Bear
Dread managed to patch up Piper and gave her fluids through an IV. I didn’t want to take her home until I’d had time to wipe out any traces of what happened. Spider offered to let her stay at his house. Besides, I had to go after Faith. There was no telling where she was. On the off chance the girls were taken, I’d put a tracker in their shoes. Except they’d left Piper behind, and the shoe Cordy lost was the one with the tracking device.
I’d put one in Faith’s purse and could track the phone I gave her. Neither item had left with her. I had Surge checking footage from the cameras around town, hoping we’d see something. He’d caught them loading Faith into an unmarked van, then tossing Cordelia in behind her. No plates. A complete dead end. The camera feed didn’t extend far enough for us to see which way they’d gone. It could take a while for him to locate the van again.
“Anythin’ on Cotton and the girl?” I asked.
Fox leaned against my living room wall. “Her name is Roe Wagner. She’s twenty-two. Goes to church every Sunday, volunteers around town, and helps anyone who is in need. Girl is a fucking angel. I have no idea how they got her here, but it’s clear why they chose her.”
“Saint Roe…” I shook my head. “They wanted the town to crucify us once everyone heard what happened. How’s Cotton handlin’ this?”
“Good, all things considered.”
Surge entered the house without knocking. “I didn’t find the van, but I found something better. Let’s go.”
I made sure I had my keys and walked out with Fox on my heels. The two of us, along with Rocket and Yankee got on our bikes and followed him out of the compound and through the streets of town. When we entered the worst part of town, a knot of worry settled in my gut. He’d have told me if Faith wasn’t alive anymore, right? Or if she’d been hurt… He wouldn’t let me walk into that blindly.
Surge pulled over and jerked his chin toward the front of a convenience store. And that’s when I saw her. Little Cordy, with only one shoe on, huddled in the shadows. My heart gave a kick and I got off the bike, striding toward her. The moment she saw me, tears ran down her cheeks and she ran for me. I scooped her into my arms and held her close.
“I’ve got you. Everything’s goin’ to be all right.”
She held on tight and shook her head. “Mama is in trouble.”
“I know. We’re going to get her. But you’re safe now, Cordelia. I’ll have Rocket take you back with him. All right? You hold onto him tight, and he’ll ride slow. Let Dread check you out when you get back to the compound, and I’ll be right behind you with your mom.”
Some of the tension drained from her slight body. “I don’t know how far I ran. She told me to escape and pay attention to landmarks. I saw a place with neon lights that made it look like ladies were dancing on the sign. A store that sells alcohol, and… and… A church! It looked really run down.”
I knew where she meant. That narrowed down the neighborhood. Now I just needed to know exactly where Faith was. “Can you tell me which buildin’ she’s in?”
“House. It… it was blue, I think. The porch sagged and I thought I’d fall through the boards when I ran. It smelled bad too.”
“I’ll find it.”
Surge took her hand. “Cordy, can you tell me what direction you came from? When you saw the dancing ladies, were they on your right or left?”
“Left,” she said.
“Did you turn any corners before getting there?”
She nodded. “One. I only saw houses right there and it was about a block later I saw the church.”
“Last question, then you can go. When you turned the corner, were you on the same side of the street as the church or across from it?”
“Across.”
“Good girl.” Surge ruffled her hair. “We’re going to go get your mom. You’ve been a lot of help, Cordelia.”
I set her down and Rocket came to take her hand. He led her over to his bike, then got on, not moving until she’d climbed on behind him and had a death grip on his waist. I watched them ride off before facing Surge again.
“You know where she’s talkin’ about?” I asked. “I’ve got an idea of the general vicinity, but not that particular street and house.”
“Yeah. The street anyway. Finding the exact house? Let’s just hope the van is there.”
I let Surge lead the way. By the time we reached the street, I was ready to beat the hell out of someone. I’d make an example of everyone who hurt Faith and my girls. They’d dared to enter my home and take them. I also knew after this, I’d retire whether Fox liked it or not. If I couldn’t keep my own wife and kids safe, I wasn’t fit to be the Sergeant-at-Arms.
