Spawn Chapter 20

My need to jump out of the car and take Paden Gallagher as soon as I spotted him warred with common sense. I knew we couldn’t risk taking him in broad daylight, but it was almost impossible not to do it. Only the threat of getting caught and being separated from Kimera, along with not wanting to drag four of my brothers down with me, stopped me.

The drive to the Highwaymen’s compound was silent. I think we were all lost in our thoughts—I know Kimera was. I held onto her hand as she stared out the window. I wanted to talk to her, but I didn’t want an audience. It was as we were entering their compound that I saw tears in her eyes.

“Babe, we’re here,” I said.

She jerked, and when her gaze met mine, I saw the pain there. I took off my seatbelt and slid over to wrap her up in my arms. She leaned her head on my chest. “Babe, it’s gonna be alright, I promise you. He’s not getting away. Gravel will stick to him like glue. Once we talk to Stallion and his guys and get our plan finalized, we’ll go tonight. It’s almost over,” I whispered to her. I could see Crusher watching us with concern in the rearview mirror.

“I know you will. It’s just seeing the house and him. It brought back all the things that happened. His parents were so upset and mean to me when they found out. They called me a liar and a bitch, and within a week, they had my social worker come and pick me up. I had no idea they were doing it until she showed up and told me to pack. I thought they cared for me, but it was a lie.”

Her sobs broke my heart. She’d suffered enough. I hadn’t said anything to her about my other side project but maybe it was time I did. I raised her head so I could see her beautiful face. I wiped the tears away. We were now parked outside the clubhouse.

“They’re just as guilty as he is in this. They hid it. Don’t tell me there weren’t signs or even niggling doubt somewhere in the back of their minds about him. They let him probably continue to do it to other girls. They’re not getting off scot-free.”

Her eyes widened as she sat straighter. “What does that mean?”

“They’ve been living quite a nice life since you left. They moved to another place, into a bigger and fancier house. They have luxury cars and take really nice, expensive vacations. I think they should know what it feels like not to be able to do all those things. To live how you did, especially when you had to support yourself and go to school.”

“You’re planning to take their money, aren’t you?” she asked. I tried to tell if the idea bothered her. By the look on her face, it didn’t. She was almost smiling, and her tears had stopped.

I smiled at her and nodded. “Damn right, I am. You and I can figure out who should get it.”

Without missing a beat, she answered. “It should be something that benefits foster kids. I can do some research and see what’s out there. It might be vindictive of me to like this idea, but I don’t care. They refused to even consider I was telling the truth. I know he’s their son, but they still should’ve at least checked into what I told them. What about his money? Does he have any?”

I grinned. “Not as much as his parents, but yes, he does well for himself. That’s why I think it’s weird he didn’t take any out of his accounts, but his parents did, and there’s no trail to show what they used it for, which makes me think it was given to him so he could stay off the radar. Im not sure why. He doesn’t know we’re after him. He’s up to something else.”

“Hey, I hate to interrupt, but Stallion is staring at us. I think he wants to know why we’re here without calling first,” Tinker said.

I glanced over to see Stallion staring out the clubhouse door. “Okay, let’s go. Babe, I’m not sure if Phoebe or Mara are around. We’ll talk to Stallion and then probably at some point have church. I don’t think they’ll allow you in. Will you be okay by yourself in the common area?”

As I asked, Crusher and the others piled out. Crusher opened her door. She got out with me on her ass. She nodded. “Yeah, I’ll be fine. You go do what you have to. I want this done so we can start the new year clean and get on with our lives.” She took my hand. I placed a quick kiss on her lips, then headed over to greet Stallion. He had a worried look on his face.

“Sorry for dropping in like this, Stallion. I should’ve called, but we were taken aback by what we saw. We automatically headed here. We’ve found Gallagher, and Gravel is watching him. I’d like to see if we can make our move tonight.” I informed him as I shook his hand.

A smile spread across his face. “That’s the best news I’ve heard in a while. Come on in. Kimera, honey, you look like you could use a drink. What would you like?” he asked as he waved the prospect behind the bar out of the way when we got inside. Stallion stood there waiting for her order. It was a weekday, so the others were probably all at work. We’d have to wait until they got off, which was a bummer, but it couldn’t be helped.

“I’ll have a shot of whiskey. Would you happen to have any Jameson? If not, Jack Daniels works too.”

I was surprised. I’d never seen her drink. I guess seeing that bastard had rattled her big time, not that I could blame her for being upset.

