24. Chapter Eighteen

Trevante

I could feel the tension radiating off of her in waves, she hasn't been able to calm down at all since Xander dropped that bomb on her about her brother's wife. I hated having to leave her to go on the raid without us but she won't even speak to me now either so I had no choice. Xander hasn't spoken a word since we got in the car and headed in the opposite direction as Doxy and the others. William got a tip that Karl is hiding out in one of his downtown apartments.

It's clear Xander pissed her off because she has only allowed us to take three men with us, who follow close behind our vehicle. I need to clear my head but it's fucking hard, I know Karl needs to suffer and die but as much as I hate him he's still my father at the end of the day. I've spoken to Doxy and told her I wouldn't stand in her way but I also couldn't be a part of her torturing my father. Grandpa has also agreed not to intervene as long as when she is finished with him she would hand over his body so he may be buried in our family cemetery. No one has any idea what she has planned for the men that she is bringing back but I can imagine that they will be suffering for a long time.

"You should call her brother," I say, breaking the tension filled silence.

"Why the fuck would I do that?" he bites back.

"Killing my father is one thing but killing her twin, her own blood, that is something she can never recover from."

"You want to warn him, go ahead but I'm not." The bastard even hands me his phone as if taunting me and trying to call my bluff. I shoot him a dirty look, then snatch it from his hand and scroll through his contacts. I'm about to hit dial on Knox's name until a thought hits me. Before I can talk myself out of it, I scroll up and click the name before bringing it to my ear.

"Who the hell is this?" she answers after the fourth ring.

"My name is Trevante Kane." I can feel Xander's eyes on me but ignore him.

"Is that name supposed to mean something to me?" I smirk, this girl is ballsy and I like that.

"No, I guess not but believe me when I tell you this, Mrs. Bronson…" Xander snaps his head toward me and I hold up a finger and shoot him a look to remain silent. His jaw locks and he grips the steering wheel tighter but remains silent. "There is a purpose for my call and you won't believe me?—"

"Spit it the fuck out, asshole."

"Your best friend is alive, Lakeland." I end the call just in time to see the headlights shining through my window. "Watch out!" I shout but it's too late, the car ploughs into us and sends us spinning, the airbag smacks me in the face and has me seeing stars. My head is throbbing and feels like it has a drummer playing to the beat of a Slipknot song.

"Trevante?" Xander calls out, then coughs, I can hear from the tone of his voice he's hurt. I open my mouth to answer but snap it closed when I hear gunfire. "Fuck, can you get out?"

I clear my throat. "Yeah."

"Good. Get the fuck out and run." I push the airbag out of my face and turn to face him, my eyes widen at the sight. We crashed into a power pole and the steering wheel is pinning him in place. I dart my gaze to his.

"I'm not leaving you." He grits his teeth and fights through the pain.

"Fucking go, Trey. This was an ambush and if they get both of us then she is alone, again. Fucking leave me and go!"

"She told me about that night on the bridge, I feel like we are reliving her deja vu." His eyes harden and his nostrils flare.

"Just go."

I nod my head and shove his phone in his pocket before reaching and pulling his head to mine. He grunts in pain. "I'll come for you, Xander. I swear to God, I won't let her lose you again. I'll come for you without her if I have to, brother." His eyes fill an emotion I can't decipher.

"Tell her I love her?—"

"Tell her yourself when I get you back," I snap as I shove my door open and grunt in pain. I quickly pull my gun and begin shooting at the fuckers as I run. I feel like a fucking pussy for leaving Xander behind but the thought of Doxy thinking we both left her kills me. I can't allow her to think someone else abandoned her when the both of us are fighting for her, we're fighting with her to rid herself of those demons in the hopes she will finally be able to let us in. "Fuck!" I grit out as I round a corner and duck down behind a dumpster. I can see them at the end of the alley. I pop the mag out of Xander's gun and praise fucking Jesus for him being an anal bastard and reloading before we left.

"I know you're around here, Solomon!" I slam my eyes closed and grit my teeth at the sound of his fucking voice, he's baiting me. "I'll tell ya what, Son, I'll let you go so you can rush back to scrape what's left of your whore off my club floor." Panic flares to life inside me. "Yeah, I know about the raids, boy. I hope the explosions tore her apart!" Dread spurs to life inside me, he knew.

We have a fucking rat!

"I'll keep Xander safe. When that whore is ready to return home and come to heel like the Doxy I raised her to be, then you know where to find me, boy."

"Boss, we need to move. We just heard over the scanner that the cops are coming." I hear one of Karl's guys say to him.

"See you soon, boy," Karl calls out. I should have come out and shot him but I knew it was a trap. He had more men than us—fuck! I push to my feet and wait another couple of minutes before checking to make sure they have all gone before running back to the car in the hopes they didn't get Xander. I run around to Xander's side and punch the roof of the car.

