Claiming Sunshine (14 page)

             
John spoke up. “Well, Pres. I think that we should call a meeting and make sure Joe is present and discuss this. You have to keep your cool though. You get me?”

             
“Yeah, I think I can do that but I need you guys to have my back. When that is done, and we figure out what the fuck we are gonna do, I get that fucker in the ring, gloves on. I still plan on knockin' him the fuck out.” Looking through the sliding door, he caught Nikki's eye and winked at her, holding up his beer, signaling for her to grab them another round.

             
“It's settled. Meeting.... get Joe there.... in the ring to settle the score afterwards. Tomorrow after the garage closes,” Drifter said, stating the plan. “What about Nikki and the girls? You want a prospect to hang with her?”

             
“Yeah, I don't want the girls seeing any of that shit.” Scooter knew if he had them at the club, they would see some shit that wouldn't be good for them. “How 'bout you arrange for the prospect to hang with them at my place? That way, Sam's parents won't be an issue and Meagan will stay put.”

             
“Great idea, Pres,” Drifter agreed and John nodded.

             
“I suppose this whole Joe and Meagan thing is inevitable, aye? Just something I'm gonna have to get used to?”             

             
“I suppose so,” John said. “Can't really imagine with a son. He just better be good to her, because that girl belongs to all of us.”

             
“Oh yeah, that fucker is dead if he lays a hand on her,” Scooter said raising his bottle, and they all clinked. Scooter felt like he could breathe a little easier knowing that he had a plan, and part of that was beaten' the shit outta Joe.

              George was pacing, waiting for the loan officer to call him back. He had just put his house up for a second mortgage so he would have 10% of the $500K bail, to get his son out of jail.

             
Judy had voiced her opinion that it wasn't a good idea. “He might do something stupid,” she said to George.

             
“That little bitch has put our son in jail and is obviously fucking around on him, and you are worried about him doing something stupid?” George yelled at her. “Shut the fuck up! Go cook some dinner and don't you worry about what I'm doing!” He grabbed the clicker and turned on a sports channel.

             
A few minutes later the phone rang. “Mr. Dalton? Mr. George Dalton?”

             
“Speaking,” George replied.

             
“Your loan has been approved.”

             
George smiled.

              Monday went by fairly fast. Nikki had plenty to keep her busy with payroll, weekend drop offs and pick ups, and lots of customers coming and going keeping her up to her ears in paper work. It was all fine with her. It kept her mind off the pending meeting and fight. She was looking forward to getting the girls, and getting out of there before she had to see or hear any of it. She was also still thinking about Judy and George and how horrible they had been to her and the girls. She still hadn't heard from them and was assuming that they headed home, but wasn't sure.

             
She picked up the girls, got them to Kate's and went back to work, when her phone rang.

             
“Hello”

             
“Hi, Nikole Dalton?”

             
“Yes, this is her,” she said, not sure who was on the other end.

             
“This is Peggy at the county jail. I see here that you have a restraining order for you and your daughter's against Samual Dalton, your estranged husband,” the woman stated.

             
“Yes I do. What is this about?”

             
“Well we are required to inform you that he posted bail and is no longer in jail.”

             
“What!?”

             
“If he makes contact, please call 911, Mrs. Dalton,” she said and hung up.

             
Panicked, she ran for the club house, knowing that Scooter was there. She burst in the door and frantically started looking around, as her eyes adjusted to the darkness.

             
Drifter was the first to see her and stopped her from bursting into the meeting room. “What's up, Nik?” he asked, as he removed her hands from the door handle.

             
She was in a complete panic. “Sam... it's Sam, he posted bail... he's out. I need Scooter right now!” she yelled.

             
“He's in his room.” He pointed her towards the hall.

             
Panic also hit Drifter. Jewl was back staying at her house and she was there alone. He hit the door, and went straight to her place.

             
Nikki ran to Scooter's door and it was locked. She started banging on it and yelling.

             
Scooter was getting out of the shower when he heard banging and yelling at his door. He wrapped the towel around his waist and opened it. Nikki practically fell in.

             
“Sam is out!” she shouted, out of breath, in a complete panic.

             
“Ok, Sunshine. Let me get dressed and we will go get the girls and then Meagan,” he said, as he headed back to the bathroom to get his clothes on. “I want all my gals where I can see them,” he said as he quickly dressed. “We'll take the club van.”

             
On the way to Kate's house, it dawned on her that George and Judy must have posted bail. Where did they get it? Once Jen and Nelly were safely with them, it was on to his house to pick up Meagen. Her car was in the driveway, so he pulled up honking a few times.

             
“Lock the doors, gonna go get her,” he told Nikki, as he got out and jogged to the front door. She hit the locks and waited. She saw him through the window, pacing around, assuming he was being impatient with her as she was packing a bag.

