An Act of Redemption (30 page)

Sawyer looks over at Grace, disappointment evident on his expression. “It’s times like these where I wonder if he’s really my child.”

Laughter erupts around the table as Grace slaps his shoulder. “Whatever, Evans, that boy is all yours and you know it. I’m terrified for when he gets older.”

He slings an arm around her shoulders with a chuckle. “Don’t be scared, Cupcake. Just be happy that God blessed you with all this perfection.”

She rolls her eyes, a smile twitching her lips.

All talk ceases as we hear a bunch of motorcycles approaching the house, coming up the driveway.

“What the hell?” Jaxson mutters. I see something flicker in his eyes, a silent panic, just before the world explodes around us.

My reaction is lightning quick. I take Anna to the ground, shielding her body with mine. Screams of terror fill the air as glass shatters and gunfire erupts through the house. Within seconds everything stills, only the sound of the kids crying and Bandit growling can be heard.

Adrenaline pumps through my veins, my heart hammering, as I comprehend what the fuck just happened. I glance up to see everyone on the floor, all the guys on top of their women and kids.

“Is everyone okay?” Jaxson whispers, looking around. “Kayla, where are you?”

“She’s with me,” Christopher replies, from somewhere behind me.

“Jax?” Julia’s voice trembles. “What’s happening?”

My gaze meets Jaxson’s, a stone-cold fury lighting his eyes. “Everyone just stay where you are.” He listens for further movement before maneuvering around the counter and shutting off the kitchen lights. A moment later he returns with a handgun he obviously had stashed somewhere.

“Daddy, I’m scared.” Hope whimpers.

“Shh, it’s all right, baby, I’ve got you,” Sawyer assures her.

The sound of several boots crunch on gravel. “Sorry to interrupt like this,” a deep voice calls from outside. “But you have someone in there that we need. I’m hoping you’ll cooperate and send out Logan Knight for us before any more damage is done to your home and family.”

Fuck!
I hang my head, guilt plaguing me. Anna’s hand fists my shirt in fear.

Jaxson glances at Christopher, his expression harder than I’ve ever seen it. “Take everyone upstairs to my room, I have a case in the closet, code two-five-five-four-three. Keep eyes on the window, don’t shoot unless you have to or until we tell you to, got it?” He nods. Jaxson reaches for his phone and hands it to Julia. “Call the police when you’re up there and keep everyone in the bathroom. Don’t come out until one of us tells you it’s okay.”

“Okay,” she agrees, a sob escaping her.

“Don’t cry, baby, everything’s going to be all right.” He turns back to Cade, Sawyer and Sarge. “We cover them until they’re up the stairs, then go into the den. I’ve got everything we need in there.” He glances at me next. “You stay with us.”

I nod.

“No!” Anna whispers harshly. “I want him with me, upstairs.”

I shake my head. “They’re here because of me. I need to stay down here with them.”

“But—”

“This is not the time to argue, Anna!” Jaxson snaps, cutting her off. “Just do what we say and help with the kids.”

She grinds her teeth, tears welling in her eyes. I drop a quick kiss to her forehead. “I’ll be okay, baby, I promise.”

We get to our feet, making a wall as the others stand. “Faith, give me Mia,” Christopher says, taking the crying two-year-old from her arms.

Cade gives Ruthie’s hand to Faith. Anna takes Hope in her arms then leans down and grabs Bandit’s leash. Grace grasps Parker and Beckett’s hands so Kayla can hold the baby.

“I can hear your kids crying, send Knight out before any of them get hurt,” the voice threatens from outside.

Jaxson points the gun ahead of him, violence pouring off him, a similar brand of fury pumping through my own blood. He leads us to the entrance of the living room and reaches around the wall to shut off the lights, blanketing the house in complete darkness. “Everyone move quietly but as quickly as possible,” he orders, before having Julia lead the way with Annabelle in her arms. The gun remains trained in front of him while shielding them with his body.

As we move to the stairs my gaze strays to the shattered window on the other side of the living room, but I can’t see anyone. Christopher is the last to hit the stairs, a crying Mia tucked close to his chest.

“I see you need some more motivation,” the voice shouts, before gunfire explodes again.

“Fuck!” Sawyer bellows. “Go, go, go!”

