I contemplate telling him the truth, that Mia isn’t his, but I decide against it. I have a feeling that his belief that Mia is his is the only thing keeping us both safe right now.
I look around, as if she’ll miraculously appear if only I look hard enough. “Where is she?”
Zeke waves a dismissive hand. He’s bored with this conversation; it’s not going the way he wanted. “She’s safe.”
“I want to see her,” I insist.
Zeke rolls his eyes, as if this isn’t how he imagined the reunion would go, and I’m being difficult by asking to see my child. Thankfully, he indulges me. “She’s fine, see?” he says, pulling out his phone and showing me a live camera feed of Mia in a nursery, playing with a woman who I presume has been assigned the role of nanny. I’m just glad it isn’t Mary Beth. “I wouldn’t hurt my child,” Zeke adds.
I nod, satisfied for the moment.
Zeke moves closer, stroking my hair back off my face. It takes every ounce of control I have not to flinch at his touch. I force myself to look into his eyes. “Lena,” he breaths, as if he can’t quite believe I’m here. What he says next chills me to the bone. “You’re home now. Safe with me.”
“What do you want from me?” I ask, wanting to get right to the point. I don’t know what his game is.
He blinks in surprise. “I want you, Lena. You’re mine. We’re a family, you, me, and Mia. I understand why you ran away, but you should have come to me. I could have protected you from them.”
I’m so confused, I don’t even think before blurting out, “From who?”
He looks at me as if I might have brain damage. “From the Soaring Eagles, of course. After they kidnapped you, I came after you, tried to rescue you. Then I found out that you had escaped. But instead of coming home, you went away. It took me three years to find you, to rescue you, and bring you home where you belong. You can imagine my surprise when I not only find you, but I realize that we have a daughter. I have to say, I’m not happy that you hid her from me, that you didn’t come to me for protection, but I forgive you,” he says this graciously, as if in his mind I should be at his feet groveling for his forgiveness.
He opens his hands, his face earnest and humble, a pretty mask, as he admits, “I should have protected you better. As soon as I learned the Soaring Eagles had got you again, I did everything in my power to save you. You’re home now, you don’t need to fear them anymore.” He pulls me into an embrace, pressing my face against his sweaty chest as he wraps his arms around me. I’m too stunned to react.
Does Zeke truly believe that the Soaring Eagles kidnapped me the night he raped me? In his mind, we had sex, and I had agreed to be his old lady before the Soaring Eagles arrived and kidnapped me. His kidnapping and shooting of Big Joe was a rescue mission in his eyes—the Soaring Eagles were the kidnappers. It makes a kind of twisted sense when you think about it, but I’m still amazed how he could have got it so monumentally wrong. He said it himself, if I had wanted to escape the Soaring Eagles and be with him, I could have gone back to him three years ago.
My mind is racing, wondering how I should react, what my next move should be to protect Mia and escape. I decide that playing along is our best—and our only—shot.
“You saved us,” I whisper into his chest, choking the words out. Zeke kisses me, and I force myself to tolerate it, his tongue forcing its way between my gritted teeth, his mouth wide, swallowing me. He shoves his hand down my pants, and I have to stop him. I can’t do that. “Wait. I’m not ready. I just need a little time,” I add, worried he will simply take what he wants. I know he’s capable of it.
Thankfully, I have the caring, protective Zeke today—the one I almost fell for—who treated me like a princess. “Of course,” he murmurs, kissing the top of my head. “I promise, I will make the Soaring Eagles pay for what they did to you. My men are out there now hunting them down.”
Ice runs through my veins at his oath. By trying to keep me and Mia safe, have I condemned my friends and the men I love?
Chapter 23
Judge
“Cole and Rex have a lead. Their source is leading them to a potential location now,” I tell Doc as I end the call, having agreed with Cole on a rendezvous point for the rest of us to meet.
My heart pounds in my chest, heavy with anticipation and worry. Every second counts. If Trish is correct, then Zeke is holding Lena and Mia in this house. If what Trish has told us about his manpower is true, we need all the men we can muster to get them out safely. No half measures. Not when the people we love are in such grave danger. Every moment that ticks by might be the difference between rescue and tragedy.
