Willow

It had been a blissful month with Trey and the kids. We'd had our hiccups, but nothing that couldn't be smoothed over.

Last night had been amazing. I loved—like a huge girl crush—the muffkateers from Ballart. It was awesome to have spent time with them. Ivy—a giggle escaped me—definitely made her club name proud with the name Chatter. Damn, that woman loved to talk. Anything could come from her, both appropriate and inappropriate things. Still, her man Killer was hooked into her 100 percent.

Clary was a sweet, sassy and gorgeous woman. I couldn't believe she'd been blind. Blue, her man, found it hard, like mine, to leave her side. He was very protective. Heck, they all were. All Hawks men showed their love openly—which was amazing to see. They cherished their women and would do anything for them. I pinched myself knowing I was a part of that crew. I was a muffkateer, and I couldn't be prouder.

Hell Mouth had declared Lucia was also an honouree muffkateer, even if she didn't have a bad-arse biker at her side. Lucia was a bad-arse woman enough to be a part of the crew. Griz looked on at his woman, Deanna, also known as Hell Mouth, with amusement and annoyance at times through the night. I could tell he found her taxing. Still, every time she got close, he would tag her in some way and show he'd claimed her just as she was.

Malinda was Nary's mum. She was the coolest mum I had ever met, and I ended up asking her if I could ring her for advice as Tex and Rommy grew. I wanted to do my best with those children. She'd said yes, on one condition. She asked me, me, to watch out for Nary while she lived and went to uni in Melbourne. Stoke, who stood beside her, grunted and mentioned he'd prefer to move them all to Melbourne so he could keep an eye on his girl, which Malinda squashed quickly. She told me later that the reason was because, like all Hawks men, they were possessive. So much so she knew Nary wouldn't be able to experience life without Stoke breathing down her neck.

Yes, the men of Hawks were very possessive. I knew it already from my own Hawks man. As Zara had explained, it could drive us crazy, but we knew they only had our heart in hand when it came to their women.

The best part of the night had been after the party, when Trey took me home and showed me how much he appreciated me. I didn't think threatening some hookers would turn him on, but it had, and I'd enjoyed the reward I got for it.

Trey had organised, with Dive, for me to pick up the kids from their schools the next day. I knew he had a lot on, especially the meeting with the Venom prez, plus I enjoyed picking up the kids anyway. Usually, we'd go get some ice cream or go shopping, even when Dive and Tex hated it. Rommy, however, loved it. I also took them, with whoever was our guard for the day, to the basketball court because I knew Tex loved to play. That day, though, I decided I wanted to cook something special, so I asked Dive to drive us to the supermarket. I couldn't go to any other market than the one where Lucia worked. It also gave me the chance to have a gab with her.

Dive stopped right out the front sliding doors. The area wasn't busy, as usual. I hopped out of the car with the kids following. They knew if they helped me shop, they'd get a treat at the end.

However, if I had known what lay ahead, I would have left them in the car.

But I didn't.

I walked, with the kids, straight into a trap.

As we stepped in and saw Lucia's tear-stained face, I knew something was wrong. The doors swished closed behind us and then I heard them being locked. Grabbing a hand of each child, I turned and pulled them behind me.

Two men, with ski masks covering their faces, stood at the doors with guns raised and pointed right at me.

"Girl," Lucia cried softly, her anguish showing on her face.

"Kids, go stand with Lucia," I ordered and started shoving them over to my girl, who I knew would keep them safe if anything happened to me.

"No!" one barked, the one with blue eyes. The other, I noticed, had brown. "They stay with you."

"Okay," I said, holding up my hands in front of me. Rommy gripped my side tightly, while Tex stood behind me but to my side, his fingers hooked in the back of my jeans. "You want the money? I'm sure Lucia will give it up."

"It ain't about the money," the blue-eyed one said.

"Then what is it?"

"Girl." Lucia sighed. Looking over my shoulder, I locked eyes with her. She was as pissed off as she was terrified. "Jerry's knocked out in the back," she said. "They made me come up here and pretend like nothing was happening. They—"

"Enough. Erik, go check on the guy in the back." So that was the blue-eyed one’s name.

"You go, Garry." Erik obviously didn't like to be bossed around.

They were both obvious idiots for sharing their names...unless they knew we wouldn’t be coming out of it alive.

Fear gripped my throat. I fought to swallow it down. It wasn’t the time to freak the hell out like I wanted to. I had to be strong for the children.

"Fuck, you're dumb. Don't do shit until I get back. I'll check on the others, as well."

Others? They had more men around.

God.

"All this for money?" I whispered, more to myself than anyone.

