Page 36 of Regret

Fox has already been in contact with his contact in the FBI and given them all the updates we have. Not just about Conrad and his father, but about the buyers as well. They’re going to arrest all of them and make sure every single sick fuck pays for what they’ve done. My girls won’t have to look over their shoulders again because we’re gonna take everyone down and not hold back when it comes to a single one of them.

Just as we get off the elevator and head for the waiting room where the ol’ ladies and a few men are sitting, my phone vibrates in my pocket. Pulling it out, I find a message from Court.

Court: I just got to the hospital. On my way up to maternity now. Need to talk to you and Savannah as soon as I get there.

Me: Okay. We just got to the waiting room on the maternity floor. I’ll see if there’s a conference room or something we can use.

I let Savannah know what’s going on before heading for the nurse’s station. One of them directs me to a conference room as I go back for my wife and wait for Court to get up here. Shy lets us know there haven’t been any updates from Vault yet. I have a feeling we’ll be waiting the rest of the day to find out any news. Babies come when they want to and there’s no rushing them unless something happens and one of those surgery things need to happen. Telling her we’ll be in the conference room for a few minutes, I make sure she knows where it is before pushing Savannah closer to the elevator where Court will come out.

It doesn’t take long for my best friend to make an appearance. He walks straight up to us and I lead him to the conference room while pushing Savannah in the wheelchair. Court closes the door behind us and waits for me to get Savannah pushed up close to the table before taking the seat next to her. I grab her hand as Court sits down on the opposite side of her. For a minute, he doesn’t say anything but he’s got a large smile on his face that makes me hopeful. Court’s been one of the guys out searching all over between Pine View and Cedar Bay for Conrad and his father.

“We got them. Both of them were in the house where Savannah was bein’ held,” Court finally says as I take a minute to process his words before a smile covers my face and I look to Savannah.

“Are you serious?” she asks him, her eyes wide with hope, shock, and fear that it’s all a big joke or something.

“I’m dead serious, Savannah. We have them locked up in the back of a van and they’re on the way to the clubhouse as we speak. Not only were Conrad and his father in the house, but there was a third man and I have a feelin’ that he’s the one they’re usin’ to bypass all the security systems and shit like they did at the house and compound. We’ll find out one way or another and make sure they all go down for what they’ve done. Not just to our family, but to every other victim over the years,” Court tells us as my heart starts pounding in my chest and I can’t wait to leave here and get my hands on Conrad.

“Does Fox’ FBI contact know what’s goin’ on?” I question my best friend as Savannah finally smiles and drops her head to her chest as her shoulders slump in relief.

“He does. He’s gonna give us a chance to get more information from them before we hand them over. Fox explained that your wife is just gettin’ out of the hospital and that Vault’s wife is about to have a baby. We’ve got a little time to get to them,” Court states as we stand and I push Savannah from the room.

The three of us make our way back to the waiting room where I park Savannah’s wheelchair next to Gwen and Shy. They start talking while I head over with Court to where Killer, Playboy, Red, Dime, and Chrome are standing in a group. Court informs them that Conrad and his father have been detained and the others will show up soon to be here for Vault and Annabell. A few guys will remain behind to make sure none of them escape as usual. Killer and Playboy are itching to get back to the clubhouse so they can take a turn watching over them. However, they would rather protect my girls than go get their hands on those stupid fucks right now. We’ll all get our hands on them eventually.

After twelve hours of hard labor, Annabell finally gave birth to my nephew. He’s a big boy weighing in at over nine pounds. Vault said she was a fucking champion and didn’t ever give up or say she was too tired to give birth to their baby boy. She hasn’t been sleeping the best and still fought through the pain and exhaustion to bring my nephew into the world. Savannah and I actually got to go in to see him and we are the only ones today since everyone is so tired.

“So, are you ready to hear his name?” Vault asks me as he stands next to me at the end of Annabell’s bed where I hold my nephew.

“Of course. I know you two were debatin’ a few of them. What did you finally settle on?” I ask him as Savannah looks over at us from her wheelchair.

“His name is Cyrus Joel Stone,” my brother states, pride showing on his face as he looks down at his baby boy who is already a miniature version of him. Tears fill his eyes and mine because of his name.

“You gave him dad’s name for a middle name,” I whisper, looking at Cyrus and making out hints of our dad in his face.

“Yeah. I wanted to honor him. You’re not mad are you?” my brother questions me, worry now filling his voice.

“Not at all. You deserve this, Alex. He’s so handsome already and I know he’s gonna be a heartbreaker when he gets older. I’m sure his mama will raise him right so that doesn’t happen,” I joke, getting Annabell to smile at me even as her eyes start to slide closed. “We’re gonna let you three be alone. We’ll be back with the girls tomorrow. They’re so excited to meet the baby. I love you, Alex and Annabell.”

“We love you too, Zach. Give the girls hugs from us and tell them we can’t wait for them to meet Cyrus. You can share the name for us so we don’t have to repeat it every time someone new comes in tomorrow,” Vault says, taking his son back in his arms as I make my way over to Savannah so I can push her from the room.

