Page 19

CHAPTER NINETEEN

HENDRIX

T he room at the back of the tattoo shop was usually reserved for piercings and provided somewhere discreet for when one of the boys had to ink someone on a more intimate part of their body.

Picasso also used it to tattoo nipples onto women who had lost their breasts through cancer and had undergone reconstructive surgery. He did this free of charge in memory of his mother, who had died from the disease when he was sixteen.

It wasn’t a big room, and right then, it was made even smaller by the sheer number of bikers using it as HQ while we searched for Addison.

My mind flashed back to twenty minutes before, when I broke the news to Fender.

His reaction shocked me. He was calm and cool, the complete opposite of what I expected. I thought he’d lose his mind, but instead, it was like he’d shut down, and there was nothing left for him to care about.

It was then I understood what Cash had been trying to tell me. Ashley’s death had wrecked him from the inside out, and now he had nothing left.

Not even for his kids.

And for a man who’d loved his kids above all else, that was worrying.

“He’ll be okay,” Blade assured me. “They’ve only been here a couple of months. His head’s into his work, which is probably a good thing ‘cause while it’s there, it’s not with his wife.”

“I dunno, Veep,” I muttered. “That reaction wasn’t normal.”

Blade shrugged. “So what the fuck’s normal? We’re all fucked up in one way or another. Fender’s been through more than most, so we need to give him time to heal.”

“It’s been four fuckin’ years,” I pointed out. “And Fender’s worse now than he was back when it happened. At least he had emotions back then, which was healthy. Now it’s like he’s dead inside.”

“Remember Breaker’s PTSD when it was at its worst?” Colt interjected.

I glanced toward the window where he sat at a table surrounded by laptops, typing away furiously as he attempted to hack into the notoriously old, outdated security cameras that were dotted around the area where Addie went missing.

“How could I forget?” I muttered.

“He shut down, too,” Colt reminded me. “Everything was too painful for him to handle, so he stopped trying. Maybe Fender’s goin’ through the same thing.”

My stomach knotted at the memory of Breaker kneeling on the asphalt in the parking lot of the Wyoming clubhouse with a gun to his head, ready to pull the trigger, and my blood ran cold.

“Wait, Prez,” Colt called out. “Come here. Look.”

Pushing down the sick feeling in my gut, I motioned for Blade to follow me, then moved over to look at Colt’s computer screen. I could worry about Fender later. Right now, we had to put all our energy into finding Addison.

Colt pointed to a large Ford Explorer with tinted blacked-out windows almost as dark as its paintwork. “This vehicle keeps cropping up on the cameras. It was in the area where Addison disappeared at around the same time she was last seen.”

“Run the plates,” I ordered.

“Already did.” He paused, his eyes sliding to meet mine. “It’s registered to ASP.”

A cold shiver trickled down my spine.

“What the fuck?” Blade spat.

If Ace was involved in this shit show, it was about to get complicated. The fucker liked playing mind games. The only positive was that I knew my ex-brother wouldn’t hurt Addie. He was a narcissistic, brutal bastard who wouldn’t hesitate to shoot me on sight if the urge took him, but hurting little girls wasn't his style.

“Want me to call Shep and pull them in for questioning?” Colt asked. “This could be the perfect excuse to close them down.”

“Ace will have a contingency in place,” I stated. “This isn’t about Addie. It’s about showing me how easily he can get to the club.”

“The car rolled out of town about thirty minutes ago and headed north,” Colt confirmed.

Realization washed over me. “I know where the fucker is.”

“Then let’s roll out,” Blade spat.

I clasped my VP’s shoulder. “Brother. Need you to take the women back to the hotel, and I want a security detail guarding the road. We’re not on lockdown, but I want the men traveling in pairs until further notice. Need two men at least on the women whenever they leave hotel property, plus Ciara gets escorted to and from work, and the kids to and from school. Can you organize that?”

A confused expression washed over Blade’s face.

“I’m takin’ Diablo, Fletch, and Trick with me,” I continued. “Also want Gambit and Rockabye. They know Ace. Maybe not as well as I do, but better than you all the same. Plus, I need a man back at the hotel who can take over the gavel in case anythin’ happens. Do ya get me?”

His eyes hardened, and he opened his mouth to argue but then closed it again.

