Chapter 2

Abby was tired. She was so fucking tired. Everything hurt. Her left arm had fallen asleep under Caleb's weight a while ago. She just wanted to sleep. Was that too much to ask?

She heard Cassie's exclaimation and her eyes popped open. Carlos, José's little brother who looked nothing like the gangly preteen she remembered, was standing next to the minivan. A very large man next to him was holding Lila. Cassie was trying to take Lila back. With her one hand holding up Caleb and her other touching José, she was out of hands.

"Cassie," she tried to get the teen's attention. Her voice was as weak as her body. "Cassie, baby, it's okay. I know them, they're friends. She's safe with him." José would not be associated with people he didn't trust.

Cassie looked over at her uncertainly. "He's a cop," pointing at Carlos.

"I know, baby." Abby winced. She felt José shift under her hand and opened her eyes in time to see him lift Caleb out of the crook of her arm.

An odd sensation filled her chest at the sight of the man she loved holding her son. Not that he would ever forgive her after she'd written that letter. She'd tried to refuse. She'd cried while writing it. But, in the end, she'd had no choice.

Forcing her attention back to Cassie, she said, "He's a good cop. He's not—" Her voice cut off, her eyes glancing at José. "He's a good cop."

Cassie turned her head towards Bear again. "Please don't hurt her," she pleaded. Abby's heart broke. She was far too young to have so many fears. At least Abby had had a chance to grow up, to experience life and the world before she'd been sold. Cassie had been born to be sold.

The big man with shaggy hair held Lila tightly against his chest. "She's safe with me. I swear to you."

Dr. Tessa moved closer to Cassie. Abby liked Dr. Tessa. Despite her petite stature, she was smart and had a very soothing presence. She also seemed to have no problem bossing around men who were three times her size. If they weren't standing out in the cold, Abby was pretty sure Dr. Tessa would have been able to pry José's and her entire history out of Abby with just a look.

"It's okay, sweetie," Dr. Tessa assured Cassie. She held up her left hand to show off a ring. Maybe it was the low lighting, but the ring didn't look quite right to Abby. Like it was too flat. "Bear's my husband. He looks big and scary but, I promise you, he's a teddy bear."

Cassie, though, wasn't convinced. She'd learned the hard way that men couldn't be trusted no matter who they were married to. The teen pointed to Abby and told Dr. Tessa, "My husband hurt Abby. Being a husband proves nothing."

All adult eyes flew to Abby. The bad part about José taking Caleb from her was the fact that he'd also taken the blanket. Abby's body was shivering in the cold.

Realizing this, José swore. He somehow jostled Caleb around between his arms and managed to take his coat off. He laid it over her.

The familiar scent of sandalwood and oranges reached her nose. She lowered her face into the leather and breathed it in. Fuck, he smelled good. He had always smelled so good.

"We can't worry about this now," Dr. Tessa announced firmly. "We need to get everyone out of the cold." She turned to her husband, whom she'd called Bear. "Did Jumper text you back yet?"

Glancing down at the vest attached to the jacket on her chest, Abby read the words Bulldog and Sergeant at Arms. She looked tiredly at José. Why was he called ‘Bulldog'? Bear, Jumper, Bulldog… Weird.

Bear reached into his back pocket and pulled out a phone. "Not yet. I say you take your chances and head to the clinic anyway."

"Agreed," José said in his deep baritone. He'd grown up so much. When she'd last seen him at eighteen, he'd been tall, but she was pretty sure he was taller now. And those muscles. Now that his jacket was off, she saw he was wearing a white dress shirt. A very tight white dress shirt. Black and colored ink hinted through the shirt, but she couldn't make out what the tattoos were in the dark. "Tessa, you're with me. Bear, get this minivan to Grumpy's. Carlos, get the girls to Mom's. We'll meet you there."

* * *

Abby wasn'thappy about letting Caleb out of her sight but agreed to allow Carlos to take him to their mom's house. It would be good to see Mrs. Santiago again. Abby absently wondered if the woman had fresh baked cookies waiting for them. Abby used to tease José that she only visited the Santiago house for his mom's cookies, not him.

