“A woman I met a few weeks ago is here for an interview with Kaden. I’m going to meet them in her room. I’ll see you for dinner.”
“What about security? Shouldn’t you tell them?” Vida stopped her friend, motioning to Alec’s security men guarding the elevator.
“Yes, I’ll tell them I’m meeting Kaden.” Sawyer hugged her friend goodbye before going back to the elevator.
“Kaden just texted me that he’s on the tenth floor and I can meet him there.”
The security guard talked into his communication device.
“It’s okay; security will meet her at the elevator.” The guard pushed the button for the tenth floor and the door closed.
Sawyer was happy that Kaden had been thoughtful enough to let her see Jordan before she left.
Security wasn’t waiting outside the elevator. Before she could react, the man she had known as Tommy dragged her from the elevator.
“If you open your fucking mouth, Digger will kill Kaden and that pretty friend of yours.”
Sawyer closed her mouth as the man pushed her into a room not far from the elevator. She barely managed to keep her balance, seeing her worst fears confirmed. Alec’s two security guards were lying on the carpeted floor, gazing sightlessly up at the hotel ceiling. Sawyer almost began screaming hysterically, but Digger’s cruel gaze caught hers. She stifled the screams in her throat. He had Kaden tied to a chair with a gun pointed at his head while Jordan was tied to the bed, unconscious.
A struggle had taken place in the room, which was confirmed by her feet crunching the papers on the floor.
“Watch the door,” Digger ordered Tommy.
“D—Digger d—don’t do this. Let him g—go.”
“I don’t give a fuck about this shithead. Where is King?”
“I don’t k—know.”
Digger moved toward her, raising the gun and hitting her on the side of her face, knocking her to the floor.
Going down to his knees beside her, he jerked her to her feet by her hair.
“I am going to ask you one more time. If you don’t tell me the truth, I’ll kill the bitch on the bed. What is the connection between you and King?”
“I—I knew who his d—daughter w—was. He felt he owed me and Vida for saving her l—life.”
“That other kid who died in that fire?” Sawyer wasn’t surprised that he had checked out Callie’s death.
“Yes.” Sawyer stared at Kaden.
“Damn it. That’s useless to me. Where is King?” Digger yelled at her.
“Right here.”
They all turned to stare at King standing in the doorway with a gun pointed at Digger. Tommy lay on the floor behind him, and Ax stood behind King.
When King pointed the gun at Digger’s head, she knew what he was going to do.
“Don’t kill him, King. Please. If you kill him, all those women he’s kidnapped will never be found. Can you live with that, too? I know I can’t. I still hear their screams. If you ever regretted what happened to Callie, make it up now. Save those women the way you didn’t Callie.”
King’s cold-blooded eyes stared deep into hers before going back to Digger’s. A malicious smile spread across his ruthless face right before he fired the gun.
Digger’s scream of pain filled the room as his hand that was holding the gun hung uselessly by his side before he fell to the floor.
“You better kill me now, King,” Digger said, not raising his head from the floor. “Because I won’t stop before I kill you and destroy everything that belongs to you.”
“That would be hard to do, Digger. I don’t have anything left that I care about,” King said, handing the gun he was holding to the FBI agent running in the door.
Sawyer rushed across the floor to Kaden’s side, giving a sigh of relief that he was conscious. She untied him with the help of Ax, jumping into his arms when he was released.
“T—thank God, you’re okay.” His arms pulled her closer.
Sawyer rubbed the blood away from the corner of his mouth.
“Is he okay?” Colton and Vida came to their side, followed by Ax.
“I’m fine,” Kaden answered. “How did King find us?”
“Jordan was checking in last night when I was coming through the lobby. I stopped and talked to her for a minute. I remembered her room number when the clerk gave her the key. When Vida checked to make sure that you made it to the room okay and no one answered, we started down here. King had taken care of the guard just as we were arriving,” Ax explained.
“Watch out!” Alec yelled.
Everyone turned, seeing Digger had broken away from the paramedic trying to stop the blood, grabbing the gun that lay on the floor, pointing it at Vida. Ax pushed Vida out of the way just as Digger pulled the trigger.
Chapter Twenty-five
“You could stay and finish the tour with us,” Sawyer said, wistfully taking Vida’s hand in hers.
