Soothing His Madness (8 page)

Chapter
Fourteen

Tori peeked out the
window in Rain's office for the tenth time. Taylor nudged Ginger with her elbow
and grinned at the way Tori claimed not to be bothered by the lockdown after
two days. They were all going crazy, but cabin fever finally hit the
president's wife when Rain made another trip out to check on the bitches in the
far north cabin.

"Be glad
they're not in here with the old ladies." Crystal, Raul's woman, yawned
from her spot on the couch. "The last thing we need on top of everything
else is to watch them strutting their perky little asses around our men."

"Rain doesn't
look at the other women," Tori muttered.

That was true.
Neither did Slade, but Taylor still hated knowing the women were on the grounds
of Bantorus land.

"Whatever."
Crystal stretched her arms over her head, winced, and said, "I can't wait
until this is over."

Crystal's new
tattoo between her breasts relegated her to taking it easy during lockdown, and
everyone knew she was bored stiff. Taylor glanced at Crystal, trying to peek at
the secret tattoo that nobody would talk about. Whenever someone mentioned the ink
work she had done, Crystal looked to Raul, whose heated stare down with his
woman caused everyone to laugh. So far, if anyone knew the secret, nobody had
spilled.

"Rain's not
going to do anything with those women. He's doing his presidential duties and
making sure their comfortable, that's all," Ginger said, leaving Taylor's
side to pull Tori away from the window. "Just chill."

Tori looked over in
the corner of the office at her daughter curled in the playpen fast asleep.
"I trust Rain, but I don't have any confidence that the women will keep
their hands off him. They're skanky."

"They know
better. Besides, I don’t think anyone wants to piss of the prez's old lady. You
have your moments of being scary to outsiders." Taylor refilled one of the
shot glasses on the desk and carried it to Tori. "Drink up."

"No, thanks."
Tori closed her eyes and blew out her breath. "Los Li has been in Pitnam
almost forty-eight hours already and they've obeyed the request to stay at the
hotel and not venture around town. Rain's employees are telling us everything
is quiet—she groaned—I just want to sleep in my own bed tonight."

"We all do,
girlfriend." Kristen stood and adjusted the top of her thigh-high boots.
"I’m going out to the bar and see if the guys are done with their poker
game."

Tori nodded, but
her attention went to the window. "Okay, Rain's finally coming back."

"Told you he
would." Crystal laughed. "Is Raul with him?"

Taylor stepped over
to the window, spotted Raul, and decided to play with Crystal's head.
"No…"

"What?"
Crystal jumped from the couch and shouldered her way to the glass. Her body
sagged at the sight of her man. "You fat liar."

Taylor laughed and
side stepped the hand that came out to slap her. "Ha. Looks like you were
a little worried too."

"Was
not." Crystal tugged on the top of her shirt, well covering her breasts.

"I'll forget
about your freak out if you show me your tattoo." Taylor crossed her arms
and raised her brows. "Or maybe I'll have to tell Raul you were—"

"Okay."
Crystal glanced over to Tori who had her back to them and stood in the open
doorway, obviously waiting for Rain to walk through the backdoor. "I'll
show you, but don't say a word to any of the others."

"Promise."
Taylor grinned.

Crystal whispered,
"I'm serious."

Taylor stopped
smiling and nodded. "I really do promise. My lips are sealed."

Her teasing turned
serious now that her curiosity got the better of her. She worried about her new
friend. Crystal stayed to herself for the most part and always seemed content
to hang with Raul. Once in a while, like now, she stuck with the Bantorus
women, but this was the first chance that Taylor had an opportunity to get to
know Crystal better.

Crystal pulled down
on the scoop necked Tee and bared the area between her breasts. Taylor studied
the tattoo, confused over why she'd hide the artwork. The design was beautiful.

A four inch cross
lay in the valley between her breasts, green in color, the scrolling done in a
feminine style that accented the valley between Crystal's breasts. She peered
closer and read the inscriptions going horizontal on the cross. One side said
Raul
,
and the other side had
Promise
. Down the middle, going vertical on the
cross, was the world
Forgiveness
.