Since no one had a car seat, and it was only a few miles down the road, Cassie held Caleb in Carlos's police car while Lila slept in the back. Abby made sure to tell Carlos the kids' names as they got packed up. She knew that Mrs. Santiago would take good care of them until Abby got there. Unlike her own, Mrs. Santiago was a good mother.

Upon leaving the minivan, the others realized how unprepared for the cold and the outside world Abby and the kids were. They literally had nothing with them but the clothes on their backs. If she wasn't able to still breastfeed Caleb, her baby would be as hungry as she currently was.

José picked Abby up with ease, despite her protruding belly. Her IV bag was laid on her chest. Even though she now wore his jacket, which was huge on her, he felt warm. Like being cradled by a furnace. She buried her face into the crook of his neck.

"Tessa, would you mind driving?" God, Abby loved the way his deep voice rumbled in his chest.

"Of course."

José somehow folded himself into the backseat while still holding her. She started to fade in and out in the warm car. A sense of security she hadn't known in sixteen years washed over her. She didn't need to be on guard because José was here. He'd watch over her. Her big protector.

"I think she's falling asleep." José's voice was soft. She could feel his lips against her hair.

"Sleeping's good. We'll have to wake her up soon but let her rest."

Silence fell as the car rumbled on. Abby knew they'd been close to the outskirts of Mount Grove's town center. She had taken a chance that José still lived here. If not, she'd prayed that his mom or Carlos did and one of them could point her in the direction of where José lived.

It had been sixteen years. She'd told him to move on. Had he? Did he have a wife and kids like he'd dreamed for them? José had always talked about them exploring the world after college before settling down to start their family. Had he done that, only with some other girl?

"She's more than just a friend, isn't she?"

Abby felt José's arms tighten around her at Dr. Tessa's question, but drifted off before she heard his answer.

* * *

The Mount Grove Veterinary Clinicwas one of the last buildings on Main Street in the opposite direction of the high school. It also was one of the only buildings with its own parking lot rather than the street parking the rest of the main road in their small town had.

Bulldog saw Jumper's truck in the parking lot but no other vehicle. Bear had texted saying Dr. Sharpe had agreed to meet them at the clinic, but she must not be there yet.

Tessa parked as close to the doors as she could across two handicap spots. She got out and opened the door for Bulldog. He nodded to her in thanks. Tessa got her medical bag.

The clinic's outside lights were illuminated and a glow from inside indicated some lights had been turned on. The door opened before they reached it, and Bulldog gave Jumper a chin lift. He wasn't sure what Bear had said exactly to Jumper as to why they needed to use a vet clinic rather than a hospital.

To Bulldog's surprise, Dr. Sharpe was inside too. Without a vehicle, Bulldog could only assume Jumper had picked her up. Or, perhaps, they'd already been together when Bear had called? Looking at their stiff postures, Bulldog didn't think that last one was it. More likely, Jumper had picked her up.

Tessa walked right up to Dr. Sharpe. "I'm Dr. Collins. Thank you so much for this."

Dr. Sharpe shook her hand. "Of course. This way."

The curvy vet led the way into the back of the clinic. Jumper followed after locking up. His eyes never left Dr. Sharpe. It was like he was tracking her.

Bulldog wondered if that was how he looked when he looked at Abby.

The room they were led to was large. There were several stainless-steel tables on wheels in one corner. A large machine with a hanging arm in the other. It looked similar to the x-ray machines he'd seen at hospitals, but the shape was slightly different. One wall was lined with glass cabinets that locked. There was a heavy door that he thought might be a walk-in fridge, like at a restaurant. A lab station was set up on the wall closest to the doorway with microscopes and two computer monitors.

Dr. Sharpe grabbed one of the stainless-steel exam tables and brought it over to Bulldog. He laid Abby down, careful of her head. The table had a pole attached that she hung Abby's IV bag from. Bulldog heard Dr. Sharpe's quick intake of breath when she saw Abby's abused condition. "Do you have a pillow? Maybe some blankets?"

