Soothing His Madness (14 page)

Chapter Twenty Six

After several days
with no drama in her life, Taylor's energy level soared. Between the lunch
crowd and the dinner flood of customers, she spread her happiness around to the
Bantorus men who hung out at the bar.

"Dance with
me." She grabbed Bruce's hand and held it up, dancing underneath his
outstretched arm.

"Dammit,
woman, knock that shit off." Bruce's grin softened his words. "Some
people have to work and I've told you before, I don't dance."

She rolled her
eyes, knowing her excess oomph more than worked to her advantage. Her tips were
twice as much from the daytime customers and her service was excellent. Not a
spilled mug all day.

"I'll give you
a twenty spot to dance again." Ronny wiggled his brows and held up two
twenty dollar bills between his two fingers. "Forty bucks if you strip."

Slade approached
Ronny from the back and snatched the money out of his hands. Ronny made a wild
grab for his cash and missed. Taylor stepped over to Slade, enjoying the
teasing.

"Here you go,
baby girl, buy yourself something pretty." He tucked the money into her
pocket and kissed her hard.

She leaned into his
side, hand to his stomach, and head to his chest. "You boys are too nice
to me."

Slade turned his
attention to Ronny and stared him down. "Really, man? I almost thought I
heard you asking Taylor to dance for you."

"Selfish
bastard," Ronny muttered. "Everyone around here is settling down.
You're making me lose my mojo with the girls."

Slade chuckled,
holding Taylor tighter and motioned toward the door where Ginger walked in with
Torque escorting her. "Hey, Ginger. Ronny needs some attention."

Ronny groaned. 'I'm
going to kill you."

Slade laughed and
walked away with Taylor. She gazed up at him, wondering if she was missing some
joke.

"Ginger's
become a little preoccupied with Ronny lately. Serves him right to sweat a
little." Slade turned her around and trapped her against the wall.

She spread her
hands out on his chest. "You're cruel, honey."

"Right."
He focused on her. "What time do you get off?"

The amusement over
his choice of words had her lips curving. He growled and kissed her hard.
"In a mood, huh? Want some of me inside you?"

She nodded and
kissed him back, tasting him, pressing against him. "I have two more
hours."

"Shit,"
he muttered, dropping his forehead down. "I need to run an errand for the
club anyway, but tonight after the boys are asleep…you and me."

Her nipples peaked
and her lower stomach quivered in anticipation. "I can't wait, but it's
the floor. I want it hard and fast, and your bed sucks."

"I can do
that." He leaned back, letting her go from the cage of his arms.
"Remember, stay inside the bar, and wait for me to pick you up."

She nodded, watching
him walk across the bar and out the front door. Her adrenaline rush over, she went
back to work. Even Ginger lap dancing on Ronny, who appeared anything but
annoyed, failed to entertain her. She was tired and her feet were killing her.
A few days off work had spoiled her.

"Table two
wants another round." Bruce eyed her carefully, setting two mugs of beer
on the tray. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah."
She picked up the order, bent her leg, and lifted her high-heeled shoe off the
ground. "Six hours on my feet, and I forgot how uncomfortable these pumps
can be."

"A woman's
punishment for looking sexy," Bruce said. "Men everywhere owe
you."

"Damn right."
She smiled, shaking her head in amusement. "The pain of being eye candy to
a motorcycle club is damn hard work. Don't let anyone tell you differently."

She serviced the
customers at the table and carried the tray back to the bar when her phone went
off in the pocket of her jeans. She set the tray in the tub, and pulled out her
cell and read the text.

Out back. Need
to talk.

She glanced at the
number, her heart racing. Ray? No way.

She told him as
much in her reply. Her stomach flipped, and she turned away from Bruce and
worked her lip in worry. Why would he be contacting her? She'd told him that
was all the money she had. It wasn't as much as Slade gave him, and—she pressed
her hand against her stomach. He was a gambler.