All quiet caution is thrown out the window as everyone races up the stairs. As soon as Christopher makes it up we jump for the den door and take cover inside the room.

“Motherfuckers!” Jaxson roars as he maneuvers across the floor to the locked gun cabinet. “Come and shoot up my house with my fucking family inside, I’m going to fucking kill them!” All gunfire ceases just as he hits a bunch of numbers on a keypad and the cabinet opens, revealing enough weapons to start World War Three.

Jesus.

Reaching up, he starts throwing out guns to Sawyer, Cade and Sarge. They catch and load them within seconds. “You know how to use one of these, Knight?”

“Fuck no,” I hiss back. “I know how to use a handgun, a rifle, but not a…whatever the hell that is.”

Jaxson tosses me the handgun he had from the kitchen then grabs one of the other big-ass machines.

“My patience is wearing thin. I don’t like waiting!” the deep voice calls out.

“Yeah, don’t worry, motherfucker, you won’t be waiting much longer because I’m going to blow you away, you piece of shit,” Jaxson murmurs, barely loud enough for us to hear let alone whoever is outside calling the shots.

The guys take up positions on either side of the windows while I move closer to the door so I can see if anyone comes into the house. I’m able to spot a few guys through the shattered vertical window. They’re all decked out in leather and matching bandanas. I don’t recognize any of them.

“Check out the emblem on their vests,” Cade remarks.

“Yeah, I see it,” Jaxson responds, his voice hard.

“Who are they?” I whisper, not having any idea.

“Sons of Death.” Sawyer spits the name out.

“Who the hell is that?” I ask, having never heard of them before.

“They’re a biker gang. There aren’t many of them but they’re no joke,” Sarge explains. “They have half the city in their pockets and they’ll kill you without a second thought.”

Well fuck!

“How many do you count?” Jaxson asks.

“I’ve got six in sight, but I count eight bikes,” Cade replies.

“If you’re waiting for the cops, they aren’t coming. They’re all a little tied up right now,” the voice taunts.

“Shit!” Jaxson seethes. “The call Cooper went on, they fucking knew he would be here.”

Sawyer looks at Jaxson. “Yeah, well, they didn’t do their fucking research because the cops are the least of their fucking worries. We need to act now, Jaxson. They shot up the place with our women and kids inside. I say we fucking end them!”

“I agree,” Sarge whispers, his tone deadly. “I say we blow the motherfuckers away!”

“Not until they’re all in sight. I want to know where the other two are before we start firing.”

“Let me go out there,” I suggest, knowing this is my fault. “I know the woods across the way better than they do. I’ll lead them away from the house.”

Jaxson points his finger at me in warning. “You’re not fucking going anywhere. You stay here!”

“My patience is starting to wear thin. You have no idea who you’re messing with.”

Jaxson finally responds to him. “Wrong, asshole.
You
don’t know who you’re fucking with. This is your only warning: get off my fucking property before I bury every single one of you pieces of shit.”

“We’re not going anywhere until I get Knight! That son of a bitch has cost me a lot of fucking money and trouble. His girlfriend was warned; he should have listened when he had the chance. Now he’s mine!”

I go still, a dangerous rage pumping through me when I realize it was these fucks who threatened Anna outside the shelter.

“We need to move, Jaxson,” Cade says, his voice hard.

He gives a resolute nod.

“Wait!” Sawyer hisses, a flash of panic in his hard gaze. “Is that fucking gas I smell?”

As soon as the words leave his mouth I smell it—strong and foul.
Oh fuck!
Panic seizes my chest as I think about the kids upstairs and…Anna.

“Times up, if Knight isn’t out here in the next three seconds I’m burning you all out. One!”

“Shit.” Cade curses. “If they’ve doused the fucking house and this turns into an all-out war, it will light up like the Fourth of July.”

“It’s going to anyway. If we don’t get them first,” Sawyer argues.

“Two!”

My gut turns to lead, heavy and sinking. Knowing what I have to do, I glance up the stairs, my teeth grinding at the pain staking my chest like a hot spear as I think of Anna.

“Three!” Just as the final number is called I’m up and rushing to the front door, my heart thundering in my ears at my resolution. My sacrifice.

My redemption.

“Knight! What the fuck are you doing? Get back here!” Jaxson’s furious bellow doesn’t deter me.

