Page 83 of Single Mom's Biker Brigade
“I trust you to get your kid out of there safe or I would have chained you up at home.” That settled him enough to stop fighting my hold.
“Yeah. Okay.” He ran a hand over the back of his neck. “I know the drill, Hawk. I won’t let Cody down.”
“Good.” I leaned forward to check the outer perimeter. My phone pinged an all in place text that I showed to Colt. “Get in, get the kid.”
“Yeah, yeah. I got it. Don’t break down the door. Keep my shit together.” He thumped a fist against my shoulder. “Can I go get my kid now?”
“Let’s go.” I rolled out of the truck, landing on the balls of my feet and taking off at a quick jog that didn’t attract too much attention.
My guys on the perimeter kept watch. Three on front. Four on back. If our guy tried anything, he’d have more shit than he knew how to deal with. Hell, he’d have enough of that with Colt.
We walked straight into the lobby and turned into the corridor. No one here would give us a name. Peeling wallpaper, the smellof piss and other things I didn’t want to think about, along with the line of hookers making their way into several rooms, meant this was the kind of place where everyone was called John Smith and no one asked any questions.
Not even when a bastard showed up with a scared kid in tow. I’d take care of that as soon as we had Cody back home.
A loud laugh crackled from two rooms down. Someone else argued back in Spanish. The ice machine at the end of the corridor groaned and dropped a load that clattered and spilled into the hallway.
One of my men appeared at the fire exit on the far end and stopped to wait.
I tipped my head toward room twelve, the only one with the flickers of light from a TV shining beneath the door and the sound of cartoons mingling with curses and grunts from everywhere else.
“Fucking hell.” Colt gripped his hands together in a mockery of a prayer pose. “Let’sgo.”
I nodded.
Colt hit the door with his shoulder, popping it open and surging inside.
I followed close enough on his heels to leap over the bed and clock the man sitting in the corner with a pistol in his lap. My fist hit his jaw in a savage uppercut that snapped his head back and knocked him out.
Colt grabbed Cody, who buried his head in Colt’s shoulder and wrapped both arms around his neck so tight Colt choked. “I got you, kid. You’re okay.”
“There are three of them.” Cody raised his head enough to peek at me over Colt’s shoulder. “One’s in the bathroom.”
Good kid. Six years old and giving me a head count. Callie had raised one hell of a kid. “Go.” I didn’t have to tell him, but it came out anyway.
Colt was already moving, shoving between two of my guys who came in to make sure we had backup.
“Close the door.” I motioned at Preacher, who pushed the door shut with the toe of his boot. I pointed at the closet and made my way to the bathroom, wrenching the door open fast enough to catch the poor bastard on the toilet right in the nose with the knob. He reeled back and fell to the side, clutching his nose.
A muffled curse from the other room, followed by Preacher’s calm voice told me he’d secured the third man who’d probably leaped into the closet thinking we would just take the kid and run.
I kicked the prone man in the gut and knocked him out with a crack of my fist against his temple. “Take their phones and keys. All of them.” Digging through the man’s pockets produced two sets of keys and a phone. I checked him again, making sure not to miss anything that would let him get word out to his guys.
They could not interfere. Not this time. I gathered up every single phone and set of keys and shoved them into a bag that I gripped in one hand. “Keep an eye on them till I say go.”
Preacher nodded. “Sure thing.” He cracked his knuckles, a smirk building. “And if they wake up?”
“Keep them quiet.” I left it at that. I trusted Preacher to do what was needed and nothing more. More of my men held the corridor as I went out, all of them giving me nods as I passed.
Colt stood near the door with Cody in his arms, the two of them holding tight to each other. Colt muttered into Cody’s ear, the boy tightening his hold as Colt spoke. More of my men watched over them, and a quick scan of their faces showed a range from anger to understanding. This was why I’d made changes. They were not angry at me. They were angry at the situation, at the fact that some asshole had decided to take a kid.
“On me.” I led the way to the truck, ripping open the back door for Colt to climb inside.
Cody didn’t let go of him the entire drive to our meetup with Callie. He moved from Colt’s chest to his lap, turned sideways with his head tucked into Colt’s neck and both fists wrapped in Colt’s jacket. Colt kept one hand on the back of his son’s head, one hand braced on the seat. He talked the whole way in a low, even tone that kept Cody calm.
Diesel reported the meeting in progress, the delivery, and Wade’s fuck up.
“You good back there?” I focused on the road ahead, just in case.
