CHAPTER 19

GIA

It was late and my eyelids were heavy, and I knew I’d have to go up to bed soon, but I was reluctant to leave while everyone was still sitting around talking.

We’d had a busy day of fun and bonding. I’d never in all my life met people like this. After the shoot out this morning where both Hope and Hawk amazed me at their skill, and you could see mutual respect between the two when they’d pitted their skills against each other. Followed by a hectic lunch where everyone seemed to talk at once or over each other, children included. I wondered how any of them knew what was actually being said, but they all seemed to follow what seemed like a dozen conversations at once. After being in solitude for nearly a year, it was a little overwhelming, but I’d loved it too. The respect, affection, teasing, and love shown by everyone was clear to see.

After lunch, as promised, Molly showed the children that were interested how to throw knives properly. It seemed that Cairo, Blaze, Bond, and Sam had spent the morning with them, setting up an area in the barn they’d been sleeping in.

Bas had told them there was a storm coming in so the children couldn’t sleep in the barn because it wasn’t completely weatherproof. There had been moans and groans but as a whole they’d all behaved and collected their stuff, including bedding and camp beds and had set up in the large playroom, where they’d proceeded to have a movie night as the heavens opened and the thunder and lightning rolled in.

Tristan appeared at the back of the couch I was sitting on with Navy and leant on the back of it to talk to us.

“Gia, I just wanted to let you know I have to leave in the morning.”

All thoughts of sleep left me at his words and I hastily sat up from where I’d been slouched back against the arm of the couch with my legs thrown over Navy, “What? Why?” I questioned, concerned.

“I’ve got an exam early Monday morning that I can’t miss. I’ll go straight there and come back Monday afternoon.”

“Is it safe, though?” My question is to Tristan, but my eyes are on Navy.

“I’m going with him,” Derek answers my question coming up from behind Tristan to stand next to him. “Julian is one guy and between the two of us, we’ll be fine. It’s only a night. We’ll get a hotel room instead of staying at Tris’s house. Once the exam is over, we’ll leave and come straight back.

“The police are aware of what’s going on and you can’t keep hiding, by now he knows that he’s lost the company and your money. He's going to be angry and start making mistakes. We know he hasn’t been back to the house; I’ve had the police checking it every day.

“He hasn’t got a lot of cash and will have to use his card soon. As soon as he does, Skinny will let us know. You and Tristan have to live your lives. We can hope that he’ll disappear like the rat he is, but I somehow doubt it. All we can do is be careful and aware of our surroundings. Navy will keep you safe and I’ll keep Tristan safe.”

“Okay,” I whisper, pressing my lips tightly together. I have an awful feeling in my stomach but that could just be nerves.

“You be careful,” Navy cautions Derek. “Check in every couple of hours and if you’re going to change routes let us know.”

“I will,” Derek agrees squeezing Navy’s shoulder. Tristan bends and kisses my cheek. “I’ll keep you updated, sissy. I’ve already said goodbye to Gram and promised her the same thing. Love you.”

“Love you too, little brother, be safe and good luck with your exam,” I tell him ruffling my hand through his hair, “and don’t do what I wouldn’t do.” I grin wide at him as he rolls his eyes, replying, “Yeah, yeah, maybe I should be telling you that.”

“You could, but I like doing what I’m doing,” I tease, belly laughing at his fake gag. Navy chuckles, his body shaking with laughter under my legs.

Tris and Derek leaving breaks up the evening and before long, everyone is making a move to turn in. It’s been a long day, but one of the best I’ve had in forever.

It was with sadness that we watched as Navy’s brothers, their ladies and children rode away the next afternoon. I knew I’d be seeing them all again soon. I only had a few more bits of paperwork to sort out with the lawyer, and then we could leave. Abby and Reaper had invited Bas, Hope and the children to the Halloween charity weekend that they held every year, so even after we left, we’d see Navy’s family again this month. I wished that we didn’t all live so far away from each other.

Tristan and Derek had arrived safely and were checked into their hotel. With everyone gone, it left just the few of us for the night and as we were exhausted from the weekend, it was a quiet night and early to bed for all of us. Well, it would have been an early night if I’d been allowed to sleep, but Navy had other ideas. Not that I was complaining, the man knew how to wring orgasms from me. By the time we were done, I had just enough energy to pull the sheet over me before I was asleep.