The edges of the
tat, still red from the recent work, appeared to be healing nicely. Taylor
looked into Crystal's eyes, trying to understand why the subject of her tattoo
was a sensitive subject. "It's really beautiful."

Crystal nodded.
"It is, and I'm thrilled with how it all turned out."

"Then why hide
it?" she asked.

Crystal pulled her
shirt back up. "Raul's still trying to accept the fact that I put a cross on
my body to represent my past. He hates the reminder of what I've lived through,
but it's who I am. The forgiveness represents letting go of the ideals my
parents held me to, and the promise is to Raul that I would devote my life to
him."

Taylor had heard
that Crystal grew up with an evangelical preacher for a father who ended up in
prison for money laundering and putting a hit out on his own daughter a few
months ago, right before Raul joined Bantorus. "He'll come around. Bikers
are…"

"Stubborn?"
Crystal laughed.

She nodded.
"And possessive. He loves you though. Everyone can see he worships the
ground you walk on—she rolled her eyes—sorry, bad description, but you know
what I mean, right?"

"I know."
Crystal shrugged. "And I love him for how much he cares about me. I just
wanted to show him in a way that meant something to me."

"I think it's
awesome." She hugged Crystal and when she stepped back, Slade walked
inside the office.

His eyes, dark and
penetrating, took in Taylor before he motioned for her to come to him. She
stepped around Crystal and went to him. "What's up?"

He led her out into
the hallway. Her heart raced, because they'd all expected trouble at any
minute. Things were going too smoothly, and she'd half-expected Los Li's visit
to go without a confrontation.

Slade cornered her
against the wall and bent down. "It's Kurt."

She pulled on his
shirt when he moved again. "What about him?"

"He's
gone." He cussed under his breath. "They were with Mike's kid at the
table building with Legos, and I got up to take a piss. When I came back, Lee
and Scotty were still there, and Kurt was gone. No one fucking seen him
leave."

"Maybe he went
into the kitchen." She walked away, planning to hunt him down herself when
Slade grabbed her hand.

"You don't
think I looked?" Slade lowered his voice. "Torque's riding the block
around the bar and Ronny went to check the cabin. I need you to stay with Lee,
while I go out and find my boy."

"Yeah, sure. Do
you have your phone with you?" She patted his pocket, finding the cell.
"Call me when you find him and I'll do the same if he comes back."

"Okay."
He headed toward the backdoor.

She called his name
and when he turned, she said, "He's okay. We'll find him."

He didn't answer
her and his eyes begged her to make her words true. Her breath caught in her
chest. What if…

No, she wouldn't
allow herself to think what would happen if Los Li got ahold of Kurt.

The door shut
behind Slade, and she hurried out into the bar. The men no longer played poker
but stood around, forming an intimidating barrier around the Bantorus children
in the corner of the room. She swallowed hard. The situation was serious, and
she had no idea what to do.

She pushed her way
to the table and kneeled down beside Lee. He smiled his gorgeous carefree grin
at her, and she pushed away the fear making her shake.

"Hey, sweetie,
what are you building?" she asked.

Lee held up a
contraption of Legos. "A motorcycle club that's on the moon. My Harley
will float in the air instead of on the street."

She smiled.
"That's awesome and sounds fun."

He wiped his nose
with his arm and went back to building. Determined to get answers and find
Kurt, she put her hand on Lee's arm. "Do you know where Kurt is,
sweetie?"

Lee's chin came up
and he studied the room as if he only just learned that Kurt wasn't sitting
beside him at the table. "No."

"Do you know
if he mentioned wanting to go outside and play or maybe he forgot something in
the car?" she asked.

Lee wiggling
stopped and he said, "No, he was bummed and didn't want to play with the
little kids."

"What was he
bummed about?" She edged closer.