Surge slowed when he saw the blue house and the van he’d spotted on the camera footage. We stopped at the curb, and the hair on my nape stood up. No one inside came to check out the noise of our bikes. I didn’t think that was a good sign. We should have asked Cordelia how many there were.
“Surge, how many put my girls into the van?” I asked.
“Two, plus the driver. No idea if they met up with more after that, though.”
I nodded. Pulling the 9mm I’d holstered at my side, I approached the house and went up onto the porch. As Cordy said, it felt like I’d fall through the rotten boards. The door didn’t appear to be latched and I nudged it with my toe. My eyebrows went up when I saw the body just inside the door. Blood soaked the floor. I entered and spotted a second one. Did that mean only Spade was left?
I knelt and felt for a pulse, even though the guy was clearly not getting back up. His skin hadn’t cooled yet, so he hadn’t been dead for too long. Same for the second one. Thumper and Ratchet were on their cuts.
I heard yelling from the back of the house and went deeper into the house. Fox and Surge were right behind me, watching my six. As we neared what I assumed were the bedrooms, I heard the words Spade spewed, and I tightened my hold on my gun. As badly as I wanted to put a bullet in his head and end it, I needed more than that. I wanted to make him suffer. To beg for his life.
I kicked in the door and what I saw made a red haze settle over my vision. I pulled the trigger and the fucker fell to the floor. Faith scrambled off the bed and ran for us. Instead of catching her, I stepped to the side and let her crash into Fox. I approached Spade and kicked the asshole in the ribs.
“You get off on rapin’ another man’s woman?” I asked.
“She’s just a stupid whore.” He spat blood on the floor. Looked like I’d hit something vital. Didn’t give me as much time as I’d have liked. Without medical attention, he’d bleed out. “Not like I haven’t fucked her before. Brat in her belly is mine.”
“Wrong answer.” I holstered my gun and pulled the brass knuckles from my pocket. I slammed my fist into his face, then kicked him again so he rolled to his back. I noticed his pants were unfastened, but it didn’t look like he’d gotten further than that. If he had, I’d have cut off his pathetic little dick.
I used his head as a punching bag until he spit out teeth and appeared to be seconds from blacking out. Yanking him off the floor, I landed a blow to his kidneys twice, then pulled back my arm and put every ounce of power I had into the next hit, right in the middle of his spine. The metal of the brass knuckles hit bone, and I heard the crack right before he screamed and crumpled to the floor.
“Bear.” I looked over at Surge, chest heaving, and still wanting this fucker’s blood. “Your woman and girls need you. Finish up.”
I hit both his knees multiple times, broke his hands and every fucking finger. When I finally stopped, I made sure he didn’t have a way to contact anyone, and I left him lying in his own piss and blood.
“Want me to shoot him?” Surge asked.
“No. I want him to suffer until he’s drawn his last breath. He’ll be dead within the hour. Just make sure no one finds him. Once he’s gone, bury all three of them.”
Surge nodded. “You got it.”
I rinsed my hands and the brass knuckles. I slipped them back into my pocket before I went out to Faith and Fox. He held her close, and I realized he’d given her his shirt. As much as I hated seeing her in another man’s clothes, it was better than her flashing her breasts to the world. Since Spade managed to tear her shirt and bra, she’d have been exposed.
“Thanks, Brother. I got it from here.” I lifted Faith in my arms and kissed her softly. “Come on, sweetheart. Time to go home.”
She curled into me. “I was afraid I’d never see you again.”
“Told you I’d keep you safe. I fuckin’ failed, but there was no way I wouldn’t come for you, Faith. I’m glad you were strong enough to hold on until I got here, and it was smart as hell to send Cordelia out of here to go find help. She’s the reason we got to you as quickly as we did.”
“Good. I’m glad she’s all right. Take me home, Bear. I need a shower.”
“Not goin’ home. Not yet. Need to straighten the place up still and get a new bathroom door and front door. Have to replace the floorin’ too. Might as well paint the walls.”
“Piper?” she lifted her head. “Is she…”
“Dread patched her up. She’ll be okay.”
“Bring her to my house,” Fox said. “I’ll ask Raven to get clothes for Faith and the girls. They can clean up while you figure out where everyone is going to stay. Sounds like a good time for a vacation. Take the family out of town for a week.”
