Joyride: Savage Menace MC Book 4

by Marie, Kay

  “Can’t I have a few more minutes?” I’m pressing my luck, I know, but it’s been so long since I’ve enjoyed a nice bath.

  “Now,” he shouts.

  Quickly and carefully, I climb out of the bath. He wraps me in a towel, ushering me out of the bathroom. On the bed, there’s an outfit laid out for me. Him being in such a hurry has me concerned. As I get dressed, Zack packs a duffle bag for each of us. When I’m fully dressed and he’s done packing, he rushes me out of the house and into his Mercedes AMG S 65. He tosses the duffle bags in the trunk before climbing in and taking off.

  He pulls the car out of the driveway and heads away from the SUV I saw earlier. After we’ve been in the car for a few minutes, I glance in the passenger-side rearview mirror. The black SUV is there. It’s a couple cars behind us, but it’s following us. I move my eyes to Zack. His knuckles are white from gripping the steering wheel so tight and his eyes flick to the rearview mirror every few seconds. He’s nervous about something.

  “Son of a bitch!” He speeds up, weaving in and out of cars. He damned near side-swipes a car as we pass them. It’s no use having a fast car if you don’t know how to drive it. I was lucky enough to have Shade teach me how to drive when I was younger. Nothing like learning how to drag race before learning how to drive on the streets with normal people.

  After about twenty minutes, he slows the car down to the speed limit. I take another glance in the rearview and don’t see the SUV anywhere. Zack is smirking like a cat who caught a canary. I roll my eyes. Smug bastard. The only reason he was able to lose them is because of all the traffic around us. Another hour later, we drive down a mile-long driveway to a house surrounded by trees. Zack pulls around the circle drive, so his car is off to the left of the house, facing down the driveway as if he’s planning for an easy getaway.

  “Get out,” he demands. He climbs out and walks around the car, stopping at the trunk to grab our bags. I follow him up the lawn to the front door. Before Zack can knock, a man opens the door.

  “You didn’t waste any time,” the man says in a thick Italian accent. His eyes move over my body, making my stomach turn. “Come on in.”

  Zack pushes me through the door, following on my heels.

  “Let me show you to your room.” The guy walks past us, down a hallway. I follow him without waiting for Zack to tell me to. I’d rather not do something to piss him off for the moment. The room he brings us to is huge. It’s the size of mine and Sienna’s apartment. The house itself gave off a small, cozy feel. Seeing some of the inside, it’s much larger than it appears.

  “This is perfect, Santo,” Zack says to him. “Thank you for opening your home to us.”

  Santo says something to Zack in Italian before leaving the room. Zack sets the duffle bags next to the bed and turns to face me.

  “Are you hungry? I need to talk to Santo, but I can show you where the kitchen is.”

  As if on cue, my stomach growls. “Yeah, I guess I am.”

  He moves so he’s standing in front of me. Lifting his hand to my face, he caresses my cheek with his thumb. While Sketch gives me butterflies when he touches me, Zack makes me want to puke.

  “You’ll learn to love me in time.” He kisses my forehead then walks out of the room. I wait a beat before following him. I walk into the kitchen and my jaw hits the floor. The kitchen opens to the living room, but each room is equally as big as the room Santo put us in. There’s an island that has a sink and seats five people, a double oven, a gigantic french door refrigerator and a walk-in pantry. This is a kitchen dreams are made of.

  “Make yourself at home. I’ll be back once Santo and I are done talking,” Zack tells me. He walks out of the kitchen and I walk into the pantry, in search of something simple to eat.

  34

  Sketch

  “Tech, Sketch,” Bull shouts. I follow Tech into Bull’s office. He has his phone to his ear and gestures to us to sit.

  “Hold on. They just walked in,” he says into the phone. He presses a button and sets his phone down. “You’re on speaker, Saint. Tell them what you told me.”

  “We were staking out Zack’s house. He and Wren came out and he was carrying two duffle bags. We tried to follow them at a distance, but I’m pretty sure he saw us and gave us the slip. We did get his license plate though,” Saint explains.

  “I can work with that,” Tech says. “Tell me what it is and I’ll work on tracking it.”