Today has been a long day and it’s finally over. We can go home and be with our girls. I don’t want to do a damn thing other than climb in bed with my wife and get some sleep. Other than a few hours since she was taken, I haven’t slept at all. And the sleep I managed to get was here in the hospital where it was so damn uncomfortable I could hardly stay asleep. Savannah isn’t looking any better right now as she fights to stay awake. My wife is exhausted and needs to rest without someone coming in and out of her room at all hours of the day and night. We might be sharing a room with the girls, but Savannah and I can sleep on the couch. Slim got a new one with a pull-out bed for us. Hopefully the girls are still awake when we get back and not already sleeping. They’ve had a long few days too and I’m sure they are trying to wait up for us. It’s just not easy when your body is exhausted beyond belief.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Savannah

COURT MADE SURE to tell Zach and me that they captured Conrad, his father, and a third person in the same house I was being held in. While we were still at the hospital, the guys who captured them brought them here to the clubhouse and Zach will go down to get even more information from the three men before they get turned over to the authorities. We’ve talked about the possibility of me testifying against Conrad and his father. No, it’s not something I want to do. I’m scared to death to even see him in a courtroom where I know he won’t be able to get close to me. However, if it means protecting my sisters and every other potential victim out there, I will testify against the man who has made my life a living hell for so long. The longer these assholes remain in prison, the safer the world will be. Yes, I know it doesn’t mean someone else won’t step up and take over right where they left off. They won’t be coming for my sisters and me though.

Conrad is literally a few floors down from where our room is, locked in a cell. All three men are in separate cells and there are members down there with them so they can’t escape and continue their path of hell and destruction. I know Stryker, Court, Playboy, and Red are all down in the basement. The guys continue switching out after a few hours so everyone can rest and get some sleep after constantly being on the move for the last few days. There’s always at least four men down in the basement. No one is taking any chances with these fuckers and I’m grateful for that. It doesn’t make it any easier to think of Conrad being so close to me and the girls I’ve promised to protect. Maybe if I were to go down and tell him what a vile piece of shit I think he is, I’d be able to let it go and move forward. It’s something to think about.

I’ve been thinking about things and I want to do something with the club’s help to search for traffickers and put a stop to them the best we can. If I can step up and save one person from suffering the same fate Conrad wants for my sisters and me, I’ll do whatever I can because it’s the right thing to do. I have no clue how I’ll make that happen, but I plan on talking to the guys as soon as things calm down and I can think this through better. Zach already kind of knows where my mind is and wants to know more when I’m ready to talk about it. I’m sure the guys will want to help me, but it’s a matter of putting things in place to ensure we do this in a safe way that doesn’t bring attention to the club and make us targets with the babies that will be joining our family.

We’ve been back at the clubhouse for just over an hour and I’m trying to sleep, but my mind is racing with so many thoughts. First, I’ve got thoughts of Annabell, Vault, and Cyrus on my mind. He’s so damn adorable and I know they’re going to make such wonderful parents. Vault didn’t let his son or wife out of his sight the entire time we were in with them. It’s not like Annabell was really getting out of the hospital bed and moving around, but he kept one eye on her and the other on Cyrus. My friend was exhausted but she looked so happy as she watched us hold her son while her husband hovered over us. No one will be able to take the smiles on their faces off for any reason. If I ever wanted to know what instant love looked like, all I have to do is spend a few minutes with the new family of three and I’ll be able to witness it firsthand.

I’ve also been thinking about my sisters. We have to tell them about the babies and see how they feel about the situation. Zach and I don’t want to blindside them with this news or make them feel as if we don’t care about their thoughts and feelings. I know the girls will be able to keep our secret and not say anything until we’re ready for the club to know. Yes, they know I’m pregnant. Zach told them when I had been taken so if anyone found me, they would know to get me to the hospital right away no matter what condition I was in so the baby could be checked. Plus, he wanted everyone to make sure they were careful with me so nothing happened even though he just found out about the baby. Zach and I will be talking to the girls once they wake up in the morning before we go down for breakfast. We’ll both feel better the sooner they know and can start to process their feelings.

When my mind isn’t on the girls or my in-laws, I’ve been thinking about the house and what we should do. Zach is leaving it up to me and the girls to decide what we do. Personally, I don’t think I can live in the house he had made for me. He took everything I’ve ever said I wanted in a house of my own and made it my reality. Now, instead of being a home and our sanctuary, the house is filled with nightmares that I won’t ever forget. I just don’t know that I can live with the daily reminder about what happened and how Conrad was in our space to take me from my family. If the girls feel the same as me, we won’t force them to live there. Zach has assured me we can stay in the clubhouse and move the girls to the room directly next to us so we all have our own space. Then, he’ll talk to the construction crew about building us another house on the compound, but in a different location so we have no reminders about Conrad and what happened. I love this man because he’s willing to do whatever is necessary to protect us from everything. Even our mental wellbeing.

“Love, you should be sleepin’. You still need to get your rest,” Zach says, pulling me out of my thoughts as he wraps his arms a little tighter around my body and moves so we’re pressed together from top of our bodies to the bottom.

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