"So, you don't know for sure that he's in this location. What if he's not there. What if—" Vicky chokes on her words.
Pulling her into my chest, I try my best to comfort her. "Sweetheart, Ian is very good at what he does. I need you to trust him as much as I do." Pulling back, I lift her chin so she is looking at me. "I'm gonna bring him home. I promise."
She blows out a shaky breath. "I believe you."
I look around the room. "Demetri's men have the place secured. I also have Blake, Austin, and Grey staying behind. I need all of you to remain upstairs even after we've gone. We have too much going on downstairs, and I don't need the kids to see anything that might scare them."
Grace, who has been quietly sitting in a chair by the window holding our sleeping little girl in her arms stands. "Most of the children are settled in for the night. Them seeing anything shouldn't be a problem," she smiles, and my heart melts. "Remi and Kat are still awake though. As to be expected, Kat is worried about her brother and can't sleep. We all are," Grace comments. Bending forward, I kiss my daughter on her forehead.
"Prez," Grey grabs my attention. Turning, I see him standing in the hallway. "Everyone's ready to go."
I kiss my wife, but before exiting the room, Quinten stands. "Jake," and pulls his wife into his side, "stay safe."
Giving him a curt nod, I exit the room. When I get downstairs, all seven men are dressed and ready to go. I waste no time shucking on my gear and joining them. One van is the only vehicle we take. It's a tight fit but necessary. It was also needed having Austin drive us to our drop off point then double back and wait for my call. We don't want someone spotting us or our transportation which is also why we stopped about a mile or more back and walked the rest of the way to the drop off point.
"Cloudy skies tonight, men. I'll need you to put on the night vision gear. Those trees already block out much of the natural light from above. You won't be able to see four feet in front of you," Ian whispers before we enter the tree lines. "From here on it's silence." He makes eye contact with me before sliding his goggles over his eyes.
Ian was right. It's pitch black as we navigate our way through the trees. So far the terrain hasn't been terrible. The eerie stillness as we follow Ian is more noticeable than anything. We haven't heard a sound. Not even the wind is blowing through the trees. Even the sounds of our feet walking across the forest floor is barely audible.
Ian comes to a stop and lifts his hand signaling for us to halt our movement. After making our way for almost two hours, we've come upon the image displayed on the monitor earlier where the heat sources were detected. Pivoting my head from left to right, I scan the clearing and sure as shit there they are. Three small tube-shaped hotspots are protruding from the forest floor. Still hidden in the tree line, I motion for Gabriel and Logan to make their way toward my left while signaling for Riggs and his men to circle the opposite side of the location so we can surround the area. Our objective is to find Quinn, but I'll be damned if we let one motherfucker slip through our fingers. Holding our positions, we watch for any signs of activity, and so far we've seen none. This means all five Satans Reapers have to be underground.
Ian speaks low. "There," and points across the field and I watch as a door begins to rise from the ground and four men emerge. Two stand watch while the other two walk off towards the tree lines where Logan and Gabriel have positioned themselves. Ian's voice whispers through our earpieces. "Alright, men. On my go I want Logan and Gabriel to handle the targets heading in your direction. Reid—Bennett, drop the two by the entrance. That leaves two of their men unaccounted for down below. Jake and I are going in. Riggs, you and your men, cover our six," Ian directs his attention towards me and gives a final nod. "Go Go," he announces. Simultaneously four rifle shots echo through the trees. My focus, getting to that door. We have no idea of knowing what they can hear down below, so we have no way of knowing what we are walking into. Squatting, I grab the cut of one fallen Reaper's body that's blocking our way in and drag him to the side. Logan, Gabriel, Reid, and Bennett jog their way towards us as I pull open the heavy wood door letting it land with a loud thud on the ground and peer down in the hole illuminated with dim amber light.
"I know you're up there motherfucker. Come on down and join the party."
I recognize the voice. It's the President himself. My trigger finger twitches. "I'm going in first," I tell the men. "No matter what happens Quinn comes first you got me?" I order.