  Saint rattles off the plate number, and Tech leaves to do what he does best.

  “How did Wren look? Was she okay,” I ask him.

  “Honestly, brother, we weren’t close enough to see. All I can tell you is she was walking on her own just fine,” Saint says. I let out a heavy sigh.

  “Come on back to the clubhouse,” Bull tells him and they hang up. He brings his attention to me. “Trust that Tech will find them. We’ll bring her home.”

  “I do, Prez. I can’t stop worrying about her though,” I admit.

  “You love her, it’s only natural. We’ll get Zack and you’ll get your revenge. I need to call Rascal. Be prepared for Church in about thirty.” Bull dismisses me. I walk out to the main room, and Sienna walks up to me.

  “Any word on Wren?”

  “Not yet. I’ll make sure you’re updated when we get something,” I tell her. No need to tell her Zack’s taken Wren somewhere else. She nods her head and walks back to Aria and the others.

  “Sketch,” Shade calls, walking toward me.

  “What’s up?”

  “Come with me,” he says.

  I follow him outside. “What’s going on?”

  “We’re gonna pay a little visit to our buddy, TJ.”

  We take Shade’s car up to the barn. Once there, Shade leads me through the barn to a locked door. Opening it, it looks like a normal storage closet. The back wall looks like a normal built-in wall shelf, but it’s really a hidden door. This place hasn’t been used often, but it’s great for keeping prisoners long term. We walk down the stairs, turning on more lights as we go. There are four six-by-eight cells down here.

  TJ is occupying one. He’s currently hung up by chains around his wrists, head hanging low. By looking at him, you would think he’s already dead. He’ll be taking a trip to Hades soon enough.

  Shade grabs a bat, tapping the cell bars with it to wake him up. “Rise and shine, dirtbag.”

  TJ’s head slowly lifts. Hate fills his eyes. “Kill me and get it over with already,” he croaks out.

  “Tell us what we want to know, and I’ll consider it,” Shade tells him.

  “What do you want to know?”

  “Who would Zack run to for help if his dad denied him,” I ask him.

  He laughs as much as he can in his state. “He finally showed his true colors, I see.”

  Shade smacks the bat against the bars. “Who would he go to?”

  “Zack hates his father. There is someone else close to Big Vin who hates him just as much. The two of them want nothing more than to take him down and to take over the Italian mafia,” TJ tells us. He starts dozing off.

  “Who the fuck is it?” I shout at him.

  “Santo,” he whispers so softly, I don’t think I heard him right. I try to get him to repeat himself, but he’s out.

  “Fuck!” I slam my hand against the cell bars.

  “We can take that name back to Tech. See what he can tell us about this guy,” Shade says.

  “Yeah, let’s go.” We walk back up to the barn, locking everything back up and head back to the clubhouse. When we get back to the clubhouse, Clutch, Rascal, Diesel, and Saint are back, too. Walking straight inside, Bull calls Church as soon as his eyes find us. Andrei and Niko are still here, too. Once everyone is situated, Shade tells Bull we have some new information.

  “Knowing how close TJ was to Zack, we paid him a little visit. He told us Zack hates his father and wants to take him down. There’s a man under Big Vin that goes by Santo. TJ claims he wants to take Big Vin down, too,”
I explain to Bull.

  “Tech,” he says.

  “On it, Prez.”

  “I paid a visit to Big Vin. I paid off Wren’s father’s debt, so in Vin’s eyes, she’s free. Zack, of course, has his own thoughts on the matter. Vin has given us the go-ahead to do whatever we need to get her back,” Andrei tells us. “It seems whatever feelings Zack has toward his father are mutual.”

  “I found Santo. It looks like he’s a Capo for the mafia and by the look of these satellite images, Zack is at his house,” Tech announces. “It’s close to two hours away.”

  “We need to plan this carefully. Can you tell how many people they have there currently,” Bull asks.

  “Looks to be seven people in total,” Tech tells him. “Santo doesn’t have many soldiers under him. From the information I’ve found on him, he’s a shitty Capo. No one wants to work with him.”

  “Including Big Vin,” Andrei mutters with a laugh.