Dr. Sharpe went over to a tall accordion door closet. Jumper followed her and held out his hands for her to put things in. Bulldog wondered if his quiet brother had even spoken to the curvy doctor while they were waiting for Bulldog, Tessa, and Abby to show up.

"I don't have any pillows. Just dog beds," Dr. Sharpe shrugged. "But I have plenty of blankets. You can put a blanket behind her head like a pillow."

Tessa was over by a computer on wheels. "Dr. Sharpe, I need to adjust your parameters on the ultrasound."

Dr. Sharpe went to help. Bulldog placed multiple blankets over Abby. Jumper walked up to the other side of the bed. He raised an eyebrow, but Bulldog shook his head. Now was not the time to go into who Abby was to him or what was going on. Not where Dr. Sharpe could overhear.

As the women walked back over with the computer on wheels, he heard Dr. Sharpe say, "Please, call me Jasmine."

"And I'm Tessa." She did something else to the computer before Tessa turned to Bulldog and Jumper. "Step out of the room please." When Bulldog opened his mouth to argue, Tessa said, "I'm about to partly unclothe her. I doubt she'd want either one of you gawking at her as I do."

Bulldog glowered at her. He was not some brute who would gawk, to quote Tessa, at an undressed woman. However, he also knew that Abby would never be comfortable with the idea that the first time he saw her naked—regardless of how un-sexy the situation was—was while she'd been asleep.

Bulldog lowered himself down towards Abby's sleeping form. He didn't want to wake her, but he also wouldn't allow Tessa to do any procedures or exams on her while she was asleep. "Red, can you wake up for me?" She moaned but didn't open her eyes. "I'll get my mom to make you chocolate peanut butter crunch cookies if you wake up."

Her eyes flew open. Clearly unfocused, it took her a second to take in where she was and her surrounding audience. "Meanie," she groaned. "Your mom's not here."

He smiled down at her. "No, but I'll text her to make you some tomorrow." He pointed to Dr. Sharpe. "This is our friend, Jasmine Sharpe. She's a vet who's letting us commandeer her clinic. Tessa's got the ultrasound ready to take a look at your baby. Do you want me to stay?"

Abby nodded. "Please."

Bulldog tried not to look cocky as he looked up at Tessa. She just rolled her eyes at him. "I need you on the other side if you're staying," she told him.

Jumper did leave the room and Dr. Sharpe went with him. Bulldog looked curiously at the closing door, but Tessa just rolled her eyes.

Tessa had to move the blankets around and unzip his coat to expose Abby's large belly. With Abby's permission, Bulldog lifted her hips while Tessa brought her dress up towards her breasts. As soon as they were done, Bulldog hurried to cover Abby's legs with the blankets better. He couldn't help but notice that she wasn't wearing any underwear or how emaciated her legs looked.

Abby needed him calm right now.

Using a tape measure, Tessa ran it long ways from the top of Abby's belly to under. "Thirty-five centimeters. How are you feeling? Back pain, headaches…?"

Abby let out a sardonic laugh. "My entire life is pain, Dr. Tessa. Distinguishing labor pains has been a bit difficult."

Bulldog's hands tightened against the side of the stainless-steel table. Abby would never know pain again if he had his way—well, after the birth of her baby, he supposed.

A hand laid over his. He looked up to see Abby staring down her body at him. She indicated for him to come up by her head. Bulldog saw a rolling chair with no back or arms and snagged it. He sat down next to her shoulder and took her hand between his. He kissed the pads of each finger before pressing her palm against his cheek.

"You've been through labor before?" Tessa asked carefully.

Abby answered her but stared at Bulldog. "Once before. Caleb's my son."

Fuck. Those words were like a punch to the heart. He didn't know Abby's situation, but he could guess. How messed up was it that he was angry Caleb wasn't their son? Or that they weren't at a regular lady doctor's office getting ready for one of the final exams before their baby arrived?

He saw the sorrow on Abby's face and knew he was doing a shit job at keeping his emotions to himself. He lowered his head towards hers. "You have nothing to apologize for."

A tear rolled down her cheek. "I have so much to apologize for."

Tessa came up on Abby's other side. "Cassie and Lila aren't yours?"

