Page 29 of Festive

“Okay,” she states without any hesitation. “I’m on it. I got this, Pres. I’ll bring your girls back to you.”

Rebel’s eyes meet mine, a look of suspicion crossing her features. I see she has something on her mind, but I continue with the conversation. “The NOLA brother, Omen, will be escorting you. He’ll fly back to New Orleans from Houston.”

“It will be nice to have some company,” Amber states as if it doesn’t bother her.

“Drive safe. Keep our girls protected.”

“I will, Six. I’ll guard them with my life. As if they are my own.”

I shudder at the thought, and at the same time, Rebel curls up her lip, crossing her arms over her chest. “Just keep them safe, Amber. I’m entrusting you with this,” I tell her.

“I won’t let you down, Pres,” she says, then abruptly ends the call.

I turn to Rebel, dipping my head, and I pull her to me, holding her tightly. “It’s gonna be okay, but some heads are gonna fucking roll for this.”

Rebel pulls back. There’s a hardness in her eyes I haven’t seenbefore. “I swear to God, Six, you better find out what happened here. Our girls were alone on a cargo train for almost ten hours. They would have been terrified. If no one gets punished for this, I’m going to be fucking furious.”

A fresh wave of anger rolls through me, and I grit my teeth. “We’ll get to the bottom of it. Don’t worry. Right now, I need you to calm yourself down because you’ve been under a lot of stress, and the baby is the one suffering.” She sighs as I lead her to a chair, and we sit. “You want something to eat? You haven’t eaten in hours?”

She shrugs. “How can I possibly eat, Koda?”

“I know you’re worried about the girls, but you have to also think about this little guy, too,” I tell her, placing my hand on her stomach.

She glances down and then nods. “Yeah… you’re right, okay, but something small. I don’t think I could stomach much of anything.”

Nodding, I glance over my shoulder to Nessie and nod, signaling for her to bring us over something.

She smiles and walks off to the kitchen to prepare something for my Old Lady to eat.

The next few hours are going to be tense.

Right now, it’s just a waiting game until our kids are back, safe, and in our arms.

CHAPTER EIGHT

REBEL

We stand together. Six and I are rooted to the spot by the clubhouse doors, our breaths coming faster as each minute crawls by. It’s been hours, but it feels like a lifetime. The weight of waiting presses down on us, thick and suffocating, and I can barely keep still.

My foot taps uncontrollably against the floor as Six grinds his teeth beside me. We’re both teetering on the edge, anticipation twisting through every nerve, making it impossible to breathe deeply.

Every sound feels amplified—each distant rumble of an engine sends my heart racing into overdrive, my pulse pounding in my ears. When the clubhouse gates finally swing open, it’s like a grenade explodes inside me. Without thinking, I tear off toward the car, my legs moving faster than I thought possible. My lungs burn, and my throat tightens, but I push through it, desperate to reach them. I don’t even wait for the vehicle to stop before I yank the rear door open, my hands shaking so violently I almost miss the handle.

And then—there she is.

Kenna.

I pull her into my arms, clutching her small body to my chest, the warmth of her skin a lifeline I’ve been desperate for. Her cry of "Mama!" breaks something inside me, and I can’t stop the sob that erupts from my throat. My heart feels like it’s about to explode, the relief flooding through me in waves so powerful I can hardly keep standing. My knees threaten to give out, but I hold on, wrapping my arms around her even tighter, never wanting to let go.

Beside me, Six storms to the other side of the car, ripping the door open with such force it rattles the frame. He sees Kinzley, her little form curled up, still sound asleep. But he doesn’t care. His hands tremble as he undoes her seat belt, scooping her up into his chest like she’s his entire world. She stirs, her tiny hand slapping at his face sleepily in the usual way she does. His mouth twitches into the faintest smile, but it’s strained—his emotions barely held in check.

Six rushes over to where I’m cradling Kenna, and we collapse into each other, our bodies shaking with relief and disbelief. His arms encircle us both, drawing us in so tightly it’s like he’s afraid we might vanish if he loosens his grip. I can’t stop the tears streaming down my face, my sobs mingling with Kenna’s little cries, and I feel Six’s chest rise and fall against mine, his breathing heavy and uneven.

We cling to each other, desperate, fragile, a family reunited by the thread we were so close to losing forever.

Six raises his hand, smoothing some hair away from Kenna’s face, and looks into her glistening eyes. “Kenna, baby… what happened?” his voice desperate for answers.

She sniffles, pouting out her bottom lip. “We heard Uncle Zero talking about how Snow White was in those big containers… s-so I took Kinz to see if we c-could find her inside one of them. Then, suddenly, it went all dark, and the c-container was moving. It was scary in there for a reeeal long time, Daddy. Kinz was scared, but I sang to her, and then when it opened up, there were men who looked surprised to see us and said they would call you. I was real happy about that. Then, Amber c-came, and she bought us some cheeseburgers because I wasreallyhungry, Daddy.”

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