Savior

Rand

"You doing okay?" I asked as we undressed for bed. Hanna had been subdued all night, her worries and frustration weighing her down.

"I guess. I feel like I let Garrett down."

"Don't! Don't even go there! You haven't let anyone down. You've been in there scratching and biting for him the entire way. I don't think he could ask for a better mom."

She snorted. "Some mom."

"You need to stop!" I barked. "I know you're worried. Hell, I'm worried and he's not even my kid, but feeling sorry for yourself accomplishes nothing. Nothing! You need to believe you're going to get him back because before this is over, there may be a time when you have to believe in yourself."

"I do!"

"Do you? Do you really?"

"I'd do anything to get him back!"

"That's not what I asked. I asked do you believe in yourself?"

"What do you want from me!" she cried, throwing her shirt into the floor.

"I want you to believe in yourself, believe that you'll see Garrett again, and soon." I paused as I tried to figure out how to reach her. "Look, when I race, I believe I'm the fastest man there and I'm the guy everyone else has to beat, so when I get on the track, I race with confidence. No hesitation, no holding back, no second-guessing. As far as I'm concerned, so long as I run my race, I'll win. I don't care what everyone else is doing." I paused, looking into her eyes, trying to make her understand. "This isn't a race, but it's the same thing. I need you to believe you're going to get your son back so when the opportunity arises, you can do what you have to with no hesitation and no second-guessing. I need you to believe it because I believe it."

She held my gaze for a long moment. "I do," she whispered.

"Are you sure?"

She again held my gaze for a long moment. "Yes. I'm sure." I pulled her close and kissed her on the forehead. "Will you just hold me tonight?" she murmured into my chest.

"It'd be my pleasure."

As we settled onto the bed, she snuggled in close, and I kissed her on the forehead again. Neither of us said anything for a long time.

"Do you really think I'll see Garrett again?" she whispered into the darkness.

"Yes."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I'm not leaving that little boy with that bastard."

"But if he bolts..."

I shook my head. "He won't."

"How can you be sure?"

"Because he hasn't gotten what he wants yet." She nodded slowly. "He doesn't know you're here, and he doesn't think we know anything about who he is or that he has Garrett. He's going to be looking for us to come at him from the right, and I'm going to sneak in from the left... and when I do, I'm going to kick his fucking ass."

She was quiet for another long moment. "There are four of them."

"Yeah, and there are thirty-two... thirty-one of us."

There was another long pause. "Promise me that you won't do anything to get Garrett hurt."

"I promise you this," I said slowly, "I'll treat him like he's my own son. You have my word."

I didn't think she was crying, but she sniffed. "Thank you."

I kissed her on the head again and waited for sleep to take me.

-oOo-

The buzzing of my phone slowly pulled me from sleep. Trying not to wake Hanna, I slid my phone to me from the shelf over the bed and glanced at the time and the caller. Nothing good was going to come from Doug calling me at 3:12 in the morning. I took a deep breath and wiped my face.

"Hello?" I mumbled into the phone.

"Rand, Doug. OSB has been torched."

I slowly slipped my arm out from under Hanna and moved quietly to the front of the trailer. "When?" I whispered.

"They're putting out the last of the flames now. No way this is a coincidence."

"No. What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to ride out there with me. Bryan is pissed. I don't blame him, but we don't have the manpower to cover every possible situation. He respects you more than any of us, and I can use the backup."

"Gee, thanks. Okay, give me thirty minutes and I'll meet you there."

"Thanks, Rand. I owe you."

-oOo-

"You told me you could protect us!" Bryan snarled, the red strobes of the firetrucks making him appear even angrier than he already did.

Doug nodded. "Bryan, I'm sorry about OSB, I really am, but I had to make some choices. There was a man at your house tonight, and he'll be there every night, to protect your family. Would you rather me have put the man on OSB and have something happen to Donna or your kids? The building can be replaced, your family can't."

"I put my life into this business," Bryan growled. "I'll be down for months, not to mention missing out on the special event in a few weeks."

"Bryan," I said softly. "I understand you're upset, but did you expect this? We sure as hell didn't. Why would they burn you out if they wanted to buy a stake? And why so soon? They were here just yesterday. They didn't give you much time to think about it, did they?"

"No," Bryan admitted, deflating slightly.

