A sob.
His pulse kicked up a notch, and he made his way to the hallway leading to the bedrooms.
“Who’s in there?” He flicked on the light switch, gun at the ready.
The door to Maia’s and Tia’s room opened a crack and then a bundle of pink flew down the hallway, hitting him so hard, he stumbled back.
“Cade.” Skinny arms wrapped around his hips, holding him tight. “I told Maia you’d come. I knew you would save us. You gave us your word as a biker.”
“Tia?” His voice cracked as emotion welled up in his throat. That the one person who had the most to lose had such faith in him …
“Cade.” Maia barreled down the hallway hitting him with such force he staggered back. “Jimmy was here. He took Mom away. He said he didn’t want us.” Her body shook with a sob. “He said he’d kill us if we went outside. Mom said to go to Martha’s house but we were too afraid.”
“But you’ll save Mom.” Tia tugged on his shirt. “Won’t you?”
“You know I will.” Or he would die trying.
After texting the prospect to bring the SUV, he helped the girls pack their bags, then called Jagger to let him know what had happened. By the time he finished the call, the prospect had arrived and Cade loaded the girls’ bags, then locked up the house and led them to the vehicle.
“Where are we going?” Maia asked.
“Not sure yet. We have a safe house—”
“Why can’t we stay with you?”
Why couldn’t they stay with him? There were no wild parties going on tonight at the clubhouse. And he could ask Arianne to watch them until he brought Dawn home. He pulled out his phone and made the call. Arianne told him she’d ask Dax to join her. He’d just gotten back from a job down south, and since he had five kids he’d know how to have some fun.
Cade didn’t know about having fun at the clubhouse, or about letting the club torturer anywhere near his girls, even if he did have five kids, but he did know he liked to see the girls smile. And the only way to do that was to bring their mom home.
*
“Time to get dressed, bitch. You’re dancing tonight.”
Dawn shot up on the bed when Jimmy burst through the door. She’d been over every inch of the room during the night, and then again over the course of the afternoon, but there were no windows, and the door was locked from the outside.
“Here.” He threw a shopping bag at her. She recognized the logo from the shop where she’d bought her dance clothes when she’d been with Jimmy before.
“Put them on.”
She stared at the bag. Three years ago she would have picked it up and dressed right away. But she wasn’t the same person she had been three years ago. Hell, she wasn’t the same person she’d been six weeks ago.
“No.” The word fell from her lips before she could stop it. And even though she knew the consequences, it felt so damn good to say that word after so long, she didn’t care.
“Pick up the fucking bag and put on the fucking clothes.” Jimmy enunciated every word as he crossed the room toward her. He wanted her to cower and cringe and scream and beg. Like he’d said in the car, he got off on her fear and her pain. And when she thought she had nothing and was worth nothing, when she thought no one cared, and she had nowhere to run, she’d given him what he wanted. But not now. Never again.
“I’m not playing this game anymore.” Her heart thundered in her chest and she backed up to the wall. “You want me to stay and play happy families so you can delude yourself into thinking that gives you legitimacy in the eyes of the senior patch, then let’s go get the girls.” She braced herself for the storm, but Jimmy just laughed.
“You think I want you back to be my old lady again? You think I care what the senior patch think anymore? I’m fucking president. And this isn’t about getting back together. This is about punishment. Revenge. Justice. You humiliated me when you left. Only reason I didn’t do anything about it was ’cause Wolf laid down the law. He didn’t want any Brethren hurting civilians and drawing the attention of the cops or the ATF. It was revenge or the cut, he said. So I chose the cut, but I knew the day would come when you would be mine again. I was patient. And my patience was rewarded.”