by Jessica Joy
“Did you pack pretty colored briefs for me…” I ask as I trail off, pulling the colored cloth free. It’s Evan’s turtle Lovie, wrapped around the two parts of his wooden plane. “Sawyer…” I say, my eyes suddenly welling, pulling the toys to my still bare chest.
He pauses, a flash of sadness running across his features, followed by a shadow of doubt. “I thought he would need something he would remember… it’s the only thing I could think of,” he seems to be asking for my forgiveness, like he’s done something wrong.
Oh, you sad, silly man. You have no idea how good you truly are.
If I had any doubts about my feelings for this man, the last of them were obliterated and melted away at this moment. This man, this wonderful, amazing man is everything. My everything. I would move heaven and earth to never see that doubt and sadness on his face again. He’s perfect… perfect for me, for Evan, for us.
I motion him to come to me and he does, wrapping his warm arms around my bare flesh.
“Sawyer, don’t you ever apologize for taking care of my son. Not ever,” I mumble into his neck; he instantly relaxes at the words. “I know we are going to fix this; I know you can make this right.” I can feel him flex, muscles rippling across his naked back. He stands back up, looking down at me with a mix of confusion and is that… wonder?
“Now, bring me some clothes so we’re not late,” I say, patting him on the chest, attempting to lighten the mood.
“We’re?” he asks, cocking his eyebrow.
“I would say stay here, but I know that’s not gonna happen is it?” he asks, grabbing my bag.
“See? You’re learning,” I say brightly, a smile splitting my face.
He chucks the bag at me and saunters off to the bathroom. Water running as he brushes his teeth. I quickly dress, simple jeans and a heavy Henley to keep out the morning chill and slip my shoes on while he finishes getting ready.
“Come-on Babydoll,” he says, slapping my ass and opening the door.
He pulls me into his side as he guides us down the sidewalk to a door on the other side of the building and knocks. Gage opens the door, ushering us in and winking at me yet again.
“Before you say a word, Tessa, you are goddamn lucky Sawyer is such a softie ‘cuz I would ‘a tanned your hide and sent you right the fuck back to Minnesota if you were mine,” Axel says, giving me the stink eye. I attempt to look appropriately chastised but pull the silver Sons Chit out of my back pocket and toss it into his lap. Axel looks at it, then to Sawyer, then to me. “Really?” he asks Sawyer.
“Don’t ask me, I just work here,” he says, feigning ignorance.
Whatever just happened must settle any doubts in Axel’s mind because the next thing I know I’m being pulled into a giant bear hug. Sawyer tenses next to me for a moment, the Neanderthal side of the biker man showing as he grips my hand a little tighter as Axel wraps his arms around me.
“Oh, calm your tits Brother,” Axel laughs, stepping away from me.
Sawyer rolls his eyes and brings me further into the room. “Fill us in. Anything exciting?” he asks as we both settle on the edge of one of the two double beds.
Tully swivels in the desk chair, away from the two large computer monitors displaying black and white security feeds, to look at us. “Been watching both shops all morning. Lots of activity, but no sign of either of them,” he states bluntly.
“Wait… Either of them? Either of who? David and Evan?” I ask, looking between Sawyer and Tully in confusion.
“Fucking hell,” Sawyer curses under his breath.
“You didn’t tell her?” Tully asks Sawyer, looking a strange combination of terrified and amused.
“I got distracted,” Sawyer says lamely; Gage choking on his coffee.
“Tell me what?” I ask, rounding on Sawyer, “tell me fucking what Sawyer? Who the hell else is there?” I ask, standing from the bed with my hands fisted at my sides, needing every inch of power pose that my diminutive stature can muster.
“Um… sit down Babydoll. You’re fucking here anyway so you might as well know the rest of it,” he says frustrated resignation in his voice. He glances over at Axel and receives a nod from the other man before he continues. “There’s something you need to understand first. This is Club business…”
I open my mouth to argue that stupid point again, but he cuts me off.
