I open my mouth to argue that stupid point again, but he cuts me off.
“… no one outside the Club is allowed to be in on anything. No one. It is strictly need to know. It’s for your safety, as much as ours. The further you stay away from Club business the less it can touch you, and the less you know, the less you would have to lie to the cops about if you were ever questioned. You found out about the plans with Evan because that was fuckin’ need to know as his mother. The rest? I was hoping you wouldn’t need to find out ‘til after everything was settled and done with. Of course, your infuriating ass had to go and lo-jack me and follow us, so here we are. I know you don’t like it, but that’s just how this works. You get me?”
“I’m not an idiot Sawyer, I heard you the first time. But I’m here, with permission I might add, so tell me what the fuck is going on,” I bark at him, taking a defiant stance.
“Put yer claws away Tess, this is just how the Club works. We all get used to it with a little bit o’ time,” Gage says.
“Love the man; love the Club,” Cotton calls from the other bed where he is sprawled out reading a book.
“As I was saying…” Sawyer grinds out, shooting a glare at the other men in the room. “Tessa, haven’t you wondered how they found you and Evan?” he asks, turning his attention back to me. I nod, my mind starting to race with the questions I have been trying to push to the side since the attack.
“Have you reached out to anyone from your old life since you left? Since settling in in Proctor?” Axel asks.
My head snaps over to him, a look of confusion contorting my features. “What? No! Of course not! I’m not an idiot,” I snap at him. I hold his glare for a moment, but then a cold wave of realization washes over me. My eyes widen in fear and shock as I turn back to Sawyer, shaking my head in denial. “Oh shit, I… I did. I emailed Lexi. My sister. I saw Darrin’s obituary and I…” I stutter, my voice tight with panic.
“IP Address and Geo-location,” Cotton mutters under his breath.
“So, my email to Lexi… which she never even responded to, thank you for reminding me, that lead David to us?” I ask.
“Yes, but not exactly. How involved were you with David’s business? His regular clients and all that?” Axel asks me.
“I wasn’t.” I shake my head. “He made it very clear that he didn’t want me anywhere near his business and by that time I didn’t want much to do with him either.”
“Did you ever hear him mention the Pikesmen? Or anything to do with a Motorcycle Club?” Sawyer asks, his tone softer and more coaxing now.
“An MC? No, he never mentioned anything like that. What does this have to do with Evan?”
“The men who took Evan, they’re members of the Pikesmen MC. Tinker has been doing as much digging as he can since this all started and found that David has a strong partnership with that Club; he does all the chrome work for them. From what we can tell, there is more than just plating happening though; probably drugs and money laundering at a minimum.” Sawyer takes a deep breath, squaring his shoulders and bracing for the rest of what he is about to say. “Tess, they killed Darrin and when she was alone, dealing with his death, they took Lexi.”
I gasp and my knees give out, I collapse into the chair Cotton thoughtfully brought behind me.
“Here’s how we think this all played out: David had them take Lexi to get to you and Evan. He used whatever pull he had with the MC to kill Darrin, nab Lexi, and then all he had to do was wait for a reaction from you. Once he had it, he had the Pikesmen send two men to grab Evan,” Sawyer says, his voice wavering with emotion. “That’s all we knew when we headed out. By the time we got here, Tinker had found some evidence that the Pikesmen are holding Lexi at their garage. We have equipment set up on both David’s and the Pikesmen’s shops, attempting to get eyes on any of them.”
I sit back in the chair in utter shock, unable to process everything. The six men around the room are all passing awkward looks between themselves, completely unsure of what to do with the ticking time bomb that is an emotional woman. I’m not sure how long I sit there, my mind reeling, but after what feels like an eternity, I let out a heavy sigh and pull myself back into the present. My back is straight and my shoulders square, my chin raised in defiance of all this mess and I ask the room, “Okay, so. My psycho ex has kidnapped my son and my sister, most likely killed her fiancé, and is running with bikers to the point he can tell them what to do? Awesome. So… how do we kill them and save my baby?”
Over the next few days, the guys and I settle into a weird sort of routine. Sawyer agreed to let me stay under the condition that I stay hidden and in one of our rooms at all times. I will never admit this to him, but he has a point. We are all of ten minutes from where I grew up and lived all my life until four months ago. The last thing any of us want, or need, is for someone to recognize me and word to make its way David or the Pikesmen.
It’s day four of Operation Shitty-TV and we’re all gathered in Tully and Cotton’s room watching a movie and keeping an eye on the monitors. Halfway through our third viewing of The Hangover in as many days, my attention wanders while I idlily play with Evan’s turtle Lovie, running the fabric through my fingers. A flashing light on the screen grabs my attention and I let out a strangled cry. I sit bolt upright, my head smacking into the book Sawyer had been reading while I was lying with my head in his lap and point frantically at one of the monitors.
“That’s him. That’s David’s truck. He’s there,” I say frantically. My entire body is shaking as I stare at the screen. The truck pulls into a parking space by the door to the shop and I see him, that fucking, rat-faced, baby stealing, woman-beating, traitorous scum David. He steps out of the truck and walks around to the passenger door, opening it up and pulling out a baby carrier.
“EVAN!” I scream, scrambling to get free of Sawyer and the bed. “He’s got Evan there right now!” I feel Sawyers arms wrap around my chest and arms from behind, pulling me close.
“Settle Babydoll, settle,” he shushes into my ear, pressing kisses to the back of my head. “I’ve got you Babydoll. I’ve got you.”
It’s the first time I’ve seen Evan in a week, the longest I have ever been away from him his entire life. I stare, enrapt with the monitor and its grainy picture as David walks into the shop. I couldn’t tell you how long it goes on, but Sawyer continues to hold me while the other men watch and listen in on the feed. He tries more than once to stand up, but I slap his arm to keep still. I need to be here. I’m that much closer to Evan if I’m here, but I need Sawyer’s strength and calm to keep me from flying out the door right this instant to go get him. I see David leave the shop without the carrier. He must have left Evan inside. I can’t watch this anymore, it’s too much and I curl further into Sawyer, burying my head in his shoulder.
Eventually Sawyer presses a kiss to my hair once again and pulls back. “He’s gone,” he whispers, slowly letting up his hold on my arms to see if I’ll bolt. Still shaking, I unfold myself from his lap and move to sit next to him. Keeping my eyes trained on the ugly motel carpet I take deep breaths, attempting to get my scattered thoughts under control.