Chapter 16
I woke the next morning feeling sore for content, tangled in Talon’s arms. The events of last night came flooding back- the revelations about Craig, my decide to help with the plan the deliciously feral sex. A know formed in my stomach with the uncertainty of what today might bring, but I pushed it down. This was my chance to finally take control.
Iextracted myself from Talon’s sleeping form, pressing a soft kiss to his forehead before heading quietly to the bathroom. As I waited for the showers to heat up, I stared at my reflection in the mirror, barely recognizing the woman looking back at ne tone was the battered, broken shell I had been just a few weeks ago. In her place stood someone stronger, with a wildfire behind her eyes
When I padded back to the bedroom wrapped in a towel. Talon was sitting up in bed, his hair deliciously tousled from sleep. His eyes raked over my lady, darkening at the sight.
“Morning, angel,” he murmured, his voice gravelly “How you feeling?”
I gave him a small smile as Trummaged through the dresser for clothes. “I’m okay. Nervous, but ready,”
Talon nodded, his expression turning serious. “We should head to the clubhouse soon. Jake will want to go over the plan before the Diablos show up”
1 pulled on a pair of jeans and a t–shirt, sitting on the edge of the bed to lace up my boots. Talon wrapped his arms around me from behind, pressing a soft kiss to my neck. “Let me grab a quick shower and then I’ll make us some breakfast. Sound good?” he said, not waiting for a response as he hopped up and headed for the bathroom.
As I made my way downstairs, the aroma of fresh coffee and sizzling bacon floated up to greet me. I paused at the doorway to the kitchen, taking in the sight.
To my surprise, Jake and Ledger were sitting at the table with papers spread out between them. Trina was bustling around the stove, her fiery red hair pulled up in a messy bun. She turned, flashing me a warm smile. “Morning, hon. Coffee?”
“Please.” I replied gratefully, accepting the steaming mug as I slid into the chair across from Jake. He looked up, his eyes softening slightly. “Morning, sis,” he said gruffly, “How’d you sleep?”
“Morning, Really well, actually, considering, everything,” I murmured. “Good morning, Ledger.” He looked up and greeted me with a warm smile, “Morning, Laura. We were just going over some logistics for today. Have you come to a decision?”
I nodded, taking a sip of my coffee as I glanced at the papers on the table maps, diagrams, what looked like building blueprints. “I’mm
Jake cleared his throat. “Are you sure? We can find another way…”
I met his concerned gaze with a steady resolve. “I’m sure, big brother. I need to do this.”
He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Alright. Then let’s go over the plan. You’re gonna need to be sharp today
Just then. Talon appeared in the doorway, his wet hair dripping down the front of his shirt. A thick heat swirled into my core. as I took in his form, and his eyes narrowed slightly as he observed the scene before him. “Starting without me?” he grumbled, making his way to the table as Trina handed him a steaming mug.
“We’ve been going over the details,” Ledger said, pushing his glasses up his nose. “Here’s what we’re thinking”
He spread out a map on the table, pointing to a spot on the edge of town. “I’ve already been in touch with Shadow this morning. Craig is holed up here, in an abandoned warehouse complex. It’s isolated, easy to defend. The Diablos have been watching him – they say he’s got about a dozen men with him, all heavily armed.”
I felt my stomach clench at the mention of Craig’s name, but I forced myself to focus.
“The plan is for Laura to call him, tell him she wants to meet to talk things over. We’ll set up the meeting at this coffee shop,”
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Chapter 16
he said, pointing to another spot on the map. “It’s still on the outskirts of trewn, away from bigger crowds, laut also – it’s one of ours. I’ve already contacted the manager and let him in on the plan,” he paused, meeting my eyes and then glancing at Talon. “It’s open, gives us good sightlines, but also has enough cover for us to stay hidden until we need to move in
Jake nodded, his expression grim. “Laura, you’ll be connected to us with these,” he said, sliding a small earpiece across the table. We’ll be able to hear everything that’s going on.”
“While most of us are at the meeting with Craig, Ledger continued, “we’ll have ten guys with the Diables over at his hidey hole. They’ll take out his men, assess the situation inside, and await further instruction”
Talon leaned forward, his voice low and dangerous. “I still don’t like this. There are too many variables. Too much could go
wrong”
Jake sighed, rubbing his temples. “I know, brother. I feel the same way. But we don’t have much time. The longer we wait. the more likely Craig is to move those guns or do something even more stupid”
I found Talon’s hand under the table and gave it a squeeze. “It’ll be okay. I can do this”
He met my gaze, concem etched on his face, “I know you can, angel. I just don’t want you anywhere near that psychopath.”
Jake glanced at his watch and cleared his throat, cutting through the tension. “Alright, let’s eat and get ready to head to the club. It’s gonna be a long fuckin day.”
