She sniffles and I look up to see her tears flowing freely. “What happened, Lonnie?”

“I don’t know.” She shrugs. “Jealousy. As a child, I didn’t know how much time a baby needed. I felt neglected, I guess, and I blamed you.”

“I can understand that’s how you felt but you got older, smarter. Hell, you tried to kill me for riding on the back of Gage’s bike.”

“I was a bitch. I don’t expect you to forgive me, pero I need you to know I’m working on myself and things will be different from now on. I haven’t even been with any of the guys since I came back.”

“And Gage?” I ask.

“I won’t lie. A part of me will always love him, but like I said, I won’t interfere. I’m actually thinking about moving back to Miami. Do you know what you’re going to do with the house?”

“Not yet. I’ve been holding on to it in case I wanted to move back, too.”

Thinking about it, it may be a good idea to have her living there. She’ll be out of my hair, and I’ll have someone taking care of the house for me.

“You want to move back into Daddy’s house?”

“If it’s okay with you,” she answers hopefully.

“I’ll think about it.”

I slide out of the booth but stop after taking only one step. She seems to be trying; maybe I should, too. I turn to face her, taking a deep breath. Fuck, I hope I don’t regret this. “I’m heading to the mall. Wanna come?”

She smiles, wiping away the remnants of her tears. “I’d love to.”

We drive to the mall in silence. After suffering through a few awkward stops, we have a slightly less awkward lunch. I keep the conversation on ‘safe’ subjects but she’s so eager, it’s not long before I start to relax. Just a little. I’m still suspicious of her having an ulterior motive and after a few more stores, I decide I’ve had enough of her for one day. While walking back to the car, I get a call from Laurelyn. We’re in an underground lot, so the call is choppy. As we’re about to pass a big, black van, a man steps out in front of us, blocking our path – a man I recognize.

“Let me call you back,” I tell Laurelyn and hang up.

I hear movement behind me and turn to see another man. Goldie and Lip Licker. What the hell are these Snakes doing here?

“What’s up, bitch? Remember me?” Goldie asks.

“Vaguely. I do remember Gage promising to put a bullet in your brain.”

He looks around and spreads his arms wide. “I don’t see him around. Do you?”

“Fuck off.” I roll my eyes and try to move past him, but he grabs my hand. I drop my bags and twist out of his grasp, moving into a fighting stance. Lonnie screams as Lip Licker grabs her and tosses her into the back of the van. Fear starts to take hold, but I’ll be damned if I let them take me without a fight. Goldie lunges at me, but I side-step him. When he turns to face me, I give him my left jab.

“You fucking bitch!” he groans as he grabs his nose.

I’m about to kick him in the balls when a scent triggers a memory. Maybe it’s the heightened fear of the situation, but it knocks the wind out of me. Someone steps up behind me and I know, without a doubt, it’s my rapist. There’s no mistaking the scent. I spin around, shock overpowering my fear as I stare into the face of my rapist.

“Can’t you do anything right? Get her in the van.”

Then, the world goes black.

CHAPTER 24

***Gage***

I gave Raven the space I thought she needed. I’ve been working from the clubhouse today, or at least trying to work. She’s been on my mind all day – especially the hurt in her eyes as she left this morning. I picked up the phone to call her a million times but didn’t go through with it. Fuck. I put my computer to sleep and head to the kitchen to find something to eat. One of the Hounds offers to make me something, but I decline. I can’t remember the last time I had a meal Raven didn’t prepare. I make myself a sandwich, grab a Coke, and sit at the bar to eat. E walks in with a few greasy paper bags and drops one on the bar in front of me.

I push away the sandwich and dig into the burger and fries he brought. “Thanks, man.”

“Thought you could use it.”

“Yeah,” I answer distractedly, Raven still invading my thoughts.

“Anything you want to talk to me about?” I turn to him, confused, and he raises a brow. “You know, regarding babies,” he clarifies.

Fuck. “She told you?”

“Yeah, and I’m wondering why I didn’t hear it from you.”

“Is it wrong to want a baby with my woman?”

“No. But it’s a drastic change from not wanting one at all.”

I shrug, not in the mood to discuss it with him. “People change their minds all the time. It’s my prerogative.”

“Okay, Bobby Brown,” he says with a chuckle.

Booker walks in as I’m finishing my burger, and I wait to see Raven walk in behind him. After a few minutes, I look to Booker.

“Where is she?”

He gives me a puzzled stare and shakes his head. “I wasn’t with her, Prez. Just came back from that job in Atlanta.”

Fuck. I forgot. I grab my phone and dial her number. It rings then goes to voicemail. I try several times before I leave a message. “Raven, this is not the time to ignore me. Call me back.”

I tap my fingers on the bar impatiently until I can’t take it anymore. I call Tek and tell him to get his ass to the clubhouse. He rushes in fifteen minutes later, pulling his laptop out of the messenger bag he’s carrying.

“What’s up, boss?”

“Raven. Find her.”

He taps on the keys until a map pulls up and I see three blinking, red dots. The problem is, they’re in three different locations. That can’t be right. I admit, I became as paranoid as Tek and placed trackers on her for this very purpose.

“What the fuck, Tek?”

E and Booker crowd me as Tek points to the first dot.

“This is her car. It’s in the parking garage at the mall. This,” he points to the second, “is her phone. But this,” he taps on the last one, “is her bracelet. And she’s on the move. If someone took her, they probably did it at the mall then tossed her phone along the way.”

“Fuck!”

If someone fucking grabbed her, he’s going to regret the day the thought entered his mind. Tek taps away at his keyboard and pulls up a video – surveillance cameras from the mall. He also opens facial recognition software, searching the recorded video. One of the Hounds interrupts to tell me the fucker who tried to break into the warehouse wants to talk to me.

“Not now!”

“He says he has a name for you.”

“Booker, deal with it.”

Tek watches the screen until the software finds her. I grind my teeth against each other as I watch the two Snake motherfuckers block her and Lonnie. I fucking knew it!

“Call Ace. Tell him not to expect his boys back home.”

I walk off, but Tek’s voice stops me. “You’ll want to see this, boss.”

I return my attention to the screen and almost swallow my tongue. The motherfucker was right in front of me this entire time. Booker comes back and through his rambling, I hear two words – Black Snakes.

“Call everybody. Anyone who’s on the road, send them in her direction. Get a few guys to the location of her phone, just in case and tell ‘em I’m on my way.”

“Give me your phone, boss,” Tek tells me.

I hand it to him then rush to my room and grab the duffel from the closet. E comes in, a deadly expression on his face. I’m pretty sure it’s nowhere near mine.

“What’s the plan?” he asks.

“I need to find her first. I’ll figure out the rest then.”

I turn to grab a hoodie from the closet and her sketch book catches my eye. I grab it and thumb through the pictures. That’s when I notice the gradual changes in the figure at the door. Another sign I missed.

“Look at that.” I show E the first few drawings then flip to the last one. “See the difference?”

“I do now.”

I drop the book on the bed and it lands on the page with the last thing she drew. It’s us. This time, her wings aren’t closed around her but spread majestically wide. That’s my woman, and I’m getting her back no matter what.