“We can’t. Colton needs to get back to his shop, and I have a couple of job interviews. You could come back with us until Kaden finishes his tour,” Vida countered with tears in her eyes.
Kaden’s arm around her shoulder stiffened, letting her know that he wasn’t happy with that solution. She smiled up at him before taking a step forward, hugging Vida close. “He only has six more concerts then we’ll come for a visit,” Sawyer promised, subtlety letting Vida know she would be staying with Kaden when she returned to Queen City.
Vida nodded, returning her tight hug. Stepping away, she turned and walked a few feet, coming to stand in front of Ax, whose shoulder and arm were in a sling. Ax looked down at the woman who came to his shoulder.
“You saved my life. I’d hug you, but I don’t want to hurt you,” Vida thanked him.
“Maybe you can think of another way to pay me back,” he joked.
“I’ll do that,” she said, reaching up to kiss his cheek before going to Colton who sat on his bike, patiently waiting.
The passersby crossed the street to keep from getting near the rough looking bikers. All except Jordan, who was giving Max and the one with the scar on his face, hell for not moving their bikes so that her cab could park. Max was edging his bike forward, out of the way, but the other one was just staring at Jordan like she was a pest to be ignored. It wasn’t until Ice spoke that the biker edged forward, finally letting the taxi into the driveway.
Jordan waved goodbye to them as she climbed into the cab, making a different movement of her hand to the biker who had ignored her request.
“Did she just give Jackal the…” Vida laughed, but quieted when all the Predators’ glares turned on her.
“She gave him the bird.” Sawyer couldn’t help but grin at the bubbly girl who hadn’t been the least frightened by the large group of bikers. They all watched as the cab pulled out, taking the woman to the airport.
Kaden hadn’t made a decision to hire her yet, but she planned on guilt tripping him into it to pay her back for almost getting killed by Digger. To give Jordan credit, she hadn’t been too upset; she had been more relieved that the situation had been resolved before she’d regained consciousness.
Vida climbed onto the back of Colton’s bike, waving as the large group of bikers pulled out. Kaden’s arm returned to her shoulder as he led her onto the bus. Ax and Alec brought up the rear, closing the bus door behind them.
As Sawyer sat down on the chair, looking sadly out the window, Kaden leaned against the kitchen counter, watching Sawyer as the bus pulled out. Her hand was tugging her hair, twirling it around her finger.
Ax sat down on the leather couch groaning.
“You need a pain pill?” Kaden questioned.
“No, thanks; I just took one.”
“What are we going to do about tomorrow’s concert?” D-mon asked.
“Jesse is flying in tomorrow. He’s recovered enough that he can sit on a stool and take Ax’s place until he’s better. By the end of the tour, both of you can take the next few months off while whoever we dec
ide to hire sets up another tour,” Kaden said, pulling out a bottled water from the fridge.
“Sounds good to me.” Ax stood up, stretching. “I’m going to go lie down.”
They were all grateful their friend was still alive as they watched him go to his compartment, closing the sliding door. It was a horrific moment watching Digger’s gun go off. If not for Ax’s quick action, there was no doubt that Vida would have been mortally wounded.
Digger was lucky for the second time that day when Alec knocked Digger out instead of killing him. There wasn’t a person in the room who didn’t want to see the crazy man dead, but they’d all wanted the women he had kidnapped safely returned.
Alec had told them this morning that Digger was under guard at the hospital and that the FBI were waiting to question him.
Sawyer rose, stretching. “I’m going to follow Ax’s example and go to bed.” Telling everyone goodnight and then reaching up to brush Kaden’s mouth with hers, she went into the bedroom and got ready for bed. She lay down on the bed, thinking she would wake up when Kaden came in; instead, she woke up the next morning, wrapped in his arms with him staring down at her drowsy eyes.
“That’s the first time that you let me hold you through the night.”
“Is it?”
“Yes.” His mouth lowered to hers, his tongue slipping into her mouth, and Sawyer’s arms slipped around his shoulders as he deepened the kiss.
A knock sounded on the door.
“I have a photo shoot this morning with the local television station.”
Her arms dropped to her sides as he levered himself off her. She rolled to her side as she watched him dress.