Navy and I’d spent Monday morning at the lawyers tying up the last of the loose ends and handing the company over to the board of directors until Tristan was ready to take it back over.

We’d arrived back at Bancroft Estates in the late afternoon. Derek had been right in saying that we couldn’t keep putting off our lives because of Julian. Tomorrow, we would be leaving to go to Feannag Village. With that decision made much to Hope and the children’s sadness even though we’d be seeing them all again soon.

Gram and Hetty were coming with us. Navy had secured a bungalow for them in the village, and they’d be moving in there. I’d asked Hetty if she would consider moving in with Gram as a companion. She’d happily agreed, and we were going to pack up and clear her house, putting her possessions in storage so she could rent it out. That was next on my to do list. Gram was thrilled to have Hetty as a companion. I didn’t realise that they’d spent quite a bit of time together since I’d left home. But I was happy that they’d have each other, and we’d all still be living close together.

I was in our bedroom packing up the few items that I had accumulated over the last couple of weeks. God, it seemed longer than that, but it really wasn’t. I was excited about the next part of my life. Some would probably think I was rushing it, moving in with Navy so quickly and maybe it was, but I didn’t really care. I had no qualms about Navy and how he felt about me even after such a short time. After speaking to the other Old Ladies this weekend and listening to their stories and other than Rea and Onyx, who’d been childhood sweethearts, all of them had fallen quick and fast. It seemed that there was a saying that once a Crow man knows he knows.

Zipping up our case, I pulled it off the bed and wheeled it to the door. We’d be spending tonight here and leaving early tomorrow morning. I’d just left it when my phone rang from where I’d placed it on the dresser when I walked in.

Seeing that it was Tristan, I answered, “Hello, little brother, are you on your way back?”

“What no love for your older brother?” Julian’s voice instead of Tristan’s had my gut clenching with anxiety.

“Julian. Where’s Tristan?”

“Oh, he’s here with me and so is his new boyfriend. Although he’s a bit worse for wear.”

“Julian, what have you done?”

Just then Navy walked in. Seeing he was about to say something, I put my finger to my lips and pressed the speaker phone so he could listen in.

“Done? I’ve done nothing, little sister. I’m just ensuring I get some of what was supposed to be mine. Unfortunately, my timing has been a bit off on everything. From getting rid of dear old dad to kidnapping you. But I’m now salvaging that.”

My eyes widened at his words, and I was feeling slightly nauseous at what his words had implied, “What do you mean you got rid of your dad?”

“You always were a bit thick, weren’t you, Gia? I mean exactly what I said. I tampered with their car and they crashed and died. I overheard Dad talking about changing his will and cutting me out; I thought I had some time, but he’d already done it.”

I was horrified, and it must have shown because the next thing I knew Navy was drawing me back to lean against him.

Julian had continued rambling, but I couldn’t understand all of what he was saying. I wondered if he was using again. He’d had an issue with drugs when he was younger and had been sent to rehab. It seemed like he may have slipped back. I was brought back to our call by him demanding, “Gia, Gia, are you listening to me, you fucking waste of space always ruining everything.”

Navy tensed behind me, and I could hear him grinding his teeth as he tried not to say anything. Patting the hand he’d rested against my belly when he’d wrapped his arms around me. This was nothing compared to some of the stuff Julian had said to me. I didn’t let it bother me — it was like water off a duck’s back. The easiest way to deal with Julian was to stay calm. Speaking evenly keeping my voice soft I answered him, “I’m listening, Julian, what do you want and where’s Tristan and Derek?”

Julian cackled, “Why, little sister, I want what is owed to me. I want your money. The ten million that Father left to you that should have been mine. You get me that and I’ll let our little brother and his new play toy go. Although the big guy isn’t looking too good. So, you’d better hurry.”

My heart clenched at the thought of Derek being injured. I knew that Tristan would be devastated if something happened to Derek because of us.

