by A. M. Myers
No.
No, no, no.
This can’t be happening again.
He drags me out of the dressing room into the hallway and I pray that one of the girls will see me but they’re lost in conversation. As he starts dragging me to the back door, I imagine never seeing Noah again, never getting to meet my son and being trapped in hell for the rest of my life and it spurs me into action. I lift my foot up for just a second and slam my heel down on his foot as hard as I can. He yelps and the hand on my mouth falls away for a second but I take full opportunity of it.
“Help!”
My voice echoes down the hallway and I pray that one of the girls hears my cry as the man behind me lands a punch to my stomach.
“I told you to shut the fuck up. Mr. Ford won’t be happy if you’re hurt when I deliver you to him but some things might be worth the risk.” He tries to cover my mouth again. I bite his finger so hard that my jaw aches and when he pulls it back, I scream again. And again. And again.
“Fuck,” he hisses, pulling me as hard as he can. I dig my heels into the carpet and fight against him, hoping I can just hold him off long enough for help to arrive. When I look up again, Tate is marching down the hallway with a look in her eyes that spells danger for the man behind me as she points a gun at him.
“Let her go or this bullet is going into you.”
He scoffs. “Just try it, baby. You ain’t gonna kill me.”
“No one said anything about killing you,” she growls as she points the gun at the arm wrapped around me and fires. I feel the force of the shot as it slams into him and he howls in pain, releasing me as he stumbles backward and grips his arm.
“You shot me, you bitch!”
She shrugs, keeping the gun on him as I stumble over to her. “To be fair, I did warn you.”
Bright red blood drips through his fingers, streaking across his hand and down his arm until it drips onto the floor. He looks up at us, fear creeping into his gaze as he slowly walks backward. Oliver probably threatened him if he didn’t bring me back but I can’t say I would be keen to take on Tate either.
“Fuck this.” He turns and runs out of the back door and as soon as he’s gone, I collapse and gasp for air.
“Hey, you’re okay,” Tate whispers, slipping her gun back in its holster and leaning down next to me. “You’re safe and Ali already called Storm. The guys are on their way.”
A sob bubbles out of me and she pulls me to my feet.
“Take a breath, Kady,” she instructs. “You’re okay.”
I nod, sucking in a breath before slowly blowing it out. “I’m okay.”
“There you go.” She leads me back down the hallway to where the other girls are waiting, frantic, as Megan and a large man block them from running toward us.
“Kady!” Hannah yells. “Are you okay?”
I nod as Tate guides me to one of the couches and sits down with me. My hands tremble in my lap and my heart is thundering out of control. The bell above the door rings and I jump, my gaze jerking up. Noah barrels into the room and locks eyes with me for a second before he runs and jumps over a couch to get to me.
Kneeling in front of me, he runs his hands over my body. “Are you okay? Are you hurt, baby? Why is there blood on your shirt?”
“I’m okay,” I whisper, tears filling my eyes again. “Tate saved me.”
Noah turns to Tate and stands as he pulls her into a hug. “Thank you.”
“Of course,” she tells him, patting his back as the rest of club rushes in. Blaze looks at me and gives me a questioning look. I nod as Noah pulls me into his arms.
“Jesus, I don’t know what I would do if I lost you, baby.”
I cling to him, soaking up his warmth as my body fights off the shakes. “I’m okay.”
“I’ve got Rodriguez on his way over,” Blaze says, approaching us and I scowl.
“Rodriguez?”
Noah sighs. “He’s a detective and he works with us.”
I didn’t need anymore proof that this club really has changed but working with a cop seals the deal. It’s something they never would have done back then and it’s a testament to the great work they’re doing now.
“Did this guy say anything to you?” Blaze asks. “Was he working for Oliver?”
I nod. “Yeah, he said Oliver wanted me delivered unharmed.”
“Fuck,” Noah growls.
“Should we postpone the wedding?”
He meets my gaze and brushes my hair out of my face. “It’s up to you, darlin’. If you still want to get married in six days, I won’t let anything stand in our way.”
I gaze around the room to see that most everyone’s eyes are on me and I suck in a breath as I glance back up at him and nod. “Let’s do it. He doesn’t get to control my life anymore.”
“That’s my girl,” he whispers, tightening his hold on me as he presses his lips to my forehead and I close my eyes.
It’s something I’ve waited so long for and I can’t believe in just six days, I’ll finally be Mrs. Noah LeBlanc.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Kady
“Kady,” Hannah sings in my ear and I groan, rolling away from her as I pull the covers over my head. She shoves me. “Time to get up sleepy-head. It’s your wedding day and there are donuts and coffee in the kitchen.”
Throwing the covers back, I peek open one eye and glare at her. “I’m only getting up for the coffee and donuts.”
“Oh?” She arches a brow. “Not even for your wedding in two and a half hours?”
“Okay, maybe that, too,” I admit as I sit up and swing my legs over the edge of the bed. “But, you know, donuts first.”
She laughs. “Yeah, okay. Why don’t you jump in the shower and when you get out, Quinn can start on your hair and I’ll have breakfast for you?”
