But with each of my words on repeat, I can’t help but start to wonder if it is true. Where is Cal? And why hasn’t he come to save us yet? He should have been here by now. But here we are, trapped in a dungeon in some burnt out garage waiting for rescue and fighting for every second of our lives.
Both of us start to fade into sleep as the hours pass. Maddie rests against my chest and I hold her tight in my arms. Suddenly, I jolt awake, bringing Maddie with me. There, in the distance is something oddly out of place and yet familiar. It isn’t rescue or police sirens filling the air. Instead, it’s the high-pitched ring of a phone and someone barking loudly into the receiver, “So you finally found me, Cal…”
Chapter 27: On Guard
CAL
I’m pacing. I’m actually pacing. I’ve seen guys do this before, nervous ones who have no grip on reality or who can’t take matters into their own hands. They walk back and forth, their head facing the floor as if an answer will come to them if they just move. And I find myself one of those fools with their eyes planted on the ground, hoping and praying a solution will come to me.
They’ve got my girl, my beautiful daughter. Lines have been crossed before. Partners have been killed, best friends murdered in front of the other. But there has never been anyone in the history of our gang rivalry who has brought children into this damn mess. And now they went ahead and did it.
But those bastards didn’t have the guts to do it in my own house. They waited until Maddie was taken from me, placed in Michelle’s care, before they struck. Goddamn fucking cowards. They knew if they tried to touch my daughter I would come after them with every fiber of my being. And they must know that now. They must know I will never, ever let this stand.
Still, I’m here, making marks in the floor from my pacing. Red Dog and Ace, my two best pals, are watching me silently. They’re feeling Maddie’s loss, too. Those guys, and most of the gang, have watched her grow up. She took her first steps right here in our kitchen. She said her first word in the basement during the club meeting as one of the old ladies held her. She wriggled out of her grip and stumbled towards me, crying out “Dada! Dada!” until I picked her up and let her sit in my lap.
Maddie isn’t just some club member’s kid. There are loads of those around. No, Maddie is everyone’s kid. And taking her from under us is like taking our most precious commodity. We are all thinking of the same thing: revenge. Vicious, swift, awesome revenge. And if she isn’t found or, worse, the unthinkable has happened to her, it won’t be just revenge they will be getting. As God as my witness, I will not cease until each and everyone of those Coyotes are buried deep in their mass graves.
But I push that thought away. Something tells me Maddie is okay. Call it wishful thinking, but I know that as long as Michelle is with her, she is safe and sound. I trust Michelle with Maddie’s life. I’ve seen her and how she treats her, cares for her. She wouldn’t let anyone near her without putting up a fight. And no one wants to mess with an angry, OCD teacher. I should know.
My stomach turns as I grow tired and dizzy. I find the chair sitting next to me, and I look to my two friends. I need to hear something; someone needs to talk. Red Dog clears his throat as he says softly, “What do you think is taking so long? I mean, shouldn’t the rest of the gang be here by now?”
“They’re coming, Red. They’re coming. Most of the guys were blasted at that party. Now Jager has to round up some sober drivers to get the men and their cycles back to base for the meeting. It’s gonna take a bit.”
We were all out mourning the death of our three brothers when we got the news. Well, I wasn’t so much mourning as I was drunk fucking one of the club girls. Just thinking of her and her limp body climbing all over me sends bristles of regret up my spine. I haven’t done anything that stupid in such a long time. And now it feels like I’m paying for my moment of weakness.
I stand up, running my hands through my hair. “FUCK!” I can’t help but scream out in frustration, “I can’t just sit here! What the fuck am I supposed to do just sitting here waiting for everything to fall into place?” I grab my leather jacket at the back of one of the dining room table chairs. “I’m getting out of here. I’m going to go find her.”
Ace reaches across the table and takes my arm, pulling me back down. “When Jager says we stay, we stay.” His voice lowers as I fall into the seat, “You gotta trust us. We’re your men, and we’re Maddie’s man, too. We’re not going to let her go.”
“He’s right. And I’m not going to sit around here and wait either.” Red Dog is suddenly alert. Whatever Ace said is rallying him around the cause. “I’m going to get a recon group ready. We’re going to find them.”