I lean back in my chair, propping my foot up on the heavy wooden table, looking around the room. With the men I brought back with me, together with Joker and Lady, that makes nine of us in all. Marsh, being a prospect isn’t around the table, but I’ll need to leave him here at the compound. We’ve no idea how many we’ll be going up against. Fuck, why did I let my brothers go off with Devil when I want them here to help me save Sam? Everything about this situation is fucked up. Christ.
I’m not comfortable with putting all our eggs in one fucking basket. If Mouse is correct, then maybe we can rescue her. If he’s wrong, we might lose her again.
As I’ve needed to keep in touch with Devil, I’ve left my phone turned on. When it rings, and I see it’s him, I lose no time answering it. “Speak to me.”
“What?”
“Fuck. Where? On Sonara, you say?” I flick my eyes toward Mouse; he’s looking excited and nodding furiously.
“Yeah, that’s one of his properties. His main residence, we’ve already earmarked it.”
“I’ll let you know. Take care, man.”
All eyes are on me when I end the call. I stand. “She’s fuckin’ there. Her GPS has just kicked back into action. We’re going. Now.” Viper’s already on his feet and opening the door. “Viper, Brother, wait a fuckin’ minute.” When he pauses, I address everyone. “We’ve got to take care. We approach quiet, you hear me? Check out what we’re dealing with before barging in. Won’t do Sam any good if we fuckin’ end up dead. Viper, you feeling me here?”
Viper turns, hope shining from his face. He gives me a considered look, then a sharp nod. “I got you, Prez.”
“Okay, let’s get fuckin’ rolling then.”
We don’t waste a minute as we head for the bikes and start our engines, peeling away from the clubhouse and out of the gates heading for the outskirts of Phoenix. It’s our one piece of luck Sam wasn’t taken further away. Two hours, darlin’. Just hang on for two more hours.
Another fast ride, throttles turned all the way, we race up the interstate, with myself in the lead, Wraith and Blade behind me, Viper and Beef behind them, followed by Joker and Lady. With Mouse and Blade bringing up the rear in the crash truck. I might not have all my brothers with me, but apart from the new guys who are still an unknown, I have nothing but confidence in the ones who are. My only concern is that Viper might go off half-cocked, but I’ll be watching him closely and pulling the plug immediately if it looks like he’s going to go off on his own fucking plan.
We head toward a suburb south of the city, and after we turn off the freeway, it’s clear we’re riding into the area where the rich motherfuckers live. As desert gives way to a more populated area, the houses are large, built back from the road and secluded behind impenetrable-looking fences. If these are an example of Kurt’s residence, I’m going to have to start drumming up some ideas how to get us inside.
Checking off the numbers as we pass, I spy a utility yard, a paved pull-off area with boxes probably full of electronics and circuitry of some sort—not that I give a fuck at that moment, but it’s a useful place to stop. I wave at my brothers then give the signal to cut the engines. Coasting up to it we park our bikes as best as possible out of sight. This seems to be the closest we can get if we don’t want to be heard. For the rest of the way, we’ll be on foot. As soon as we stop, Mouse has gotten out his laptop and is tethering it to his phone. I motion to take off our cuts, and we put them in the crash truck while the computer guy does his job.
“Yes!” As he fist pumps the air, I raise my eyebrow. He’s grinning. “I can hack into their security from here. Cameras are going to stop recording... now.”
That’s great news. Now we can be sure they won’t see us going in. “Wraith, you take Bullet and Beef and keep an eye on what’s going on out front. And stay out of fuckin’ sight. I’ll take the back, the rest of you, with me.” Meaning I can keep Viper close by.
As quietly as burly bikers can, we move stealthily forward; this isn’t our first rodeo. Lady and Joker fit in as though they’ve always been with us. I position my team where I want them.
“You’ve got a guard heading in your direction,” Wraith speaks into my ear. I motion to the others to stay down and watch as he comes into sight. It’s clear he’s being slack and not expecting trouble—he’s texting someone on his phone, only making a show of doing his rounds.
“What you got there, VP?”
“One guard on the gate looking fuckin’ bored.”
“Can you take him?”
“Oh yeah.” My lips curl as I hear the confidence in my VP’s tone.
