“Well, hocus pocus, motherfuckers. Let’s make this cunt’s problems reappear,” I said and headed for the door.
“Wait,” Copper called out, stopping me in my tracks. “You stay here and let us go get her.”
“You can’t be serious?” I asked incredulously. Someone fucked with my woman; therefore, I had to handle it personally. It was expected. He fucking knew that.
“Okay,” Copper nodded. “Who do you want to be the one to hold Mackenzie while she cries after they tell her her own mother is the one who arranged to have her daughter kidnapped?”
“Point made,” I acknowledged. “I’ll be in my room. Let me know when you get back.” The sooner I was gone, the sooner they could leave.
“No need,” Tatum announced as she walked into Church like she had every right to be there. Then, she tossed a bound and gagged Mitzie onto the floor. “But I agree with him.” She nodded to Copper. “You need to be the one to tell Mackenzie. Take your time. I’ll stay with Mitzie until you get back.”
“How did you?” I asked, letting my words fade while I gestured to the woman on the floor.
“I’ll explain later,” Tatum started.
“Give me the short version now,” I insisted.
“I was there. At the mall. I saw everything happen. Since the scene was secure, I followed you.”
“Why?” I asked, even though I was pretty sure I already knew what her answer would be.
“In case you needed help. I’m not about to let you go back to prison after we just got you out. Not if I can help it,” she said quietly.
I stared at her in disbelief.
“When you went after the guy, I went after the woman. I would have been here sooner, but I could hear her rolling around in the trunk, and well, I was having a little too much fun with that.”
I turned to my son and waited for him to at least pretend to try to do something about his woman.
He laughed and held his palms up. “I ain’t saying shit. She saved me from having to go track down that bitch.”
“Consider it an early Christmas present,” Tatum said with exaggerated sweetness and puckered her lips for a kiss. “I love you, baby.”
“I love you too, my badass pain in the ass.”
“Do you think you two lovebirds can preen over your prey in the basement? The rest of us have shit to do.”
“Go ahead, Papa Bear. We got this,” Tatum said.
I whirled around and tapped the tip of her nose once with my finger. “No,” I said sharply and walked out of the room, knowing she couldn’t follow me without breaking her promise to stay with Mitzie.
“He just,” Tatum huffed, and I swear I heard her stomp her foot. “He booped my nose.”
“Will it make you feel better to boop someone’s nose?” Trey asked.
“Don’t you fucking—” Copper stopped abruptly.
“It did!” Tatum squealed. “One more time! Boop!”
Holy shit. My son had his hands full with her.
I lightly knocked once on the door before I turned the knob and let myself in. Mackenzie was obviously pacing the length of the room and stopped mid-step when she saw me. “How is she?” I whispered and pointed to Brinkley.
“She seems okay. She hasn’t woken up, and she doesn’t seem to be uncomfortable. What was the news?” she asked without preamble.
I took her hand and led her through the bathroom and into my room on the other side. “Drew’s still stationed outside the door. He’ll hear her if she wakes up.”
“Just tell me,” she said softly but firmly.