My Darling Mayhem
: Chapter 26

“You look like you left your heart out there.”

Presley’s words were still echoing around my head after we’d walked to the panic room. We’d found my mom and told her she needed to come in with us, but at Presley’s words, I had searched her face and found a small smile tugging at the side of her mouth.

As if she understood me.

“Taylor is out there, so I’m going back because there is no scenario in which I’d ever let something happen to her.” Presley lifted her shoulder.

She seemed so young, as if she should dart around the corner and grab her book bag to head off to college. Yet she seemed infinitely more mature than me in how she held herself, and how confident she was with her abilities.

I knew what she was offering me, and my heart leapt at the chance. I’d die to keep Cruz safe, but I had already pulled Kane into my heart in a way that made it to where I couldn’t leave him out there. I knew people were out searching, but I had to help as well.

I promised Archer that I would take care of Kane. He worked so hard to protect him; there was no way I could just sit in a panic room while I worried about his fate. So, I walked into the room with my mother and Cruz and saw they had snacks, carpeted flooring, a couch, and a large screen television. They’d be perfectly fine.

“Stay here with grandma, I’m going to replace Kane.” I pressed a kiss to his forehead, then felt his little arms come around me.

“I love you, Mommy.”

My eyes burned as I hugged him back and made eye contact with my mother. She pulled something out of a large bag. It looked like the one she’d packed from my house.

“Mi amor, take this, show this man who you are.”

She held out a piece of leather to me, and my heart leapt at the sight of the singed material.

My property patch.

Fresh tears gathered as I stroked over Archer’s name, and the term President’s Wife along the shoulders. Then I slipped the buttery fabric on over my sweater.

Presley appeared again, this time holding out a pair of sturdy boots.

“These might do you a bit better than just your socks.”

I laughed, swiping at my eyes, and followed her out.

Water dripping down the concrete wall near my left side brought me back to the present.

Perhaps this was a crazy idea. I wasn’t trained like she was. I had some muscle memory with the use of a knife, from way back when Manny used to have me practice, but I hadn’t done that in almost twenty years.

I hadn’t even asked why we slipped through a hatch that opened, or why we scaled down a ladder, and began walking down this concrete tunnel that seemed to run under their property. For whatever reason, I trusted Presley. Perhaps because she didn’t hesitate to start shooting the men near my son, or the fact that she hugged me when we met. I didn’t know, but I felt safe with her.

“He had to assume we’d have dogs. Any property like ours would. There are too many security checkpoints he made his way through. He also had to have had an insider help him get past the exterior walls. They’re supposed to light anyone up like a Christmas tree if they so much as pass through the first layer of trees. Obviously, that didn’t happen, which means he had help. If they helped with the barrier, then they told him to bring something that would throw off the scent of the dogs or go as far as to tell him about the tunnels.”

Presley talked quietly, and smoothly.

I had so many questions, but I was trying to keep pace with her, and we were moving fast, so I kept my thoughts to myself.

We turned a corner, but not until Presley had scanned it, lifting her gun, like I’d seen on the cop shows. She had perfect posture, as if she’d trained for this a thousand times.

She must have seen me watching because she gave me a quick smile.

“I didn’t have the typical upbringing that other girls had. Not even like Alex or Carter…I was different, always have been. Just took me a while to embrace it.”

We stepped around another corner, a long corridor greeted us, and nothing but silence.

I whispered in return, “Why was your upbringing different?”

Weren’t they all raised together?

Presley walked a few steps and then replied, “My dad…it’s hard to explain but he and Mom never had a boy, they just had me. I liked the training though…my uncle Scotty did most of it. He used to work for some of the most gruesome Mob bosses alive. Took my dad with him when he was little, was essentially a second father to him. When my dad was old enough, the two of them turned against a pretty big player, and then just kept taking from everyone else on the board. He changed things in a significant way…so much so that we’ve never really walked away from it. The entire operation…it’s not really El Peligro anymore. Juan handed that over to my dad years ago and came under the umbrella of his family. He allowed Juan to operate El Peligro as a charity for those who needed it, but my dad is the one who runs it.”

Her information swirled in my head, confusing me but also helped connect a few dots.

“But I thought Kingston and Gio were the new leaders.”

Presley let out a small scoff. “They’re trying to protect me.”

“From what?”

We rounded another corner and suddenly a loud gun shot rang out, echoing all around us. Presley pulled me back just in time for the bullet to land in the wall across from us. We waited for more shots, but none came. Presley crept around the corner to be sure no one was there and once it was clear, she waved me over.

She smiled at me from over her shoulder. “No one else sees it as their attempt at protection, but no one else knows them like I do.”

Another shout rang out down the corridor, which had Presley freezing then picking up the pace again.

“Come on, I think we’re close.”

The tunnels poured into a large garage that held several tactical vehicles and a wall full of weapons. An additional room with tactical gear was next to a platform. Presley ran for the platform, aiming for the door at the top. I followed her, trying to process who we might replace on the other side.

Was I really going to do this and possibly get myself killed?