"He wanted to
work on his dirt bike and get it running again. That's all he talks about. He
said Legos are dumb, but I know he plays with them at home." Lee's
attention dropped and he grabbed the bucket of Legos and searched through the
pieces.

She stood, kissing
Lee on the top of the head, and hurried away from the table. Bruce blocked her
path. "Not now, Bruce."

"Can't let you
leave the room." Bruce widened his stance.

"Move or I'll
move you." She poked him in the chest. "I need Slade. Now."

"I'll send one
of the guys after him." Bruce motioned over her head.

She used that
opportunity to run straight down the hallway. Her hands hit the backdoor at a
run and she stumbled outside, almost losing her balance.

"Slade,"
she yelled, frantically scanning the parking lot between the bar and the
cabins.

"Damn,
woman." Bruce slipped his hand under her elbow and pulled her back toward
the door.

She dug in her
heels and yanked her arm free. "Slade!"

Bruce growled,
leaning over and wrapping his arms around her knees. She screamed Slade's name
again. Time was of the essence. If Kurt tried to walk back to the house, he had
to pass the hotel. Los Li would use anyone against Bantorus MC, including any
Bantorus kids.

Chapter Fifteen

Taylor's scream
sent a cold chill through Slade. He ran over the uneven ground of the cow field
behind the cabins toward the bar. In the back parking lot, he found Bruce
struggling with Taylor.

"Put her ass
down," Slade said, slowing into a jog.

Taylor fought free
and fell against Slade's body. He held her shoulders, steadying her. Livid over
finding her outside, fighting with Bruce, and not inside where she was safe, he
wanted to shake her.

Instead, he held
her at arm's length and raked his gaze down the length of her body and back up
to her face, making sure she was all right. "What the hell is going
on?"

She panted and
clasped his shirt. "His dirt bike—she inhaled sharply—Kyle might've tried
to walk to the house, because he wanted to fix his motorcycle. Lee said that's
all he talked about today."

"His bike
isn't at—" He groaned and grabbed her hand. "Come on. I think I know
where he might be."

Past the front
entrance of the bar, Taylor tugged on his hand to slow him. "Take your motorcycle
and leave me, it'll be faster. You have to hurry. If he was going home, he
would've walked by the hotel."

He continued
walking. "The bike's not at home. I hauled it to Raul's house two weeks
ago. Kurt knew that, so he'd head there if he got the stupid idea to go visit
his bike. I swear, I'm going to ground him for life when I find him for pulling
a jerk move like this."

She jogged beside
him, keeping up with his steps. He scanned the street as they crossed the
lanes. Raul only lived three houses down from the bar. He hoped with all his
heart, he'd find his boy safe and unharmed.

Kurt knew better
than to leave a lockdown. He'd promised to obey and stick with his brother. He
was old enough to understand when rules needed to be obeyed. How one thirteen
year old could slip away from at least sixty Bantorus members watching over him
pissed him off. These things shouldn't happen.

"Maybe we
should call Raul before we barge up to his house." Taylor let go of his
hand and jogged faster down the short driveway to the garage.

"No time."
Slade banged on the garage door, yelling Kurt's name. No answer came, and he
moved down the side of the building where the walk-through door was located. He
tried the handle and found it locked. "Fuck."

Taylor beat her
fist on the door. "Kurt!"

"He's not
here. The doors locked." Slade whirled and punched the side of the garage.
"Where the hell is he?"

Pain radiated up
his wrist into his elbow. He concentrated on the discomfort rather than losing
his composure. Panic had come twenty minutes ago when he found Kurt's empty
chair, and now he was scared to death. If anyone hurt his boy, he'd kill and
take his time doing it.

"Honey, we'll
find him." Taylor wrapped her arms around his waist.

He crushed her to
him, needing to believe her, wanting to keep her close, craving to go back to
the bar and get Lee, taking his whole family somewhere safe and away from the
bullshit of Los Li.