Erik laughed. "Stupid bitch. It ain't got anything to do with the money. We were ordered to come here because we were told you would be coming."

"There's a bug in your car. They heard you tell Dive to come here. They're going to kill us when Dodge gets here," Lucia said quickly, and Erik fired off a warning shot at the counter. She jumped away, screaming. We all did.

My eyes widened, and I wrapped my arms around the kids. They looked up at me with fright in their eyes. I couldn't let that happen, couldn’t let the children lose their uncle. Was I fighting a losing battle, though? Because I knew Dodge would turn up as soon as he found out what was happening to us. Whatever it was, I had to fight. I had to do something.

"You, shut the fuck up!" Erik yelled.

Garry came running back into the room. "What the fuck?" he asked, looking at the counter in front of Lucia, which now had a hole in it.

Erik flicked his gun towards Lucia and said, "She told her the plan."

"Fuck," Garry snapped and ran a frustrated hand through his grey hair. "If you hadn't told her in the goddamn first place—"

"If you'd have just let me shoot her in the fuckin' first place."

"Shut the hell up. God, go sit with your bitch and keep you trap shut," Garry snarled at me and the kids. We quickly ran around the counter and huddled together while Garry and Erik fought back and forth, over and over. All we could do was stand there, watching on, and wait.

I knew what we were waiting for. My man.

Once he was there, all hell would break out.

"Beside the fridge," I heard Lucia whisper.

"What?" I asked, my eyes still on the men.

I felt her eyes bore into me. "Beside. The. Back. Fridge." 

Of course. Oh, God. My heart raced in my chest as the plan formed in my head. At least, if anything happened, the children would be safe.

I pretended to rest on the counter, my elbows on top and my head in my hands. Garry and Erik watched me, but kept talking.

Slowly, I slid a hand down to the pens and paper we always kept handy under the counter to throw notes at each other. I hoped to God they would understand my quick writing, but I had to be fast so the men, who looked across at us every now and then, wouldn't notice I was doing something. Tex, the smart boy, leaned over my shoulder, his arms curling around my arm under the counter, so it looked like he was just hugging me while hiding my arm.

Finally done, I lifted it then turned my back to the men for a second, long enough to pass the note to Tex. He nodded. I spun back around and we huddled close again.

I called out, "Can the kids at least sit on the floor?"

Erik's glare hit me before he nodded.

Thank you, Jesus.

Tex was first to sit, pulling a reluctant Rommy down beside him. I glanced down to see Tex opening the note and reading it. When I glanced down again, he was looking up at me and shaking his head.

"Get your sister to safety," I said through clenched teeth.

"Uncle Trey will come," he whispered.

That was what those guys were counting on. They wanted to crush my man by taking us out right in front of him. Even if they...killed me, I knew the children would help Trey live on eventually.

"I'm not—"

"Texas," I hissed low. "Do it. Now."

He bit his bottom lip. Tears fell from his eyes as he got to his knees and nodded up at me. I sighed in relief.

"No," Rommy breathed.

"Go with your brother."

Tex sighed. "Come on, Rom. You can do this."

She looked from me to her brother and then finally, finally, I saw her small nod. Tex quickly and quietly ushered his scared sister along the floor on all fours towards the aisles.

The shop owner, Jeff, being the cheap person he was, had found a hole in the wall that led outside. It was right beside the fridges, at the back of the bottom shelf with canned soup in front of it. Outside, the only thing covering the hole was a piece of corflute, thin material that Tex could easily kick out, and then hopefully they could get out without anyone noticing.

Please, please, please let them get out safely.

Lucia quickly gripped my arm. My body froze. We both heard it, the familiar sound of Harleys coming down the quiet street.

No. God, no.

Trey was walking right into the trap set for him.

I wasn't worried that my life was in jeopardy. What made me feel ill, what caused my stomach to drop, my hands to sweat and my body to shake, was the possibility I could lose my man, my family, my friends.

My life would be nothing without them in it.

The noise came to a stop right out front.

Holy...it sounded like there were at least about twenty Harleys parking out the front of the shop. I wondered if the neighbouring shops took notice. If they did, would they call for some more help...but if they did, Trey could get into trouble.

There wasn't going to be a good outcome in the situation we were in.

No matter what, lives would be lost, one way or another.

My hand went over my mouth. I shook my head back and forth when my eyes landed on the man who stood just outside the sliding glass door.

Behind and beside him were about twenty brothers.

Trey slowly slid down his mirrored sunglasses. The scowl upon his gorgeous face was fearsome. He wanted to hurt people, and he knew he was going to have his way.

But I was afraid I'd lose my life before he could do anything.