Realising that Julian was about to end the call without telling me what I needed to know about where to drop the money, I rolled my eyes, he was so far gone he didn’t seem to realise he wasn’t completing his sentence. Behind me, Navy had his phone out and he was frantically typing out messages.

“Julian! Julian!” I shouted to get his attention. “What?!” he growled.

Continuing in a softer tone, “You haven’t told me where to bring the money.” Although why he wanted cash was beyond me, it would have been better to just do a bank transfer, but I wasn’t going to say anything as it would buy us time to find out where he was holding Tristan and Derek.

“Bring it to the house. I’ve told you this already, Gia. You don’t listen.”

Jesus, how far gone was he? He hadn’t said anything like that at all.

“Okay,” I agreed. “I’ll bring it to the house, but can you at least tell me where Derek and Tristan are, especially if Derek is hurt? You don’t want him dying on you and the police getting involved.”

Julian mumbled something else, but I couldn’t catch what it was. Trying once more, my worry was that pushing him may cause him to clam up, and I needed to find out where he had them.

“Julian,” I beseeched gently, “where is Tristan?”

“Why I put him in your favourite spot, little sister. Do you remember it?” He cackled. “You loved it when I locked you down there, except the bloody nanny always used to let you out before you’d been punished enough.”

With a last laugh, he put the phoned down on me. Slapping a hand over my mouth, I rushed to the bathroom, just making it before I threw up. But at least I knew where they were and how we could get them out.

Navy followed me, wetting a facecloth, he lay it on the back of my neck before running another one under water, squeezing it out and handing it to me. Sitting down on the edge of the bath, I buried my hot face in the coolness of the cloth, wondering how the hell someone could be like this about money.

Navy threaded his fingers through my hair, slowly running them through before starting again. Leaning over, I rested my head against his belly.

“It’s going to be okay, sweets,” he reassured me.

Tilting my head up, I gazed into his clear blue eyes, “Oh, I know,” I agree with him. “I know where they are, and we can get to them before he even realises. My worry is Derek; I don’t know how badly he’s injured.”

Navy helped me up from the bath, drawing me into his arms, not seeming to be put off by the smell of vomit that permeated from me.

“Come on, let’s get you washed up and changed, then you can fill us in on where you think they are. Blaze, Cairo, and Bond are on their way back to us. Skinny got a hit on Julian’s card in your hometown and they started off an hour ago.”

Nodding in agreement, I went to the sink and scrubbed my teeth before changing into the leggings and T-shirt I’d set aside for our journey home. Once I was dressed, we went downstairs to find most of the family congregated. Once Vi and George were sent out, Navy filled them in on the conversation I’d had with Julian. Knowing it would upset my Gram, I was as gentle as I could be when I told her what he’d said about his father.

“I’m sorry, Gram.”

Gram smiled a little tearfully, patting my hand, “No need for you to be sorry, my love. It’s me that should be sorry that I managed to birth a son such as I did and for his son to be just like him. If anyone’s to blame, it’s me.”

“Nobody’s to blame,” Navy interrupted. “Sometimes bad blood will come out no matter what and money is a great motivator for greed. Now, Gia, tell us what he meant about having them in your favourite place.”

Grimacing at the thought of them knowing that Julian’s favourite game was locking me in places he thought I couldn’t get out of, “Julian used to love tormenting me as a child and would often lock me up in cupboards, trunks, the cellar you get the picture.”

Navy growled out, “I’m going to fucking kill him.”

Patting his hand, “Don’t worry, it ended up being a good thing,” I placated him before continuing. “Anyway, one of the places he locked me up in was a little room just off the cellar. I was twelve the first time it happened. I was panicked, knowing no-one would think to look for me down there and I knew Gram and Tristan’s nanny would look for me because they were well aware that Julian liked to mess with me. I’d given them all the usual places but this one was new.

