Page 103 of Broken Warrior
What the fuck am I getting myself into?
CHAPTERTWENTY
TATE
Wringing my hands together,I pace Dori’s kitchen while she stares at me.
My sister and the other girls are all seated around her island—well, the four of them are, Dori is too big to get on a stool so she’s sitting in a dining chair—just watching me wear a path in the new floor as I bounce between worry, fear, and anger.
I’m still so fucking angry at Fin.
I understand what he did, why he felt the way he did in the moment, but it’s not an excuse. I swear the man was looking for a way to sabotage our relationship because things were going so well, and I hate that he used what happened to James as a way to do that.
But Idounderstand it.
I don’t have to like it though, and I really fucking don’t.
Aside from being furious with him, I’m terrified and so worried I’m sick to my stomach.
My poor sweet baby boy is gone, trapped alone with the monster he’s scared of. James must be so scared right now, but he won’t show it. No, my baby will be brave and strong, he won’t show any fear, and he’ll be hoping with everything he’s got that Fin will come rescue him.
Which is something else that has me seconds from a panic attack.
Fin, while I know he has a plan, is acting on emotions right now. Everything he’s doing, it’s all fueled by a combination of self-hate, fear, rage, and the deepest love for my son—our son. Acting on that kind of lethal concoction is dangerous. It’s not really smart, to be honest, but nothing would have changed that even if he hadn’t left the way he did. And I know Fin can handle himself, that all of the Kings can take care of themselves and each other, but I can’t help worrying about him and wondering if he’ll come back to me in one piece.
Gino Valetti is a monster and he will destroy everything in his path to get what he wants.
And right now, he wants me.
That’s what this is, after all.
He never gave two shits about James, not from the time I told him I was pregnant right up until we left, but when it was convenient, Gino played the part he needed to and he’d use my baby to do it.
Four years of listening to Gino threaten to take James away from me or hurt him if I didn’t do what he said is proof enough.
And that’s what this is right now.
Gino wants to smoke me out, get me to leave the safety of the club and come find James on my own. I know him better than he realizes and I know that’s his plan. I’m his property—we both are—and Gino does not like being stolen from.
“I have to go,” I say as I stop pacing and look at the girls. “I have to go wherever they are. Gino isn’t going to give James back without a fight, and if I’m not there, there’s no telling what he’ll do to my son.”
Dori wipes at the tears in her eyes as she shakes her head. “I know, Tater, but you can’t go. Not just because we don’t know where they are, but if you go and get hurt…” She swallows hard. “You can’t, Tate.”
But I’m shaking my head too. “I have to. Gino isn’t going to let James go unless I’m there. He won’t. But he’ll trade me for him. Gino will let James go with Fin and the guys if I’m there, and then they can get my baby to safety before they come find me. It’ll be ok, I know it will. If they just trade me for him…”
“Tate, honey, I know you want your baby home safe, but that’s what Spider and the guys are doing.” Sofie leans forward with a soft smile. “This is what they do. They’ll get James back and bring him home safe without you having to ever see Valetti again. You just have to trust that.”
I shake my head as I continue pacing.
I do trust that.
I trust Fin and everyone else in the Wulven Kings, but this is my son we’re talking about.
Trust doesn’t actually play a factor in anything I’m feeling right now, and honestly, not having me there when I know Gino better than anyone else that’s looking for him seems stupid.
For over half my life I’ve been dealing with him. I know how to talk to him, how to act. Reading Gino is practically a second language for me at this point, so I refuse to believe I’d be useless. Hell, I’m willing to be a bargaining chip so long as my baby gets out ok.
Sitting here at my sister’s house with the girls while Zak and Sam play guard dog is going to drive me crazy. And it’s not going to do anyone any good.
