Shadow: Cerberus MC Book 3 (30 page)
I don’t even try to hide the smile on my face as I watch Misty trying to wipe the blue icing off of Griffin’s chubby face.
I never in a million years thought I’d have so much fun at a one-year-old's birthday party, but then again I never saw myself as a family man. That being said, this is exactly where I am today, and I couldn’t be happier about it.
My cock twitches in my jeans as the sun shines down and sends a brilliant glare off of the diamond on Misty’s left hand. We got married in a very small ceremony here at the clubhouse three months ago. Every day since has been absolute bliss. Well, minus those three days Griffin had the stomach flu, but even relentless amounts of vomit and ten dozen loads of shitty laundry couldn’t remove the smile from my face.
I’m one lucky fucker, and I count my blessings every day.
When I called Kincaid from the hotel after our court date in Denver, he wasn’t too keen on the ideas I had about getting rid of the Davis family problems.
His, “Have you lost your fucking mind?” and “We don’t just go around knocking off civilians” still rings in my head. It was an all-time low for me. I can admit that, but the idea of someone taking Griffin from me messed my head up pretty bad.
He had another idea, one that worked out without a body count. Our work for the government has its perks, and even though we don’t usually call in favors, Kincaid felt this was one time it was warranted.
Two phone calls is all it took to set things in motion in our favor. We’ve spent years rescuing children, women, and girls from the clutches of sex traffickers. Females from very rich, famous, and lucky for us, very political families. When Kincaid made the calls to two different Senators, we were fortunate enough to have brought family members home safe and sound for, they were more than willing to help Misty and I keep our child as well.
It didn’t come without a price, but a hundred thousand dollar settlement and the guarantee that I’d pay for all costs accrued for the Davis’s next adoption is a very small price to pay to keep my family together. I have it on good authority that by some miracle Rachel Davis found out she was expecting last month, and everything with the pregnancy seems to be on track.
A squeal from across the room draws my attention. I full out belly laugh when I see Griffin reach out and take another chunk of the blue cake into his hands, only minutes after Misty scrubbed him clean. This boy is going to be a handful; I can already tell.
I never knew being a daddy could mean so much. I look over and smile at the glint in Kincaid’s eyes as he leans in to kiss Emmalyn on the cheek. His hand rests reverently on the tiny swell of her stomach. Things are about to get crazy at the Cerberus MC.
THE END
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Prologue
“Weapon!” I hear one of the SWAT guys in front of me yell. The sound of weapons discharging rings out, lasting mere seconds.
I’m fourth in line behind three Denver Police Department SWAT Officers, which means we split off in all directions once we cross the threshold into the dank, dark home. The smell inside is putrid and makes me immediately feel the need to shower. Most meth houses are like this, and I cringe knowing that a child has been living in these conditions.
One officer begins checking pulses on the three individuals in the living room. Another officer splits off into a bedroom to clear the closet, and the third clears another bedroom, leaving me with the kitchen. I can easily tell there are no other visible threats, but a sound from behind a closed door draws my attention. With my M4 at the ready, I turn the door knob and tug the door open.
“Holy fuck!” I gasp when I see a woman curled up on the floor of the tiny closet. “Josie? Joselyne Bennett?” I say doing my best to gain some composure.
“Yes,” she mutters weakly.
I would’ve never told Kaleb this, but I was certain we’d find Josie dead if we ever found her body at all. My chest constricts the way it always does when a situation turns out opposite of how I imagined it. Absolute, pure joy is what I’m feeling at the moment, but my face falls when I see the condition she’s in. She’s not out of the woods yet.
“Girl, we’ve been looking for your ass everywhere!” I can hardly contain my joy at knowing my cousin will not have to deal with the death of the woman he loves.
“Jesus didn’t know I was in the closet?” she asks with a hoarse voice.
Jesus? She’s delirious, no doubt from being starved and hog-tied in here for weeks.
“You being here is a miracle, darlin’, but this ain’t heaven. My name is Diego Anderson, and I have a cousin that’s going to be beside himself knowing we found you.”
I can tell she’s trying and failing to open her eyes against what has to be blinding light for her.
“Kaleb,” she whispers, and I can see the tremble of her lip.
I step out of the way as the SWAT team leader enters the room. I leave the room to head outside planning to call Kaleb, but I find him standing in the hallway looking into one of the bedrooms. He’s sobbing uncontrollably having no concern for the tears rolling down his face.