The sounds of approaching footsteps cause us to raise our weapons in the direction it's coming from only to watch Riggs and his men make their way over with an extra man in tow.
"Look who we found. Dumb fuck was slumped against a tree over there with a damn needle hanging from his arm." Fender pushes the high as a kite Reaper, Twiggy forward causing him to stumble.
"We take him with us," I tell him then step down onto the steps lowering myself into the ground. Nothing to protect me from a bullet I step forward after I take the last step down into the long rectangular bunker. The strong smell of urine is the first thing that hits me before my eyes adjust to the low lighting and take in the sight before me. He has the barrel of a sawed-off shotgun pressed against Quinn's head.
Jesus. My gut clenches seeing my brother this way. His head rolls from side to side. He's pale— no color to him whatsoever. Quinn is in bad shape.
"Put the gun down," Boulder jams the tip of the gun barrel against Quinn's head, "or I'll shoot the poor bastard and put him out of his misery while you watch," he sneers.
Keeping my rifle raised I stare down my scope. "He dies; You die," I warn him.
The Reaper bastard grins sealing his fate.
I pull the trigger.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Quinn
Thirty Minutes Prior
I feel like shit. I've been in and out of it for a while now. I can't make out if anything going on around me is real or a hallucination brought on by fever and the effects of the drug. Images continue to come in waves like someone is turning a TV screen on and off and I keep missing pieces of what's happening.
My eyes burn. My entire body feels heavy, and I'm drenched in sweat. The last thing I remember is screaming in pain before it all faded away to black. I take a shuddered shallow breath trying to clear my senses. Jesus, how much did they give me this time? Waking up from it feels different than before.
"Where the fuck is Twiggy?" I hear the loud voice of my captor, the President of Satans Reapers.
"He stepped out over an hour ago. Probably passed out somewhere high on that shit you been giving this piece of shit." I feel a boot kick my shin.
"You guys get out there and find his ass. I swear if he weren't useful in making us money with his drug and gang connections I'd kill him myself," he says with disdain.
It's not long after I hear the sounds of them climbing the steps and closing the door that everything fades away again.
Voices wake me up, but they sound distorted. Managing to lift my head I open my eyes. Prez? I see him standing several feet in front of me with the end of a rifle aimed in my direction.
It confuses me.
I keep my eyes open a second longer staring at the image of Jake trying to make out if he's real or not. That's when I hear a voice. Emerson's voice calling my name. It's so crisp I believe any moment I'll feel her lips press against mine, so I close my eyes—and wait. In the middle of all of this— in this moment, I make peace with whatever has happened, and whatever is about to happen. A strong sense of calm washes over me. It's going to be okay. I'm going to be okay.
Present
What the hell is up with the constant bursts of bright lights. "Calm down, Quinn. Gabriel, get over here and hold him still. Watch his hands. Those fuckers left the needles in his fingers. I can't remove them until we get him to the clubhouse."
Doc?
I feel my body vibrate and sway from side to side, almost as if I'm in a moving vehicle again. The Satans Reapers must have decided to either
move location or find a place to get rid of me once and for all. A sharp, massive pain in my chest causes me to fight my way out of the darkness, and I blink a few times before I'm able to focus in on a face looming over me. "Fuck," I go to reach for my chest but can't lift my arm. My eyes feel heavy and keeping them open becomes a challenge.
"Quinn, wake up."
I feel the pain in my chest again.
"Just kill me motherfuckers," I roar. My body aches. I'm tired. I'm done. I have no more strength to fight off whatever else they have planned for me.
Suddenly, background noise fills with the sound of tires skidding along the gravel. "Estás seguro, hermano. You're safe, brother; Estás en casa. You're home," I hear Gabriel's voice though it sounds muffled and far away.
Home? Straining to gather every ounce of energy my body has left, I lift my eyelids once more and take in Gabriel's face staring down at me. "You gonna kiss me already, Prince Charming?"
His head shakes from side to side, but a rare grin accompanies his reaction.
"Let's move. Get him downstairs," Logan orders. Once they lift me, my defeated body becomes weightless as my brothers carry me towards the clubhouse door.
