Never by Blue Saffire
Chapter 46
Over
Sal
“It was such a beautiful wedding,” Mom says as we wait for them to pull the cages around.
“It was,” I say and peek around her to see what's taking so long.
Dad is the first one to pull up. Terry goes to open the door for Mom and helps her in.
“Are you guys still coming to the house?” she asks just before he closes the door.
I nod. We plan to spend the night there since the house isn't ready. Mom and Dad’s has become our home away from home. Mom rolls her window down.
“Use your key, we're going to make a stop,” she calls out.
I give her and Cage a grin. Mom still doesn't remember anything, but at least Cage seems to be getting through to her.
Gutter finally pulls up and tosses the keys to Terry. Terry rounds the car and they lock their heads together as Gutter whispers something to him. Gutter rounds the car to open the door for me and pulls me into his embrace. I climb into the car as I notice all the bikes lining up behind us.
When I see Reap, I notice she's torn the skirts from her bridesmaid's gown and now she has a pistol strapped to each thigh as she straddles her bike, whatever is going on, it can't be good.
“What's going on?” I ask as Terry slips in behind the wheel.
“Not sure. I just need to get you home safe.”
We pull off in silence, the trip to Mom and Dad's not that far from the clubhouse. Before I can think to turn on the radio, we're turning into the driveway of the house. I notice right away something is off. The light in my bedroom is on. I know I turned everything off after Eva and I left the room this morning to head to the church.
Gutter
King wants to move on the intel we have on Pop tonight. All hands on deck. Since Sal will be at the house with her mom, I figured Terry could drive her there while I ride out with my squad.
There will be more than a few brothers at the house to keep an eye on Rose and Sal. They're also there to keep an eye out for Rossi. We still haven't dealt with him, although I know for a fact he's looking for Terry.
“Let's roll out, I'm ready to put it an end to this slippery motherfucker,” King says as we all straddle our bikes. I don't miss that even Brick is with us. Everyone revs their engine, and we start to roll out in formation.
King pauses and pulls his phone out, then turns to look back at us. It's like someone’s poured ice in my veins. I'm frozen in place, knowing that whatever he's about to say isn't going to go well. The cold look in his eyes speaks for itself and there's rage rolling off of him. However, when he speaks, I feel like he's put a bullet in my chest.
“Change of plans, we're heading to Dad’s. Spencer has made a reappearance. ”
I pull off without a word, heading straight for my woman, he won't be getting away from me this time. I hear the roar of bikes behind me as I drive forward blindly. Once again, I'm racing against the clock to make sure I save the most important person to me.
Rose
Cage is such a handsome man. My heart stutters when he turns and winks at me as his tongue follows the swirl of the ice cream on his cone. His charming smile made it impossible to say no when he asked me if I wanted to make a stop for ice cream before heading home.
As I watch him lick the vanilla confection, I’m thrown back in time. I still don't remember much, but it comes in little spurts here and there. Like now, I’m hit with the memory of cage leaning against his bike with a cone in his hand.
His eyes sparkled as he looked at me. Again licking at his serving of vanilla soft serve. I stand there between his jean-clad legs with my own chocolate cone in my hand as the sweet treat dripped all over my fingers and wrist.
Cage gave me a sexy smile and wink before placing his large hand on my waist. I kept my eyes on his. He reached for my wrist and bent his head to lick the dripping chocolate from my hand. My heart pounded as his tongue glided across my skin, my nipples came to life and started to press against the fabric of my bra.
Humming to himself, he then placed his hand back on my waist and moved his palm down to my backside, giving it a squeeze.
“Cage,” I gasped.
“I've been wanting you for a long time, Rose. When are you going to let me pound that tight little pussy out and show you why I'm meant to be your old man?” he says in a husky, gravelly voice.
“Maybe you should take me home, if the girls are sleeping, you can stay the night,” I said.
He pulled back, giving me a seductive smile and wink. With one hand behind my neck, he tugged my face to his and kissed me passionately.
I'm brought back to the present by Cage clearing his throat.
“Thought I lost you there, darlin’,” he says when my eyes focus.
“Nope, I'm right here, just remembering how much you like ice cream and how soft your lips are,” I reply.
His bright blue eyes go wide, and I can't help but to lean across the seat and peck his lips. He gives me a full-out smile that takes over his face.
“Come on, let's get home,” he says.
We pull out of the parking lot and head for home. Cage has his arm over the back of the seat behind me. We ride to the house in a comfortable silence. As soon as we pull up, I know something is off. Cage brings the car to a slow stop at the front entrance. The front door sits wide open.
“Stay right here,” Cage commands.
He steps from the car, and I watch through the front windshield as he enters the house. I wait a few minutes before stepping from the car myself. The house is pitch black except for a room upstairs.
Sal
Terry and I let ourselves in the house with the key that mom gave me. We make it as far as the foyer before I freeze in place. There is a man standing in my home. I recognize him right away. Ice runs through my veins and I can't find my breath. Terry stiffens beside me and reaches out a hand to cover me and shoves me behind him.
My thoughts scramble to think of where dad keeps his guns, I just need to get to one.
“Who are you and what are you doing here?” Terry asks.
“I'm an old friend of Salialia’s. Surely you remember me, my dear,” he replies.
“You're no friend of mine, Spencer,” I say bitterly. “Why are you here?”
“I've come for you, you and I have some unfinished business.”
“No, you have a death wish,” Terry says.
“The only ones with a death wish are you and that other one that keeps putting his hands on her. How could you betray me like this, sweetheart? You had to know I was out there watching, that I would see. Every time one of them touches you it makes my skin crawl, but it's okay I'm here now, you can make it up to me.
