“Hey, thanks for this,” I say, extending my hand, and he nods, shaking it.
“Fuzz told me about what happened, and I’m of the thinking that some people never need to leave this place. I’ll get this where it needs to go,” he says, patting his pocket, and I nod, standing up straight. “Besides, I’ve spent the last six years listening to that fucker boast about what he did to your girl. I’d stick a shank in his neck myself if I could.”
“Thanks, man,” I tell him, my face burning with the knowledge that Ian’s spent the last six years proudly telling everyone in there what he’s done. Fuzz pulls him off to the side and says something to him but I’m not paying attention, ready to get out of here. All I want to do is get back to my girl and forget about this shit-tastic day.
* * * *
My phone rings, rattling around on the table next to the bed, and I untangle myself from Ali, scooping it up as I pull some jeans on and slip out into the hallway.
“Hello?”
“You have received a collect call from,” an automated voice says, cutting out when Henn says his name, “at Dixon Correctional Institute. Do you accept these charges?”
“Yes.”
It rings once more before connecting to the other line.
“Storm?” Henn asks.
“Yeah, I’m here. Thanks for getting back to me, Brother.” I lean back against the wall and run my hand over my face. I haven’t slept in over twenty-four hours, and I’m not sure that I will until this is over.
“Don’t mention it. Shelby filled me in on what’s going on.”
“Shelby?” I ask, and he chuckles.
“Yeah, Officer Shelby. Fuzz’s friend.”
I nod. “Oh, right. Didn’t realize his name was Shelby.”
“It’s not something he advertises,” Henn says, laughing, and I grin, shaking my head.
“All right, my girl’s gonna wake up soon so here’s the deal, Ian’s gotta go, and Blaze wants you to find someone to do the job. Someone who is never gonna get out of there and would be willing to do it.”
“What kind of compensation are we talking here?”
“We’ll deposit two grand in their account over the next six months.”
He’s quiet for a minute, and I worry that our plan will fall apart. “I think I can make that happen. I’ve got a couple of guys in mind.”
“Thank you for doing this.”
“Don’t mention it. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for my woman. I get it.”
“Give me a call when it’s done?”
He sucks in a breath, and I pause. “Yeah, you got it. Listen, there is a favor I need to ask you for.”
“What is it?”
“I’m looking at getting out in the next year, and I need to find my girl.”
I push off the wall and walk down the hallway a little bit. “What do you mean ‘find’ her?”
“Fuck, I don’t know, man. The night I got pinched, I was supposed to pick her up, but of course, I couldn’t, and ever since then, Blaze says she disappeared. I haven’t seen her in six years, and it’s fucking killing me. She’s my world, you know?”
“Yeah, Brother, I get it. I’ll look into it.”
He thanks me, and we hang up before I slip back into my room and climb into bed, pulling Ali into my arms. Weight lifts off my shoulders as I realize that this is almost over, and a smile stretches across my face as I close my eyes.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Alison
“Oh my god, I missed you so much, bitch,” Izzy squeals as she runs across the parking lot and practically jumps into my arms as Carly follows behind her, shaking her head. Laughing, I hug her, and she pulls back before looking over my body. “Are you okay? What happened?”
When we left my house Sunday night, there wasn’t much time to explain everything. I did tell them that I had to go to the clubhouse for my safety but I couldn’t give them details. “It was crazy, Iz.”
“Well, tell me everything.”
I glance over my shoulder to the picnic tables that surround the fire pit. All the guys are on one side, drinking beer as they talk and stare into the fire. I point to the table across from them. “Let’s go sit down, and I’ll tell you everything.”
We move over to the table, and as they sit down, I take a deep breath and begin explaining the whole weekend to them – telling them about Logan’s cabin and how amazing it was. Then I start telling them about when we came home. When I finish, Carly has tears in her eyes, and Izzy looks murderous.
“I can’t imagine how terrifying that was, Hon,” Carly says, and I nod.
“I’ve honestly never felt fear like that. I was frozen, and I couldn’t even scream for Logan. I thought my heart was going to literally burst.”
Izzy blows out a breath and looks up at me from the table. “What are we doing to end this son of a bitch?”
“Logan is handling it.”
“Well, what is he doing?”
I shrug, peeking over my shoulder at him. He smiles and winks at me, and my cheeks heat. “I don’t know, Iz. He promised to tell me everything when it was over.”
“And you’re okay with that?” she asks, incredulously.
I turn back to her and nod. “I am. If there is one thing I know for certain, it’s that Logan is madly in love with me. He would do whatever it takes to keep me safe, and if me being in the dark for a little bit helps him deal with this, then I’m okay with that. But he will be telling me every little detail when this is all over.”
“I don’t know how you do it,” she grumbles, and I laugh as the boys surround the table.
“Ladies,” Chance says, his gaze lingering on Carly, and I arch a brow as his eyes shift to me. He looks away without a word but I swear, he was blushing. The guys fill in the tables around us, and Logan lifts me off the bench, sitting down in my spot as he pulls me into his lap and presses his lips to my neck.
“Wait, I’m gonna need you all to tell me your names again,” Izzy says, forgetting her earlier mood as she bats her eyes at the guys. I laugh, and Carly just shakes her head as they start telling her their names. When it’s Moose’s turn, he tells her, and she holds up her hand.
“Hold on. Moose?”
His brow arches. “Yeah?”
“How in the hell did you get a name like Moose?”
All of the guys start cracking up, and Smith slaps him on the back. “Yes, Brother. Please tell us how you came to be known as Moose.”
“No,” he snaps, looking away from the group.
“Ah, come on, Buddy. If you don’t, I will,” Kodiak says with a teasing grin on his face. Moose turns to glare at him.
“Don’t you dare.”
Kodiak smiles wider and turns to us. “It happened like this, ladies. Good old Moose here was dating this girl, a real psycho, but she sucked better than a hoover.”
I snort out a laugh, and Izzy smiles like the cat that ate the canary as she props her chin up on her hand, enthralled in the story.
“Anyway, Moose, in his infinite wisdom, recognized that this was the type of woman that would cut your balls off in your sleep and decided to end it with her. To say she didn’t take it well would be an understatement. She just didn’t want to let our sweet Moose-y go so she devised this plan to kidnap him.”