Page 101 of Brandishing Betrayals

“Where’s Marcos?” Jason demanded.

I couldn’t breathe, my heart was pounding in my chest and my lungs were constricting with dust and exertion. I tried to calm my breathing so I could explain through my tears. “We followed Luke and Hillcrest out of the door. Marcos got here first. By the time I got out here they were all gone!”

“Motherfucker!” Jason swore, kicking at the gravel drive behind the school.

Nico pulled me up and pushed me at Jason, before he took off running down the gravel drive and around the building in the opposite direction as he’d come.

Jason’s good arm immediately wrapped around my shoulders and pulled me into his chest as tightly as he could. “Jason.” I gasped his name as I clung to him. “My baby. He has my baby.”

“I know, Darlin’, I know. We’ll get him back. I promise you, Maya. We will tear the world apart to get him back to you.” Jason’s voice was gravelly and deep, rough around the edges.

I sobbed into his chest, holding him tightly. We stayed that way until footsteps sounded behind me and I pulled away to turn around.

Nico and Marcos were walking back our way, looking complete dejected.

“No,” I cried again, seeing the look of utter despair on both of their faces.

“I got the plate number, but they got away.” Marcos’s voice was scratchy and hoarse, as if he’d been screaming. Marcos walked right to me and grabbed me by both shoulders to turn me to face him, before both of his large hands came up and cupped the sides of my face. “Mia Vida, I swear to you, on my fucking life. Iwillfind him. Iwillbring home our son.”

Tears poured down my face as I whimpered and clung to his leather cut. “Marcos.”

He yanked me into his arms and pressed my face against his chest.

Maya

We eventually went back to the parking lot and found my mother still waiting by her car. Nico had to explain what happened to Elaine, as he got her settled into the passenger seat of my Civic. I couldn’t be parted from Marcos. I clung to him, needing the father of my child close to me.

I rode back to my mother’s house with my hand wrapped tightly around Marcos’s while he drove. Jason had sprawled out in back, taking up the length of the back seat to put his injured leg up. He had stuck his arm through the opening between the front seats to rest his good hand on my shoulder.

As soon as we got home, Marcos started making phone calls while my mother and I settled onto the couch. Marcos called their entire club to my mother’s house and I listened in as the club convened in the garage. Deep booming voices that shouted and yelled over one another, angling to be heard. I had watched as all of my men had argued with their own club members on how to best rescue my son.

When it became too overwhelming, I left the garage quietly—not that anyone had noticed I had been there to begin with—and went to my bedroom.

I pulled my phone out as I sat down and frowned when I saw a new text message notification sitting on my lock screen.Unlocking my phone, I opened the message and covered my mouth to stifle a cry.

There was a picture of my son, his face bruised and bleeding in the message. Below the picture was an address.

Unknown Number:

Come alone. I will let him go free if you turn yourself over.

My heart pounded so hard in my chest, even as it fucking dropped into my stomach. Fear gripped me in a chokehold.

Maya:

How do I know you’re not lying?

Unknown Number:

Only one way to find out. You have until nightfall, then I’ll kill him.

My hand flew to my mouth to stifle my cry dismay. He was going to kill my baby if I didn’t turn myself over to them.

An even trade sounded good, but would he keep his word? I didn’t fucking know, but I knew what was happening out in the garage was not helping get my son back.

I needed to act. Now.

I entered the address into the GPS app on my phone and saw the house was just outside my neighborhood, across the Evermore River and into Creekton. It was located in The Edges, what the locals called the land between Creekton and Mourningside that no one knew which town it actually belonged to. The land was mostly owned by the Seratelli family.

---