Leo is still so damn small. The first time I held him, I couldn’t help but be scared I was going to hurt him somehow. I’ve always held the kids in the club and been there for the birth of every single one of them. It’s just different when it’s your own child. Every single day I worry about him, if I’m doing the right thing, or if I’m about to screw him up beyond repair. I imagine it’s the same fears and thoughts every new parent has.
“Hey, Axel,” Knuckles says, walking in the nursery and trying to be quiet so he doesn’t wake Leo up. We’ve learned he’s already a light sleeper more often than not and wakes at the slightest sounds. “How’s he doin’? Have you gotten any sleep?”
“Leo’s amazin’. He’s doin’ really good. I haven’t noticed any changes in his breathin’. We do have a monitor if we feel it’s needed. I don’t know how to use it, but my mom and Janessa were shown before we left the hospital. I haven’t slept yet. I’ve been in here talkin’ with Leo. Tellin’ him all about his mama and the amazin’ woman she is. There’s no point in layin’ down when I know I won’t be able to sleep. I can’t when my girl is out there somewhere and we’ve got no fuckin’ leads,” I answer my cousin honestly as he walks closer and looks down at my son.
“He’s so damn strong already and a fighter. Gets it from Sheridan,” he returns, trying to make me laugh even though Ican’t. Eventually I’ll get my laughter and smile back. It will be the day my girl comes home and I can hold her in my arms, feeling her against my body.
“Of course he does. Just told him that very thing. You been out searchin’?” I ask him, knowing he hasn’t been here with the rest of us but not sure what he’s been doing.
“Yeah. I was out with Omen and Seth. Brick might have found a lead. He talked to Mr. Russell again and discovered a few things we forgot. Rooster called for church now so we can figure shit out and put a plan in place if we’ve got an actual location from him,” Knuckles says, his voice gentle as I snap my head up to look at him for the truth of the news he just gave me.
“Okay. I’ll let Mom know I’m leavin’. Is Janessa still here?” I question, getting up and carefully putting Leo in his bassinet because I can’t put him in the crib yet. It’s too big for him and I worry he’ll get stuck between the bars somehow. It might be an irrational fear, but it’s there, nonetheless.
“She ain’t leavin’ until Sheridan comes home. Doesn’t want your mom to get burned out takin’ care of Leo all on her own. The kids see it as a giant slumber party and you know they love bein’ here at your house. You’re stuck with us until Sheridan’s back and safe,” he assures me, resting his hand on my shoulder as we look down at my son for a minute.
My mom is already in the living room with a cup of hot coffee in her hands. I hand her the monitor I grabbed on my way out of the nursery and give her a kiss on the top of her head before thanking her for staying with Leo. Janessa makes her way out of one of the bedrooms and takes a seat next to my mom as we walk out the door. My dad and Mr. Russell are already out there waiting on us as we all head for the SUV one of the guys brought back from the side of the road the day Sheridan was kidnapped. Brick and Omen searched it top to bottom and wentthrough the footage from the camera. I haven’t been able to pay attention long enough to know what was found. Hopefully they go over it now as I clear my head and push all the fear and rage away so I can focus on what we’re gonna talk about in church.
My dad drives us to the clubhouse and parks close to the door. I don’t waste any time getting out and heading inside so church can be started. The need to save my girl is overwhelming with the real possibility of the guys finally finding a lead on where she’s being held. This is the first good news we’ve had in the last three days and I will be able to focus on what’s being said and where I have to go to bring Sheridan home to us. Then, it will be a long time before I ever let her out of my sight again.
I hand my stuff over to the Prospect and head inside to take my seat. Knuckles sits next to me and my dad is a few seats down from us. Mr. Russell takes a seat at the end of the table as if he’s been in here before. He very well could have been in church while I was home with Leo. Everyone is in their seats in a matter of minutes and Rooster is calling church to order.
“Brick, tell us you got somethin’,” Rooster says, his voice full of exhaustion as I turn my attention to our tech guy.
“I got a lot of shit in the last few hours. Footage from the SUV shows Officer Whitestone bein’ the one who pulled Sheridan over that day. He shot Eric when the Prospect wouldn’t leave her alone and then got physical with her. There isn’t video of it, but the audio paints a very vivid picture of what happened. It matches what Eric told us. He didn’t know Whitestone’s name, but described him and most of us knew who he was talkin’ about immediately. Whitestone is a dirty cop and they’ve been tryin’ to get rid of him for over a year now. This is the final nail in his damn coffin. But we’ll be dealin’ with him ourselves. Tease, you’ll get your chance to put him down.
“Mr. Russell told me about a property in Sheridan’s name. The house belonged to her grandparents and was left to her in their Will. I’ve got the blueprints for the house and it’s an old farmhouse. There’s a basement and three ways in the house if you include goin’ in the basement from the outside. I’ve also tracked an older car that’s registered to Sheridan’s mother through town and headin’ toward the house. When they get out of town, there aren’t any cameras so we can only assume that’s where she was headin’. There’s also audio from the SUV and you can plainly hear that bitch’s voice. Her mother is the one who took her. Mr. Russell confirmed it an hour ago.
