Hey everyone, sorry it’s been awhile – I’ve been so busy lately with renovating and helping build a garage (which totally sucks by the way! I'm not a builder, lol.)

Um, it’s not super long so sorry about that and it’s prob not my best work but I felt rushed to give you guys something and I work better when I have time but I should have free time either tomorrow or the next day to sit down and write up a normal length chapter and make it up to y’all.

Thanks for reading and enjoy....xo

~ ~ Chapter Thirty Four ~ ~

(Baden’s POV)

Leaning against the side of my car with my arms folded over my chest I calmly watched the shadowed figure of someone approaching from the distance. I was hidden in the shadows of some large trees on the outskirts of a deserted football oval.

“Darren.” I greeted with a nod as he came within a few metres of me.

“Boss.” He nodded back. Darren was basically our messenger boy; he spread the word throughout the gang of important events or going ons, which is why I called him to meet me here tonight.

“I want all eyes looking out for my girl and Jeff’s. Find one; the other won’t be too far away.” I spoke as I looked beyond him at the night stars. I got the gut feeling she was back home in the city and since she has already proved she can elude us for four years – I have no doubt if she doesn’t want to be found,  we might not have a chance. Which is why I'm involving my gang this time.

“How do you know they’re together?” Darren curiously asked. He was young still, nineteen if I'm correct.

“Because I know Leila; she’ll be nearby Amberly, you might not see her at first but watch Amberly long enough and the two will join up. Also, I want eyes on Darcy – I want to know what he is up to.” I added because I didn’t believe him when he said he didn’t know where she was. He sounded too smug and cocky with his answer and the fact he hates me as much as I hate him doesn’t help.

“His last name is?”

I smirked slightly, Darcy doesn’t have a last name, well he does but no one knows it, “Druggy Darcy.”

Recognition flashed in Darren’s eyes because everyone knew who druggy Darcy was, if he wasn’t the enemy I would have him come work with us but he prefers to run his own business without having to answer to anyone – well apart from paying me my commission for letting him deal on part of Johnson territory that is.

“On it Boss.” Darren nodded and turned around, taking one step before pausing and looking back at me, “In case you didn’t know, Marty’s place was burnt to the ground last night.” Then he walked off into the darkness.

I didn’t really care about that place or Marty, he still owes me money and it’s only because of Leila that I haven’t been strict on collecting it. We all knew who was responsible for burning it down and Gianni is damn lucky my girl doesn’t work there anymore and had no chance of being caught in that fire.

Climbing back into my car I had only just started it when my phone began ringing, glancing down at the caller ID I frowned slightly. I had been hoping Leila would finally ring me back because that one lousy message wasn’t good enough to calm me down – I need to actually hear her voice and hear her say she is safe and sound.

Pressing the answer button followed quickly by the loud speaker, I sat it down into the phone holder and pulled away from the shadows of the trees, “Hello Eddie.” I muttered; I haven’t heard from him since Leila shot him in the leg. That memory brought a small smile to my face but I really shouldn’t have pushed her into it.

“Baden.” He grunted, “I got your money back of Joe, he was reluctant to part with it but since he is now seven fingers short – he couldn’t really hold it properly.”

Shaking my head, that’s my brother. No messing around with Eddie when he wants something, though I was surprised when he offered to go get my money back from Joe since the girls never showed up there and I wasn’t letting him keep it for doing nothing.

“So he turned out to be just another greedy weasel after all.” I commented, I had thought I could trust him since I’ve known him for years now. Guess not. This is just one of those things that you deal with and then let it go, no point holding onto the fact everyone in this business betrays you at one point or another.

“Yep but if you had taken my advice and got a muzzle for that b- woman of yours, she wouldn’t have disobeyed you and made her own plans.” Eddie muttered, clearly enjoying the fact that I can’t ‘control’ Leila like he thinks I should.

