Out of the Ashes (Sons of Templar MC 3)

She nodded, standing. She turned to leave and he couldn’t help it.

“Lex,” he called softly. She turned.

“Love you,” he murmured, not giving a fuck that his brothers were there, that Cade jolted slightly. He just needed this kid to know she wasn’t alone, that he was there. He’d always be there.

She smiled a sad smile. “Love you to the moon,” she said quietly, like he heard her say to her mom.

When she was gone Wire anxiously approached the table, an iPad in his hands. They found something. Finally.

“Speak,” Bull barked at the apprehensive expression on the fucker’s face. All gentleness was gone. That was for Lex, for Mia. Only them.

“Well, digging into the people in Mia’s life had me looking at the Thorndons. Hacked into DCPD, got the coroner’s report,” he started, eyes on the device.

Bull gritted his teeth. Ava and Steve. This didn’t seem like it was going any place good. He had tried to speak with the cops after they interviewed Mia, but the fuckers weren’t exactly hot on providing someone like him with info. Merely said it was a robbery gone wrong.

“They were tortured,” Wire stated blankly. “In a way that someone was trying to get information out of them. It wasn’t pretty, man,” he addressed Bull.

The rage that filtered through him at that moment caused him to still. He didn’t know these people, but they were Mia and Lexie’s family.

Wire took his silence as a cue to go on. “Their place was also ransacked. Someone was looking for something.” He was scrolling through shit on the screen.

Cade sat at the head of the table, face grim. Bull knew he was feeling fury at an old couple getting tortured and murdered. Not only that, they were connected to the club, however loosely. “They find it?” his prez bit out.

“Don’t know,” Wire looked up. “But hacking into their shit got me what I was looking for. Connection to Mia’s old life.” He grinned slightly, then when he met Bull’s eyes the grin left his face left quickly. “This is heavy shit, brother,” he warned.

Bull felt the room tense. “Spit it the fuck out,” he growled.

“Mia Spencer is actually Abigail Locke,” he started. “From Atlanta, Georgia. Born to two worthless, alcoholic, drug addicts. Lived in a trailer park until the age of fifteen, till she met Sid Gregory.” He spoke carefully.

Bull didn’t recognize the name but he didn’t miss how Steg’s mouth turned tight and his eyes narrowed.

“Got pregnant, married him soon after,” Wire went on quickly. “Moved into the family home. Fucker was only eighteen—somehow moved quickly up the ranks in a lucrative drug dealing syndicate.” There were curses around the table at this little gem. “Family ties, you see,” Wire added.

Bull clenched his fists but otherwise stayed silent.

“Got a reputation quickly. Had certain talents,” Wire spat the word. “’Specially good at extracting money out of people that owed his bosses. Can’t say how much Mia—or Abigail—knew. No fuckin’ intel on her for that period of time.” He paused. “Until the hospital record. She was admitted, nine months pregnant, beaten within an inch of her life.” He glanced at Bull again, his usually unflappable demeanor visibly shaken. “Not going to repeat the laundry list of injuries, bro. Found evidence of older shit too, to say this wasn’t the first time. Will say it was a fuckin’ miracle the kid survived. Emergency delivery. Three days after, Abigail Gregory and her newborn baby dropped off the face of the earth,” he finished, his voice hard.

There was silence after Wire stopped talking. The entire room pulsated with fury; Lucky had banged his fist down on the table somewhere in the middle. It was nothing compared to the utter rage pulsating through every part of Bull. Mia, his gentle, goofy fuckin’ beautiful Mia. Pregnant. Almost dying. Lexie, almost fuckin’ dying. Now the sick fuck had her again.

Bull stared at Wire a moment then turned, hurling his glass so it shattered against the wall. “Fuck!” he roared.

The men all watched him, as if waiting for him to go further, like he had those years ago. So much so they had to lock him down. He wasn’t fuckin’ doing it this time. He made a promise to his girl. He was finding his woman. Then he was killing the fuck that had her. Slowly.

“I’m good,” he grunted.

Cade gave him a long look then turned his attention to Wire. “You find the piece of shit?”

“There’s more.”

Cade stiffened and then cursed.

“The past sixteen years Gregory’s been through two more wives.” Wire turned the screen to face the table, Bull’s highly strung body turned even tighter. Wire pulled up two pictures side by side and there were muttered profanities around the table. Lucky’s normally easy face was granite; a murderous expression replaced what was usually an easy smile. Asher had stuck his knife into the wood of the table, as if he was planning on stabbing someone right there.

That was because these two women looked exactly like Mia. Could’ve been sisters. Both had golden blonde hair, curly. Heart-shaped faces. Delicate features. Didn’t have the sunshine behind the eyes Mia had.

“Both have disappeared. Filed for dissolution of marriages, both of them. Obviously he’s got a judge in his pocket that pushed this shit through,” he muttered.

“Okay, so this sick fuck is beyond dead. He’s gonna die bloody,” Gage declared icily. “Tell us where to find him so we can tear the fucker limb for fuckin’ limb,” There was a strange glint on his face, almost excitement at the prospect of it.

“You got a lock? How many men he has?” Steg asked, thinking pragmatically.

Wire grinned. “Not e-fucking-nough to stop us,” he said, the first piece of good news the hacker had uttered since he walked in. “Hasn’t even left the state.” His eyes darted to Bull. “Think he still plans on getting the kid.”

Over his dead fucking body.

“Good for us, thinking the fucker’s bat shit nutso. It’ll be cake to get there, to end him,” Wire told the group.

The tension dissipated slightly. But Bull was still coiled tight as anything. Didn’t matter how easy it was to get him. He’d still had Mia over twenty-four hours. A fuckin’ day. A lot could happen in a day. He knew only too well.