Abby shook her head, her expression sad. "I've cared for Lila all of her life though. I'm the closest thing to a mother she has."

Bulldog had not forgotten Cassie's use of the words "my husband". Abby had said her father was the person who did "this" to her, and he was really hoping she wasn't referring to her pregnancy. The idea that some monster, possibly her own father, had not only made Cassie his child-bride, but had also impregnated his own daughter, made Bulldog's hackles rise even higher.

Whatever had happened was in their past. They were under VDMC protection now, which meant it was Bulldog's job to ensure the asshole never touched them again. A part of him hoped the motherfucker—or more accurately, childfucker—would come after them. Then he'd be Bulldog's to deal with. And when Scar learned that some monster was claiming a thirteen-year-old girl as his wife…? Bulldog had no trouble admitting that whatever torture Bulldog could come up with for the pedophile would look like child's play in comparison to what Scar would do to the man.

Oblivious to the rage boiling inside Bulldog, Tessa gave Abby a warm smile. "Are you ready to get started?"

Abby nodded, but Bulldog felt her nervousness through the shaking of her hand. He needed to keep his cool for her. He leaned down to distract her. "How old is Caleb?"

"I'm not a hundred percent sure. Depends on how far along I am with this one," she patted her exposed belly lovingly. "I think he's around ten months. It was hard to keep track without a calendar."

She hadn't had access to a calendar? If Caleb was ten-months-old, and she was eight-months pregnant as Tessa suspected, that meant there was only a two-month period between when she'd given birth and gotten pregnant again. Bulldog was not liking what he was hearing.

He cleared his throat to try to keep his voice even. "Do you know if it's a boy or a girl?"

Abby shook her head. "We didn't have access to doctors and ultrasound machines. But I figured I had a fifty-fifty chance either way."

Bulldog gave her an appeasing smile. A whoosh-whoosh filled the room. His head snapped across the table at Tessa. She had a wand on the top of Abby's belly, which he noticed had a dark line down it. On the monitor was a black and white image. He'd seen ultrasounds on tv shows and in movies. Tessa had also shown him pictures when she'd still been pregnant with Maggie. However, Bulldog still had no idea what it was he was looking at.

Based on the confusion on Abby's face, neither did she.

Tessa took pity on them. "Here's your baby's head," she pointed to a round shape. "You can even see some of the hair here. There are two arms, two legs, and here's the baby's butt."

Abby's hand squeezed tightly against his. Bulldog didn't care. An odd prideful feeling was filling him as he stared at that ultrasound image. A baby. Abby's baby. If he had his way, his baby. He squeezed her hand right back.

Tessa did something with the computer to freeze the image. When the whooping noise stopped, Bulldog realized that had been the baby's heartbeat through the ultrasound speakers. She wrote something down on what looked like a piece of printer paper.

Then she turned to Abby. "I'm not an OB. You're very lucky I just went through my own pregnancy and birth of my daughter that most of this is still fresh in my mind. I'd still like to get you in to see an OB," Tessa said sternly. "You're both underweight, and that can lead to a lot of complications, including birth defects. Your blood pressure was on the lower side in the car, but not as bad as I was anticipating. Your IV will help with that. I'll need to continue to check it daily. I'm estimating you're between thirty-six and thirty-eight weeks along." Tessa pointed back to the computer screen. "See how your baby's head is facing down? He or she is getting ready to be born. Generally that happens around week thirty-six."

"Do you know when?" Abby asked. There was an odd note to her voice that Bulldog couldn't decipher.

"Based on what I'm seeing, it could be anytime. What I'm more worried about is how malnourished you are. Delivery is a long and arduous process. You need your strength to get through it."

Abby swallowed. She nodded stiffly like she understood something Bulldog was missing. "And right now I'm not strong enough to survive it."

Bulldog's heart nearly stopped. He looked up at Tessa in panic.

"No," Tessa rushed to correct, looking between both of them. "What I'm saying is it might cause complications. One of the reasons you're so weak right now is because your baby is taking nutrition from you." Tessa pointed to the IV bag. "I'm going to keep you on that for a bit. However, I don't recommend a homebirth, Abby. I'd honestly recommend a scheduled Caesarean as your safest method of delivery."

