Thor (The Black Hornets MC Book 5)

by Savannah Rylan

  I felt blood trickle down my skin as he pulled the gun back.

  “Target number one,” the man said.

  My head bowed as he stepped away. I heard him holster his gun before he headed for the lantern. He picked it up, placing it in my face. My eyes squinted. I cringed away from it. My head spun with pain and it was hard to focus.

  “Oh and quit pissing on my furniture. It stinks,” he said.

  I tried working the bandana out of my throat as he backtracked from the room. And as the door shut, I leaned forward and heaved. It took four tries before the thing fell back into my mouth. Then, my tongue pushed it into my lap. I coughed. Gasped for air. I tried to keep myself as silent as I could so that man wouldn’t come back in here. The pain in my knee was a stark reminder of what I’d lose if I pissed that man off.

  But I only needed one more item to get myself out of this mess.

  One more item before I could take all of these men out and get back to Thor.

  Chapter 20

  Thor

  “How the fuck are we supposed to get Diego out of prison?” I asked.

  “Is that something our agent can figure out?” Dean asked.

  “I’m not your agent,” Olivia said.

  We all turned our heads at the sound of her voice. Colt escorted her out of the bedroom and into the main room of the lodge. All of us fell silent as they approached, and Dean’s nostrils flared.

  “Unwilling to help?” Dean asked.

  “Not at the expense of her job, no,” Colt said.

  “Even if I wanted to sacrifice my job, I still couldn’t. I’d need a legal reason to get past the fact that the man has no bail on him. He’s being held until his trial. There’s no money that can be paid and no charge that can be brought forth to get him out,” Olivia said.

  “Well, there goes that idea,” Dean murmured.

  “But what I do know is that he’s set to be transported to federal prison tomorrow,” Olivia said.

  “What?” I asked.

  “Federal prison? Before his hearing?” Jagger asked.

  “It’s not uncommon for men like Diego. Especially in smaller towns like this that want to flex their muscles and send a message to the people they’re targeting. His transport is at nine in the morning,” Olivia said.

  “How will that transport happen?” I asked.

  “I can’t give you specifics, but I can talk hypothetically,” Olivia said.

  I looked at Colt and he nodded.

  “Hypothetically speaking, what does a federal transport look like?” Colt asked.

  “In a perfect world, a white van comes and picks up those ready to be transported. There will be several armed guards. In a perfect world, four for each van. Two in front, two in the back. In a perfect world, the van sticks to its route by blazing a trail down the highway and not taking any back roads so as to not be ambushed, and there are no stops until the federal prison is reached,” Olivia said.

  “In a perfect world,” Duke said.

  “Yes. It’s a textbook pickup and drop-off,” she said.

  “Is it possible to intercept that van?” I asked.

  Olivia shook her head. “I can’t speak—”

  “Willow is gone,” I said.

  “Thor,” Colt warned.

  I pointed my finger at him. “No. Now, I’m not talking about her job any longer. I’m talking about these lines she keeps toeing with us. Olivia, I get it. You want to keep your job and keep your nose clean. I’m not asking you to be loyal to us, but that woman who went in your place dropped everything in her life to be here for you. To protect you. To get you somewhere safer. She literally went in your place when it was you they were targeting. You’re not helping us. You’re helping her. And if you don’t want to be straight with me, then get on your fucking phone and find me someone who can.”

  “Don’t you dare talk to her like—”

  Olivia held up her hand, stopping Colt’s words in his tracks. Her eyes connected with mine and I held my ground. This was bullshit, and I was done with the line she was trying to toe. She knew better than anyone the type of dedication this lifestyle took. She couldn’t play both sides for much longer. She’d have to choose where her allegiance lied and walk the gray area from there.

  If she wanted to be with Colt.

  If she wanted to save Willow.

  “You will never question my devotion to that woman ever again. Do you understand me?” Olivia asked.

  “Help me get her back, and I won’t,” I said.

