Page 14 of Brandishing Balance (Devil’s Psychos MC #3)

Marcos

I felt like shit. I should have told Nico before I brought it up at the goddamned breakfast table.

I never should have said that shit in front of my sister either.

Kara had been through her own fucking torment with Hillcrest. Thankfully she hadn’t been raped, but that didn’t mean her own ordeal wasn’t traumatic as well.

And here I was, fucking it all up.

Johnny was right to call me out.

I felt listless as I stared out the front picture window of Elaine’s house. I wasn’t sure if I was waiting for Nico to show up or not. Or if I was just hoping the fucking answer would drive down the road and so I didn’t have to make these big decisions.

Not that I even had to make any decisions—Johnny was taking charge of it all.

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. I couldn’t even muster up the energy to be angry about it. It was like a heavy fog weighed me down and I was struggling to get to the surface, drowning.

Nico was the only one of us who was fired up, but then again, he had been right about Maya all along.

He was the only one fighting right now. It was the reason I had named him Vice President all those years ago.

Nico was the only level-headed one of the three of us.

He was the only one that tended to look deeper into things before making a decision.

Jason was too stubborn. He had denied that anything was wrong with Maya for so long, that he was now having issues coming to terms with just how badly he’d fuck things up.

“Get your head out of the clouds, boy,” Elaine snapped from behind me, pulling me out of my endless musings. “You have a lead. Do something about it.”

I startled and looked over my shoulder to find Maya’s mother standing in the doorway from the kitchen into the living room. She was holding a dish towel in her hands as if she had just finished washing them. The hard stare in her gaze was nothing new, but it hit different knowing she was right.

A moment later, Jason walked out of Maya’s bedroom, riding boots and jacket on, with his cut pulled over the leather jacket. He looked ready to ride. “She’s right, let’s go to the clubhouse and get our club ready.”

“You’re gonna ride?” I asked, struggling to keep up.

“Yes. It’s been two and a half weeks. I’m riding out with you when you rescue Maya.”

“We’re gonna need the truck.”

“We’re going to need an ambulance with a fucking doctor on board. I already made some calls. Nickle is dating an EMT and Griff is going to ride with her. They’re gonna be on standby tonight.” Jason was so direct and matter-of-fact that I could only blink at him.

Seeing the blank stare, Jason moved closer. Resting his forehead against mine, Jason gripped the back of my neck. “Come on, man. Time to snap out of it. We need you fired up and ready to roll. Maya needs you.”

Hope flared to life inside me, making me realize for the first time all morning that we had a shot at getting her back. I nodded. “Let’s go get our girl back.”

The clubhouse was packed. I had ordered a lock down, meaning all the immediate families of the patched club members were currently behind the locked gates and doors of the clubhouse compound. Fear of retaliation was high, with Hillcrest being a loose cannon.

Jack Adams had gotten us the location along with a wealth of knowledge we could use later. But tonight we were focusing on the location we believed Maya was being held. Once Maya was safely returned, we would set about destroying Dax Hillcrest and Las Serpientes as a whole.

The Ravager Knights MC was a lined up out front, ready to roll out.

All that was left to do was to speak to my crew.

With Nico and Jason by my side, I addressed the barroom as a whole, not caring if family were present.

“You all know why you’re here. We’re going after Maya Henderson, our Old Lady who has been kidnapped by Dax Hillcrest and Las Serpientes.

I know many in this room have their own vendettas against Dax Hillcrest.” I paused to make eye contact with Axel, Blaze, Phoenix who were standing against the wall to my right, and then with Johnny, Derrick and Kevin who were standing near the door.

“After the torture Hillcrest has put my woman through, I’m claiming his death by hands. ”

Johnny and his boys glared, but didn’t say anything. Axel and his boys only nodded once, in agreement. Axel had gotten me that video. He had heard first-hand what Maya was being put through by Hillcrest and his men. He knew that Maya’s torture was horrendous.

“I want him alive. He doesn’t deserve a quick death,” I continued. “Let’s roll out.”

The bar exploded in a deafening cheer.

Marcos

We rode the hour and fifteen minutes to Sparland in formation. I was at the head of the pack with Johnny by my side. Behind us were Nico and Kevin, our respective VP’s, with Derrick and Jason next in line. The line up of bikes down the highway was a sight to see.

I could feel the anger raging in my veins the closer we drove to Sparland.

When we arrived at an empty warehouse, a mile north of where Maya was being held, we pulled over and broke into smaller groups.

We would ride in from all different directions and surround the warehouse.

We needed to be quick and stealthy. We needed the element of surprise if we wanted to get Hillcrest, but more importantly Maya.

We also needed the Seratelli’s manpower to boost ours. Leonardo Seratelli had delivered us an army of one hundred men who would follow us into the warehouse.

Once we were into the smaller pre-planned groups, we hit the road again. In less than five minutes we were surrounding the building, dismounting from our bikes and pulling out our guns. The comms unit in my ear crackled to life when Griff and the ambulance were in position.

I motioned forward and our guys used explosives to blow the doors off the warehouse. From there, things moved quickly. We stormed the building almost silently. Down a dark and long narrow hallway, we ran toward the lights at the end. Shouting could be heard all around us.

My heart raced in my chest. We were so close.

“Marcos!” Nico shouted from down the hall.

I pushed passed the guys in front of me and took point, racing down the hall. I burst through a doorway, into a nightmare of a scene. Bright lamps were pointed at a bed in the center of the room, satin sheets covered the mattress, and in the middle of it all, was a very bruised and battered Maya.

She lay on her side, her body curled up as she slept—I hoped she slept. “Maya!” I shouted, falling to my knees besides the bed. I reached out gently to tuck her hair behind her ear and feel for a pulse. “Gracias a Dios.” I let out a relieved sigh. It was faint, but it was there.

“Maya,” Nico spoke softly. He climbed on the bed beside her and gently turned her on her back. “Maya, baby. Little Dreamer, wake up.”

She stirred and blinked her eyes open.

“Come on, Little Dreamer. Come back to me,” Nico murmured.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Leonardo walk into the room, followed by Jason. Jason slid to his knees on the other side of the mattress, watching as Nico coaxed our girl awake.

“Nic.” Maya gasped his name, a light breathy sound that showed just how weak she was.

“I’ve got you, Little Dreamer. Come on, let’s get you out of here.”

Her body was limp as Nico lifted her into his arms. “Maya, stay with me,” he murmured to her unresponsive body.