Vengeance Road Read online

She rolled her eyes and he grinned at her. Teasing her. She smiled back and shook her head, pretending to be exasperated. He loved that she got that he was teasing her and shared the moment with him. His woman. Not giving him a rash of shit when it wasn’t needed.

  “Let’s go home, baby. Can’t wait to get him back where he belongs.” He turned his attention to his son, finishing with his arms and legs and that bruise on his face. He was so little, it didn’t take long. “You’ll love your new home. We’ve got a swimming pool, and I can see you were very fond of swimming. Ours is warm.”

  Breezy shook her head. “I’ve got to go to the hospital and see Candy. She took that hit for our son,” she added when he shook his head. “I can’t just leave her behind, Steele.”

  “Lizard is with her. He didn’t see any of us. He can’t know you found us.”

  “I’ll go into the hospital alone, honey. Lizard won’t try to keep me there and if he did, I could yell for help or tell him there’s a gun on him.”

  “I don’t like it, Bree. We’re out right now. Free and clear. No one saw us and there’s no trace of us left behind. We even cleaned up the baby’s DNA.”

  “You saw what happened. She stepped in front of him and took the hit. I have to at least ask her.”

  “Do it over the phone.”

  Breezy shook her head. “I need a face-to-face with her. If nothing else, I can thank her for taking care of Zane. I know you can keep me safe. You’ll have our son with you, and no matter which way it goes with Candy, we’ll be ready to leave immediately.”

  “She’s no longer in the hospital. We’ve got eyes on her and Lizard. Her father put her up in a motel. He hasn’t gone back to the estate, but he did get pizza. They’re both there now.”

  She reached out and caught his hand. “I need you to make this happen for me.”

  What the fuck was he supposed to do when she gave him those emerald eyes and it made sense? Candy had risked herself to save Zane. He just didn’t want to trust her around Breezy and Zane. He wanted to wrap them up in a cocoon and keep them safe from every possible threat.

  SEVENTEEN

  The motel looked as if it had seen better days. Breezy approached from the other side of the street. She wasn’t to go near the room unless given the signal that everything was clear. Torpedo Ink didn’t want any other Swords member close by. They would have preferred that Lizard was gone as well, but they didn’t have the time to wait him out. For one thing, someone was bound to discover the gruesome scene at the estate very soon. They wanted to be long gone from Slidell when that happened.

  She glanced up and down the street warily. She knew Steele’s main concern with her going into the motel room with Lizard was another Swords member showing up. This was their territory. They might be weak from the loss of members and money, but they had held this territory for a very long time. They had allies.

  “Slow down.” The tiny radio in her ear was easily heard. She didn’t like wearing it just in case Lizard spotted it, although with her hair, it might be difficult. She was wearing it down to hide her ears and the radio. Who knew something that powerful could be so small? Mechanic had made them for the team.

  “I want Preacher in place in the front and Transporter in the back.” Steele’s voice brooked no argument. He was in charge, and if she didn’t do exactly what he said when he said, he’d take her out of there.

  She knew him, she knew he’d kill both Lizard and Candy to protect his family. Already she could see what he’d been talking about when he’d told her he would probably hold on too tight. He’d turned into a dictator the moment he’d given in to her. She hadn’t dared go against him, and she wouldn’t. He would pull the plug on the operation immediately, and she wanted to give Candy a chance.

  She took a breath and paused, looking down at her phone as if she got a message. There was nothing on that phone. She could type in anything, gibberish, and the Torpedo Ink club would come running. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw an older-looking woman dressed in a miniskirt with her arm around a man’s neck. They walked up to one of the rooms. She pushed her key in the door and the two disappeared inside.

  Breezy blinked several times trying to register what she’d seen. She hadn’t recognized the woman, but she was definitely a prostitute. The man was older, and he looked hard, like a biker, but he wasn’t wearing colors. Could this be one of the places the Swords club used their women to bring in money for them? Wherever the new location was—and they often changed it—they would also do drug deals as well as arms deals. This wouldn’t be a trafficking location, all the women would belong to the club.