"I don't know
where he'd go. Before this bullshit with his mom, I would've known what he was
thinking and could've prevented him leaving." Slade's body coiled tighter.
"Now…I don't know what goes through that boy's head most of the time. He's
been too quiet, keeping everything bottled up inside."

"Would he have
gone to Jodie's?" Taylor asked, rubbing his back.

He swallowed the
lump in his throat and shook his head. "I called her first back at the
bar. She has a right to know Kurt's missing, despite my opinion of her."

Taylor wrinkled her
nose. "What did she say?"

"Said she was
sleeping and I woke her up." Slade growled, stepping away and punched the
garage again.

Taylor reached out,
but he shook her off. This could not be fucking happening.

A rumble from a
motorcycle grabbed his attention. He walked to the end of the driveway and
recognized the rider coming down the street toward him. Raul put his hand out
to the side and sprawled his fingers. Hope filled Slade's chest at the sign
that he wasn't coming with bad news.

Taylor joined him
at the curb. He put his arm around her, and she leaned into his side, laying
her hand on his stomach. Right now, he took that support and held on to it with
an iron fist.

The closer Raul
came, the more anxious Slade became. When he made out the pale arm across
Raul's stomach, he inhaled swiftly, wanting to run out into the street. Instead,
he squeezed Taylor and taking her with him, stepped out onto the street.

He connected his
gaze to Raul, who gave him a slight nod. Kurt's helmeted head peeked out from
behind Raul and Kurt's searching eyes were the best thing he'd seen all day.
The motorcycle stopped, and Slade hauled his oldest son off the motorcycle, set
him on his feet, and then crushed him to his stomach. Words wouldn't come.

"I'm okay, Dad."
Kurt hugged him back before pushing away, struggling with the D strap under his
chin. "Uncle Raul punched Ray. You should've seen it. Knocked that asshole
out like a light—He fisted his hand and smacked his open palm—I bet he's got a
busted nose."

Slade's gaze
whipped to Raul. "What?"

"Later,
amigo
."
Raul smacked his gloved hand on top of Kurt's helmet. "Watch your mouth,
kid. There's a lady present."

Kurt glanced at
Taylor and mumbled, "Sorry, Aunt Taylor."

She dashed away the
tears on her face and held out her arms. Kurt stepped into the hug, and while
his woman and son were busy reassuring each other they were both okay, he
stepped a few feet away to talk privately with Raul.

"How did Ray
get his hands on Kurt?" His fingers itched to kill the bastard.

"Kurt saw Ray
through the window at the bar, snuck out through the side door in the kitchen,
and thought to confront his step daddy himself. Seems he wanted to keep Ray
from his little brother and instead of telling an adult, Kurt thought he could
make Ray leave himself without anyone knowing." Raul shrugged. "Damn
tough kid you got there,
amigo
. He has bigger balls than some of the
prospects with Bantorus."

Anger heated him at
the same time pride for his boy kicked his ass. What the hell? Hadn't he always
taken care of his family? All because he'd done the right thing and let the
courts decide the fate of his family, he'd failed. Of course, Kurt thought he
could do better by taking Ray on himself. He probably didn't want his dad to
fuck up again.

"Check
yourself." Raul laid his hand on Slade's shoulder. "Your boy's fine.
You have a gorgeous woman at your back, and your family is safe. Another day,
you can fight the devil inside of you."

"Right."
Slade concentrated on where to go and what to do now. "I'll take Kurt back
to the bar. The walk will do us both good."

Raul nodded, and returned
to his motorcycle. He winked at Kurt and smiled at Taylor, then rode back in
the direction of Cactus Cove.

Slade stood, unsure
what to do or say. Kurt's actions could've got him hurt or worse, killed. Growing
up wasn't the same as when he was a kid. His dad drove long hauls in the truck
and was never home. His mom drank herself to death. He'd raised himself, and
did what he wanted. Today, he had to protect, shelter, and raise his son in not
only a broken home, but in a world that was selfish and cruel.

