Page 38 of Prospect
Then real fear set in when I heard gunfire and men yelling below us. My first thought wasn't of myself. I knew The Kings had come for us. The bullets I listened to as they ricocheted off the metal walls of the building meant they were putting their lives in danger to save us, which meant Sam was down there somewhere amongst the chaos too.What if he dies?That thought began repeatedly playing in my head as I kept hold of Luna's hand there in that dark musky closet. When I heard heavy footsteps ascending the stairs, where we were being held, I mentally prepared myself for the worst—to die. Then I heard Sam's voice and relief washed over me.
Sam did his best to shield me from the bloodshed as we made our way out of the lumber mill, but it was hard not to notice the vacant look of death in a few of the dead men's eyes as we walked by.
"Sofia." The bed dips beside me. "Are you okay with me taking a look at you?" Emerson questions her tone gentle. "Besides the visible marks on your face, are there any other places you were hurt?" Ironic now that I'm safe I can't find my voice. All I can do is stare at the wall. My eyes fixed on a single crack on the painted surface.
"Sofia," Bella steps in my line of sight, breaking the trance. Lifting my eyes, I take in her concerned expression and blink. Glancing to my left, I find Alba, Grace, Mila, and a somber Luna looking back at me. It's weird how you can be very present in a room with other people but somehow feel so far away at the same time. My eyes are drawn back to Bella as she steps closer and kneels on the floor in front of me. "Did any of those men sexually touch you?" she asks the one question I know is weighing on all their hearts considering they know what I have been through in the past.
"No." I keep my answer short, but I do not doubt if my family hadn't shown up when they did my truth would be much different. I make eye contact with Luna, who has taken a seat in the chair next to the bedroom window. There's a light knock on the door before it cracks open and Raine peeks in.
"May I come in?"
"Sure," Alba tells her. Stepping in, Raine closes the door.
"Ember and Lisa are with the kids. I wanted to make sure Sofia and Luna were doing okay." She looks my way, and I give her a small nod. She turns in Luna's direction and signs. Luna gives her a slight nod as well.
I look around the room. Every important person in my life is in this building. The women in this room are my sisters. That thought alone causes me to breakdown. It's the love I feel at this moment that has me losing it. Tears streaming down my cheeks drips onto my hands resting on my lap. And they let me cry. Without question, my sisters gather around me as I sit on the edge of the bed and let it all out. They even cry with me as I let go of the past—all of it.
After having a moment to collect myself, I give Emerson the go-ahead to check me over. By the end of her examination, I am mentally and physically exhausted. All I want to do is take a hot shower, slip into one of Sam's shirts and crawl into bed. Once the women pass out their hugs, they leave. Thirty minutes later my tired body slides into bed. Missing Sam's arms, I wrap the blanket tight around my body and bury my face in his pillow inhaling his smell which instantly relaxes me. Before long, my eyes grow heavy and I drift off to sleep.
Chapter twenty-one
Sam
"Logan said I would find you out here." I whip my head around to find Jake striding in my direction his boots crunching on the gravel. I checked on Sofia twenty minutes ago and found her passed out in my bed, so I decided to come outside for some fresh air. Looking up at the dark cloud covered sky, I inhale the warm Montana air.
"Needed a breather," I say as Jake takes a seat in a chair across from me. He's silent for a moment as he takes his cigarettes from the inside of his cut, puts one in his mouth and lights it. He says nothing as he takes a long drag. Neither one of us says a word for several more minutes while he continues taking one pull after another from his cigarette.
"How's Sofia?" he asks.
"She's okay. Finally fell asleep about twenty minutes ago."
"Emerson check her out?"
I tip my chin. "Yeah. Her face is a little banged up, but she's good."
Jake nods satisfied with my answer. "Some shit went down tonight," Jake points out changing the subject, and I nod in agreement. He continues. "Wanted to see where your head was at on all that."
