Page 37 of Declan's Dove

Sadie hugs Gabe. “Thank you,” she whispers softly.

The four of us surround Sadie as we walk down to the basement. Thomas isn’t a threat to her, not physically. He’s behind bars in one of the cells the club had built years ago.

There’s a low-level light on inside the cell. Thomas sits on an old foam mattress on the ground. His hair is long and disheveled. His beard matted and bushy. He’s wearing a clean white t-shirt and gray sweatpants. It’s one of the few things Liz was able to get Gabe to agree to. She’s allowed to bring Thomas clean clothes every other day when we let him bathe inside the cell, and she cooks all his meals for him every day. But she’s never allowed down here alone for fear Thomas may turn on her or convince her to turn on the club.

I can’t see Liz turning on her family, but I’ve seen people lose their shit over their kid. It can’t be easy being stuck like she is between her husband and two sons. Though Caleb seems to be more sensitive to his wife than Gabe is being toward her, but I can’t imagine how else he could act. I’d have killed the son of a bitch on sight if he was involved in my woman’s death and the cause of my daughter being raised by someone else.

With the betrayal of Thomas to Caleb and the part he played in the death of Caleb’s brother Jonah, Jameson’s father, Liz is already fighting a losing battle. Thomas may be her son, but Liz is loyal to Caleb to her core. If it came down to it, I believe she would choose Caleb.

Then the part Thomas played in Maggie’s death—everyone loved Maggie—even if Thomas was tricked as he says, his actions still resulted in her death. It just added fuel to the fire for his unforgiveable offenses.

I’m curious to see what Sadie wants with Thomas. The fucker left her behind with her mother, who is certifiably insane and nearly killed Sadie as a baby. If anyone was going to be the wild card and kill the bastard without remorse, my money would be on Sadie.

When we enter the room, we split off and allow Sadie to walk further inside. She glances around at the meat hooks in the ceiling and the table of tools at the far end of the room. We don’t usually allow the women down here. The less they know about what goes on in the basement, the better.

When Liz came in here, she was curious, but also seemed nervous. I guess it makes sense when you see all the tools we have to choose from to torture her son. But Sadie looks around the room with genuine interest, taking in each nook and cranny of the space, as if she’s taking mental notes. When she smirks, I feel my body give a slight shudder.

I love the girl, but I’m not so sure she didn’t get a little bit of her mama’s crazy streak.

Hawk grabs a chair and pulls it to sit in front of the cell where Thomas is now standing, looking both surprised and uncertain. Sadie takes the offered chair and sits down. Caleb turns on the overhead light, causing Thomas to squint. It’s the light we use when we clean up unwanted evidence.

“Sadie,” Thomas says hesitantly. “I-it’s good to see you.”

“Not sure I can say the same,” Sadie replies. “You look like shit.”

Thomas chuckles, tugging on the hem of his t-shirt. “It’s not so bad. At least they’re clean and smell like Ma’s house.”

I look at Caleb, who doesn’t show any emotion as he leans by the main entrance with his arms over his chest, twirling his wedding band around his finger.

Hawk has taken up residence beside Mack’s table of tools. I have no doubt he’s picked out the smallest, lightest weapon should he need to throw something at the bastard in the cell.

Mack is seated beside his table with his legs extended, crossed at the ankles, his arms folded over his chest with his pistol in his hand. His expression clearly says, “I wish you would.”

“What brings you down here, sweetheart?” Thomas asks, and Sadie bristles.

“Don’t,” she says. “You don’t have a right to use endearments with me. I’m Sadie. You’re Thomas. That’s all we are right now. You don’t know me well enough to call me anything other than my name. And, well, I only know you as the traitorous asshole who abandoned me and my mother after fucking over the rest of our family for reasons I don’t think I’ll ever understand.”

“I suppose I deserve that.”

“What you deserve is a slow and painful death,” Sadie snaps. “But it would seem there are people in this world who find value in you. So, I’ve been overruled.”

Thomas squints his eyes, studying Sadie.

“She’s right,” Hawk pipes up. “If it were up to us, you’d be dead already. It’s the reason Pres didn’t come to see you himself.” Hawk chuckles humorlessly. “He didn’t think he could be trusted not to shoot you in the head and call justice served.”

“Why are you here, Sadie?” Thomas asks, ignoring Hawk completely.

She shrugs. “I guess I wanted to ask you why? Why did you abandon us?”

Thomas sighs. Gripping the cell bars with his hands, he leans his forehead against the metal. “I was stupid. I was addicted to drugs and believed we would have a better life if I went along with the Devil’s Order.”

“You would’ve had a better life,” Sadie snarls out. “I would’ve been raised by two fucked up crackheads and probably would’ve been passed around by the rest of those assholes for whatever purpose they thought I could serve.”

A loud rumble sounds from behind Sadie where both Hawk and Mack have leaned forward, pissed as fuck.

Thomas sighs. “I never would’ve let that happen to you.”

“And I’m a gullible little girl who believes your bullshit.” Sadie’s words drip with sarcasm.

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