“… no one outside the Club is allowed to be in on anything. No one. It is strictly need to know. It’s for your safety, as much as ours. The further you stay away from Club business the less it can touch you, and the less you know, the less you would have to lie to the cops about if you were ever questioned. You found out about the plans with Evan because that was fuckin’ need to know as his mother. The rest? I was hoping you wouldn’t need to find out ‘til after everything was settled and done with. Of course, your infuriating ass had to go and lo-jack me and follow us, so here we are. I know you don’t like it, but that’s just how this works. You get me?”
“I’m not an idiot Sawyer, I heard you the first time. But I’m here, with permission I might add, so tell me what the fuck is going on,” I bark at him, taking a defiant stance.
“Put yer claws away Tess, this is just how the Club works. We all get used to it with a little bit o’ time,” Gage says.
“Love the man; love the Club,” Cotton calls from the other bed where he is sprawled out reading a book.
“As I was saying…” Sawyer grinds out, shooting a glare at the other men in the room. “Tessa, haven’t you wondered how they found you and Evan?” he asks, turning his attention back to me. I nod, my mind starting to race with the questions I have been trying to push to the side since the attack.
“Have you reached out to anyone from your old life since you left? Since settling in in Proctor?” Axel asks.
My head snaps over to him, a look of confusion contorting my features. “What? No! Of course not! I’m not an idiot,” I snap at him. I hold his glare for a moment, but then a cold wave of realization washes over me. My eyes widen in fear and shock as I turn back to Sawyer, shaking my head in denial. “Oh shit, I… I did. I emailed Lexi. My sister. I saw Darrin’s obituary and I…” I stutter, my voice tight with panic.
“IP Address and Geo-location,” Cotton mutters under his breath.
“So, my email to Lexi… which she never even responded to, thank you for reminding me, that lead David to us?” I ask.
“Yes, but not exactly. How involved were you with David’s business? His regular clients and all that?” Axel asks me.
“I wasn’t.” I shake my head. “He made it very clear that he didn’t want me anywhere near his business and by that time I didn’t want much to do with him either.”
“Did you ever hear him mention the Pikesmen? Or anything to do with a Motorcycle Club?” Sawyer asks, his tone softer and more coaxing now.
“An MC? No, he never mentioned anything like that. What does this have to do with Evan?”
“The men who took Evan, they’re members of the Pikesmen MC. Tinker has been doing as much digging as he can since this all started and found that David has a strong partnership with that Club; he does all the chrome work for them. From what we can tell, there is more than just plating happening though; probably drugs and money laundering at a minimum.” Sawyer takes a deep breath, squaring his shoulders and bracing for the rest of what he is about to say. “Tess, they killed Darrin and when she was alone, dealing with his death, they took Lexi.”
I gasp and my knees give out, I collapse into the chair Cotton thoughtfully brought behind me.
“Here’s how we think this all played out: David had them take Lexi to get to you and Evan. He used whatever pull he had with the MC to kill Darrin, nab Lexi, and then all he had to do was wait for a reaction from you. Once he had it, he had the Pikesmen send two men to grab Evan,” Sawyer says, his voice wavering with emotion. “That’s all we knew when we headed out. By the time we got here, Tinker had found some evidence that the Pikesmen are hol
ding Lexi at their garage. We have equipment set up on both David’s and the Pikesmen’s shops, attempting to get eyes on any of them.”
I sit back in the chair in utter shock, unable to process everything. The six men around the room are all passing awkward looks between themselves, completely unsure of what to do with the ticking time bomb that is an emotional woman. I’m not sure how long I sit there, my mind reeling, but after what feels like an eternity, I let out a heavy sigh and pull myself back into the present. My back is straight and my shoulders square, my chin raised in defiance of all this mess and I ask the room, “Okay, so. My psycho ex has kidnapped my son and my sister, most likely killed her fiancé, and is running with bikers to the point he can tell them what to do? Awesome. So… how do we kill them and save my baby?”
Over the next few days, the guys and I settle into a weird sort of routine. Sawyer agreed to let me stay under the condition that I stay hidden and in one of our rooms at all times. I will never admit this to him, but he has a point. We are all of ten minutes from where I grew up and lived all my life until four months ago. The last thing any of us want, or need, is for someone to recognize me and word to make its way David or the Pikesmen.