Blade and I had gone over this very subject when he first took the VP role and again when I told him what went down with Ace. We agreed that we’d never take a job together for the same reason as the boys in Wyoming didn’t. If anything went wrong for one of us, we needed the chain of command to remain intact.

If Ace wanted to hurt me, he would’ve chanced his luck directly instead of taking Addie. He was trying to lure me in for a different reason; I just didn’t know what that was, though knowing Ace, it would be fucked up.

“I’m gonna kill ‘em all.” I turned toward the door, scalding heat pulsing through me as I made my way back through to the main room in the shop where the women were still waiting. Boots clomped behind me, and I knew my brothers were at my six.

The roaring of engines filled the air outside, a sign that my brothers were trawling the streets looking for Addie. The pop-popping of the Harleys was somewhat of a comfort; except I knew now they wouldn’t find her in town.

If Ace wanted to get my attention, he could have it, though he might live to regret his choices.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Anna pushing up from her chair, and she surged toward me. I went back on one foot as her body hit mine, and my arms closed around her back, trying to steady her on her feet.

“Do you have a lead?” she asked breathily. “Have you found her?”

“I think so, baby. Nothing concrete, but I gotta hunch.”

The relief that flashed across her face cut through me.

“You gotta try and relax, Anna,” I pleaded, my hand going to her stomach. “This isn’t good for Junior.”

“I’ll relax when you bring her back,” she murmured, her hand cupping my cheeks and holding them tight. “I’ve got every faith in you, Jamie.”

For the first time since Addie went missing, my blood warmed.

Anna Bouchard was perfect for me. From the moment I had a real, honest conversation with her in a back road bar in Wyoming, my soul knew she was mine. Shame it took my head so long to catch up.

“Blade’s gonna take you and the other women back to the clubhouse. I need you to do everything he says.”

She jerked a nod.

Leaning down, I touched my mouth to hers. “Won’t be long.”

She smiled encouragingly. “I’ll be waiting.”

Despite everything I was feeling about Ace and Addie, her words meant the world.

With one final stroke across her belly, I disentangled myself and nodded to Blade. My eyes fell on Diablo and Trick, and I made my way out into the street, again with my brethren at my back.

Two black GMCs sped down the street and pulled over outside the shop. Fletcher got out of the driver’s seat of the first one and moved into the vehicle behind.

Trick moved around to the front of the car. As our road captain, he drove. It helped that he was the best driver I’d ever ridden with, no doubt due to his misspent youth, stealing cars. “All aboard,” he called out as he ducked inside, the Irish twang of his accent putting emphasis on the words.

I was about to get into the passenger side when I heard a scuffle behind me and a grunted shout of, “Wait.”

I glanced over my shoulder, my eyebrows furrowing when I saw a guy about my age trying to approach. He wore jeans and a dirty old jacket over his tee, and his hair was unkempt. He kept his beard scruffy, and it looked like he hadn’t showered in a week.

Blade had a hand across his chest to prevent him from moving closer. “Get the fuck back,” he demanded.

“I need to talk to him,” the guy protested, his gnarly finger lifting and pointing toward me.

Curious, I held up a hand to my VP. “It’s okay. Let him through.”

Blade dropped his arm begrudgingly to allow the guy to pass before moving in behind him.

“You okay, man?” I asked, eyes narrowing.

“You looking for the little girl who went missing?” he asked.

“Yeah,” I confirmed. “You know somethin’?”

“I saw her getting into a black Explorer.” He held out a crumpled envelope. “Here’s the registration number. I recognized the guy from a few years back. He used to be one of you. Fucker told the kid he was a friend of yours and you’d sent him to take her for ice cream.”

I took the paper and glanced at the shaky handwriting. “How do you know this? Were you there?”

“Yeah,” he smiled wryly. “But they didn’t see me. I can make myself invisible.”

“We already got the registration, man, but thanks,” I murmured, studying him. It was obvious he was homeless. I knew some of the guys who camped out by the river in the summer months. We often took food down there for them. “What’s your name?” I asked.

“Charlie,” he mumbled.

I clasped his shoulder. “Thanks, Charlie. You’ve seen me around, right? You know I’m in charge down at the hotel?”

He nodded.

My chin dipped, and I stared at him intently. “You need anything, you come see me, okay? A bed for the night, food. Anythin’.”