"Shit,"
she mumbled, looking around the bar. He'd go to Slade or inform Jodie's lawyer
about Slade taking the boys back without permission. Spotting Torque, she
hurried over to the end of the bar.

"Can I talk to
you for a minute…privately?" She motioned behind her to the hallway.

Torque frowned and
looked around the bar. "What's up?"

"Not here.
Please." She tugged on his vest. "I don't want anyone to
overhear."

Torque followed her
quietly. In the hallway, she showed him her cell. "It's Ray…Jodie's Ray…Slade's
ex-wife."

"I know who
the asshole is," Torque said. "The question is, does Slade know the
guy is texting you?"

"No, and I
swear I'll tell him tonight. I don't want to bother him now, because he's out
on a run. I also don't need him stressing out about the next drama Jodie and
Ray bring down on him when it's something I can probably take care of. I just
need to talk with Ray for a few minutes in private, and make sure everything is
okay and they're not making trouble for Lee and Kurt."

"Fuck
no." Torque used her phone to scroll through her contracts. "I'll
call Slade."

She grabbed her
cell before he could find the key to contact Slade. "Please don't contact
him. It'll only frustrate him, and he's been through enough with those two. Let
him concentrate on his boys and his club. I can take care of this. You can make
sure I'm safe, while I get rid of Ray."

Torque rocked back
on the heels of his boots and his gaze went to the ceiling. "Slade's gonna
kill me."

"No, he
won't." She lowered her voice. "Please. Just walk outside with me.
It'll take a few minutes, and then we can come back in. Ray's scum. He's not
going to do anything to me. He probably wants to try to get visitation with the
boys for Jodie, and I'll remind him of Slade's deal. That's all."

She was lying
through her teeth. Ray probably wanted more money to keep quiet, but she was
broke. Slade was broke. They'd expended their resources.

"Two minutes
and then if he gives you trouble, you're back inside and I call Slade. Hell,
I'll call every Bantorus member and we'll take the asshole out." Torque
grabbed her upper arm and marched her toward the back door. "You don't
leave my sight either."

"I
promise." She pushed through the back door, spotted Ray pacing by the
dumpster, and hurried over.

A quick glance
behind her let her know Torque had his eye on her and was giving her room to
talk with Ray without being far away in case things got ugly. She stopped in
front of Ray. "Are you crazy? Slade's going to kill you if he hears you
stopped by the bar
and
contacted me."

"I need more
cash." He rubbed his arm. "Today."

She shook her head.
"I gave you everything I had."

"Then get some
from the club. Don't you work the cash register in there?" He jerked his
chin toward the building. "I need everything you can get your hands
on."

"Steal from
the club? You're insane." Her lip curled in disgust. "Never."

"He's going to
kill me," Ray said.

She nodded.
"Yeah, Slade will, and because you contacted me at Cactus Cove, there are
twenty bikers in there that will also kill you if they learn why you're
here."

Ray's eyes rounded.
"Not Slade. Banjoey. He's put a hit on me."

"Didn't you
pay him off?" It dawned on her what had happened when Ray shook his head.

He hadn't paid off
his debt with Slade's money, and he hadn't let Jodie in on how he'd blackmailed
her for more cash. Even worse, the boy's mother couldn't give a shit about her
kids or figure out what her husband was doing behind her back. Disgust rolled
through her, making her angry. She fisted her hands.

"If I had a
gun, I'd kill you myself," she said. "You've got two seconds to get
out of here, before I have Torque—she stuck her arm out and pointed behind her
at the Bantorus member watching her back—blow your stupid head off."

Ray shook his head,
pain etched around his mouth, and jogged to his car. She folded her arms across
her chest.
Unbelievable. What an asshole.

She waited for Ray
to drive away, and then took a deep breath. After that episode with Ray, she'd
have to come clean with Slade. Her deal with Ray went too far. He was a sick man
and no matter what, Kurt and Lee didn't deserve to be around someone with a
deadly gambling habit and a mom who couldn't find the energy to give a damn.