Where was Archer? had my nephews killed him? Had my brother helped? I hoped beyond hope that he was safe and on his way to me. That he’d show up and take us home, that we could put all this behind us like a bad dream. That I could forget this insanely dangerous life that my brother led with these friends of his.

This was madness, and I wanted as far away from it as possible.

I pushed my eyes closed and kept moving, knowing deep down I had to do this for him. I had to get Kane to safety and trust that Juan would be sure he and Cruz were kept safe. Although if they were left in his charge, I had to wonder how the two of them would end up if his sons, King and Gio, were anything to go by.

Presley was at the door but paused momentarily and looked back at me.

“Get your gun out. Keep it aimed at the ground, keep your eyes open. I don’t want you to get shot. In fact, maybe you should stay here.”

I pushed closer. “No, I’m going.”

It wasn’t a gun that I pulled; it was two knives that I had found amidst the myriad of weapons that Presley had offered me.

She glanced down and smiled. “Just like Juan, he trained me to use them too, but I’m better with a gun. How many of those do you have on you?”

My fingers shook as I gripped the blade, ignoring how long it had been since I’d thrown one. The memory of a black handle sinking directly into a target flashed back. Once upon a time, I was a really good aim.

“I have four.”

Presley gave me a brisk nod. “Good. Remember to aim for the neck, or the hand if they’re shooting. But the neck would be better. I took out his men. I don’t think he has more, but he could. We might be walking into a really dangerous situation.”

“He’ll use Kane against us. Try to use him as a shield,” I explained, still trying to remember how I used to grasp the handle and what my father used to say when he’d correct me.

Hold it like this, Henrietta. Looser here, then flick your wrist.

“Then let’s make it so he can’t. The little guy is how old?”

Presley began adjusting her rifle scope. It was a newer model of what, I had no clue, but it was sleek in design with slate black knobs and grooves.

“He’s five.” My mouth was dry as I tried to swallow.

Every part of me was screaming for me to run. To turn around and leave, just like I had when I was sixteen. This wasn’t the life I wanted. But Archer had said danger would be a part of his life…

“He’ll be short enough,” Presley commented before she pulled on the door and graying skies greeted us as we exited the tunnel. Dense trees were all around us, along with dirt mixed with gravel under our feet. Below us there was a deep boot imprint of someone much larger than either of us.

Presley started moving, gun raised, following the prints in the mud.

Rounding an outcrop of trees, my eyes widened as I saw Saul standing in place, facing an all-terrain vehicle. The back passenger door was open, but Kane was still in his arms, one of his meaty hands over Kane’s little mouth.

Kane looked so brave, staring at me with relief. Not tears, as if he knew all along that I’d come. “You two bitches come any closer and I’ll kill him.”

Saul jerked away from the vehicle, adjusting his hold on his son.

Not his, mine.

I locked eyes with Kane, and his little blue gaze remained on me. He still didn’t cry. It was like he knew he’d be okay.

Saul’s gaze flicked over me, looking over my property patch.

“Gotta say, I didn’t expect you to show up. Figured you’d be cowering under the bed somewhere. That’s what you do, right? I heard all about how you ran away from your family, how you hid and ended up falling for a pussy-whipped president.” His chuckle slid down my back, making my grip on the knife tighten.

“Put my son down,” I ordered, deadly and firm as I stepped forward, allowing the second knife to slide into my palm.

The driver’s side door of the all-terrain vehicle pushed open, and another man ambled out. Familiarity had my eyes bulging and my mouth gaping.

“Brian?!”

His smarmy smile made me feel like a thousand bees were under my skin. “Your son, Wren? Really? This kid isn’t yours; he’s the brother to that fucking redneck neighbor. He belongs back in the city, in foster care, and that’s exactly where I’m taking him.”

Presley shifted next to me. I knew she was trying to decipher which one to target.

I stepped closer. “How did you get mixed up in this?”

Brian toyed with the keys while he watched me. “Saul called your office looking for you. I was at your desk when the call came in because, once again, you weren’t at work. We started talking, and it seemed some of our interests aligned. He wanted to know where you were, and I had knowledge of an employee tracking app that Encore Homes uses for its agents. It’s so if there’s ever a safety concern with a client, the data can be given to the police.”

Oh my god.

My mind went back five years to a long-winded safety instruction meeting that would outline Encore Homes’ new policies for all agents that interacted with clients. I was pregnant and exhausted and skipped half the class. Shame flushed through my chest, turning it bright pink. How had I not realized my phone could be tracked?

“You forgot about that, didn’t you?” Brian beamed, then paced a few steps, still toying with the keys. “Saul didn’t even offer me money, Wren. He simply offered me the chance to intervene in your life and ruin your new budding romance with the redneck. He needed a driver, and I was told to take the kid back to the foster care system in Atlas. Simple as that. I might not have a motorcycle club at my disposal, but I can deliver an effective ‘fuck you,’ when I want to.”

He chuckled, and I had a moment where all I saw was red. I wanted him dead, to not be in my life anymore, but I wasn’t that person. If he managed to get Kane away from Saul then I’d fight for Kane in court…assuming Saul let me live.

