Dawn’s stomach heaved and she reached for her phone. Only Jimmy would have the audacity to kill Wolf, on the eve of the election. And she had no doubt who would be next. She texted Cade and Arianne but got no answer.
Damn. Where was he? She wasn’t about to hop on the bus and go to the police station to meet Doug, but sitting in her house waiting for Jimmy to show up didn’t make sense, either. Yes, she had her gun, but she also had two children to protect, and the last thing they needed to see was their mother shooting and killing their father.
“Girls. Grab your coats. We’re going for a walk until Cade gets here.”
“I want to bring blankie.” Tia jumped up and raced to her bedroom. Dawn ran after her. She had just reached the bedroom when she heard a knock at the door.
“I’ll get it.” Maia, already dressed and standing in the hallway, turned the lock.
“No.”
But it was already too late. The door swung open, and Maia fell to the side.
“Jimmy.” Dawn stared at him aghast.
“That’s President Jimmy, love. And I’ve come to take you home.”
TWENTY-FOUR
I shall uphold my creed or I shall turn in my colors.
SINNER’S TRIBE CREED
He rode like the devil was on his ass.
Streetlights, stoplights, traffic, pedestrian crossings, and school zones flew past as he raced through the streets of Conundrum.
The prospect had come running out of the clubhouse just after he started his bike, and from the look on his face Cade knew the news was gonna be bad.
Wolf is dead, he said.
Mad Dog is president, he said.
And Cade knew exactly where he was going to be.
*
Dawn screamed when Jimmy dragged her from the house.
“Please. Don’t leave them. They’re too little to be on their own.”
Where were the neighbors who’d complained about shots fired at night? Where was Cade? And where was her damn purse and her gun?
“Mommy!” Maia and Tia ran after them, and Jimmy turned and pointed his gun at his two sobbing daughters.
“You want to live, you’ll shut those mouths and you’ll go back inside.”
“Go to Martha’s house after we’re gone,” Dawn shouted. “Then ask her to call Arianne. The number is in my phone. Please, Jimmy. Let them come with us…”
“Shut the fuck up.” Jimmy spun around and slapped her. “I don’t want those brats. They destroyed my fucking life. You draw any attention and I’ll fucking shoot you and get rid of you once and for all. I’m racking up the body count today and three is my lucky number.”
Dawn sucked in a sharp breath. Oh God. Cade. Had he killed Cade, too? Despair gripped her hard and she took a deep breath and pushed her fear away. Right now she had to survive and escape. Then she’d find her girls and get the hell out of Montana forever. There was nothing left for her here anymore.
“Why do you want me, Jimmy?” She stumbled when he shoved her toward a black SUV, parked at the side of the road. No back lanes or shadowy alleys for him anymore. No attempt to even hide the kidnapping. He was president now. Untouchable.
Two Brethren brothers she didn’t recognize opened the door and Jimmy shoved her inside, before climbing in beside her.
“I don’t have your money,” she continued. “I never did. And you’re president now. You don’t have to prove anything to anyone.”
“I know you don’t have the money.” His face twisted in anger. “Shelly-Ann caused me a whole lotta grief with her lies, and when I found out, I made sure she was damn sorry she did. As for you, I like havin’ you around.” He put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her against him. “Pretty face. Sexy body.” He gave her nipple a cruel pinch and Dawn gasped. “Love the way you fucking scream. Nothing gets me off like your scream. Lotta girls broke when I beat them. Inside and outside. I never broke you.” He squeezed her breast and Dawn had to fight back the nausea as seven years’ worth of terror hit her in a rush.
She grabbed the door handle, but the driver had locked the door. She screamed and pounded at the window until Jimmy smashed her head against the glass and promised there was more of that waiting for her if she made any more noise.
After a long drive, the SUV pulled up outside the Brethren clubhouse, a converted barn in the foothills of the Tobacco Root Mountains just outside the Conundrum border. One of Jimmy’s companions opened the door for him, bowing as if he were some kind of royalty. Dawn stepped out of the vehicle, and back into a nightmare.
Jimmy hadn’t wasted any time. He already had a president patch pinned to his cut, and as they walked toward the clubhouse she could see workers buzzing around what used to be Wolf’s house, a small bungalow near the back of the property.