It’s day four of Operation Shitty-TV and we’re all gathered in Tully and Cotton’s room watching a movie and keeping an eye on the monitors. Halfway through our third viewing of The Hangover in as many days, my attention wanders while I idlily play with Evan’s turtle Lovie, running the fabric through my fingers. A flashing light on the screen grabs my attention and I let out a strangled cry. I sit bolt upright, my head smacking into the book Sawyer had been reading while I was lying with my head in his lap and point frantically at one of the monitors.
“That’s him. That’s David’s truck. He’s there,” I say frantically. My entire body is shaking as I stare at the screen. The truck pulls into a parking space by the door to the shop and I see him, that fucking, rat-faced, baby stealing, woman-beating, traitorous scum David. He steps out of the truck and walks around to the passenger door, opening it up and pulling out a baby carrier.
“EVAN!” I scream, scrambling to get free of Sawyer and the bed. “He’s got Evan there right now!” I feel Sawyers arms wrap around my chest and arms from behind, pulling me close.
“Settle Babydoll, settle,” he shushes into my ear, pressing kisses to the back of my head. “I’ve got you Babydoll. I’ve got you.”
It’s the first time I’ve seen Evan in a week, the longest I have ever been away from him his entire life. I stare, enrapt with the monitor and its grainy picture as David walks into the shop. I couldn’t tell you how long it goes on, but Sawyer continues to hold me while the other men watch and listen in on the feed. He tries more than once to stand up, but I slap his arm to keep still. I need to be here. I’m that much closer to Evan if I’m here, but I need Sawyer’s strength and calm to keep me from flying out the door right this instant to go get him. I see David leave the shop without the carrier. He must have left Evan inside. I can’t watch this anymore, it’s too much and I curl further into Sawyer, burying my head in his shoulder.
Eventually Sawyer presses a kiss to my hair once again and pulls back. “He’s gone,” he whispers, slowly letting up his hold on my arms to see if I’ll bolt. Still shaking, I unfold myself from his lap and move to sit next to him. Keeping my eyes trained on the ugly motel carpet I take deep breaths, attempting to get my scattered thoughts under control.
“So, what do we know?” Sawyer asks once Axel and Tully remove the headphones they had been using to listen in.
“I’m buying fuckin’ stock in those mics Tinker set us up with,” Axel says with a slight smile. “David and Dice, the Pikesmen who runs their garage, were there talking about their ’guest’ and what they would do with them now that their ‘usefulness is at an end’… David’s words.” my shoulders slump at this and I let out a little whimper, knowing he was referring to Lexi. “Thankfully, it doesn’t seem like Dice is a complete asshat. He argued with David for a while, and when Evan started crying, David left.”
At this my head snaps up, staring in terror at Axel. Gage takes over then, looking at me with a small reassuring smile. “Don’t worry lass. The lad looked fine. When Sir Shit-Stain walked out, Dice picked up a very upset Evan and calmed him down like fuckin’ Mother Goose.”
“At least he’s got that redeeming quality,” chimes in Tully, trying to lighten the mood a bit.
Axel steps back in with a clear of his throat, “Yeah, but more importantly, they talked about his next drop. David said he was only stepping out for a minute, implying he was grabbing Evan and that he will be back in two days with another order for the shop. Since he had Evan with him today, it’s a safe bet he will next time too.”
“So that’s our in,” Sawyer states.
“What’s the plan?” Cotton asks from his spot laying on the floor between the beds taking a nap.
“We hit them Friday, during his next drop. He’s scheduled to be there by 8PM,” Axel says.
“Earlier in the day, I saw one of the Pikesmen take a bag of takeout through that door in the far back corner of the shop. My money is on that being where they are holding Lexi,” Tully supplies.
“That’s two days from now! How, how do we know that things won’t change? Why not just go now?” I ask, finally getting my voice back.