She turned around
and walked back to Torque with a heavy heart. Tonight, Slade would find out she
tried to pay off Ray. He'd call her all kinds of a fool. She deserved whatever
he said to her, because she'd messed up big time.

Torque cocked his
head to see her face. "Everything okay?"

"It will
be." She lifted her chin. "Everything is—"

Gunfire peppered
the area. She screamed, jolting from the noise. Torque fell to the ground. The
next shots came, and she hunkered down beside him, jerking his vest to try to
move him.

"Torque,"
she screamed, watching a reddish black stain rapidly color his upper shoulder.

At first, she
thought his bandage had come off when he fell, but more blood dribbled out of
the corner of his mouth. His eyes closed, and in a panic, she pushed to her
feet.

"Help!"
She stumbled toward the backdoor of the bar. "Somebody help us."

An arm went around
her waist and a hand covered her mouth. Her feet left the ground and she kicked
out, scratching at the fingers making it hard to breath. She bounced like a
ragdoll.

She stared intently
at Torque, the backdoor, willing someone to come out and help her, help Torque.

Then she sailed
through the air, her head banged against something hard and pain flashed
through her body, and all went black.

Chapter Twenty Seven

Slade toed the
kickstand and swung off the bike. If he timed things right, he could plant
himself between Taylor's legs and feed his craving for her before escorting the
boys home from Janice's house. Seeing her flustered and her panties damp
earlier had sent him speeding on the run, wanting to go home. He was damn lucky
a badge hadn't pulled him over after rolling through every yellow light he hit.

He pushed through
the front door of the bar and stopped.

Chaos reigned
inside Cactus cove. It was a recreated scene from the meet down with Los Li
again. Someone lay on the tables, and a group of Bantorus members circled
whichever biker had their attention. Lagsturns members kept their distance, but
even he could see the concerned looks and stiff posture in the bikers.

He searched for
Taylor, wanting to get her out of the way. He spotted Ginger and marched
straight to her.

"Where's
Taylor?" he said.

Ginger's brows
knotted and tears pooled in her eyes. "Oh God…"

His chest
tightened, squeezing the air out of his lungs. "Who got hurt?"

"Slade, it's
bad."

He fell back on the
heel of his boot. "Taylor…"

"Brother, step
back." Duck hauled him away and took his hands off Slade. "One of
your men got shot. They're prepping him for transport to the county hospital
where we have people who'll cover him."

"What the
hell?" Slade straightened to see over Duck's shoulder. "Who?"

"Torque,"
Duck said quietly.

"Jesus Christ.
Again?" Slade shoved his hands in his hair. "What the hell
happened?"

"Shot in the
shoulder. He's bleeding out and the bullet is still in him," Duck said.

"Jesus…"
Slade glanced over at the table where everyone gathered. "I need
Taylor."

Duck shook his
head. "Don't know any chick named Taylor. Is she Torque's property?"

"She's my
woman." He walked off, urgent to put his eyes on Taylor.

Sirens broke
through the noise. He combed the crowd, finally pulling Ronny away from where
they were working on Torque. "Where's Taylor?"

"I don't know.
Check with Bruce, he's in the office, putting calls out to cover Torque's ass
at the hospital." Ronny motioned for Slade to move out of the paramedics'
way.

His cell vibrated.
He scrambled to take it out of his pocket and frowned when the message came
from Bruce, advising him to come to the club. He stalked down the hallway and
into the office.

"What the fuck
is going on? Where's Taylor?" Fear tickled his brain and seized his heart.

"We were
hoping she was with you." Bruce rounded the desk. "I saw her go
outside with Torque. I never questioned Torque, because he'd escorted Taylor to
the cabins earlier to deliver the lunch orders. I thought one of the member's
old lady might've needed something and Torque was with her. Next thing I know,
bullets ripped apart the back of the building, and we found Torque with two
bullets, one in each shoulder."

