by Jessie G.
Tory looked sideways at Alaric and pointed out, “That’s two.”
It was a request for confirmation that his men were safe and Alaric nodded. “Chase, you have eyes on Clay and Evan?”
An hour before the guests started arriving, Durango’s security team swept the club as well as every member of Evan’s team. The subsequent thirty minutes of radio silence had been torture and, though Red didn’t understand the technology Alaric had access to, he was grateful for it. One second everything was silent and the next a flood of noise filled the van as each transmitting device came to life.
It had also been a test. All the doubt they had about the undetectable technology Alaric promised was instantly put to rest. Red knew Saul was probably kicking himself for doubting in the first place. Without cameras in the club, they were relying solely on the information their people relayed back to them. It left them impotent, unable to see what those inside were too close to see. Unable to help if things went wrong.
Back at the warehouse that they were using as a base of operations, Saul and Javier would be able to listen in. Alaric had adamantly refused to entertain the idea of Saul being on site and they were all in agreement there. Then he’d refused to give Saul the ability to communicate with the team. Needless to say, Saul had been livid, but Red saw his point. Instinct would push Saul to take over and that kind of conflicting communication would jeopardize the plan.
“Yep, they’re between Kyle and me, overseeing the two bars.” Tory nodded and never looked away from his monitor. Like Juan, Red wondered what possessed Clay to take up the fight and subject his two subs to this kind of danger. As the hours stretched out the night before, he’d even begun to question why he and Bull were involving themselves. The harsh thoughts had made him feel like less than a friend, but the idea of losing Bull had been debilitating.
“MT at the host stand.” Liam’s voice was faint over the heavy beat of techno music, indicating that Miguel, the male target, was within sight.
Kyle’s voice came next, assuring them that he had eyes on their female target, Marisol. “FT is working the floor.”
“Everyone hold position until FT is engaged,” Alaric reminded them, as if they hadn’t been over the plan a dozen times.
Red looked at Jacky on the monitor and saw him clenching and unclenching his fists, his chest rising and falling too fast. At his back, Chris stood pressed against him and it made Red smile. Saul had used the specific words ‘glued to his back’ and Chris had taken that order to the extreme, which was why Chris was the right one to stand guard. That didn’t mean he couldn’t help. “Jacky.”
“Yeah, Red?”
“I heard a rumor that you warned Bull to claim me or you’d think I was fair game.” With his gaze focused on the monitor, Red didn’t miss the flash of surprise or the devious smirk. “Ha, so it is true!”
“What can I say, Red, you have the type of hot body I like under me. Legs for miles, ass so round and tight it’s just begging to be bit and fucked, and that face. Shit man, too bad your brother isn’t as hot...or gay.” There was a perfect growl across the open connection, but Bull didn’t say a word. Jacky laughed softly and on the monitor he could see those shoulders relax a little. “Does he growl like that in bed? I’m nobody’s bottom, but if he makes that noise, I’ll be happy to be the cream in your Oreo.”
“Only when he’s buried so deep in my tight round ass that I can feel him for days.” That might have been more descriptive than Saul or Bull had expected him to get, but seeing Jacky relax and knowing the little distraction was working emboldened him.
“Oh, Red, I am impressed by the lengths you’re willing to go to distract me. I’ll have that visual in my head for a very long time. Tell me, how many times does he make you come before he lets you sleep?”
Alaric looked over with a mixture of amusement and concern. Jacky had taken his ball and ran with it, brazenly provoking Bull. Red wasn’t worried. Bull might be growling but wasn’t that to be expected? It was all part of the show after all. “On a normal night? At least twice.”
“And on a night like tonight when he’s listened to you talk dirty to one of his friends?”
“Oh, Jacky, why do you think I’m doing it? I don’t think we’ll be sleeping for days.” In fact he was counting on that very thing. After this, he was going to need as much Bull therapy as he could get.
“So, now I’m a sexual aid?”
“Everyone has a role to play.”
“Consider yours well played. I’m good, Red, I promise.”
