They’d do anything to stick it to the Angels. Now the Dark Knights, too. Even so, they kept fucking with the wrong MCs. The Knights weren’t going to curl up and disappear, either. They now had a hard-on for the Warriors as much as the DAMC, and almost as much as D’s Shadows.
“Gotta roll, brother,” came from his right. Zak. Worry lines creased his president’s face. “You’re with Hawk, got me? I’ll deal with Axel’s ass.”
“Got you.” Linc lifted his head and met Z’s gaze. “Have any idea where to even fuckin’ look?”
Something crossed Z’s face that didn’t give Linc confidence. “Truth? No. Don’t even know it’s the Warriors. Can only assume it’s their ass-fuckery.”
“Yeah.”
“Just gotta hit every empty, deserted building an’ house within a twenty-mile radius. D’s crew’s spreading out beyond that area. Puttin’ the word out. Cops are lookin’, too. Axel said the PD put out a state-wide BOLO.”
BOLO. Be on the lookout.
His guts twisted. “Whoever it is... if they touched her... Took her...” His nostrils flared, and his fingers clenched into fists. “Wanna find them before the pigs.”
“That’s a fuckin’ given,” Z agreed. “But there’s more 5-0 than us. Especially with Mitch on the warpath. Those pigs are gonna search harder for a cop’s daughter an’ sister than the average folk. Count on that. Either way, don’t matter who finds her, just gotta get her back safe.”
Wasn’t that the fucking truth.
Hawk approached, his face hard, unreadable as he stared at Linc. “Ready, brother?”
Linc nodded and his hand automatically went to touch the gun he’d shoved into the back waistband of his jeans, which was concealed by his cut. “Yeah.”
Both peeled off from Z and headed toward the back door.
“Gonna keep your shit together?” Hawk asked him.
“Yep.”
Hawk grunted. “Been in your fuckin’ shoes, brother. Know how this shit will eat at you, fuck with your head. Just don’t do anythin’ stupid, got me?”
“Yeah.”
“If my ol’ lady had been pregnant when those motherfuckers took her...” he shook his mohawked and tattooed head. “Fuck. That’s all I’m sayin’.”
And that was all Hawk needed to say. The shit that went down with Kiki and Jazz had been a fucking nightmare. Because of the abuse Jazz went through, she never came back to Shadow Valley, even after she was physically healed. Not even for a visit.
No one blamed her. She needed time to get over it. Unfortunately, Shadow Valley and the DAMC were nothing but a reminder. Just like his hometown was one of his reminders.
So, if Jayde even went through half of what Jazz had at the Warrior’s hands...
“D get her phone pinged?” Linc asked as they strode quickly to their sleds.
“Yeah. Steel found it on the floor at the office under some papers that were tossed.”
Fuck. They’d missed that when they searched the office earlier.
Hawk jerked his chin toward their sleds. “Let’s ride.”
Chapter Twelve
“Soon as she wakes up, we’ll get her to open the safe.”
Jayde kept her eyes squeezed shut at those words. There was no way in hell she wanted those assholes to know she had come around. She struggled to keep from wincing at the pain from her splitting headache.
“Bet there’s a lot of cash in there.”
Stupid idiots. There was no cash in the safe. Kiki had no reason to keep money at the office. She only kept important paperwork in it because the safe was fireproof and had come with the property. Otherwise, she probably wouldn’t have one at all.
And if she had kept cash in it, the safe would most likely had been bolted down to the damn floor.
What a bunch of bumbling idiots.
“Know someone with a torch.”
“Easier for her just to give us the combination.”
“Yeah, if she was a-fucking-wake. But she ain’t. Shouldn’t have hit her so hard, dickhead.”
“She fucking kneed me in the nuts. It was instinct.”
Jayde heard a snort.
Jesus. Her head was pounding, and she might even be bleeding where the guy hit her. She was afraid to lift her hand to check.
She had no idea who these fools were. She had no idea where she was.
What she did know was they were a bunch of turds that were going to regret the actions they took.
After they had busted into the office, she had hoped Linc would show up while the three man-boys were still there. Unfortunately, he didn’t.
They ended up pushing her around until she got mad enough to knee the one asshole in his family jewels. And once she made the short, skinny one drop to his knees with a strategic strike, the guy dragged her down to the floor with him and everything went black shortly after that.
One thing was for sure, these assholes were not Warriors. They were just a bunch of two-bit thieves. Stupid ones at that.
However, now they weren’t only thieves, they were officially kidnappers and would also be charged with aggravated assault. Or simple assault. Whatever. She should have paid more attention when her father was talking about work while at the dinner table.
Still, she wondered how they even knew about the safe in Kiki’s back office. She couldn’t figure out if one of them had been a client since Kiki did criminal defense.
“Better be a lot of dough in there to make this all worthwhile.”
“Pop said as much as that lawyer charged ‘im, the bitch should be rollin’ in it. And if the bitch’s rollin’ in it, then that safe should be stuffed full of green.”
Jayde pinned her lips together to prevent informing them about how stupid they really were.
Because doing that wouldn’t help her one bit.
No, as long as they thought she was passed out, they’d leave her alone. Hopefully.
