Page 22 of Baja
“I caught a motherfucker assaulting Alice in the greenhouse. She’s busted up bad, Prez.” I choke on my emotions a little.
A tense pause hangs before Salem says, “You kill him?”
The muscles in my jaw tense. “Not yet.” My voice is icy.
“On our way,” Salem responds, the edge in his voice unmistakable.
“Prez.”
“Yeah?”
“Sukie still there?” I ask, knowing Alice will need her daughter by her side.
“She’s here.”
I look at Alice, and the emotions reflecting in her eyes speak louder than her words ever could. “Smoke the asphalt.” There’s no hiding the urgency in my voice. I end the call, slide the phone back into my pocket, and focus on Alice again.
Her eyes pool with tears once more.
“Got anything to tie the fucker up with?” I ask Alice.
“There’s some rope in that five-gallon bucket over there in the corner by the shovels and bags of soil.” She points, her voice still weak.
I hold her tighter, knowing I need to let her go to secure the bastard. “I don’t want to, but I need to let you go for a minute.”
“Okay,” she murmurs, but I hear the fear in her voice, and she tenses.
I reach for my weapon and place it in her hands. “Just in case…” I look into her eyes. “I need to tie him up before he wakes, baby. But if you have to protect yourself, you aim and pull that fuckin’ trigger. Don’t hesitate. You got me?” I’m not giving her any other option.
Alice’s hands tremble as she holds the cold steel and nods. I carefully hoist Alice up, propping her against a stack of soil bags. I take a moment to meet her eyes with mine and see a flicker of strength within her before I turn my back and stride across the greenhouse to retrieve the rope. I return to where her attacker lays and peer at my woman again, finding her tracking my every move with a firm grip on the gun. Good. I turn my attention back on this piece of shit before me and bind his hands andfeet. My eyes wander, spotting a pair of garden gloves covered in black soil, and snatching them up, stuffing one into the fucker’s bloodied and battered mouth, causing him to gag as he’s forced to breathe through his busted nose.
Looking for identification, I dive into his pockets, snag his wallet, and flip it open.Ricky Adams.“A damn cop,” I hiss under my breath. I make my way back to Alice and kneel beside her. “You know the bastard, baby?”
I know that, by the fear mixed with anger flashing in her eyes, she does. “Yes.” She takes a shaky breath. “He’s my ex’s cousin.”
I give a curt nod, stuffing his wallet into my pocket like it’s a ticking bomb. His being a cop won’t make a damn bit of difference to the outcome or his fate. But it sure as shit brings heat to the club.
I hear a low rumble growing louder in the distance, rolling in like a freight train. My brothers are closing in. I gently take my gun from her hands and holster it at my side. “Come here, baby. It’s time to go.” I slide my arms beneath Alice, lifting her as I stand. She wraps her arms around my neck and rests her head against my chest. I feel her body tremble with residual tremors as she anchors against me while we make our way out of the greenhouse, cross the backyard, and head toward the front of the house. My brothers pull up one by one and dismount their bikes.
Salem strides forward. “Juneau’s at the clubhouse, getting ready for you,” he says, eyes scanning Alice and his expression hardening.
“He’s out back in the greenhouse tied up and waiting for ya,” I shoot back, my voice low and tense. The moment I speak, Harlem, Mystic, and Laredo march past.
“Get her to the clubhouse. We got it from here,” Salem says and goes to walk away.
“Prez. The piece of shit is a cop,” I inform him, and he stops. His jaw tightens, and he nods once. “We’ll deal with it later.”
I surge forward, carrying Alice to her truck, and open the passenger door. I slide her onto the seat, my insides ripping apart when she lets out a painful whimper as she lays on her side, too exhausted to do anything else.
I feel the rage burning in my chest once again. That cop has a death sentence hanging over his head for what he did to my woman.
I close the door and stroll to the driver’s side, climbing in behind the wheel before realizing I need the damn keys. “Shit,” I hiss.
“There’s a spare set in a small black box beneath the seat,” Alice whispers, blinking like she’s struggling to stay awake. Worrying about a concussion, I push her to open her eyes. “Stay awake, baby,” I urge, even though her body has been through hell. I reach under my seat until I find what I’m searching for, start the engine, and hit the road.
I grip the steering wheel. “You still with me, baby?” I keep my eyes fixed on the darkened road ahead, but the soft sound of her breathing beside me in the cab is impossible to miss. “We’re almost there,” I tell her, not knowing if she hears me.
My mind races in a thousand directions as I press the gas pedal into the floorboard. I’ve never felt rage like what’s flowing inside me right now. My hunger for vengeance is rooted deep in my core. And only one thing will satiate the appetite.
