Uncover Me

  I needed to get my head on straight.

  Angel deserved a clear mind and me at my best.

  I couldn’t let her down. I wouldn’t let her down.

  I cracked my neck, rolling it from side to side to ease some of the tension before I stood. Then I grabbed a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, put them on, and headed to the bathroom. Not bothering to shave, I stared in the mirror as I scrubbed the night from my mouth.

  The circles I had under my eyes had grown darker in the last twenty-four hours. The scruff on my face matched what I felt inside—wild and raw, and I sure as fuck looked it. Spitting the toothpaste into the sink, I washed away any self-doubt I had and decided I’d face the day with a new outlook. Today, I’d get my fuckin’ woman back.

  Anthony and I spent the morning carrying the weapons we’d need downstairs and placing them on the dining room table. We checked each one to make sure they were in working order. By the time we were finished, the guys had started to show up.

  Joe and Mike arrived first, guns in hand and ready to kick ass. Pop showed up, cool as a cucumber, just before James strolled in the door looking like his badass self. Around the table, we devised our plan and bullshitted until the information started to roll in.

  Just past ten, Bobby began texting me. He had been able to determine a location based on Angel’s phone because it had been left on and in use during her capture. Cell towers weren’t as easy to pin down as television crime shows liked to make the public believe, but with time and resources, it was possible.

  She was being kept in a tiny ranch outside of Orlando.

  We were able to pull up the location on Google Maps, so we studied the surrounding area. With a clear plan of attack, we loaded the guns and climbed in Pop’s Escalade. The back was loaded with some of the most kickass weaponry available to the public—along with some that might have the tracking numbers scratched off, courtesy of me.

  The one thing we had going for us was the element of surprise. I watched the minutes tick by as James drove. The car remained silent, each man staring in the distance, fidgeting, or watching the world go by as we came closer to our destination. Everyone was on edge, even if they didn’t admit it.

  We all had something to lose. My something was Angel, but theirs were their lives. Even with their ultimate demise possible, they had still agreed and willingly gone into battle for me. No matter what happened, they had my back. This was how a true family should operate. We were a unit.

  If someone fucked with one Gallo, they fucked with us all.

  Chapter 21

  As we pulled down a side street near the location we had been told Angel was being held, the tension inside the SUV had grown to a fever pitch. The air was electrified to the point where the sparks were almost visible. Everyone was humming with anticipation and fear, ready to face whatever lay inside.

  The fear I felt wasn’t for me, but for the ones I loved—including Angel. If something happened to any one of them, it would be my fault. I’d never be able to forgive myself. The only person to blame for the entire situation was myself. I’d brought Angel back with me. I’d introduced her to my family.

  Listening to their chatter, I noticed a man watching us through tinted windows in a car nearby. I studied his build, trying to figure out if I knew him. Only a select few knew we were coming here. Slowly, the car door opened and the man climbed out. My heart was racing as I waited to see who the mystery man was—until I saw his face.

  Flash.

  “Fuck,” James yelled from the front, noticing Flash as he walked toward the Escalade.

  “What?” Joe barked, looking around before homing in on Flash. “I fucking hate him.”

  “Cut him some slack,” I responded as I opened the door and stepped out.

  “Thomas,” Flash said, giving me a quick chin lift.

  “Flash,” I replied, holding out my hand to him. No matter how the other guys felt, Flash had been there in the end and helped bring down the Sun Devils. He’d kept his mouth shut about what happened with Rebel.

  “I thought you could use a little more help.” He shook my hand, looking over my shoulder and into the vehicle.

  “I appreciate it.”

  “I couldn’t just sit there and wait to hear what happened. I needed to help out. You got everything ready?”

  “Yep,” I said as the others piled out of the SUV and James popped the back.

  Without another word, everyone grabbed weapons, jamming them in the waists of their pants and filling their pockets with ammunition.

  “What’s the plan of attack?” Flash asked, standing behind us as we finished grabbing everything we could possibly carry.

  “First, I’m going to go ahead and check everything out while everyone waits here. I don’t want us going in totally blind. You stay with the guys and make sure there’s no one watching us.”

  Before he and the others could respond, I took off in the direction of the house where she was being held. I studied my surroundings as I walked, looking for anything that was out of the ordinary, but there was nothing. If this were a professional kidnapping and extortion plot, they would have had guards outside. Plus, they probably would’ve known better than to leave her phone on during her captivity.