I agree as I climb out of bed and yawn. She goes back out into the living room as I duck into the bathroom and turn on the shower. It quickly fills with steam and I strip out of my pajamas before stepping in and sighing. Oh, this is exactly what I need. The whole planning a wedding in a week thing has been stressful, for sure, and I have no idea how I would have done it without all the help from the girls. I’m amazed at the way they’ve welcomed me into the fold and for the first time, I can see the family that this club is - the kind of family I always wanted it to be. When I say “I do” to Noah today, I’m not only gaining a husband but also a bunch of wild, crazy brothers and sisters who would do anything for us.
Like last night.
Noah and I had plans to go out to dinner to celebrate our last night as single people, not that we’ve ever really been single, when we got a call from Streak that we needed to get over to the clubhouse right away. We, of course, assumed it had something to do with Oliver but when we got there, they had a surprise dinner set up for us to celebrate our wedding today. It was so sweet and really just reinforced all the ways that the club has changed in the last seven years. After dinner, I told Noah he had to stay the night at the clubhouse with the boys while the girls all came over to my house for a sleepover. He wasn’t happy about it but he’s also been pretty agreeable the closer we get to the wedding so he wasn’t all that hard to convince either. Although, he did make sure I knew that Streak would be monitoring all the security measures at my house and he’d know the second anything went down. I’m choosing not to focus on that, though. Today is my wedding day and I’m finally marrying Noah so I have nothing but positive energy. Everything is going to work out just fine.
When I’m done showering, I step out and dry off before slipping into the wedding lingerie I picked up to surprise Noah and the silk robe that says “Bride” across the back that Hannah gave me. I open the door and Hannah smiles as she hands me a donut and a cup of coffee. I practically moan as I take them from her.
“Bless you.”
She laughs before walking over to one of the kitchen chairs positioned in front of my full length mirror as Quinn walks into the room. “Have a sea
t. We need to get started on your hair.”
“‘Kay,” I mumble around a big bite of my jelly filled donut as I sit down and set my coffee on the bedside table next to me. Hannah pats my shoulder before leaving the room again and Quinn pulls out a brush and a blow dryer.
“So, what are we thinking?”
I twist my head back and forth as I stare at my reflection. “I think just curled. Let’s keep it simple.”
“I can do that,” she says. She gets down to work, blow drying my hair first and we chat about her daughter and how she met Smith before she cuts off the blow dryer and pulls out a curling wand. This time, I tell her the story of how I met Noah and how ridiculous he was, even back then, and she has to stop because she’s laughing so hard.
“Oh my gosh,” she whispers. “I mean, he seemed a little…”
“Cocky? I think the word you’re looking for is cocky.”
She shakes her head. “No, but just… so damn sure of himself. I mean, you should have seen him before he actually found you. He was absolutely miserable but no one could tell him that it was hopeless and believe me, people tried. He knew he would find you.”
“That boy,” I sigh and she laughs as she gets back to work, telling me about what he was like when he was still searching for me and the more I learn, the more my heart aches. God, I was so consumed with keeping myself safe and hiding from Oliver that I never stopped to think about how crazy he must have been as he searched for me and to know that his faith never wavered… I didn’t think I could love him more but Quinn just proved me wrong.
“Okay, what do you think?” she says as she steps back. Taking the last sip of my fourth cup of coffee, I set the mug down on the nightstand before turning toward the mirror and smiling. I’m glad I didn’t go with a more “traditional wedding” style. This day is all about Noah and me so no one is going to care that we just curled my hair instead of doing some elaborate up-do.
“It’s perfect, Quinn. Thank you.” I give her a hug and she beams at me as I pull away.
“Glad I could help and thanks for letting us all stay over last night.”
I nod. “Of course. Y’all have been so much help in planning this thing.”
“Don’t mention it. I think Hannah’s ready to do your makeup,” Quinn says, checking her watch. “Then, we’ll get you in your dress and take you over to the cabin.”
“Is everything ready over there?”
Noah and I went back and forth on where we should have our wedding before settling on Kodiak’s cabin. He hasn’t been living there since he met Tate but he hung onto it and it has a beautiful pond in the front yard that I thought would be perfect to get married in front of. Kodiak agreed without much of a fight and the girls got to work putting everything together, which was a relief since I had no idea what I was doing.
“Yep. Ali went over and double checked it last night and Tate went over there with Jack early this morning to make sure everything runs smoothly. All you need to worry about is looking gorgeous.”
I lean back in my chair. “Well, I suppose I can handle that.”
“You want me to bring you more coffee?” she asks, pointing to the empty mug and I shake my head.
“No, if I have anymore, I’ll start getting the jitters.”
She nods. “How about I bring you some tea to calm your nerves a little?”
Before I can object or tell her I don’t really like tea, she leaves the room and I sigh, unable to wipe the smile off my face. I can’t believe today is really the day. It feels so surreal after all the years I spent thinking this would never happen but in just a little over an hour, I’m going to be married to my best friend.
“Well, you look happy,” Hannah says as she walks in with her makeup bag.
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
She shrugs. “Just double checking that you’re not having second thoughts.”
“No way,” I tell her, shaking my head. “Noah and I are made for one another.”