  Her hand slowly came down and she walked into the middle of the group.

  “It is possible to intercept that van. But it won’t be easy. Those vans don’t take back roads. You’ll do everything before Diego gets in the van, after, or while racing down the highway. All of which have their own set of issues to overcome,” she said.

  “At the federal side is out of the question. Too much shit to deal with,” Jagger said.

  “Doing it before he gets to the van is an option,” Dean said.

  “Racing down a highway isn’t ideal, but it isn’t like we haven’t done it before,” Colt said.

  “What?” Olivia asked.

  I grinned. “Our lives get a little exciting.”

  “Obviously,” she said.

  “Either way, you’re going to have guards to contend with. And I can’t condone you taking them out completely. Which is why I’m a fan of snagging Diego before he hits that van,” she said.

  “What if we had pull with the guards?” Duke asked.

  All of us turned our heads to look at him.

  “What are you talking about?” Maverick asked.

  “How nice of you to pipe up,” Colt said, grinning.

  “Sorry. Just… wait a second. Brewer?” Maverick asked.

  Duke nodded while he grinned.

  “Yes. Brewer,” he said.

  “Who’s Brewer?” Olivia asked.

  “Someone from another club we know that has pull with the police in town,” Colt said.

  “How do you guys know him?” she asked.

  Colt paused before his eyes fell to her.

  “You were right about there being another club in the mix of that shootout. He’s part of that other club,” Colt said.

  My eyebrows rose. Holy fuck, Olivia was really out of the loop on this shit.

  “You haven’t filled her in on this shit?” Dean asked.

  “Things sort of spiraled out of control pretty quickly guys,” Colt said sarcastically.

  “Well, then let me bring her up to speed. Us and the Dead Souls were part of that shootout. Brewer is part of the Dead Souls, and his specialty is networking. He has shaken hands with almost all of the police force in the surrounding areas. And I can give him a call,” Maverick said.

  Olivia’s jaw dropped open. “Uh huh.”

  “That still doesn’t give us a plan for how we’re going to intercept Diego. Only that we can add someone else to this plan if we need to,” Dean said.

  “That wasn’t my thinking,” Maverick said.

  “Then, give us your thinking,” Jagger said.

  “If Brewer can get into contact with some of these guards that’ll be on duty, there’s a chance we can find an opening to snag Diego before he ever gets to the van. But if Brewer can’t work his magic, then we still have a backup plan of intercepting the van on the highway,” Maverick said.

  “Wait, so we’re favoring a highway takedown?” I asked.

  “Think about it. We roll up into our basic formation. We take over the van. We throw the guards out instead of kill them, so we don’t piss off Olivia—”

  “Thanks for that,” she said.

  “You’re welcome. Then, we simply drive Diego’s ass to whoever wants him,” Maverick said.

  “What do we do with the rest of the prisoners on the van?” I asked.

  “I didn’t say it was a perfect plan,” Maverick said flatly.

  “Why don’t you go give Brewer a call and we’ll figure out the
rest of it?” I asked.

  “Good idea,” Colt said.

  While all of us stood around, trying to figure out how the fuck this was going to happen, Maverick got on the phone with Brewer. The phone call took a little longer than usual, which made me nervous. I kept watching the clock. Every minute that ticked by drew Willow closer and closer to her death. If they hadn’t already killed her. The cartel had precedence for that with Leti’s brother. Killing him on the spot and then using the thought of him being alive to manipulate her.

  The thought made me sick with anger.

  “Thor? You need a minute?” Colt asked.

  “Or four,” I growled.

  I walked away from the group and stood by the window, gazing out over the horizon. I turned myself toward the direction the car had gone in. Out toward where the sniper had been. I raked my hands over my face. I stomached my anger as best as I could. Then, a hand came down onto my shoulder.

  I turned around and saw Jace standing beside me.

  “Been pretty silent tonight,” I said.

  “Figured you’d want the floor,” Jace said.

  I looked down at him and watched him shake his head.

