Chapter 21
Too Easy An Rescue
Alina rolled through the plan in her mind during the drive out to the farm. Instead of rolling up in plain sight, they would observe from a nearby ridgeline and send out scouts. It was imperative to know what they were dealing with before they tried to extract Jaden. She was still having a hard time thinking of him as Hawk. She could understand the concept of having a road name and the one he chose was applicable, but the boy was still Jaden in her heart.
They inconspicuously took up position and began observing the farm with binoculars. There were about a dozen men on the ground there. It was dark with only the brightness of the full moon shining down on the grounds. The Grims were coming and going, and patrolling at regular intervals. Alina knew what was coming but still found herself shocked when Hammer gave the word and all the Grim Crew outside the farmhouse dropped in one coordinated maneuver. A queasiness gripped her, threatening to make her loose her last meal. Hammer must have noticed because his hand came out to steady her. Looking into his eyes, she knew they both wished there had been another way.
Quickly they descended onto the property. Alina stayed behind Hammer. The tension of the moment drove home what a really bad idea it had been for her to tag along. Worry that her presence was a dangerous distraction ate away at her. She vowed to herself that this would be her last venture into the dangerous underworld of the biker gangs.
Kicking in the door, several men exchanged fire. When the smoke cleared, Hammer eased Alina from behind him. “Stay close until we sweep the house.”
Nodding, her eyes flashed around as the brothers began spreading out. Hammer rummaged through a nearby desk as his crew cleared the lower level as quickly as possible. Stuffing some paperwork in his pocket, he followed several members of his crew upstairs. Kicking in several doors they found nothing. Clearly whoever had been upstairs had rushed downstairs to face off with the Kingsmen.
Alina whispered. “This can’t be. He’s got to be here.”
Hammer barked back. “There is no basement. The brothers have cleared the outbuildings. This is what it is.”
“I refuse to accept that.”
As they stood staring at each other, they heard a thump. Hammer jerked back and looked around.
Alina whispered excitedly. “How about an attic?”
Hammer went running from the room into the hallway. At the far end was a rectangular indentation in the ceiling with a cord hanging down. It was obvious to everyone that it was a very typical attic entry. The thumping continued. Alina’s heart hammered in her chest. This was it. Jaden was there. She knew it right down to her bones.
Though her heart was pounding as she watched hope spring into the eyes of the man she loved. Hammer’s hands were shaking as he yanked the cord and roughly pulled out down the folding steps. He pulled back out his weapon and climbed onto the ladder.
“Be careful,” she whispered.
He made eye contact with her for a brief second as he nodded once.
He disappeared into the attic and she waited with bated breath for any sounds of conflict.
♦♦♦♦♦
Hammer ascended the stairs with a growing certainty that he’d find his son there. The problem was, he didn’t know what else he’d find there. Stepping quietly into the room, he paused to give his eyes a moment to adjust. As the room came into focus, he could see the room was littered with pizza boxes and pop cans. Boxes were stacked up along the walls.
His throat closed up to see Jaden sitting in the back of the room. He was tied and gagged but his son’s eyes were pinned on him. The moment Hammer moved forward, Jaden began shaking his head no and thrashing about. That was all that Hammer needed to see. His son was warning him of something. His gut told him it was one of the Grims.
Hammer eased sideways instead of walking directly into the room. As quietly as he could, he slipped around the perimeter of the room. Before he even got halfway to Jade a man stepped from behind some boxes and jerked Jaden to his feet. Hammer recognized him immediately. It was the Grims VP…Twinkie’s father. Pulling Jaden in front of his larger frame, the man barked orders to Hammer.
“Drop you weapon or the kid gets it.”
“Kill me and you’ll never get out of here.”
“I know you lied about my girl. Give her to me and you’ll get your son back.”
“Like I already said, we don’t have her. How fuckin stupid are you people that you can’t find one little girl?”
“Play stupid with Miguel. He might be gullible but I know better.”
Hammer hadn’t lowered his weapon. His mind clicked through his limited number of options and the probable outcomes in the space of heartbeat. If he put down his gun like the man had asked, it would be bad. He would shoot Hammer down in cold blood, then use Jaden as a shield to escape, before killing him as well. It literally didn’t make sense for him to do anything else. Throwing down his weapon was not an option.
His blood ran cold as he realized what his one and only option was. Steeling a quick look at Jaden’s face, the boy’s color paled. He knew what was coming. That was a small advantage. Gritting his teeth, he jerked the gun up and fired. Just as it sounded off, Jaden jerked sharply to the left…away from the man’s face. Hammer watched as the smaller caliber bullet tore into the man’s face. His body froze for a brief second before he fell slack to the floor.
Bolting into action, he grabbed Jaden up and hugged the youngster close. Picking his still bound son up, he carried him down the ladder, and laid him on the floor. A quick flick of his switchblade and Jaden’s arms were free. As the Rip cut the ties on his legs, Hammer gently pealed the duct tape away from his mouth.
“You came. I knew you would!”
“Of fucking course I came, son.”
“Sorry, I left.” Looking down at his son, Hammer couldn’t find it in his heart to be angry at the boy. He looked exhausted and roughed up but relieved.