“Gee, I wonder who told you that like, I don’t know, a month ago.”
I throw a pillow at her. “Shush.”
“So, what are we thinking for your makeup?” she asks as she lays tools and makeup out on the bed. I glance up at my dress, hanging from the closet door, and purse my lips.
“How about a purple smokey eye?”
“Ohh, I love that.”
She starts organizing things on the bed as I turn back to the mirror and smile. I can almost picture what everything is going to look like when it all comes together and I really hope it’s going to knock Noah’s socks off.
The motion alarm goes off and I jerk forward in my seat as Hannah gasps, looking up at the door.
“Are any of the boys supposed to be coming here?” I ask and she shrugs. Standing up, I reach for the gun before remembering I left it on the kitchen table as I whisper a curse. “Shit. Stay here.”
“Kady,” she hisses, ducking on the side of the bed as she tries to grab my hand but I shake her off me. Quinn and Carly are still in the living room and I need to get to them. Just as I’m about to step into the living room, they round the corner of the hallway with their hands over their ears.
“There’s two guys coming up the driveway right now,” Quinn says, fear filling her eyes.
“Go hide with Hannah,” I tell them. Carly shakes her head as Quinn takes off for the bedroom. Jeez, guess she doesn’t need to be told twice.
“What about you?”
I point to the kitchen. “I’m going to go get my gun. Call the boys.”
She nods and follows Quinn down the hallway as I creep out into the living room. The alarm cuts off and my eyes flick to the gun on the table as the front door slams open. I jerk into action, going for the gun but someone tackles me to the floor before I can get to it. We struggle and I try to get away from him but he straddles my waist and slams my head into the floor.
“Well, well, well,” a voice says that sends a chill through me and I fight the urge to shiver as fear snakes through my body. “Fancy running into you here.”
“Go to hell,” I spit as the man on top of me rolls me to my back and Oliver walks into the room. He stops right next to me and smiles down before turning to the guy holding me down.
“Tie her up.”
The man climbs off me before yanking me up and dragging me over to the wooden post that separates the living room from the kitchen before he ties my hands together behind me and ties my whole body to the post as I struggle against him. When he’s finished, he stands next to the door with his arms crossed in front of him. The girls stumble out of the bedroom with the other guys on their heels and a gun pointed at them.
“Don’t hurt them,” I growl, glaring at Oliver and he sighs.
“Put them back in the bedroom and watch them.”
He nods before grabbing Quinn and spinning her back to the bedroom as she cries. Hannah and Carly follow her lead as the guard pushes them down the hallway and I turn back to Oliver, a roar filling my ears as I clench my teeth. He grabs a chair from the kitchen table and positions it in front of me before sinking into it with a sigh.
“Oh, Kady… What are we going to do about the little situation we’re in?”
I arch a brow, struggling against the ropes. “Are you referring to this hostage situation or something else?”
“Don’t play dumb, sweetheart. The club.”
“What about them?” I ask, scowling,. He pulls a gun from his waistband and lays it on his knee with his hand still on the grip. What is his deal with the club now? His beef has always been with Noah, not them so what’s changed all of the sudden?
“You see, when Noah led me to you after he was released, I started wondering how you had managed to escape from me all those years ago. I always assumed Bobby felt bad for you but then I find out that he was a devil. The club took you from me and someone has to pay for that.”
“He left them before he came looking for me. The club didn’t even know I’d gone missing until Noah got r
eleased.”
“Either way,” he growls. “They did take my new toy from me.”
I shrug, feeling protective of a woman I’ve never met. It doesn’t matter. If she’s been through anything like I went through with Oliver, she deserves my protection. “And? Are you telling me she’s what you really want?”
“No…” His voice trails off and he leans forward, brushing his thumb over my cheek as my stomach churns and I fight the urge to close my eyes. I hate when he touches me but if I look away, if I let a tear slip, he’ll know that he’s getting to me and I can’t stand the thought of that either. I’ve fought for too long and too hard to give into his tactics. Sighing, he pulls his hand back and leans back in the chair. “Which brings me to my main problem.”
I glance outside, checking for the boys but everything is quiet and I sigh as I turn back to him. “Which is?”
“You…” He smiles. “But you see, I’ve been thinking about this a lot and I’ve realized that it’s not enough to just take you back home where you belong because Henn will just keep coming for you… again and again and again.”
“So, what? You’re going to send him back to jail?”
He shakes his head, his smile growing. “No. It’s time we get rid of all distractions, don’t you think? So we can finally be together the way we’re meant to be.”
“What does that mean?” I whisper as my stomach sinks at the gleam in his eyes.
“It’s really pretty simple. Noah needs to be out of the picture… permanently. Then, you and I can finally start our life together.”
“No,” I answer, tears welling up in my eyes. “You’re going to kill him? Are you really that delusional? I don’t want you, Oliver. I never have and it doesn’t matter if you kill him. My heart will always belong to Noah.”
“First of all, you little cunt,” he hisses, losing control of his patience as he drops down to his knees in front of me and grabs my face. “I don’t give a shit what you want. I want you so I’m going to take you - it’s really as simple as that - and you can’t stop me from killing him to take what’s mine.”
