When the nurses came in and took sight of the scene, they quickly picked up the machine that fell, but said that Princess didn’t need it anymore and took it away.

“Come on, Baby. Let me put you in bed.” She nodded her head as I scooped her up in my arms, laying her on the bed. I crawled up with her holding her tight until she fell into a deep sleep.

Chapter 14—Harlow

My insides were numb; my heart only beating to pump blood throughout my body. It had no other function. The bullet wound and head have healed, but that wasn’t what hurt. My boy had been missing for two weeks. Two weeks and nothing. Not a word from Mel, and not a trace of the fucking car.

I laid in bed curled up in a ball. It’s where I’ve been since I got out of the hospital. I didn’t look at anyone or talk. The only time I did was to ask Cruz about our boy. I totally closed him out. His comfort no longer working. At this point, he could be fucking every whore in this place, and I wouldn’t give two shits. My heart was hollow. Empty.

My shoulder hurt like a bitch. Doc came in the other day and said I needed to keep moving it around, or it would lock, but I didn’t listen. The throbbing actually helped me feel something. The pain was just a reminder that I should have saved Cooper, that it was all my fault.

When I first started this mothering gig, I never expected the pain to cut so deep. I never thought that something could hurt this much. I was dead inside, and I might as well have been in reality. I didn’t want anything to do with food, and I only took a shower when Cruz forced me. I didn’t want anything to do with anything, except my boy.

When my cell rang, I groaned reaching for it on the night stand. I’ve only answered when it says Cruz or Pops. When a number popped up with a different area code, I tossed it to the side of the bed burrowing my head in the pillows. The phone rang again, and seeing the same number, I reluctantly picked up.

“Yeah,” I said not wanting to talk to whoever was on the other end of the line.

“Well, well, well. She lives.” The voice on the other end was one I didn’t think I’d ever hear again.

“Mel?”

“Ding… ding… we have a winner.” Her sarcasm was not lost to me.

Sitting up quickly, “Where’s Cooper?” Fury mixed with panic flushed my body intently.

“Listen to you, pretending to be all protective of my son.” Anger won as it boiled uncontrollably. I tried to hold my shit together. She wanted something, and I needed to find out what it was.

“Is he hurt?” I asked not beating around the bush.

“I’d never hurt my boy,” she clipped, but I knew that was a lie since I saw her grab him right before my eyes. My stomach dropped; she’d better not have laid a fucking hand on him.

“Can I talk to him?” I heard the pleading in my voice even though I wasn’t trying to show it, but damn if I didn’t want to hear the little guy’s voice.

“I tell you what. Give me what I want, and I’ll give the little shit to you.” I’m gonna rip this fucking bitch to pieces one limb at a fucking time. Once my hands got on her, she was fucking dead.

“I want a hundred thousand cash, small bills. You get on that little bike of yours and head north on I-95. In two hours, I’ll call you back. Don’t bring the guys, or I’ll kill Cooper.” Mel recited her demands as if she practiced them over and over again, but I didn’t give a shit.

“Don’t you fucking hurt him,” I growled.

“Oh, there you go again. Look I just want the cash, then you can have him back. Done. Talk to you in two hours.” Mel hung up the phone sharply.

Throwing on my jeans, t-shirt, boots, and rag, I ran out into the clubhouse to find Cruz. I knew by the loud music there was a party going on, but fuck if I cared. Seeing the blonde whore trying to straddle Cruz’s legs while he was talking to the guys, set me off. I knew I said I wouldn’t give two shits who he fucked, but I lied. Grabbing the bitch by her stringy hair, I yanked her further away from my man. “Get the fuck away.” Cruz stared at my rags.

“Back to the living.” As the anger flooded through me, I needed to release it. Grabbing the blonde bitch on the floor, I gave her a few punches to the face. Making me feel a little better, but not much. “I take that as a yes.”

“Mel called,” I barked at him as everyone in the clubhouse froze.

“Out! Everyone who’s not patched in, get out, fucking now!” Cruz growled as he stood up barreling towards me. The brothers proceeded to get everyone out of the clubhouse and locked it up tight. “What’d she say?”

“I’ve got two hours to get a 100k. Need to start riding north on I-95, and she’s gonna call me for the drop off. Said no brothers.”

“Fuck her if she thinks I’m staying away.”

“I know Cruz, but she said she’d kill him.” The color drained from his face at my words. “We need to play this smart.” I needed the brother’s help, and there was no way that I’d go coldcocked doing this shit on my own. Too much was at stake.

“That fucking bitch. I will end her.”

“Not if I get to her first. Can we get that much cash in small bills?” I questioned him.

“Got it. Diamond?” He looked over at Diamond, who nodded snapping his finger at Becs, who ran off.

“I know you don’t want me in this, but I have to be. I’m the one she wants to come. If you guys go, it has to be inconspicuous.” Ol’ lady or not, I was the one she wanted.

“I know Baby. Let’s go get our boy.” Cruz pulled me tight to his chest as I breathed for the first time in weeks.

“If you fucked someone while I was down and out, and I find out, I’ll cut your dick off,” I whispered.

“I knew you would, and I didn’t.” I nodded my head, trusting him. It was time to find our boy.

Two hours later, I was on Sting with a backpack of cash strapped to me, riding. The night air was cool, so I wore my full out lid to block the wind from my face and all my leathers. I rode the speed limit making sure not to fuck up along the route. With my gun in my back holster and two in my boot holsters, I didn’t want to get pulled over and waste time.

If this bitch thought for one second that she was getting away with this, she was sadly mistaken.

The guys were following behind in a couple of cages. A few had their rides parked inside the bigger one, but we wanted to be as quiet as possible. Having several pipes humming would be a dead giveaway.

I could see the cages a few cars back. They were doing good at keeping their distance, not that I thought Mel had the power to have me tailed the entire way. About an hour into the trip, I pulled over checking my phone and sure enough there was a missed call with no voicemail. Calling it back quickly, “Mel.”

“I figured you’d be calling soon. You got any guys with ya?”

Keeping my voice as void as I could, “No.”

“How’d you get the money?” Bitch was smarter than I thought.

“Pulled money out of Studio X,” I lied.

“Good. Keep going up I-95 to exit 107. About four miles down the road will be a hotel off to the left with some flashing pink sign. Come to room 18.”

“Got it,” I snapped.

“You’d better not be fucking with me about the brothers.”

“I’m not. What do you think I am stupid? I want my boy,” she laughed. That fucking bitch. I couldn’t wait to beat the living shit out of her.

“Good. Get here quickly,” she said in a nauseatingly sweet voice as she hung up. Calling Cruz fast, I relayed all the info. He said he had brothers from another chapter making their way towards us and that he’d call them and have them get into position.

Riding into the parking lot of the hotel, it was eerily quiet. Only a few cars lined the rooms, but for the most part it was a dive hotel that probably sold the room by the hour. Watching my mirrors, I saw the guys parking. I didn’t know where they were gonna be, just knew they were around.