  It took everything I had in me not to charge the door and find her. My heart was beating faster than it ever had, pounding against my ribcage. Sweat dotted my brow as one drop trickled down my face. My palms began to feel clammy as my stomach filled with butterflies—but not the good kind. Within the next ten minutes, I’d either be happy or… I couldn’t even think about it. I wouldn’t let myself.

  Peeking through the windows on the side of the house, I was able to see through tiny openings in the sheer drapes. The first two bedrooms I checked were empty. The third bedroom had the drapes drawn, so I couldn’t tell who was inside. Leaning against the glass, I placed my ear on the exterior, listening for any movement…but there was nothing.

  Walking on light feet, I made my way to the front of the house and the large bay window. I stood off to the side, staying out of sight, and tried to get a visual. Inside were three people, but I couldn’t tell much else. The window coverings hid their identities. Listening for a few seconds, I couldn’t make out what the muffled voices were saying. Needing to make a plan, I headed back toward the guys and prepared for battle.

  As I rounded the back of the house, making my way to the car, I saw everyone coming my way.

  “What the fuck, man? You can’t just go off all Rambo and bullshit,” Mike said, hitting me in the chest with his flattened palm.

  I bounced off his hands and maintained my stance. “Chill the fuck out. I needed to get my eyes on the house. I wanted to see who was inside.”

  “What did you see?” James asked, pushing Mike out of the way.

  “Three people in the front room. I couldn’t see in all the rooms. I don’t know if she’s in there or not.” I scratched my head, wondering if we had this all wrong.

  What if she wasn’t in there? Maybe she was being held in another location or the information we had was fucked up. This could turn into a crazy-ass clusterfuck in a hurry and we’d be left with nothing. I’d have no Angel and we’d be in a world of legal trouble for bursting into a house. A little breaking and entering wasn’t how I wanted to start my life as a civilian.

  “She’s in there,” Flash interrupted, coming to stand next to James.

  “You sure?” James asked, turning to look down at Flash.

  “I have no doubt. If she isn’t, the people who took her are. Either way, it’s win-win.” Flash crossed his arms, puffing out his chest.

  “It’s a win if we get her back.”

  “It’s settled. Let’s get our asses in there and get her,” Joe said, ready to kick some ass. He had a gun in his hand and one tucked in his jeans.

  All the important men in my life and Flash were there with me, standing by my side and willing to put their existences on the line. If I ever doubted the love we felt for one
another, today answered that question.

  We took a few minutes deciding who would stay in the back of the house, dividing up the exits to make sure there was no escape.

  “Let’s do this shit,” Anthony said when we finished planning, shifting from foot to foot. I’d never thought of him as aggressive, but in this moment, he was ready.

  “Boys,” Pop interrupted, holding his hands up to catch our attention. “Please be careful. I love you all dearly, and I want you all in one piece.”

  We nodded, silently agreeing with him.

  “That includes you too, Flash and James. Keep yourselves safe. I love you boys.”

  “Love you too, Pop. We’ll be safe,” I said, with a quick nod. “Let’s hit it.”

  We scattered, surrounding the house to take our positions. I stood by the front entrance with James. Flash was stationed at the back door with Pop, and Anthony, Mike, and Joe stood at the side of the house to make sure no one crawled out a window.

  Every one was to wait for us to enter through the front door. They were to stand down and be prepared for anyone who tried to escape. James and I would handle the situation inside, whatever that may be. If gunshots were heard, Flash was to enter the house through the back entrance and leave Pop outside to stand guard.

  James and I stood on either side of the front door and stared at each other as we listened to the people inside. To say that my heart was ready to burst with the ferocity with which it beat would be a major understatement. I’d been in situations that had been just as deadly, but when it was more than just your own life on the line, the risk and fear were heightened.

  Squeezing the handle of my gun, I could feel the moisture of my palm against the warm, slick metal. Closing my eyes, I inhaled, drawing in a long breath as I tried to steady my nerves. I counted to three, opened my eyes, looked at James, and then nodded. It was go time.

  James moved in, kicking the door in with his right foot. The wood easily gave way, the door flying open and smashing into the wall. A female screamed, which was followed by yelling.

  “Put down the gun, motherfucker,” James barked, holding his gun out in front of him, his eyes trained straight ahead.

  Moving out from his shadow, I stood at his side and trained my gun on the other man.

  “Two of us and two of you. Put down the fucking gun.” James didn’t move, keeping his arm straight in front, his aim right at the man’s head.