“All right, Jacky, love you.” It was a first. The declarations weren’t flying around the garage, but it was true and Jacky needed to hear it. On the monitor he saw another flash of surprise, saw Chris’s smile of approval before Jacky responded in kind.
Tory reached over and squeezed his hand, silently telling him that he’d done a good thing. When Saul had suggested to Bull that Jacky would need a sexual diversion that wasn’t necessarily sex, they’d both been momentarily stumped. Then the wheels started turning and he knew it took a lot for Bull to ask it of him, much less to listen to it play out. Under any other circumstances that might have been considered fun, especially knowing how Bull was going to ravage him later.
“Hey, fairy boy!” An unknown voice screamed across their headsets and was immediately followed by a harsh whisper. “Chase, what the fuck are you doing here?”
“Who the hell is that?” Alaric demanded, scrambling over to Juan’s console.
“Snake.” The deadly answer belonged to Trick. “Chase, don’t engage him.”
“You gotta get outta here. Chase…” Snake hissed again, only to be cut off.
“Well, well, isn’t this a pleasant surprise?” The unknown female voice sent a shiver of alarm through them all. “Chase, is it? Do you know who I am?”
“Y-y-yes…” Chase’s breathless stutter was followed by a painful grunt.
“They’ve got him backed into a corner,” Kyle’s harsh voice came through. “I’m making my way over, but whoever she is, she’s got like ten bodyguards.”
The answer came almost simultaneously. “Yes, of course you do. How is my faggot brother? I hear he’s looking for me.”
“FT engaged, ETA two minutes.” Delia’s voice came through their headsets.
“Hold your position Jacky,” Alaric ordered. “Kyle, can you get him out of there? Trick, where the fuck are you?”
Red could only imagine what Saul was going through, listening in at the warehouse, unable to help as Kyle’s panicked voice vibrated through them. “I’m trying! Trick?”
“Now be a good boy and give my brother a message for me, won’t you?” The sharp, shrill cry that followed held them all frozen. Red didn’t know Trick or Chase that well, but what he did know was that Trick wouldn’t sit idly by while Chase was in danger. The fact that he’d gone suddenly mute and there was no indication that he’d revealed himself left them all stunned. “Aww, don’t cry, little boy, it only hurts for a minute. Soon your body will go numb and you won’t feel a thing. But you’ll remember to tell Trick who did this to you, won’t you?”
The sound of amused laughter drifted off. “Chase…” Snake whispered. “Oh, fuck, Chase...shit...you tell Trick this wasn’t me. Fuck...Chase, look at me...your friend is coming...you hang the fuck on and you tell Trick this wasn’t me!”
“MT in position,” Liam barked out. “Chase is on the ground, I repeat, Chase is down. Everyone’s in their fucking position. Genius, get Jacky going.”
Everything after that was a blur. On the monitor, he watched Chris’s arm tighten around Jacky who was twitching so hard it was a wonder he didn’t shatter. Chris held Jacky’s trigger hand in a death grip, preventing him from setting the bombs off early. Through the earpiece they could hear Chase’s pain-filled whimpers and Kyle’s sobbing whispers.
“I’m...I’m almost there. Your boy better be ready.” The voice that came across sounded like Trick’s in a cold, emotionless sort of way. Red h
ad never heard anything quite that scary in his life and he never wanted to again. “As soon as I have Chase, you blow this fucking thing up.”
“Everyone better be in their damned positions,” Alaric warned, waiting for Trick’s confirmation before finally giving the order. “Jacky, now!”
Chris released that twitching hand and then wrapped Jacky completely in both arms. It could have been a romantic embrace the way Jacky pressed back, their heads bowed together, his eyes glazed with a passion so all-consuming it made them all catch their breath. As his fingers clenched around the trigger, his hips jerked and jerked again and Red didn’t have to look to know that Jacky had just gone off as explosively as the bombs now shaking the ground around them. As far back as they were, they felt the earth move and Red scrambled to hold his seat. “That was only two blasts, Ric, only two.”