"Let me pass. Is that my son?" The desperate sound of my mom's voice pleading with someone upstairs rings out followed by Emerson crying out my name and piercing my soul. "Quinn?"
I can't handle it. I won't let them see me this way. As much as I need to feel them beside me, I won't do that to them. "I don't want to see them!" I roar as the pain from all the abuse my body had taken starts to take over.
Prez's voices booms above the chaos. "Has anyone heard from Rigg's and his men since we left them to wait for his prospects to pick them up?" he questions no one in particular.
"Still waiting on his men, Prez," Reid calls out.
"Keep me informed. I want to know the minute him, and his men arrive," Prez orders.
"Get him on the bed. I need to start getting fluids in him," Doc starts barking orders. Logan and Gabriel set me down, and Logan immediately picks up a foot and begins removing my boot.
"Quinn, I have to remove your clothes and clean you up before I can access your injuries," Doc informs me as he starts cutting clothes away with a pair of scissors. "I'm gonna give you something to relax you before taking care of everything else."
Thank fuck. I don't say the words out loud, but I won't fight him on it.
"Do you have any idea what they were giving you?" Doc examines the inflamed sores on my arms where they injected me.
I grit my teeth the moment he picks my hands up. Looking down at them, I realize the needles are still embedded under my nail beds.
"I need to sanitize them and sedate you before removing them, Quinn. I'm sorry, brother." He wraps a blood pressure cuff around my arm before placing an oxygen tube up my nose.
Damn. Does he think all this is necessary? He must have read my thoughts because he answers them.
"You have possible cracked ribs along with a broken nose. You've been like this for a few days, Quinn. Which means you haven't been able to get enough oxygen in your system. I also need to keep tabs on your blood pressure because judging by the leg wound there," he darts his eyes down towards my thigh, "you have an infection. Sepsis is something we need to be concerned with as well. I need to keep a close eye on all your vitals for a few days," Doc clarifies as he cleans my stab wound.
"Do what you gotta do, brother," I say to him eager to feel no pain. Giving an understanding look, he finishes hooking me to the IV and administers a couple of syringes of medicine.
I happen to glance over at Jake. His body is tense, and his face etched with a mixture of anger and relief.
"Prez," my voice cracks because my throat is so dry.
Coming to stand beside the bed, he peers down at me. Damn, he looks exhausted. Logan stands at the foot of the bed looking on. Gabriel has pulled a chair up beside the bed, his anger very visible as he watches Doc do his thing.
Gratitude is what I'm feeling more than anything right now. From the weary looks on all their faces, I know they have been going nonstop, night and day trying to bring me home. I'm so fuckin' proud to call them my brothers. Looking back at Prez I stress, "don't let them see me like this."
He gives me a look respecting my decision and gives me a firm nod. "I'll go talk with them," then leaves the room.
It doesn't take long before the medicine Doc has given me to take effect and I begin to feel a little drowsy. Doc starts swabbing my fingertips with the feel of something wet. I don't look. I just lay there and stare at the ceiling. By the time he pulls the first needle out of my finger, I feel nothing but a light sting. Eventually, the sounds of each needle pinging one by one as he drops them into a metal bowl slowly fades into the background.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Emerson
Blinking my eyes open, my gaze lands on the green glowing numbers of the alarm clock on the table beside the bed that reads 4:37 a.m. For a moment, I forget where I am and what kind of hell my life has been the past seven days. But in a blink of an eye, it all comes rushing back. Working at the hospital, the kid who was assaulted being brought in, finding out Quinn was taken, the club being on lockdown, my brother showing up, and then members of the Louisiana chapter arriving. My head is spinning, and I'm angry. Angry because nobody has given me any answers.
Rolling out of bed, I go to make my way across the room to the bathroom when I hear a commotion in the hall. It sounds like people arguing. When I open the bedroom door Vicky's voice is the first I hear. "I want to know what the hell is going on. Have they found my son?" With my heart feeling like it's about to beat out of my chest, I rush down the hallway toward Vicky who is in a standoff with one of Demetri's men. The man who is currently blocking the stairs exit. "I'm sorry, ma'am. I don't have the details. I'm just doing what I was told," he says in a heavy Russian accent.
