CAL
I’m pacing. I’m actually pacing. I’ve seen guys do this before, nervous ones who have no grip on reality or who can’t take matters into their own hands. They walk back and forth, their head facing the floor as if an answer will come to them if they just move. And I find myself one of those fools with their eyes planted on the ground, hoping and praying a solution will come to me.
They’ve got my girl, my beautiful daughter. Lines have been crossed before. Partners have been killed, best friends murdered in front of the other. But there has never been anyone in the history of our gang rivalry who has brought children into this damn mess. And now they went ahead and did it.
But those bastards didn’t have the guts to do it in my own house. They waited until Maddie was taken from me, placed in Michelle’s care, before they struck. Goddamn fucking cowards. They knew if they tried to touch my daughter I would come after them with every fiber of my being. And they must know that now. They must know I will never, ever let this stand.
Still, I’m here, making marks in the floor from my pacing. Red Dog and Ace, my two best pals, are watching me silently. They’re feeling Maddie’s loss, too. Those guys, and most of the gang, have watched her grow up. She took her first steps right here in our kitchen. She said her first word in the basement during the club meeting as one of the old ladies held her. She wriggled out of her grip and stumbled towards me, crying out “Dada! Dada!” until I picked her up and let her sit in my lap.
Maddie isn’t just some club member’s kid. There are loads of those around. No, Maddie is everyone’s kid. And taking her from under us is like taking our most precious commodity. We are all thinking of the same thing: revenge. Vicious, swift, awesome revenge. And if she isn’t found or, worse, the unthinkable has happened to her, it won’t be just revenge they will be getting. As God as my witness, I will not cease until each and everyone of those Coyotes are buried deep in their mass graves.
But I push that thought away. Something tells me Maddie is okay. Call it wishful thinking, but I know that as long as Michelle is with her, she is safe and sound. I trust Michelle with Maddie’s life. I’ve seen her and how she treats her, cares for her. She wouldn’t let anyone near her without putting up a fight. And no one wants to mess with an angry, OCD teacher. I should know.
My stomach turns as I grow tired and dizzy. I find the chair sitting next to me, and I look to my two friends. I need to hear something; someone needs to talk. Red Dog clears his throat as he says softly, “What do you think is taking so long? I mean, shouldn’t the rest of the gang be here by now?”
“They’re coming, Red. They’re coming. Most of the guys were blasted at that party. Now Jager has to round up some sober drivers to get the men and their cycles back to base for the meeting. It’s gonna take a bit.”
We were all out mourning the death of our three brothers when we got the news. Well, I wasn’t so much mourning as I was drunk fucking one of the club girls. Just thinking of her and her limp body climbing all over me sends bristles of regret up my spine. I haven’t done anything that stupid in such a long time. And now it feels like I’m paying for my moment of weakness.
I stand up, running my hands through my hair. “FUCK!” I can’t help but scream out in frustration, “I can’t just sit here! What the fuck am I supposed to do just sitting here waiting for everything to fall into place?” I grab my leather jacket at the back of one of the dining room table chairs. “I’m getting out of here. I’m going to go find her.”
Ace reaches across the table and takes my arm, pulling me back down. “When Jager says we stay, we stay.” His voice lowers as I fall into the seat, “You gotta trust us. We’re your men, and we’re Maddie’s man, too. We’re not going to let her go.”
“He’s right. And I’m not going to sit around here and wait either.” Red Dog is suddenly alert. Whatever Ace said is rallying him around the cause. “I’m going to get a recon group ready. We’re going to find them.”
Before I can step in and tell him to wait, Red Dog is already typing away furiously on his phone. He grabs his jacket and wallet and walks out towards his motorcycle. Both Ace and I sit there motionlessly as we watch him go. I turn to Ace and ask sincerely, “You think they’ll find anything?”
“I think he knows what he’s doing. Red Dog’s always been good at this recovery stuff. If anyone’s gonna find her, it’s going to be him.”
I don’t wait around to find out. I stumble up towards my bedroom on the second floor, each step a slow and painful movement. As I make it to the top, I eye Maddie’s room. It’s been untouched since those assholes at Child Protective Services took her away. I slowly shut it, not wanting to be reminded of the pain once more.
