When the door opened at her touch, she gasped.

  “What Mommy? Can we get out?” Ian asked.

  She held her finger to her mouth and whispered, “Stay here, understand? No matter what, do not leave this room.”

  He nodded and his eyes grew wide as she pushed the door open enough to slip out.

  “Mommy!” he whispered.

  She put her head back in the room. “Shh. It’s okay. I’ll be right back and we’ll get out. I have to help Saxton.”

  “Don’t leave me here alone.”

  “It’ll just be a few minutes.”

  “I’ll come with you.” He got to his feet. “I can help.”

  “Ian, no. Sit down and wait for me or Saxton to come back and get you. Do. Not. Leave. This. Room.”

  He sat down hard and stuck out his lip. “Fine.”

  But his pouty lip quickly turned to real tears. Sara dashed back inside and wrapped her arms around him. Then she felt his bound hands and realized she’d never cut him loose.

  She closed the door behind her and reached up to retrieve the knife from its spot under her bra. It was warm in her hand and she closed her fingers around the handle. She used it to free him and rubbed at the place on his wrist where the ropes had pressed into him and left red marks. What a jerk Carter was. Ian had a rash there and everything. Totally unnecessary. Like a child was going to do anything.

  “It’ll be okay, I promise,” she said. “Do you think I’d leave you here like this if I wasn’t sure it would be okay? I want to protect you more than anything.”

  Ian sniffled and nodded.

  “Stay in here and don’t make a sound, okay?”

  He nodded again and watched her sadly as she went back to the door and slipped out again, closing it behind her. She kept the knife at her side, tight in her hand.

  She wasn’t sure where Saxton and Carter had gone, but when she looked around, a door at the end of the hall was open. She walked toward it and heard Carter and Saxton’s voice coming from the bottom of the stairs, barely audible over the still echoing car alarms. Why didn’t someone turn them off already?

  She stepped carefully onto the first step, worried it might creak and give her away. It didn’t and suddenly she was glad no one had turned off the alarms. They hide the sound of her feet hitting the wood.

  She could see Carter and kept her gaze on him, ready to move if he turned toward her. She’d have to lunge forward at him or duck his gun if he did turn to her. But she managed to make it to the bottom of the stairs without being heard or alerting him.

  Now what? Saxton was on the ground, kneeling in front of Carter. Carter still had his gun pressed against Saxton’s head, and it sounded like he was taunting him.

  She had the knife and Carter didn’t know she was there. All she had to do was cut him, get him to drop the gun, and Saxton would be free. She had one chance. If she missed or messed it up, she’d be in further danger and so would Saxton.

  She took a step closer and raised her hand with the knife. Then she caught Saxton’s reflection in a dingy mirror off to the side of the room. She couldn’t make out much, but she saw the glimmer in his eyes as he saw her and met her gaze.

  Carter had said something about her, but she’d missed it. She’d been so concentrated on what she had to do that until Carter said, “You don’t like me in insulting your girl? So sorry,” she hadn’t paid much attention.

  Saxton said, “You are the sickest fuck I’ve ever met. I can’t wait to take you out.”

  “And you really think you’re in a position to do that?” Carter asked.

  “Oh, you have no idea what position I’m in.”

  Saxton smiled at her in the reflection in the mirror, and she knew that was her sign. He wanted her to be the one to take him out. She was what had him in the position to do anything. She was saving him now.

  Sara stepped forward and made a slash down. The knife’s blade sunk into Carter’s shoulder muscle. She pulled down and the blade’s tip cut into his skin, leaving a bright red gash that quickly began to bleed.

  Carter hollered and spun around to see her. “You bitch.”

  Saxton lunged forward, still on his knees, and yanked the gun free from Carter’s hand. He got to his feet and pointed the gun at Carter.

  Carter held his hand to his wound. Blood ran down his back and arm, making a puddle of fresh dots on the floor where there was already a dark red stain.

  “I should’ve killed you when I had the chance,” Carter said to Saxton. “I should have known you’d be nothing but trouble. I’ll shoot you just like I shot your pathetic friend, Liam.”

  A loud crack of a sound tore through the space. She wasn’t sure what she had heard or what happen
ed. Carter fell to the ground, screaming.

  Saxton stood over him, still pointing the gun. Sara saw a place on Carter’s leg that was red with blood. Saxton had shot him in the leg.

  And now he pulled back the slide on the gun to load the next bullet. Saxton pointed the gun at Carter’s head.

  “No! Wait!” Sara ran to Saxton and put her hand on his arm.

  Saxton gave her a wild look of exasperation.

  “He’s not worth it, Saxton.”

  “Worth it? He killed Liam, he kidnapped and threatened you and Ian, and I have no doubt he would have killed you.”

  “I know. But there are so many of his gang members around. They’ll come after you if you kill him. They’ll turn you in or something. Saxton, please. Don’t kill him.”

  “I have to. You know that. I have to avenge Liam’s death.”

  “And then how I avenge your death?”

  “You won’t.”

  Carter moaned and grabbed his leg and shoulder. Sara couldn’t deny that she liked seeing him weak like that. In a position of zero authority, at the mercy of Saxton. It was far better than the usual, which was Carter ordering everyone around and taking control of everything. But she couldn’t stop picturing Saxton behind bars, or worse, shot or stabbed by some Cruel Crow as payback for killing Carter. And surely, one or the other would happen if he killed Carter now.

  “Please.” She leaned forward and kissed his cheek. “I can’t bear the thought of something happening to you. I don’t want to be without you. And what if they come after me, too? What if they think I’m involved somehow?”

  Saxton’s glared faltered and she swallowed hard. Was she getting across to him? Did he care enough about her safety to not kill Carter and possibly put her in danger? Saxton took another swallow and stepped back.