“I’m good,” he rasped. “Hope you find the kid.”

“Thanks.” I turned and slid inside the car, giving him a loose one-finger salute through the open window.

To my surprise, he executed a perfect one back.

My chest panged.

Another veteran forgotten and on the streets. Suddenly, I hoped Charlie would take me up on my offer. The problem was, I also knew that often, the homeless community was institutionalized by their predicaments. After a while, it became a way of life and, in a weird way, even their security blanket.

“I can help you, man,” I relayed. “I know people who can sort you out and help you integrate again. Have you got a phone? I’ll give you my number.”

“I’m good,” he repeated. “Don’t wanna be found. They can find you through a cell phone.”

“Not a burner,” I corrected.

“They fry your brain,” Charlie mumbled.

I opened my mouth to argue but closed it again. I had to go and get Addie and face my old brother, who it seemed was determined to screw with me.

Charlie was a battle for another day.

“Let’s move,” I ordered, turning my attention to Trick. “We’ve got some Aces to play.

—————

We saw the Ford Explorer parked up before we even pulled into the clearing. Trick had followed the Potomac River north to Jones Point Lighthouse, where me and Ace used to fish and put the world to rights. It was where we always made plans for the club and discussed the future and what we wanted to achieve. It was also the place we bonded as brothers—or so I thought.

The fact that Ace hadn’t even tried to hide the vehicle told me a few things.

First, he didn’t give the first fuck about being found; in fact, he was banking on it. Second, the mind games had begun. After we parted ways, I thought that bullshit was over, but now it seemed I was wrong. Lastly, he was getting cocky, which would only contribute to his downfall. Being an overconfident prick meant you underestimated your enemy.

Trick parked the club’s GMC and turned to me in the passenger seat. “Sure you don’t need me?”

“Want you to stay here. If anything happens to us, I need you to find Addie and get her back to her dad.” My neck craned to study Diablo in the back seat. “It’s just you and me. You sure you’re okay with the plan?”

A wide grin stole across his face. “You know I love me some playtime. Today’s game’s called chop-a-cock. Wonder how many dicks I can go home with for one of my jars?”

I almost rolled my eyes at the crazy fucker. Diablo made his counterpart Atlas, who was SAA over in Wyoming, look sane. He wasn’t kidding about the jars. He collected the body parts of the men he bested, put them in a glass jar filled with embalming fluid, and stuck them on a shelf in his room at the hotel. His latest craze was to arrange different colored lights behind them for effect. Green fingers, blue toes, yellow tongues—so on and so forth.

He thought it was hilarious.

I shuddered at the thought of Anna seeing that shit. She’d freak the fuck out.

Crazy bastard.

Trick chuckled, glancing back at Diablo, and then his eyes flicked back to me. “Go kick some ass.”

I got out of the car, checked my weapon, and waited for Diablo to fall into step beside me. “Ready?” I asked him.

His mouth hitched, his eyes glazing over, and he jerked his head in the direction of the river. “Lead the way, boss—” He was cut off by the whistle of a bullet whizzing so close to my temple that my mouth filled with saliva.

“Hendriiiiix,” Ace’s voice called from the direction of the river. “I’m waiting on your ass.”

My jaw clenched.

“Fuck,” Diablo muttered from my side. “We’re sitting ducks.”

My fingers flexed with the urge to reach for my gun. “If he wanted to kill us, that bullet wouldn’t have missed. In fact, we wouldn’t even be here. Ace would’ve holed up near the hotel with a sniper rifle and waited it out. We’ll be good. Just stick to the plan and get Addie out of there, and then we’ll start shooting.”

My SAA grinned. “You sure know how to turn a boy on.”

I started to descend the knoll leading down toward the river, saying absent-mindedly, “It’s the hair and muscles, brother. It’s my sex power.”

Slowly, we scrambled down the grassy incline. The sound of running water, along with soft murmurs, got closer. My ears pricked up as I heard a child’s giggle along with Ace’s booming laughter, followed by some other deep chuckles.

“Addie’s with him,” Diablo muttered. “And he’s got backup.”

“Of course he has,” I concurred as we reached the bottom of the slope. “But then, so have we.” I looked around, trying to catch sight of Addison.

Ace’s voice called, “We’re over by the lighthouse.”

