Vengeance Road (Torpedo Ink 2)

What had happened to her hard-won independence? She felt as if she were reverting right back to that scared girl who had walked, pregnant and alone, into the diner, hoping for a job and guidance. She’d gotten both. She didn’t want to be this girl. She wanted to be that one.

“I’m so happy to meet you, Breezy,” Anya said. “We could use more female voices around here to even things out. I know they’ll bring your son home to you.”

Breezy managed a smile. “Thanks, Anya. It’s nice to meet you as well.” Anya seemed to genuinely welcome her, and that helped to restore a little of her confidence in spite of her tear-stained face.

“It’s so exciting to meet you,” Darby said. “I’m really sorry about Zane as well, but I know Uncle Steele will bring him home to us.”

Uncle Steele? Darby had been one of the children rescued from the human trafficking ring. The Swords had been the ones to kidnap her and her sister Zoe. There was no ill will there, only genuine sympathy. Darby was far too young to be able to fake anything. Breezy was adept at reading people. She had to be. If she’d misread any member of the club, they’d have beaten her. Right now, she could see that Darby was honestly concerned for her son.

“Come help,” Alena invited, moving over to make room for Breezy. “I’m making French toast. You can help Anya peel the potatoes for hash browns if you’d like, unless you want to go into the dining room with all the men. They’re annoying, but . . .”

“Annoying?” Maestro tossed a wadded dish towel at Alena. She caught it right out of the air and flung it back at him.

“Children,” Blythe said drolly. The others erupted into laughter. Blythe shook her head with a little grin that told Breezy she wasn’t in the least upset and was used to the type of teasing the club members did to one another. “Get out from under our feet, Maestro, or you’ll be cooking the eggs.”

Alena rolled her eyes. “I asked him to cook once. Once. He sucks at it. The house smelled burnt for a week. Every smoke detector went off and the neighbors called the fire department.”

“She’s lying her ass off, Darby,” Maestro said and kissed the top of the teenager’s head. “Don’t believe a fuckin’—a thing she says.” He hastily tried to correct himself at Blythe’s glare.

Darby giggled. “You’re in so much trouble.” She winked at Breezy. “Both Zoe and Emily have swear jars. Emily had hers first, and I think she has enough in it to pay for college already thanks to the club and the way they talk, so Zoe’s decided she wants in on the money making. I can’t say that I blame her.”

Maestro groaned. “I’m going broke as it is just paying Emily.” He looked around. “Neither one is in here, so it doesn’t count.”

Darby laughed. Her laughter sounded relaxed and genuine. Breezy couldn’t remember feeling relaxed when she’d been growing up and working in the kitchen or cleaning the clubhouse. She’d tried, for the sake of the other children, and she’d made jokes and laughed a lot for them, but she hadn’t felt safe enough to relax. It spoke volumes that Darby, who had gone through hell, did.

Breezy took a step toward Alena, her heart pounding. Once she joined the other women at the islands, Steele would disappear, go in with the other men, and she would be alone. It was shocking how scared she felt.

He stopped her by circling her waist and pulling her back against him. “You don’t have to help them.”

He whispered it in her ear, but she knew she did. She would look like a coward otherwise, and she couldn’t afford for Alena and Lana, who had known her before, who knew her past, to look down on her any more than they already did.

“I’m good,” she lied. She straightened her shoulders and gave him a small, false smile before stepping toward the aisle where Alena and Anya were working and a large mound of potatoes was waiting to be peeled.

Steele pulled out a chair from the smaller table by the window, toed it around and straddled it. “How’s school going, Darby?”

Breezy knew he’d stayed because he’d read her reluctance. He’d been like that. Always watching her. Always looking out for her. The way he focused on her had been what had made her fall so hard for him. He didn’t make a big deal, he just seemed to do it so naturally that no one questioned his continuing presence in the kitchen.

“Good. Airiana has a way of making physics easy, and that was the one subject I was having trouble with. Zoe’s even getting some of the easier stuff just by listening. I’m pretty proud of her.”

Breezy could hear the pride in her voice. She picked up a knife and began to peel potatoes. They were already cooked partially so it was easy enough, and the work allowed her to keep her head down and concentrate on the task rather than look at those in the room.

