Page 124 of Dagger

Ashley had left behind a man who adored her and three beautiful kids. I didn’t want that for my daughter or my granddaughter. Bowie and Layla had become dear to me—all John’s kids and partners had. If anything happened to any of them, I wasn’t sure John would ever be the same again.

Losing any of them would shred him.

We had to be smart and play along until help came.

“Don’t do anything until the guys get here, and even then, only shoot if it’s unavoidable,” I cautioned, falling into step next to her and making our way back to the group.

“It’s okay,” she whispered back. “I’ll be careful.”

My gaze fell on Shotgun, who stood talking to the Sinner holding the gun, and acid filled my gut.

The mere sight of the traitorous bastard made me yearn to walk up to him and slap his face. It was his fault Ashley and Maze were dead. The piece of shit had betrayed his club and his brothers, and I knew John well enough to also know he wouldn’t rest until Shotgun got what he deserved.

Thirty years ago, the thought of John taking revenge would have horrified me. Now, after everything I’d experienced, I believed some people were pure evil. Shotgun got into bed with men who abused women and children. In my book it made him as bad as them.

By betraying the club, Shotgun had put Willow, Sunny, Belle, both sets of twins, and all the other club kids in danger. These were the children of the men he’d stood shoulder-to-shoulder with for years, the children of the brothers who had supported him.

I glanced down at a now sleeping Byron in my arms.

Shotgun had made his bed, and I hoped to God that the Demons would make him lie in it.

As we approached the group of ol’ ladies, I began to catch snippets of the men’s conversation. Another Sinner walked toward them and shouted, “Van will be here in less than a minute.”

The dude with the gun twisted his head to study the group of women. “Bear’ll be over the damned moon with this haul. The Demons’ women are good lookin’ and the kids are ripe. We’ll get a fuckin’ fortune for ‘em.”

Iris let out a soft cry and pulled Sera closer.

The Sinner cocked his head. “It’s okay, even old bitches like you will fetch some cash. That’s a kink in itself.”

Chuckles sounded from the other men.

Glancing at Iris, my chest hardened when I noted her terrified expression.

She wouldn’t be scared for herself; her worry would be for the women and especially the kids. My friend had survived the most awful abuse at the hands of the Sinners, and she’d worked hard to live a full life afterward, even though they took something precious from her. But I knew being captured this way would have an adverse effect.

I sighed in frustration while praying for the guys to hurry up and get here before the Sinners’ van did. Once they had us contained and away from the scene, I knew the odds of us getting away would drop considerably.

My heart sank when I heard the sound of a clunking engine in the distance. My gaze slid to Sophie, whose face paled at the sound of the van getting closer as she cuddled Belle and Willow into her chest.

Kennedy pulled Kady close and slid an arm across Kai’s shoulders while he murmured something to Sunny, who grabbed his hand, her huge eyes taking up half her face.

My head whipped around just as an old Chevy Express came speeding around the corner. The van used to be white, but the dirt packed onto it gave it a grey hue.

“Your ride’s here, ladies,” Shotgun called out, laughing.

Turning back to face him, my eyes narrowed. “The Demons know what you’ve done, Shot. You’re a dead man.”

His lip curled. “Not as dead as you, bitch. Did I forget to mention that you’re goin’ back to your husband? He’s got plans for you.”

My blood turned icy in my veins. “I’ll die before I go back to him.”

He cocked his head. “I can arrange that, too. Cut out the middleman.”

My lips twisted in disgust.

Layla grabbed my free hand, her eyes glued to the van coming toward us. “Take the baby,” she whispered urgently.

My brows drew together, and I murmured, “Okay.” I bent my elbow, waiting for Layla to transfer Finley to me.

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