“I’ve seen another car followin’ Sheridan’s mother out that way. It’s registered to Jess. I didn’t know she had a second car, but she does. It’s an older model and one that won’t stick out. Perfect for this kind of shit considerin’ we knew about her sports car. We knew they were exchangin’ messages from what I’ve been able to gather previously. Now, I know exactly what they’re sayin’ to one another. Sheridan’s mother promised Jess and Foxy money if they help her get Sheridan to sign off on the papers to transfer all of her money and property to her. She’s plannin’ on cashin’ in and not givin’ Sheridan a choice in the matter. The debt collectors are gettin’ very impatient when it comes to her. She’s about to run and needs the money to do that,” Brick informs us as I slam my fist against the table in front of me.
“That fuckin’ bitch needs to be permanently removed from this damn world so Sheridan can live in peace!” I explode, my voice hard and cold as I look around the table.
“Kat’s here. She’s grabbin’ a few hours of sleep. She got in less than an hour ago. Told her the basics of what was goin’ on and she’s pissed. Never seen her this pissed off before,” Omen says, looking at me with a knowing smirk on his face.
Kat always comes when we need her. To hear she’s pissed off is something I wasn’t expecting. Though, I have to admit I can’t wait to see her destroy someone when she’s pissed off. She has no problem dealing with a woman no matter the situation and we always love watching her work. I can’t wait until she deals with Jess, Foxy, and Sheridan’s mother. The three of them deserve every ounce of pain they’re about to feel after they’ve treated my Little Fairy like shit for so damn long.
“Anythin’ you can tell us about the house the blueprints don’t show?” Brick asks Mr. Russell as he lays everything out in the middle of the table.
“The house is old. There are secret passageways in several rooms downstairs. Sheridan knows all of them. She used to hide and play in them when she was little. Scared us more than a few times because we couldn’t find her for hours. One time she even fell asleep in one of the passageways. Her mother doesn’t know about those from what I can remember,” Mr. Russell says, standing up and pointing at the blueprints where the passageways are. There are five in total and they all lead outside to various parts of the property. If Sheridan can get to one, she’ll be able to escape and we can find her.
“When are we goin’ to get her?” I question the men around the table I consider my family.
“We’ll load up and head out in a few hours. Tease, you need to get some sleep. Everyone needs to get some sleep. I know you’re gonna say you don’t need any, but you do. You’re not goin’ if you don’t rest for a few hours. That will give us time to finalize a plan with Mr. Russell and get everythin’ ready. We won’t do anythin’ in the house because it does belong to Sheridan. However, we will ensure her mother and the others are dealt with,” Rooster assures me, slamming the gavel on the table in front of him without taking his eyes off of me.
I’ve been given my orders and I’m not about to be left behind because I don’t get any rest. Knuckles and my dad follow me out of church and I stop long enough to gather my gun and phone. Checking my phone really quick, I don’t have any missed calls or messages from anyone. Sliding it in my pocket, I put my gun in the holster hidden under my cut. Instead of heading to the bar like normal, I make my way up to the room I still have in the clubhouse. I’m not going home to rest because I’ll just go back in the nursery and hold my son instead of getting sleep. Knuckles follows me and goes into his room as I enter mine. Without stripping down, I collapse in bed and my eyes instantly slide closed. Images of Sheridan fill my mind as one nightmare plays after another. My girl will be coming home today.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Sheridan
ABSOLUTE PAIN IS all I know. I have no clue how much time I’ve been gone or how many people have been in and out of my house. Foxy, Jess, and my mother haven’t left. As more and more time passes, I can tell they’re becoming scared. I still have yet to sign the papers for my mother despite how many times they try to force me to. Part of that’s because they’re too afraid to release my arms. I did manage to land a few solid kicks to Foxy and Jess. Both of them are sporting some pretty large, dark bruises now. My mother was the one who didn’t get close enough so I could kick her. Now, none of them want to get close to me for any reason. So, I’ve been left alone when I’m awake. Other than the words they believe will hurt me and make me believe I’m less than the woman Axel sees me as. In his eyes, I can feel strong, confident, and like I’m good enough to be with someone like him. The only time I truly get upset is when they threaten Leo. My son will never be harmed by them in any way.
That officer who pulled me over and held me until my mother showed up has been here a few times when I’ve been awake. Yes, I finally remember exactly what happened. He doesn’t get close to me because apparently he’s fucking my mother and Jess. That was pretty damn entertaining if you ask me.
Waking up once again, the first thing I notice is a screaming match. At first, I can’t make out what’s being said,but it doesn’t take long for me to get the gist of the conversation. My mother and Jess are both fucking the same guy. The little bit I can open my eyes shows it’s the cop who pulled me over and shot Eric. He’s standing in between the two skanks looking as if he’s seen a ghost. Apparently, he didn’t have a clue my mother and Jess were working together in this shitstorm. And neither one of them had any clue they were both fucking the same guy. It’s gross if you ask me. The cop is disgusting and I thought Jess had higher standards than what I’m seeing.
“You fucking skank! How dare you fuck my man!” my mother screams out, her voice higher than I’ve ever heard it before.
“Your man? I’ve been fucking him for years. Keeps me from getting tickets and out of jail,” Jess returns as I take a good look at the trio and then look at Foxy who’s leaning against the wall a few feet away.
