L
I let Jennie sleep in my arms until there was a knock on my door. I knew it would be one of the prospects summoning me. Seokmin wanted to call church the moment we got back, but I gave him one look and he knew I needed to let off some steam before sitting down to plan fucking anything.
Ransoming her and the kids. It was still dangerous.
If he somehow found out it was actually us doing it, and not some other club or enemy out for revenge, it would put targets on all of us. Jennie would never let a target get put on someone else's back for her. No, my woman would walk straight into Taehyung's den, arms spread wide, ready for that bullet if it meant no one else got hurt.
Too bad that was not was going to happen.
The knock startled Jennie in my arms. I kissed her and climbed out, tugging on my boxers, making sure she was still covered before I opened the door. It was one thing to let them watch me fuck her, it was another for them to see her naked, laying out, vulnerable in our bed. Took me a while to get her clothes off, but it was more comfortable to sleep like that, and after what I did to her, she needed sleep.
Money stood on the other side of the door. "Church," he said. One word. "Seokmin said to bring her."
"Thanks," I said while closing the door in his face.
Jennie stirred, rolling to her back, causing the sheet to slide down, showing me her chest.
"We need you in church."
"K," she mumbled sleepily. She made no move to get out of bed, just rolled to her side and curled up. Chuckling at her, I slid into bed behind her, draping my body over hers.
"That means you have to get up."
"I'm up," she protested. Her voice was still raspier than usual, laced with sleep.
"This isn't up," I retorted.
She laughed softly, too tired to really laugh. I've only heard her real laugh, that deep belly laugh that rocks her whole body, a few times since she got here. It's been too stressful. But when I hear it, it's my favorite sound in the world.
"Come on. You wanted to know what happened with Tex. You gotta get out of bed to hear what's happening."
"Okay."
She finally slid away from my body, sitting up on the edge of the bed. I was distracted watching her stand to dress, having to shake my head and force myself out of bed when all I wanted to do was forget every fucking problem we had and remain in the safety of these walls.
Once we were dressed, I opened the door to the bedroom and we walked downstairs. Only Seokmin, Ten, and Jaehyun were still in the bar area. Everyone else was already in the church room.
I nodded at Seokmin, tilting my head down and then pulled Jennie into the church room with me. The guys were all murmuring amongst themselves, and they didn't stop when we walked in. Didn't stop as we sat down, me pulling Jennie into my lap. She'd been here before, but her shoulders still held anxiety as I pulled her against me.
"Relax," I whispered to her. It helped, but only a little.
As soon as Ten, Jaehyun, and Seokmin walked in, the talking stopped, silence falling over the room.
Jack sat at the ready, on the opposite head of the table of Seokmin, joint hanging out of his mouth, laptop open, fingers at the ready. He wore glasses now, adding to the nerd vibes he gave off.
We'd be fucking nowhere without him though, no matter how shitty he was with a gun. The only weapon he needed was that laptop.
"All right, this is what we found out from Tex," Seokmin started. But instead of continuing, he looked at me, waiting for me to continue.
Wrapping my arm all the way around her, I held her close as I spoke. "Tex is looking for Jennie and the kids." She stiffened at my words. Maybe I should have told her this before dragging her to bed, or even before bringing her in here, but I'd needed something else.
I'd apologize for my selfishness after.
"The trail Jack left worked. They hit a dead end." She relaxed at my words. "Taehyung doesn't suspect she's here. He doesn't think she'd trust me with the kids."
"He's so fucking stupid," Jennie tutted, making some of the guys laugh.
"Clearly he was wrong." That got more laughter. Despite the noise, the atmosphere in the room was still tense. Wonwoo stared at me, hanging on every word. Joshua spun his knife on the table. Nickhun tapped his finger idly, itching for a trigger. I hated how they were all staring.
Was that what Seokmin felt like whenever he spoke in church?
"Tex had a few ideas, but all of them put targets on the backs of our women and children."
A chorus of no's rang out around me.
"We know," Seokmin shouted, cutting them off. The protest died down. Sometimes I thought the men in this room were fucking brilliant. Criminally brilliant most of them. But if any of them thought Seokmin would let any woman or child come into the crosshairs, especially his, they were fucking idiots.
"So, what's the plan?" Wonwoo asked.
"Ransom."
"Ransom?" Joshua asked, those puppy eyes matching the confused, tilted head he had as he stared.
"Jack needs to set it up," I said. Jack's eyes snapped to mine, cracking his knuckles as he looked at me.
"Can't be traced back to us. Gotta make it look like the call is coming from somewhere else. Meet up somewhere out of town."
"Far away," Seokmin added.
"An hour at least," Jaehyun added.
"Got it," Jack said, fingers clacking against the keyboard.
"He's going to want proof of life," Jennie commented. "For the kids at least, maybe not me."
I growled in her ear and she rubs her hand over mine soothingly.
It helped. A little.
"What's the rest of the plan?" Wonwoo asked. "We can't just ransom her and give her back. How are we taking him out?"
"Tex is gonna be our man on the inside," I replied. "He wants everyone in the club dead."
"Everyone?" Jennie asked, voice surprised.
"Anyone who stands with Taehyung."
"That's most of them," she admitted. "But it's because they're afraid of him."
