Page 37 of Brave as It

My mother takes a step back. “What?” I challenge her. “Things feelin’ different when the playing field is a little more even?” I taunt.

“Emmalee, I just need you to get on the plane,” she points to it as it’s approaching on the runway. “Go to the bank, get the money. This is over.”

She makes it sound simple when it’s anything but. “Your existence disgusts me. Why do I want to do anything to help you?”

O’Leary studies my face. Something changes in him. He reaches out to the goon who pulls a gun from his back and hands it to O’Leary.

My heartbeat picks up and I feel the panic rising. This is it. I’m not cooperating, and he’s done playing. I’m going to get killed and probably get Dia killed right along with me. How do I save her? If I die, fine. What is there left to live for? My mother is a snake in the grass just like my father was. I lost the man I love. There is no way the Hellions will trust me after this. I can’t go back to North Carolina. I can stay here and work for Stone, but I’ll never be able to live anywhere but a damn motel. Oh yes, what a life. I can’t afford to go back to school and finish my degree. I can die and it will be okay.

Dia, I can’t let anything happen to her, though.

He raises the gun, pointing at me. I feel Dia reach out and put her hand in mine. She gives it a squeeze as he smiles a sick smileat me. “A gift for you, Emmalee. You are right about it all. You don’t have to help her,” he mutters before moving the gun and firing a single shot into my mother’s head. “I needed her to get you here, I don’t need her to get the money.”

Her brain matter and blood splatter across my face. I fight back the rising bile as the plane comes to a stop. I’m stuck in place completely stunned. I can’t look away. My mother’s limp body is on the ground at my feet as blood pools around her head.

Dia squeezes my hand once again. It breaks me out of the trance. I look where she is staring. In the distance I see a van. What the hell is going to happen next? The plane is here. Who could be coming in a van.

What do we do? How can we find a way out?

Until I’m no longer breathing, I’m not giving up hope.

I’ve been through too much to give in now.

Right?

TWELVE

WESSON

Boomerism: Patience is practiced, it never comes easy.

There aremoments in life where things feel so close and yet so far away. This is one of those times. I can see her in the distance by using the binoculars the prospect handed me. One thing about the sons they seem to be prepared for everything. These are military grade special ops level field glasses and cost whack for the everyday civilian.

I have to ready myself for what I may or may not see. Emotions cloud decisions. Every decision in this moment is life or death for two woman I care about. I can’t react on how I feel because I’m knotted up inside as it is. I have to assess and plan. Pushing aside who they are to me is impossible, but I can compartmentalize.

Blinking, I reset my mind and look to the scene through the tiny lenses. Emmalee and Dia look uninjured, but by the body language Dia has-she’s pissed. One thing about her, everything she feels shows on her face and in her stance. Emmalee, she looks stressed and confused. Her head keeps turning side to sidelike she doesn’t know where exactly to look and what she should be doing.

A plane has come to a stop not far from them, but still, some distance away. A black SUV is pulling away making me curious as to who that happened to be. There are two men pacing the group guarding as O’Leary stands with Emmalee, Dia, and another female. Who is that? Why is there a third woman? Looking harder, I realize it’s Emmalee’s mother. We weren’t notified of her presence originally; she must have arrived in the vehicle.

Fuck.

Mia Van Etten is a woman with no real history of anything. No criminal background, no employment background. She has no family left alive except Emmalee. Until Paul Van Etten’s death, she was the picture-perfect housewife. They met in college, got married, and she didn’t even finish getting her degree. Paul has been her financial lifeline from the moment they said, ‘I do’. She doesn’t have close friends that had anything significant to say about her. No dirty little secrets could be found.

Why is she here?

More than that, why does she look exactly like a Woman’s Day magazine model. There isn’t a fucking hair out of place. The signs of distress visible to anyone aren’t present. If I had to judge her appearance, she is unsurprised and unphased. The thing that stands out to me the most, she is not handcuffed. Emmalee and Dia are secured in metal cuffs with their hands behind their backs. Mia Van Etten is free to move as she pleases.

I dropped my guard. I gave her an all clear and didn’t think she posed a threat to Emmalee. Once Emmalee and Diem’s dad were in the ground, I didn’t find a single piece of evidence that made her mother look as if she had any part in their dealings. This thing runs deeper than I ever expected. How far back doesMia’s involvement go? Is she working with O’Leary? Did she put Paul up to the money scheme in the first place? Pillow talk in the Van Etten home must have been some serious shit. I have too many questions that may not have answers.

I was blinded by Emmalee’s injuries after Paul’s death. Giving my entire focus to supporting her recovery, I didn’t put in the time and resources to doubling back on her mom. I had a quick scan done on Mia. Given the lack of anything standing out, I let it go. I shouldn’t have obviously. How did I let this happen?

“Yo,” Stone answers the call coming through on the van’s speaker phone.

“Tower and Hangar are all clear. Vehicle pulled away after Mrs. Van Etten cleared it. There are two guards on the ground and O’Leary. The pilot is ours no need to make a move there. Three targets when you’re ready.”

The call ends and I have zero clue who was speaking and truly don’t give a fuck. I’ll give Stone credit he runs a tight ship and covers every angle. Obviously, his club respects him and they work together. Everything takes time and this is no different. Having most of his club on a support run, Stone did what any good leader does and calls in additional chapters. Dropping everything for their club, the Sinister Sons stepped up to the plate big time. The Sons snuck in and covered the tower and hangar while we made our way to the location. We have been waiting down the road for the final assessment of the situation.

O’Leary underestimated the location. He didn’t let this play out in Haywood’s Landing because he knew we would roll in on it deep with numbers. I don’t know why Florida and why a plane, but I do know he didn’t plan to need numbers on his side. This is good for us, and most certainly bad for him. His miscalculation has tipped the scales in our favor.

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