“The lady asketh, the lady getteth Jameson,” he said with a wink and a smile. It made her laugh softly. He reached under the bar and brought out a bottle. He raised his eyebrows. “What about the rest of you? Is the lady drinking alone, or will you share her poison? I plan to.”

“Hell yeah,” Crusher muttered. Sandman, Tinker, and I all nodded yes, too. Shot glasses were set up, and he poured. In his case, it was a to the brim kinda shot pour. Those were the best. We all took one, but no one drank. Stallion held his up.

“A toast to making a disgusting, raping bastard pay for his crimes and to a future free of him. Let’s show him what he gets when he messes with one of your old ladies. Sláinte.”

I knew that was the Irish way of saying “health.” We all repeated it, then drank. I thought Kimera might take a few tries to get hers down, but she surprised me by shooting it. She grimaced a tiny bit, but there was no choking. My brothers teased her.

“Will you look at that? Kimera is a bigger badass than I thought. She drank that like a pro. You’ve been keeping your talents hidden from us,” Crusher teased her with a wink.

“She sure has. She’s a secret party animal, I bet,” Sandman added as he gently elbowed her.

“She’ll have to be a drinker to put up with Spawn,” Tinker added.

“Hey, I’m not that fucking bad,” I objected.

She burst out laughing. “You’re all insane, you know that, right? Just because I can take a shot doesn’t make me a party animal, and I haven’t been hiding it. As for needing alcohol to put up with Spawn, I don’t see that happening. It’s true. I rarely drink. I like to keep my wits about me, but I trust you guys to look out for me, so I relaxed.”

“We’ll always watch out and protect you, Kimera. You never have to worry about that not happening,” Tinker told her soberly. The other two nodded. I rubbed her back. She knew I had her back.

“I know, and it means the world to me. So, what’s next?”

Stallion answered that one. “Next, I get my guys’ asses back here, and we sit down and get this party started. Kimera, Mara should be home by now. I’ll see if she can come by and keep you company while we plan. Phoebe will be here later with the kids if she knows you’re here. They don’t get out of school until three, and she’s working today.”

“Don’t go to any trouble. I can hang out here and read. I know you guys have stuff to figure out. They don’t have to come to keep me entertained.”

“It’s no trouble. They’ve been talking about how much they enjoyed the other night. They told my guys to get off their asses and find themselves women like you so they have more company. It’s been fun to watch them all try to run when it happens. The dumbasses don’t know what they’re missing. A good woman can make a man. I’m not ashamed to say it. I want my boys to find a woman like their mom and you. They have time, but she’s ready for the grandbabies. If you know of any, send them our way,” Stallion told her with a wink.

She giggled. “I don’t, but if I do find any, I’ll send them. That is if they want to come here. If not, I’ll send them to Spawn’s single brothers. The Punishers still have several single ones.” She glanced at Crusher, Sandman, and Tinker.

“Oh hell no, don’t get any ideas, woman!” Sandman squawked.

“I wouldn’t say no if she were the right kind,” Crusher said, surprising me.

“I’m not looking, but thanks,” Tinker said quietly. He had a frown on his face. His answer took me back. I knew for a fact he’d talked before about finding someone. What changed? When this was over, I’d have to get him alone and see if he’d tell me.

“I accept. Now, have a seat. If you want more to drink, he’ll get it. If you’re hungry, help yourself to whatever is in the kitchen. I’ll be back. Just gotta go make some calls and send out the bat signal,” Stallion said right before he headed toward a hall.

From our tour the other day, I knew he had an office down there. I think most presidents kept one in the clubhouse, whether they had a house nearby or not. We moved over to one of the tables. The prospect, I think his name was Zach, came over to us as soon as we sat down.

“I’m Zach, by the way. Just let me know what I can get you. I think there’s some leftover chili in the kitchen, and if they haven’t eaten it all, there’s some cake Mara made. I can get you some if you’re hungry.”

“Thanks, Zach, I appreciate it. I’m not hungry. I can use a beer. Babe, what about you? Have you eaten?” I asked Kimera.

“I’m not hungry, but I’d take a drink, only not more alcohol, not yet. Can I have a soda? Anything other than Pepsi, please,” was her answer. The others quickly gave him their orders. It seemed none of us was hungry at the moment. Nodding his head, Zach hurried off to get them.

“I wonder how long he has left to prospect and if they’ll patch him?” Sandman mused.

“Ask him when he gets back. From the little I saw the other day, and now, he seems a good sort. Hopefully, he’s been a good prospect,” I said.