“Uncle Steele!” Zoe came in and flung her arms around Steele’s neck. “You snuck in when I wasn’t looking.”

“I did,” he said. “Brought my woman to meet you.”

So much for not looking up. Breezy glanced over at Steele, her heart lurching in her chest at the way his arm, so muscular, surrounded the little girl.

The child looked at her with solemn eyes. “I’m sorry about your little boy,” she said immediately. “Uncle Steele will get him for you. Czar came for us when bad men took us, right, Darby?” She looked to her sister.

The room had gone electric. Alena leaned toward Breezy. “She never talks about what happened,” she whispered in her ear.

“Thank you,” Breezy said immediately to Zoe. “I know he’ll bring him back to me. It’s just that Zane is so little and I’m very scared right now for him. I keep thinking he’s all alone and probably wondering where I am.” She couldn’t help the little catch in her voice.

Steele half rose from his chair but stopped when Zoe came across the room and put her thin arm around Breezy.

The little girl looked up at her face. “I was scared, but I had Darby. When Czar came to get me, I was really afraid, because he looked so scary, but they took us out of there, didn’t they, Darby?” She looked to her sister for confirmation and then turned back to Breezy. “They’ll get your little boy and bring him home. You’ll see, and he’ll be happy here.” She spoke with absolute conviction. With confidence.

Darby held herself very stiffly. Beside her, Alena went still. Breezy looked to Blythe for an explanation of why everyone had gotten so emotional and was clearly trying to hold it in. For a moment there was a faint trembling to Blythe’s lips and then she nodded at Darby.

“They did, Zoe,” Darby verified. “Czar, Reaper, Savage, the others, they came for us, and all of them will help Steele get little Zane back for us.”

“I can babysit him when you need me to,” Zoe declared. “I know all about nightmares and if he has them, I can make them go away.” She believed so completely in Torpedo Ink, it clearly hadn’t occurred to her that the club might not find Zane.

Breezy didn’t realize she was crying until a tear splashed down on the pile of peeled potatoes, drawing her attention.

Zoe immediately tightened her arm. “Don’t cry. They brought us Kenny. They’re looking for another brother who is in trouble. They’ll find him.” She looked up at Steele. “Won’t you, Uncle Steele?”

Steele was there, putting his arms around Breezy from behind and pulling her body in tight to his. “Absolutely, Zoe,” he assured. “He’s my little boy and his mama is right, he’s very scared right now and feels alone. That’s why she’s upset. She knows we’ll get him back, she just doesn’t like him all alone.”

A shudder went through Breezy’s body and he turned her into his chest, so she could bury her face there. Hide. She didn’t even care that the others saw. She did care that Zoe was witnessing the breakdown though. She recognized, from the way the others were acting and from what Steele had briefly told her, that Zoe still struggled, and she needed to keep her faith in the club. She needed to know she was safe.

Steele’s arms enclose

d Breezy, as he moved closer to Zoe. “You’re good to babysit, Zoe?”

She nodded and reached up to take a bit of bacon that was near the end of the aisle in front of Blythe. No one stopped her. No one smacked her hand. Through her blurred vision, with her ear over Steele’s heart, Breezy could see the child lick her fingers. She didn’t get in trouble for that either, although Blythe handed her a napkin and another full piece of bacon.

“I am, Uncle Steele,” she said. Then she looked up at her sister. “Almost. I have to do the CPR class. We all do, right, Darby?”

“That’s right, Zoe,” Darby said.

“You gotta pay for that class?” Maestro asked.

Breezy had forgotten he was there, and she turned in Steele’s arms to look at him. He was looking down at the little girl with open affection on his face.

“Of course we have to pay, Uncle Maestro,” Zoe said.

He heaved an exaggerated sigh. “Fine.” He fished out two dollar bills. “I said ass and fuckin’ just now. Here’s the money.”

Zoe giggled as she took the money. “You just said the bad words again.”

He scowled at her and looked as menacing as possible while pulling two more dollar bills out of his wallet. “This is highway robbery, Zoe.”