  “We should take ten guys out there,” Thor suggests. “Prez, you should hang back on this one.”

  Bull nods his head. “Ranger can take the lead on this one. Bikes shouldn’t be taken because it’ll tip them off that you’re coming.”

  “We should blow that motherfucker’s car up!” Kicks suggests. Some of the brothers agree with him.

  “Would Big Vin be willing to work with us to get Wren out of there? I might have a plan,” I say to Bull and Andrei.

  35

  Wren

  I settled on some chips and salsa to snack on. As soon as I sat down to eat, the sight of the food repulsed me. I’m sitting at the island, staring at the chips when Santo’s voice grabs my attention. It’s coming from upstairs, and he’s saying something in Italian.

  “You really think he will be that easy to take down,” Zack asks.

  “Of course. What better way than to start a war with his two biggest rivals?” The evil in his voice makes me cringe. “And if that fails, we always have Torres to fall back on. He’s ready for us whenever we’re ready to join him.”

  Torres? That’s TJ’s dad, the one that took Sienna and was grooming her to be sold in his human trafficking ring. He’s also head of the Cartel. Why would Zack want anything to do with him if his father is the head of the Italian mafia. Unless he’s planning something against his own family. But why?

  “Speak of the devil and he shall appear. I need to take this,” Zack says. He must have walked into a room to take a phone call. It’s all of a sudden quiet. Too quiet. A moment later, I get a bad feeling in my gut.

  “How do you feel about being shared, Tesoro?” Santo whispers against my ear. His breath hits my ear, sending a chill down my spine. He licks the side of my neck from the base up to my jawline. “You taste so delectable, my sweet.”

  “Santo! What in the actual fuck do you think you’re doing?” Zack demands. I never thought I’d be happy to see him again, but at this moment, I am. Santo steps away from me and I turn to face them both.

  An evil smirk spreads across Santo’s face. “I was only going to have some fun with her.” His attempt at sounding innocent fails miserably when he lets out a villainous laugh.

  “Touch her again and I will cut your fucking hand off. Do you understand?” Zack growls out.

  Santo takes a step, so he’s toe-to-toe with Zack. “You are threatening me? In my house? I don’t care who the hell you are. No one disrespects me in my house.”

  In the middle of their staredown, the front door opens.

  “Zack! Fratello! Where are you?” I know that voice. A minute later, Zack’s brother Rico walks into the kitchen. “Am I interrupting something?”

  Santo smiles a full tooth smile and pats Zack on the cheek. “Nope, nothing going on here. Right, Zack?”

  “Yeah, right. What’s up, Rico?”

  “I was sent here with some of my guys as back up for whatever you might need me for,” Rico explains to Zack.

  “Did Papà tell you what’s going on,” Zack asks.

  “He told me bits and pieces, but not everything,” Rico replies.

  Zack turns to me. “Go back to our room. Take your food with you if you’d like.”

  I nod my head, grabbing my chips, salsa, and a bottle of water and take it to our room. I leave the door open on the off chance I might be able to hear anything they talk about. After a few minutes of silence, I give up trying. I turn the TV on with the volume down low. I sit on the floor with my back against the end of the bed. I’m not sure what’s come over me, but my stomach has not stopped turning. I decide to climb in bed and take a nap.

  I don’t wake up until the next morning. I have the same clothes on that I fell asleep in, but I’m under the covers. The TV is on, and there are no signs of Zack ever sleeping in here. I sit up, rubbing my face.

  “Look who’s finally awake.” My eyes snap to Rico’s. “We were beginning to think you might never wake up.”

  “I didn’t realize I was so tired. I think I’m coming down with something,” I mutter. It was meant to only be a thought.

  “Why don’t you come have some breakfast,” Rico suggests.

  The thought of food makes me gag. “Eh, maybe later.”

  “Suit yourself.” Rico shrugs and walks away.

  I slowly climb out of bed and move to the duffle bag with my clothes in it. I grab a fresh pair of clothes before heading to the bathroom to freshen up. I take my time getting dressed and brushing my teeth before slowly making my way out to the living room. Rico is on the couch, flipping through channels on the TV while Zack is sitting at the kitchen island, staring at something on his phone. I sit on the couch by the window, looking outside.