  “This isn’t like Leti,” he said.

  “How the fuck do you know?” I asked.

  “The cartel needed Leti. The cartel doesn’t need Willow. They needed Olivia.”

  “Doesn’t mean she’s not already dead. Precedence is strong with the Roja Diablos.”

  “She’s alive. She was alive for that phone call, and you have to believe she’s alive now,” he said.

  “Jace, I don’t know what the fuck I’m gonna—”

  The man shoved my shoulder, stopping my words in their tracks.

  “The fuck was that for?” I asked.

  “To get you to reorient your thinking. It’s something Leti does to me. When my mind spirals like that, she shoves me off balance. Gets my mind to focus on something else,” Jace said.

  I grinned. “I think it’s just an excuse to push you around.”

  Jace chuckled. “Maybe so. But it works.”

  But it didn’t work for long.

  “Thor!” Colt exclaimed.

  “What?” I asked.

  “He’s here.”

  I furrowed my brow. “Who’s here?”

  Colt shot me an “are you serious?” look before the lodge door slammed open. Boot falls fell into our living room before a very familiar face appeared. Brewer walked into the lodge with his white t-shirt and his blue jeans on. His Dead Souls leather cut sat tightly on his back as he closed the door behind him.

  “What’s cookin’, good lookin’?” Brewer asked.

  We all walked over and shook his hand. Patted his back. Embraced him in a hug. It was always good to see a brother. I held onto him a little longer than was probably appropriate, but I was thankful for him coming out. I didn’t expect him to get on his damn bike and travel all the way out here. He was almost an hour away from that new little family of his.

  “Thanks for being here,” I murmured.

  “Hey, you helped me out of a tight spot a few years back. Just glad I can finally settle the debt,” Brewer said.

  “How’s Makenna and that little girl?” Colt asked.

  Brewer grinned. “Well, it’s about to be two little girls in a few months.”

  “No fucking shit!” Dean exclaimed.

  All of us clapped his hands and high-fived him before we settled down and got to business.

  “Okay. So, I placed some calls while I was driving here, and I think I’ve got a little opening for you guys to use if you want it,” Brewer said.

  “That’s great. What’s the opening?” Jagger asked.

  Brewer pointed. “Who’s the new guy?”

  “A Dean and Colt recruit. He’s very good at tracking, too. A great asset,” Jace said.

  “Nice. Anyway, yes. It took some talking and some cashing of favors, but I was able to shift around the guard schedule a bit. I’ve got some guys I know on duty for the transport tomorrow, so they shouldn’t give you many issues. Just enough to let it look like they’re doing their job, but not enough to prevent you from doing what you need to do,” Brewer said.

  “And they’ll be safe?” Olivia asked.

  Brewer’s eyes widened as his head whipped over. Olivia pushed through the sea of men, coming face to face with him. His eyes panned over to mine and I nodded. He furrowed his brow deeply before his eyes fell back onto Olivia.

  “Are you…?” he asked.

  “DEA Agent Olivia Banks. But if you’re wondering which one’s mine, it’s Colt,” she said, grinning.

  “You’ve been purchased,” I murmured.

  But all Colt did was grin with pride.

  “Right. Okay. Well, yes. They’ll be safe,” Brewer said.

  “Good. Because I can’t stand by idly and watch something happen to innocent police officers while I’m in town,” Olivia said curtly.

  I looked over at Colt and I saw him catch her same words.

  While I’m in town.

  “Brewer,” Dean said.

  “Yep?” he asked.

  “I think I have a slightly easier way to do this, if anyone’s willing to listen,” Dean said.

  “Easier than my guards knowing you’re coming?” he asked.

  “A highway pursuit is always risky. I think we should go with snagging Diego before the transport. Or, at least being in the van before it begins,” Dean said.

  “How are we going to manage that?” I asked.

  Colt’s eyes widened. “Break.”

  “What?” I asked.

  Colt smiled. “A break.”