“She’s not a dog Eddie and at least this way I know if something were to ever happen to me, I know she will be able to take care of herself and get out of trouble.” That’s all that really counts in the long run. I don’t like the fact she went against my plans but I should have known better.

“Which account do you want me to put your money into?”

“Keep it.”

“Why?” he sounded suspicious.

Chuckling lightly, “Because brother, I have a feeling I'm going to need your help again in the future and this will cover any costs you have – oh, how is Fred going?”

“What the hell? How did you know about him?” Eddie shouted with shock and anger.

“I have my ways; do you really think I believed your bullshit about you escaping prison without help? I know it was Fred who helped you.” I wanted to add I'm not stupid like he always claims I am but I didn’t.

“Whatever. I don’t know how he is; we went different ways after I got out.”

“Alright. Talk soon then.” And I hung up. I didn’t really care how he got out since I had bigger problems to deal with, like another one of our places getting shot down, the girls hiding somewhere without us knowing so I have no idea if they are safe or not, me being on bloody TV, Gianni and then still running our day to day operations.

I don’t think I’ve been this busy in awhile now

Suddenly a thought struck me and I smiled, it was time for a little payback, picking my phone back up I hit the number one button, I have Jeff’s number stored in speed dial and put it back on louder speaker as I turned the corner sharply and started heading in the direction of our new house.

“Yeah?” he answered with annoyance.

“How busy are you right now?” I asked with a grin. For the past week we haven’t been working as one whole group but smaller individuals all with the same cause – take Gianni down.

“Ahh....it could wait.” Came his indecisive reply and that’s when I heard the sound of skin hitting skin and a loud painful groan.

“A Gianni member, huh?”

“Yeah but he’s not spilling anything.”

“How’d you get him?”

“Me and Phil jumped him.”

“Okay, look, get the grey car ready – we’re going for a cruise with a shitload of bullets.”

He was silent for a moment and then I heard him telling someone to get the car ready in the garage and I heard Dougy telling him to get it ready himself because he’s not his slave and then they started arguing about who has to do it.

“Caveman!” I shouted, gaining his attention with a grin.

“What did you just call me?” he demanded instantly.

Smirking, “I said stop arguing like kids and get a move on, I’ll be there in ten.”

~~

“So, how do you know who lives here?” Dougy asked from the backseat as I drove slowly down the road towards the house we had in mind while Jeff pressed the buttons to lower the electric windows.

“Darren told me two days ago and I forgot with everything else going on.” I mumbled, searching for number twenty three and then I spotted the yard full of parked cars.

“Who lives here then?” Jeff asked as his eyes also spotted the house.

“Paul’s little brother, he joined the gang officially last year.”

“And now he is going to regret that decision.” Phil mumbled as he held up the small automatic machine gun in his hands with a crazy grin, “Payback is a bitch boys, these buggers have got me twice now.”

We all smiled because if anyone wanted to do this so badly right now it was Phil. He was getting tired of being shot at while in his house, then I'm also furious they tried to kill Leila too. Those wankers actually walked inside with the intent to shoot her!

I'm still not over that.

“Everyone ready?” Jeff asked, handing me my gun and turning to glance at the two in the back while we all nodded.

I pressed my foot down and flew down the last part of the road right to the end of the ‘no through road’, spun the car around and flew back to the house so it was now on Jeff’s side and we were right up along the gutter. Jumping up from my seat with the handbrake on, I sat in my open window as the guys already started firing off rounds.

Dougy was sitting in his window and shooting over top of the roof of our car, a determined look on his face as all we could hear were the sounds of bullets firing, glass breaking and bullets slicing through the air and hitting the plasterboard on the house.

Then the screams from inside started and I swear Phil laughed about that as he started shooting out the cars, aiming for all their tyres and narrowly missing the petrol tanks – if he hits one, then we are in trouble. The house was a ground level, so we only had one part to fire at, all the windows were now blasted open with only shards of glass left in the wooden frames, the curtains torn and ripped to shreds from countless bullets and that’s when we started to receive some back at us.