  She stepped back farther into the shadows. “Is this one of the Swords motels?”

  “Looks like it, baby. That means get in and get out fast. You don’t want Lizard calling for backup. It would turn into a bloodbath. Consider aborting.”

  It would be the intelligent thing to do, but she couldn’t forget the sight of Candy taking the hit that would have knocked her son into the water, and probably knocked him out. That blow had been hard enough to break a grown woman’s arm. Candy was a couple of years younger than she was, and Breezy wanted her to have a chance at life the way she had. Steele and the club could help her, set her up in a house, find her a job. They could be friends . . .

  “I have to try to help her, Steele,” she said softly, hoping he understood.

  She knew why he was giving her this concession. He didn’t want her to do this. Now that he had Zane, he wanted to get both of them home, where he was certain he could keep them safe. He was upset with his reaction when he’d learned that Bridges had hit her every month when she rode with Steele as his old lady. She had seen it on his face when he’d stormed out the door with Savage. He hadn’t been happy with himself and he was trying to make up for it by giving her something he didn’t want but knew she did.

  Her man. Steele. He didn’t realize some things didn’t matter that much to her. She’d been momentarily hurt by his reaction, but after she saw the look on his face and knew he hadn’t liked his reaction any more than she had, it was all right. Breezy had learned, practically from birth, to let things go. If they weren’t big and didn’t threaten to swallow her whole, she dismissed them from her mind. If she really needed to deal with something, she thought about it carefully, formulated a plan and then carried it out.

  “Everyone’s in place, Bree.” Steele’s voice was in her ear.

  She swallowed down every apprehension and crossed the street. Code was back online. He’d been working on finding the little boy up for auction on the Internet. Running down leads took time, and he’d been staying up nights and eating old food. He’d given himself a very bad case of food poisoning. He was back on his computer, and he’d found out which room Lizard and Candy were in.

  She went straight to the door. The paint was old and chipping off. Dirt was smeared across the cheap wood. She raised her hand and knocked, facing forward so anyone coming up behind her or on either side would have a difficult time seeing her face. She wore blue jeans, boots and a dark hoodie. The hood was drawn up over her hair and partially blocked her face on either side.

  “What do you want?” Lizard growled, throwing open the door. Then he recognized her. His expression changed. “Breezy. What the hell?” He looked left and right. “You alone?”

  Before she could answer, he grabbed her arm with hard fingers and jerked her inside. Slamming the door, he pushed her across the room. Candy sat on a bed, her arm in a sling, flipping through a magazine. She gasped and half stood when Breezy pushed the hoodie from her hair.

  “Breezy.” Candy’s smile widened. “I didn’t expect to see you.” She glanced at her father and then lowered her voice, as if he might not be able to hear even though he was just a few feet away. “Your father is very, very angry at you.”

  “He’s always angry,” Breezy stated.

  “Not like this,” Can
dy said. “You should have kept him informed about what you were doing and where you were.”

  The room wasn’t very big, and the two beds were nearly pushed together. There was just enough room to slide sideways between the two of them. The blankets looked filthy and the room smelled of musk and sex. Breezy had the feeling it hadn’t been cleaned in years. There were coin slots to make the beds vibrate, and it looked as if the old television had seen better days. She hadn’t thought there were motel rooms like this one anymore.

  “Breezy, unless you killed Steele and Czar, Bridges isn’t going to be happy you’re here. When he’s not happy, people get hurt,” Lizard said. “Did you do it? Did you kill those bastards?”

  “What makes you think they’re to blame for the massacre? They’ve disappeared too. Maybe no one was left alive,” Breezy said, allowing frustration into her voice. “If the Swords couldn’t find them, why would you think that I could?”

  “Don’t try to convince him we’re dead. Just talk to Candy and get out of there.” There was a bite to Steele’s voice.

  Breezy knew he wouldn’t like it, but she wasn’t passing up the opportunity to put doubt in Lizard’s mind. He had quite a bit of influence with the chapter, and once it was known that Bridges was dead, he could very well be voted in as president.