"What's going on here?" I ask coming up behind Quinn's mom.
"Something is going on downstairs, and this brute won't let me pass."
Turning my attention to the man, I ask, "What's your name?"
"My name is Alexei, ma'am."
"Well Alexei, is there a reason why we are not allowed to go downstairs?"
"I was told by my boss to come upstairs and make sure nobody came down."
"Your boss is an overbearing, controlling asshole," Glory remarks dryly. When I look over my shoulder, I see she is not alone. Our little spat has woken not only Glory but Bella, Alba, Grace, and a very pregnant Mila.
"Is there a problem, Krasivaya Beautiful ?" Demetri says appearing from behind Alexei with his heated gaze aimed directly at Glory.
"Speak of the devil," Glory sasses back. "Hello, asshole. Mind clueing us in on what's going on and why we're being held hostage?"
With predatory movements, Demetri strides up to Glory and leans in close to her face. "Careful, Krasivaya," he warns, "you keep opening that smart mouth of yours, and I'll be inclined to fill it with something and show you the true meaning of hostage," Demetri's smooth Russian accent rumbles in a low tone, but not low enough I couldn't hear what he said.
What's even more shocking is Glory doesn't say a word back. I don't know her well, but one thing I do know is she is fierce and very opinionated. She has no qualms telling anyone exactly what's on her mind. Glory has no brain to mouth filter. However, it appears the promise in Demetri's tone has her keeping her words on lockdown. Steering his attention away from Glory, Demetri continues, "as you can hear, Jake and the men have made it back, and before leaving, he informed you to stay upstairs. I ask that you please heed his request."
"We want some answers. Have they found Quinn? Are the rest of our men okay?" This coming from a worried looking Mila.
When I glance at all my friends standing in the hall looking scared, I realize that I haven't given much thought to how they must be feeling. It may not be their husbands who are missing, but it is their men who have been working day and night placing their own lives on t
he line to bring Quinn home. At any moment while they are out hunting down the enemy, something can go wrong, and Jake, Logan, Gabriel, and Reid all have wives and children that count on them to make it home safe every night.
Just when Demetri is about to open his mouth again the sound of the cubhouse door slamming open, and a slew of male voices coming from downstairs vibrates off the walls. "Move! move! move!" we hear Jake holler.
Next, we hear Bennett. "Let's get him downstairs!"
With my breath getting caught in my throat, I rush up to Demetri and fist his shirt. "Is it him? Do they have Quinn?" I choke out. "Quinn!" both Vicky and I holler out. A second later we hear Quinn's agonizing roar, "I don't want to see them!" Demetri gives us a look of sympathy. That along with Quinn's outburst has all the air leaving my body and my knees buckle. It's my brother who catches me before I hit the floor. I don't even remember seeing him come out of the room.
Moments later, Jake appears before us. "I'm sure you all have heard by now, that we have Quinn."
I shrug out of my brother's arms and step up to Jake. "Let me see him." Thinning his lips, Jake shakes his head. "I'm sorry, Sweetheart, but Quinn was adamant you and his parents are not to be allowed to see him in his current state."
"I'm a doctor, Jake. I've seen it all. Plus, I can help," I plead.
"Look, I don't agree with Quinn's orders, but he is my brother, and I respect his decision. He doesn't want you to see him."
I'm about to protest once again when Jake gently grabs me by my shoulders. "Emerson, I get it. I really do, but Quinn's head is a hell of a mess right now. Give it some time. Doc is with him now, and I'll come back with another update soon."
Kissing the top of my head, Jake turns on his heel to leave when Quinten calls out. "Jake."
Turning Jake regards Quinn's father.
"You know I respect you and your club, and I have always done as you asked without question, but this I will not do. That is my son downstairs, so I'm telling you, man to man; father to father, nothing is keeping me from seeing my son," he declares.
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