“Fuck!” I roared as one sliced through the flesh on my arm but I ignored the familiar slight stinging sensation and kept going, noticing a hand sticking out through a open window and firing back and only with a handheld but before I could take a shot at it, the gun was falling and the hand yanked away.

It felt like time had come to a standstill, we were concentrating on one thing and one thing only – shoot the fuckers out of their house and make them think twice about hitting us again.

The sudden sound of police sirens blaring through the night caught our attention but Jeff and Phil kept shooting while me and Dougy jumped back into the car. Pulling the handbrake off, I slammed my foot down on the accelerator and we screamed out of there. Jeff and Phil finally pulled their guns back into the car as I took a quick left at the end of the road, knowing the cops will be coming from the right since that’s the direction of the closest station.

“Anyone else get hit?” I asked calmly but loudly as I took another sharp turn. I did not need to be involved in a police chase right now.

“Nah but I'm pissed the cops came so quickly to save them but not us!” Phil growled, slamming his fist into the door of the car alongside him.

“Your arm, hey?” Dougy asked and I felt him shift the sleeve of my shirt where the bullet snipped me.

“Yeah, just a fleshy, no big deal.”

“I think that can count as a win to us then.” Jeff commented, “Now we just need to hit them again and steal one of their girls.”

“Jeff man, we are winning this fight by a long shot even without doing those things. Do you even see Paul in this city anymore? No, because he ran like a dog with his tail between his legs.” Dougy smirked from the backseat and Phil grinned at him. We all knew Dougy was right but Jeff was big on the old saying ‘an eye for an eye’ so he wasn’t going to be happy until he repaid them for everything they have done to us, no matter whether we are winning or not.

“Find out if they have a girl then.” I muttered as I turned down onto the expressway and sped up to eighty.

“I suggest you do it now while Lee and Ambo aren’t here to fight you on it because we all know they would be against you kidnapping a girl.” Dougy mumbled from the back seat but stopped talking when my phone rang again for the night.

I nodded at Jeff to answer it and he did, his face turned hard but he seemed amused at the same time and held up his finger to shush us every time we asked who it was. After a few minutes he muttered a bye and hung up then turned to face Dougy with a small smirk, “Don’t be so sure about that Dougy because your sister hasn’t exactly been staying on the down low.”

My hands instantly clenched the steering wheel and the car side swiped a van as I turned to look at him before correcting us again and putting my foot down harder, getting distance between us and the stupid van before they could write my number plate down.

“What the hell does that mean?” I roared.

Jeff cocked an eyebrow, “It means word has it that two days ago Darcy and Leila stormed a house that Jenny was staying at. Three Gianni guys were shot dead in the kitchen at the back of the house and Jenny was found beaten to a pulp, she’s in hospital and unconscious.”

“Dammit Leila!” I snapped to no one in particular.

“I'm going to kill that little shit for helping her!” Dougy shouted, banging his hand on his door like Phil had just done not that long ago.

“Where is she now?” I asked through clenched teeth.

“He doesn’t know, this is what he has just heard half an hour ago.” Jeff replied in a hard tone, obviously wondering where Amberly is if Leila is running around like a crazed person with Darcy the wanker.

“I want Darcy’s address.” I growled and we all nodded, knowing that once we get it we are going to pay him a little visit.

“Try and ring Lee again.” Dougy poked me in the back of my shoulder.

“I’ll try her.” Phil muttered and picked his phone up off the backseat then dialled her number as I found a place to pull over safely and park the car then turned around to face him as he waited for her to not answer or for it to go to her message bank., “Lee!” he shouted in sudden shock, “Where ar-.” I cut him off by snatching the phone out of his hands.

“Leila Kaitlyn Withers! I’ve had enough of this game; now tell me where you are right now!” I growled and she knew I wasn’t messing around.