“It took me hours of investigating and it happened by accident that I even found it. I was pressing along the wall when I felt fresh air coming in. It’s very well hidden unless you know where to look. One of the bricks in the wall is slightly smaller than the others and when I pressed against it a door opened. Not very big but definitely big enough for a person to crawl through. So that’s what I did. You don’t have to crawl far before it opens up into a wide tunnel that leads out into the woods at the back of the house about a mile away. Every time I knew he was going to lock me up, I’d make a big fuss and cry about not wanting to go into the dark room. He thought I hated it but in actual fact I loved it, because I’d wait an hour or so, then I’d crawl out. He always thought the nanny or Gram let me out and I never disillusioned him about it. That’s where he’ll have put them. Now the good news is that I can get in from the outside; my worry is getting them back out, especially if Derek is injured. Never mind them fitting through the crawl space as it was dug when men were built smaller.”

Taking a deep breath, I let it out on a sigh now that I’d gotten it all out.

The anger in the room was palpable at everything I’d gone through as a child; my Gram knew most of it, but not all of it.

“Fucking bastard,” Hope seethed. “I’d like to get my hands on that cocksucking, motherfucking bastard and lock his arse up to see how he likes it.”

Laughing softly at her words, I patted her hand, “Don’t worry, Hope, you may still get the chance.” Turning to look at Navy, I raised a brow, “When are we leaving?”

Picking up his phone to check on something before he replied, “In an hour. The boys will be here by then and it will be dark. Do you think you can find the entrance in the dark?”

“Yep,” I replied, “I know those woods like the back of my hand.”

“Okay,” Navy acknowledged, “Let’s get sorted, the boys are bringing gear with them, but Hope can we use some of your handguns and do you have a first aid kit we can use?”

“Absofuckinglutely,” Hope agreed, getting up from the table.

An hour later, Navy, myself along with Cairo, Blaze, and Bond were on our way. Reaper and the other brothers would be coming but were a little behind the others. Not wanting to wait as we didn’t know how bad Derek was injured, we’d decided to head out. It was only Julian, and I knew that Navy could handle him in his sleep.

Navy had opted to take two of the four by fours rather than bikes as we didn’t want Julian to hear us coming. It wasn’t long before we were on the road leading up to the main house.

“Slow down,” I order Navy as I lean forward. Navy slows the car down to a crawl as I search for the small speed limit sign that used to be on one of the trees. I hope that it’s still there. Just as I’m wondering if I missed it, I see a glint on a tree up ahead of.

Pointing at it, “See that sign up ahead on the tree, just before it is a service road into the woods. Pull into that. We’ll have to go on foot from here on out.”

Navy follows my orders without a qualm, making me happy he’s not one of those men that has to make himself feel like the bigger man by questioning me.

We turn off the main road and drive along until I see the oak that fell down years ago in a storm. Tapping Navy’s thigh, “Stop here, Navy.”

Once the car comes to a standstill, I open the door only to stop when Navy growls, “I’ll come around and get you, sweets.” I’d been so focused on getting to where we needed to that I’d forgotten that he liked to help me out, especially when the vehicle we were in was as high as this one.

Patiently, I waited for him to come round and get me. Taking the hand he held out, I slid silently out until I was standing next to him. The others were walking quietly up to us. It was at this point that I realised how in sync they all were. I hoped I’d be able to be as quiet as them when we walked in the woods.

“Right, sweets, this is your show. You know where you’re going. We’ll follow along behind you. Do we need to worry about dogs?”

Shaking my head, “No, there’s never been dogs. It’s not far from here. Just the other side of these trees.”

“Lead the way but go slowly. It’s dark and I don’t want you falling,” Navy cautioned.

“Okay,” I promised, walking towards a hidden path. It was a lot more overgrown now than when I’d used it as a child, but I managed to find all the clues I’d notched into trees along the path after the first time I’d used it, knowing even then that Julian would lock me in again. Although at the time I’d never thought that I’d one day be using them to find my way in the dark on a rescue mission.

But I’m glad I did because this path looked very different at night and as well as the trees being bigger than they had been. Landmarks were a little different now.

Before long, I could see the lights of the main house in front of us. Coming to a stop in the tree line, Navy came up behind me, wrapping his arm around my waist.

“Where to now, sweets,” he whispers close to my ear, making me shiver.