My stomach was in knots as we pulled up to the clubhouse. There were more bikes in the parking lot than ever before. Talon helped me off his bike, his hand lingering protectively on the small of my back as we made our way inside.
The air in the room was thick, with members from both clubs eyeing each other warily. Shadow and a few of his men were deep in conversation at the bar. They looked up as we entered, and I felt Shadow’s cold gaze sweep over me. I suppressed a shudder. grateful for Talon’s presence beside me.
“Laura,” Shadow’s lip curled into a smirk as we approached the bar. “Clad to see you’ve decided to join us. You ready for
I nodded, steeling myself. “As I’ll ever be.”
Shadow’s smirk widened into a repulsive grin. “Brave girl. Let’s hope that courage holds up in front of your dear husband.”
“We’ve agreed to help you, as you know,” Jake cut in, addressing Shadow. “But we’re doing this on our terms. We’ve come up with a plan that I think you’ll find agreeable.”
My heart raced as I listened to Ledger run down the plan once more. It sounded so surreal, like something out of a movie.
“What exactly do you need me to say to Craig?” I asked, my voice sounding shakier than I would have liked.
Ledger leaned forward, his expression sympathetic. “I want you to play on his ego. Tell him you’re sorry, you’ve made a mistake, and you want to come home. That you realize how good you had it with him. The goal is to get him to let his guard down, so he comes to the meeting alone or with minimal backup.”
I felt bile rise in my throat at the thought of saying those words to Craig, but I pushed it down. “I can do that.”
“Good. Before you make the call, let’s go over some details,” Ledger said, pulling out a diagram of the coffee shop. “You’ll be seated here, near the window. We’ll have guys positioned here, here, and here.”
He pointed to various spots on the diagram as he spoke. “Talon and Jake will be in the kitchen. There’s a small window in the door, so they’ll be able to keep an eye on you. Shadow and a few of his men will wait on the far side of the building here. The rest of us will be scattered outside and in nearby vehicles. Remember, we’ll be able to hear everything through your earpiece, so if at any point you feel unsafe or want to abort, just say the word ‘red‘ and we’ll move in immediately.”
“Alright,” Shadow drawled, “enough chit–chat. Let’s get to it.” He nodded to one of his men, who produced a burner phone
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hot giving myoet me for any send using I picked it up with shaking hands and dialed the number that I still knew by hear Epitom speaker and faidik down on the bar. My stomach churned as the line rang once, twice
“Where Fager wred suspicious and goutt
Took a deep breath steadying myself
There was a long pause on the other end of the line. When he finally spoke again, his voice was sharp and cold. “What do
–
I swallowed hand, forcing myself to sound merk the way I always used to appease him when I was afraid. “I I wanted to talk to you Can we meet in persal
“Why the hell would I want to meet with you!” He growled. “You made your choice when you ran off with those bikers.” He spar the last word like it left a bad taste in his mouth.
I closed my eyes, summoning every ounce of acting ability I possessed. “I made a mistake, Craig. I… I realize that now. Things aren’t what I thought they’d be here, I don’t feel safe. I want to come home.”
Another long pause
“Babe, will you please meet up with me, so we can talk?” I continued. “I’ll be at Bogart’s around 3. It’s that little coffee shop over on Lake Street? Please meet me there.”
Silence, once more. I could hear the gears turning in his head. Finally, he let out a deep sigh.
“Fine” “click”
A wave of nausea washed over me as I ended the call. Hearing Craig’s voice again had brought back a flood of painful memories – the yelling, the hitting, the constant fear. I trembled, and Talon pulled me into his arms.
“You did great, angel,” he whispered into my hair. “I’m proud of you.”
“Well done, little bird,” Shadow drawled. “You excelled at the easy part. Now comes the hard part.”
Jake cleared his throat, nodding at me with approval. “Alright, let’s get moving. We’ve got about three hours to get everything set up.”
The next few hours were a blur of preparations. Weapons were checked and distributed, positions were assigned, comms were tested, and Talon gave me a crash course in basic self–defense. I tried to stay focused, but my mind kept drifting, What would it be like to see Craig again? What if I completely fucked this up and got myself killed or worse, got Talon or Jake killed?
I felt numb as Trina helped me into a bulletproof vest, concealing it under a loose sweater.
“You’ve got this, girl,” she whispered, giving my arm a squeeze.
Before I knew it, it was time to head out. Talon pulled me aside as everyone was gearing up to leave. With a concerned smile. he placed a 9mm pistol in my hand. “You know how to use this, right?”
I nodded, taking a shaky breath and reaching behind me to tuck it in the waistband of my jeans. It had been a while since I’d touched one, but Jake had given me lessons on gun safety when we were younger.
“Alright, folks. Let’s roll out.” Jake shouted, and we filed out the door..
19.19 Wed, 9 Apr
Chapter 17