“When the guard coming our way is out of sight, we’ll cut the fencing and get through. I’ve seen no movement inside. You?”
“Nothing.”
Blade’s got the wire cutters and doesn’t need any instruction; he starts doing his shit directly when the guard turns the corner. Silently we all slip through, keeping low and taking advantage of the ornamental shrubs conveniently placed to give us some cover. Soon we’ve made it, unchallenged, to the back of the house. This is too fucking easy.
“We’re in,” I tell Wraith. Joker’s carefully peering into the windows, moving from one to the next. The shake of his head tells me there’s no one to be seen. Motherfucker must put one hell of a lot of faith in his security system and guards.
“Your guard is coming back. Southside.” I wave Blade and Mouse forward to the corner of the building. They take out the guard with a quick blow to the head and have him bound, gagged, and hidden in less than a minute. Fuck yeah, my boys are good.
“Taken care of. I’ll come to the front.” Leaving the others behind, I make my way carefully along the side of the house, but again, no alarm is raised. I get to the corner and raise my weapon.
I can see Wraith step into sight, flanked by Bullet and Beef, guns ready in their hands. Through my earpiece, I hear what he’s saying. “Drop your weapon and open the gate. That’s it, take it out carefully.”
I can see the moment when indecision strikes, the guard wondering if he has a chance. But Wraith stops that dead. “Take a look behind you if you’re thinking of being a fuckin’ hero.”
He glances around, sees me to his rear. Whatever he’s paid is not to be enough for him to take a bullet for his boss. He presses a remote, and the gates start to open.
“Blade, entry in five.”
As Bullet deals with the guard in the same efficient way as his brothers had done the one out the back, Wraith and Beef run toward me. We crash through the front door at the same time as I hear glass breaking out back. A man stands frozen to the spot, startled by our unexpected entrance. As his mouth drops open, his hand goes to his belt.
“Stop right there,” I tell him. But he doesn’t, stupidly continuing the movement toward his gun. I fire once, a muffled pop courtesy of my silencer, and the guard drops to the ground, a neat hole in his forehead.
“Nice, Prez.” I acknowledge Viper’s compliment with just a small nod.
“Viper, you, Joker, and I, we’ll take upstairs. VP, you, Bullet and Lady see what you can find down here. Blade, Beef and Mouse, check garages and outbuildings.
We split into the three groups. Walking quietly is damn near impossible wearing motorcycle boots, but we manage it. The blatant wealth of the house’s owner is apparent everywhere—this Kurt fucker is clearly rich as all get-out and isn’t ashamed to flaunt it. I’d bet good money all the vases and such are genuine antiques. But we’re not here to steal, we’re here for a rescue. A rescue that’s looking more unlikely by the minute. Each bedroom and bathroom we find is empty. Oh, the house is lived in, alright, it’s just there doesn’t appear to be anyone at home. And no sign of Sam or of any woman’s occupancy.
Exchanging frustrated looks, we head back down and find Wraith, shaking his head. “There’s a cook in the kitchen, and, according to her, no one, except the guards, are around.”
“No sign of Sam?”
“None. Upstairs?”
“Nothi
ng.” Have we come to the wrong fucking place after all?
I place a phone call. “Devil, she’s not here. Have you got a new location for her?”
Going cold, I listen to him tell me her GPS signal still shows she’s here. But she’s not. A chill runs through me. Could they have cut the tracker out? Shit! It could be hidden anywhere in the house. To lead us into a trap? Unlikely, we wouldn’t have taken the guards out so easily if it was.
I’m not yet satisfied we’re in the wrong place. But where could she be? “Where’s this cook? She alive?”
Wraith nods, and points in the direction of the kitchen.
“I’ll go question her; you go make the guards talk. We need to know where she fuckin’ is.”
“I’ll do it; I’ll make them fuckin’ tell us.” Viper’s face is twitching, his skin glowing red, his eyes moving back and forth in panic. “We’ve gotta find her, Prez.”
He needs something to do. Feeling pity for the guards, I send him out with Blade. Wraith follows me to the kitchen. The cook is trussed up, her eyes open, her throat working as she swallows hard. I rip off her gag. “Where’s the girl?”
Her brow creases. “What? Whaaaat girl?”
