I loved this little girl so much and the way those big hazel eyes looked up at me with so much trust and affection, solidified everything in place. I knew, without a doubt, that I would do anything, be anything I needed to, to make sure she knew she was loved and protected.
For them, I would summon my inner bad-ass.
“I’m so proud of you,” I whispered before kissing her forehead. “I knew you’d find your voice again.”
But before Zoya could say another word, Slate appeared. His hair was messy and looked as if he’d run his fingers through it too many times to count. “Found their location,” he called out, confident it would draw attention from everyone in the room. He gripped the tablet in his hand tighter as he rattled off the address. “You need to get there now.”
A dozen bikers got to their feet in an instant, but several stood slower and looked around the room.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
No one answered my question, they were all too busy putting on their game faces, grabbing their weapons and heading for the door.
“Tell me!” I shouted.
“Diesel, Rocky, and Sledge have found Crow. There are at least a dozen Chaos Raiders heading to their location and nobody’s answering their fuckin’ phones.”
There was a long beat of silence and then movement. Chaos. Engines roared outside like one giant roll of thunder.
Zoya pressed her face against me, whimpering at the sudden noise and what it likely meant. I held her tighter, my body shook against hers. My heart caught in that hazy space between hope and terror.
Please let him be okay.
I repeated those words over and over while the remaining men locked up the clubhouse to keep us safe from whatever was heading for Sledge.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Sledge
Staring so hard at Dave Crow I almost missed the two Chaos Raiders who decided to risk their lives by lunging in my direction. The first caught a bullet from Rocky’s gun, falling at my feet before he got close enough to lay a hand on me. The second led with a knife but I sidestepped the swing and drove my fist up into his throat. The crack was ugly, wet, and most of all it was final. He collapsed without another sound, and I stepped over his twitching body like he wasn’t even there.
My focus was fixed on Crow who kept a smile on his face but not even he could hide the fear burning in his eyes. He uncrossed his legs, shifting uncomfortably now that there were no bikers between us. “Should’ve had more bikers here with me,” he grumbled under his breath.
My hands bunched and flexed, the urge to end him quickly so strong I had to swallow it down. “Should have just forgotten you ever knew my daughter existed.” I took one slow step forward and then another, getting my shit under control because I had two goals. The first was to get answers and the second was to make this motherfucker suffer.
“It wasn’t personal,” he insisted, eyes flicking to Diesel and Rocky as if they would provide him a lifeline. “It was self-preservation.”
“Because you killed a fucking cop?”
He nodded.
“And the drugs inside Leather & Chrome?” I knew it was him, but I just wanted to hear him say it.
“Yeah, that was me. I got my hands on some damaged product at just the right time. It was a win-win situation,” he tried for a laugh that fell flat. “I couldn’t resist.”
“And the break-in?” He’d scared the fuck out of Eliana, and I wouldn’t let that stand.
“That was just a little message. That I knew more about you and your life than you realized.” He shook his head. “To be honest, I hoped she would quit and let me find a way in.”
Thank fuck she hadn’t. “And the point of all this?” Because it had all come before his marriage to Trish.
He smiled. He looked so fucking pleased with himself that I had to dig my heels into the floor to avoid choking the life out of him. “Needed to get you locked up so you’d look unfit, and I’d be the only option for the brat.”
The brat. My kid reduced to nothing.
My vision sharpened.
“My daughter,” I said before I even realized what I was saying. My voice came out low, shaking with fury.
