Uncover Me (26 page)

“I’ll stay here in case you need me, Thomas.” He crossed his arms over his chest as he yawned.

“Thanks, Anth. I know you have your own shit going on.”

“Family first,” he replied, his mouth set in a firm line.

“Yeah,” I mumbled, reaching for the whiskey.

He placed his hand on mine. “No more for tonight. You need your head clear tomorrow.”

I glared at him. “Fine,” I blurted, a little irritated, even though he was right.

I couldn’t allow my momentary panic to risk the lives of Angel and the rest of my family tomorrow. That would be something I’d never be able to live with—the darkness would swallow me whole.

“What’s been on your mind? What’s going on with that woman you’re so hung up on?” I needed to change the subject, even if only for a moment.

“Fuck,” he groaned, a heavy sigh escaping him. “I don’t even know where to start.”

“We have time to kill.” I gave him a small smile, trying to give my mind a break from the possibilities that kept creeping inside. I couldn’t get the image of Angel suffering to stop playing through my brain.

“She hides me,” he said, closing his eyes as he spoke. “Her family hates me, and for that, she keeps me in the shadows.”

“Why would she do that?” I asked, gawking at him.

He slowly opened his eyes and stared at me. “It’s complicated. We come from very different worlds. I’m not accepted by her brothers and her parents.”

“I take it Ma and Pop haven’t met her?”

He shook his head and reached for his glass, wincing as he swallowed. “Nope. I’m not bringing her around the family unless there’s a future with her.”

“So, you’re not sold on her?”

“That’s the fucking problem. I am. I’ve never wanted anyone the way I want her. I’ve never given myself so completely to someone like I have with her. I’ve never been faithful, but it’s only her. I fuckin’ can’t win. She shuts me out and disappears. Just when I think I’m over her and ready to move on, she comes back and my walls come crashing down.”

“She has you by the balls, Anth.”

“I refuse to let it continue. Either she fights for us and moves beyond what her family thinks or I need to put an end to it. Women like her are the reason I’ve sworn off love.”

“Brother, you’ve sworn off love because of the plethora of pussy falling at your feet,” I said, forgetting my panic for just a second before I sobered.

“That too,” he replied, a laugh rising from his chest as his body began to shake. “It still falls at my feet, but I step over it now and steer clear.”

“Yeah. I find that hard to believe.”

“I swear it’s some fuckin’ sick cosmic joke, Thomas. The first woman I want to be with treats me like shit. She yanks me around by my dick, pulling me in and then tossing me out. She fuckin’ makes my head spin.”

“Sounds like you’re in love.”

“Um, no.” He wrinkled his nose and shook his head. “I’m in lust.”

“You keep telling yourself that, Anth.”

“Women are impossible.”

“It never gets any easier.”

“You love her, yeah?” he asked, as a smile spread across his face.

I’d sworn off love besides my family, but she’d crept inside and become part of me. Being without her was like floating through life missing an anchor. She was my tether to a world that was filled with the possibility of happiness.

“Yes,” I confessed with a shaky voice. “I’ve never loved any woman the way I love her.”

He scrubbed his hands across his face and pulled in a breath. “Fuck women. Nothing but trouble, I tell you.”

“Yeah, you’re fucked,” I replied, laughing at the look of sickness on his face. He couldn’t deny any longer that he loved the one woman who’d tried pushing him away. “You need to decide if she’s worth the fight.”

“One thing at a time. Let’s focus on getting your woman back and then I’ll figure out how to get control of my balls again.”

I laughed, standing from my chair and slapping him on the shoulder. “You never get it back.”

“Fuck,” he hissed, grabbing his glass and finishing off the last drop of whiskey in his cup.

“I’m going to jump in the shower and try to get some sleep.” The clock said two, and I knew the crew would be here in eight hours and ready for action.

“I’m going to just crash on the couch and watch a movie until I fall asleep.”

Walking to the sink, I saw Angel’s cup still sitting next to the teakettle. I’d been unable to move it, to wipe away the last trace of her from before she’d disappeared. Placing my cup in the sink, I stared outside and thought about her.

Let her be okay.

This wasn’t the time for us to end.

She deserved better than to go out this way.

I had to step up to the plate and rescue the girl I’d dragged into this life. If I had left her behind, her life would have been shitty, but she wouldn’t have been in danger.

“Okay,” I said to Anthony, my eyes starting to sting from the tears I refused to let win. I wouldn’t cry and wallow in pity. I needed to ready myself for an assault on whoever was responsible for her abduction. I’d make sure they wouldn’t come out alive. “Night,” I said, waving as I walked out of the kitchen and climbed the steps to my bedroom.

I tossed and turned all night. My mind was a clouded and tangled mess of emotions. Sitting on the edge of the bed, I rested my elbows on my knees.

I needed to get my head on straight.

Angel deserved a clear mind and me at my best.

I couldn’t let her down. I wouldn’t let her down.

I cracked my neck, rolling it from side to side to ease some of the tension before I stood. Then I grabbed a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, put them on, and headed to the bathroom. Not bothering to shave, I stared in the mirror as I scrubbed the night from my mouth.

The circles I had under my eyes had grown darker in the last twenty-four hours. The scruff on my face matched what I felt inside—wild and raw, and I sure as fuck looked it. Spitting the toothpaste into the sink, I washed away any self-doubt I had and decided I’d face the day with a new outlook. Today, I’d get my fuckin’ woman back.