My feet began to carry me toward the sound of the chatter. The pulse in my neck throbbed with the force of the adrenaline shooting through my bloodstream. A rushing sound filled my ears, and then everything went quiet as I began to zone in on the sight that came into my view.

Ace and Addie were sitting on a patch of grass by an old, abandoned outbuilding that had been fenced off. With him were two of the ex-brothers who’d left with him when everything went south. They stood as sentries with their hands shoved inside their black leather jackets, their fingers resting on their weapons.

My stare frantically checked over Addie, who clutched a doll in each hand and had a carton of juice situated on the ground next to her. She was laughing up at Ace who was in the process of pulling silly faces at her.

She was fine.

Ace’s eyes veered toward me, and he grinned. “At last,” he called over. “Thought you would’ve gotten here an hour ago. You’re losin’ your touch, brother.”

He hadn’t changed in the year since I’d last seen him. He was tall with cropped light hair and built, though not as built as me. He was a good-looking guy in a straight-backed military kind of way. Some soldiers you could tell had served purely by the way they walked and talked, and Ace was one of them, a soldier through and through.

Except something must have fucked with him in the military, and to my detriment, I’d discovered the hard way that he’d lost himself. He joined the club as my VP but instead of working as part of a team, he’d wanted absolute power.

Ambition and jealousy had reared its ugly head, and he’d betrayed me.

“You okay, Addison?” I called out.

The little girl’s blonde hair bounced as she jumped to her feet. “Hendrix!” she cried happily, holding her dolls in the air. “Look. Uncle Ace bought me Barbies, and he gave me ice cream.”

I forced a reassuring smile onto my face. “That’s great, sweetheart, but it’s time to go home now. Your dad misses you, and Anna wants to help you put away your new clothes.”

“I heard your Anna was back on the scene. Happy for ya, brother, though I’m sorry she came with baggage. Good for you, though, seeing as you’ll never be able to get her in the family way.” Ace smirked. “At least you can play daddy to her kid now her husband’s been taken out by that street gang and all.”

My chest twisted.

He’d obviously kept his ear close to the ground if he knew about Anna, the baby, and the Lis brothers. However, it wasn’t a secret she was at the hotel and that she was pregnant. Back in the day, I’d confided in Ace about my infection and how it took away my ability to have kids, so he knew Anna’s baby couldn’t biologically be mine, though he was right when he said I had every intention of being the boy’s father in every other sense of the word.

What worried me was his insinuation about the death of Antoni Lis. Ace knew too much, which meant somebody close to me had been talking.

“Come on, Addie,” I called, walking toward her with my hand outstretched. “Time to go, sweetheart.”

She turned and beamed at Ace as she moved toward me. “Thanks for the Barbies,” she called over her shoulder.

“You’re welcome, Addie.” He raised a hand, pressing his fingers against his ear, the motion giving away that he was wearing a listening device. He pointed up the slope in the direction of the cars. “Uncle Trick’s parked up there. Get your tush to the car. I need a quick chat with Hendrix.”

She smiled and gave him a wave, then began to scramble up a dirt track leading toward the road.

My jaw clenched as I watched her go. The relief was indescribable, but still, a part of me knew she was never in danger with him. He’d used a kid to get to me for dramatic effect when, really, if he wanted a meet, all he had to do was ask.

That wasn’t his style, though, because asking for a meet wouldn’t put me in a tailspin and fuck with my head the way he seemed to enjoy doing so much. Not for the first time, I wondered what I ever did to make him hate me. We used to be like brothers, now I wondered if he’d always been a manipulative bastard but just hidden it well.

Ace became my rival when he betrayed me, but he became a target when he fucked with what belonged to my club, but for old time’s sake, I kept my shit locked down when Ace staged a coup and poached my clients along with my men. It was business, and I knew I could rebuild, even though his betrayal personally fucked me up at the time.

Initially, he thrived while I spiraled over what he did, along with the pain and self-recriminations I felt for screwing things up with Anna. It was what stopped me from initially going to her. I’d lost my self-respect and confidence, and I needed to get myself right again before I approached her. Except in holding back, I left it too late and broke both our hearts in the process.

Eventually, things got better. I got Blade on board and Colt helped in securing the government contracts so vital to our business. I recruited new brothers and slowly began to build a new team from the ground up, except that time, I made sure I didn’t repeat the same mistakes.