  “That man was crazy about you,” Lizard said.

  “That man threw my ass out,” Breezy said. “I begged him to let me stay, and he refused. He didn’t even want me around the club. He was done with me and wanted me gone. That isn’t a man crazy about a woman. None of them were the type. I’m not going to say I didn’t have a childish fantasy, but if you looked at them, Lizard, you had to have seen how cold they were.”

  “If you didn’t find them, what are you doing here?”

  “I was going to try to get Zane back myself. I was watching the house, but then Candy came out with him and Donk tried to hit him, and she stepped in front of him . . .” She broke off. Her voice trembled for real. That moment had been terrible. She’d been so far away, and she’d been very afraid for both Candy and Zane. She was grateful Lizard had showed up.

  “I’m so sorry you got hurt, Candy. Thank you for taking care of him.”

  Candy shrugged. “I wasn’t going to let Donk hit the kid. He was so little, and Donk’s superstrong. He could have killed him. It was bad enough that Bridges kicked him around. Boone and Junk too. All three of them. I didn’t like it, but there wasn’t much I could do.”

  “Junk came out and took Zane back into the house and I could see there was no way to get Zane back, so I followed you here. I had to make certain you were all right, Candy. I was so worried about you.” That was genuine enough. She had been worried. Candy had really put herself in harm’s way to protect Zane.

  Candy looked pleased. “No worries. He’s a cute little kid. Smart too.”

  “You can’t get him back,” Lizard said. “Not without doing what Bridges wants you to do. You have to find them.”

  “They aren’t out there,” Breezy objected. She took a deep breath. “I came to talk to you, Candy. I know you love your father. He’s a decent man.” He wasn’t. He was just as involved with trafficking as the others in the club. “I can help you get out of club life. I can find you a job and a good place to live . . .”

  Candy frowned. “What are you talking about? The Swords are my life. I love what I do for them. I’m proud of it.”

  “You’re proud of them whoring you out?”

  “If I can bring in money for the club, then yes.”

  “And carrying drugs for them? Accepting all the risks while they get all the profits?”

  “Of course. We all do that for them. That’s our contribution. You always did whatever was needed, and you did it gladly.”

  Breezy shook her head. “Candy, I didn’t do it gladly. Some things are wrong. The way they treat women is wrong.”

  Candy looked horrified. “What’s happened to you? What’s wrong with you, Breezy? I used to look up to you. The Swords are my life. I would never leave, and whatever they want me to do, I’m doing for them. I think you’ve been brainwashed.”

  Breezy became aware of Lizard standing between her and the door. He moved closer to it and then rested his back against it.

  “I think Breezy’s upset that Bridges took her kid, Candy,” Lizard said, his tone reasonable. Understanding. “Is that it, girl? You’re upset that your daddy took your baby from you and gave you an impossible task?”

  She was in a bad position. Candy wasn’t saying those things because her father was in the room, she was saying them because she believed them. In a way, Breezy understood. She’d been terrified to leave the only community she’d ever known. She knew club rules and how to behave. It had been safe there. She’d had to do things she thought were wrong, things she hadn’t liked, but she’d still known how to behave and feel comfortable in the environment. Sometimes, even after three years, she still struggled with how to behave outside the club. So, yeah, she could understand Candy’s reaction.

  “Wouldn’t you feel that way, Lizard? He won’t give him back to me. He’s threatening to kill him.” She let her voice waver. Tears for Candy were close. She couldn’t take her out of there because Candy didn’t want to go.

  “He’s not going to kill him, especially if it proves that Czar and Steele died in that place with everyone else.”

  “Why does Bridges think they’re alive?” It was another chance to try to convince Lizard that Czar and Steele were dead.

  “That fuckin’ Deveau is alive. Jackson Deveau. His daddy was sergeant at arms years ago. I remember him. A good brother. That was before we’d gotten so big. Before Evan took us international. Evan hated that kid. Wanted him dead. He got so that was all he could think about.”