I point over to the right, “The entrance to the tunnel is over that way. Here.” Taking my old house keys out of my pocket, I hand it to Navy. “These are the keys to the front and the back doors. If you go to the left and around that big oak over there, you’ll come to the side of the house. I don’t know if he’s armed the alarm, but the code used to be 7789. He may have changed it, but I doubt it because he’s lazy. Do you have the map I drew you of the house and how to get down to the cellar?” Navy pats his jacket pocket. “Can I have Cairo go with me as he’s the smallest of you and may fit in the tunnel?”

“Yeah, that’s fine, sweets. Stay safe and I’ll see you on the other side,” Navy presses his lips to my temple. Cairo comes up next to me as we watch Navy, Bond, and Blaze as they seem to disappear into the darkness.

“Ready?” I ask, tilting my head to look up at Cairo. His teeth flash in the darkness as he smiles at me, “Lead the way, milady,” he teases gently. Giving a little snort of amusement making me wonder what is wrong with me that I’m finding anything humorous at a time like this. Hoisting the strap of the first aid bag higher on my shoulder, I walk through the trees to where the entrance to the tunnel is, and I nearly step on it before I see it. Dropping to my knees, I brush the dirt off the doors and find the lock, twisting it, and I cringe at the noise it makes as I pull the doors up and lay them flat against the forest floor. Taking a torch from my pocket, I cup my hand over the end as I switch it on, dimming the light slightly as I start walking down the stone stairs, shuddering in disgust as spider webs brush against my face. When I’m at the bottom, I turn and light the way for Cairo, waiting for him to pull the door closed behind him. Once he’s at the bottom of the steps, I turn and walk along the dirt until I get to the hole in the wall that was the way into the cellar.

Looking at the size, I wonder if I’m going to fit in it. My hips are a lot wider now than what they’d been when I was eighteen.

‘Ah, well nothing for it but to try,’ I thought.

Decision made, I push the first aid kit into the tunnel, take the strap holding the flashlight and fit it to my forehead. I love that these guys were boy scouts, they have all the cool tools. Turning back to Cairo, I ask, “Can you give me a boost?”

Indecision on his face, he looks at the tunnel, then me, then back the way we came. Sighing deeply, he nods, because he knows as well as me that if he left me, I’d be in danger anyway and if he went first, my back would be unprotected. Best to take me with him and have me go first.

Bending, he cups his hands, stepping on them I bit my lip to hold back a squeal as he just about tosses me into the tunnel. Not wasting any time, I start pushing the bag in front of me and leopard crawl along. My heart pounded a few times when I thought my hips were going to get stuck but having Cairo behind me made me push on. I knew that I’d have bruises tomorrow, but it was a small price to pay to get to my brother.

Brushing another spider web away, I shuddered with disgust. The feeling of them crawling all over me wouldn’t go away until I had a shower. I don’t remember there being so many down here when I was a child, or maybe they just didn’t bother me as much as they do now. I guess spiders were better than rats, though.

The door couldn’t be much farther; this was definitely easier when I was a child, and I was a hundred times fitter. Just when I thought the tunnel was never going to end, I saw the small door ahead. The lever at the side was as rusted as I remembered, and I hoped that we would be able to still use it.

Pressing my ear up against the door, I tried to listen to see if there was anyone talking but it was silent.

‘Fuck, I hope I hadn’t messed up and brought us all this way for nothing.’

With nothing left to lose, I pulled down on the rusty lever and the bricks gave way enough for me to see into the room. The relief that filled me when Tristan’s surprised gaze met mine wasn’t something that I could describe.

He was sitting propped up against the corner of the room, Derek leaning up against him, both of them covered in blood. Hurrying, I pushed the first aid bag through and let it gently drop the half metre or so into the room, I followed it in a slightly more ungainly manner, crawling out until I had room to stand.

Cairo followed me not long after. “Fuck,” he muttered, rolling onto his back, “if I wasn’t claustrophobic before I am now.”

“What the hell, how did you even know where we were?” Tristan asks with soul felt relief in his voice.

Cairo turns over quickly assessing Derek and the amount of blood on him. Standing up, he grabs hold of the first aid bag and hurries to Tristan’s side. Looking over his shoulder at me, “Are you going to be okay to keep watch, G?”

Taking my handgun from my holster, I check it and nod, standing with my back to them, ready for whoever comes in the door next while I listen to the conversation behind me.