Her reaction looks genuine. “Your employer, Kurt Regus. He brought a girl here earlier.”
She shakes her head. “I haven’ seen no girl. But I’ve been in the kitchen most of the day. I was just clearing up after dinner. I don’t get to see nothing.” Glancing around I see what she’s just taken out of the dishwasher, a lonely plate sits on the side.
“You live in?”
She shakes her head. She’s trembling, her body jerking in little movements showing her fear. “Kurt usually keep a woman here?”
Another shake of her head. Fuck, is this a dead end? It’s starting to seem more likely that somehow he’s removed her tracker and taken her elsewhere.
I know from experience when someone’s telling the truth, and this woman is so scared a puddle of urine has appeared on the floor. Accepting she’s told us everything she knows, I slam my fist against one of the cabinets, leaving a large hole in the expensive wood. “Fuck it!”
Returning to the entrance hall, I find Viper’s returned, his hands, bloodied. He’s shaking his head. “We’re in the wrong fuckin’ place, Prez. The guard’s say she’s not in the house. He’s telling the truth, I’m sure on that. What the fuck do we do now?”
Rolling back my head, I let out a sigh. All eyes are on me, waiting for me to tell them what to do next. Viper’s shaking in his desire to get searching again. And me? Well, fuck, all I can think of is Sam and all manner of hell she could be suffering. As I try to work through our limited options, my eyes look around the hall and focus on a curtain hanging on a rail under the stairs. It strikes me as an odd place for a curtain.
“You look behind that?”
“What?” Wraith looks round, his eyes creasing before flicking to mine. With a few long strides, he’s moving over to it, pulling the curtain aside and revealing a door.
“Shit!” I’m beside him in seconds. We’ve been asking the wrong fucking questions. She’s not in the house. She’s in the fucking basement! She has to be. The door is locked. I don’t waste time hunting for a key. “Stand back!” Speaking, while simultaneously pointing my gun, I shoot out the lock. The door swings open—it’s a heavy motherfucker with soundproofing on the other side. Suddenly there’s a shrill scream, a man’s voice cursing, and then a cry of pain. It’s Sam. We’ve found her. And she’s being hurt.
Holding myself back with great difficulty, cautiously I start to make my way down. Viper almost pushes me off balance in his hurry.
“Careful, man,” I admonish him in a growl, the fucker takes no heed.
Pushing me hard against the wall and out of his way, he’s descending in front of me. Throwing caution to the wind, I’m right behind him, barrelling into him as he comes to a sudden halt at the bottom. There, in front of us, is the man who I assume is Kurt, and he’s crouching behind Sam who’s shackled to the ground, one arm around her throat, and another holding a gun to her head.
“Not one step further, or I shoot her.”
Sam’s naked, her eyes wide with panic.
“Don’t worry, babe. We fuckin’ got you now.” I force my voice to sound calm and reassuring.
“I don’t think you fucking understand. I’m holding all the cards here. She’s dead if you take one step further.”
I’ve been in situations like this before. “Shoot her, and you’re not going to see daylight again. Let her go, and I’ll guarantee you’re walking out of here alive.” And that’s the truth. It was part of the deal I’d made with Devil. Deliver him alive and able to answer questions. Nothing to say he needed all his limbs in working order.
Taking a step into the basement, I give my brothers room to stand beside me. Each of us with a weapon in hand. While giving the rich prick time to realise this is one situation where he’s not going to wriggle his way out of, my eyes alight on Sam again, seeing the bruising on her head, and the open, bleeding cut across her breast, and another down the side of one arm. My whole body tenses with rage while I try to read her expression. Have we gotten here too late? Has he done that to her, too? A growl comes to my throat, I swallow it down.
I don’t ask if she’s alright, I can see she’s not. My arms itch to hold her, but when I take another step, he presses the barrel to her head, and his fingers twitch on the trigger. If I’m not careful, he’ll shoot her by accident.
“I can pay you.” His voice has gone up an octave. “Just leave me with the girl. She’s special to me, so name your price.”
“Why is this girl so special to you?” It’s Blade who asks, while I think she’s fucking essential to me. Just seeing her, hurt, afraid, but keeping her cool, staying strong and not moving, she’s fucking amazing in my eyes. My enforcer is just trying to keep him talking. Like me, he’ll have seen Kurt’s finger on the trigger is none too steady.
