Deke shook his head.He had gone pale but he reached out to take Sammy into his arms.“Just calm down, son,” he told the little boy.“It will be okay.I will find her.”He then looked him over.“Does it hurt?”
Sammy swiped at his tears then raised his chin defiantly.“I can take it, Daddy.Don’t care ‘bout it.I wanna help find Mama.”
The room went quiet as they were all affected by the bravery the boy was exhibiting.They all could easily tell this kid belonged to Deke and Cassie.
Deke smiled at him even though his eyes still looked haunted.“You can stay here and let Maggie fix you up.Then we’ll see.”
Sammy nodded as he bit his lip, trying not to cry.
Maggie took him from Deke.
Jemmia, Cassie’s mom, came running in.She saw Sammy then rushed to him and Maggie.She reached over to hug him.Looking up at her husband Amos, she looked upset.
He met her concerned gaze.“We will find her, I promise.”
Maggie then explained to her in low tones what happened as they took care of little Sammy.
Deke set his hand on Amos’s shoulder and asked, “Can your people help us find her?”
Amos nodded.“I got Frankie following the truck.He’s gonna figure out where them boys are staying.He won’t get her out of the city, I promise you that much.The rest of us are gonna start looking too.We can get into places you don’t know about.We’ve done it before and we’ll get our own network looking for her.I promise we’ll get her back.She’s our family too.”
Deke’s hand tightened on his shoulder and his eyes looked full of rage.Then something shifted in his gaze as if his panic was being held back by sheer will.He shook his head and stared at him.“My boys are getting together and they will work with your guys.We won’t stop until we find her and bring her home.”
Amos nodded.“If you want we can keep the kids here and we’ll watch over them real good.”
Deke shook his head.“I want them home.If a few of you want to watch them over there, I wouldn’t say no.But right now, I want my kids there for when we bring their mother home.Most of my men will be searching and I’m gonna need able bodied men to stand guard over the kids and the women staying there.”
Amos nodded.“We can do that, some of us will stay behind and watch over everyone.The rest of us and the others on the outside will be busy looking for Ms.Cassie.”
Deke nodded at him then at the two women in the room.He turned and walked out.
Gator, who had remained silent, followed him.
Amos stepped over to where his men stood and whispered so that Sammy wouldn’t hear him, “The man that took Ms.Cassie better say his prayers while he still can.Deke is gonna kill him real slow like when he finds her.For every bruise she’s got, that man is gonna feel the same...only ten times worse.”Amos shook his head.“Deke’s got a certain look in his eyes right now that almost makes me feel sorry for this guy,almost.But some idiots have to learn the hard way that they shouldn’t take what doesn’t belong to them.”Shaking his head he muttered a prayer under his breath.
He looked down to see Maggie cleaning and bandaging Sammy’s head.
His wife Jemmia gave him a nod.“You will find her,” she stated with confidence.
“I will.”Amos nodded.
“I will take Sammy to the front,” she said as she seemed to know what they intended to do next.“And we will wait for the van.”
Amos looked over at his men then gave them a nod.
Gus, Zed and Joey all left for the nursery.They got the rest of Cassie’s children together and into the Redemption House van.Jemmia brought Sammy and got in.They then drove toward the Sin’s Bastards’ clubhouse.
A handful of men stayed at the House while the rest of the men slipped out the door into the growing darkness, fading into the shadows where their mission would begin.