Ace had been a pain in my ass, and I knew he enjoyed playing cat and mouse. Still, hurting me in business was one thing, but screwing with my people had crossed a line I wasn’t willing to overlook.

Now his days were numbered because in kidnapping one of my men’s kids, he’d signed his own death warrant.

My stare remained on Ace as I waited for Addie to disappear. The second I lost sight of her, I leveled Ace with a stare. “Since when did the big, bad soldier need to use little girls to make a point? Thought even a traitorous bastard like you had bigger balls than that.”

Anyone who didn’t know him would have missed the slight blanching of his face, but I didn’t.

Direct hit.

“She was never in danger, and you know it,” he bit back.

“Doesn’t mean it’s not cowardly, though,” Diablo called out. “She lost her mother a few years ago. Her dad lost his wife. Today, you made it so he thought he might lose Addie, too. All because you wanted to play a twisted game.” He shook his head. “Used to look up to you. Loved you as a brother in arms. Now I wouldn’t piss in your mouth if you were stuck in the desert without water.”

“Wondered when you’d pipe up,” Ace muttered. “Bend over a little further, Drix. Diablo needs more ass to kiss.”

My SAA laughed and nodded toward Smoke and Baxter. “You only say that ‘cause I wouldn’t kiss yours like Laverne and Shirley over there. How you two doin’ anyway? Betray any more brothers lately?”

“Fuck you, Diablo,” Smoke spat.

“Goddamned fucking traitors,” my brother said, loud enough for them to hear. “Can’t wait to kill these fuckers.” His head twisted toward the two men. “I decided it's chop-off-a-cock day today. Come on over to Daddy. I’ll immortalize your tiny peckers in one’a my jars. You remember them, doncha? They’re all lit up with pretty Christmas lights now. Looks goddamned awesome at night.”

Smoke’s face paled to white, and I had to choke back a laugh.

He remembered, alright, because he whipped his Glock from his inside pocket and pointed it at Diablo.

“I’ll shoot a fuckin’ hole in your chest,” he yelled.

“Looks like he wants to keep his pecker where it is, brother,” I said loudly. “Though from what I remember, you’d be hard-pressed to find it anyway. Didn’t the whores always compare his dick to a little mushroom?”

Diablo threw back his head and laughed maniacally. “Chop a cock. Chop a cock. Chop a cock,” he chanted. “Or is it chop a mushroom?”

“Shut the fuck up!” Smoke bellowed, anger suffusing his face.

“Lower your weapon, brother,” Ace barked, but it was too late.

Smoke aimed his gun at Diablo, and a deafening bang splintered the air.

A gargling sound left my brother’s throat, and slowly, he fell to his knees as all hell began to break loose. A barrage of gunfire filled the air, and everybody dived for cover.

Heart jolting, I ducked, grabbed Diablo, threw him over my back, and ran for the trees with him bouncing on my shoulder. “Status report,” I huffed out.

“Swerve, Prez,” Gambit said through comms.

I veered right and felt a bullet whizz past my ear. “Jesus fuck,” I panted. “Diablo, can you run yet?”

His reply was a strangled gasp.

A soft chuckle filtered through my earpiece, and Fletch said, “Just took Baxter down, Prez. Ace is on the move, but I can’t get a clear shot. Smoke’s lagging behind. I think Gambit blew off his kneecap ‘cause that fucker’s dragging.”

I cleared the tree line and dumped Diablo onto his back in the dirt and leaves. Then, bending over, I put my hands to my knees. With my breath sawing in and out, I stared down at Diablo, who was still fighting for breath, and snapped, “Why you gotta go and yank every fucker’s chain? So much for trying to get to the bottom of Ace’s plot. You and your chop a dick, chop a dick bullshit. It’s no fucking wonder Smoke shot your ass. You scared the goddamned crap out of him.”

Laughter drifted over the comms.

“Is Addie safe?” I demanded.

“Rockabye has her,” Gambit confirmed. “He bundled her in the SUV and got her out of there the second she came through the trees. He’s on his way home with her. Trick’s hanging fire.”

“Did you guys run into any trouble?” I asked, getting down on my haunches to check on Diablo, who was still trying to get his breath.