  “You’re outnumbered. We have the house surrounded. We can do this the easy way or the hard way!” I yelled, unable to control the anger in my voice. “Put. The. Fucking. Gun. Down.” I put slight pressure on the trigger—not enough to cause it to fire, but I was fucking ready.

  The guy to the right was the scumbag I had given a beating to in the strip club—the man who’d stalked Angel, creeped her out, and followed her around. The second guy was from a rival MC. I couldn’t place which one, but I knew we’d crossed paths before.

  The female sat there and stared at us with wide eyes. I didn’t need to be told who she was. I knew it the moment I saw her. It was Angel’s fucking cunt of a mother. She’d sold out her own daughter for money. It wasn’t surprising, but the lengths she would go to were astonishing to me. How could someone as sweet as Angel have come from such trash?

  “You have this all wrong,” Angel’s mom said as she started to stand, trying to smooth out her tattered denim miniskirt and death metal tank top. Her face was pocked, most likely caused by meth. She was a fucking mess.

  “Sit the fuck down!” I barked at her, not moving my gun from the man I had it trained on.

  Sitting slowly, she kept talking. “There’s no need for weapons, boys. It’s not what you think.”

  “Shut the fuck up,” James said. “Put down your fucking guns or you go out in a body bag.”

  “Treena,” the biker guy said, “what the fuck?” He didn’t look at her, keeping his gun and his eyes locked on me.

  “A misunderstanding, sweetheart. Don’t worry. I’ll clear it up.” She cleared her throat, leaning over to grab a cigarette off the table.

  “Stop fucking moving, bitch,” James said, ready to blow his fucking gasket. The vein in the side of his neck looked like it was about the burst. I could see the fucking thing pulsing out of the corner of my eye.

  She dropped the cigarette and looked me straight in the eye. “Roxy asked me to help her get your money, Blue. She’s in on it.” She smiled, leaning back against the couch and rubbing her legs together suggestively.

  “You’re fucking lying.” My blood pressure doubled, the sound of my blood as it coursed through my body filling my ears.

  “I’m not, handsome. She told me all about you. She’s a gold-digging whore. Like mother, like daughter.” She licked her lips, yellow showing behind her lips.

  “I don’t believe you.” I shook my head. I knew Angel, and she wasn’t her mother’s daughter. This woman might have given Angel life, but wasn’t responsible for the woman she was today.

  “Believe what you want, Blue, but you’ll learn the truth in time.”

  The sound of the back door opening caused the biker dude to turn toward the noise.

  As Flash entered the room with his gun extended and ready to fire, I saw the panic flash in the bastard’s eyes—the man who’d already felt my fury once before. Without warning, shots began to ring out.

  I emptied my gun, trying to avoid hitting Flash and whoever else had entered the house against orders. James did the same, the echo inside the house ear-shattering.

  When the gunfire ended, two men lay on the ground, bleeding. They were surrounded by blood and riddled with bullets. I didn’t have to check their pulses; they were dead as fucking dead could be.

  “Fuck!” I yelled, realizing this wasn’t going to be easy to explain.

  “Jesus Christ, Flash. You were supposed to wait outside. What the fuck, man?” James asked, waving his gun.

  “Fuck you. Mr. Gallo told me to get my ass inside and I did what I was told.” He held his arm, covering a patch on his sleeve that was turning red.

  “You’ve been hit,” I mumbled as I scrubbed my hand across my face.

  “It’s nothing. Just grazed.” Flash moved his hand, staring down at the wound. “I’ll fucking survive.”

  James stalked toward the couch. “Where the fuck are you going?” he asked as he dragged Treena by her feet from the sitting area. “Where the fuck is she, you lying whore?”

  “In the back bedroom! Please don’t kill me!” she wailed, kicking her feet at James.

  “Don’t fucking move!” James commanded, pinning her to the floor with his foot on her thigh.

  Without wasting time, I headed to the back of the house, leaving the others to deal with Treena. The tiny hallway had a couple of closed doors. As I threw them open one by one, each empty room made my stomach sink further and the feeling of helplessness grow. Finally, I found her in the last bedroom curled into a ball, crying.

  “Angel, baby,” I whispered, kneeling at her side. After removing the blindfold and rope from her wrists , I grabbed her body and pulled her into my arms. “I got ya,” I said, holding her tightly.

  Her face was tear-stained and splotchy, her hair matted against her face and dried.