But the one mentioned their pop. She had a feeling their father was the one Linc kicked out of the office, the one who had given Kiki shit.
“Maybe we can shoot it open,” one of the geniuses suggested.
While Jayde listened to the three stooges argue about the easiest way to open the safe, she mentally did a full body check. She wasn’t tied up, which was dumb on their part, but good for her.
Besides the punch to the head or whatever the asshole did to knock her out, she didn’t think they hurt her anywhere else. They weren’t professionals and most likely had no idea who she was. To them, she was just someone who’d been between them and the safe they thought was going to be a windfall. When it wasn’t.
They were going to be extremely disappointed.
So, she needed to delay. She hoped Linc had finally showed up at the office, figured out what happened, and got everyone out looking for her.
Her father was already not thrilled about her working for a criminal defense attorney who also was the club’s attorney. But now?
This might just be another good reason, in his eyes, to get on his soapbox about her staying away from the DAMC. And Linc. As well as finding another job.
It would be another “I told you so,” like he’d thrown in Zak’s face in the past.
She might as well kiss her father accepting Linc or his child goodbye. All because of these amateur Ocean’s Eleven wannabes.
“Gotta get her awake,” she heard close by.
She opened her eyes just a slit, just enough to try to get her bearings. She was in what looked like a barn. A barn that wasn’t used to house animals, though. Maybe it was an equipment shed. Or equipment barn.
Or whatever. Holy hell, whatever it was she didn’t want to be there.
But she had a feeling no one would find her there. Not her father, not Axel, not the Shadow Valley PD.
Not Linc. Not D’s Shadows. Nobody.
Her pulse sped up and her breathing shallowed.
She had no idea where her phone was, either. She tried to swallow the lump that was creeping up her throat,
but it was impossible. She needed to keep her cool. Needed to keep the panic at the possibility of no one finding her at bay.
She needed to keep thinking clearly so she could figure out a way to get out of that situation. She needed to save herself. Get her and her baby out of there safely.
These weren’t Warriors. They weren’t after revenge. They most likely didn’t want to harm her or kill her. These guys weren’t hardened criminals, they were just complete fools who were trying to do a thing and she just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.
She was not the target. They didn’t want her, they wanted cash.
To replace their missing teeth. Or to get a better functioning brain. Or whatever the idiots wanted.
She had both DAMC and cop blood running through her veins. And that thought bolstered her. She could do this. She could get herself out of this mess.
It was also important to get her hands on one of their phones. Even if only long enough to dial 9-1-1.
Peeking through her lashes, she noticed the three masterminds standing around the safe, staring at it with hands on their hips. Maybe they were trying to open it with their genius brain waves.
She shifted her hand enough to slide it over the rise of her belly. When the taller one looked in her direction, she squeezed her eyes shut again.
Shit.
“Think she moved.”
“What?”
“Think she fucking moved. Think she’s awake. Her hand wasn’t there before.”
“Where?”
“There. On her gut.”
Stupid move, Jayde!
Multiple footsteps headed in her direction.
A sneaker poked at her leg. “Know you’re awake.”
“Shake her.”
“You shake her.”
“Damn pussies,” the closest man-boy said.
Then one of them was yanking on her hair, actually trying to pull her to her feet using a handful of it.
She gasped at the sharp sting to her scalp.
“Told you she was a-fucking-wake!”
“Drag her over to the safe.”
“Drag her by her fucking hair since she was tryin’ to fake us out.”
Jayde opened her eyes and stared at the guy who had her hair in his fist. Maybe she could talk her way out of this. Reason with them. “I don’t know the combination.”
He gave her hair a hard yank. “Bullshit, bitch.”
“Even if I did, there’s no cash in it.”
“Bullshit,” the short one she had kneed in the balls echoed.
“Just open it and we’ll let you go.”
Sure. Sounded believable.
She lifted a hand to the tender spot on her head and winced again. “I have no reason to know the combination since there’s nothing of importance in the safe. It was left behind by the former property owner.”
“She’s lying.”
“I’m not. Best thing you could do is let me go,” she said as calmly as possible. “You have no idea who I am and you don’t want to.”
“You ain’t nobody.”
She kept from rolling her eyes. “Where do you want me to start?”
“Don’t give a flying fuck who you are. Just open the safe.”
“I would if I could because I’d love to see your faces once it’s open and you realize you fucked up.”
The tall one, Stooge One, released her hair and stepped back.
She rubbed her scalp. “Can I get up?”
“No, don’t you move,” what looked like the youngest one, Stooge Three, said. They all looked alike. Definitely brothers, but different ages.
The middle one, Stooge Two, chimed in. “She’s gotta be lying. Pop said—”
“Your pop is wrong,” Jayde told him, sitting up and wrapping her arms around her middle.
“Watch your mouth,” Stooge One yelled.
She needed to try and reason with them. “Look, you don’t want me. You want money, right?”
All three of them just stared at her like three baby owls on a low-hanging branch, none of them blinking.
“I can make a call and—”
“No!”
“Yes, I can call someone to give you money in exchange for letting me go.”
All three of them continued to gawk at her like brainless idiots.
