I flinched. I hated that Jamie had to hear his cruel words. If only I could cover the boy's ears.

"Daemon, let's talk. There has to be a way we can fix this between you and Cobra without anyone getting hurt. Let Jamie go." I lifted my chin. "If you really believe you are the boy's father, why on earth would you treat him this badly?"

He smiled at me. G.o.dd.a.m.n smiled.

"To get to his mother. My brother is too much of a p.u.s.s.y to fight his own battles. You on the other hand-you have fire in you. The kind of fire I crave in a woman and have never found in anyone but you. I want you, Alessandra."

I shook my head. "I call bulls.h.i.t. You only want me because I'm Cobra's, and you can't have me the way he has."

Daemon turned to the man with the gun, s.n.a.t.c.hed the weapon from his grip and dismissed him with a wave of the hand as he stuck the gun into the front of his boxer shorts.

"How you'd love to pull the trigger? I can see it in your eyes. You'd love to see a hole through my c.o.c.k, wouldn't you?"

I snorted. "Your head and your heart too," I agreed. "You don't deserve the air you breathe."

"Now see, that kind of talk turns me the f.u.c.k on. Feisty. Unafraid. G.o.d, you'd be perfect for the kind of f.u.c.king I have in mind."

Chapter 42 - Cobra.

A light turned on at the far end of the building. Could that be where Mia and Jamie where? Why did I have this gnawing feeling that something dreadful was happening? I wasn't like Ryder, yet my own instincts were screaming in my head, urging me to get inside.

If Mia could get past the cop and Ryder without being seen, I should be able to do the same. I'd sneak into the back yard and jump fences until I found the right place. It was probably how Mia had managed to get past all of us.

Just as I made my way to the side gate I'd seen earlier, I had to hide behind a bush as another vehicle turned up and parked behind Savage. Summers and his men. f.u.c.k, why not just put a bulletin on the news that they were raiding the place tonight? This wasn't the way we bikers took care of business.

Quick in, quicker out.

Leave no witnesses.

It had always been Malone's motto, one he'd drummed into me for years. "No point in delaying the inevitable. Never stretch a battle out. It gives the enemy too much time to think. Strike hard, and strike fast. If they don't see it coming, you're halfway to winning already."

I had no problem striking hard and fast. It was my preferred modus operandi. But there was more at stake here-it wasn't just any battle. It was f.u.c.king personal. And the lives of two people I loved and would die for were on the line.

The wind howled and caused trees to sway and bend over. Lightning lit up the skyline once again and thunder followed shortly after. That meant the storm was getting closer. I pulled the hood of my jacket up to fend off the rain that pelted down on my face.

While Ryder and Savage and the other cops were sitting in the warm and cozy comfort of their vehicles, s.h.i.t was going down inside. I wished I could knock on Ryder's window and get him to come inside with me, to cover my back as he always did. But of course, I couldn't. f.u.c.k, I'd even take Razor here with me tonight.

Fear gripped my insides. I'd be a f.u.c.king liar if I didn't admit that I was s.h.i.tting myself about what I'd find once inside. If Daemon found Mia before I did, he'd have a field f.u.c.king day. He'd use my wife against me.

We'd both learned that from Malone, too. Hit a man where he is weakest. Find his Achilles heel and make him suffer. f.u.c.k.

It was a no-brainer what my weakness was. Daemon? I wasn't sure what his could be. It dawned on me that there was nothing that Daemon cared about enough to have as an Achilles heel. Double f.u.c.k.

In a way, I felt sorry for my twin. Having nothing to care about could only be an empty life. Grat.i.tude for having the love of my life and two beautiful offspring filled my heart. I had a reason to live-a reason to breathe. And a reason to die.

Jumping fences wasn't meant for a muscled body like mine. Although I was reasonably fit, I struggled to clear the higher ones, falling on my a.s.s in the mud of a huge front yard. Cars were parked in the long driveway and filled the yard. There was definitely something going on there judging by the thumping music coming from inside.

Maybe Ryder's sense of intuition had rubbed off on me, because my blood ran ice cold as I sensed that Mia and Jamie were inside.

Making my way around the building, I looked for an entrance. It had been a long time since a lock could keep me out. I'd learned from the best in juvie, and it was a skill I was plenty grateful for as it often came in handy.

I found a door on the side of the building. Locked. Voices booming beyond the door. Too risky. Keeping close to the wall, I kept going until I found a back door. f.u.c.k me if it wasn't standing wide open, slamming against the outside wall as each gust of wind took hold of it. The rain came down in sheets and blurred my vision, but I was pretty sure there was no one around, so I slipped inside and hoped for the best.