"He doesn't care." I shook my head behind her even though she couldn't see it. "Taehyung got Tex's woman killed. He doesn't give a flying fuck why people are standing with him. Anyone who stands in the way of him needs to die."
"I get it," she whispered.
"What next?" Joshua asked.
Jack was still busy behind the computer, joint between his lips finally lit, the smell filling the air.
"We go in heavy," Seokmin answered for me. "Everyone dies."
"No," Jennie protested, making Seokmin's head snap towards her.
"I want to kill him." Seokmin stared at her. "I have to be the one to do it," she emphasized.
Seokmin kept staring at her, not blinking. Jennie stared right back, head turned towards him. I couldn't tell if she was blinking or not, just that she kept looking at him. If it was Rachel, he'd give her what she wanted.
"If we can take him alive, we will," he conceded. "But." He paused drastically. "We're not taking him alive if it's going to put anyone at risk. We have to have a clear shot to take him without added risk."
"Okay, that's fair."
Seokmin nodded and turned to look back at Jack.
"I'm almost done."
I had no idea if he was working fast ornate. He could bull shit any of us, say a job would take a week when it should only take an hour and we'd never fucking know it.
"I got another job for you when you're finished," I told him. He lifted a finger, acknowledging me and then went back to typing.
"Why did I need to be here?" Jennie asked.
"This involves you, babe. And if you hadn't been, we wouldn't have known you wanted to kill him."
She hated church, and I didn't blame her. Most of the old ladies did. Except maybe Rachel. Her at the other end of that gavel would be downright terrifying.
"All right," Jack said. "I've got it all set up. I can call right from my computer. I've got photoshopped pictures for proof of life."
"Won't they be able to tell?" Joshua asked.
"Don't fucking doubt me," Jack told him.
Joshua's eyes widened, and he swallowed, nodding. Then, he kept his mouth shut.
"We're ready to call whenever. When do you want the meet?" he asked Seokmin.
Seokmin looked at Jaehyun and Ten.
"Three days," Jaehyun said. Ten nodded his head in agreement.
"Three days," Seokmin confirmed.
There wasn't a sound in the room as Jack made the call right from his laptop. I'm sure whatever information was traceable from his laptop was being routed across seven different continents and every major city he could.
"What?"
Jennie gasped at the sound of Taehyung's voice, a shudder tearing violently through her body. And it wasn't one of pleasure. I wrapped my arms around her tighter, pulling her closer.
"Relax," I whispered. "I will never let him hurt you again. I'm right here." She didn't relax enough for me, so I put my hand on the inside of her thigh, right where my initials were scarring on her leg again. That was the touch that calmed her.
"We have your wife and daughter." The voice was one of those recorded voices, speaking whatever Jack typed into the computer.
"Who is this?"
"You can have them back safely for two-hundred-fifty thousand dollars."
"Who is this?" Taehyung asked again voice shouting this time.
"It doesn't matter."
There was a commotion on the other end, making it obvious Taehyung put the phone on speaker.
"Where are you?"
"It doesn't matter."
"Proof of life," someone said. It wasn't Taehyung, and it wasn't Tex. I'd ask Jennie later who it was, probably his VP or Sargent at Arms.
"Picture sent to your phone."
There was a pause while Jack pushed a few extra buttons on the laptop and then a ding, signaling the picture had arrived.
"My kids," Taehyung hissed.
"Are fine," Jack's computerized voice thing said.
No fucking concern for his wife.
"I'm not paying you," Taehyung said,
"Then I'll kill them."
Even knowing the words were't true, hearing them infuriated me.
"When and where?" A third voice.
"Three days. Port Rock. Exit 4, under the overpass."
Port Rock was further north, near the Nevada boarder.
"What time?"
Jack looked at Seokmin. He held up one finger.
"One. Do not be late. Come alone. No cops. Bring the cash in a duffel bag." The clipped tone and short sentences were strange, adding to the robotic effect.
"Cops," Taehyung scoffed. It was a brilliant idea on Jack's part. Anyone who knew Taehyung would have known he would never bring the cops. It made it seem like it was a crime of opportunity, like when Jennie ran, she ran into someone who kidnapped her, but not that whoever it was would know who Taehyung was, his power—the power he thought he had anyway.
"I want proof of life every day," Taehyung said."
"Fine."
Even after listening to this conversation, the voice creeped me out.
"Three days."
The call ended and everyone in the clubhouse blew out a breath of relief.
"Where does he think it came from?" Wonwoo asked.
"If his tech guy is good enough to trace it—"
"He's not," Jennie said.
"Knew I liked you," Jack said, tossing her a wink, ignoring how I glared at him. "If he's good enough, they'll find it coming from a hotel room in Oregon."
"You'll remember to send proof of life?" Jennie asked.
"I take it back. You doubt me? Jennie laughed lightly at him. "I've already got it set up to send new pictures every twelve hours."
"I'll reach out to Tex in a few hours, see what plans they have. We're gonna have to ride out tomorrow," Seokmin said. "Jack and Doc stay with the prospects. Everyone else rides out at dawn."
"Dismissed."
"Let's go," I said, pushing Jennie off my lap and grabbing her hand. If we had to spend days away from the kids, we were going to spend as much time as possible with them now.