Page 12 of Guarded by Atlas (Steel Rebels MC #6)
“Yeah, they need me to deal with something,” I say, unwilling to disclose where I am going and leave her worried or disappoint her if we fail to catch the men. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” she says with a smile. “I’ll be waiting here for you when you get back.” The words make my gut clench as she reaches for the sweatshirt and slides it on. “I guess I’ll just have to settle for cuddling Rusty until you get back.”
She laughs when my eyes flare like she knew they would, and she settles down to watch me change.
I don’t miss the lust that flashes in her eyes when I strip, her eyes running hungrily over my body, and once again, I’m tempted to stay.
She doesn’t comment when I grab my Glock and secure it before grabbing my leather jacket and sliding it on.
“I’ll try to not be gone long,” I promise her, walking toward the bed.
I slide my hand to her nape before slamming my mouth down on hers with a hard kiss. “You are mine, remember that.”
And as such, I’m going to wipe out all threats to her life.
My blood is boiling for action when I finally make it to Saint’s office to find few other MC brothers already in the room, most of whom are club officers.
“Good, you’re here,” Saint says, waving me in.
“With the help of Scarlett and Gray, we identified one of the men caught in the surveillance footage kidnapping Marie. Ransom was able to hack into his phone, and we’ve been tracking him.
We finally found out where the fuckers have been holed up.
” He looks around the room, meeting everyone’s hard eyes before carrying on.
“Tonight, we are going wipe out what’s left of the Chrome Vipers, get rid of them once and for all.
Trigger has worked out a plan of attack for us,” he finishes, gesturing to the club’s weapons expert, a former Marine sniper.
We disperse once Ransom tells us the location and Trigger has filled us in on the plan.
I nearly groaned when I realized that they’re at an abandoned motel just outside the city.
Gray did some surveillance, but wasn’t able get close enough to narrow down their location to room numbers, only that they seem to be congregated in the center of the single-story building.
I’m just grateful the motel is abandoned so there is less chance of eyewitnesses or collateral deaths in the event this devolves into a gun fight.
There is a quiet rage simmering in the air around us as everyone heads for their bikes.
The rumble of engines fills the underground parking garage as we tear out of the lot and into the streets.
The thought of finally putting an end to all this has me gripping the handlebars tightly, knuckles turning white.
This time a week ago, I was riding this same road to find a woman I had no idea would come to mean everything to me, and now, I want the blood of the people who took her.
Especially the fucker who had a knife pressed against her throat.
Despite the hood, I saw his face for a split second, and it’s ingrained in my head.
I want him dead!
We pass the apartment building several minutes later, and I tune out memories of Marie tied and helpless in that fucking closet.
After another ten minutes, I skid to a halt outside the motel, tires screeching against the asphalt.
The others have stopped in different spots as we form a defensive arc at the edge of the narrow parking lot where overgrown hedges and brush provide us some cover.
The motel is a small, run-down structure that’s clearly been out of use for years.
It’s growing dark now, and there’s no one around this desolate area beyond the city limits.
It’s clear why the Vipers chose this place to hole up.
But that decision will also be their undoing.
I kill the engine and swing off my bike, the cold air hitting my face when I take off my helmet.
I scan our surroundings even as I draw out my gun.
Several doors face the road, and before I can process what is happening, one swings open, and someone emerges a second before a shot rings out, shattering the silence.
I see Saint dive for cover behind a nearby tree, barely evading another shot.
He’s pinned down, unable to return fire from that position without risking being hit.
Movement at the far end of the lot beyond him catches my attention, and I watch as Gray slinks silently along the edge of the parking lot toward the motel, his dark shape barely distinguishable against the hedge wall.
On my other side, I notice Hound has taken cover behind an old dumpster.
I nod at him, then point to myself and gesture in the opposite direction, indicating that I intend to approach the motel from the other side.
He nods his understanding and gets into a position to provide cover for us.
I crouch down and move as silently as possible along the edge of the parking lot toward the far corner of the motel.
I go as quickly as possible to match my arrival with Gray’s, who has a head start.
It’s too dark to tell if he’s noticed me, but knowing Gray and his skills, he knows exactly where everyone is.
My suspicion is confirmed when I hit the side of the building and peek around the corner to see Gray at the other end, already looking at me. He points toward the still-open motel room door and then holds up three fingers. Three men inside the room.
I move back around the side of the building where it won’t be seen and turn on the flashlight app on my phone.
Using my hand to cover the beam, I point it at the ground, uncovering it three times to signal the information to Hound and Saint.
It’s the signal we’d decided on before leaving the clubhouse, so I don’t worry whether they understood the message.
Then I look around the corner again and lock eyes with Gray once more.
I signal for him to hold still until Hound opens fire on the motel room door, drawing attention just as we’d hoped it would.
I watch as a man leans around the doorframe, gun raised to return fire.
Without taking a moment to think, I lift my own gun and squeeze the trigger.
The sickening yell that rings out a moment later proves my bullet found its mark.
Everything happens in a blur after that.
Gray and I move in on the room as Hound and Saint provide cover for us.
One of their shots finds its target, and we’re able to get right up to the doorway and take out the other man with an immobilizing shot.
Gray and I enter the motel room to find three Vipers writhing on the floor, guns discarded.
I quickly clear the rest of the room of any threats as Gray secures their guns and verifies with one of them that there are no other Vipers lurking nearby.
Once we are certain we are in the clear, I signal to Saint and Hound to join us.
The Vipers stood no chance, really. The four of us were more than capable of handling this showdown on our own. While I would have liked to have had Trigger with us, it was better he stayed behind in case of any run-ins with the police. Already being on parole, that’s not a risk Trigger can take.
I step over the men on the floor, looking at each face, and when I don’t spot the one I’m looking for, I question if perhaps I don’t remember him as well as I thought.
To be fair, the faces were grainy, and yet, despite having apprehended all three kidnappers, I find myself dissatisfied.
Perhaps I’ll feel better once we get them back to the clubhouse and into the basement where we can really take our time exacting our revenge.
“Everyone okay?” Saint calls out, and once he receives confirmation from everyone, turns to the three men groaning in pain, each nursing a gunshot wound somewhere on their body.
“I want all of you to remember that not killing you was intentional. Anyone of the Rebels could have shot you in the head and ended your pathetic life, but we didn’t.
But we aren’t done with you yet. When we are, you’ll wish that’s exactly what we’d done. ”
As if he’d timed it that way, the sound of a vehicle pulling up outside the room reaches us, and I look out the doorway to see our VP, Knox, arrive with an unmarked white van.
I smile at what is clearly his attempt at a joke—we are essentially kidnapping the kidnappers in a van just like the one they’d used to take Marie.
Despite having apprehended all three Vipers, I can’t shake the feeling in my gut that this isn’t over. Maybe it is, and I’m simply looking for a reason to hold on to Marie longer. She has no reason to stay with me now. Fuck, I am not ready to let her go just yet.
But what could a man like me really have to offer a woman with her background and upbringing beyond a few nights of fun?