Page 53 of Gypsy's Lady
Kelsey sat in Gypsy’s lap, perched on his thigh as she held a hot mug of tea in both hands. Maggie had cleaned her wound and pronouncedit needed stitches, much like Tug’s, but both had waived off any additional treatment, wanting to focus instead on the situation at hand.
Gypsy had let his mind wander over a lot of things on that short ride from the clubhouse, rolling in tight formation with the other bikes, Kelsey pressed tight against his back. He’d kept his hand on her leg, gripping firmly, holding her in place. First andforemost in his mind was Kelsey, and what it meant she’d kissed him back. As it had in the hotel room, her desire for him had rung through loud and clear.She wants me. There was no one else for Kelsey. With that knowledge, he was determined to ensure there would be no one else.She wants me.
He’d been holding back for so long, he wondered if he’d know what to do to loosen the reins now. Thenshe’dshifted against himandhis dick perked up, wanting in on anything to do with Kelsey, and he knew it wasn’t so much a matter of loosening the reins, as not getting run over in his body’s stampede.
She shiveredandhe tightened his arms around her, coming back to the present. Maggie was pouring the final cup of coffee for the men and the way Blue Line was staring down into the dark liquid,Gypsy knew he hadn’t missed anything yet.
“Who do ya think took your gal?” Tugboat asked, sweeping an arm around Maggie and drawing her to his lap. She curled into him, mimicking Kelsey’s pose. “Did you recognize the description of the man?” Blue Line shook his head. “You got a clue? I’m assuming you do, or else we’d be out beating the bushes looking for Belle.”
“Outriders,” Blue Line muttered,shaking himself. He looked up, pinning each man at the table with his gaze. “Officer in their local chapter has a hard-on for me. That’s why I called Mason in the first place.” He looked at Gypsy. “Norwood.”
“The fuck?” Kelsey shifted on his lapandhe realized his arms had tightened around her protectively. “Shhh, honey. It’s all good.” He looked at Blue Line again. “Dirk Norwood? That jackass?He’s rolling with the Outriders? What the hell, brother. Why would he snatch Belle?”
“That H supplier I told you about, the one who had a brother in the Outriders?” Blue Line’s gaze was steady, eyes bright with a hard, angry light. Gypsy nodded. “Fucker’s name is Norwood, too.”
“Jesus.” He shook his head. “You kidding me? His brother?”
Blue Line nodded. His phone rangandhe froze for an instantas he stared at the display. “Expected this,” hemuttered,and lifted the device to his ear. Harsh and cold, his voice didn’t waver when he barked into the phone, “Goddamned well give me back what’s mine.” Gypsy tensed as he realized what the words meant: Belle’s kidnapper was on the phone. “What do you want?” Terse, gravel-filled words hung in the air, and Gypsy held his breath. “No, Norwood,it’s about something. You don’t blow up a building for nothing.” Tugboat gestured, and Blue Line brought the phone down, tapping a button on the screen as he placed it on the table.
“—ing I fucking want, asshole. And I haven’t been Norwood for a long, fucking time. Maybe I wanted to call and catch up. Old times’ sake.” Through the speaker, across the years, Gypsy still recognized the arrogantlilt of Norwood’s voice.
“You’re right, you ain’t beenNorwood. That man at least had some honor. Know what I’ll call you now? Deadwood, because that’s what’s going to happen.” Blue Line’s jaw was tightandhe scowled when Gypsy made a “bring it down a notch” gesture. They didn’t need to antagonize the man, not if he actually had Belle. “What do you want, man. I want what’s mine back. You knowhow I am.”
“Selfish asshole. Always wantin’ to keep the best for yourself.” A staccato sound in the background swelled and grew recognizable as someone’s panting breaths. “This one’s still got spunk, man. Kudos to you for not beatin’ it out of her yet.” A yelp sounded, cut short and Blue Line bent his neck, head turned to the side away from the phone. Kelsey was trembling as she twisted to pushher face against Gypsy’s throat, her shoulders hitched with silent sobs. “I can take care of that foryou,before I give her back.”
“Jesus.” The whispered word burst from Blue Line’slips,and mocking laughter drifting from the phone said Norwood had heard him clearly.
“Hey, man, you got Tatum there with you?” Gypsy tensed, opened his mouth and then closed it at a brusque gesture from Blue Line.“He’s quite the character, ain’t he? High and mighty these days, going around and saving girls left and right. Doctors to hookers, oh, wait. That was the same one. He’s quite the character.Hestanding right there? Helisteningto me?” Silence reigned for a beat, then Norwood laughed, sounding unbalanced somehow. “Keep him with you, yeah? Him and the girl? Ain’t her accent a hoot? I heard shemade a good pet, guess that’s why he’s kept her so long.” Gypsy ground his teeth as Kelsey stiffened, every muscle in her body became rigid. “Yeah, keep him with you.”
His cool tone belying the devastated look on his face, Blue Line asked, “What do you need from me, Norwood? I already told you, I want what’s mine. What will it take?”