Anthony and I spent the morning carrying the weapons we’d need downstairs and placing them on the dining room table. We checked each one to make sure they were in working order. By the time we were finished, the guys had started to show up.

Joe and Mike arrived first, guns in hand and ready to kick ass. Pop showed up, cool as a cucumber, just before James strolled in the door looking like his badass self. Around the table, we devised our plan and bullshitted until the information started to roll in.

Just past ten, Bobby began texting me. He had been able to determine a location based on Angel’s phone because it had been left on and in use during her capture. Cell towers weren’t as easy to pin down as television crime shows liked to make the public believe, but with time and resources, it was possible.

She was being kept in a tiny ranch outside of Orlando.

We were able to pull up the location on Google Maps, so we studied the surrounding area. With a clear plan of attack, we loaded the guns and climbed in Pop’s Escalade. The back was loaded with some of the most kickass weaponry available to the public—along with some that might have the tracking numbers scratched off, courtesy of me.

The one thing we had going for us was the element of surprise. I watched the minutes tick by as James drove. The car remained silent, each man staring in the distance, fidgeting, or watching the world go by as we came closer to our destination. Everyone was on edge, even if they didn’t admit it.

We all had something to lose. My something was Angel, but theirs were their lives. Even with their ultimate demise possible, they had still agreed and willingly gone into battle for me. No matter what happened, they had my back. This was how a true family should operate. We were a unit.

If someone fucked with one Gallo, they fucked with us all.

Chapter 21

As we pulled down a side street near the location we had been told Angel was being held, the tension inside the SUV had grown to a fever pitch. The air was electrified to the point where the sparks were almost visible. Everyone was humming with anticipation and fear, ready to face whatever lay inside.

The fear I felt wasn’t for me, but for the ones I loved—including Angel. If something happened to any one of them, it would be my fault. I’d never be able to forgive myself. The only person to blame for the entire situation was myself. I’d brought Angel back with me. I’d introduced her to my family.

Listening to their chatter, I noticed a man watching us through tinted windows in a car nearby. I studied his build, trying to figure out if I knew him. Only a select few knew we were coming here. Slowly, the car door opened and the man climbed out. My heart was racing as I waited to see who the mystery man was—until I saw his face.

Flash.

“Fuck,” James yelled from the front, noticing Flash as he walked toward the Escalade.

“What?” Joe barked, looking around before homing in on Flash. “I fucking hate him.”

“Cut him some slack,” I responded as I opened the door and stepped out.

“Thomas,” Flash said, giving me a quick chin lift.

“Flash,” I replied, holding out my hand to him. No matter how the other guys felt, Flash had been there in the end and helped bring down the Sun Devils. He’d kept his mouth shut about what happened with Rebel.

“I thought you could use a little more help.” He shook my hand, looking over my shoulder and into the vehicle.

“I appreciate it.”

“I couldn’t just sit there and wait to hear what happened. I needed to help out. You got everything ready?”

“Yep,” I said as the others piled out of the SUV and James popped the back.

Without another word, everyone grabbed weapons, jamming them in the waists of their pants and filling their pockets with ammunition.

“What’s the plan of attack?” Flash asked, standing behind us as we finished grabbing everything we could possibly carry.

“First, I’m going to go ahead and check everything out while everyone waits here. I don’t want us going in totally blind. You stay with the guys and make sure there’s no one watching us.”

Before he and the others could respond, I took off in the direction of the house where she was being held. I studied my surroundings as I walked, looking for anything that was out of the ordinary, but there was nothing. If this were a professional kidnapping and extortion plot, they would have had guards outside. Plus, they probably would’ve known better than to leave her phone on during her captivity.

It took everything I had in me not to charge the door and find her. My heart was beating faster than it ever had, pounding against my ribcage. Sweat dotted my brow as one drop trickled down my face. My palms began to feel clammy as my stomach filled with butterflies—but not the good kind. Within the next ten minutes, I’d either be happy or… I couldn’t even think about it. I wouldn’t let myself.

Peeking through the windows on the side of the house, I was able to see through tiny openings in the sheer drapes. The first two bedrooms I checked were empty. The third bedroom had the drapes drawn, so I couldn’t tell who was inside. Leaning against the glass, I placed my ear on the exterior, listening for any movement…but there was nothing.

Walking on light feet, I made my way to the front of the house and the large bay window. I stood off to the side, staying out of sight, and tried to get a visual. Inside were three people, but I couldn’t tell much else. The window coverings hid their identities. Listening for a few seconds, I couldn’t make out what the muffled voices were saying. Needing to make a plan, I headed back toward the guys and prepared for battle.

As I rounded the back of the house, making my way to the car, I saw everyone coming my way.

“What the fuck, man? You can’t just go off all Rambo and bullshit,” Mike said, hitting me in the chest with his flattened palm.

I bounced off his hands and maintained my stance. “Chill the fuck out. I needed to get my eyes on the house. I wanted to see who was inside.”

“What did you see?” James asked, pushing Mike out of the way.

“Three people in the front room. I couldn’t see in all the rooms. I don’t know if she’s in there or not.” I scratched my head, wondering if we had this all wrong.