  “Shhh,” I whispered, stroking her cheek as she sobbed. Her body shook, her crying so intense that she shuddered in my arms. “You’re safe.”

  She clawed at my shirt, digging her face into my chest. “I didn’t think you’d come,” she sobbed, the words hard to understand through her tears.

  “Angel, I’d never leave you behind.” I rocked back and forth, stroking her cheek and wiping the tears away as they flowed down her face. “You’re safe now.”

  She didn’t speak as she continued to cry. I let her, holding her and trying to comfort her through the realization that it was over. Then her body grew slack in my arms, relaxing against my chest with heavy breaths.

  “Are they all d-dead?” she stuttered, looking up into my eyes.

>   “No, Angel. Your mom is alive.” I smiled at her, moving the hair out of her eyes.

  “That bitch. She did this.” She sucked in a breath, new tears forming in her eyes. “Who does that shit to their kid?”

  “A nasty woman, babe.”

  “Thomas, I’m so sorry for all this. It’s my fault.” She stared at me with wide eyes that conveyed a world of sadness and hurt, and it gutted me.

  “It’s not your fault. You didn’t ask for this to happen, Angel.”

  “It is, though,” she whispered. “I know I fucked up. She found me because I posted on Facebook. I fucked up.”

  “It happens, love. We may want to rethink social media for a while, though,” I said, trying to hold in a laugh.

  “It’s not funny,” she said, slapping my chest. “I brought this to you. I led them to you.”

  “Do you know who they were?”

  She nodded, swallowing hard before speaking. “I saw them in the club a couple of times. They were from the Kings, I think. I’m sure she was the ringleader.”

  “It doesn’t matter anymore. It’s over, Angel. You’re safe and I’m taking you home.” I held my lips against her forehead, feeling the warmth as I said a prayer of thanks.

  I had more to be thankful for than most men. My family had my back, and everyone had come out safely after the gun battle. The woman I loved had survived. Life was about to change. That’s the beauty of it all. Nothing stayed the same for long. Whether good or bad, things could change in the blink of an eye. I had to hold on to the good and push out the bad, letting it fade away into the past. I needed to let go of my sins, atone for my behavior, and do good in the future. I’d make amends with society through deeds worthy of forgiveness.

  “Son.” My pop’s voice pulled me from my thoughts.

  Looking over my shoulder, I saw him staring at me from the doorway. “Yeah, Pop?”

  “You okay in here? How’s Angel?” he asked, his face soft and his eyes riddled with concern.

  “She’s fine, Pop.”

  “We’ll be waiting for you outside. The cops just pulled up and we have some explaining to do.” He shrugged, giving me a quick smile before leaving us alone.

  “You ready for this, Angel?” I asked, holding her in my arms as I stood.

  “I can do it, Thomas.” She nuzzled her face into my neck, holding my cheek in her hand. “I’ll do anything you ask.”

  “Just tell the truth.” I carried her down the hallway, stepping over the bodies as the police entered the house.

  They moved around the living room, taking in the crime scene and talking with Joe, Anthony, Pop, Flash, Mike, and James. Treena was sitting on the couch, sobbing into her hands, a cigarette dangling from her fingertips.

  “I’m taking her outside,” I said, making my way to the front door before she caught a glimpse of the blood. It wasn’t something she needed to see.

  Outside, there was an ambulance parked at the curb with the back doors open. Once I’d carried her to the open bay, I set her in the back and called over the paramedic.

  “She was being held captive. She needs to be checked for injuries and dehydration.”

  “Yes, sir.” He hurried inside, grabbing a few machines and quickly hooking her up to check her pulse and blood pressure.

  “Don’t leave me,” she wailed, tears beginning to slide down her face.

  “Angel,” I said, touching her cheek. “I have to go inside and talk to the cops. Let them take care of you so I can take you home. Please do this for me.”

  She nodded, choking back the tears. “Okay.”

  “Promise?”

  “I promise, Thomas. Don’t be gone too long.”

  I gave her a quick kiss on the lips. “I’ll be back in a few minutes to check on you.”

  As I started to walk away, she grabbed my hand, stopping me in my tracks. “Thomas, I love you.”

  I turned around, smiling at her. Even in her state, she still radiated beauty and grace. This was the woman I loved. The one with a complicated, fucked-up childhood that didn’t dull her luster.

  “I love you too, Angel.” Then I let our fingertips drift apart as I moved away. Before I disappeared inside the house to explain the clusterfuck of bodies and blood, I looked over my shoulder, taking one last look at her.