"Fuck!" I roar just as Xan's phone begins to ring. I pull it out of my pocket without checking who is calling and answer it. "What?"

"You listen to me, you little cunt, you ever call my fucking wife again and spit some bullshit—" My brows hit my hairline.

"Knox?"

"Who the fuck are you?" he snaps.

"Xander was just taken by Karl, he is going to use him to lure your sister?—"

"You keep my sisters name out of your fucking mouth, you cocksucker, or I'll fucking kill you! You tell Karl I'll see him real fucking soon." He ends the call.

"She'll see you sooner, dumbass," I mutter as I race back to the car that was tailing us. When I only spot two bodies I grit my teeth, we definitely had a fucking rat!

I break every speed limit known to man as I drive like a madman through the city. I can see the smoke over the old buildings and hear the sirens. My blood is pumping so loud in my ears as I panic, I can't lose her. I just fucking found her and I won't allow Karl to take another woman I love from me. He murdered my mother and I refuse to allow him to hurt Doxy any more than he already has. The car screeches as I round the corner and slam on the brakes. I jump out, ignoring the cops and firefighters yelling at me to get back. When I try to cross the barrier I'm grabbed and hauled backwards.

"My girl is in there!" I scream.

"Calm down, you need to stay back," one of the cops yells.

"My girl is in there!" I shout again.

"Sir, we can't let you go in there, it's not safe." I deflate in their hold and after a while they release me. I drop to my ass and stare at the burning building. I look across the street to see Karl's other club has gone up in smoke and in turn taken out the buildings on either side of it. He knew we were coming, he fucking knew! Who betrayed us?

The sound of ringing pulls me from my thoughts, I realize it's Xander's phone and fish it out of my pocket and hit answer.

"Yeah?" I say in a dejected tone.

"Come back to the palace where you first took me and ditch the phone." At the sound of her voice I leap to my feet as relief washes over me.

"You're alive," I breathe out.

"Thanks to Nano, we all are but you won't like what you will learn when you get here."

"I have something to tell you as well?—"

"Not over the phone. Come here and then we can talk," she says before ending the call. I toss the phone as I rush back to the car and head toward the safe house I first took Doxy to when I found her. The drive is long but my need to see her and hold her keeps me from crashing after the adrenaline flees my body. I pull off the road and continue down the long driveway, men have their guns drawn and aimed at me until I step out of the car.

"Where's Xander?" Calvin asks.

I shake my head. "Where's Doxy?"

"Right here." I spin around to see her coming out of the forest, I should have known she wouldn't stay inside the house. I smile at the sight of Anna and Kimber following behind her, she got all the girls out but did they save the ones from the club? "Where is he?" she asks when she comes to a stop a few feet away from me. She may not show it but I can hear the worry in her voice.

"We were ambushed." Her features harden. "Xander was trapped in the car and told me to run, to come back to you."

She remains silent for a long time as she tries to calm her anger, her shoulders rise and fall in quick succession. "We find him, we find your father."

"Yeah," I breathe out.

"Then I'm killing your grandfather." I reel back and smack into the side of the car.

"W-what?" I stutter out.

"Your grandfather set us up." I shake my head denying what she says.

"It's true, contrary to what your grandfather said he would never allow a woman to lead the Irish much less an American woman." I pull my gaze from Doxy to stare at Nano.

"How do you know?" I whisper.

"I had William tap his phone. He placed a call to Karl warning him that we were raiding his clubs and you and Alexander were going after him tonight. He had a rat in our midst." I scrub a hand down my face as I try to come to terms with what they have said.

"Are you sure?—"

Doxy cuts me off. "We nearly died tonight!" she screams.

"I know!" I shout back. "I have to be sure. He fucking raised me, Doxy, he is a good man?—"

"No, he isn't! All those girls inside those clubs are dead. Innocent fucking girls paid the price for his betrayal and I will not let that shit go. Reid will die." She doesn't wait around for a reply as she turns and heads back toward the forest, leaving me standing to digest what she has just said.

"I'm sorry, Trevante. I wish it wasn't true and I had hoped that Reid would come around to the idea of that girl taking over but he is set in his ways."

I narrow my eyes at Nano. "Why are you so accepting of her? I see Monroe and Fred are here with you but the other Captains aren't, am I to assume they have the same beliefs as my grandfather?"

"Yes, Monroe and Fred have the same belief as I do. It doesn't matter if she doesn't have a cock swinging between her legs. Do I wish she was Irish? Yes, I do, but given the fact she has been here for over a decade makes her Irish enough for me. She wants what is best for the men and the women and that is all we can hope for in a leader."

"She doesn't want to lead!" I snap. He purses his lips and I study him for a minute only to scoff. "You already know that though, because she has promised to hand everything over to you once she takes Ireland back and ends her brother. She is going to name you as the head."

"She has told me that yes, but I refused. I am not the man for the job, Trevante. I put your name forward, it's your birthright and if you want my opinion, it's about time you take what is owed to you."