Chapter Five

Xavier decided to take matters into his own hands. He believed her Grandparents encouraged her fear of him, so he went back to the courts and applied to have full custody of his own daughter. It was granted, and the Grandparents told her to stay away from the child until her father believed she had accepted her new life with him. He knew the Grandparents were never going to accept the court's ruling, the little girl was their life, and they had no intention of handing her over to the man they blamed for losing their daughter. When he arrived with two Court Officials and four Police Officers, he was determined to do things by the book, but they were told by the servants that they had gone.  

‘Gone where?’

He queried, but though the Police questioned them severely, it was soon clear that they knew nothing, and the wild anger he had been keeping at bay was unleashed.

Returning to his Headquarters, he called in every favour he was owed by the other Biker Gangs, asking them to search their territories for a rich elderly couple with their pretty little granddaughter. It took his contacts just over a week to locate them; they had tried to hide themselves in the tiny town of Cayote, Bosque County, Texas, which had a population of around a hundred people. Her Grandfather had purchased a small ranch, and they had told the locals they emigrated from Ireland after the death of their son and daughter-in-law. Taking his best men with him, he set out to drive the thirty-four miles to collect his daughter, by force if he had to.  

Morven had been frightened when her Grandparents woke her in the middle of the night, wrapped her in a blanket and rushed her out into the back of their packed car. There were a million questions on the tip of her tongue, but her Grandpa had placed a finger on her lips,

‘Go back to sleep, little princess, I’ll answer your questions at breakfast.’

Xavier surveyed the ranch from his vantage point higher up the road,

‘Make sure every exit is secured. We have one chance at this, nothing must go wrong, I’m leaving here with my daughter even if I have to burn the whole place to the ground.’

His number two, Logan, nodded his head and strode back to his bike, signalling the others to follow him. His woman, Lorette, turned to Xavier,

‘Are you really going to do this, Boss?’

In answer, he threw his leg over the powerful Harley,

‘Get on.’

He ordered, and she did as she was told; his voice brooked no arguments, wrapping her arms around his waist as he kicked off the stand and the bike purred into action.

Morven swung her legs, pushing the swing higher and higher, enjoying the feeling of freedom the swoop gave her, giggling as she went as far as it would allow. She did not know how long they would be staying at this small, scruffy little ranch; she missed her beautiful bedroom, her toys, her friends and the servants who looked after her. Casting a glance over her shoulder, she scowled at the rundown building. Her grandfather had explained it would only be for a short while until he got the Courts to listen to him. He had told her they had given her back to her father, but they refused to hand her over and had fled here, so she had to be patient and accept that her Grandparents knew what was best for her. The little girl had not understood most of what she had been told; all she knew was they had insisted her Daddy was a bad man and she had to stay away from him.

‘Hello, little one.’

The deep, gentle voice startled her, and she missed her swing, making the seat wobble, sending her flying through the air, making her cry out in fear until strong arms caught her and she was pulled against a hard chest.

‘I got you, baby girl. I will always be here to catch you when you fall.’  

She wanted to struggle, to scream for her Grandfather, but a tiny prick in her arm made her whimper, and then her world went black. Xavier handed the little girl to Loretta, attaching her to the harness they had created to carry her on the bike. Signalling for the rest of the Bikers to follow him, he set off back to their stronghold, surprised at how easy it had been to take the girl. He was not to know her Grandfather had been called to a meeting by the other townsfolk, and wanting to fit in, he had left his wife and the child with the two guards he had hired. Unfortunately, the guards he hired were drunks; they had hidden it well, but that night, they had let go and were unconscious in the stables, sleeping off a huge binge drinking session. Her Grandmother, believing the child was safe, had nodded off listening to the radio; the circumstances had fallen into Xavier's plan, making it a simple task for him to take back his daughter.

Morven woke up in a strange bed, feeling nauseous. She sat up slowly, looking around with a frown,

‘This wasn’t her room.’

She thought, not either of them,

‘Grandfather?’

She called out groggily, but it was a strange woman who walked toward her,

‘Good, you are awake, hello Morven, I’m Loretta and I’m going to look after you.’

The little girl backed away against the headboard, her eyes wide with fear,

‘Go away, leave me alone. I want my Grandpa.’

She batted away Loretta’s arms as she tried to pick her up,

‘No, no, let me go, let me go. Grandpa, help me.’

Her screams grew louder as panic overtook her. She fought wildly, kicking and biting until Loretta dropped her back on the bed with a curse.

‘You fucking little brat, I’ll soon knock that fight out of you.’

The woman grabbed the child by her long red/gold hair and tugged her off the bed,

‘You’re hurting me, let me go.’