Page 38 of Bren

“It’s okay, baby, it’s okay. I’ve got you,” he whispers, picking me up and carrying me away. Looking over his shoulder, I see Beau doing the same with Ellie. Alec stops when Dad puts a hand on his shoulder, “Bren, baby girl,” his eyes are filled with tears, and it’s humbling to see. “I’m okay, Dad,” I assure him. “Ellie needs to get her arm seen to, though.”

“Okay, Alec and Beau are going to take you to the hospital; we’ll clean up here first. I’ll let your mum and Bev know. Love you so much, baby girl,” he whispers, kissing my forehead before turning towards Ellie and Beau. My brothers are there to make sure I’m okay, and then it’s just me and Alec. My head falls to his shoulder, and I close my eyes when I notice the carnage around. We get into the back of a vehicle, Beau deposits Ellie next to us before getting in the driver’s seat. I take the hand she holds out, squeezing it tight.

“Love you, Ells,” I whisper as another tear rolls down my cheek. “Love you too, Bren, you were so brave,” Ellie replies, resting her head on Alec’s shoulder. He lifts his arm and wraps it around her shoulders, pulling her closer to us, knowing that I needed to have her close.

“You’re my little sister; there’s nothing I wouldn’t do to protect you,” I reply fiercely.

“Proud of both of you,” Alec says, resting his lips to the crown of my head. “God, I’ve never been so scared in all my life,” he whispers brokenly. “Remind me to send Noni a huge bunch of flowers for gifting you those boots.”

I let out a small wet laugh and sniff away my tears. Resting my head back on his chest, I’m lulled to sleep by the sound of his heart beating under my ear.

Asleep, I miss the explosion behind us and the small smiles on Alec and Beau’s faces as they watch the fire burning in the background.

Chapter 19

ALEC

Ever since I put a ring on Bren’s finger and my cut on her back, it feels like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. For someone who’d sworn he’d never enter a committed relationship, get married, or have an Old Lady, I found myself strangely sorry for my past self; we’d missed out on so much over the years.

With Bren and Ellie back at work full-time, Lexi was splitting her days between the two of us and her grandmothers. We could put her in the Crow nursery, but so far, none of us seemed inclined to do that. I loved having her in the office with Mum; it meant I could visit and spend time with her whenever I took a break. I wasn’t ashamed to admit I was totally wrapped around my little girl’s fingers and now understood why Cash and, just recently, Maestro would do anything for their daughters.

It was late afternoon when Bren called to warn me that she’d be home late. It couldn’t be helped, and I could hear in her voice that she was down about not being there to put Lexi to bed with me. I knew eventually this was bound to happen; we both ran our own businesses and eventually an emergency would crop up. It just so happened that it was her day for it today.

Even with Christian arrested, I still insisted she let me know when they left so that I knew what time approximately she’d behome. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust her; it was a safety thing, and I knew she understood that and would do as I asked.

It was close to seven when I received the text. I’d put Lexi down and brought the monitor down to the kitchen with me and joined Sam, Ben, Beau, Reaper, and a few others sitting at the kitchen table shooting the shit while having a beer and something to eat. Aunt Maggie was out with Dog tonight for their anniversary, so we’d all made do with leftovers.

My phone vibrated in my pocket. Taking it out, I read the message with a smile and replied before putting it back in my pocket. Looking up, I caught Reaper watching me.

“Bren,” he asks curiously.

“Yeah, Pres, they’re on their way back.”

“Good.”

We’re chatting for a few more minutes when Reaper’s phone rings, interrupting us. As soon as he answers, we all know that something is wrong. My heart stops a beat when I hear Ellie’s panicked voice on the phone, and across from me, Beau sits up straight. I grip the table so hard my fingers are going white.

The girls go quiet for a bit, and I was just starting to relax when I hear Bren shout to Ellie to brace. Sitting in the kitchen, my heart in my throat as I listen to the woman who’d given me everything shout in panic that has me out of my chair and running into the lounge where Abby, Mum, and Gunny are sitting.

Throwing the baby monitor at Gunny, I shout, “Look after Lexi, something’s happened to Bren and Ellie.” Turning, I hurry out of the lounge and back to the kitchen where Reaper is still on the phone. Ignoring them all, I grab my jacket off the hook and run out the back door. Beau isn’t far behind me, with Sam and Ben and the rest of the Temples following. Starting my bike, I ridelike the devil’s after me towards the factory. We’re only a couple of miles down the road when I see Bren’s car crashed into a tree. Jumping off my bike, I let it fall, not caring if I damage it or not, shouting out Bren’s name as I fling open the door, already knowing that she isn’t in the vehicle and neither is Ellie.

Bending over, I grab my hair and pull as panic surges through me. “Come on,” Sam says, slapping my shoulder. “Let’s get back to the Manor and check their trackers.”

Until that moment, I’d forgotten about their trackers, “Fuck,” I shout, going back to my bike and picking it up. She’s a bit scratched and dented, but I don’t care. We hurry back to the Manor and to the clubhouse where Skinny’s set up is, and Beau immediately gets on and logs into the system.

“Fuck it!” he shouts, sweeping the pen holder off the desk and burying his head in his hands, tugging his hair. Going behind him, I see that their trackers haven’t been activated. “Fuck,” I mutter, resting my hand on his shoulder. I’m not sure how we missed it, but there was no doubt that Beau and Ellie obviously had a connection. I wondered if the age gap was what was holding him back.

Reaper walks in with the rest of the brotherhood. “Anything?” he demands.

I shake my head. “Jesus fuck!” he shouts, slamming a fist into the door that houses our electric and gas meters. Sam worriedly watches as his dad falls apart. When his eyes meet mine, he nods.

It’s time for him to start stepping into the position he’s born for, “Okay, we don’t know where the girls are. Draco, get onto Greg and check where Christian is. The girls are smart; they’ll keep themselves as safe as they can. Beau, check on Christian’s dad, see where he is. Dragon, take Dad and get him a whisky.”

Turning to Ben, who is pale, worry showing in his blue eyes. Eyes just like Bren and Ellie’s. They swing to Sam when he calls out Ben’s name. “Ben, if you’re feeling up to it and are safe to ride, then you, Booker, and Brice take your bikes and start getting the word out to the village.”

Ben straightens and agrees, “No problem, Sam. I’m good to ride,” he assures Sam, who nods before continuing, “Onyx, have Rea on standby. Hawk, Navy, let’s go to the abattoir and get any weapons you both think we may need. As soon as we know where my sisters are, we’re riding. Alec, stay with Beau and keep your phone on you.”

Everyone disperses to do as Sam orders. Sam, Navy, and Hawk leave the clubhouse to go and get us weapons. Reaper is silent, staring into a glass of whisky that Dragon poured for him. Dragon, standing shoulder to shoulder with him, it was strange to see my Pres fall apart, but I understood it, especially as I felt like punching a wall myself. Beau and I continue to stare at a screen that isn’t showing shit.

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