“This isn’t over,” I said. “You think they won’t come for us now that we’ve taken out some of their men?”
“I don’t think they will,” Faith said. “I’ll explain later. Right now, I really want to get clean.”
I kissed her again and helped her onto my bike. Had Spade acted on his own? Was it possible his club hadn’t given a shit either way about Faith and the girls? Even though the fucker would be dead soon enough, I still had more questions than answers. I didn’t like feeling that we had unfinished business with the Raging Demons.
Later. Right now, I needed to take care of Faith. She and the girls were more important than anything else right now.
Faith
Dread treated me and the girls, and once Piper could be moved, they brought her to Fox’s house. We’d overtaken their living room, but Raven didn’t seem to mind. She fussed over the girls.
“So you’re telling us Spade and the two dead men at the house were all undercover agents?” Fox asked. “Like local police or higher up?”
“Right. At least, that’s what the one called Thumper said. From the way he spoke, I think maybe DEA? Since they were investigating the Raging Demons, that would make more sense. Then Spade went too far, and whoever they were affiliated with cut ties with them. I guess they blamed Thumper and Ratchet for not reporting Spade or stopping him. They were officially outlaws then, and part of the Raging Demons for real.”
I leaned against Bear’s side, and he had his arm around my shoulder. He hadn’t let me out of his sight since he’d brought me back to the compound. I wondered how long before I’d be allowed to even use the bathroom on my own. He’d helped me shower and dress, which had been nice. I wasn’t sure my legs would have held me. Spade had shaken me more than I’d liked. I hadn’t been gone from his house all that long, and yet the pain he’d inflicted felt as shocking as it had the first time he’d raised his fist to me.
“Make a list of what you want done to the house, and I’ll make sure it’s handled,” Fox said.
“Where are we going to stay right now?” Cordelia asked.
“The Pres said we need to take a vacation,” Bear said. “Where do you want to go?”
“Can Piper travel?” I asked.
“Not today, but we’ll have Dread check her again tomorrow. If she’s stable enough for a car ride, we’ll take the truck and hit the road.” Bear motioned for Cordelia to come closer. “Name a few places you’ve always wanted to see, or things you’ve wanted to do.”
“I’ve never been to a zoo,” she said. “They look fun, but I don’t think Piper can do that right now.”
Piper opened her eyes and looked at us. “I can rest somewhere while the three of you go to the zoo. Just FaceTime me or something so I can be there too without having to walk around.”
I looked at the bandage on her shoulder and the ones on her leg. She hadn’t given me any details, but it seemed someone shot her in the shoulder, then used her own knife to slice up her leg. Deep enough, she’d needed stitches in each wound. Because of the location of the cuts, she wouldn’t be walking very far for a while. Not until she’d healed a bit. I’d only gleaned that much from Dread when Piper hadn’t been paying attention. My brave girl was doing her best to hide her condition from me.
“Piper, we should go to the zoo as a family,” I said.
“Right, and we will be. Even if I’m only there virtually, I’ll still be part of it. I don’t want Cordelia to miss out on anything else, especially because of me. I’ll be okay, Mom. Just make sure I have something to eat and drink.”
“Are you a pet?” Bear asked, smiling a little. “What if we rented a wheelchair at the zoo? Think you could go, then?”
“Maybe.”
“I’ll go pull a list of the three closest zoos, and the other family attractions around each,” Raven said. “Want me to check on hotels in those areas too?”
“That would be great,” Bear said.
“What happened when the men entered the house?” Fox asked. “How did you get hurt, Piper?”
“She wouldn’t come into the bathroom with us,” Cordelia said.
“Stubborn girl,” Bear muttered. What had he thought would happen when he armed her? She wanted to be tough, invincible… but she wasn’t. “Once you’re healed, I’m going to teach you how to use a firearm, and how to fight with a knife. Wouldn’t hurt for Cordelia to learn too.”
“Not me?” I asked.
“Not while you’re pregnant.” He glanced at my belly. “The baby all right? I’d feel better if you got checked out at the hospital, or at least had an ultrasound.”