“Just look at her.” Now his voice sounds creepy. “She’s so beautiful. Just waiting to be corrupted.”
Oh yeah, she’ll be corrupted all right, just not by him.
I stare at Sam, willing her to believe there’s no sum large enough to tempt me to leave her with him, even if I thought Viper would let me get away with it. She blinks her eyes, and I’m sure it’s a sign she understands. My words say something different. “How much you talking?” I use his distraction, and his momentary hope to inch closer. I feel Blade moving a little way off to my right.
Kurt’s eyes flare with interest. “A million? Two?” I suppose it’s pocket change to a billionaire.
My VP knows what I’m doing. “Prez, we could do a lot with that kind of money. It’s a good fuckin’ deal for the club.”
The gun lowers an inch. But I need it away from her.
“Two and a half,” I barter.
The taut lines on Kurt’s forehead begin to smooth out, and a slight smile comes to his face as he begins to think that he’s won. Not surprising. In his world, you can buy anything. The gun moves away, and as soon as it’s no longer pointed straight at Sam’s head, in a blur, I see a knife fly across the room, embedding itself in Kurt’s right hand. I leap forward, taking charge of his weapon and pistol-whip him across the face. And that’s just for starters; he’s had his hands on my woman.
Sam gasps and falls forward. Dropping to my knees, my arms are there to catch her. Her fingers grasp at my arms, pulling me to her as if she’s never going to let me go. I hold her, kissing her hair, never, I vow silently, I’m never letting you go again.
And then Viper’s here too, crouched on the floor trying to take her from me, ending up with his arms awkwardly around us both. He’s crying openly, his tears setting off hers. My own eyes are wet.
“Found a key, Prez.” Bullet’s pulled the prone body away and searched his pockets. The key fits the shackle, and she’s free.
Now I’m standing up, cradling her like a baby.
“Prez.”
Lady’s taken off his t-shirt and is handing it to me. I gesture, not wanting to put her down. Viper takes it and puts it over her head, then we both manoeuvre her arms into it. A little awkward, but it does the job. While I carry her upstairs and out of the house, I leave my brothers to bring up the trash.
Blade’s run ahead, and the crash truck draws up in front of the house. Kurt, tied and gagged, is thrown in the back, and I go to put Sam gently in the passenger seat, but she shakes her head violently.
“Don’t leave me,” she cries, her eyes pleading.
Making the decision quickly, I tell Blade to bring back my bike. I have no desire to take my hands off her, not for a moment.
“I’ll drive.” In the same frame of mind, Viper tosses the keys to his bike to Mouse.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Sam…
I’m safe. Just thinking those wonderful words helps to slow the frantic beating of my heart. Drummer came for me.
I hold Drummer so tightly, unable to release him but he doesn’t seem to care, sitting beside me in the truck with his precious leather cut on the seat next to him. I can’t stop shivering, violent tremors wracking my body, knowing my rescue had only just been in time. He’d come only minutes before I would have been raped.
Left in the basement, with no watch or phone to advise me, I had no way of measuring how long Kurt had left me alone, but it had been probably no more than a couple of hours. When he’d returned, though he’d evidently recovered enough to torment me, his posture was stiff, as though still in some pain. But my self-congratulatory feelings didn’t last long. Initially it had been a standoff. I was free now, no longer chained to the wall, and I threatened him with the long whip. But he’d come prepared; he’d brought a gun.
I knew my brief freedom was lost when he threatened to put a bullet in my leg, saying it didn’t matter to him if I was unable to walk. The cold, unfeeling set of his eyes told me he’d have no problem following through with his threat.
With the weapon targeting me, I’d reluctantly put down the whip, and allowed myself to be shackled once again to the wall. Then he’d snatched up the whip and used it again, punishing me for my rebellion. Once, twice, I’d put my free arm around my torso to protect me, ending up with slashes from my wrist to my shoulder. A sharp, searing pain opening up my skin. Then he’d come closer, taking my hair, pulling my head back and pressing his mouth to mine. With a sharp pinch to my nipple, I’d gasped and opened my mouth. He’d thrust his tongue inside. I tried to bite him and got a hard slap around my face as a reward.
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