Jacky had set three, they all knew it. The third was on delay, an insurance policy to keep the crowd contained where they wanted them. The doors to the club burst open, people were running in every direction, and Alaric screamed, “Blow the third! Come on!”
Through the euphoria Jacky must have heard him and pulled the final trigger. The scattering crowd turned back, not sure which way to run. “Teams check in...check the fuck in!”
“Blue team, FT and D secured. Thirty seconds from pick up.”
“Red team’s two minutes out. Trick, get Chase to the employee door. It’s gotta be fast, but I can take him. Do you hear me? Do not go after her!”
Trick didn’t answer Bull directly, but they could hear him talking to Kyle. Could hear Chase’s shocked cry and then finally it was Kyle who answered. “We’ll be there. It’s...we’ll be there.”
“Red, how’s Jacky?” Alaric demanded.
Red knew that once Owen had the blue team, he’d swing around for Chris and Jacky. “Chris has him pinned to the ground.”
“Red team has Chase. Liam, you better be on the move, I’m rolling around front and we’re losing precious time.” Bull’s voice sounded strained and Red could only imagine the condition Chase was in. Thankfully the crowd was still in a panic or someone would have seen the ambulance make its stop...or worse, questioned how it got there so quickly.
“Four ambulances coming down the road.” Red watched as Bull pulled to a stop and jumped out of the ambulance. Liam was already half pushing, half dragging Miguel toward them. Miguel was putting up a decent fight considering one arm was hanging at the wrong angle. At least, he was until he came face to face with Bull.
“All teams check in. What’s your ETA?” Alaric demanded.
“Blue team grabbing Chris and Jacky now. Chris knocked him out so the bastard weighs a ton.” There some commotion and then Owen gave them the all clear. “Everyone secure. We’re rolling out.”
“Red team rolling out.” Bull cursed and then cursed again. “Your medical team needs to be ready. Chase has lost a lot of blood. And tell Saul that Miguel knew exactly who I was.”
The ride back to the warehouse was silent save Juan’s continued tapping on the keyboard. His job now was to monitor the emergency bands and get an estimate on casualties. Not that he wanted to hear that anyone had died in the blast, but it was something they all had to be prepared for.
“Your boy’s good,” Juan said after a while. “So far no reported casualties.”
Red could only hope that would help assuage the guilt Jacky would feel. They arrived at the warehouse in time to see Chase being taken behind the makeshift triage center that Alaric’s doctor friends had set up. No names had been exchanged, but he was certain a lot of money had. Bull was waiting by the doors when he jumped out of the van and he ran into those waiting arms. They just stood like that, holding on to one another for a long time before he could compose himself enough to speak. “Chase?”
Bull tightened his arms, a clear indication that it was bad. “Bitch stabbed him in the side. There was...Jared did what he could, but we didn’t know what she hit and we couldn’t risk pulling out the knife. Ric’s doctors are the best and I have to believe he’ll pull through.”
He nodded, needing to believe it too. “Trick must be devastated. All this time he’s been trying to save her...why did she do it?”
“She married Durango. They’ve known all along that Trick’s been chasing his tail looking for her. They know everything. How deep he’s gone in with the MC, his relationship with Chase...everything.” Bull pressed a kiss to his forehead before easing back. “Look, I think you need to go to New York for a little bit, at least…”
“Are you coming with me?” Red didn’t bother to wait for a response. “Cause, unless you are, I’m not going anywhere.”
Bull sighed and led him into the warehouse.
Chapter 37
Javier
Saul rushed over to help them get Jacky out of the van as soon as Owen pulled into the warehouse. Marisol tried to make a run for it and Delia—Alaric’s pretty, polished, sophisticated executive assistant—manhandled her into a chair and was standing guard. From his perch by the bank of computer monitors, Javier could see Jacky convulsing, could see Marisol shooting daggers at Delia, and thought it best to stay where he was.
Bull pulled in next and, after confirming that Chris and the others would stay with Jacky, Saul headed over to help with Chase. When Miguel stepped from the ambulance first, Saul barely spared him a glance. In truth, Javier had never seen Saul as angry as he was right now, and at one point he’d said what no one else had the nerve to point out. They were doing this all for a man who refused to do anything to get out on his own. Saul had gotten them both out and risked everything, including two years in prison, to do it. Had Miguel really wanted to get out, couldn’t he have found a way?