We’re gathered at the clubhouse, the heart of our operation, where we collect our weapons and rally our men. Here we will make our plans and prepare for battle. The club house is more of a home to most of us than anywhere else. It’s a sturdy, rough-hewn building, with no frills, something that I find pleasing. I breathe in the familiar comforting scent of motor oil, leather, and greasy food. This building is a symbol of our brotherhood and resilience. It’s a safe haven, a place where we can relax and truly be ourselves.
Here, we’ve called in a dozen of our best men to help. Men who’ve been through hell with us, who’ve earned every scar and every story told around flickering lamps late into the night. These guys aren’t just brothers in ink and leather; they’re soldiers, fighters, men who’ve seen bloodshed and lived to tell the tale. Men who understand what is at stake. Every single one of them is ready to ride into battle with us. This is much morethan just a rescue mission—t’s about protecting everything we hold dear, our values, our way of life. If Zeke comes after one of us, he comes after all of us.
My club brothers stand in a wide arc in front of me, armed and alert, their eyes sharp with focus. Most of them have been through battles before, fought in wars, had skirmishes, or street fights. They aren’t afraid of getting hurt, of getting their hands dirty. But this is different, it’s so much more personal. They all know and care for Lena—she might be new to the club, but she’s family nonetheless, and when they found out Mia is Rex’s blood, they were willing to do anything to get her back. They would ride into hell itself to save that little girl without hesitation. Each and every one of them has made it clear that they’re ready to do whatever it takes, risking their lives if necessary, to get Lena and Mia back, to protect the family we’ve all come to call our own. We’re family, through thick and thin, and nothing is going to stop us.
“Right, men,” I start, keeping my voice clear and steady despite the anxiety I feel. “We’ve got a pretty solid lead on where Lena and Mia might be. We’re going to—”
Suddenly, a deafening boom cuts me off, a sound so powerful it feels like the world itself is tearing apart. The force of the blast hits me like a freight train, ripping through the room with murderous intensity. One second, I’m standing there giving orders, trying to rally everyone, and the next, I’m airborne. Thrown backward, my body tumbling through the air like a rag doll. I slam against the wall with enough force to wind me, forcing a gasp from my lungs.
Debris and shrapnel—sharp, jagged pieces of wood, metal, and glass—explode outward, gouging flesh and scraping paint from the walls. The ceiling and walls are engulfed in flames, smoke billowing into the air, choking everything in itspath. Glass shatters into a million tiny shards, spraying across the room in deadly arcs, some embedding into skin, others slicing through clothing. Chunks of concrete rain down like missiles, coating the floor in a layer of dust and rubble. My vision flickers as I try to process what’s happening, my mind desperately grasping at the chaos.
My ears are ringing so loudly from the noise that it sounds as if I’m underwater. The volume of the world turns down. A wall of heat and pressure smothers everything, and thick, black smoke floods the air. It’s a full-body assault, completely disarming all of my senses. I can’t see through the smoke, the only thing I can smell is burning, the only thing I feel is the heat, the metallic taste of my own blood fills my mouth, and all I can hear is a sharp ringing.
My mind can’t process what’s happening quickly enough. For an agonizing, disorienting moment, I’m no longer in the clubhouse; I’m transported back to the battlefield. The war zone that haunts my nightmares. The sand swirling in the wind, sharp grains blinding your eyes. The sound of metal twisting and groaning as the tank is blown sky high—the screams of my men. Blood staining the dry, dusty ground red. So much blood. It’s as if I’m right there. Though I’ve known all along that part of me never left.
Another time, another explosion, my men inside, wiped out in the blink of an eye. I’m rendered helpless by my memories of that day when our tank hit a landmine, killing everyone but one inside. I was the only survivor. A twist of fate that often leaves me asking why me? I thank god every day that Cole, Rex, and Doc weren’t there. They’re the ones who brought me back to myself.