"This is pure terror tactics," I continued. "They didn't like you trying to set them up, and they did this to send a message. I predict they'll be talking to Bill and Greg in the next day or so, and I'll bet good money they'll back after your doors open again to make you another offer... with the expectation you might be a little less defiant the next time. What we have to do is protect what's important, and that's your family."

Bryan glanced between Doug and me. "You're right, but it still pisses me off. I've got insurance, and I can probably find some warehouse space somewhere, but this is a real kick in the balls. Some of my people are going to have a lot of extra time on their hands for the next few weeks. If you can use them to catch these bastards, they're yours."

"Thanks, Bryan. That's what I want to hear," Doug said. "We need to rally the town to shut these fucks down."

Bryan nodded again. "You can count on me. I'll start spreading the word on what happened. The Chief told me there's no way this place could have gone up as fast as it did unless an accelerant was used."

Doug nodded. "Go home, Bryan. Help Chisholm keep your family safe."

"If you catch them, I want to be there."

Doug shook his head. "No, Bryan, you don't. You don't get mixed up in that. It's better that way."

I put a hand on Bryan's shoulder. "I already have an ax to grind with that Carl asshole. After I get done kicking the shit out of him for myself, I'll do it again for you. How's that sound?"

Bryan held my gaze but didn't smile. "Will you at least send me a picture?"

I slapped the man on the back. "Consider it done."

-oOo-

"Shouldn't someone have called?" Hanna asked as we puttered along in her Beetle.

I didn't know if the Orcas were still in Bayport, but when I'd returned home, I'd roused Hanna and we were out looking for Carl's Harley. Since her car wasn't a total pile anymore, we'd taken it so if we found Garrett, we wouldn't have to depend on anyone else. More... it allowed Hanna to feel like she was doing something.

"If they know. There're a lot of bikes pouring into town now that the weather is warming up. All Vince told people was to watch for men with the Orcas patch. If they aren't showing their colors..."

She yawned. It was just before sunup and we'd on the road for over an hour, ducking into motel after motel parking lot. She'd been eager, excited even, to go, but the short night was wearing on us both.

I pointed and she turned into the parking lot of our next destination and began the slow circuit of the building. I banged my hand against the dash when she slammed on brakes. "That looks like it!" she cried, pointing to an off-white Softail Deluxe illuminated in the headlamps.

"Are you sure?"

"No, but it looks like it. See, it doesn't have the backrest thing like the other bike did."

I drummed my fingers on the dash a moment. There were three other Harleys with it, the hogs lined up like soldiers at attention.

"Okay," I decided. "Let's roll the dice," I said as I pointed farther down in the parking lot so they wouldn't have to ride past us to exit. "Park over there so we can watch and see who comes out."

She drove to where I was pointing and backed her Bug in before turning off the lights and killing the engine. Now we were just another guest's car. Without saying a word, our eyes never leaving the group of bikes, we settled in to wait, watching to see who came out of the rooms.

-oOo-

"Hanna! Wake up!" I said, giving her a nudge. It was just before eight and one of the doors in front of the motorcycles was opening. A man I was pretty sure was Carl stepped out of the room, a tall, big breasted, brunette wearing tight jeans and a plunging blouse to show off her rack stepped out behind him, a little boy holding her hand.

"What?" she asked, pushing herself more upright in the seat. "That's him! And Garrett!" she cried, the grogginess in her voice gone as if it'd never been. She started to open her door.

I grabbed her arm. "No! Sit tight."

"But this is our chance!"

"No! There are five of them and only two of us." I pulled out my cell and dialed, my eyes never leaving Carl as he rapped on three other doors. Three more men and another woman stepped out of the rooms. "Doug. Rand," I said before he could say anything. "I've got them, but they're about to go on the move. There are six of them, four men and two women. Hanna's little boy is with them. I'm going to follow them, but I need some backup."

"Got it!" Doug said. "Steph! Wake up!" he continued, his voice much fainter. "Call everyone and start rounding up the brothers. Just do it! I'm back," he added, his voice once again strong and clear. "How'd you make them?"

"Faith and perseverance, brother," I said smiling at Hanna. She reached for the key but I stilled her hand. "Not yet."

We watched as the Orcas made ready to roll. Carl put a tiny helmet on Garret, which would have been cute if the stakes weren't so high.

"Oh, hell no," she snarled, once again starting to open the door.

I grabbed her hand and yanked it back. "Not yet!"