             
Her phone went off with a text and she saw it was Sam, so she ignored it. One minute later, Scooter came out shrugging and throwing his hands up in the air. She hit the locks to let him in.

             
“She's not here and she should be. It's after class and her car is right there. She better not be on the back of Joe's bike, god damn it!” he said.

             
“Sam just sent me a text and I'm afraid to look at it,” she said, pulling her phone out and handing it to him.

             
What he read made his heart sink, and the bile in his stomach rise.

Sam: Missing something? When I get my girls you will get yours. ps... I want all 3 of mine. Check mate.

Chapter 8

             
Meagan hadn't been to school since her dad strangled, and nearly killed the man she loved. She had been crying herself to sleep and just existing, for several days. She had called Joe several times with no response, and finally, he sent her a text.

Joe: I have to get things straight with your dad before I see you again. I love you and I will make this right but back off for a bit so I can do this.

              She knew her dad would not be ok with this and she wanted to help, but she knew she had to let Joe do his thing. It broke her heart. He was her first, he was the one.

             
She was watching TV in the living room, still in her tank top and sweats that she had spent the day before in, and slept in. She figured it was time to take a shower and maybe start getting her shit together so she didn't fail any classes.

             
Getting some clothes together, she heard a vehicle in the driveway. Hoping it was either Joe or her Dad, she looked out her bedroom window. It was a satellite TV truck, backing into her driveway. She figured that since her dad hadn’t talked to her since the incident, he had failed to tell her that he was having something fixed at the house. She threw a robe on, and headed for the back door.

             
The man standing on the other side of the windowed door, had on his company shirt and he flashed his company name tag at her. “I'm here to fix the connection. It's probably outside but I have to check a few things inside first,” he said to Meagan, through the window.

             
She reached down and unlocked the deadbolt. The next thing she knew, she was on the floor as the man forced his way through the door, knocking her over, lunging for her, as she tried to get up and crawl away.

             
She screamed, hoping that someone would hear her. He over powered her, and covered her mouth. Taking something out of his pocket, he had a ziploc bag with a paper towel in it. He put the damp paper towel over her nose, while keeping one hand on her mouth.

             
She struggled, but he was too strong, and then it all faded to black.

              She woke up with duct tape on her mouth, and her wrists and ankles bound with  rope. She was in the back seat of a truck, on the floorboard. The truck was moving and she did her best to sit up to see.

             
The movement caught Sam's eye in the rear view mirror. “Hey there sleepy head, glad you could rejoin the land of the living,” he laughed at her.

             
She screamed something at him. He couldn't hear it, but it was loud and clear in her head. “MY DAD IS GOING TO KILL YOU!!”

             
“When we get to where we are going, I will let you say what you need to. For now though, you will have to shut the fuck up. Don't give me any trouble or I will have to give you another nap.” He reached back and pushed her head down. “Stay down!”

             
She tried to slip a hand out of the rope, but he had tied her up well. She laid back down and started to cry. What the fuck did this guy want with her? She still felt groggy and she was trying to figure out where the satellite TV guy had been mentioned before. As she laid there thinking, the truck slowed and turned. The road was bumpy and the she was getting jerked around the small space that she was in. She attempted again, to sit up and see. Just as she got a look at the dirt road and the trees, she was smacked hard in the head.

             
“I told you to stay down you stupid bitch. Just like your daddy, you just don't know when to stop,” he shouted at her.

             
Tears streamed down her face as the truck continued to bump along the dirt road. Then it stopped and he cut the engine.

             
“Ok there sweetie, we have reached our destination. My little home away from home.” He got out and she could hear his footsteps. He then opened the passenger side door, flipped the seat up, and grabbed her by the rope that bound her wrists and ankles, dragging her closer to him. Her back got scuffed up on the floor from tools and gravel that were on the floor mats. She let out a sound as something hard scraped across her back.

             
“I'm gonna untie your ankles so you can walk. Try anything, and you might get yourself shot.” He pulled up his flannel shirt in back to reveal his pistol.

             
She just kept thinking about how you aren't supposed to let the bad guy get you to their location. Put up a fight when you are getting grabbed, because once they have you at their location, they can do whatever they want with you. Her father had imprinted that on her from a young age and yet, here she was at his location. She didn't stand a chance.

             
He untied her ankles leaving her wrists still very secure. He had planned that. He led her into the cabin and as soon as the door was shut and locked, he grabbed the duct tape and ripped it off.

             
“Ahh!” she yelled, as some of her skin when with it, leaving her lip bleeding. Now she had a bruise on her forehead, a painful scratch on her back, and a bloody lip.

             
“So what were you sayin' to me in the truck?”