“Sorry about this sweetheart, but we’ve picked up a passenger.”
“Two,” Rhodie adds in his rough voice.
“Two. So just stuff him in there Shitstain,” Pops says, waving at my back seat.
Rhodie does as he’s told, tossing the unconscious man into my backseat. My stomach flutters wildly with anxiety as I think about the man coming around in the backseat of my car and becoming enraged. This may not be a scenario Chewy ran us through at self defense class, but I have a feeling having an unconscious man in the backseat of a car is a surefire way to get regular murdered if he wakes up.
Deciding that I don’t want to be regular murdered, or any kind of murdered, I search my car for something to tie him up with. Dammit! If only I was some type of badass and not a timid mom. Leaning back and twisting between the two front seats I rummage around the mess on the floor of the backseat, thanks to my little girl.
“Incoming,” a gruff voice says as Judge tosses another unconscious man into my backseat.
Dammit! If only I was the type of car owner who owned an emergency kit with cable ties and not the type of car owner who drives around in what is essentially a junk drawer. Grunting, I lean further into the backseat and let out a little whoop when I come up with a long piece of glittery ribbon from one of Kit’s crafts, and her swim bag which handily has two drawstrings. I make quick work of yanking out the drawstrings and use the length to tie their hands to their knees. This way it’ll be harder for them to move around and I figure it must work well as I’ve seen it done on some of the crime dramas I’ve been devouring since I moved into my little home.
I stare at the two men, then figure I should probably cover their eyes to disorient them. Taking the long piece of glitter ribbon I tie that over one of the men’s eyes and then shove the Anna from Frozen swim bag over the other guy's head.
“Hey bab- whoa,” Switch says, freezing in the doorway.
“I didn’t want them to wake up and regular murder me,” I say in a slightly panicked voice.
“OK then. You did good, babe.” I grin at his praise and settle into my seat as Switch sinks into the passenger side of my car.
There’s some rocking and the sound of my trunk slamming and I swing my gaze to the back of my little hatchback, gasping when I meet the eyes of a dark-haired man who has been hogtied, his head arched back peeking over the backseats at me.
“Don’t look at her,” Pops growls as he punches the man in the face before turning and sitting between the other two in the backseat. He stares at the man wearing Kit’s swim bag over his head before grinning at me. “Nice.”
Shaking my head I face the front, watching the DRMC men come spilling out of my house and making their way to their bikes. My mind is all over the place and my body feels fizzy and I feel like I’m going to lose it at any moment and yet, there is no fear. Not like the fear I’m used to feeling. The kind of fear where my body feels electric, like I can’t take a proper breath because my lungs are frozen in my chest. The fear where all I can hear is the pounding sound of my own heart in my ears. The fear I had become accustomed to is just…not there. The absence of it makes me feel almost light headed, giddy with relief that I don’t have to do this alone.
“You alright?” Switch asks, his eyes darting to me before moving back to the road as he pulls out and points us in the direction of the clubhouse.
“Surprisingly, yes.” I say, turning to smile at first Switch, then Pops. “It sounds crazy but I feel totally, completely alright. Evenif there are three trussed up bad guys in my car and Willa is riding on the back of Mad Dog’s bike waving her shotgun in the air.” I blink slowly making sure I am seeing what I’m seeing and I haven’t actually had a stroke.
Pops snorts. “Goody, the Love Pres loves a new project.”
“Pops,” Switch warns but Pops doesn’t care. He blows a raspberry at Switch, then flips the bird at him.
Switch rolls his eyes and pulls into the long winding drive of the DRMC clubhouse. “What the hell?” He murmurs, stopping Petal just shy of the sleek, black car already parked there.
A huge, blonde viking of a man steps out of the driver's side, moving to the back passenger door and holding it open for a dark haired man in a grey suit. I recognize them instantly although I’m not certain of their names. They were at the DRMC Valentine’s evening.
“Come on, babe. Let’s get you inside safe and sound and with Kit, yeah?”
I nod, still distracted by the men in front of me. They look powerful, dangerous, and yet, much like the DRMC, I know that they wouldn't hurt me. I open my door, startled when Switch appears at my side. He ignores the two men, now talking to Marx, instead following behind me, the heat from his hand at my lower back warming me from the inside out. He leads me all the way upstairs to the playroom before pressing a light as air kiss to the crown of my head.
“Marx is going to call Church but I’ll come find you and Kit later,” his eyes widen a fraction, “if that’s OK with you?”
I swallow, gazing up at him, it’s been a hell of a day and in this moment I decide to be brave. “If you didn’t come find me I would have found you. I, um, I like the way I feel around you. Like I’m invincible.”
His blue gaze searches mine. “Youare, Joy. You are the strongest woman I’ve ever met. Tiny, brave, unbreakable.” Hegives me a soft smile before turning on his heel and heading back the way we came.
I watch him until he turns the corner and I can’t see him anymore. Now that it’s quiet and I’m alone standing outside the playroom some of the fear creeps back in. I don’t know what's going to happen. But I do know that I will stop at nothing to keep my family safe, Kit, Switch and the DRMC.
Chapter 8
Switch
Ifelt fucking gutted leaving Joy on the landing alone, but we’ve got three men trussed up like Thanksgiving turkeys and we need to know what they know. I need to get this shit shut down before Joy or Kit are hurt. Marx’s whistle pierces the air and like the trained dogs we are my brothers and I come running.
“Settle down, we have shit to cover and not a lot of time to do it in,” Marx barks.
