tied her stomach in knots and made little tremors move through her body.
“I’m not doing this,” Absinthe said and let go of her wrist. “It’s clear she hasn’t eaten in a while. She’s pale, shaky and close to fainting.”
“Some very bad people have taken my son,” she snapped and rubbed at her wrist as if she could remove Absinthe’s touch. “I need to go. Now that you’ve got what you wanted, and you know you’re all safe, I have to get out of here.” She poured venom into her scathing comment hoping to shame him. Shame all of them. Zane was a toddler. They were adults.
“You’re not leaving,” Steele said. “Don’t waste time arguing. I’m not about to let you anywhere near your father and brother and the rest of those assholes. We’ll get our son back, but we’ll be going, not you, Breezy.”
“Like hell I won’t be going. He’s my child, Steele. I took care of him. I raised him. You weren’t there, and you made it clear you didn’t want to be there.”
“I gave you money …”
She surged to her feet as adrenaline coursed through her. Adrenaline, anger and pure hurt. “As if I’d spend your money. I’m not a whore. I wasn’t a whore when we were together, and I refuse to let you make me into one by clearing your conscience and giving me money. I told you that. Every penny I used to get us started, I replaced and will send back to you the minute I have Zane and can get home.”
“Damn it, Breezy. I gave you that money so you would be safe.”
She took a step toward the door. The man they had always called Savage stood in front of it, and he scared the crap out of her. She wasn’t about to fight him to get out. She appealed to the president of the club.
“I have to go get my baby, Czar. I would appreciate it if you would ask everyone to let me leave.”
Czar studied her face for what seemed an eternity. Finally, he shook his head, and her heart sank.
“Honey, you know you aren’t going to get out of there alive with him. You know you’re just throwing your life away. This is what we do and for one of our own, there’s no question we’ll go. We have a better chance of getting him back than you do. The moment you tell your father we’re dead, he would kill that boy and then you. If he didn’t kill you, he’d sell you.”
She hated that everything he said was true. She didn’t want to feel helpless again. Or without hope. She had left all that behind and become so much more. Tears burned behind her eyes, but she wasn’t about to shed them in front of these people. All she could do was listen to the pounding of her heart and feel terror overwhelming her. Zane was with them. Her beautiful little boy with her mop of tawny hair and Steele’s unusual midnight-colored eyes. Dark blue would have been rare enough, but Steele’s eyes were so dark they often looked like a midnight sky. That was how she thought of them, and her son had those same eyes.
“He’ll be so afraid.” It escaped before she could hold it back.
“I’ve got soup made,” Alena said. “Let me get that for you.”
Breezy glanced at her. Alena had always ridden with Czar as his old lady. He’d been so protective of her. None of the Swords dared look at her for fear of his retaliation. She’d kept to herself unless Lana was around. Lana was always on the back of Ice’s’s bike. She didn’t remember either woman saying much to her. In fact, it was possible it was the first nice thing Alena had ever said to her.
She tried not to allow hurt to rule her. She’d promised herself she would be a better person. She wouldn’t be judgmental or nasty to other women if she could help it. That had been done to her almost from the day she was born, others snubbing her both inside the club and outside of it.
Breezy nodded. “Thank you.” She practically choked on the words, so she couldn’t get anything else out. Alena didn’t seem to mind that she was brief because she left the room through the door on the far side, away from the entrance. Breezy had noted that door. If it led to all the bedrooms, it was possible there was another exit.