Sighin’, I get back to work. The emails I found glare at me from the screen. They’re sellin’ her on Christmas feckin’ mornin’. These sick bastards are evil personified. They all deserve the feckin’ wrath of Monster. And I’ll gladly help.
I knew evil was out there. I find it daily while searchin’ the dark web. But this is somethin’ else. Tradin’ in human lives as if it’s nothin’ more than a transaction of livestock. They’re talkin’ about these women as if they’re possessions.
I’ve always considered Einin mine. Since the moment I realised I loved her. But the idea of buyin’ her, of goin’ into an auction and biddin’ on someone makes me sick.
Monster reaches my office just as we’re about to leave. “Tye,” he says my name with a grave tone. “When we get in there, I don’t want ye puttin’ yerself in danger. We work as a team, a family.”
“Aye.” I nod with conviction.
“If the shite hits the fan, and we need to leave, we feckin’ walk out,” he tells me. “Do ye understand me?” I’ve seen him give orders to the men before a ride out, but I’ve never been the focus of his command, not for a long while.
I look right into his eyes and nod. “Aye, I understand.”
He squeezes my shoulder, a form of affection from the Pres who is always so serious. There are times I’ve seen him soften, but it’s only when he’s with Miren. The brothers see him when he’s workin’ mostly, which means his warmth is reserved for moments like these. “Grand. I don’t need ye gettin’ yerself killed.”
“I’m not gettin’ myself killed today, Monster.” All I can think of is holdin’ her. Once I’ve freed Einin, she can focus on a future that was stolen from her.
“Right then. We don’t need to lose ye.” He stares at me, and a small grin forms on his mouth, as if he’s happy with my answer, but stops. “And neither does she.”
The thought of leavin’ Einin doesn’t sit well with me. My gut churns with anxiety. “I know. My focus is on gettin’ her away from that bastard. I’ve done nothin’ more than think about her for six feckin’ years, and now is the time to do somethin’ about her bein’ hurt. I always thought of myself as her protector.”
“And ye will be. It’s the same way I feel about Miren. Ye’re a good lad, Tye.” He slaps me on the back in a show of camaraderie.
When I joined the club, Monster was the one person who vouched for me before everyone else. I met him in a bar in Belfast one night. He was drownin’ his sorrows in a pint of Guinness while I was hittin’ the Jameson. We talked about shite that didn’t delve too deep—football and bikes. But I could tell he was hurtin’ and I’m pretty sure he could see right through my façade.
That’s when he asked me if I needed a place to stay. It was then I found my new family. He took me in and welcomed me along with the rest of the club. The brothers never questioned him. They took one look at me, and I became one of them.
Three months later, I patched in as Tech. And I’m still there. I can’t see myself leavin’ anytime soon. And that’s what worries me. If Einin decides I’m what she wants but she doesn’t feel at home at the club, I’m goin’ta have ta decide.
As if he can read my mind, Monster says, “Once we get her out of there, it’s her choice whether she stays with us.”
It’s somethin’ I’d been considerin’ myself. What if she walks away from me again? But I know there’s no doubt I’ll allow her the choice. I’m not forcin’ her to be anythin’ she doesn’t want to be. Even if I love her more than life itself.
“I’ve always loved her,” I admit slowly. “But she’ll always be free ta decide whether or not she stays with us. I understand that.”
For six long years, I’d thought she’d moved on. Was convinced of it. I can’t deny it broke me more than I thought. I was still young when I said goodbye to her.
“Then let’s go get yer girl,” he tells me with a smile before walkin’ out of the office. I grab my things and follow right behind him. I never thought I’d live a day where I see Einin again. But now that we’re about to head to France with the help of Venier, I’m anxious.
* * *
By the timewe arrive in France, I’m worried. We took too long to get here. My mind is racin’ with thoughts of what’s about to happen. Our cut off to get to Einin is tomorrow, and I’m not sure what we’ll find when we get to the house.
I’ve tracked the man who took her, right down to his feckin’ blood type. And I’m goin’ to make sure he pays. Monster wanted to get MI5 involved, but I wanted Einin safe before we called the peelers. They’d only want to question her, ask her shite that would surely only traumatise her. And that’s not happenin’ under my watch.
The bikes are loud as we rumble down the road. It was better for us to travel in a group, not knowin’ what would happen once we arrived at the compound in the South of France. It’s feckin’ cold, but I can’t deny it’s beautiful out here.
All my life, I’ve never travelled. I stayed in Ireland because it was my home. I didn’t think to leave. No other country called to me. And even though I can admit it’s not too bad out here, I still have the ache in my gut to be on the Emerald Isle.
For a long time, I thought I should follow in Einin’s footsteps. I wanted nothin’ more than to see her again, but when I didn’t hear from her after she’d left, I let her go. Regret sits heavily in my chest when I consider my mistakes. If I had reached out, if I had only just tried to find her, I would have saved her long ago.
There’s not too much out here, so when you see us in biker cuts and hear the rumble of our bikes, we stand out. And it’s pretty feckin’ obvious we’re not ye’re average lad.
If anyone was wantin’ complete privacy, this is the perfect place to be. It explains how this bastard has a compound of stolen women out here. There have been no raids on the house in question. Plus, when I investigated it, I found he’s been payin’ off law enforcement to turn a blind eye.
I snap my attention back to the present day when Monster slows down. As each of the men put on the breaks, Rebel and Racer are stopped in front of me. Monster swings his leg over his bike, and I realise he’s comin’ for me.
I’m anxious, he can understand that, but for him to just stop for no other reason than to check on me, it’s frustratin’ me. Only because we’re within reachin’ distance of the compound.