“Ahh…” London said, drawing it out as she sat up, placing her hand on his forehead. “You, my child, suffer from biker foot syndrome.” London slapped her hand down and yelled, “HEAL! Out demon, leave this man!! I command it!” Making a show of it, she got exactly what she wanted, Brick laughing. After they both sobered up a little, she said, “Give her some time, Brick. This world is new to her, and she’s just learning the ropes on how to navigate it. It took me some time. Ryan is a smart cookie. When she calms down and cools off, she’ll realize she was just reacting.”
Now that bugged him. “Reacting to what?”
“I’ve been here all day. I was even in the hall when Ryan came out of Caine’s office, looking like someone had kicked her puppy. My guess is Caine gave her the, ‘what are your intentions with my biker’ talk, and it freaked her out.”
That didn’t sound good. He didn’t need Caine badgering Ryan or putting things into her head. They all had enough going on right now, but he had to ask because maybe he was getting this wrong.
“The what?”
“Oh, trust me, it’s quite the enlightening conversation. I’m kind of surprised he did it so quickly with Ryan. He waited at least a month before he gave it to me. You two must be something special.”
Yeah, or shit was about to hit the fan, and Caine was trying to figure out if Ryan was going to be collateral damage or saved during the fray. Damn it! The guys knew what he’d been tracking down today, and all he needed was one phone call to confirm it, but all signs were pointing to Olivia Scott being a freighter that had been docked right outside the Gulf of Oman when Tiny had been killed. The name of the freighter vaguely tracked back to Perez with his correspondence, then it lifted anchor and traveled through the Indian Ocean on its way to the Atlantic Ocean. By the time it got stateside, the fucker had a name change and was flying different colors.
Every one of the guys was already feeling the writing on the wall. Ryan might not have known it, but she had stumbled on the truth she needed about her brother and missed it. Brick was an ass for keeping it from her, but he didn’t want to get her hopes up if it just turned out to be a coincidence, and he’d been dealing with his own demons over the information as well.
He played that scene over in his head. Thinking, fuck it, the scene starred in his nightmares, he might as well bring it to the light of day. He’d been avoiding it all day, but it slammed into him now. The day Tiny died, he saw the insurgent clearly place the gun to Tiny’s head, then saw Tiny fall to the ground, but he had never seen the blood splatter or the wound itself. He hadn’t been in the best position, and they’d been surrounded, but he heard the gun report. It took him a second to realize he wasn’t remembering what happened that day, and the shot wasn’t in his head.
Motherfucker!
Picking London up off the barstool, he brought her to the other side with him, pushing her down. He crouched while he checked the shotgun they kept behind the bar to make sure it was loaded, then looked over the top of the bar. People were screaming, and he heard more shots. He needed to get this shit under control but needed to get London to safety first.
Pulling out the small refrigerator, he felt around until he felt the mechanism that opened up a small hidden door. Grabbing London by the shoulders, he looked her right in the eye.
“Get your ass in there and hunker down. Do not come out until either Axel calls for you or one of the guys.” Opening the door a little wider, Brick pushed her in. “It’s going to be okay, London, just do what I say.” She looked scared but did as he asked, even though he heard her whimper when he closed the door again, pushing the refrigerator back into place. The back of it was lined with solid steel, so he didn’t have to worry about stray bullets making their way into London or anyone getting their hands on her. His mind instantly went to Ryan. She was in the basement, where the doors automatically locked, and all the doors were reinforced. That gave him a little hope she would be okay. Frog walking, he dragged the shotgun with him to the other side of the bar, dodging broken bottles and streams of liquor.
Damn, who were these fucking people, and how in the hell had they gotten into the place and started shooting it up without anyone being alerted? The BRMC was better than this. They had protocols, guards, gates, and security. What the fuck?! Pulling his phone out, alerts were going off like crazy, but not a single one had made his phone ring or vibrate. Their system was seriously flawed if they could be blindsided like this. He had spent an entire day with Ryan as she showed him what she had put into place, their early warning system, so to speak, and it all fucking failed. He shut his eyes for a millisecond, his heart in his stomach. His first instinct was to get to Ryan, but he needed to clear the bar and pray to whatever higher power was listening that she was going to be okay.
People were still screaming, but it was quieter, several voices carrying over the rest. From the commands and lingo he recognized from his time in the military, this wasn’t just a fly-by-night group targeting the BRMC but a trained unit. Fucking hell.
Looking up at the mirror still hanging over the bar, Brick could see four guys, all dressed in black tactical gear, faces covered. Either Perez upped his game, or the BRMC had a much bigger problem headed their way. Guys like this cost bank. Perez had it, but the asshole had always preferred to use women and children to get what he wanted. This was a full out war.
He checked the sawed-off shotgun and managed to pull the box of ammo over with his foot, then looked down the bar. The prospect who had been tending the bar was half over the bar, bleeding profusely onto the floor. Brick risked getting into a crouch, keeping his head down, and buying as many seconds as he could. He needed to be more mobile. Keeping his eye on the mirror, he realized he was fucking screwed.
