I'm sitting behind my desk at work thinking about Mila. I can't get the image of her beautiful face as she came out of my head. I also decided to give her a few days to come to terms with what happened between us and what is going to happen between us in the very near future. It's taking everything I have for me to not go over to her house, throw her over my shoulder and take her home with me where she belongs. But I cannot risk scaring her off, not that I'd let her run. Mila is mine. Her fate was sealed the first day she showed up at my place banging on my door and throwing her sass around as she looked at me with those hypnotizing eyes of hers.

I'm pulled from my thoughts when I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket. Taking it out, I see a text from Quinn.

Dipshit: Get your ass off that damn computer and come to the clubhouse for a drink with me.

Me: Fuck off, how do you know I'm working?

Dipshit: I'm outside asshole, now let's go.

Me: Give me five.

Shaking my head, I power off my computer before standing up and grabbing my cut off the back of my chair and sliding it on. After I flick all the lights in the office off and set the alarm, I make my way outside to see Quinn sitting on his bike smoking a cigarette. Without a word, I lift my chin towards my brother as I straddle my bike. As we ride down the street and breathe in the warm summer air, something out the corner of my eye catches my attention. Letting off the throttle, I begin to slow down. Parked at a piece of shit motel is Mila's car.

What the fuck. Why would she be at a motel?

When I turn into the motel parking lot, I know my brother is right behind me and when I glance in his direction, I see he's also noticed Mila's car and is also wondering the same shit as me.

Quinn and I both dismount our bikes at the same time and make our way to the check-in office. When we walk in the bell on the door alerts the old lady behind the desk to our arrival.

"Need a room?" She asks.

"No ma'am. I want to know what room Mila Vaughn is staying in." After I repeat myself to the old bat two times because she can't hear shit, she is reluctant to give up the information until she eyes mine and Quinn's cut.

"She's in room 68. I don't want no trouble, ya hear me, young man."

"I'm not looking for trouble lady." After eyeing me wearily for a moment, the old lady hands me the key card to Mila's room. Taking it from her wrinkled hand, I nod my head in thanks before turning on my heel and walking out.

Walking along the side of the building, Quinn and I head in the direction of room 68. As we approach the door, my senses go on high alert, and my heart rate picks up. I immediately reach into my cut and draw my piece. I don't have to look to know my brother has made the same observation as me and has done the same. Because Mila's motel door is cracked open and on closer inspection, it has been busted open. With Quinn at my back, I place the palm of my hand against the door and slowly open it. What I see in front of me has my stomach knotting, and my vision is seeing red. Some motherfucker is straddling Mila, and he has his hands wrapped around her throat. I notice her leg give one final jolt of fight before her whole body goes limp. Suddenly, I charge the motherfucker and tackle him to the floor beside the bed. I repeatedly land blow after blow after blow to his face. I don't know how much time had passed or when the guy underneath me stopped moving; Quinn grabbing my shoulder is what snaps me out of my frenzied state.

"Don't kill him yet, brother. Not if you want some answers."

Quinn's right. I want to know why the fuck Mila is staying in this room in the first place, and why this piece of shit tried to kill her. With my thoughts snapping back to Mila, I turn my attention away from the bloody man lying on the floor to my woman. Seeing her beaten and passed out body on the bed has my fingers itchin' to put a bullet in the motherfucker's head.

"I already checked her pulse, and she's still breathin'. You want to take her to the hospital, or you want me to call Doc?" Quinn asks.

"No hospital right now. Hospital means cops and no way are the cops gettin' their hands on him," I say, gesturing towards the man still passed out. "He's mine," I declare.

"You got it, brother."

With Quinn on the phone, I begin to take in Mila's injuries. A split lip, a busted eye, and the purple and blue finger marks around her neck from where the guy tried to take life away from her. A moan escaped her mouth and her one good eye flutters open. "Kitten, can you hear me? You're going to be alright. I've got you." I assure her as I stroke her hair. Opening her mouth, Mila struggles to say something, and in a rough, scratchy voice, she's able to get one word out.

"Ava?"

My stomach drops. How in the hell could I forget about Ava? Quinn suddenly pipes up, "She's in the bathroom, brother, but I can't get her to open the door. All I hear is her crying."

Rushing over to the bathroom door, I drop down to my knees and begin to talk gently. "Ava, sweetheart, can you unlock the door for me." The sounds of her sobs breaking my heart before I hear her sweet voice.

"Reid?"

"Yeah, baby girl it's me. Can you come out for me?" A second later, I hear the lock click over, and a crying, shaking Ava throws her tiny body into my waiting arms. She buries her face into my neck as I rub her back and try calming her down. I step back into the bathroom, so I can shield her from the view of what's in the room. I do not want the vision of her battered mother and a bloody, beaten man ingrained into her memory. No child should have to witness such a thing.