Abby stiffened. "I can't. He'll find me."

"Let him," Bulldog growled. Abby turned her head towards him. "I dare him to come and take you away from me. I promise you, he won't survive the encounter."

A visible shiver ran through Abby. She turned back towards Tessa. "A Caesarean is when the baby is cut out? A C-section?"

Tessa nodded. "Yes." She ran her finger horizontally along Abby's abdomen. "They cut here and into the uterus to extract the baby."

"Do I have to decide today?"

Tessa let out a resigned sigh. "No, but soon. Like I said, your baby's getting ready. We need to make sure you're ready too."

Abby looked nervously at Bulldog. "I can't go to a hospital. He'll know I came here."

"Your father?" he asked, trying to keep the anger out of his voice.

Abby had mostly hung out at the Santiago house growing up. He'd rarely been to her house and had only met her parents a handful of times. Both of her parents had been extremely religious and would not allow ‘a boy' into their home with their unmarried daughter.

"He's one of them," she clarified. "But he would be the one to come here to look for us. He knows if I ever escaped that I'd go to you."

Fuck if that statement didn't make him feel ten feet tall and ten inches short at the same time. He meant so much to Abby that, even after sixteen years and that stupid fucking letter, he'd still been her endgame, her safe haven. And yet, the fact that she'd been suffering all these years and he hadn't known? That tore him up inside.

Over the years, at some of his lowest points, he'd search for her online. He just wanted a glimpse of her, to see how her life turned out. Maybe a part of him wanted to see if she had a life better or worse than what he imagined providing for her. He'd never found her though. She hadn't had an online presence. It irked him that perhaps she was using her married name and that was why he couldn't find her.

Seeing her now, and her condition, he should have searched harder.

What he didn't understand though was why her father would know she'd come running back to him when she'd written him that damn letter? Unless… Unless she hadn't wanted to write that letter and she'd been forced to. Unless it had been her father who'd made her.

"The letter?" He was surprised his voice didn't crack like a preteen.

She turned her face away from him. "He made me… I didn't…" More tears continued to fall down her cheeks.

Bulldog turned her face back towards him with a gentle hand guiding her. As soon as her emerald eyes looked at him, he asked the most important question of his life. "Are you still mine, Red?"

"I never stopped being yours."

He forgot about where they were and their audience. His entire world revolved around the redhead below him. Bulldog stood up and leaned over her, placing both hands on the table on either side of her ears. "I'm going to need to know everything so I know what I'm protecting you from. Understand me, Red?" She nodded, staring up at him with wide trusting eyes. There was no fear in her expression even though he had her caged in. "Caleb and this one here," he indicated his head down towards her belly, "they're mine now too. Understand?" Abby still nodded. "I get that you've been hurt. We'll go as fast or as slow as you want, Abs, but it's been sixteen years since I kissed you. Please tell me I can, because I'm not sure I can survive it if you say no."

She nodded, and Bulldog dove.

He was very aware of her bruises and split lip. As frantic as he felt inside his chest with the possessive need to claim her, his kiss was gentle. He didn't press down hard or force her mouth open so he could taste inside. He kept his hands on the table, ensuring he kept his weight off of her.

She was the one who grabbed his beard and dragged him closer. Abby kissed him back with a strength and ferocity he hadn't realized she'd had in her.

Eventually, he had to come up for air. He loved the whimper that escaped her mouth as he pulled away. While he was entirely aroused by the sensuous woman beneath him, his cock was only half hard in his dress pants. The knowledge of what had happened to her, what he believed had happened, kept him from forming a full erection.

As much as he needed to know what she'd been through, he equally didn't want to know. It was selfish, but if he didn't know, it couldn't hurt him.

But Abby would still be hurt. She'd still have suffered and been traumatized. As strong as she was, there was no way she wasn't traumatized by what she'd been through. He needed to be there to bear her burdens for her. No matter how much it hurt him. That was his job—to take her pain away and give her the life she deserved.

Her and their children. Because, fuck, he was a father now.

