a gun pointed at her too? They wouldn’t hurt her, would they? What am I going to do? What if they try to kidnap her?
Panicking isn’t going to help.
I need to keep calm and think.
Cara.
“Get up,” she demands quietly.
All I can think about is my daughter.
Is she safe?
Does Irish have her protected? Is he okay? How many men does he have up against him? What if he needs my help right now? Shit. Not that I can do much, but I can do something.
“What are you doing, Amethyst?” I ask, sliding out of my bed slowly, not wanting her to react to any sudden movements. I need to get to my daughter, and no crack whore is going to get in my way. “What do you want?”
It’s clear she’s doing Pill’s bidding. She must be a weak woman indeed for him to be able to put her up to this.
All this for money? Or was this for revenge?
Her fingers tremble, making the gun shake.
Yeah, she doesn’t know what she’s doing, and it makes me feel a little more confident.
I remind myself that she’s just a stupid girl. I can take her, gun or not.
All I need is the right moment.
I hear some glass shatter. We both look to the door as we hear a commotion, a scuffle of some kind, and I use the distraction to kick her once, right in the stomach.
Hard.
One of the moves Anna showed me just last week.
She bends at the waist, holding her stomach, and drops the gun. It falls to the ground, luckily not going off.
I pick it up, awkwardly, and point it at her.
My hands are even shakier than hers were.
“Cara!” I yell at the top of my lungs. “Irish.”
Amethyst takes a step toward me.
“Stay back!” I yell at her, taking a step backward. If she came at me would I shoot her? If I had to, yes, I would. I’ve never used a gun before, but if this idiot can figure it out, then so can I.
“Do you even know how to use that thing?” she sneers, the moonlight shining on her face. “Just give him the money, and we’ll leave you all alone.”
I hear my daughter scream, and it breaks me out of my trance.
There is no option other than her being safe, nothing I wouldn’t do.
I’m about to rush through the door when it slams open, and Irish stands there, Cara in his arms.
I exhale.
Thank God.
All I feel is relief until I see blood on his stomach, some of it on Cara’s leg. He’s hurt.
“We have a huge fuckin’ problem,” he says to me, turning the light on and staring at Amethyst. “Of course they sent some drugged-up bitch to do the dirty work for them. Give me the gun, Bails. You take Angel.”
Cara lifts her head and looks at me, and her brown eyes look terrified. I hand Irish the gun, then carry her into my arms, running my hand down her back. “Everything will be okay.”
Irish grabs Amethyst by the arm and looks at me. “Stay here.”
Cara whimpers into my neck.
A few minutes pass before I hear a car pull into my driveway.
When I hear Tracker’s and Vinnie’s voices, I relax.
My door opens, and it’s Tracker.
He sits on the bed and pulls Cara into his arms.
“What happened?” I whisper.
He looks at Cara before replying. “Wade thought he could use the two of you as leverage. He knew Rake was in Channon. He’s clearly not thinking right, his mind is just on drugs; he’s lost his shit.”
“Where is he now?” I ask, looking up at him.
Tracker doesn’t reply to that, all he does is look away and say, “Pack a bag, you’re going to stay at the clubhouse.”
I nod.
“And, Bails,” he says, standing and passing me my daughter back. “When you walk out of this room, don’t look.”
I pack a bag and open my room door. Don’t look? Don’t look where? I walk toward the front door with my eyes straight ahead.
I look at my daughter’s angelic face. She’s now asleep, feeling safe in my arms. Safe from the world. Safe from the sight before me.
But then, I look. How can I not? I see what they don’t want me to. I stand still, frozen in my spot and stare.
I’m glad Cara would never see what I was currently seeing.
Her “father” dead. In our living room. Blood dripping from his chest, onto our cream carpet.
No, she didn’t need to see that at all.
I wish I hadn’t.
* * *
“What did