"Doc, Gabriel, and Prez are on their way," Quinn informs me. "Want me to take Ava so you can go to your woman?"

Coaxing Ava to release a little bit of her hold on me I ask, "You think you can go see Quinn a minute for me, sweetheart? I promise I'm not going anywhere." Looking at me with her big blue eyes, she blinks away a few more tears before she looks over at Quinn and then nods her head. "Good girl," I praise her by kissing her on top of her head before passing her off to my brother. The same time I'm walking back over to where Mila lays, Prez followed by Doc and Gabriel burst into the motel room with murder in their eyes as they take in the scene. Doc doesn't waste any time tending to Mila while Gabriel handles the 'soon to be a dead man' on the floor. I turn my attention back to Doc when he begins to speak.

"Let's get her back to the clubhouse, so I can do a more thorough exam. She's pretty busted up. No signs of sexual assault. Nothing we can't handle. Unless you want to take her to the hospital? It's your call."

I'm about to open my mouth when Mila rouses, "Where's Ava? Reid, where is she?"

Leaning over the bed, I scoop Mila into my arms. "Shh baby, she's alright, Quinn has her. We're gonna get you out of here, okay?"

"Okay, but no hospital, and I don't want Ava to see me like this." Mila pleads.

"Alright, Kitten, let's go."

When I make it outside with Mila in my arms, I notice Logan and Bella have shown up. Once I climb into the van with Jake, I look out the window and see Quinn walking out of the motel room with Ava, and he strides straight toward Bella who quickly takes her from him. Satisfied that Ava is taken care of, I give Jake the go-ahead for us to leave.

An hour later we are back at the clubhouse. Mila has been checked out by Doc, and I have cleaned her up the best I can. She woke up and was alert not long after we arrived, and she was able to tell us what she remembered. She said her neighborhood had a gas leak and the police department wasn't letting anyone in, so instead of calling me she decided to stay at a motel. To say I was pissed was an understatement. I don't understand why the hell she didn't call me. She insisted it was late, and she didn't want to burden anyone. How could she be so stupid to think her or Ava would ever be a burden. I told her as much too. Her sassy ass had to pipe up and tell me she could take care of herself. And my response was simple. "I get that you've been on your own and have had to take care of yourself and Ava, but no more, Kitten. You two have me now, you have the club." By the time I was finished speaking my peace, Mila was crying. I held her until she stopped and fell asleep. Once I knew she was out, and would be for awhile since Doc gave her some medicine for her pain, I slipped out of my room and headed in the direction of the basement on a mission. The mission involved the motherfucker who thought he could put his filthy hands on my woman and live to see another day.

Walking into the basement, I'm met with Prez, Gabriel, and Quinn. Tied to a metal chair in the middle of the room is a man who is about to draw his last breath. The detached look on his face tells me he knows his time has come and this is the end of the road for him.

Not wanting to waste anymore time on this cocksucker than necessary because I have better things to do, like getting back to my woman, I walk directly in front of the man who is taking up more time than he deserves. "I want to know what the fuck your plans were tonight and why."

"Got paid five grand to take the bitch out."

As soon as the word bitch leaves his mouth, my fist lands a solid punch to his jaw. "Watch it, motherfucker. What you say will determine how fast or how slow I take your worthless life tonight." The shadow that crosses the guy's bloody face lets me know he understands what my words mean. He gives us what we want, and his death will be quick; He fights us, and he'll be wishing he was never born.

"I don't know the details. I met a guy a few days ago, a couple of towns over, at a gas station. He paid me five grand cash and gave me the girl’s address and her description. I asked him how he wanted the job done," He shrugs his shoulders, "Some clients like the target to be taken out quickly, some painfully. I charge accordingly. I told him the job would be two grand. He told me he'd give me an extra three if I took care of the kid too. The suit said he didn't care, just that it needed to be done ASAP. I followed the chick for two days. I was going to take her out in her house, but she and the kid ended up at the hotel." The mention of Ava cause a deep growl to rise from deep within and I take a step further in the man's direction before he is quick to interject.

"Wait a minute. I don't touch fuckin' kids, man. I took the suits money, but no way was I killing a kid." the dirty prick confesses.

"Does the suit have a name?" I question with clenched fists.

"No, I never exchange names with clients. All I can tell you is the man was around six-foot-one, black hair and maybe mid-forties. The guy had money written all over him."

From the pictures I found online when researching her parents, along with the fact they showed up in town, I'm almost positive who is behind this shit. I can't believe the heartless bastards are even going after Ava, their own granddaughter. But my question is, why? I may not know the answers, but I'm sure as hell going to find out. I know all I need to know from this motherfucker. Looking the guy dead in his eyes, I reach into my cut and let my hand wrap around the cold metal of my gun before taking it out. Resolved in my choice, I aim it directly between the eyes of the man sitting in front of me and pull the trigger.