"Is it safe to come back inside?" Tessa stuck her head into the room. Bulldog hadn't even realized she'd left but appreciated her stepping out to give them some privacy.

Bulldog turned to scowl at her, not wanting her to embarrass Abby, but his Abs just giggled. His stomach clenched. Fuck, he loved this woman. He bent down and pressed a light kiss to her forehead. Looking at Tessa, he asked, "Are you done now? What else did you want to examine her for?"

Tessa looked to Abby to answer Bulldog's question. "Ideally, I'd like to do an x-ray to ensure you don't have any fractures in your skull. Based on how you're acting, I don't think it's likely, but I'd rather be safe than sorry." She pointed to the ultrasound machine. "I can use this to check for internal bleeding, but as I told you in the car, I didn't hear or feel any indicators of that."

Abby nodded. "We're here, so I'd feel better if we checked as long as it's not a danger to my baby."

Tessa smiled down at her. "Good choice. I kinda wasn't going to let you choose otherwise." Abby smiled at her. "Before I changed the ultrasound calibrations, I wanted to give you this." She handed Abby a small printout of the ultrasound screenshot. Bulldog leaned closer to look and Abby automatically tilted the picture for him. "Also, did you want to know the gender?"

Bulldog stayed quiet. He wanted to know but would leave the decision up to her.

Abby looked undecided before nodding. "Yes, please."

"Congratulations, Mom, it's a girl."

* * *

Abby was asleep againby the time they pulled into his driveway. Carlos's cruiser was parked on the street by their lawn. Tessa pulled Bulldog's cage into his parking spot in their driveway. Their little house didn't have a garage. As deputy sheriff, Carlos never knew when he could be called out. It was better for him to park the cruiser on the road to save him precious seconds from having to back out of the driveway.

The house itself was small. Single story with three bedrooms and one bath, a living room, dining room, and kitchen. When the brothers had decided to move back in to take care of their mom, they'd automatically reclaimed their old childhood bedrooms.

Carlos and Bulldog worked between themselves to keep up with the maintenance and esthetics, so their mom never had to worry about a leaking sink or an unruly lawn. They had a very small porch to the right side of the front door. Bulldog had recently replaced the old vintage table and two chair set with a cushioned porch swing and two wicker chairs. A small glass table sat between the chairs and another catty-corner between one of the wicker chairs and the porch swing. He'd wanted to do something special for his mom's sixtieth birthday and give her the opportunity to enjoy on her front porch more comfortably in the nicer weather.

Bear met them outside to help with doors and carrying Tessa's medical bag. Carlos and their mom were in the living room. Louisa's hand went over her mouth to cover her gasp as she saw Abby in Bulldog's arms.

Though it wouldn't do much good in the long run, Bear locked the front door behind them. There was a saying, locks only keep out honest people, and Bulldog believed that. If someone really wanted into a residence, they'd find a way. Windows and doors were more fragile than people commonly believed.

Louisa was holding baby Caleb in her arms. She was in pajamas, slippers, and a robe with the top of her head covered in a scarf. After her second round of chemo, her hair had come back in uneven clumps. Louisa had decided to keep it shaved off. She had wigs for special occasions but otherwise regularly only wore a scarf to keep her head warm. Bulldog, who had originally shaved his head to show his support of his mother's illness from the other side of the world, had kept his head shaved when she decided to keep hers shaved. Once a week, Bulldog and his mom had a shaving party in the bathroom and buffed each other's heads.

There was no sight of Cassie or Lila. It looked like Carlos had been in the middle of explaining what was going on to their mother when Bulldog had walked in.

"The girls?" he asked his brother as he leaned forward to kiss his mom's cheek in greeting.

"In my bed," Carlos told him.

Carlos, being the neat freak that he was, had an impeccably clean room. His uniforms were lined perfectly in his closet, his shoes shined on a rack below. On his dresser was a picture from a beach trip their mom had taken them on as children. A five-year-old Carlos was on Bulldog's ten-year-old shoulders as he stood waist deep in the surf. Carlos had been afraid of sharks but still wanted to get in the water. Bulldog, being a good big brother, had offered to carry him in. Eventually the rushing tides had distracted Carlos enough where he forgot about sharks and started kicking at the water below his feet. An award hung above Carlos's dresser signed by former Sheriff Longhill and former Mayor Boone for his outstanding service to the Mount Grove community.