Leaning forward in the chair, I rest my elbows on my knees and level Jake with a look. "Truthfully, I'm good." I cock my head to the side and look off into the distance as I try to conjure the right words to say, but Jake beats me to it, somehow knowing exactly what was on my mind.
"You have no regrets about what went down and ending those two pieces of shit, but it bothers you that it doesn't bother you. Am I right?"
I sigh and run my hand down my face.
Jake scoots to the edge of his seat coming face to face with me. "I'm going to tell you the same thing I told each one of my brothers the first time they took a life while protecting this club. Believe it or not, we all have felt the same as you are feeling now. We've faced our own conflicting emotions. The reason you feel no remorse for ending the lives of two men today is because those pussies deserved the bullet they got. Because had you not taken them down there is no telling how many more innocent lives they would have taken—innocent people like Sofia and Luna. That is not something you'd be able to live with. There will be many people who will not agree with our brand of justice, who don't understand why we choose to go above the law but that's what separates us from the rest of the world. We don't need them to understand nor do we need their approval. The only thing that matters is protecting the club, protecting our family, and keeping our town safe. If that makes us bad people, then so be it. I'm more than ready to answer to my maker for my choices when my time on earth is done. That's the only question you should be askin' yourself right now. Are you prepared to answer for your sins when you're standin' outside those pearly gates?" Jake stands and clutches my shoulder. "The choice is yours, son." With those parting words, he walks off. I watch his retreating form as he disappears inside the clubhouse. I have a feeling Jake's speech was his way of giving me an out.
I also know he would respect my decision to leave if that is what it came down to, but at the end of the day, there is nothing to think about. Am I prepared to kill again if faced with the same circumstances as today? The answer is always yes. Am I ready to answer for my sins when my time on earth is up? Hell, yeah. The club is my home now, and The Kings are my family. There is nothing to decide. Standing, I make my way across the lot and into the clubhouse behind Jake. When I open the door, he's standing just inside the entrance with a crooked smile on his face. "My gut is never wrong. Now let's go take care of the son of a bitch downstairs." I follow Jake the same moment, Logan, Gabriel, Reid, Quinn, Grey, Blake, and Austin stand from the bar and do the same.
On the way to the basement, we pass Demetri and Nikolai in the hall. "We'll be on our way friend, unless you need us to stay."
Jake shakes his head. "We'll take it from here, brother. Thanks again." Jake claps Demetri on the shoulder, and with a nod, he and Nikolai take their leave. When we come upon the basement door, Jake halts and turns to us. "I want to find out everything there is to know about Pike's brother before we end him. Riggs will be leaving out in a few hours with Luna. The more we know about Rex, the better. Riggs needs to know what he's dealing with to better protect Luna."
Entering the basement, we're met by Riggs, Kiwi, and Fender. Cuffed to a chair with duct tape covering his bloody mouth is Pike. Stalking up to Pike, Jake rips the tape away from his mouth where he promptly spits a mouth full of blood at Jake's feet. Pike's actions earn him a fist to his ugly mug. When the asshole lifts his face the crooked shape of his nose tells us it's broken. I look down at Jakes' hand to see he has slipped his brass knuckles on. I've heard several of the guys mention in the past brass knuckles are Jake's favorite tool. "You'd be smart to watch your fuckin' mouth," he snarls. "Your compliance won't save you, but it will determine how swift your death will be. Personally, I couldn't care less either way." When Pike makes no move to talk, Jake continues. "Tell me what Rex knows about Luna and who is feeding him the information."
"My brother gets his intel from one of the guards at the jail. I don't fuckin' know which one. Besides," Pike looks up at Jake with a sinister smile as blood drips from his nose and over his mouth. "Rex was released two days ago. It turns out the authorities don't even need that bitch of his. The charges against my brother were dropped due to insufficient evidence."
"Fuck," Riggs hisses, and Pike begins to cackle.
"You assholes are so fucked. My brother will not stop until he gets what he wants and for whatever reason, he wants that deaf bitch. Don't know why he'd want the whore."