“I want my fuckin’ brother back. Want him out and free. Canyou do that?” Blue Line’s gaze met Gypsy’sandhe shook his head, one short, sharp arc side-to-side.Not possible. Norwood laughed as if he could see them, the harsh sound echoing from the phone’s speaker. “Guessing that’s a no, then. Funny how you managed to get him run upstate so easily but can’t bring him back. Well, we both know how the wheels of justice turn, don’t we? They turn and grindand spit out the damaged parts no one can put back together. You can’t hand back the years you stole, but youcando something for me. I have a shipment coming in tomorrow. Tomorrow, man. I need palms greased on the docks, and I want the goddamned container brought to my place without me having to dick around with anything. Can you do that for me? You do that for me—” another hoarse yelp, followedby a breaking sob, Belle’s voice nearly unrecognizable, “—and I’ll give you back what you’ve claimed. I’ll even guarantee while she might be bent, she won’t be broken. How’s that for a promise? Huh? So tell me,” his voice turned to a sneer, “Blue Line, is that a deal you can get behind?”
“How do you expect me to do that in a day? A single fucking day?Jesus. Fucking impossible.” Blue Line gesturedto one of his men, mimed holding a phone to his ear, and then took the device offered him. He toyed with the apps on the screen for a moment, then pressed a red button. “Where do I get the info on the shipment?”
The voice on the phone rattled off a series of details. Numbers and names, directions, nothing that made sense to Gypsy. Then Norwood said, “You get me that, and I’ll call you back, tellyou where you can retrieve your property. Like I said, you’ll want to keep Tatum close.” There was a gasp, then the sound of afistmeeting flesh, and the call disconnected.
“Fuck.” Blue Line stood with a shout, chair tumbling over behind him, neck arched to stretch his face towards the ceiling as he screamed, the sound raw and animalistic. Kelsey cowered more, shoulders rounding as she pressedclose to Gypsy.
“Brother.” He kept his eyes on Blue Line, hearing movement in the room around them, but not caring what else was going on. “Keep your shit together.”
“Iamtogether.” Words grittedatthe ceiling from between clenched teeth, Blue Line grabbed at the hair on either side of his head, yanking hard. “This is menotstorming out of here, even thoughevery fucking fiber of my beingtells me to go and find my woman and bring her home. This is me trying likefuckto keep my shit, because if I get this wrong, there’ll be war, and if there’s war, every one of my men has a target painted on their backs. I can’t do that to them, to their families, so yeah, brother, this is me holding my shit together best I fucking can.”
“How did he know I was here?” Gypsy scanned the room, pausingfora single breathon each face, seeing only confusion and concern. No guilt, nothing to point to anyone here. “We only rolled into town today. And the things he said?” Claudia andKelseymentioned in the same breath by a man from his past. “How the fuck could he know?”
“I don’t fucking know. I only told Moby you were coming. Hurley didn’t even know, not from me.” Blue Line shuddered. “I don’tknow, brother. Did you hear her? Did you hear what I did?” Mouth twisted to the side, Blue Line reached out and picked up the phone, hesitating as if he wanted to smash the device. “He’s hurting my Belle, Doug. My Blue Belle.”
Blue Line sucked in a hard breath through his nose and held it, then blew it out silently, bringing his shoulders down as he dropped his gaze to meetGypsy’s.Painwaswritten on his face, stark and raw, and it hit Gypsy like a blow.
“You love her.” The words were out before he could catch them, and Kelsey tensed in his arms.
“Yeah,” Blue Line returned softly, “I love her. I saved her. Even before I loved her, I wanted to save her. Brought her back from the brink so many times, helped her wrestle her demons until she could deal. But in saving her, she savedme, too. Yin-yang, brother. Give and take. That’s what love is. That’s what I’ve got with Belle.” His face hardened, lips pressing togethersohis mouth was a bloodless slash across his face. “I’m getting her back. Gonna bring my baby home.”
Bring my baby home. The words danced around Gypsy’s head, resonating with him and he dipped his chin to find Kelsey staring up at him, resolvegatheringin her eyes. Before he could say anything, she’d pushed away from his chest, sitting upright as she stared at Blue Line. Chin up, she asked, “How can we help?”We. Gypsy rocked back, stunned by the realization that she believed themtobe a unit, something he’d longed for.
“Honey—” Something stopped Blue Lineandhe shut his mouth as he studied Kelsey closely. “Kelsey, I appreciate the offer,but—”
“I was taken.” Loud, ringing through the room, her words pulled all movement to a halt. “Taken and kept and treated like so much meat for anyone’s amusement. So, if anyone knows what Belle’s going through, it’s bloodyme. Now, sit down and tell me how we can catch this cunt and get our Belle back.” Gypsy grasped her chin in his fingers, turning her to face him. Lips trembling, she staredat him for a moment. She lay two fingers across his mouth, silencing him for a moment. “He wants to bring his baby home, Gypsy. We’re going to be part of that, okay?”