  “But Deveau doesn’t have anything to do with Czar or Steele, does he?” Breezy asked.

  She felt like she was treading on thin ground. At least Lizard had given her an acceptable out for being upset and wanting out of the club. He still hadn’t moved away from the door.

  Lizard shook his head. “The connection is through Czar, from what I understand. Turns out Czar has a brother married to some famous singer. They live in that area. That singer has a sister married to Jackson Deveau.”

  Breezy allowed the silence to stretch out for as long as she could. “That’s it, Lizard? Bridges is threatening my son because Czar is or was related in a vague, convoluted way to Deveau?” She turned back to Candy. “Does that even make sense to you?”

  “Damn it, Bree, you’re doing it again. Stop trying to protect me. Just get out of there. You can’t save Candy if she doesn’t want to be saved. Get out now.”

  Breezy didn’t wince at the brutal command in Steele’s voice, but she wanted to. He was angry with her for even engaging with Lizard. He didn’t care if the man knew he was alive. He wouldn’t care if every Swords member knew. He wanted her safe. That was his first priority. Breezy hadn’t known any club could be like that. Steele continually assured her that the majority of the clubs were that way and it was the Swords that was the odd club out.

  Candy made a face. “Nothing Daddy said made sense to me. I couldn’t even follow it.”

  Lizard shrugged. “I don’t think they’re alive, but Bridges does and that’s what counts, Breezy. Go back and kill Deveau and maybe Bridges will be satisfied.”

  “I found Deveau, Lizard. He’s a cop.”

  “Get the fuck out of there, Bree,” Steele commanded. The bite in his words did make her wince that time. She could almost hear his teeth snap together.

  She knew what Steele meant. She wanted to get out, but Lizard still stood right there at the door, preventing her from leaving. It did provide her with an opportunity to try to convince him that Steele and Czar were dead, and she wasn’t going to waste her chance.

  “I was scared to try to kill him, but may
be it wouldn’t be that difficult. If I could get him alone somewhere . . .” She let her voice trail off speculatively.

  For the first time, a smile broke out on Lizard’s face. “Now you’re thinking. It wouldn’t be that hard for you. You look young, and if he’s a cop, he’ll want to go all protective on your ass. He’s not going to think you’re in any way a threat to him.”

  “If I did, do you think Bridges would let me have Zane back?”

  Lizard shrugged. “I can’t say for certain, but I’ll try to convince him.”

  “I didn’t find evidence of anyone left alive. He can’t expect me to find ghosts when the club couldn’t find them.” She tried putting a little whine in her voice. She’d never been whiny, so she didn’t think it sounded very authentic, but Candy whined all the time and Lizard would probably buy into it, given that both were female.

  “No, but he might tell you he wants you back with him. He hasn’t liked you gone, Breezy. You were always good for him, kept him mellow. You kill Deveau and tell him you want to come back. He’ll let you have your son then.”

  Candy clapped her hands together. “Do that, Bree. We could have such good times together.”

  Breezy bit down hard on her lower lip to keep from agreeing. They’d have wonderful times getting beat up, used and sent out on dangerous trips as drug mules. Her father would treat her like his personal slave, and poor little Zane would be dodging slaps and kicks from his grandfather.

  “Do you think he’d really give me back Zane if I agreed to come back, Lizard?”

  “Of course he would. He wants you back with the club, Bree. At no time were you banned officially, even though Steele wanted that. You could have walked into any clubhouse and been taken care of, you know that. Steele made you leave, but if you’d gone to your daddy or come to me, we wouldn’t have allowed that to happen.”

  She wasn’t so certain. At the time, the club revered Czar and Steele. They had a strong chapter because of those men. If one of them wanted a woman gone, it was going to happen. All it took was one man wanting her banned and she was. A home was never secure for her in the Swords club. She was just now beginning to believe Steele when he told her that most clubs were more like Torpedo Ink than the Swords. Even the outlaw clubs.