“What do you guys look for when they prospect, which determines if you vote them in or not?” she asked curiously.

We launched into what our club looked for. She listened intently. We were interrupted by Zach returning. As he passed them out, I asked him. “So, how long have you been prospecting, and how long will they make you do it around here? Our club usually does it a year, although sometimes it goes longer. Unless they’re crap, then we cut them loose early.”

“I’ve been here nine months. I was told they make you stay at least a year. Like you said, if you’re not cutting it, they let you go early. I’m hoping since I lasted this long, it’s a good sign.”

“As long as you keep up whatever you’re doing and don’t fuck up big time, you should. You look a bit older. Mind if I ask what you were doing before you decided this life was for you?” I asked next. I was always interested in what brought men to our lifestyle. The reasons were plenty.

“I’d always seen them around town when I was growing up, and they fascinated me. However, when I turned eighteen, my dad said I had to go to either school or the military. I chose the Army. I spent eight years with them, and then I had enough. When I got out, I decided I was going to see if they’d take me. I lucked out, and they did. Griller offered to be my sponsor. He said he knew my dad, which I didn’t know. He’s gone now.”

“Hey, I was in the Army too. I learned a lot, but I had to finally get out, too,” Crusher told him. They exchanged fist bumps. Before we could ask him more questions, Stallion came back. Like a good prospect, Zach faded away. He went back to the bar. Stallion sat down with us.

“I see Zach has been taking care of you. Good. Listen, the guys are wrapping shit up, and they’ll get back as soon as they can. When they all get here, we’ll have church. Mara is coming, Kimera. She should be here in the next half hour. She was in town running an errand, but it’s done. Whiskey said Phoebe would head over after she got the kids from school so you wouldn’t be alone. I think that’s all until later.”

“Thank you. I appreciate it, and I’m looking forward to talking to them again,” she told him.

“I have a question for ya. Have you put any more women in their place since that night?” he asked with a twinkle in his eye.

She laughed hard as she shook her head. “Not in the last couple of days, but the day isn’t over. I’m thinking of putting a bag over him that covers him from head to toe.”

This set off my brothers and made Stallion grin like a maniac. “Baby, there’s no bag for me unless you do the same. I have to put up with men lusting after you all the time.”

“No, you don’t! Men don’t do that with me.”

“Sure we do. I mean, hell, if Spawn hadn’t called dibs first, I would’ve seen if you and I could’ve made a go at it,” Crusher chimed in.

I knew several of my brothers would’ve been happy to go after her. She seemed shocked. She truly didn’t know how attractive she was. I wasn’t worried, though. Once a woman was claimed, none would poach.

“Really? You think not. I bet we could go home and ask the guys, and you’ll see. Crusher isn’t the only one. However, since I was the lucky one and got to you first, he and the rest know you’re off-limits. If I were stupid enough to let you go, which I’m not, there would be a line forming. Although I’d have to kill them,” I said with a snarl.

“You know we would never do that. I don’t want to die or have my whole existence wiped out. Sorry, Kimera. You’re gorgeous but not worth that,” Sandman said.

“I don’t blame you. It’s sweet of you guys to say it, but I still think you’re nuts. I’m nothing special.”

“Yes, you are,” I told her.

Just as I said it, the door opened, and Stone came in. This began the next hour. As more and more of the guys joined us, we told them what happened. They gathered around and had a drink. We talked about several things but nothing in depth about our plans for Gallagher. Mara showed up, too, and took Kimera off to talk. By the time we were ready to go to church, Phoebe and the kids arrived, and they were talking at a corner table. I went over to tell her we were going in. She nodded, and I gave her a kiss.

“Don’t worry, we’ll take care of her. I’m gonna take her to our house. If we’re not here when you get done, have Stallion bring you to the house,” Mara said.

“Thanks, I will. Have fun.”

“I plan to,” was Kimera’s comeback.

Walking into their church, I looked around. The door had been pointed out on our tour, but we hadn’t gone inside. It was set up like most MC churches, I think. A big table with lots of chairs. On the wall behind Stallion’s spot at one end of the table hung a huge flag with their club’s emblem and name on it. There were pictures of current and what I assumed were past members on the walls in frames. I felt right at home. My brothers and I waited until we were shown where to sit. Sitting down, we all looked at Stallion. The room got quiet.

“Now that we’re all here, and thanks for getting here before the end of the day, let’s talk. We all know what happened to Kimera, Spawn’s woman. We’ve offered him whatever help he needs to take care of the issue. I said in my text we have an update. Spawn, tell them what happened earlier today.”

