“It’s okay, sweet girl.” I repeated the words over and over, lost to my own memories as gunshots flew overhead. I saw his lifeless eyes, felt the warmth of Carlito’s blood on my hands, the ice-cold sensation as blood drained from my body. The past and present collided in that moment, and I was eight and terrified and helpless all over again. “I got you,” I whispered as she curled into my side, squeezing me so tight I could hardly breathe but it didn’t matter because I was still lost somewhere between then and now.
“You’re safe, Zoya. I got you.”
The car swerved. Sledge bit out a string of curses as the back of the car collided with something, one of the bikers I assumed, and then the roar faded in the distance.
I continued to speak in soft tones, rubbing her back while her little body trembled with pure terror. “I’m here, Z. Your daddy is here too. You’re safe.”
“Eliana, come on sweetheart.” I recognized the voice, but the soft tone caught me off guard. I looked up and saw Sledge’s eyes staring at me, concern etched in the lines around his eyes and mouth. “We’re here.”
I blinked at the squat concrete building. “Where?”
“The clubhouse,” he whispered. “Couldn’t risk these assholes following us home.”
His words barely registered but the relief in his voice was unmistakable. I nodded. “Yeah, come on Zoya.” My words came out softly, trying to reassure her quivering body.
She didn’t move, her little arms tightening around my neck, face pressed into my chest.
Sledge’s expression was broken and he looked gutted that he couldn’t do anything for his daughter.
“I got her,” I said softly, more for him than for me. I brushed Zoya’s hair back and kissed the top of her head. “We’re going inside daddy’s clubhouse now, okay? We’ll be safe there.” I didn’t know if that was true, I just hoped it was.
Her tiny body trembled, but she nodded.
I looked back at Sledge once we were out of the car, accepting his short nod of silent gratitude. Zoya trembled in my arms, her death grip making it difficult to breathe but I adjusted, my sole focus was keeping her calm.
Inside the clubhouse was… odd. There were tons of people around, a silent sort of chaos. Men in leather vests stood around in tense clusters, speaking in low, clipped voices. Some of the women sat around holding their children and looking worried, while others moved around with a purpose that didn’t become clear until one stopped in front of us. “Um, hi.”
The pretty brunette smiled. “Come on, I’ll take you to one of the rooms where you can get cleaned up while the men talk.” She was soft-spoken with a kind voice. I followed her through the clubhouse, now we were in a part that looked a bit more residential. A long corridor with a few doors. “Here we are, you can stay here tonight,” she said, stopping in front of a plain green door. “I’ll get you some towels and fresh clothes not decorated with glass.”
I offered a half-smile. “Thanks,” I said sincerely. “I’m forgetting my manners, I’m Eliana.”
She grinned. “Don’t worry, I can see you and Sledge ran into trouble. You’ll be safe here. I’m Ellie, Diesel’s old lady.”
I had no idea who Diesel was, but I assumed he was someone important. “Nice to meet you, Ellie.”
“You too. Hey, Zoya, sounds like you had a scary night, huh?” she said, offering the little girl a small smile.
Zoya looked up with recognition and nodded before she buried her face in my neck once more.
Ellie nodded. “I’ll bring you some fresh clothes, if you want to shower it’s just through there,” she said, pointing to the attached bathroom before she left us alone.
I took care of Zoya first, stripping her out of her clothes and washing her trembling body, leaving her wrapped in a towel while we waited for new clothes. “I’m going to shower now, okay?”
She didn’t answer.
“I’ll just leave you here,” I said but she reached out and clutched my arm. “Okay,” I sighed. “Come sit on the toilet so you can see me. I’m not going anywhere.”
Her grip loosened and she followed me into the bathroom, eyes on the tiled floor while she slowly rocked to calm herself. Nothing seemed to calm her until we snuggled on the bed in the fresh clothes Ellie left for us. With my arms wrapped tight around her, Zoya eventually relaxed but she didn’t sleep. Probably couldn’t.
She wasn’t the only one. I wanted to go and find Sledge to see what was happening, but I didn’t want to leave Zoya. I figured he and his club brothers were probably trying to find out who tried to spook us. Now I’d managed to calm down a bit, I realized that’s what it was. They had a clear shot. If they’d wanted to kill us, they could have. That wasn’t the intention. They’d wanted to intimidate us.
But why?
Chapter Fifteen
Sledge
Slate’s office was dead quiet when I stepped inside. It had been a rough night, and we only got around an hour’s sleep, if that. I’d just been to check on Eliana and Zoya. They were okay but still a bit shaken. Half the fucking MC was gathered in here, hunched in chairs with a silence I knew meant they were talking about me. The only time these guys were this quiet was when shit was about to get bad. The air carried that charged kind of stillness that meant everyone already knew that trouble was on the horizon.
