“In her room. Safe.”
“The fuck she is,” snaps Wild Child. “She'll never be safe with slimy worms like you.”
“Shut up,” I snap. We don't have time for yelling. If there's an opportunity here, we're grabbing it with both hands. “What do you want, Miriam? We know all about how you and your dear hubby treat Emily. Pardon me for not being exactly trusting of whatever it is you have to say to us.”
“Kurt has gone too far. Even I will admit that. But this isn't about me. I'm calling with a message from Emily, and the offer of a plan.”
“A plan.” Hero's skepticism is thick in his voice.
“She has convinced me that she is safer with you than she is with us. And you have stolen her away once. Could you manage it again?”
I laugh. I can't fucking help it. “This is ridiculous. So you expect us to believe that you have a plan for us to come take Emily away again—while you know when, and how, and who. If this isn't a trap, I'll eat my own fucking bike. I think the only surprise is how simple of a plot it is. How fucking stupid do you think we are?”
The line is silent long enough that I'm tempted to hang up. This is bullshit, and she's wasting our time.
“Allison,” she says.
Hero and Wild Child fall silent as they look at me.
“What the fuck did you just say?”
“Allison. Emily told me to tell you Allison, so you would believe me when I say that this message comes from her. I don't know what it means, but she said that you would.”
My blood chills and the rest of the room darkens until all I can see is the fucking phone. Fuck. Maybe this is for real. At least Emily thinks it is. Can we trust her judgment?
I draw a calming breath and look at the others. Other than Emily and Eagle-eye, they're the only ones who know the meaning of the name.
“What’s the plan, then?” I'm not going to dismiss it out of hand, but I'm not going to just believe her either.
Her plan's simple. Stupid simple, and at the same time it's going to put us in a shitload of danger. To be fair, her too. She creates a distraction, some of our guys create a distraction, and then we use the chaos to slip in and grab Emily like the first time. Only now, she'll be waiting for us and ready to go. At least we won't have to knock her out. We spend almost forty-five minutes hashing out details, but she thinks it'll work.
I'm not so sure.
“Well, Miriam. I've got your number. I'll talk to my guys. If it's a go, I'll text you the signal. And if this is a fucking trap, I'll make sure to put you to ground right next to your shitheel husband.”
“I swear, it's not.” I take a certain amount of pleasure in hearing the sheer terror in her voice.
I hang up the call. “What do you guys think?”
Hero tightens his lips thoughtfully, then nods. “I think it's legit. Don't ask me why, because I have no fucking cause to trust that lady, and she's part of the fucking problem, but I think it's for real.”
“She knew of Allison,” says Wild Child. “Emily would never have told her if she didn't think this was real too.”
I nod. “It's the only fucking reason I'm even considering this. I just hope Emily isn't blinded by a mother who suddenly seems to care for her, falling for the trap because she wants it too hard to be real.”
“We'll need help,” says Hero.
“Time to bring in the Cleanup Crew?” Wild Child grins as he asks it.
“I think it is. But even if they turn us down, we're going. One way or another, Emily will be back home tonight.”
And home, that's with us.
35
KING
“Church is in session!” Eagle-eye yells, and the packed common room quiets. After a moment, the only sound is some excited barks from Jupiter, and the clink of beer bottles. Then he looks at me. “The floor's yours.”
I think most of the guys already know what's coming, but they're all looking to me to say it.
“Hawthorne has taken back Emily. He made her a bogus promise that he would spare us if she went with him, and as the sweet, little, naive thing that she is, she did. She just gave up her freedom to try to save us. Let that sink in a moment. She's not a member. She's not a slut. She was our fucking hostage, and she still chose to risk herself for us, for the club. I intend to bring her home. To us.”
Hero and Wild Child stand with me, and they're nodding as I speak, their arms crossed over their chests and looking as badass as they can.