I didn’t delay in telling them what she did and how we saw Gallagher by accident. They all muttered excitedly when they heard it. I finished by telling them Gravel was watching him. His last message simply said he was still at the house.

“Yeah, let’s get this bastard,” Tats uttered as he rubbed his hands together.

“How do you want to do this, Spawn?” Stone asked.

“Assuming he stays in the house, then we’ll have to wait until he’s asleep and go in. There are houses all around him, so we’ll need to do it on the down low and with as few as possible. My brothers and I can do it. It’s getting him to a place where no one will hear his screams or disturb our time with him. You said you had a place. How far away is it?”

“It’s about an hour away, and it’s in the middle of nowhere. There are no neighbors for miles to stumble across us. If you’re sure you don’t need our help to nab him and transport him, we’ll head out there while you take care of him. We’ve taken the liberty of getting it ready for our entertainment a while back. Since you flew, we knew you couldn’t bring toys of your own,” Stallion said with a smirk on his face. The others all chuckled darkly.

“What about Kimera? Is she going to stay here?” Tinker asked me.

I gave Stallion a chin lift. “Is that okay with you? I’d rather she not stay alone at the hotel. She’ll stew on it enough as it is.”

“We’ll be glad to have her. She can stay with Mara. It’ll be late, so why not have her stay the night? You’re more than welcome to stay with her, too, although I don’t know if you’ll be done working until well into the morning. Mara will love the company.”

“Thanks, I appreciate it more than you know. I’ll tell her. We’ll have to go back and grab her things, but we have to go to the hotel anyway.”

After that, it was just talk about what we would take and how we’d get into his house. Getting in would require me to do some work to see if there was a security system registered with one of the local security companies and, if so, figure out how to bypass it. That would require me to have my laptop. We took a short break so I could get things started. Sandman volunteered to run back to get my laptop at the hotel. I had him take Kimera with him to get her things after I explained the plan. She wasn’t thrilled to be left without me tonight, but she understood the need and agreed to do it.

I sent them off while we continued to talk. Crusher or Tinker would fill him in while I worked. At some point, we’d have to tell Gravel what we planned. I didn’t want to pull him off Gallagher and risk him getting away. I wanted to know what the hell he was doing in that house. His family sold it. The title transfer I found was for a family named Kilpatrick. As far as I had found, they had no connection to the Gallaghers. I hated mysteries.

After Sandman came back, I set up in an empty room in the clubhouse to do my work. Before I got started, I checked on Kimera. She was doing fine with the ladies and assured me she was okay. They were busy at the clubhouse cooking for everyone.

I worked as fast as I could. Since we were on a deadline, I reached out to Outlaw in Hunters Creek to see if he could help me check some of the security companies. He said sure, then the next thing I knew, I had all the rest of them helping. I hadn’t wanted to bother them, but this was what I loved about being part of an extended MC family. They were always willing to help. Even Diviner came to give me a hand. That was when I learned he was the Highwaymen’s hacker slash computer guru or whatever you wanted to call it. His club name made sense now.

He joked his brother was the mechanically inclined one while he was the opposite, but he could do some work on his own bike, he told me. We sat there tapping away and muttering back and forth. While I drank coffee, he was drinking energy drinks. More power to him. I couldn’t stand the taste of them.

We took a short break to eat dinner, and then we were back at it. I hated to leave Kimera alone for so long, but I had to do this. Gravel kept reporting hourly. So far, Gallagher had gone out to grab dinner and then came back home. He ate alone. As nightfall came, Gravel took a chance and snuck through the dark to recon his house. He said he was inside watching television and drinking beer. He promised to text when all the lights went out in the house. That was our cue to head over to take him in an hour. Surely he’d be asleep an hour after turning out the damn lights.

In the end, none of us could find a security company that was monitoring his address. This was good news. It meant we didn’t need to worry about tripping it. I planned to cut the electricity to his neighborhood, and the phone lines would be jammed. I could do it remotely and then turn it back on when we were done. The days of having to do it manually were over. Everything was going digital. In some ways, it was good, but in others I worried. As much as I loved the digital world, it scared me, too.

We were set. I got to spend about an hour with Kimera, and then we were back at it. This time, it was making sure we had all the equipment we needed. When we left to go to get him, Stallion and his guys would be off to the location that they found for us. He’d shown us the spot on a map. I’d scoped it out using Google Maps and other tricks I had. He was right. It was out in the middle of nowhere. They’d be waiting for us there. His prospects were staying behind to keep a watch over their compound, the ladies and the kids. They didn’t expect trouble, but it was a precaution we all took.

