I didn’t argue. I was just as eager as he was to find out if our president was okay. Menace and I stayed low as we made my way back over to the hatch. I took a few steps down, then scanned the area for any potential threat. I didn’t see or hear anything which was troubling. We’d seen several men enter the building, but I had no idea where they’d gone. I carefully made my way down the stairs, then started towards the bar. As I got closer, I spotted one of them sprawled out on the floor. He was up on his elbows, pulling himself towards the front end of the truck. I crept over to him and placed my gun at the back of his head as I said, “Going somewhere, sunshine?”
“Fuck you.”
The guy tilted his head up to look at me, and that’s when I saw them—the huge fucking gauges in his ears. As much as I wanted to pull the trigger and blow the motherfucker’s brains out, I’d given Country my word that I’d save the asshole for him. When I turned to Menace, I saw that he had his Glock aimed at the guy’s head and was about to pull the trigger until I said, “Hold up. Already promised him to Country.”
He nodded, then slammed the butt of his gun into the guy’s head, knocking him out cold. Just for safe measure, I took off my belt and used it to secure his hands behind him. We’d just started to drag him over to the corner when Lynch walked in. “What the fuck are y’all doing?”
“Don’t ask. Just help us get this motherfucker out of the way.”
Doing as he was told, Lynch came over and helped us drag the guy over to the corner. Once we were done, I asked, “Where are the others?”
“Axel and Bear were covering the window in the kitchen, and Viper went to check on Shotgun.”
“Alone?”
“Yeah, but there wasn’t...”
I didn’t wait for him to finish. Instead, I took off down the hall towards Shotgun’s holding room. I knew long before I got there something was wrong. Hell, I could feel it in my bones as I raced down the hall only slowing when I came across two bodies sprawled out on the floor. Seemed Shotgun had run into some trouble. I just prayed he was able to hold his own as I made my way up to the two-way mirror. Dread washed over me as I looked through the glass and found that Grant had a bullet wound to the head, and one of those motherfuckers in black was standing behind Viper. The asshole had the barrel of his gun pressed against Viper’s temple, and Shotgun was standing across the room with his gun aimed at the stranger’s head. They were at a standoff—each refusing to lower their weapons. Startled by the sight, Lynch muttered, “Oh, shit.”
“Stay here.”
“Wait...you’re going in there?”
“Damn straight I am. Just do like I said and wait here.”
My president’s life was in danger, so I had no choice but to enter the room. With my gun drawn, I eased the door open, and as soon as I stepped inside, the man in black glanced over his shoulder and smiled. “Well, hello there, Widow. We’ve been waiting for you....”
Chapter 16
Frankie
“It’s important for you to set clear expectations for Corry, and if he fails to meet those expectations, there should be clear and set consequences. It helps set boundaries and provides structure, which is something both you and Corry need. It helps you both know where you stand.”
“I understand.” Corry and I had met with Dr. Archer together several times over the past few weeks. Dr. Archer thought it would help Corry through some of the hardships that came with having PTSD. I understood Corry’s anxiety. I had my own issues with that, but the fact that he was withdrawing and avoiding contact with others was concerning to me. I’d brought that to Dr. Archer’s attention, along with how I was worried about the horrible state of Corry’s room and how concerned I was he might be using again. I felt like all of it together showed his state of mind wasn’t in a good place. I desperately wanted to make things better for Corry, so I did my best to take his advice to heart. “I can definitely work on that.”
“You are a people pleaser, Frankie. Part of that is just your nature, but some of that comes from the abuse you sustained during your marriage. You said yourself you did everything you could to appease your ex-husband in hopes that it would prevent a blowup. While it might be beneficial to others, that kind of mindset can make things very difficult for you.”
I didn’t respond. Instead, I glanced over at Corry as I his words sink in for a moment. My son looked like he was a million miles away as Dr. Archer said, “I know you struggle with how hard your ex-husband was on your boys, and you often take it easier on them because of it. You have to remember there’s a fine line between making things easier for your kids and failing to give them the discipline they need to thrive.”