Taylor held out her
hand. "Let's get back. Lee's probably wondering where we
disappeared."

He walked over,
took her hand, threw his arm around Kurt's shoulder, and for once was glad when
his son let him keep it there. Each step grew lighter. He mussed Kurt's hair,
glad to have him back.

Taylor walked
silently with them, squeezing his hand every few steps and he was thankful for
the reminder that she wasn't going anywhere. He gazed ahead and broke the
silence. "A man's judged by his actions, son. Occasionally, you'll screw
up big time and it seems all is lost and no one's ever going to trust you
again. But, by changing the way you react, you prove again and again that
you're a man to be trusted. I've messed up a lot of times at your age and even
as an adult, more times than I can count. Probably didn't handle your mom right
and that got me in trouble, but I'll prove to you that you can trust me."

"Dad, I—"

"Not
done." He glanced at Kurt. "You've stepped up and became a man when
you should be a kid. You've watched your brother and put your own needs to the
side, and that grates on me. It puts scars on my back. I understand you wanting
to shoulder the responsibility of this family, but it's not your job. That's my
job, and one way I'll respect your choices, your actions, is if you include me
in your decisions. You see Ray or hear from him, you tell me and I'll deal with
him. Not you. Do you understand me?"

"Yeah."
Kurt hopped up onto the sidewalk in front of Cactus Cove. "Sorry."

"I'm sorry
too, son. Maybe it's time for all of us to make the right choices, huh?"
He put his hand on the front door of the bar, waiting for Kurt's answer.

Kurt sheepishly
looked at Taylor, who'd remained quiet during the talk, then gazed back up at
Slade. "Okay."

He held his fist up
and Kurt knuckle bumped him. Then he opened the door. Kurt scrambled inside
under his arm, and Taylor slipped her hand into his back pocket and followed
him inside.

He let the door
close, focused once again on his woman. "You okay?"

"I will be
eventually when my heart stops racing and I can take a deep breath." She
rose up on her tiptoes and kissed his lips, softening her mouth and he tasted
the warmth of her. She sighed and rocked back on her heels. "You're an
awesome dad. I just wanted you to know that."

"Trying to be,
but have a long way to go." He caressed her cheek with his thumb. "He
scared the hell out of me. First Kurt, then you. I saw you fighting with Bruce,
and all I wanted to do is throw you back inside."

"I was scared.
I thought I knew where you could find Kurt and the thought of him walking past
the hotel…" She leaned her head into his palm and closed her eyes.
"Everything is okay though. He's safe. We're all safe."

"Remember, if
I'm not around, the clubs here for you. You need to rely on them to help you.
Bruce would've found me," he said.

"I only want
you though." She opened her eyes and gazed up at him. "Are you okay
with hearing Ray came here?"

"I need to
take care of that motherfucker and find out what he was doing here." He
tightened his lips over his teeth. "I swear, he's going to step too close
and I don't know if I can stop from killing him. Even Jodie…useless bitch, was
more upset that I woke her up than she was about finding Kurt."

Taylor's lips
pursed. He hooked her neck. Another time and place, and he'd show her how much
he appreciated her supporting him. She understood his position, and instead of
calling his ex-wife out, she fought to keep her opinion to herself. Taylor was
more concerned about Kurt than Jodie exhibited toward her own son's disappearance.

"Let's go in
and settle down, check on the kids," he said.

Inside, the boys
were eating an ice cream sundae and entertaining the younger children. Slade
sat down in the nearest chair and pulled Taylor down on his lap. Only then did
he give in to the stress. His legs shook. Taylor put her hands on his thighs,
leaned her shoulder against his chest, and absorbed his anger.

Even though he
settled and enjoyed Taylor's heat calming him down, he couldn't wrap his head
around the turmoil in his life. Ray couldn't keep showing up in his life every
few days. Slade was out of money to buy himself more time with his kids. His
boys were done with having their lives interrupted, and the only thing he could
think of to turn his life around was to get rid of Ray.