“I don’t want that,” the girl cried, trying to wiggle out of Axe’s tight clasp.
“It’s just for a little bit. It’s a game.” He pulled the driver seat back and slid in, the girl still in his arms. Skinless went over to the truck and took off toward the farmhouse. After turning on the ignition, Axe cranked up the heat.
The girl rested her head on his shoulder. “How long we gonna play the game?”
“Not long. How old are you?”
“Five. Do you know Poppa?”
“Yeah. Where’s your mom and dad?”
She shrugged.
“Do you live with your poppa?”
“No. I sometimes sleep over. I don’t like too, but Mama takes me sometimes.” She yawned.
“Why don’t you like to stay over?”
“I don’t know. I don’t like Uncle Beau and Poppa makes me be nice to him.” She buried her face in his jacket.
Axe clenched his jaw as threads of fire wove around his spine. “You tell your mama you don’t like staying over?” She shook her head, her face still buried in his leather jacket. “Why not?”
“I’m not supposed to. Please don’t tell Poppa I said anything. I don’t wanna talk.”
He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “I won’t say anything. What’s your name?”
“Charity.”
“It’s a pretty name.” He wrapped his arm around her a little tighter, listening to her breathing. Seconds turned to minutes, and from the way she relaxed in his arms, he could tell she’d fallen asleep. On high alert, his eyes darted all around, making sure no one lurked among the trees or the underbrush.
Crack! Pop! Pop! Boom! The gunshots and explosions split the night. Charity jumped and whimpered in her sleep, not fully waking up. Billows of gray then black smoke mingled with the frosty air as streaks of orange-yellow flames illuminated the darkness. Axe wished he could be in the thick of the action instead of watching it as he babysat the asshole’s granddaughter. Happy the girl slept through the melee, he stared straight ahead, watching for Skinless and Rusty to come by in the pickups.
After a long while, wavering headlights made him squint as the two trucks came toward him. Then several brothers jumped out and made their way to Axe and the other SUV. A few brothers stayed in the pickups with the prospects, lifting their chin to Axe as they drove away.
“You driving?” Hawk asked, opening the driver door.
“I can. You wanna take her?” Axe replied. Hawk nodded and Axe started to hand her over when she woke up screaming.
“I don’t want to. Stop it.” Tears rolled down her face as she tried to tear off the blindfold.
“Charity, it’s me. I’m not gonna hurt you. Calm down. We’re almost done with the game. Remember?”
“You’re not Uncle Beau?”
“No.”
“I wanna stay with you.” Her voice broke.
“Take her in the back and take off her blindfold. She’s freakin’ out,” Hawk said.
“She’s gonna see us,” Throttle said as he settled in the front seat.
“It’s dark. It’ll be fine,” Axe replied, slipping in the back seat. “Everything go good?”
Hawk glanced behind his shoulder. “Yeah.”
They rode back in silence, and Axe turned his body so that Charity could look out the window and not at the brothers. No one dared say a word about what had happened at the farmhouse. The less the child knew, the better it would be for her and for them.
By the time they arrived at the clubhouse, the girl had fallen asleep again against Axe. He covered her head with the blanket and went into the clubhouse.
“Take her to my room,” Hawk said, handing him the key. “We gotta figure out what we’re gonna do with her. Have Kristy stay with her.”
The rest of the brothers came in, and Rusty and Skinless pulled the trucks around back to unload the marijuana plants and the guns. The other prospect, Hog, had drinks lined up and ready for the brothers when they were ready for them.
Axe climbed the stairs to the third floor and opened the door. Illuminated by moonlight, he gently placed her on the bed and covered her with the blanket then slipped out to find Kristy. Once Kristy was in place, he went down to join the others in the great room.
Banger motioned him over. “A goddamn mess with the kid. Did she see or hear anything?”
“Not really. She seems pretty tired. I’m damn surprised she slept through the noise. Sorry I missed it.”
“The only bastard we didn’t get was Reggie. We checked everywhere and the asshole wasn’t around. If he takes up where his dad left off, we’ll get him.” Banger grabbed the beer on the bar.
“I thought the pussy was the one who cut off Sketcher’s balls.”
“That’s what Randy said before we put a bullet through him, but we don’t know for sure. Let’s see what he does. The fucker still needs a beatdown and he’s gonna get it for sure. Is the kid his?”
“Not sure. She didn’t say too much about her parents. Seems like the fucker Beau was messin’ with her from some of the stuff she said, and grandpa didn’t seem to give a damn.” Axe shook his head.
Banger jerked his head back. “What a bunch of sick perverts. Well, the little one doesn’t have to worry about that shit anymore. Glad we took them out. They deserved it.”
Axe bobbed his head as he brought his shot to his lips.
“We gotta take her back to her parents. Find out who they are so we can bring her back before morning. We’re gonna have enough shit to deal with when the fuckin’ badges start snooping around. A kidnapped child will take all this to a new level.”
Jerry came over and sat down on the barstool. “We took the money and drugs, so it’ll look like a robbery. They’ll probably think it was Los Asesinos. We did find out Chad was cheating them. They had a whole stash of cash and drugs in a safe he’d put behind a false wall. We made it look like it was a hit.”
“That’s why we gotta bring the girl back to her parents right away,” Axe said. “I’ll go up and see what I can get out of her.”
A few hours later, Kristy, decked in a wig, glasses, and heavy makeup, rang the doorbell of Paige and Eddie Bridgewater. It turned out that Chad was Eddie Bridgewater’s grandfather and Charity’s great-grandfather. Kristy told them she’d found Charity wondering in the streets. She rushed away as the two confused parents hugged their daughter. It seemed that the news about Chad’s death hadn’t reached them yet. It’d probably take a few days before the badges received a call. By then, Kristy would be back at the clubhouse—her safe haven.