"He's not riding my son on a motorcycle! He's only five!" she snarled as she tried to jerk her hand free. "Let me go!"

"Stop it!" I growled. "You're going to get us spotted!"

"But my—"

"And if they spot us and run, then what?" I snapped. "We won't be able to keep up in this thing. The best we can hope for is we lose them, but what if we push him and he crashes?"

She glared at me, her eyes full of anger. "So we're just going to sit here while they ride away?"

"That's right. Then you follow them while I tell Doug where we're going."

"But what if I lose them?"

"Don't," I said simply.

"But... but... what if I stall the car? What if—"

"Remember what I said about you believing in yourself? Now's the time. I believe you're going to do great. You need to believe it too."

She held my gaze a moment and then nodded, her jaw tightening as Carl looked at himself in the bike's rearview mirror before he straddled the bike. One of the two women climbed on behind him, then Garrett scrambled up to sit between his knees. The woman leaned in tight and wrapped her arms around Carl and Garrett, Garrett's small hands gripping the bike's handlebars tightly. A moment later, the four bikes thundered to life. As they pulled away, rumbling to the exit, I nodded at Hanna. She started her car and slotted it into gear.

"We're leaving the Dew Drop Inn on the 101," I said as they pulled out of the parking lot, "headed South." We followed for a moment. "You're too close. You need hang back a little more."

"I'll lose them!"

"You're not going to lose them. Try to keep a car or two between us and them." Her lips thinned, but she did as I asked. "A little more."

Ahead a light turned yellow. The Orcas pushed the light, but the car in front of us forced us to stop.

"Fuck!" she screamed as she gripped the wheel tight and repeatedly threw herself against the seat. "I fucking told you we were going to lose them!"

"Just calm down!"

"Where are you?" Doug asked.

"Still heading south on the 101, headed back to Bayport."

The light turned green and Hanna raced the engine. The car in front of us slowly pulled away. I saw her eyes flicking side to side as she searched for a way around. "Go, you fucking bitch!" she screamed at the car in front of us.

"Calm down!"

"Don't fucking tell me to calm down! We may have lost them because of you!"

As we approached the next light, I saw four Harley's waiting for the light to turn green. "See," I said calmly. "There's nowhere for them to go except the beach, and I don't think that's where they're going."

She glared at me, said nothing, but the moment she could she quickly switched lanes and raced ahead of the car that was blocking her.

"Still on the 101, but we're coming into town," I murmured into the phone. My attention switched to Hanna. "You're crowding them again," I warned her.

She glared at me, but she backed off a little. Carl and his entourage began slowing. We were in the wrong lane, and she began looking franticly over her shoulder, clearly looking for a way to get into the same lane to make the right.

"No! No! Keep going!" I hissed as they banked into Casey's Kitchen.

"They turned!" she snarled, still trying to force a hole in traffic.

"And we know where they are! Keep going!"

"Fucking shit!" she snarled, downshifting and flooring the car, trying to get ahead of the car to our right as we passed the restaurant.

"Doug, they stopped at Casey's."

"We'll be there as quick as we can."

Hanna jerked her car into the right lane as I end the call, still accelerating as hard as her Bug would before slowing rapidly and tossing the car into a strip mall parking lot, the car lunging and bouncing over the humped entrance.

"You need to calm down!" I snapped.

"Fuck you, Rand! I'm getting my son back!" she snarled as she started racing down the edge of the parking lot, back toward Casey's.

"You can't get back there this way."

She wasn't listening. I reached over and jerked the car into neutral. The engine raced and she didn't understand why until she realized what I'd done. She tried to put the car back into gear and I slapped her hand away.

"You fucking bastard!"

"Listen to me!" I snarled as I slapped her hand away again. "You need to calm down and listen!" She slammed on the brakes and made to open her door. I reached across her and slammed it shut again, holding it by the handle. "Stop it!" I roared. She cringed back from me. I held her gaze for a long moment. "You need to chill the fuck out! Got it?"

She nodded, her eyes still wide. I released the door. "Listen to me," I said more calmly. "This won't help Garrett. You read me?"

Again she nodded. "Okay. Now, here's what we're going to do. We're going to turn around, and we're going to calmly drive back to Casey's. You're not going to drive like a wild woman, understand?" She nodded. "Good. Once we get there, we're going to park so we can see their motorcycles, then we're going to wait, got it?" She nodded again. "Once the brothers get here, we're going to go in there and get your son back. If you don't calm down, you're going to fuck this up, got it?"