It was midnight, and we were sitting around the common room. Some were playing pool. Sandman was trying his hand at the pinball machine. A couple was playing darts, and the rest were talking. My phone chimed. I glanced at it as my heart sped up. It was Gravel.

Gravel: Lights just went out.

Me: Good. Stay there. Will join you shortly.

Gravel: Got it.

When I looked up, everyone was staring at me. “It’s almost time. He turned out the lights. My guys and I will roll out in fifteen minutes,” I informed them.

“We’ll leave when you do. Take your time. If something comes up and you can’t grab him, let us know, and we’ll find another way,” Stallion offered. I gave him a nod.

I turned to Kimera. She’d joined me not long ago, but she had been quiet. I saw her fidgeting, so I laid my hand on hers. “Babe, there’s nothing to worry about. We do this all the time. Just think, by morning, it’ll be over.”

“I know, but I still worry. I wish I could go.”

I jerked in surprise. This was the first time she’d said that. “You never said anything about wanting to go. Why the sudden desire?”

“I’ve been thinking. Troian told me no details, but she was there when you took out her cousins, and she said she needed it. It made it real for her. She asked if I’d want to do it. I told her I didn’t know until the time came. Well, it’s time, and the more I think about it, the more I don’t know if I can face not giving him a piece of my mind. Will I be able to relax and know in my soul he’s gone if I don’t see him die? Not that I think you’ll lie to me. It’s just a case of seeing is believing, you know. God, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be telling you this now. Forget it. Go do what you need to do. I’ll be here when you get done.”

The others had gathered as she talked and heard the gist of what she said. The Highwaymen were exchanging worried looks. I could understand. They had shot down the idea of Sonny coming along, which I knew would happen, and I didn’t blame them. He was an outsider. At least we were part of their MC world. My brothers had more contemplative looks on their faces.

“Kimera, honey, you know I’ll give you just about anything in the world if it’s within my power, but I’m not sure this is one of those things. What if you can’t forget what we do to him? Or it makes you scared of me or my brothers? I can’t risk losing you over him. I know Troian seems to have done fine with it, but her doing it doesn’t mean you need to.”

“Do you think she’s stronger than me?” was her immediate response.

“No, I don’t. You’re very strong, or you wouldn’t have made a life for yourself after what he did. You didn’t turn to drugs or alcohol. You didn’t hurt yourself or even kill yourself. You came here to help find him without backup.”

“Spawn, I know it’s more between you two, but if you’re worried about what we think, I have no problem if she wants to come. If she ends up not wanting to watch it or only part of it, then one of us will bring her back. I think she deserves the chance to face her tormentor,” Sandman said out of the blue. Crusher and Tinker nodded their heads, yes.

“It’s not just us we have to worry about,” I reminded them. The Highwaymen would be there, and although it was unlikely they’d get a chance to touch him, they might not want a woman seeing it. Even knowing about it, they could see it as a risk.

“I don’t need to go. Forget it,” she said.

“I don’t have a problem if she wants to go. Do you have your old ladies participate in stuff like this?” Stallion asked, raising his brow.

“A few and other clubs we know have had it happen. Sometimes, just to tell the people off, a few have gotten their hands a bit dirty and others very dirty. It’s not expected,” I explained.

“Hell, if I had an old lady and she wanted to get her licks in and she could handle it, I’d have to think about it,” Abyss mused.

Others murmured. Not seeing another way around it, I laid it out: “It would have to be a unanimous vote, babe. I don’t like it, but I can understand why you want to do it.”

To my surprise, when each Highwayman was looked at by Stallion, every one of them said yes. I was sure some would vote against it. I glanced at my brothers. All three said yes. That left Gravel. I called him.

“What’s up, Spawn?” he asked as he answered. He was talking softly.

“Kimera wants to come. I told her it has to be unanimously yes from all of us and Stallion’s guys. I need your vote.”

He was quiet for about a minute, then he answered me. “I don’t want her to see him, but I know it helped Troian to be there. If anyone deserves to see this, it’s her. Hell yeah, bring her.”

“I’ll tell them. See you soon.”

I hung up and faced them. “It’s unanimous. Let’s get you ready. There are a few things you’ll need, and I’ll go over the rules on the way,” I told her. She nodded. God, I hoped I wasn’t making a mistake.