New Title 6 (23 page)

 “Don’t
worry about it; you need to talk to get it off your chest, and maybe when I’m
not so dogged-tired, I could have some great advice for you, but right now, I
doubt anything that came out of my mouth would be understandable.”

 He
hunched and looked to his feet. “You’re a great person, Wildcat…and, I’m
sorry—”

 What?

 The
front door opened to a smiling Vic. “Come on in, sweet-stuff.” He reached out
and grabbed my hand, dragging me forward, but I couldn’t move my gaze from
Pick. He seemed truly worried and remorseful.

 He
met my stare and whispered, “I would never have done this if it weren’t for me
protecting my ma. Never. I’m sorry.”

 Shaking
my head, I smiled. “Pick, what are you talking about?”

 “Momma.”

 I
spun so fast I would have fallen if Vic still didn’t have a hold of my hand. “Maya—”
It was then I took in the scene in front of me, and I felt sick to my stomach.
“W-what’s going on?” I asked with wide eyes, staring at Julian and Mattie
sitting on the floor near the far wall, cradling a scared Maya and Cody. I
turned to Vic and noticed for the first time that he held a gun.

 “Have
you worked it out yet?” he smirked.

 “Not
really,” I hissed, ripping my hand from his grip. “But please, enlighten my
tired brain.”

 He
chuckled. “I can see why Talon likes you, showing balls in the face of danger.
Please, have a seat while we wait.” He shoved me to the couch near my family.

 Straightening
my clothes and myself, I looked over to the children. “It’s going to be fine,
okay?”

 “Yes,
Momma,” my brave Maya said. Cody nodded.

 Looking
back at Vic and Pick—yes, any other time I would have laughed at the rhyming,
instead I said, “I can sort of understand your reason why, Pick. But Vic, why?”

 He
shrugged. “I need the money.”

 “What’s
he paying you to deliver me?”

 “Smart
girl.”

 I
shrugged. “Doesn’t take a genius to work it out.”

 “I
guess not. Between the four of us, we get fifty thousand each. Easy money
really. All we have to do is keep you here ‘til the delivery guys arrive. Easy
as pie.”

 “Do
you really think you’ll get the money in the end?” I studied him. “Oh my God,
you do. Well, I guess you’re as stupid as
you
look.” I laughed, until he
wiped that laugh from my face by slapping me. My head jerked to the side. Maya
screamed; Mattie swore. “It’s okay. I’m okay,” I reassured them.

 “He
will pay or he knows I’ll come after him,” Vic screamed.

 “Chill,
man,” Pick said.

 “You
fuckin’ chill. I’m not the one chickenin’ out. Now everyone shut the fuck up.”
He glared at me and took a step closer to say, “I may have to deliver you and
the kids, but it doesn’t have to be in one piece.”

 I
gasped. “Kids? No, please no. Leave them here, please.”

 Vic
chuckled a sardonic laugh. “I don’t think so. At least then I know you’ll
behave. Not only for them, but if you try shit on the delivery, I’ll kill your
brother and his…” he looked at Julian in disgust, “thing.”

 Jesus. What the hell am I going to do?

 “W-why
Cody too?”

 “To
shove it up Talon. Thinks he’s hot shit; I’ll show him.”

 “And
you’re okay with this, Pick?” I asked, tears threatening.

 “No.”
He shook his head, again looking to his feet. “But if I don’t get that money,
my ma will be killed by loan sharks.”

 “Talon
would have helped you. Why didn’t you go to him?”

 “I
couldn’t. I was…ashamed.”

 “And
you thought this was the best way out of that black-hole? To ruin other
people's lives? Especially one who took you in, who looked out for you.”

 “Shut
up, bitch,” Vic snapped, hitting me in the back of the head.

 “Vic,
don’t,” Pick growled.

 “Don’t
get a conscience now. Man up, fucker.”

 “God,
please, please, just let the kids leave with Mattie and Julian. Please, I won’t
make any trouble; I promise. I won’t do anything; just let them go.”

 “Zara,
it’s no use,” Mattie said. I turned my wet eyes upon them.

 Regret.

 All
I could feel was regret, because they were here because of me.
I’m sorry,
I mouthed. I watched Julian’s bottom lip tremble as he gripped Maya closer, and
Mattie shook his head at me with a sad smile upon his mouth.

 “W-where
are t-the others that came here? Didn’t you get dropped off, Julian?”

 Vic
laughed. “Still holding out for someone to save you? Won’t happen tonight. Your
man will be very busy with the planned distraction.”

 “What?”
I hissed through clenched teeth.

 “Yeah,
I saw that bitch at the pool all over Talon. She didn’t like to be dissed as
nothing. So I approached her, asked her to help me out a bit. She went home
crying to her fella. I rang her and told her where you’d be…after my man Pick
had informed me. She mentioned it to her man, and he sent his guys to pick you
up. Didn’t think it’d be that easy, but you were stupid enough to go to the
crappa on your own. So now, Talon will keep himself busy defending his woman,
and while that’s happening…” he laughed, “his life will be shattered right from
under him.”

 The
room fell silent.

 All
I could think about was scratching out his eyes. How dare he do this to Talon,
to Cody and Maya?

 Julian
cleared his throat. “I was dropped off out the front, pumpkin. Walked in here
blind to the trouble, just like you did.”

 “The
other guys left when…” Mattie pointed at Pick, “he called them and told them it
was fine to cut the guarding down to one. Vic offered to stay.”

 Shit
. They had it all worked out.

 I
wanted to crawl up in a protective ball and cry; but then again, I wanted to
rip their dicks off and slap them over their heads with them.