  “What the fuck,” Zack shouts. I turn to him as he’s hurrying toward the front door. As he takes a couple of steps out the door, there’s an explosion and his car goes up in flames. Men come out of nowhere, rushing to the front yard. There’s shouting going on around me but I don’t know who it is or what they’re saying. I’m one hundred percent focused on the car in flames in front of my eyes. My breathing shallows as my heart feels as if it’s going to beat right out of my chest. As if it couldn’t get any crazier, three blacked-out SUVs fly up the driveway, parking parallel to the house. Men pile out of the SUVs and I try to focus on them to see who they are.

  “No fucking way,” I mutter. They’re at a distance, but I recognize them. It’s the Savage Menaces. Which means . . . “Sketch!”

  They’re shooting at the guys in the yard, including Zack and Santo.

  “Wren, come with me! We have to leave now,” Rico shouts at me.

  “No! I’m not going anywhere with you!” At that moment, I watch as Sketch gets hit by a bullet, taking him down. “No!” I cry out. Arms wrap around my waist and I’m lifted into the air. Tears are pouring out of my eyes, blocking me from seeing anything else going on. The tears don’t stop me from kicking and screaming. The next thing I know, I’m being put in the backseat of an SUV.

  “Go, go, go,” Rico shouts. I close my eyes, but the tears keep coming. Sketch was shot and I don’t even know if he’s still alive.

  36

  Wren

  I must have cried myself to sleep. I’m not sure how long we were driving for, all I know is I wake up to Rico carrying me toward a house. I scream at the top of my lungs and flail my feet. He tenses, struggling to hold me.

  “Wren! It’s okay, you’re safe,” Minx calls out. I stop my tantrum and Rico sets me down. I run into her arms, tears pouring out of my eyes.

  “Minx, h-he got sh-shot. I d-don’t even know if h-he’s alive,” I say in between sobs.

  “He’s in good hands. Rascal and Diesel took him to the hospital,” Raze says from behind Minx.

  “What? We have to go! I need to be with him,” I insist.

  “We aren’t goin’ anywhere until I have the okay from Ranger,” he states.

  “Come on, let’s get you inside.” Minx guides me into the house. “Rascal will make sure the nurses and doctors take good care of him until we get there.”


  “Until then, we need you to tell us if you heard Zack or Santo say anything,” Rico says.

  I glare at him. “You’re his brother. How do I know you won’t turn on us?”

  “Because, brother or not, I hate him as much as you do,” he admits. “I’ve been suspicious of his intentions for a couple of years now.”

  “Andrei Orlov reached out to Zack’s father, Big Vin, about Zack threatening Cali, Buster, and Caden. Big Vin had no idea Zack threatened the Pakhan’s family,” Raze explains.

  “My Papa has kept the Italian mafia off the Bratva’s radar for nearly twenty years. If he wanted to start a war with them or the Savage Menaces MC, he wouldn’t have sent a measly threat,” Rico adds.

  “Andrei paid off your father’s debt to Big Vin in return for your freedom. Big Vin knew Zack wouldn’t give you up willingly and gave us permission to do what we needed to do to get you back,” Raze tells me.

  I take a deep breath. “I did hear them talking about taking someone down by starting a war with their rivals. Also, Santo mentioned they would have Torres to fall back on.”

  “Torres? As in TJ’s father? The man who took Sienna,” Minx asks.

  “His friendship with TJ makes sense now,” Rico mutters. “As for Santo, that snake has never been one to be trusted. You all can do what you want with the waste of life that is my brother. All I ask is that you let my brothers and I have our way with Santo. As one of my Papa’s capos, he deserves the Italian mafia’s punishment for betraying us.”

  “I’m sure my Prez will be fine with that.” Raze glances at his phone before walking away answering it.

  Minx pulls me away from Rico. “Did anything else happen while you were with him?” She gestures to my bruised cheek.

  “No, nothing else,” I lie to her. It won’t do any good telling her what Zack did. I also don’t want to relive it.

  Raze walks back over to us, no longer on the phone. “Ready to go see your man?”