I walk up and clasp him on the shoulder. “Kaleb,” I whisper trying to get his attention. “She’s asking for you, man.”
He turns so quickly toward me he nearly loses his footing. I look past him and wince as a clearly deceased woman comes into view.
“What?” he asks with a slight shake of his head.
“Josie, man,” I tell him gently pulling him from the doorway and down the narrow hall. “Keep your shit together in there, Kaleb. She’s been through hell and looks it,” I warn him. “But you have to keep it together, man.” He nods as he makes his way into the crowded kitchen.
At the sight of her curled up on a filthy blanket just outside of the door he gasps, both in relief and torment from seeing her like this. I keep my hand on his back until he crouches down beside her.
“Kaleb,” I hear her whisper.
“I’m here, Josie,” he returns leaning in to kiss her forehead.
Short of her never being abducted in the first place, this is the best outcome anyone could’ve ever asked for.
Chapter 1
I’m trying to be as quiet as I can, but I can’t keep the hiss from slipping past my lips as I wrap the thick, elastic bandage around my ribs. I should probably go to the hospital, but I know there’s nothing they can do about ribs even if they’re broken and not just severely bruised. They don’t hurt as bad as they did last time, and I know it would only mean more trouble for me if I alerted anyone to my injuries.
Using makeup too dark for my complexion, I apply liberal amounts around my eyes and my left cheek. I get better at this part each time I upset my husband. I wish I could figure out a way to keep from making him angry, and I wouldn’t have had to watch YouTube videos on how to cover bruises and the proper way to breathe with broken ribs. It’s a very sad day when society has such problems that necessitate videos for abused women. It makes me wonder what women did decades ago when they didn’t have the wonderful internet to help them.
I do my best to cover the gash on my swollen lip with lipstick and think about what caused this latest episode.
“Care to explain this?” Bobby asks holding up a small envelope.
I’m very familiar with the tattered container. My heart immediately begins to pound in my chest as my steps falter. I just got out of the shower, and the only protection I have from what I’m certain is going to be a horrible beating is the thin towel I have wrapped around my body.
My eyes cut to his and back to the evidence in his hands. That envelope contains every penny I’ve been able to hide from him the last two years that I’ve been working at Drifter’s. It’s not as much as one would think considering I’ve been stockpiling for what seems like forever.
“Explain!” he shouts waving the five hundred and twenty-three dollars in front of me.
“I’m saving for your birthday,” I respond quickly and cringe when I realize my mistake.
“My birthday was last month you stupid bitch!” He pockets the money, seething with anger.
His first strike is a closed fist to my mouth.
I inch myself closer to the mirror to inspect the shield I have to use more often than not. I’d been saving that money to finally leave him for good. He’s alienated me from my entire family. Well, I only have a few cousins left. My parents have been gone for years, and I’m an only child.
I have no one; he’s made sure of that. At only twenty-four years old, I’m a shell of the person I used to be. I’ve been in this situation so long I don’t remember the last time I woke up feeling safe or without worry of being hurt before the sun set again.
I met Robert Mikaelson at a party my junior year in high school. He spent the next couple of years alienating me from my friends and family. By the time I graduated high school, he’d moved me out of Utah away from my cousins and the aunt who took me in after my parents died. I haven’t spoken to them since. Six years we’ve been in Colorado; six years he’s been all that I know. It’s exactly the way he wants it.
***
Like he always does after an incident at the house, Bobby is sitting in the corner of the bar watching my every move. His mood seems better now than it does most nights, and I know that’s because he’s drinking away the five hundred dollars I’d been saving. I’ll never see a penny of it.
I guess I should count my lucky stars that he didn’t hurt me as bad as he could. It’s certainly not the worst punishment he’s doled out over the years. I don’t even want to think about the time he did actually break my ribs. That pain was beyond excruciating. I know his excitement over having a wad of cash to spend played a large part in the lesser sanction.
I keep the fake smile on my face as I make my rounds in the bar, filling drink orders and delivering them. I quickly dash away thoughts of starting my nest egg back up, but the insidious thought keeps filling my head. I know I have to leave. I know eventually he’ll kick me in just the right spot, and I’ll never be the same again, or I’ll end up dead.