  He closed his eyes briefly, pinched the bridge of his nose, then gave Carter a hard kick in the ribs. Carter groaned and curled around the pain.

  “Go get Ian,” Saxton said to Sara.

  She took off up the stairs, Saxton’s footsteps echoing right behind her.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Sara glanced back several times to make sure Saxton was still following her. He might change his mind and go back and kill Carter after all. They reached the top of the stairs and she bolted to the room they’d been held in. She flung open the door and saw Ian huddled in the corner, looking afraid.

  The moment he saw her, Ian jumped to his feet and ran to her, throwing his arms around her legs. “Are we safe now?”

  “Almost,” Saxton said. “We still have to get out of here alive, without any of the Cruel Crows coming after us.”

  “Let’s move then,” Sara said.

  They turned to leave the room, but a large figure stood in their way. “Not so fast.”

  Sara didn’t recognize the man. She didn’t know if Saxton knew him or not. But he didn’t waste any time on introductions. Saxton’s fist connected with the man’s jaw.

  The man took a step back, which was a mistake because it gave Saxton enough room to lift his leg and kick the guy square in the knee. The man crumbled to the ground, holding his leg.

  Saxton turned to Sara. “This way.”

  They ran to the back of the building, away from the front where the majority of the windows were. It grew darker, but hopefully that would help hide them.

  Footsteps thundered in the distance, growing louder by the second. Sara glanced over her shoulder and saw a group of three men advancing on them. “Saxton!”

  He turned, too, and saw them. “Keep running. Get Ian out.”

  Sara ran and kept looking behind her to make sure Saxton was okay. He charged at the men, his gun held in front of him, aimed at them. They had guns pointed back at him. When the first gun shot rang out, she flinched and turned to see who had been hit, fearing the worst.

  But when she looked, more men were there. Another five or six men, all wearing leather jackets, came from the other side of the building. Saxton joined them and several more shots rang out. One of Saxton’s guys fell to the ground. Then, one by one, in quick succession, the three men who must have been Cruel Crows, all dropped.

  She hoped they weren’t all dead. She’d never wanted anyone to be killed, even if they were all evil and were part of this gang. Maybe they’d only shot them in the legs to keep them from chasing after them. She chose to believe that as her and Ian reached the door.

  Saxton and the group of Jagged Souls were now the only ones running toward them. Sara stopped to wait. When Saxton reached her, he threw his arm over her shoulder and they all charged through the door.

  “Wait here,” Saxton said. He ducked into the shadows and then she heard his bike start. A moment later, Saxton rode out and stopped in front of her. “I’ll have Crasher take Ian and I’ll take you.”

  Sara exchanged glances with Ian. She didn’t want to be separated from him, not after all that had happened, but what choice did she have? There was no car and all the Jagged Souls were hopping on bikes.

  She grabbed him into a tight hug, then met Crasher’s gaze. “You’ll be extra careful with him?”

  “Absolutely.” Crasher nodded and handed a helmet to Ian.

  Ian stuck the helmet on his head and it was far too big. It was probably Crasher’s helmet. Crasher made some adjustments, but Saxton pulled on Sara’s hand before she could finish watching. She slid into place behind Saxton, looked back to see Ian being helped onto the bike by Crasher, and felt a little relieved that Ian had some sort of protection in the helmet.

  Her and Saxton drove off, a chorus of bike motors behind them. Just before they turned the corner, a group of men crashed out of the building. Sara couldn’t be sure from this distance, but she thought she saw Carter, clutching his side and half bent over. The men fired a few shots at them, but they were too far away and moving too fast.

  When they turned onto a more populated road, Sara felt much safer. It started to sink in that they were going to be okay. Saxton had come and rescued them. Carter was still alive. Saxton was still alive and wouldn’t go to prison for life. And they were going to be okay. At least for now.

  Sara squeezed Saxton’s waist tighter and wondered what would happen now. Would Carter come after them again? Would he try to kill Saxton again? Maybe he wouldn’t stop until Saxton was dead. Maybe the nightmare was just beginning and this was their one shot to get away safely. Maybe next time, they wouldn’t be so lucky. She wondered, too, about the Jagged Soul that had gone down. Did they get him out or leave him to the Crows?

  She’d gone from being relieved to complete panic over it all happening again. Maybe they could all leave. Run away some place far, some place Carter couldn’t find them. Would Saxton be able to leave his MC though? Or were they stuck here in Chicago forever, doomed to be chased until someone was dead? Maybe leaving Carter alive had been a mistake.

  They pulled into Saxton’s driveway and Crasher and Ian pulled in right behind them. Sara ran over and pulled Ian off the bike, hugging him tightly.

  “Thanks, man,” Saxton said.

  Crasher nodded. “Sure thing.”

  They stood in the driveway and watched Crasher drive away.

  “Let’s get inside,” Saxton said. “We need to sleep.”

  Sara took Ian’s hand and they followed Saxton in the house. She didn’t think she could sleep, though. Not when there were so many unanswered questions. So many things to worry about, and her heart still hadn’t slowed from the chase.

  “Need anything?” Saxton asked Ian.

  “Water?”

  Saxton poured water into a cup and handed it to him. Ian drank it down, then set the cup on the counter.

  “You need to get to bed,” Sara said.

  As if on cue, Ian yawned and rubbed his eyes. “Okay.”

  They went upstairs together, but Saxton went into his room to let Sara get Ian to bed. He climbed right in and she bent over to hug him.

  “We’re safe now,” she said.

  He nod
ded. “And all the bad men are gone?”

  “They are.” Though as she said it, she wondered herself. Were they coming? They’d lost them many streets ago, but didn’t the Crows have some idea by now where Saxton lived?

  “I’m glad Saxton came to save us,” Ian said.

  “Me too.”