The men attacking them had people staged almost too perfectly. Men were either shot outright or pulled up and pistol-whipped. The women were manhandled but left alone as they were placed in groups, each woman with a man standing behind them, using them as human shields.
Their movements were almost methodical. Each woman was picked up, her face examined against something on the phone, then placed back down. Fuck, they are looking for someone. Ryan’s image instantly clicked into his head. Like fuck were they going to get to his woman. Brick weighed his options. If he pulled the trigger even once, the buckshot spray would hit not only his target but the innocent bystanders in the fray.
Two of the guys were slower than the others and didn’t seem as well trained. They hadn’t arranged the women and were only just starting to compare their faces to the phones in their hands, crouching down in front of each of them. Those assholes were his targets. It was still a risk, but one he was willing to take. Brick took several deep breaths to steady his body and mind. He knew damn well this was only going to take seconds, and either he would come out the winner or end up just like the prospect.
Looking down at his phone, he smiled. The screen had changed, Ryan’s protocols finally kicking in. He had a clear view of where the BRMC was located against the assailant. Text scrolled in with instructions, almost like one of Ryan’s computer games. Thank God, his girl was safe and had this under control.
Chapter Fifteen
Ryan knew as soon as Brick left the room, she’d fucked up big time, letting her conversation with Caine turn her into one of those needy women. She didn’t have much time to wallow in her misery because her computer beeped. Roo was ready to start. Damn it, she hoped when this part was done, she could have a real conversation with Brick that wasn’t tainted by all her insecurities.
Ryan fit the earbud in her ear that acted as a modified Bluetooth device. She couldn’t do the actual hacking on this end, but she could guide Roo. He was wearing glasses that acted as a real-time recorder, so she would see and hear everything he was doing. Roo’s voice was crisp, and the image was highly detailed.
“Testing, one two three, testing. Ryan, you ready to do this thing?”
“You are good to go, Roo. Place the flash drive in
and let the program run. I will green light you once the beginning protocols have completed their run.” It took several minutes for the program to run before Ryan could tell Roo to put in the code. She was monitoring the area around him and the police bans for any suspicious activity, but everything seemed quiet. “Okay, Roo, phase two.” She watched as he effortlessly typed in the information. This was the tricky part and the most crucial because once Pandora’s box was opened, there wasn’t any shutting it down. The first image filled her screen, and Ryan sucked in a breath. She recognized the man chained from the rafters—Talon Frost. A smaller Hispanic man was wielding a whip, slapping it against Talons back with force, each swipe cutting a bloody line across his already mangled back. Ryan’s hand went to her mouth, and tears filled her eyes. Watching this was horrible, but she had to remind herself it wasn’t real-time. These events had already taken place. She needed to distance herself from what she was seeing and feeling and concentrate on the task at hand.
It took a couple of tries for her to speak, clearing her throat several times before she was able to get the words out.
“Roo, initiate the next protocol, insert the red flash drive. This will bring the audio portion.”
“Shit, Ryan, do we really need it?” Roo mumbled. “I think it’s pretty damn self-explanatory.”
Ryan didn’t need to say anything because Roo was already placing the red flash drive into the slot. Neither of them wanted to hear a damn thing, but they needed it. The BRMC needed it. The brutality was only getting worse, and for a split-second, Ryan was grateful when Roo said, “I’m going to fast forward.”
The next scene was even worse. Instead of Talon, the victim was London. Ryan had to close her eyes, but one of London’s screams forced her to snap them open. Ryan’s hands were shaking, and she wanted to just shut the whole damn thing down, but they still had another drive to put through, so the data would be free and clear. This couldn’t be any easier on Roo.
Instead of watching the video, Ryan concentrated on the stream of data running across the screen. That’s when she saw it. Damn it! She was right all along. Talon was messing with her, and the video had been a fucking lure, they took hook, line, and sinker. Ryan’s fingers started moving as she countered and attacked him. He was in her system, but right now, not anywhere he could do any damage.
“Roo, listen quick. I need you to insert the green flash drive but do it on the move. Shut the laptop but keep your finger between the screen and keyboard, so it doesn’t shut down. I’m going to put a ten-minute clock on your phone. When the time is up, I need you to ditch the laptop and get your ass out of there. Do you hear me? Get your ass back here but leave the laptop.”
The line went dead, and Ryan could only hope she was fast enough to give Roo the warning. Right now, she couldn’t worry about it. Talon was doing his damndest to get in. It was taking all her brainpower to keep one step ahead of him. She noticed an alert popping up in the corner of her screen, and her heart sank again. The fucker was playing with her, and she fell for it. She didn’t even bother shutting the computer down, just ripped the power cord out of the wall, doing the same to the cord for the router, all while running for the door. She needed to warn the guys. It would take a good solid five minutes for everything to reboot and reload, so she was operational again, giving her a new playing field. Right now, the guys would be blindsided. There were fifteen masked men even now trying to get into the building. She had watched as two of the guards outside were shot down without care or thought. This was a nightmare. None of them had anticipated Perez coming at them head-on.