“How I’ve missed you so much Baden.” She mumbled and I knew she just rolled her eyes at me. So I'm guessing because I'm not next to her, she thinks she doesn’t have to take me seriously.

“Where are you?” I growled slowly.

“Tell him to not call me names again!” a voice hissed in the background – a male’s voice.

“Who is that!” I snapped, my anger getting the better of me in this moment.

“Baden.” She spoke with a bored tone, “Don’t call De names again...okay?”

“Are you on fucking drugs?” I shouted, tightening my fingers around Phil’s phone in a death grip.

“What? No!” Leila shouted back in shock, “Where did you even get that from?”

“Why the hell are you telling me off then?” The other three in the car quickly covered up their laughter when I shot them daggers, causing them all to look away instantly but I still noticed the smiles on their faces.

“Are you on drugs?” Leila asked in a softer tone but a teasing one as well, “Look, I told De off for yelling and calling you names already. So it was only fair you got told off too.”

“I also got hit though.” The male’s voice commented in the background whom I am assuming is Darcy.

“Where are you?” I asked in a calmer tone as well since yelling at her won’t get me anywhere but this at least proves Darcy is a filthy liar and knows where she is and would have known when I rang him the other day.

“Um, somewhere safe?” she offered.

“Not good enough Leila, where exactly are you?”

“Why? So you can put me on the next bus out of here again? I don’t think so Baden.” She growled, getting angry now.

“No, so I can come and get you.” I replied in my calm tone still.

“Yeah, I think not. I also think you have more important issues to worry about, like your face still on the news.” She sounded amused because she was trying to twist it around onto me but annoyed because I had been busted on national television.

“Oh, like how Jenny is in hospital and unconscious? Guess you wouldn’t know about that, hey Leila.” I growled her name just to make it obvious that I already knew. “I don’t think you should be going around shooting and killing people, it’s not healthy for you.”

“I didn’t shoot or bash anyone, Darcy did – I just asked Jenny some questions.” She retorted.

“Like what?”

“Like none of your business.”

“Leila.”

“Baden.” She mimicked my tone of voice, “Right, well I'm going now. Guess I’ll see ya when I see ya then.”

“Wait-.”

“I love you.” She cut me off before I could protest and hung up the phone. Instantly I pressed the redial button but it went straight to voice mail. Damn her.

“She’s with Darcy.” I growled, not liking that at all. If she should be with someone it should be me but then again if I hadn’t sent her away for her own safety, she would be by my side.

 Running my hands over my face in pure frustration I don’t understand why she can’t see that I need her safe, that I needed to know she was hours away from this city and out of danger. I can’t take Gianni down if I'm constantly worried about her and it’s not just her physical safety, it’s her mental safety too.

She’s going to break down with the way she is going and it’s my entire fault. If only I could protect her better she wouldn’t have felt the need to hold a gun in the first place but it still didn’t stop me from packing one secretly into her bag. I would rather she hold a gun and kill thousands of people before she is harmed.

~~

“What now?” Phil asked before taking a long drink from his bottle of beer. We got back to the new place twenty minutes ago and now all four of us were resting in the lounge room. It’s weird how I’ve always known Phil and Dougy and they have always been in the gang but we never got along - until Leila walked into our lives. Well, my life since she’s always been in theirs.

“Find out if Paul has a special somebody and take her.” Jeff grunted from the single seater chair as he stared angrily out the window, no doubt worrying about Amberly and I have to say, her not being here is slowly changing him back to his furious reckless teenage self.

“We’ve wiped out the bottom level but its taking too long so I say we skip a few levels and take out second or third.” My voice was calm but firm, I had been putting a lot of thought into this and it’s what I came up with. Taking out from the bottom up sounded good at the time and done the in the intent of scaring Paul but it was taking too long.

I wanted him and his pathetic gang out of the picture so I could have my girl back in my arms safe and sound.