  Brewer’s eyebrows hiked up. “Let me place a phone call real quick.”

  “What break?” I asked.

  “You really aren’t thinking straight right now, are you?” Jagger asked.

  I whipped my eyes around to him. “Would you be if you were in my position?”

  Jagger held his hands up. “Sorry. Just trying to ease the tension.”

  “It’ll be eased once we have my best friend,” Olivia said.

  Brewer stepped out into the hallway and I heard him talking. But my mind was so clouded with nonsense that I had no idea what the fuck was going on. I hated that. I hated not being able to think through anything. I was so focused on whether or not Willow was safe that I couldn’t think through how to fucking get her safe.

  It was some evil catch-22 someone had tossed me into.

  “Well, that was easy. But I’ve got you guys a break,” Brewer said.

  “Will someone fucking spell this out, please!?” I roared.

  Jace sighed. “It’s a simple bait and switch plan.”

  “Well then why the fuck didn’t someone say that?” I asked.

  “Because you’re the one who usually thinks of it,” Dean said.

  I shot him a look.

  “Around eight forty-five in the morning, two of the guards are going to take a break. The guards in the front. All you guys have to do is secure two guard uniforms and sneak in. You’ll look like the transport guys, and the plan goes as expected from there. You overrun the van, do whatever you need to do with the other prisoners, and get Diego where he needs to be,” Brewer said.

  “I want to be one of the guards,” I said.

  “I’ll partner up with Thor,” Jace said.

  “The less I know, the better for myself, my club, and my family. Call me and let me know if you guys need any further help. The guards know you’re coming, so the two in the back still shouldn’t give you much trouble,” Brewer said.

  I walked over to him and clapped his back.

  “I really appreciate it,” I said.

  “Make the most of your time,” Brewer said.

  “We always do,” Colt said, grinning.

  Chapter 21

  Willow

  The door in front of me open and my head whipped up. The room smelled like dust, death, and urine. I hurt. I hurt in ways I’d never experienced in
my life. The ties cut into my wrists, causing them to begin bleeding. And the ones around my ankles hurt like a bitch. I was careful not to move my wrists. Not to cut too deeply into the veins that ran through them. I knew if I snagged one of those major arteries with that plastic, it was game over.

  I guess that’s what I got for struggling against them for so long.

  How long have I been here?

  “A few hours. Feels like days, though. Doesn’t it?”

  I wasn’t even aware that I had asked the question out loud. But once I looked up into the face of the demon that had strapped me here, I figured out that I hadn’t said anything out loud. He could simply read my face. My eyes. My demeanor. Which meant he had done this many times before.

  And wouldn’t hesitate to make good on his threats toward me.

  “Brought food,” the man said.

  I sat there, staring at him as the slow trickle of blood reminded me of where I was. As if the smell could let me forget. The dark man in front of me, with tan skin and black hair and eyes as dark as Hell, sat down on the edge of the bed and began unwrapped the bag. I watched him closely. There had to be a trick. A trap of some sort. My eyes fell to the bandana in my lap and I felt a small dose of panic rush through my veins.

  “Don’t worry. If you haven’t screamed now, you won’t.”

  My eyes slowly panned back over to his face.

  “Fries?” he asked.

  He pulled the food out of the bag and my stomach growled out. I hated my body for giving itself away. The man chuckled as he pulled a few out and held them up to my mouth. I wanted to resist. I wanted to spit on them. I wanted to open my mouth, take those fries between my lips, then bite down right into his fucking fingers.

  “So long as you don’t scream, I’ll feed you as much as you want,” the man said.

  There was a snarl to his voice I didn’t like.

  My body caved quicker than I’d ever admit to anyone. I nodded my head and reached out, taking a bite of the warm, salted goodness. Spit flooded my mouth so quickly it trickled from the corner of my lips. And with each bite, the devilish man’s smile grew. Bite after bite. Fry after fry. Until he pulled out the burger that dripped with sauce and vegetables and sizzling meat.