I stood still for a while, just listening and trying to figure out which way to go. Next thing I heard a man and woman approaching, so I ducked behind an open door, holding my breath in hope that I wouldn't be discovered.

"Christ, boss took my f.u.c.king gun. I hate when he does that," the man complained. "It's my f.u.c.king weapon, and I should be the one handling it."

"Baby, stop whining. I don't care about the gun." Her nasal voice was irritating as f.u.c.k. "Who is the woman? Demon has a thing for her-I can tell. Did you see how he couldn't take his f.u.c.king eyes off her? d.i.c.k didn't even realize I was there."

"Just as well he was distracted. You being there could get me into serious trouble with the boss, and believe me, it ain't fun."

Demon and Mia. f.u.c.k, he'd found her already.

He has a gun.

"Don't you think the way he said he was gonna f.u.c.k her was d.a.m.n hot? Why don't you ever talk dirty to me like that, baby? Girls love it, you know."

He gave her a slap on the a.s.s and then pushed her against the wall. In the dim light coming from the hallway I could make out that she was virtually naked and without underwear under the skimpy top that barely covered her a.s.s. I didn't have time for this. The last thing I wanted was to watch them f.u.c.k against the wall.

"What you want me to say to you? I can talk as dirty as any guy."

"Ugh . . . if you have to ask it's not s.e.xy. And Demon's voice when he speaks to her is like a low growl-like he's the lion and she's the prey. Now that's s.e.xy as f.u.c.k."

She hooked her legs around his waist. "I'm going to f.u.c.k you raw b.i.t.c.h," he said which only made her giggle. Seconds later, the sound of wet kissing, bodies pounding and heavy groans followed. It sounded as if he was making good on his promise.

Hopefully they'd both be too busy to notice me, so I crawled from behind the door all along the wall in the direction they'd come from. I had to find Mia.

Demon talking dirty to my wife was not s.e.xy at all. I'd make him eat his f.u.c.king words. And if he hurt her or Jamie, I'd skin him alive.

Chapter 43 - Mia.

Although Jamie was light as a feather, my muscles strained as I stood with him in my arms. There was no way I was letting go of my boy, even if my arms felt numb.

How was I getting past Daemon? Every cell in my body was ready for flight or fighting. I'd prefer leaving, but it was clear he wouldn't let me walk out of here without force. Physically I was no match for him, so I'd have to bargain with him instead.

"What exactly do you want, Daemon? Tell me what it will take for me to get Jamie out of here alive." My voice was strong and confident, although inside I fear roiled in my gut. What would this man ask of me? Would I be prepared to pay his price? A man like Daemon would demand no less than my f.u.c.king soul.

Daemon took a step closer again, running his hand over my hip. He gripped my waist and smirked. "You'd be prepared to negotiate for the boy's life? I'm impressed. That's selfless of you, Alessandra."

"Mia," I corrected him. I knew his stubbornness to use my old name had to do with the fact that Cobra had given my new name to me because it had a specific meaning. "Mia, because I belong to the man who gave me the name. I belong to Cobra."

His eyes narrowed and he clenched his teeth, his fingers digging deeper into my skin. "You'd do well not to remind me of that," he hissed.

He was right. I was playing with fire, taunting the man who held my and Jamie's lives in his hands. Yet I needed him to understand that although I was prepared to strike a bargain with him, it wouldn't change how I felt in any way.

Yeah, I was prepared to make sacrifices to protect my loved ones. My husband and my son. The club and all the brothers. It would be a small price to pay for their wellbeing.

"Tell me what you want, Daemon. Let's settle this for once and forever."

Without hesitation, he answered, "I already told you what I want. I want you. In my bed. As my lover. Doing everything I ask of you." He cupped my chin and raised my face so I had nowhere to look but into his eyes. "Are you ready for that, Alessandra? Can you give yourself to me to save your boy?"

I sucked in a ragged breath. Why, of all the women on the f.u.c.king planet, would he want me? Because I was out of his reach? It didn't make sense.

"I have demands of my own," I said, staring him squarely in the eyes.

He threw back his head and laughed. "See, that's exactly why I want you. You are in no f.u.c.king position to be making demands, but that doesn't stop you. G.o.d, I can't wait for you to be mine."

"Only if you meet my conditions. Otherwise, no deal."

"There's nothing to stop me from shooting you and the boy this minute. Killing my brother's wife and kid will give me great pleasure, and be the perfect payback. Why should I care about what you demand?"

"Because you're smarter than that. Because giving me what I want gets you what you want."

"So you'd give me what I want? You'd stay in my bed and be my wh.o.r.e?"

"Yes," I breathed. My head was spinning and my heart beating a thousand miles per hour. This was crazy. f.u.c.king insane. For now, it was also the only way out. If I agreed to what he wanted, I could bide my time.

