Page 52

52

Phoenix

M anzanita was a three-hour drive away—a decent-sized city with plenty of places to hide and little to no police presence. The perfect place for a criminal enterprise to hide a kidnapping victim. A place the Bastards would gravitate to, or so we hoped.

Once we had a basic plan in place, we moved—all of us. Dad didn't want to leave Lace or me behind, not after Rae's abduction. He said it was too risky, and he needed every one of his guys to get this done. There would be no one free to keep an eye on us if we stayed behind.

It was fine by me. I'd feel better being closer to them, knowing what's going on. Waiting at Bear's while they did what they needed to would be excruciating. So, we piled into vehicles from Dad's shop and headed to Manzanita in shifts. Dad, Bear, and Hammer left last, keeping their distance.

Once the plan was set, Dad would provide a distraction while the others swooped in for Raven. The Bastards would be on high alert. We knew rolling into town with twenty-plus men on Harleys wasn't exactly inconspicuous. So, Dad, Bear, and Hammer would draw attention away from the rest of us as soon as they rolled into town. We knew Scar and his men would spot them the second they showed up and likely tail them.

So, we used that to our advantage. The three of them would stay in Manzanita, drawing the Bastards' attention. The rest of us would split between different motels outside of town. While the Bastards were watching Dad and the others, the rest of us would be setting things in motion.

Waking up in a strange bed in a dingy motel is disorienting. We drove here in the middle of the night, hoping to arrive inconspicuously under a shield of darkness. We checked in under aliases and paid in cash, so there was no trail pointing back to us. So far, it seems to be working. No one has seen any of the Bastards or heard a motorcycle since we arrived.

We assume we're far enough outside Manzanita that we're safe, but there's rarely such a thing where the Bastards are involved. The lack of activity should make me feel better, but it doesn't. What if we're wrong? What if this isn't the right place? The tip from Dad's cop friend was all we had to go on, and I pray they were right. Rae's life depends on it, but if they had it wrong . . .

That isn't something I can fathom. It has to be good intel. There is no alternative.

I feel the bed next to me dip under someone's weight. Mason watches me through tired eyes as I sit up. None of the guys got much sleep last night between travel, planning, and taking shifts on watch. It was rough for all of us, but no one complained. We all have the same goal here—get Raven out safe and take down Scar and his men.

Rubbing what little sleep I got from my eyes, I shift closer to him, melting into his side when he holds up his arm for me. "How'd you sleep?"

With a shrug, I answer, "Okay, I guess. There's so much running through my head about all this. It's hard to rest when that's going on."

"We'll get her back, Nix. We have the Devils out doing recon in town now. Any word of the Bastards or sightings of their men, we'll know. And we've got some of our guys scoping out the warehouse."

I bite my lip. Things are moving right along like we planned, but it still doesn't feel like enough. It doesn't feel like we're moving fast enough with Raven still in their hands.

As if sensing my fear, Mason pulls me closer. "We'll get her back, Nix. I promise."

I let his words sink in, forcing myself to believe them. This will work. We have a good plan, and it will succeed. It has to.

Lace shifts on the bed next to us, where she cuddles next to Stitch. He hasn't let her out of his sight since Raven was taken. Even in sleep, they're glued together. Not even the wind could pass between them right now. It's sweet in a way, but it leaves a bitter reminder in its wake.

Lace is safe. So am I. Mason and Stitch will make damn sure it stays that way, but no one was there to save Rae. No one was keeping watch over her like they were us. Like she had for us. Part of me can't help but wonder if things would be different if she had a Mason or a Stitch in her life. If she and Jesse had worked out . . .

Would she have sacrificed her safety that night if she'd had someone like him waiting for her? If she had a deeper connection with someone here, would she have tried harder to keep herself out of harm's way? I know the answer. Deep down, I already know it wouldn't have mattered.

Rae would always be the shield when it came to keeping me safe. No matter the cost, she would always protect me, even if it meant she paid the price. It breaks my heart to know that, to know what it had cost her this time.

She's in the hands of the enemy because she felt she needed to keep me safe. Her protective streak cost her her freedom, and there's nothing I can do to help her. Bile rises in my throat as that truth sets in. All I can do is wait and hope and pray that our guys get her out before something terrible happens. I've never felt so useless.

Mason's burner phone vibrates on the nightstand until he leans over to answer it. "Yeah."

A voice on the other line is talking as Mason nods along, giving short replies to the caller—my dad, I assume. The call is short, but when he disconnects the line, Mason looks my way. "Viper and the others are in their hotel. They just got word from Officer Normandy. One of the Bastards slipped up. Normandy tracked his cell location to the warehouse. They're definitely here."

The news touches me with the smallest hint of relief. We're in the right place, but we still have a long way to go before we can make our move. We have to be sure Rae is in there, and until our recon team gets back or calls in, we have nothing to confirm that. It's a waiting game now, and time is not our friend.