As I make my move to the desk, my phone buzzes against the wood. The number is hidden on screen, and I wish I were paying more attention because if I was, I could have seen this incoming on the software which will reveal the caller.
“What?” I answer, and deep down, I know who it is before his voice comes across the line.
The dark, demented tone of Mahoney responds, “I want my daughter back.”
“What makes you think we’re willing to barter?” I ask as I turn to look at the three sets of eyes locked on me. Questions dance in their gazes. “She’s ours now.”
“Like fuck she is,” he spits. “She is the payment I need to ensure my freedom.” We already knew this. The man will only be killed if he doesn’t deliver what was promised to the Pakhan, and he knows it.
“Your freedom means nothing to us,” I inform him.
Lucille’s gaze burns through mine. Her mouth parts as she watches me, and I wonder what’s going through her head right now. The fear of seeing her father must be eating her alive.
We, as The Fallen, all we feel is anger. I don’t doubt my brothers will be ready to take this bastard on. “Bring her to the warehouse on St. Hovis farm,” he tells me. “Or I will have my colleagues pay a visit to your homes in L.A. I still have all the addresses.” The threat is clear.
I hang up before he can say anything more. I can’t listen to the bastard without my blood boiling over. “He wants Lucille.”
The silence greeting me is deafening. Crow’s brows furrow, Hawk is his usual stoic self, but I can tell from the way his hands fist at his sides he’s not happy. We should wait for the Savage brothers to arrive with back up, but the three of us have faced far worse adversaries before. Mahoney may have the Bratva on his side, but right now, I can’t bring myself to give Lucille over to him.
“I’ll go.”
“Like fuck you will,” Crow bites out, his glare snapping to Lucy. I’ve seen him angry before, but never seen him defend her in this way. We’ve spoken about killing her before, and he’s been all for it.
“I can’t let you go,” she tells him before pushing to her feet. “If he wants me, he can take me. I’m not letting anyone else get hurt because of my father, or me.” They’re at a standoff, both wanting to step up, both needing to control. I didn’t expect her to say anything. I thought she would have wanted to run.
But she’s surprised me.
“Then we all go,” I announce.
“I’m ready to spill some blood,” Hawk responds as he cracks his knuckles. The man like to get bloody. I can’t wait to see how this showdown is going to go.
“The Fallen have accepted you,” Crow informs Lucille, “Now it’s time to show you what a real family does.”
As he offers her his hand, I know it’s done. There is no going back. We have our girl, we have a new addition to our family, and there’s no changing it.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
LUCILLE
The drive out of The Fallen property is silent. There is a deafening quiet hanging like a weight. It’s a reminder we may be walking into a trap. That we may not come back from this alive. As much as I wanted to fight them, I knew they wouldn’t let me go.
Sitting in the back with Hawk beside me, while Crow drives and Falcon is settled in the passenger seat makes it feel as if I’m not alone. I spent years convinced I will always be haunted by my father, and now, these men want to take it away. They want to save me even though it was my dad who broke their families apart.
When we pull into the driveway of the farm a few hours later, I’m exhausted. It’s late. It’s been a long day. There have been confessions and admissions, but the next few hours are going to be even worse.
My gut churns as we exit the vehicle. I’m surrounded by The Fallen. They move in sync as if we’re all one person. A door opens and I notice a few cars parked inside, along with one behind the enormous building. But as we take a step closer, gunshots ring out, sending us to the ground. The cold dirt against my face smells of shit, and my stomach rolls at the stench.
I’m dragged by two strong men, while Crow, Hawk, and Falcon are held at gunpoint. The bastards came out of the shadows. They were waiting for us. I knew it was a trap. There’s nothing we can do about it now.
Inside, I’m shoved to the floor. The cold concrete bites into my knees, and when I look up, I see my father, beside a man who looks like he could kill me if he merely snapped his fingers.