Slade tapped
Taylor's name on his phone and listened to it ring while Bruce continued to
talk.
Come on, baby girl, pick up.

Voice mail kicked
on and he said, "Call me now."

He turned to Bruce.
"Have you asked everyone here?"

"Yeah. Nobody
saw anything."

Slade struck out,
swinging his arm, his fist crashing through the sheetrock on the wall. He growled
out, "I'm going after Los Li."

"We'll get a
team together. Rain wants—"

Slade faced him
down. "It's my woman. I ride alone."

He wasn't bringing
down Bantorus getting Taylor back, and he wasn't walking away without killing
every bastard who dared to take Taylor out of his hands. Los Li would pay for
even breathing the same air as Taylor. He moved over to the gun safe, ignoring
the pain in his hand, and pushed the combination. It refused to open. He beat
on the door, then tried again, and finally the bar slipped loose and he tossed
it to the side.

He shoved a full
magazine in each pocket and put one in his boot. Then he grabbed a .40 caliber
from the shelf to add to the two pistols he already carried on him. "I
want two men to ride over to my neighbor's house…the green one, and pick up my
boys. We use a safe word. Have them tell Janice, their babysitter,
Harley's
Rule the School
, she'll know to pass them to you. I want them locked down
with two riders in the room with them. Nobody goes out that door."

"Got it."
Bruce talked on his phone, relaying the message.

"Tell them
anyone touches a hair on my boys' head, and I will hunt them down and kill
every-fucking-body they know." Slade rushed out of the office and ran into
Rain.

Rain gripped
Slade's throat, backing him to the wall. Slade gritted his teeth. "Don't
make me go through you, prez."

"I heard the
call go out, and your boys will walk through the door any minute." Rain
paused. "Enough shit has happened today, I don't need to have more weight
on my shoulders telling Kurt and Lee there daddy ain't coming back. You
reassure them they are safe with the club, that the club has their back, and that
you want them to be strong boys, because you don't know what will happen
outside these doors. You set them up and secure your family first before you
ride out after Taylor. Then, I will ride with you."

"I'm going in
shooting," he said, not wanting Rain involved. "I'll go alone."

"Not wearing
that patch." Rain eased back, dropping his hands from Slade.
"Bantorus by name, Bantorus by blood."

He forced a nod,
accepting backup, knowing Rain was right. The club would follow his lead and
walk into the fire with him. "Taylor's been gone a long time."

"I know, man.
I know," Rain said. "We'll make them pay, but you need to keep your
head."

His head was
telling him to shoot first and get his woman back. Without her—he fisted his
hand around the handle of the pistol and looked down—he'd go crazy. He needed
her."

"Torque's on
his way to the hospital now. Members are rallying the family together to bring all
the women and kids back to lockdown." Rain clapped his hand down on
Slade's shoulder. "We'll get your woman, and we'll get revenge for
Torque."

"Yeah."
Slade's body tensed and he walked down the hallway into the bar, followed by
Rain.

Overturned chairs
blocked everyone from walking a straight line. Blood pooled on the table,
dripping onto the floor where Torque had lain. Slade's throat spasmed. How much
more could Torque take? Three bullet holes in a month. Someone had to put a
stop to the hits they were taking.

He had no idea how
long he stood there, looking at his future, the uncertainty, the madness that
invaded his life and stole Taylor from him. Most of all, he'd let her slip
away. He'd fucked up again, and someone he loved paid the price. He should've
stayed at the bar with her. He should've ordered more men on her, twenty-four/seven.
He should've sent her and the kids away. He rubbed his lips together. Hell, he
could still taste her on his tongue. He was addicted to Taylor, and couldn't go
on without her. Every fucked up thing in his life disappeared when she was
around.

Ginger approached
him and spoke quietly, "The riders brought your kids through the back—she
swallowed—we didn't want them to see…everything. Go to them, Slade. Hold on to
your boys, hold on for Taylor…"

He nodded and
turned silently, walking to his kids. It was time to take control, set things
right, and move forward. He stepped into the doorway.