Saul spoke quietly to Liam and then turned his back on them to climb into the ambulance. Liam guided Miguel to Marisol, leaving them to reunite, and relieving Delia of guard duty. The surveillance van pulled in just as Trick and Saul were easing the gurney from the back of the ambulance. Kyle was straddling Chase, keeping pressure against the injured side and Jared was keeping step alongside the gurney with a bag of fluids.
“Are you okay?” Colin came up beside him and put a comforting hand on his arm. It was weird because he could see that hand on his skin, but he couldn’t feel it. In fact he felt very detached from the whole thing, like he was watching a movie play out and knew that it was the wrong reaction. When he saw Tory race across the warehouse and disappear behind the curtain where they’d taken Chase, he felt nothing. When Tory and Kyle came out from behind the curtain, and he saw all the blood on Kyle, he felt nothing. Even when the two men collapsed against one another, their soft sobs echoing off the high ceilings, he felt nothing. He knew he should be there with Kyle, being the supportive lover, feeling empathy for his lover’s pain…
“Javi?” Colin looked at him in confusion. That made two of them—he had no idea what Colin was asking or why. What he did know, or believed he should know, was fading fast. Finally Colin shook his head in what looked like disgust and walked away. Saul and Trick came out from behind the curtain next, the two men wearing nearly identical masks of rage, and Tory threw himself in Trick’s arms. When Saul and Kyle disappeared through a door on the side, he still felt nothing. No...no, that wasn’t true, he felt relieved that he wouldn’t have to figure out how to feel long enough to do the right thing.
As he looked around the warehouse that feeling of detachment grew. Near the door he saw Bull and Red clinging to one another, and on the far side of the computer bank he saw Davin and Alaric in a similar embrace. Even the pretty, polished, executive assistant was being crushed in the arms of the nerdy CSI. With Billy, Owen and Chris sitting with Jacky, Colin had taken up Liam’s post so that he could join them. Whatever happened had rocked them all, Javier just wished he could remember what that was.
“Ric.” Javier looked up and saw Trick and Tory crossing the warehouse. “Any word from Clay or Evan?”
“Not yet, but we called every state and federal age
ncy as soon as the bombs went off in an attempt to keep the crowd tied up with authorities long enough to get those two out of town.” Alaric came around and spared him a curious glance before taking over one of the keyboards. “You need to see this though.”
Javier looked up at the big monitor along with the others in hopes that it would shed some light on what he was forgetting, but the woman whose image appeared larger than life was a complete stranger to him. At a glance, he didn’t like her. There was something malicious in her eyes, and by the way the others were looking at her, he knew that feeling at least was spot on. Had she caused this upheaval amongst his loved ones?
Trick stepped closer, scrutinizing every inch of the woman’s face before reaching out to touch the digital image. “How come facial rec didn’t pick her out?”
“It did, but not as Alicia Malone,” Alaric answered, tapping away on the keyboard until another monitor showed the information he found. “She came back as Lacey Elliott. Born March 29, 1990 in Clearwater, Florida. Birth records, school records…she’s got the whole nine. She married Durango in 2010, but doesn’t use his name.”
Saul and Kyle came to stand with Trick. It was something of a surprise to see Kyle’s clothes covered in blood. Some niggling voice said he knew why, but it was so faint and he couldn’t find the energy to dig for the answer. “Javi and I escaped in 2009, but Miguel might know something.”
Saul didn’t bother to wait for a response, just turned on his heel and walked to where Miguel was sitting. Javier watched the two brothers talk, saw the way Miguel cradled his arm, and once again felt like he should know why Saul’s brother was hurt. Curious, he looked around the warehouse again and found himself unable to come up with an explanation for why they were all there. It should bother him that whatever he was supposed to know was just gone and that everything he was supposed to feel escaped him. Instead he just drifted in the nothingness that had taken over.