Please G.o.d, let Harrison come busting through the door and to put an end to the madness.

"So out of interest, tell me what you want in return. Not that I'm promising anything; I'm just curious."

I took a few deep breaths. Holding Jamie was costing me all my energy, and mentally sparring with Daemon was exhausting. I didn't have a right to make demands but f.u.c.k if I wasn't going to try my best to stall him. If I had to sacrifice myself, I wanted something in return.

I closed my eyes for a moment to gather my strength. "You spare Jamie and Cobra. You lay off the Scorpio Stingers. You and I move away from California. You guarantee that you'll never lay a hand on my family again."

"Such big demands, Alessandra. You are asking me to give up on the only thing that's kept me alive for the last few years. Do you really think you are worth all that?"

"Yes, I am. I'm worth that and more. You can have my body. I will do anything you want. Anything." I licked over my lips. My mouth was dry and my throat had closed so I could hardly breathe.

"What guarantee do I have that you won't run back to Cobra the first chance you get?"

"The same guarantee that you will keep your word for your side of the bargain."

"That means nothing. No guarantee at all."

"Precisely. It means we'll have to trust one another. A foreign concept to you, I'm sure."

He lifted a hand to strike me. I flinched, but the blow never came. Instead I heard Cobra's voice bellow from the doorway.

"Don't you f.u.c.king dare hit her," Cobra yelled. I blinked a few times to make sure I wasn't hallucinating. He stood in the doorway, a gun pointed at Daemon.

"Step away from her, motherf.u.c.ker, or I'll blow your f.u.c.king brains out."

Daemon turned to Cobra and in that moment of distraction, I lifted my knee and connected with his b.a.l.l.s. Daemon screamed, folding over, while I tried to get away from him. But he was too fast. He grabbed hold of my ankle and brought me down to the ground with him. I clutched Jamie to my chest to break his fall and twisted my body so I'd hit the floor with my hip first.

Pain shot through my hip and leg as I hit the cold concrete. My head cracked against the hard stone, causing stars to float across my vision and a bolt of white-hot agony to shoot through my brain.

In an instant Daemon was on top of me, the gun magically in his hand and against my temple, his breath hot and labored against my skin. Jamie sobbed, his little body shaking against mine.

"Shoot me and she dies too," Daemon shouted, his eyes wild. "We'll go f.u.c.k in h.e.l.l."

"You're a sick f.u.c.k," Cobra roared as he came a few steps closer.

"Shoot him! End this f.u.c.king nightmare," I cried. Bone tired, I'd had enough. My life flashed before my eyes and I liked most of what I saw. I'd been blessed with a good life. I'd had it all. The love of a good man-two beautiful children. An adopted family who loved me. If giving my life meant Cobra and the kids lived happily ever after, I was okay with it.

I closed my eyes to wait for the end.

"Hang on a f.u.c.king moment," Daemon roared on top of me. "You made a deal with me, b.i.t.c.h."

"Do it, Cobra. Shoot him!" Inner peace washed over me.

Dying was the easy way out. If I stayed alive and kept my side of the bargain, I'd be dead inside anyway. Everything that mattered would've been stripped from me. A bullet in my skull was far more merciful than what Daemon had planned for me. I knew what I'd promised him, and I knew he would extract a toll from my body that drove me to the edge of reason. I'd despise myself and wish I were dead anyway.

Daemon rose to his feet, and grabbed Jamie from my arms. He pressed my child to him and held the gun to his little head. Mortified, I screamed so loud that I could have woken the dead from their graves.

It was all in vain. Daemon had all the power. If he killed Jamie . . . G.o.d, please, no.

I lay on the floor, momentarily defeated.

"Put down the gun, p.u.s.s.y. See what happens when you send a woman to do a man's job? It gets f.u.c.ked up, brother."

Tears brimmed in my eyes as Cobra slowly leaned over to place the gun on the floor, his gaze never leaving mine as he mouthed the words sorry, baby. He hesitated for a moment, then straightened up again, leaving his weapon on the ground.

Daemon cackled out loud like a madman. "Now you're all going to die together and leave Isabella an orphan. I'll adopt her-become her loving uncle, if you know what I mean." He wiggled both eyebrows and smacked his lips together. "I'll train her young."

Bile rose in my mouth. My will to live was restored instantly when he threatened my daughter. Through all of this I'd thought she was at least safe. If I were dead, I couldn't protect her.

"Wait," I pleaded. I had to try one more time. Dying like this was not an option. "Remember our agreement? I'm ready to leave with you now, Daemon. Help me up, let my son and Cobra go, and we'll leave together."

Daemon's gaze snapped to mine.

"Yeah?"