Kurt stood against
the wall, arms folded, and his mouth in a firm line. Underneath the tough
exterior, he saw the hesitation in his gaze, the worry that something was
wrong. He shifted his attention to Lee and inhaled deeply. Already enthralled
with the bucket of Legos in the corner, Lee refused to deal with the problems
that came at him the way he usually did, by pretending they didn't exist.

Two different boys.
One so much like him, it hurt to know Kurt would deal with the same shit of
responsibility, go through the same fuck ups, and fight his whole life to
survive. While Lee would be the one to worry about, because he'd trust too
easily like his mother, and he'd have trouble settling down. He'd never trust
that someone wasn't going to hurt him.

"Boys,"
he said, clearing his throat.

They both looked up
at him, color rushing to their cheeks, their eyes lighting up expectantly as if
he could make the world a safe place for them. He wanted to be the man who put
the confidence back on their face, and shaped them into men who gave a damn.
Their happiness wasn't about the dynamics of life, but love.

"Come here for
a second and sit down." He pulled out two chairs, then straddled the
third, getting down to their level. "I don't have the time to repeat
myself, so listen up. You're both young men now, and I'm not going to lie to
you. I have a problem. Taylor's come up missing, and I need to leave to find
her and bring her back home."

"Where's she
at?" Kurt leaned forward. "Did she run away?'

He shook his head.
"I believe someone took her away from us and she didn't want to go. It's
going to take time for me to find her but I promise I will bring her home. What
I need from you two is to mind Aunt Tori and the rest of the club. No matter
what you hear or see, remember that behind it all, Bantorus MC is your family,
just like I'm your dad. You need something; you rely on them when I'm not
here."

Kyle's gaze went to
the pistol in Slade's waistband. "You're coming back, right?"

He hooked his
oldest son's neck and brought him forward, tapping foreheads. "I'll do my
damnedest to come back. Nothing is going to stop me from bringing Taylor home.
We all need her."

"I-I love
her," Lee whispered, sniffing.

Slade kept hold of
Kurt and hooked his arm around Lee, crushing him against his chest. "I
love her too, son."

"Who would
take her?" Kurt's mouth twisted. "I'll kick him in the balls."

Slade had the exact
opinion. "I'm not sure, but I'm going to find out."

"I bet it was
dickhead," Kurt muttered.

Slade's body went
stiff. "Who?"

"Ray."
Lee wiped his eyes. "We saw him talking to Taylor and were afraid he came
for us, but she came home and Ray never came back for us."

He wasn't following
his story. He grabbed Lee by the shoulders and forced him to look at him.
"Ray and Taylor were together? When?"

Lee nodded.
"The other day. I saw them through the window at Janice's."

"It's true.
Lee made me come and look." Kurt tugged on Slade's arm. "I remember.
It was the day Taylor painted the bathroom pink and she was teasing you about
it at dinner."

"Dammit,"
he muttered, standing up. "You boys stay right here. Promise?"

"Promise,"
both boys said.

"Love
you." He looked at them both. "Proud of you."

They both gave him
a smile. He turned, nodded at Tori in the hallway, and rushed out to the bar.
He had to locate the boys' asshole stepdad.

"Rain."
Slade hurried over to the bar. "Can you get a location on Ray, Jodie's husband?
He's got Taylor."

"You're
positive?" Rain pulled out his phone, typed while he glanced at Slade.
"It was a lot of gunfire back there. More than one man attacked
Torque."

"It's the only
lead I have." He walked backward toward the door. "Call me when you
hear anything. I'm going to ride by the club where Ray hangs out and see if I
can find him. If I don't, I'll swing by Jodie's house."

He didn't wait for
a reply, but hit the door at a run. In no time, he rode out of the parking lot
on his Harley. He was one step closer to finding Taylor, and he wouldn't relax
until he had her home safe.