Suddenly, Alina was there pressing a bottle of water to Jaden’s lips. His son seemed thoroughly shocked to see her. His eyes jumped from his teacher back to Hammer.
Alina gestured for him to drink some more. “We were really worried about you, Jaden. Especially Non. He and Twinkie have been freaking out. The rest of your friends were worried as well.”
Jaden’s mouth dropped open. For some reason Hammer found that slightly comical. Tousling his son’s hair, he quipped. “Cat’s out of the bag, Jaden…or should I say Hawk. We can talk about it later. Right now we gotta get you to the clubhouse.”
“I’m all for getting’ the fuck outta here.”
“Yea, I think everyone’s in agreement about that, son.” Turning to Rip her ordered. “Load everyone up, we’re getting the fuck gone.”
Rip jerked his head barely able to contain the huge smile on his normally expressionless face. “You got it, boss.”
Helping his son to his feet, Hammer walked him outside with Alina trailing behind them. His crew surrounded them and remained diligent for any additional member of the Grim Crew who might have showed up. Within short order they had him in an SUV, heading for Kingsmen territory.
Hammer sit with his arm around his son. “Sure you feeling okay, son?”
“I think I’m fine. Miguel refused to allow them to hurt me.”
“Any idea why?”
“He didn’t say. The guy tends to ramble. He did say something about my mother’s shade protecting me. What do you think that means?”
Hammer pursed his lips, but Alina answered. “In ancient Greek mythology, the spirits of people were sometimes called shades. We think he was in love with your mother but she chose your father instead of him.”
Jaden didn’t look convinced. “Well since he’s bat shit crazy, I’d say she made a good choice.” Pausing only a heartbeat, he asked flatly. “Why are you here?”
Alina looked nervously at Hammer who responded to the question.
“Alina is with me now. I know that may make you feel uncomfortable but she worked her ass off to help find you, so treat her with some respect.” Hammer knew his son had been through and ordeal but it was better than he knew the score right off the bat.
Hammer had never once lied to his son about anything, and he wasn’t going to start now. Jaden had never been told Santa or the Easter Bunny was real. He grew up with the understanding that they were fictional characters designed to make the holiday more enjoyable. Jaden appreciated honesty and would have felt slighted if he’d tried to keep him in the dark about Alina.
His son just shook his head. “She’s not like the women you normally see.”
Hammer sighed. “You’re right. She’s a lady not a whore.”
“Does that mean I don’t have to worry about her spitting in our food when you’re rude to her?”
Alina’s eyes flashed up to him. It was one of the few times Hammer had felt embarrassed in his life. Stretching his neck, he spoke calmly. “I can’t imagine Alina doing anything like that. She’s a good fit for us.”
Jaden’s eye flew open. “You’re keeping her?”
Hammer had to smile down at his son. “Thinkin’ about it. We’ll have to see.”
Alina spoke up, in a desperate ploy to chance the subject. “Bet you’ll be glad to have this whole mess behind you.”
Jaden’s eyes once again found Hammer’s. They both knew this situation was far from over. As long as Miguel was still roaming around they’d still be in danger. Though his VP might have been in it for the girl, it was becoming increasingly clear Miguel was still grinding the same old axe.
Hammer murmured darkly. “I think getting you out of there was much easier than I would have expected.”
Rip turned from the front seat. “I been thinkin’ about that myself, boss. It was too easy. If not for the VP being there it would almost feel like a set up.”
Hammer reflected out loud. “Most of the crew there looked freshly minted. Maybe he was fed up with his VP fucking things up and decided to put in the line of fire.”
Rip nodded. “Makes sense. He had to know that after what he did to his family, we’d never let him walk outta there alive.”
Hammer nodded his agreement. “I’m surprised Miguel didn’t send my son out of area. That would have made more sense.”
Seeing that Jaden was becoming emotional, Hammer changed the subject.
“You did a good job with your club. Picked good guys. They’re real solid. Got yourself a good set up.”
His son smiled tentatively. “Can I call them when I get back to the clubhouse?”
“Call them hell, most of your officers are there waiting for us to get back. I stashed Twinkie in your room.”
“She’s probably scared out of her mind.”
“I doubt it, son. Copperhead is up there with her. No one is going to mess with her. She’s been reading books to him off your tablet. He seems to like that real fine.”
“It’s their favorite pastime. They’d read instruction manuals and be happy as two clams sitting in seaweed.”
Alina laughed. “Reading is a perfectly acceptable hobby. It’s the only thing that took her mind off worrying about you.”
“Don’t know why she’s so worried about us all. She about hen pecks up to death. She takes some getting’ used to but we like her well enough.”
Jaden seemed to be getting sleepy, so Hammer pulled him close. Within moments the young man with the weight of the world on his small shoulders had fallen asleep, much like he had a thousand times before as a small child.
Hammer leaned over Jaden, caught Alina by the back of the head and pulled her in for a kiss. “Thanks, doll. You did real good by not givin’ up back there.”
Hammer could see tears welling up in her eyes. As they began to wet her cheeks, he cleared them away with his thumb. “Come on, sweetheart. No crying. Jaden’s safe and we’re almost home.
As soon as they crossed over into Kingsmen territory, Hammer allowed himself the luxury of relaxing. He had his son back and a woman he was growing fonder of by the day at his side. It had been a good day.