“The baby is moving around, so he’s fine.” He put his hand over my belly. I didn’t know if he’d be able to feel it or not. I felt little flutters here and there, so I knew the baby had made it through the ordeal. I probably had another month or two before Bear would be able to feel it. Spade had never cared, and it had been too long since Cordelia was a baby for me to remember much about the pregnancy milestones.
“If the girls don’t mind camping out in the living room, all of you can stay here. The adults get the spare room, and the kids get the couch and a sleeping bag.” Fox rubbed his hands together. “This could be fun. Harlow is only four, but it can be her first official sleepover. She may want to camp out with Cordy and Piper.”
“If Piper wants the couch, I could sleep on the floor in Harlow’s room,” Cordy said. “I don’t mind.”
“Then it’s settled. I’ll order something for dinner, make sure we have popcorn for the girls to munch on during a movie, and the adults can move to the kitchen to strategize this impromptu vacation.”
Raven came back with several sheets of printed paper in her hands. “I heard that. I’ll go put on some coffee. Faith, do you prefer tea? I could boil some water for you.”
“Thank you, Raven. I’ll come help.”
Bear tightened his hold on me. “No, you’ll sit and rest. You look like you went a few rounds with Mike Tyson. You’ve started to bruise already. By tomorrow, part of your face will be black and purple.”
“With Piper all banged up too, people are going to stare,” I said.
“We’ll just say the two of you were in an accident. Easier to explain than what really happened.”
“I’m still figuring out what happened,” I muttered. How could have Spade have led an entirely different life, and I’d never known about it? For that matter, how did that monster ever become part of law enforcement?
“Pres, need to have a chat with you,” Bear said, standing up. “Faith, go sit with Raven in the kitchen. I’ll be there in a minute.”
“No, you’ll go there now. I don’t accept your resignation,” Fox said. “Didn’t take it the other times you tried to step down either.”
“I fuckin’ failed!” Bear growled and folded his arms over his chest. “My wife and kids could have died.”
“And through it all, you took care of the club, then went after them. I saw you stay at the clubhouse, get things sorted, and then go look for your family. I also know what it cost you to do that. In the future, just tell me you’re leaving and get the fuck out of there. I’d have understood, and so would your brothers. But your wife and daughters might not be so forgiving that they came in second to this club.”
I stood on shaky legs and held onto Bear’s bicep. “I do understand. To some extent. What would have happened if you left the clubhouse and came for us the second you realized something was wrong?”
“I’d have been the one to find Piper, would have taken her out of the damn house and called Dread to tend to her, and then I’d have been spinning my wheels trying to figure out what the hell happened to you and Cordelia,” he said.
“And by staying, did you learn anything useful?” I asked.
“Sort of. Found out it was Spade for certain who had you. The two whores talked a little, but not as much as I’ve have liked. Then Surge checked any camera footage he could find around town and the compound, trying to figure out the best way to track you. It’s how he found Cordelia.”
“So you’d have needed to stay at the compound regardless until you had more information,” I said. “Sounds to me like you did the right thing. Whoever you sent to the house didn’t get there before we’d been taken. You couldn’t have done anything different by going yourself.”
“Dad, we don’t blame you for what happened,” Piper said.
“Well, I blame myself.”
I tugged on his arm and led him to the kitchen. He pulled out a chair and sat, then brought me down onto his lap. I leaned back against him and wondered how I’d get through to him. Spade had watched and waited. He not only had the experience behind him of being an outlaw biker, but he’d been in law enforcement too. Bear might have had military experience, but he hadn’t counted on Spade’s secret background. He’d gone into a fight without all the facts, and I thought he’d handled things rather well.
Raven handed the papers to Bear, and we looked over the options. Once we’d selected a destination, he left with Fox to discuss the particulars. I caught the President’s gaze on his way out, and he gave me a nod. I knew he’d have a talk with Bear and try to get the tough guy to go easy on himself. He’d done what he’d thought was best. I couldn’t blame him for it, not when it’s what he’d been trained to do.
It looked like I’d have a week to work on him. Hopefully, by the time we came back, he’d be ready to step back into his role as the Sergeant-at-Arms for the club, and he’d have forgiven himself.
Life was too short for regrets.