Ryan turned the corner just down the hall and landed squarely into a big hot chest. Stepping back, his face was covered with a ski mask, only his lips and eyes visible. He was wearing the same clothes as the others on the feed. It looked like something a swat team member would wear, and he was armed to the teeth. A gun was in his hand, another strapped to his leg, and on the other leg was a big-ass knife. The only things she had were her phone and herself. Stepping back a couple steps, the man stood there, looking at her through the holes in his mask with eyes that seemed very familiar. He wasn’t moving toward her, so she took that as a good sign. There was a door, not even ten feet down the hall. If she could just get to it, she could bolt herself in. Using her finger on the phone, she did her best to work the unlocking mechanism without drawing notice, but this man seemed to see everything.
“Who are you?” Ryan demanded, putting on airs she didn’t feel. When she spoke, the man cocked his head but still didn’t move or say anything. Ryan took another couple of steps back. “I asked you who you are and what you’re doing here!”
He again cocked his head, but this time the fucker moved so fast, Ryan didn’t have a chance to react. He had her by the throat, slowly lifting her up in the air as she slapped and scratched his hands. The saying “your life flashed before your eyes” never had meaning until that moment. She was already starting to see black dots and couldn’t even get the slightest draw of sweet air into her lungs. She focused on the only thing she could—his eerily familiar eyes. With her last bit of strength, Ryan reached forward, grasping the ski mask in her hand, and yanking it up and off. Her breath caught for another reason, and right before she lost consciousness, she whispered, “Tiny.”
The hand strangling her released her just as quickly as it had grabbed her, and Ryan fell to the floor, coughing and gasping for air. The man crouched in front of her, forcibly taking her chin in his hand, yanking it up.
“What did you call me?”
Ryan couldn’t help it. She reached up and brushed her hand over her brother’s oh so familiar face, emotional tears adding to the tears of fear and pain.
“Donovan, it’s me, Ryan. What’s wrong with you?” The words she spoke seemed to be like slaps to his face as he grimaced and moved away. Still looking at her, confusion clouded his empty eyes.
One of the theories she had been working was Tiny had suffered a brain injury or amnesia of some sort.
“My name is Ryan Lowe, your name is Donovan Lowe, you are my brother, and I haven’t seen you in almost a decade. I’m so happy you’re alive. Momma never gave up hope you would come back someday, Tiny. She lights a candle in the window of your bedroom every single night to guide you home. Please come home.”
Ryan let her outstretched hand drop to her throat. It still hurt, and she wasn’t breathing right, but she needed to get through to him and figure out what the hell was going on. She started rambling every fact she knew about her brother, from his birth date to his first crush in high school, mentioning the guys’ names and the club they had talked about even before it formed, telling him how much they all missed and loved him. He glared at her when he stood, and for the first time in her life, she was afraid of her brother. He was a different person altogether.
“I don’t know who the fuck you are, lady, and I don’t give a shit. You need to get your ass up and out of here before this place is leveled to the ground.” When he started walking away from her at a fast pace, she pulled out the only thing she could.
“The horse you bought from the little general store in Jasper, Kentucky, was mine,” she yelled hoarsely. “I made it for my brother, for you. You might not remember it, but you were drawn to buy it for some reason. It was a symbol that he would always come home. Donovan, you just have to remember.”
He stopped at the curve connecting the halls.
“Get out of here and get yourself safe, lady. The BRMC has a price on their heads, and Perez will do anything and use anyone to take them down. Take the chance I’m giving you. You have less than fifteen minutes before it’s all blown to hell.”
Tiny was gone just as fast as he appeared, his words echoing in her head. As much as she wanted to take his advice and run for the hills, she knew she could never live with herself if she turned her back on the guys, especially Brick. At that moment, she knew she loved him and would do anything for him, including setting him free and giving him what he wanted.
Sore and scared, she managed to get up on her feet and ran back to her office. Ripping into the boxes, she dug through one until she hit the false bottom, and using her bare hands and fingernails, she pried the boards up and off to get to the laptop she had stashed there.
This went against all the rules, and she had never intended to use it, but desperate measures and all that. Crawling on the floor, she managed to get a power cord and plug it in. It only took seconds for the laptop to boot up and Ryan to get back to work. It took another couple of precious minutes to link to all the guys and the security measures she had added to the clubhouse. One minute later, she was relaying real-time facts to the guys via their phones. She hoped it was enough because she had bigger problems, mainly bombs going off in less than ten minutes.
She watched as lit up figures flashed out, representing the bad guys. Continually giving the guys more information, she watched the clock as it ticked down seconds. Even if she got the guys all the information they needed, if they took down every single one of the bad guys, there was no way she was going to make it out of the building in time to save her own ass. In those final few minutes, she discovered her only regret was not feeling Brick inside of her, and instead of going with her heart, she had led with her head. Taking a deep breath, she sent the last and final message.
“The building is set to blow. You need to get out of there NOW!!” To Brick personally, she said, “I don’t regret anything. I’m sorry.” She sent off one final message to Caine, telling him exactly what she planned. She wouldn’t put that burden on any of the other guys. She felt terrible doing it to him but thought he could handle it if it all went to hell.
Chapter Sixteen
Brick: Blacktop Renegades (BRMC Book 2) Page 10