“She’s beautiful. What’s her name?”
“Addie,” she whispers. Addie moves her head slightly and looks at me, her innocent eyes staring into mine. A sudden feeling of protectiveness of Addie and her mother surges through me, taking me off guard, but I accept the idea of being protective of the pair sitting before me. They need saving and I’m the man to do it. I will make whoever did this to them suffer.
“Shadow, Bobby, bring Jessica to the chapel,” Old Guy yells from down the hall.
Jessica stands on wobbly feet, the little girl clinging around her neck.
“Follow me,” Shadow orders sternly, as he walks out of the room.
She looks at me with frightened eyes, her lips parted with terror.
“You’ll be all right,” I ensure, placing my hand on the small of her back.
After Jessica enters the chapel, I slide back onto the stool I was sitting on minutes ago, before Jessica showed up.
“You better get your shit together,” Shadow scolds, his eyebrows raised in warning.
“Fuck you, Shadow. This club is that woman’s last hope. Anyone can see that,” I respond curtly.
Hawk staggers out of the chapel doors, his mustache shifting from grumbling under his breath, and makes his way out the front door hastily.
“Where the hell is he going?” Shadow asks, looking at the front door.
“Not a clue,” I shrug.
Seconds later, Hawk enters the club carrying a big black purse under his arm, cursing under his breath some more. That must be Jessica’s purse.
“Well, that explains that,” I chuckle. Fifteen minutes later, Jessica leaves the chapel with tears streaming down her face. I immediately stand, nervous at what fate the club had given her.
“Just head back down the hall to the room you were in previously,” Old Guy instructs, his hand pointing down the hall. Jessica looks my way, her face etched with sorrow and holding me in place, before heading down the dimly lit hall.
“Bobby, Shadow, Bull wants you two,” Old Guy informs, before stepping back into the room.
“Shit,” Shadow curses, sliding off the stool.
“We are taking Jessica’s deal,” Bull informs, his arms bending at the elbow as he rests his hands at the back of his head.
“Okay,” I encourage him to continue, my forehead gathering sweat from the order.
“How are we taking care of the husband?” Shadow asks out of turn.
Bull snaps his gaze from the table to Shadow. “So glad you asked, son. It appears this guy is as dirty as they come. He will come looking for the woman and child, and when he does, I have no doubt he will make them suffer, possibly kill them,” Bull says, his tone low with anger.
“He hits on the kid?” Shadow asks, his brows knitted together with shock.
Bull nods, his eyes closed.
The girl’s cheek was red when she came in. I assumed being a child she fell, not that a grown man hit her.
“What’s the plan?” I ask, anger flooding my bloodstream.
“Take him out,” Bull says matter-of-factly, “and you and Shadow are going to be the ones to do it.” Bull slides something across the table in Shadow’s direction. I reach forward and grab it before Shadow has a chance to take hold of it, finding it to be a photograph.
“That’s the husband,” Bull informs. “Make sure you get the right one. Jessica said he has a brother who looks similar, but he’s been MIA for the last month.”
I study the photo. The guy has light-colored hair that is short, a little longer at the bangs. His eyes are blue, so light they look gray, and they hold a menacing edge to them. His cheeks are high and his jaw curves down to a point, his bright white smile blinding. He looks like one of the villains off a movie. My fingers curl around the photo, the urge to mangle him unbearable.
“Take him out, now,” Bull demands, his tone threatening as he slams the gavel down.
***
11 Hours Later
“This car smells,” I sniff, looking around at the fast-food bags, and empty cups littering the floorboard.
“If you didn’t have to stop every three hours to eat, it wouldn’t smell like a dumpster,” Shadow says flatly, staring out the windshield. I scoff; we only stopped twice.
“When was he supposed to be off work again?” I search the trash in the floorboard for the photograph Bull gave us to ID the husband.
Shadow looks at the digital clock on the dash. “Anytime now.”