“He’s already come and gone with Evan since we’ve been talking,” says Tully, who’s still watching the monitors while the rest of us talk. “We’ll have a much better chance to save both of them if they’re busy with a delivery and cash exchange. It’ll take longer and we can be in place before they even arrive to maximize our time.”
“But, that’s two more days without me; two more days with him,” the last word I spit out like venom, my body shaking in anger.
“Tessa, listen. Look at me.” says Axel, any softness in his voice replaced with the calm cool of a man used to getting control of skittish soldiers. I turn to face him, ready to rage and fight. “If you want your son and your sister alive, you will follow my lead. You will listen to us and let us do what we do best, we deal with our shit. Do not even think of pulling your shit with me like you did with Roxy, I don’t work that way. Now go, sit with your man and deal with your emotions before they compromise this entire operation.”
He turns to the room, “we have two days to get our shit in order, let’s use every minute of it. I want this planned down to the millisecond; no mistakes.” Axel states. The other men grumble in agreement and start talking through the details of the plan to get Evan and Lexi back.
Sawyer leans toward me and whispers, “Come on Babydoll. Let’s get some rest.” all I can manage is a nod as I stare blankly down at the carpet, feeling like a kid sitting at the adult table, not allowed to speak.
After all the work I’ve done, all the effort, I still end up useless when it comes to keeping any of them safe. Hell, worse than useless, I’m in the way. Maybe Sawyer was right, maybe I should have stayed put.
Chapter 26
Sawyer
I waste no time in ushering Tessa back to our room, the slump in her shoulders telling me all I need to know about her state of mind. As soon as I get her settled on the edge of the bed she starts shaking again, mumbling to herself. “He was there… he was so close. He was there, I saw him!” the frantic, broken terror in her eyes claws at my heart.
“He’s alright Tess. I saw him. He looked good. He was upset when David brought him into the garage but cheered right up when Dice took him. He was smiling and looked like he was giving his pterodactyl shriek. We’ll get him. I promise you Tessa. We will get our little man back.”
Fuck. Didn’t mean to let that slip. When the fuck did we turn into an “our”? Hell, when did we turn into a “we”?
The last thing I want is to scare her off when she is this vulnerable. We had been doing so well until she saw that footage, coming together, connecting, synchronizing. Once the dust settles and she sorts through it all, maybe sh
e won’t want me that way; I wouldn’t blame her. I want to be there for them, to be a part of their life, to be their life.
Fuck me, I need them. I can’t let her go. I won’t survive that.
Tessa slowly lifts her gaze to meet mine, shock clear on her features. Something slowly overcomes that shock though and I watch as a steady warmth lights her hazel eyes and I decide to press on.
“Tessa, Babydoll. I’m here for you, I’m here for Evan. I don’t ever want that to change. That little boy out there, he needs everything I can give him, now and forever. And you, fucking amazing, beautiful, powerful, strong woman; I don’t want to live another day without you in my arms. You and Evan, Tess, that’s all I need. That’s all I want in this life. You give me hope, hope for a future I never thought I would see. Hope for a life again, hope for a family. I know this is the worst fucking timing to be dumping all this on you, but I can’t let you go another second without knowing what you are to me. I’m going to get our boy back Tessa and then I’m taking you both home and never letting you go.”
So much for not laying it all out.
Tessa sits on the edge of the bed with her hands over her mouth, her eyes wide in shock. Tears stream down her cheeks behind her fingers and she is completely still. I drop to my knees in front of her, pulling her hands from her face. Bringing mine to her jaw, I swipe at the tears with my thumbs and she closes her eyes, leaning into my touch.
“Need your eyes Babydoll,” I urge.
She squeezes her eyes tighter for another moment before slowly opening them and meeting my gaze. Wonder, utterly amazed wonder is glowing in their depths.
“There you are gorgeous,” I croon with a soft smile.
“Sawyer I… You wonderful, stupid, ridiculous man,” she says on a choked laugh, a gloriously bright smile breaking across her face. Her eyes and smile say everything I need to know. Before she can find the words, I lean in and capture her lips with mine, attempting to impart all the unspoken words between us.
