Well, I know there can come fire from the sky
to refine the purest of kings…

"There's only one of two ways she could have gone," Jackson said, standing in the middle of the street. The party was definitely over. Juice had found Bianca's shoes and signs of a struggle in the sand and went back inside the hall to report his findings – only, he hadn't gone to Clay. He'd gone to Jackson who'd then gone to Clay. That sparked an argument between Gemma and Clay because the woman questioned what was said between the younger girl and the man and why Bianca had gone outside in the first place. Chaos started between the family before Juice broke it up and stressed their need to just go look for her at the moment and worry about the other shit later. That prompted the Sons to exit the hall and go outside for him to show them what he saw and then for them to discover the tire treads that led them to the road where they were currently standing.

"We'll break in half to search," Clay said, just before his phone started ringing. He pulled it from his pant pocket and looked at the screen, his brow furrowing when he didn't recognize the number. He flipped the phone open and spoke gruffly into it. "Yeah?"

"Clay," Bianca said. He tensed up, causing the men watching him to tense up.

"Where are you?"

"I don't know, I…"

"She won't tell you that," another voice took over and Clay bit down on his lip.

"What do you want?"

"I'm glad you asked, esé. What I want is two dozen of those guns I know you've been running, and 200k." Clay inhaled deeply. Jackson stepped closer with an inquisitive look on his face as Gemma's hands fell to her hips.

"Can we swim in that lake?" Clay heard Bianca ask in the background. It was a stupid thing to say, but he knew it was her dropping a clue to him. He had no idea what kind of punishment she'd get for that, but she was awfully brave for risking it. The man on the phone gave pause and then his voice changed to a harsher tone.

"You've got two days to get it together. I'll try to keep your princess alive until then. I'll call you back with the drop details."

"Let me talk to her again. Show of good faith and all." It was a few seconds before she was put back on.

"Clay?" she asked.

"We'll get you out of this sweetie."

"I'll kill him in the end," was all she said before the line was cut off. Clay snapped the phone shut. His MC and his Old Lady looked at him with anticipation.

"The Mexican's got her." He got a chorus of questions and curses. "He gave me two days to get two dozen guns and 200k together or he'll kill her."

"He's gone off the fuckin' deep end. I knew we should have killed him. Goddamn it!" Jax said. "How the hell are we supposed to pull that together that fast?"

"Jesus Christ," Gemma huffed. Clay looked at her.

"This is why I said what I said to her. All those hurtful things. This is why, for this very reason. It was never about not genuinely wanting her around. She's my goddamn blood. It was about something like this happening and having my heart ripped out by failing my daughter." They all looked at him. Did their President just go soft for a moment? "I tried to run her out of here, but she's as stubborn as her fucking mother." Gemma just looked at him.

"We're gonna get our baby back," she said assuredly.

And even though
I know this fire brings me pain…

"Why do you do that shit?" Esai asked, putting his phone back in his pocket and standing up. Bianca looked up at him as he paced the room.

"Do what?"

"Purposely piss me off?"

"Oh, when I said I'd kill you in the end?" Esai turned and looked at her. "I will. I was just telling him."

"You couldn't kill me if you wanted to. There's not a murderous bone in your body."

"You'd know all about that, wouldn't you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Have you ever actually killed anyone or have you always just had one of your boys do it for you while you stood back and supervised?" He chuckled and shook his head. "Thought so. Coward."

"I'm a coward?" Anger flashed in his dilated eyes and he came back toward her again.

"Yes." He pulled his gun on her then, but she didn't flinch. Esai pushed the barrel of it against her left temple and she leaned into it. "Go ahead. Prove me wrong." After what seemed like a lifetime a consideration, he lowered the weapon.

"I'm not done with you yet," he said casually.

"Right. Gotta keep the princess alive for two days."

"Just long enough to get them here then I'll kill you and them, but that's not what I was talking about."

Even so, and just the same,
Make it rain, make it rain down, Lord.

**~~A/N~~** TRIGGER WARNING – RAPE

He set his gun down on a nearby table and she watched him carefully. It was interesting to her that he would do that, knowing her tendency to fight before flight. "We can do this the easy way, or the hard way," he said, closing the space between them again.

"Um…do what?" Esai pulled the clip out of her hair and tossed it over his shoulder before running his fingers through her tresses. Bianca eyed him with wide eyes.

"No, Esai."

"The hard way then?"

"No way, please."

"Lay down, mami." She shook her head and he bit the inside of his lip before his jaw muscles clenched together. "Do what I say or you'll just make it worse."

"You don't actually want to hurt me, do you?"

"I will if it comes to that. You're not giving me a choice anymore. Now do what I say." Slowly, Bianca shrank into herself and sat down on the edge of the fold out sofa. Esai shrugged out of his hoodie and stood above her, waiting for her to submit completely to him. She hesitated, but the blood running through her veins would never let her do it. Perhaps as a kid she'd been forced to, but she'd never do it as an adult. She bolted up and past the man, going for the table where he laid his gun (had that been a test?), but he caught her and slammed her down on the sofa bed on her belly.

"Stop, stop, stop! I'm sorry!"

"Stupid puta," Esai growled, pinning her hands against her lower back and doing his best to work her underwear down her legs with one hand. Bianca actually cried at the pain she felt in her arms and the air constriction she felt by having to keep turning her head from side to side to breathe. Esai's weight on top on her didn't help the matter. He got himself out of his jeans and pulled her hips upward, forcing his knee between her thighs and rendering her feet and legs useless for fighting. Bianca just whined and cried as he forced himself into her roughly. It didn't go on for very long, thank God, but it was the fact that he'd done it in the first place. He knew too much about her and this was the last thing she thought he'd ever do to her.

He'd broken her, and he knew it.

When he was finished, he let her go and got off of her. She'd quieted down by then, lying stoically against the flat pillows. Esai shed his shirt and his jeans completely and climbed back into the bed after turning off the lights. He pulled Bianca close to him, forcing her to roll onto her side so that her back was against his chest. "Let's hope tomorrow is a better day, yeah?"