She looked at her feet. "I'm sorry."

I turned her chin so she had to look at me. "It's okay. I know you're scared and worried, but it's almost over now. As soon as the BRMC gets here, we're going to get Garrett back to you. Now, do you have your shit together?" She nodded. "Are we going to do what I said?" She nodded again. "Okay, good. Now, let's go get your son"

She did as we agreed, we parked in Casey's parking lot where we could the Orcas' bikes, and we waited.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you," she murmured after a long moment of silence. "I'm just so scared I'm going to lose him again."

"I've been called worse," I said softly, "and we're not going to lose him."

"What if you club doesn't get here in time?"

"They'll be here."

"But what if—"

"I said they'll be here..." I repeated firmly, cutting her off. "If they don't make it, we'll follow them to wherever they go next." I paused a moment. "Remember what I said about believing? We're getting him back, right here, right now."

She nodded slowly. I could see the fear, and tears, in her eyes, but the tears didn't fall. "Okay," she whispered.

I kept glancing at my phone, checking the time. It seemed like it took the BRMC forever to arrive, but according to my clock, it was less than twenty minutes from when we parked until I heard the wail of high-performance motorcycles approaching. Moments later, the BRMC turned into Casey's parking lot. We opened our doors and stepped out, silently announcing our presence. The BRMC, a dozen strong, rolled to a stop all around us and their engines fell silent.

"They're still inside?" Doug asked as my brothers began removing their helmets.

"Yeah," I grunted, wishing I'd brought my weapon. I didn't expect to need it, but having it would make me feel better.

"Let's go kick some ass," Vince said making sure his jacket covered his pistol.

The BRMC entered as a group, pausing while Hanna scanned the busy restaurant.

"How many?" the hostess asked.

"We're joining someone," I said as Hanna nudged me and then discretely pointed. "I see them," I muttered with a nod. I took a deep breath. "Let's go," I said, leading the way since only Hanna and I knew what our quarry looked like, the rest of the Riders silently following with hard faces. "They would be right in the center of the fucking dining room," I muttered to her as we approached.

The BRMC surrounded Carl's table. "We need to talk. Outside," Doug growled.

"Mommy!" the beautiful little boy called and started to get down from the table as Hanna reached for him.

"Don't!" Carl growled as one of the Orcas' put an arm between Hanna and the boy. "Finish your pancakes."

The boy looked crestfallen but complied.

"Just let me have my son," Hanna whimpered.

"Looks like the squids have arrived," Carl sneered. "Now we can have sushi."

"We don't want to make a scene," Doug warned. "Outside."

"Or what?" Carl said raising his voice. "You going to kill us?"

That brought quiet to the dinning room. "We just want to talk."

"No," Carl said loudly. "I don't believe we want to step outside with you. What, thirteen on four, which doesn't seem fair, does it to you?"

"Just give Hanna her son back. We'll deal with you later," I growled.

"Her! The jailbird? I don't think so."

Carl was pissing me off, being loud and calling attention to the situation. I muscled in and started to pick up Garrett. Carl grabbed a knife off the table and held it low and out of sight but pointed at Garrett's side.

"It's okay, son," Carl said loudly, glaring at me. "I'm not going to let the bad man take you." He lowered his voice to just above a whisper. "I'll gut him right here before I let you take my son."

"You wouldn't dare!" Hanna whispered, her face colorless.

Carl sneered at her. "You, of all people, should know, you fucking bitch. You think you can take him away from me? I'll kill him first, then I'll kill you."

The situation was rapidly getting out of hand. "Enjoy your breakfast," Doug said, taking a step back.

"No!" Hanna wailed, lunging for Garrett.

Carl jumped to his feet and backhanded her savagely. "Get away from him, you bitch!" he snarled as Garrett began to shriek in terror. The tables around us began to clear, people scrambling out of the way as the Riders began to move in. The Orcas came to their feet, knocking over chairs and tables, their guns coming out as they rose to point at the BRMC.

"Enough!" Doug roared. He glared at Carl as Garrett shrieked in terror, reaching and calling for Hanna with his eyes wide. "You lowlife piece of shit, threatening a little boy. Somebody call the cops. We'll let them handle it."