“It’s simple.” She held her palm out. “Just give me one of your phones, I’ll make a call and have someone bring a bunch of cash here when they pick me up. How much do you need?”
“A million dollars,” Stooge One answered.
Jayde almost choked. “You... You expected a million dollars in the safe?”
“No, but now you’re offering, that’s what we want.”
“Yeah,” Stooge Three agreed.
Was she imagining all of this? She had to be. Maybe she had become light-headed, passed out at the office and banged her head. Because this couldn’t be happening. But if it really was... “Okay, I’ll have someone bring out a million dollars.”
Their eyes went wide. “Really?”
Jayde lifted a shoulder. “Sure. The club’s got plenty of money.”
The three exchanged glances before dropping their gaze back to her.
“What club?” Stooge One asked, his dark eyes narrowed.
“Dirty Angels MC,” she answered.
Silence. More looks exchanged. This time with worry.
“You’re not DAMC,” Stooge One told her.
She shrugged again. “Okay, don’t believe me, then. Your loss.” She flipped a hand in the direction of the safe. “That belongs to the DAMC, too.”
All six eyeballs landed on the safe. Two of the idiots went pale. But the third one, Stooge One, the one that looked and acted like the leader didn’t pale at all, instead he directed his narrowed eyes back on Jayde.
His chin lifted ever so slightly and he looked smug. “Our uncle is a Warrior.”
Oh shit.
“He might be interested in a DAMC bitch. Know you’re lying about the DAMC having a million dollars to save your ass, thinkin’ we’re stupid. But I’m sure the Warriors might pay something for you.”
“My dad and brother are cops!” she exclaimed quickly.
The oldest one grinned. “That might be even better. Sweeten the pot some.” He glanced at his younger brothers. “Watch her close. Gonna go call Uncle Scratch.”
Uncle Scratch?
As soon as Stooge One walked outside, she turned her attention to the other two. “Look, you don’t want to do this. You don’t want to make enemies of not only the DAMC but the SVPD.”
The short one shrugged and spat tobacco juice at her feet, splashing her. She fought her gag reflex.
“Need cash. Warriors will give us cash for you.”
“The DAMC has more,” she insisted.
“How you know?”
“I said I’m DAMC...” She let the insult of calling him “asshole” drift off. “My brother’s the club president.”
“Even better.”
She opened her mouth, but snapped it shut when Stooge One walked back into the shed/barn/whatever the fuck it was.
“Scratch wants her for sure.”
“How much he giving us?”
“Thousand bucks.”
Jayde pursed her lips. Now she was only worth a thousand? Did she get discounted? Yellow tagged? “I thought you wanted a million.”
The tall guy shrugged. “Nobody’s got a million and he’ll be here in twenty minutes. Don’t have to worry about your fuckin’ kin taking us out, either. A grand will get us cold beer, fat steaks and fuel up the truck.”
It’ll also get them time in prison for kidnapping and human trafficking, but she wasn’t going to point that out.
“Now’s a good time to let me leave and point me to the nearest road.” Her gaze landed on the cell phone the oldest one still had in his hand. She needed to get her hands on that. She cried out sharply and let out a sharp hiss. “Shit! My legs are cramping. Help me up.” She lifted her
hands toward Stooge One. “Please, just let me work out these cramps.” As the three man-boys closed in on her, she pushed to her knees and held out her hand again to their leader. “Please, help me up. Just for a few minutes before your Uncle Itch gets here. Ooow.”
As Stooge One grabbed her arm, she jerked back sharply, pulling him off balance. She grabbed at his old flip phone but missed. She watched it tumble to the ground in slow motion.
No!
She dove for it but so did all three of the country bumpkins. Somehow she got her fingers around the phone first as they grappled with her to take it from her hand.
She flipped it open and...
She cursed in frustration when the phone was plucked from her fingers by Stooge One. “Nice try. Now we have to tie you up.”
Oh shit.
“Get some rope,” Stooge One ordered.
“From where?”
“Anywhere! Check the truck,” Stooge One shouted.
Stooge Two or Three, whichever, ran out of the building while Stooge One stood over her, frowning. “That was just stupid,” he told her.
She agreed.
Within a few seconds, the man-boy who had run out to the truck came back with a handful of twine. If they managed to tie her up, she was screwed. She’d never escape and she’d end up in the hands of the Warriors, which was far worse than these bumbling bumpkins.
If these idiots knew who the DAMC were and robbed Kiki’s office, it meant they were local. Which also meant she probably was being held close to town. If the Warriors got their hands on her, she could end up anywhere. Including underground in a dirt grave in some random field.
Their uncle was less than twenty minutes out, that meant she had to form a better plan. And she needed to do it quickly. However, since she bungled the plan to get the phone, they were going to be more vigilant.
“Hurry, tie her up,” Stooge One ordered.
“It’s tangled up.”
“Untangle it.”
“What the hell does it look like I’m doing?”
“Being slow, that’s what.”
Jayde kept a careful eye on Stooge Two as he struggled to untangle the mess in his hands. Stooge One and Three also watched him impatiently.
Down & Dirty: Linc (Dirty Angels MC Book 9) Page 14