 Oh,
God. Talon.

 He
was going to go crazy, especially when he found out that I’d dragged his son,
his only boy, into this mess. He’d be on a warpath, and anything that crossed
it was going to be destroyed.

 I
didn’t even get to tell him I loved him.

 Love him
.

 Because
I did.

 Sure,
to start with it was lust at first sight. But the care, the gentleness and
protectiveness he had shown me…not only me, but Maya, and even Deanna, Mattie
and Julian, had my heart beating in love for the first time in seven years.

 All
I could do now was suck up all my emotions and feelings, and stay sane and safe
for the children. They were what mattered now.

 What
a fuckin’ well-planned night.

 I
was just about ready to see my ex and punch him in the gonads for this.

 I
shook my hands out and rubbed my eyes. I was beyond tired, but I had to stay
focused for the kids.

 What about Mattie and Julian?

 Yes,
what was going to happen to them once we left? I looked over to my beautiful
brother and brother in-law. I wouldn’t be able to handle it if something did
happen, but I really didn’t like our chances.

 “It’s
okay, sis.” Mattie smiled. Had he read the anguish in my eyes?

 We
all turned to the sound of a vehicle coming up Talon’s dirt driveway.

 “They’re
here,” Vic said. He went to the window, looked out, and then walked out the
front door to greet them, leaving Pick behind.

 Duh
. I had felt like saying, sarcasm
was something I hid my fear behind, but now wasn’t the time for it.

 “Come
on, poppet. Go to your mum,” Julian said, as he helped Maya stand on shaking
legs. She hugged and kissed them both, whispering something in their ears,
causing them both to pull their lips between their teeth. Maya then ran to me
and climbed onto my lap, her tiny arms encircled my neck.

 Mattie
coughed to clear his throat. “Up you get too, Cody,” Mattie ordered. Cody
mumbled something to them and they nodded.

 Shit, shit, shit.
I couldn’t do this. I
couldn’t leave my brothers. I closed my eyes to fight the tears.

 “Zee,
honey.” I opened them to Mattie. He ushered Cody forward, and Cody came to sit
at my side. I placed my arm tightly around his shoulders while I held Maya just
as tight as I could with the other.

 Looking
back at Mattie and Julian, I forced a smile. “I love you g-guys.” I bit my
bottom lip for control.

 Mattie
stepped closer to a crying Julian and placed his arms around him. “We love you
too, sis. And we wouldn’t change anything, we still would have come; we still
would have stayed because it meant we got to spend more time with you. You, who
I have missed for six years.”

 I
closed my eyes and nodded, leaning my head against Maya’s as she hid her face
in my shoulder. I wasn’t surprised that she hadn’t cried. When she was under
stress, like I had witnessed when she went for her first swimming lesson, she
turned quiet. Her fear built inside her, and the only way she really showed it
was through her body. She was shaking like a leaf in the wind. Just for that,
and the fact that Cody showed his fear by being a silent statue, his form was
as stiff as board; it made me want to buy myself a machine gun and shoot Vic
while he tried to run for his life.

 Though,
I knew I wouldn’t have it in me to harm Pick. I could tell that he honestly
would not be involved in any of this if it wasn’t to save his mother. Anyone
could see that he knew this was the wrong choice. He was the one who was going
to have to live with this regret…and that was only if Talon didn’t get to him
first.

 Still,
it also showed me that Pick was loyal. But in my opinion, he was being loyal to
the wrong person. Yes, it was his mother, but a mother should never have
dragged her own child into her mess. A mother was there to protect and provide
for her child…not the other way around.

 I
felt for Pick, because in one way or another, he was going to be living his own
personal hell.

 Of
course, I wouldn’t allow myself to feel too deeply for him, because if he
hadn’t played a part in all this, I doubted I’d be in this situation.

 Julian
cleared his throat and clapped. “Enough of this crap. Honey, do not worry;
we’ll be fine, and you’ll all be fine. Cody’s superhero daddy will come to the
rescue. Won’t he, mate?”

 “He
will.” Cody nodded with confidence.

 I
gave him a squeeze; he looked up at me and I winked. The front door opened; my
mouth dropped open when Rocko’s men, the ones I had seen tonight at the bar,
walked in.

 I
knew it.

 I
frigging knew it.

 They
were trouble, nothing but trouble.

 More
men added to the list I’d gun down in the bloodbath I was willing to
orchestrate.

 But
how did they know about this? About me and David?

 “Get
up, bitch,” Vic snapped. I placed Maya to stand on the floor beside me, and
stood from the couch, pulling Cody up with me. I wrapped my arms around each
child.

 “We’ll
come, nothing will happen, we won’t do anything…just, just don’t hurt my
brother and Julian.”

 “Yeah,
we’ll see.” The glint in Vic’s eyes sent dread to the pit on my stomach. “Keep
me posted,” Vic said to the two men. They gave him a chin lift in return.

 I
turned to Julian and Mattie. “I’ll see you soon, yeah. Okay?”

 “Of
course you will, cupcake.” Julian smiled.

 “Be
smart and safe, sis,” Mattie uttered.

 I
nodded, because I knew if I spoke, I’d break down. Instead, I mouthed,
I
love you both.
And even that caused tears to fill my eyes; I choked back a
sob and pulled the kids in tighter.

 With
one man in front of us, and one behind, I followed them out to a black SUV. The
one in front opened the door; we were pushed inside. The men got in; the
scarier one with a scar running through his upper lip turned in his seat and
threw something that landed in my lap.

 “Put
them on. All of you.”

 I
moved my arm from around Cody and picked up the pieces of fabric; they were
head sacks.