That was it. There wasn't anything else on the walls or the tops of furniture. A lamp and phone charger were all that was on his nightstand.

For having lived in this house for years, Bulldog had always felt Carlos's room was bare and lacked personality. Whenever Bulldog was in Carlos's room, it made him wonder if Carlos was unhappy living with Bulldog and their mom. The room always seeming more like a guest room than someone's everyday bedroom.

Bulldog indicated for Tessa to follow him. He led her to his bedroom. She rushed forward to pull down the covers. Careful of the IV bag, Bulldog laid Abby on his mattress.

Bulldog had replaced his childhood twin bed with a king. There were books lining the one wall, pictures of his Army days and VDMC parties with his brothers. Bulldog couldn't remember the last time he'd folded a piece of clothing. He wore jeans and t-shirts most days. A pull-up bar hung in his closet instead of clothes. He had boots thrown haphazardly about the floor. Carlos would probably have a coronary upon entering it.

Tessa was hanging the IV bag by a metal hanger she had folded in half from his headboard when there was a knock at the front door. Both Bulldog and Tessa tensed; no one should be knocking on the door at two in the morning.

Bulldog indicated for her to stay put. Tessa nodded once.

Bulldog rushed into the living room as Bear was hurrying Louisa and Caleb down into the hall. Carlos already had his gun in hand, facing the door. Carlos signaled to Bulldog to cover him before cautiously approaching the door.

Bulldog drew his gun too. He kept the muzzle pointing down but flicked off the safety.

As Carlos peeked through the peephole, Bulldog saw his brother's shoulders sag. He glanced over his shoulder with a small glare in his eyes. Then he opened the door to reveal Steel.

The VDMC President was in his mid-fifties. He served twenty years in the Marine Corp and had the stern gaze and hard body to prove it. The man had a take-no-shit attitude, but his heart was that of gold. There were few men Bulldog trusted implicitly, and Steel was at the top of that list. The man's hard as steel face glared right back at Carlos.

Carlos stepped back to allow him in as Bulldog holstered his gun.

"What the fuck is going on?" Steel demanded in a low voice. He also noticed that Steel had a backpack over one shoulder.

"We're still trying to figure that out," Bulldog told him. "Abby hasn't given up a lot of information. I know her father is involved and he definitely is familiar enough with Mount Grove to be a danger. From a tactical standpoint, it was a mistake to bring them here. Her father knows my name and I'm still in my childhood home, but it's too late to move them tonight."

"We can protect your house. Hopefully she'll be willing to give you answers when she wakes up and we can figure out what's going on." Steel looked to Carlos. "I appreciate you bringing their situation to our attention. However, I don't want you or Danny getting into trouble with Hannigan."

"I can handle Hannigan," Carlos assured him, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Do we have any idea where they came from?" Steel asked.

Bulldog shook his head, "I haven't seen or heard from Abby since she moved to Charleston, South Carolina in 2009." He was not counting that fucking letter.

"Vehicle registration came back as expired to a Marla Jones of Roanoke, West Virginia," Carlos informed them. "I sent a text to Keys with the VIN to see what else he could find out."

Not for the first time, Bulldog was grateful Keys had decided to join the club. He was young but smart as a whip. The man was former Navy Intelligence. Bulldog didn't know his full story, but he knew that Keys had been forced out of the Navy after being ordered to do something unethical and refusing. He had an OTH, Other Than Honorable, discharge on his record, though that wasn't common knowledge among the club. Only the officers knew. Keys's record was his punishment for disobeying orders that would have resulted in countless losses of human life. Ghost, a former Navy SEAL, had vouched for Keys when Keys had asked to prospect for the VDMC. After hearing Keys's story, in addition to Ghost backing Keys, Steel had been sympathetic to his plight and allowed Keys to prospect.

Keys had an honorable discharge in Steel's eyes for his sacrifice, even if the United States Government said otherwise.