“We'll go far away, and we can start all over, no one will be in our way this time,” he says, sounding like a madman.
Cage
I send a quick text letting King know something is amiss at the house, then slip my phone back into my pocket. When I walk into my home, I see nothing but red. This motherfucker has a lot of nerve. Not only is he in my home, he's holding a gun to my baby girl.
He has balls of steel. I look over to a trembling Sal and I completely lose it. I charge the son of a bitch. he doesn't get time to pull the trigger as I slam into him with my elbow to his face. I completely ignore the blood that splatters on my white shirt.
Swiftly, I slam him against the nearest wall and wrap my hands around his neck. I could kill him with my bare hands, and that's exactly what I try to do. He reaches out and manages to get his hands around my neck. I barely feel it. Without flinching, I release one hand from around his throat and jabbed him in his ribs.
He gasps from the blow. I go back to choking the wind from his lungs. I grit my teeth in his face.
“You, you're the one who put your hands on my baby girl. You stole her innocence. I vowed I'd be the one to take your last breath.”
I’m distracted for a moment by the sharp intake of air that fills the room. Turning my head slightly, I see Rose has entered the front door. She has her eyes narrowed on the man that I'm choking.
Rose
I get tired of waiting in the car and get out to find out what's going on. I step through the front door, right on the tail end of Cage’s words. This man has touched my daughter. I'm assuming it was during the time that I've lost with Sal which burns me up even more. I move to the closet where Cage said my bat rests. Once I have the aluminum bat in my hand, I lift it and storm forward.
The man is choking Cage and they are wrestling back and forth.
“Mom,” Sal calls out. I don't turn away from the man wrestling with Cage, instead, I bring my bat down on the center of his back and cave his whole shit in. He releases Cage and howls. I keep swinging. I go for his knees and crack him upside his head.
Cage swings with his fists and catches him across the face at the same time I swing for the side of his head, the man spins and falls to the ground whimpering. I don't stop swinging, I aim for his balls, meeting my target with a satisfied grin.
Sal
I don't think I've ever seen Cage so angry, and I've watched him shove the barrel of a gun down a man's throat for calling me the N word. I'm so enraptured in watching my parents fight for justice for me I'm stunned when a man appears through the front door and grabs Terry by the back of his hair.
Terry tries to twist to see who has a hold of him. “Rossi,” Terry gasps as fear lights his eyes.
“It looks like my new friend knew what he was talking about,” the Rossi guy says.
Terry, blue eyes nearly popping from his skull as he looks back at the man who’s holding him in his grasp. The guy starts to back toward the door, holding Terry at gunpoint, while dragging him by the back of his topknot.
I get the feeling that this guy is bad news, and I can't let him take Pierson’s cousin out that door. I reach for a framed photo on the wall of me and my family, and turn to swing it at the man's head.
There are two sounds that suck all the energy out of the room, the rumbling of bikes in the distance and the shattering of the glass from the frame. Cage and mom stop tussling with Spencer. When my dad takes in the man trying to back out with Terry, he straightens and balls his fists at his side.
“Rossi,” Cage says. “You and I both know that's not a good idea. Back away from the kid and leave before you earn a debt you can't pay. To my knowledge, you already have one of those.”
Rossi turns his gun on me, not releasing Terry as he still moves for the door. Blood drips from his head from where I hit him with the picture frame.
“I'm leaving and I'm taking him with me.”
Cage takes a step forward. “Are you sure about that?”
Terry's eyes grow wider and he starts to struggle against Rossi’s hold. Rossi starts to look unsure of himself as the rumble of bikes gets closer. He steps outside, still holding on to Terry and I follow. I grin as I see the formation driving toward us, it's the Squad, and this guy is a dead man if I ever saw one.
“How did you find me?” Terry asks.
“I got a call from some guy named Pop, he had a lot of information and details about all of you.”
Terry starts to struggle more to get free, reaching out with his long arm to knock the gun away. Rossi hits him in the back of the head with the butt of the gun. This time, Rossi aims at me and pulls the trigger.
“No!” Terry and Gutter scream in unison.
Gutter
The Squad and I are riding up the driveway as figures come into view in front of the house. I notice right away it's Sal being held at gunpoint, everything seems to move in slow motion.
Terry flails about in the guy’s hold. And then the loud sound of gunfire catches my attention. I leap off my bike, screaming no.
I watch in horror as Terry runs to shield Sal from the gunshot, his body jerks and slams into Sal’s, knocking them both to the ground. Red spills and begins to cover Terry's white shirt.
Before I can process what's happening, Reap runs past me with her guns drawn. I watch as she puts two in Rossi’s chest and then each kneecap.
I run straight to Terry and Sal. I can't believe Terry used his body to shield her. It's the most selfless thing I've ever seen him do.
“Are you okay, man? Talk to me,” I say to my cousin once I run to his side. I take a quick glance at Sal to make sure she and the baby are okay. She doesn't seem to have any wounds. Terry is the one who's bleeding all over the place.
“I'm fine,” Terry gasps.
He's not, I can hear the blood filling his lungs.
“We need an ambulance. Someone, please help me,” I scream.
I'm sick to my stomach, I've failed him again. Everyone is right, he's been trying, and it has felt more like home with him here. Now that all has been changed in the blink of an eye. If he doesn't make it, I don't know what I'm gonna do.
I can't even fully process what's happening when Rose drags Spencer out of the house by the top of his hair and flings his broken body at King's feet. All I know is help needs to get here to save my cousin, I can't lose him like this.
“Hang in there,” I say.
Terry grabs my hand with his trembling one. “I’d do it again,” he says. “You're happy and you deserve it. I won't let anything take that away from you.”