My bed is empty, the bedding thrown to the ground. I pick it up and pull the sheets over my head as I melt into the old mattress. I shut my eyes as I do something I haven’t done in years – I pray. Just let me have them back. Both of them. I can’t have a life without either Maddie or Michelle. If it means sacrificing myself, so be it. I’m ready to meet my maker and pay for all the shit and pain I’ve caused. If it means saving them, I’ll gladly give myself in their places. Please, God. Please.
Darkness overtakes me as I find myself far away from prayer. But I’m not alone. Michelle’s there beside me. She lies next to me in my bed, holding my hand lightly. Her mouth is moving, the corners of her lips upturned as she points up towards the empty, dark sky. She is laughing. Whatever she is telling me is funny, if that’s even possible. And I find myself smiling right back at her, the stars in my own eyes dancing with hers to the rhythm of her voice.
She reaches over to smooth out a piece of my hair and I grab her hand in place. The softness of her palm is warm up against my rough, prickly skin. Her thumb traces against my jaw and to my lips where I plant a small kiss on the pad of her finger. She lingers a moment, hesitating slightly, before scooting herself closer to me for a long, deep kiss. Our tongues meet, twisting around the other. Our heads and lips turn as we wrestle with one another’s passions, neither one letting go.
I place my hand around her waist, pulling her body closer to me. She’s wrapped up in this long, thin white dress. The fabric allows me to feel the curves of her body, the line of her panties. As I lower my head towards her neck, my hands pull up the hem of her dress, scrunching the material in my hand. She gasps as she cocks her head back, my name seeps out of her mouth in an exhausted, but thrilled breath, “Cal, Cal, Cal.”
I hitch the dress up over her chest and then head, her hair flying free from the movement. I straddle above her as she covers herself demurely, the hair just touching the tips of her nipples and her hands over her sex. From this angle, I can finally see her, the peachy fresh skin, the freckles that dot her legs and arms, the lines of her body that heave and ho with each deep, desiring inhale and exhale.
I kiss the top of her head at the crown where her hair frizzes just slightly and then move to the spot between her lovely eyes, the tip of her nose, the heart shape of her top lip, and the slight dimple in her chin. I follow the line down her long, graceful neck and throat to the space between her breasts and the dip of her belly button.
I stop as I find the scent of her at the top of her pubic bone. It’s as strong and as a real as ever. It smells so much of summer and what I imagine heaven to be like. Nothing has ever smelled so ripe and fresh to me as her pussy. I spread her legs apart underneath me and land a kiss on the opening of her folds. She coos as I go for more, this time not missing an inch of her skin. My tongue dashes out, slipping through the slit, getting a hint of that smell on my taste buds. It’s as good as it smells.
My fingers pull her gentle skin farther apart, giving me a wide look at the inside of her universe. My thumb presses down on the top, finding her beady clit and massaging at the sensitive tip around it. Her hips rise to meet my mouth as I continue to kiss and suck at her. I watch as one hand wraps around the sheet while the other finds my head and guides it deeper into her flesh. I dive in with a fury, not wanting to relent.
I feel her body shake from under my lips as she gives in. Her hips thrust upwards once more before her entire body comes crashing down. I hold on, tasting her sweet, juicy orgasm in my mouth. It’s a treat well worth the effort.
It’s my turn now as I get back to my knees, pulling her closer to me by her hips. But something has changed. I can feel it. The room, which was once lit by an almost heavenly sunlight, has transformed into something darker, more sinister. I look at the sheet tangled around my hips that has turned into a blood red. Everything feels as if it is spinning, crashing, flying. I can’t orient myself anymore.
She lets out a shriek, a horrible, blood-curdling yell, causing me to whip my head back in her direction. But she’s gone. All that remains is her imprint on the pillows and the white dress I had pulled over her head mere minutes ago. I call out her name, “Michelle!” my voice shrieking over and over again into the pitch-black darkness surrounding me.
My bed crashes to the ground, causing my body to go flying into the air. When I land, I throw my eyes open. Ace is at my side, calling my name frantically. His face is morphed with concern and terror. “Cal! Cal!”
I scurry up to my elbows and pull myself to the side of the bed. By the looks of the darkened sky, I’ve been fast asleep for at least a few hours. Downstairs, I can hear the commotion of men filing into the basement. Something’s happened. I turn to Ace who is waiting for me to come back to life.
He looks me dead in the eye as he says cautiously, “Red Dog found Addison Bell’s number. We know where the Coyotes are keeping Maddie.”