A sudden calmness fills me as I step outside to the unknown, my arms raised in surrender as I decide how the fuck I’m going to get out of this.

I don’t get the chance to think about it.

My gaze meets the asshole calling the shots, a smile forming his lips. “Now!” The order is given only a split second before bullets start flying from every direction. I try to move away from the house but I don’t make it far. A searing fire burns through my chest as I’m pumped full of lead. Each small piece of hot metal piercing my body is excruciating, but not as painful as the agony when I think about Anna and what this is going to do to her. She’s the last thing I think about before I slip into darkness.

Anna

A
fter calling 9-1-1 and not being able to get through, we called the police department only to find out there was a big accident on I-90, about twenty miles south, that had most of Charleston and Sunset Bay authorities tied up. While Julia tried explaining the severity of our situation, Kayla used her cell phone to call Cooper. Thankfully, he answered and promised he was on his way with back up, but precious time was wasted. Time we might not have.

“Mama, I’m so scared for Daddy.” Annabelle cries, clinging to Julia as she sits, leaning against the bathtub.

“It’s okay, honey. Daddy knows what he’s doing and the police are on their way,” she assures her, her own voice quivering as she tries to remain strong. My heart aches to hear all the kids crying and for everything they witnessed. I run a hand through Bandit’s fur, feeling him quivering beneath my fingers as I try to soothe my own fear.

They want Logan; they’re here to hurt him.

My eyes fall closed at the terrifying thought. I look over at Julia when she grabs my hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze. “It’ll be okay, Anna,” she assures me, but there is no denying the fear in her eyes, the same one that’s in everyone else’s.

“How far is he, Kayla?” I ask, sensing our time is running out.

“He’s less than five minutes away.”

Out of nowhere a sudden wave of terror strikes me, rocking me to my core. It’s so strong it robs me of breath and makes me gasp to pull in air.

“Anna? What is it?” Faith asks.

“Something’s wrong,” I choke out, getting to my feet. I can’t describe how I know, but I feel it to the depths of my soul. Something is very wrong.

“Knight! What the fuck are you doing? Get back here!” Jaxson’s distant roar has me reaching for the door handle, panic tearing through me.

“Anna, wait!” Julia shouts.

I don’t wait. I can’t, not even if I wanted to. Fear has my body moving on its own accord.

I open the door to see Christopher, with the massive gun trained out the window. “Shit! What’s he doing?” His words have my hysteria escalating to a whole new level. It’s the last thing spoken before explosive chaos sounds throughout.

“Logan!” I cry out his name, my legs buckling beneath me in unadulterated terror. I cover my ears from the deafening sound of gunfire as tortured screams tear from me, burning my throat and searing my soul. The pain is so powerful I could have sworn every bullet was plowing through my chest. Within seconds everything is silent, except for the painful pounding of my heart.

“Logan?” His name falls on a sob as I get to my knees. Christopher spins around to look at me, his expression revealing my worse fear. “Oh god!” Getting to my feet, I run.

“Anna, stop!” he shouts, but fear has me pushing harder and faster. I fly down the steps, stumbling on the hardwood, but I feel no pain. Only desperation.

Please, God. Please, God. Please, God!

The front door is half open, bodies scattered across the front yard, but I see him there on the steps, the guys on their knees surrounding him. Horror slams into me like a freight train, agony slicing through me like a hot blade. “Logan!”

“Fuck!” Before I can make it outside, Sawyer runs in and grabs me around the waist.

“No! Let go of me!” I thrash against him. “Logan!” I scream for him again and again, begging him to answer. “Let me fucking go! I need to see him! He needs me!” I hit Sawyer with every bit of strength I possess, clawing at him as desperation robs me of all coherent thought.

“Anna, stop! Just fucking stop!” He takes me down to the ground, pinning me. “Please, just stop!” His tortured voice cracks and stops me cold.

I stare up at him through blurry vision, and for the first time in my life I see Sawyer’s eyes filled with unshed tears, his expression desolate. It’s then that I know this is as bad as I fear. “No! Please, let me go. I can help him.”

He shakes his head, his jaw flexing. “No…you can’t! I’m sorry. So fucking sorry.”

At the finality of his words a piercing scream rips from my chest, the agonizing sound shattering the silence. I scream until I can’t feel anything. I scream until I’m completely dead inside because without Logan, I am.