Bulldog checked his phone to see if there was an update from Keys. There wasn't. "Nothing new. Keys says he's working on it but, at some point, we have to let the man sleep."

Six months later, Keys was still hunting relentlessly for Nathan Moore, the pedophile who'd kidnapped Bree from her foster home and held her for two years as his sexual slave. With nothing more to work with than the man's popular name and that he's a cop, Keys has been chasing a needle in a haystack. He considered it a personal failure to not be able to find the man and bring closure to Angel's adopted daughter.

Just another sick bastard destined for the fiery pit.

"They're safe for tonight," Steel said. "I want to?—"

"Steel!" The men turned to see Tessa rushing into the living room. She had an annoyed Bear following after her. "What are you doing here? Is Maggie okay?"

"Maggie's fine," he assured her. "Jenna's home with her. I called Lucky to tell him I was leaving. He'll keep an eye on the house." Not just because Jenna and Maggie were there alone, but because Clara and Kyle were there as well. In the six months that Clara had been in Jenna and Steel's home, nothing had happened to make Bulldog believe anyone knew where the mother and child were hiding out. Still, it never hurt to be cautious, especially when Jenna was there alone with baby Maggie. "Jenna sent me over with supplies." He handed the backpack to Tessa. "There's formula, diapers, and such in there. We had to pilfer some of Maggie's supplies, but she has enough to get her through tomorrow with the breastmilk you gave us."

Tessa sighed gratefully. "Thank you. I'll get these to Louisa." She looked Steel dead in the eye when she demanded, "You're going to make whoever did this pay."

Steel didn't even blink. "Damn straight."

* * *

Gordon was asleep. This was her moment. The man who claimed to be her master didn't drink often, so it hit him hard when he did drink. She knew her key was in his right pants pocket because he'd taunted her with it earlier. It was one of his favorite past times, to allow her to see the object of her freedom and yet know it wasn't within her reach.

Not this time, Abby thought spitefully. This time, she would be free.

Gordon had been her so-called master for three years. Three fucking years of scrubbing his floors, cleaning his toilets, cooking his food, and taking punishments for things she hadn't done. Three years of being alive but having nothing to live for. She felt, she breathed, but she had no life, no independence. Abby couldn't remember the last time she'd been happy or smiled. Her dreams made her think of a boy from long ago, but that was a different life. A different her. Her life now was darkness and locks, rules and punishments.

If she had one wish on her way out, it would be to destroy that fucking bench, but she couldn't risk wasting that sort of time. A breeding bench was what it really was, but Gordon didn't use Abby in that way. She wasn't one of his wives.

Gordon snored as he slept. The smell of whiskey permeated off of him. Abby looked around. She was the only one on the first floor. He'd locked his wives and daughters upstairs already following dinner. Who knew where his sons were. Abby had to work fast before one of them came through the door.

She carefully slipped her pointer and middle fingers into his pocket. She'd been practicing pickpocketing for over a year. Little things like coins or lint. Now that it was time to actually get her key, though, her hands were clammy and shaking.

She gritted her teeth. It was now or never. She had to get out of this place. She wasn't going to survive another day.

Cool metal touched the tips of her fingers. Abby's breath caught. Freedom. She was touching freedom. Slowly, she brought the key up. It was so small; it could have easily been lost over the years. But Gordon liked to torment her with it too much. Sometimes he'd set it on the table and played with it like someone would a coin just to mock her as she was forced to make his supper.

Key in hand, Abby made her way to the front door. It had been years since she'd been outside. She needed to be quiet and stealthy. If any of the men in the community caught her, they would return her to Gordon. Speed wasn't Abby's strong suit, so her plan was to go slow and steady. Find cover and wait until the community was asleep before she made for the outside world.

Abby bent. She couldn't help but feel a sense of relief wash over her as she undid her ankle chains. Freedom. It was so close she could taste it.

Abby tried to listen over the sound of her own thrumming heart. Upon hearing Gordon's snores, she reached for the front doorknob and carefully turned it.

She barely made it onto the front porch when a hand grabbed her arm and yanked her back inside. "And where do you think you're going?"