Presley pushed the smallest bit closer, aiming her gun at Saul.

“Lower your gun, or I will kill him. This is my son to do with how I see fit. Mine. That bitch of a mother took him from me. Tried to give him to Archer to raise, and now you think you can step in?”

His eyes were wild, making fear slither around my heart and squeeze.

My voice was even and strong. “He’s mine now. Put him down.” My gaze was on Kane as I tried to convey this new truth that I felt down to my bones. He was mine now, and he always would be.

Brian glanced up at him, his face wary, as if he just processed that threatening the life of a five-year-old kid was actually pretty fucking serious.

“Hey Saul, I⁠—”

Saul produced a handgun from his side and swung it over so fast, Brian never saw it coming.

He pulled the trigger twice, and two holes appeared in Brian’s head. Kane’s expression finally broke as he screamed behind the palm covering his mouth, and tears gathered in his eyes. My mouth dropped as I stared at Brian, lying dead in the mud. His eyes stared up at the endless sky. I didn’t feel anything but shock. He was gone…he’d just been talking, breathing, texting me earlier in the⁠—

I heard a loud crack from behind me, making me flinch. Saul’s kneecap exploded. I waited for Saul to fall, but he didn’t. He merely shifted his weight, and before he could recover how to protect his other knee, Presley let another shot fly.

His scream echoed around us as blood burst from his leg. He dropped Kane, and I didn’t hesitate. My knives flew, landing directly in the jugular of his neck.

I wanted to run over, pull them out and sink them into his heart. Then do it again and dig them into his gut. But Kane was running toward me and right as my knees hit the mud below me, Archer burst from the tree line, ambling toward us with a heaving chest, trying to catch his breath. Archer’s gaze darted down then slid over to us right as Kane’s little body slammed into mine.

“I knew you’d come.” His little voice echoed in my ear, and it made my heart lurch.

Not Archer. He knew I’d come for him.

Tears trailed down my face as I sat back and pulled him into my chest. “I’m sorry it took me so long. I’m so sorry he took you, and you thought you were going to have to go with him.”

His arms were iron around my neck as he clung to me.

“I didn’t cry because I saw how you looked at me when he took me.”

Pulling him away so I could check his face, my smile wobbled. “How did I look at you?”

His white hair was muddied as I ran my hands through it, checking him to be sure he was okay.

“You looked at me the same way you look at Cruz. I know I’m yours now. Yours and Archer’s. You’re going to be my mom. I’ve never had one before that I remember. I’m glad it’s you.”

I tried to laugh as a sob came out, and I pulled him close. Presley was behind me, placing her hand on my shoulder. Then one of the twins burst through the tree line just as frantic as Archer had.

Gio.

His eyes were wild as he searched the area, and then frenzied as they landed on Presley. He stumbled over, dropping his gun.

“Gio,” Presley started. She put her hands out, almost as if to hold him off. His hands were on her face seconds later, pushing into her hair as he pulled her closer.

Her fists clung to his waist, holding onto his hoodie. Then more people came through the trees. Kingston found Gio and Presley, and his jaw worked back and forth like he was processing a rather big emotion. Presley looked up, and as soon as she saw Kingston, she pushed Gio away. Pain radiated on her face, as if she’d just been reminded of something she lost.

I moved my gaze away from them, so I didn’t keep watching something that looked so intimate and personal.

Juan and Taylor held hands as they came closer and then Archer finally stopped examining Saul and Brian’s bodies. His hands bloody as he pulled my daggers free and wiped them on Saul’s chest.

Kane remained in my lap as they all closed in, and it hit me then.

My brother led a life of danger, but he’d made it so nothing could hurt his family. He’d raised soldiers because he was always at war.

Archer knelt down in front of us. His eyes were red, like he’d been fighting emotions too.

“Brian?”

I shook my head, still in shock that my colleague was lying dead just a yard away. Archer moved closer. I stared at how the red blended in with his dark tattoos for a moment before I reached for him. He seemed to hesitate, but I wasn’t having that. I pulled his hand into mine, unphased by the blood.

“Help me get him home.”

He took Kane from me and held him to his chest and then pulled me up. My nose found his neck and I inhaled deeply, closing my eyes. Home. Archer was home, Kane and Cruz…they were the home I’d been searching for all this time and while I had my brother back, nothing felt as right as this.

Kane knew I would come for him.

Courage filled a hole in my chest, one large and vast that had been a canyon in my chest since I was sixteen. It replaced a broken piece of my heart and reforged it out of steel.

My brother watched me carefully as we turned back toward the tunnels, and I knew what he was seeing.

For the first time in nearly twenty years, he was seeing his little sister again. The one who used to ride the edge of a knife, flirting with danger every chance she got. The one who loved this life and craved its edges and all the serrated pieces around it. The one who used to smile and laugh and create joy. She was still inside me, and now I knew I could let her be a part of my life instead of shutting her out like I’d done since I left.

I could be the wife of the president of Mayhem Riot, and I could lead next to him with strength and courage.

I could be brave, and my world wouldn’t end.