“What happened?” Cairo wants to know.

“We’d gone to my house because I needed to get some more clothes. We were just getting ready to leave when Julian and three other guys appeared out of nowhere. Only Julian had a gun and he was waving it around. Honestly, he wasn’t making much sense, I think he was high on something. The next thing I know, he's pointing at me and lets off a shot. Derek, the idiot, grabbed me and pushed me out of the way and got hit instead.”

I can hear the tears in Tristan’s voice as he tells his story. “They were just lucky that it was the middle of the afternoon and most of the people on that street would have been in classes. Anyway, the three guys with him start to panic, there’s shouting, Derek is bleeding, and I’m trying to stop it when one of them must have hit me on the head. When I come to, we’re in here. I tried to stop as much of the bleeding as I could but I’m not sure if it’s enough. The bullet is still in there. I figured that this was it and that we were going to die here when you guys fell through the wall. How did you even know about it?”

“It’s a long story,” I answer over my shoulder. “I’ll tell you once we get out of here.”

“That’s as much as I can for now,” Cairo warns. “We need to get him to Rea as soon as possible. Hopefully, the others won’t be much longer.

Standing back up, he walks past me and puts his ear to the door to see if he can hear anything. But I know from experience that the door is solid metal and thick, not much can be heard from the other side.

Cairo steps back as the handle grates loudly as it turns. “Don’t shoot, it’s me,” Blaze calls through the gap before opening the door wider. “The calvary is here,” he grins at us. Bond standing next to him but no Navy.

My eyes search behind them, before my gaze swings back to theirs, my brows raised in query.

“He’s fine,” Bond assures me. “He’s clearing the rest of the house. He asked that we get you guys back to the car. We’ve driven one to the back of the house, but we’ll have to walk back for the other one.”

“Okay, you guys take Derek and Tristan and get them medical help. Cairo and I’ll go back to the other car and wait for Navy.”

Once Bond and Blaze see the shape Derek is in, they waste no time in lifting him up and get him out the door. Tristan follows along slowly, then me, with Cairo bringing up the rear.

It’s still slow going, even though they assured me the house has been cleared, they’re still cautious getting us out of there. It seems to take forever but eventually we are at the car and loading Derek and Tristan in.

“I’ll see you as soon as I can,” I assure my brother, kissing his cheek and shutting the door, tapping the side of the car as it drives away. In the distance, I can hear the deep thrum of bike exhausts. Looks like the rest of the MC is here. Turning back to Cairo, he’s reading something on his phone. He replies, before taking my arm and pulling me away from the house. The bikes have gone silent.

“Come on, Navy’s on his way and asked that I get you back to the car.”

Knowing better than to argue because if it’s one thing I’d learned in the short time I’d been with these guys was that they didn’t mess around when it came to safety. And if Navy wanted me away, then there was a reason for it. Hurrying back to the car, I got in the passenger seat as Cairo put it in reverse and drove us away towards the road. We came to a stop when we got to the long line of bikes parked along the road. Rea was one minute standing next to the car carrying Derek and the next she was in it and they were gone. I felt better knowing that they had her with them.

Reaper came to my door, opening it, his gaze concerned, he asked, “Are you okay, Gia?”

“I’m fine,” I assured him, just as a loud explosion sounded and the house we’d just been in blew up. Navy comes crashing through the woods towards us a wide grin on his face, and he’s shouting, “Go! Go! We need to get out of here before the cops arrive!”

“Fuck’s sake,” Reaper muttered. He quickly shut my door with a bang as the rest run, laughing, for their bikes, started them and disappearing down the road. Navy grabbed the back door and swings in, slapping Cairo’s shoulder, sounding way too gleeful shouting, “Hit it, brother!”

Cairo shakes his head and does as Navy says. Looking over my shoulder, I can’t help but smile at the almost boyish look of happiness on his face. Cairo guns it until we reach the main road. Once we are on it, he slows down to the speed limit. We’re about fifteen minutes away when the first fire engine passes us. Then the next.

A part of me wants to ask what happened, but the other part of me thinks that maybe it’s better if I don’t know.