“Nothing we couldn’t handle,” Gambit replied. “One of their crew’s dead, but he wasn’t anyone I know, and Rock’s sittin’ next to me. I’d put him on to say hello, but he’s a bit tied up at the moment.”

“Diablo’s gonna have a hell of a bruise tomorrow,” Fletcher said down comms. “Bet his vest’s fucked ? —”

Diablo hauled himself up to a sitting position, his hands going to his chest, rasping, “Fuck me.”

“That vest saved your life, brother,” I lectured. “Next time you whine about wearing one, I’ll remind you of this moment.”

“Need the john,” he croaked, still short of breath from being winded so badly. “Think I might have shit myself a little.”

I snorted. “That’s what the stink is.”

“Just a turtle's head,” he panted. “Skidmark at most.”

“For fuck’s sake,” Gambit complained through comms. “How the fuck do you ever get laid?”

“Giant schlong,” Diablo shared.

Shaking my head at the idiot, I turned back to peer through the trees, trying to catch sight of Ace, muttering, “It’s no Coke can.”

Diablo scrambled up to join me. “Huh?”

I grinned to myself.

A piercing whistle went up, and my lip curled as Ace’s voice shouted, “Hendrix! You’re wasting time. You gotta get back to the hotel. Time is of the essence.”

“You would say that,” I shouted back. “You’re backed into a corner with nowhere to go, and your boys are outta commission. Seems the best place for me to be right now is right the fuck where I am.”

A brief pause followed, and then he called, “You sure about that, Jamie ?”

I caught my breath as a sick feeling weaved through my gut.

Jamie?

“Why does that prick always gotta speak in fucking tongues?” Diablo asked quietly. “He did it when he was VP, too. It’s irritating as fuck.”

“Superiority complex,” Fletcher murmured through our earpieces. “Likes to think he’s smarter than everyone else. It’s a narcissistic trait.”

“Why did you lure us here?” I called out.

“Who said I wanted you here?” he replied before barking a laugh. “Maybe someone else did, and I just came along for the ride. You know how I love seeing shit play out.”

Diablo’s face scrunched up. “Huh?”

“Time’s a ticking, Jamie ,” Ace reiterated.

The sick feeling intensified, and my heart began to thud hard as the meaning behind Ace’s words dawned on me. “It’s a decoy. We need to get back. Anna’s in danger.”

A chorus of “fucks” came through comms.

“On my way,” Trick assured us. “Hang tight, I’ll come to pick you up.”

As he spoke, I caught the loud growl of an engine revving. Turning toward the direction of the deafening rumble, my head reared back as I watched Ace’s Explorer come hurtling over the knoll, heading toward the river.

“Jesus Christ,” Diablo breathed. “That fucker’s gone Fast and Furious on us.”

The car screeched to a halt on the edge of the tree line, and a door flew open to reveal Trick at the wheel, yelling, “Come on!”

Gunfire erupted, and a bullet pierced the windshield of the car.

Trick twisted in his seat, lifted his feet up, and booted the glass. It took three swift kicks to dislodge the entire windshield, leaving a huge gap. “Move it,” he bellowed.

“We’ll hold ‘em off,” Gambit assured me through comms. “Run.”

Diablo and I glanced at each other before turning our heads toward the vehicle Trick waited in.

“Go. Go. Go,” Fletch shouted, and we took off like our asses were on fire.

Bullets peppered around our feet, kicking up the dirt as we ran. My heart was in my mouth, my adrenaline pumping along with my arms, trying to gather some speed and avoid getting my brains blown out of my skull.

Suddenly, Diablo veered off.

“What the fuck, D?” I yelled at his back.

“Need to chop a cock off,” he shouted over his shoulder.

I pumped my arms faster, breathing a relieved sigh as I approached the car where the passenger door still hung open, and dived inside.

“Go get that stupid bastard!” I yelled at Trick.

The tires spun for a second before the Explorer lurched forward. Pings sounded as bullets glanced off metal. I reached into my cut, pulled out my Glock, and aimed in the direction Ace had run. More bullets sprayed the car, but Trick kept driving toward Diablo, who by then was on his knees on the ground with his knife in hand.

“We haven’t got goddamned time for this,” I said under my breath as we neared my SAA. “Hurry the fuck up,” I yelled through the hole where the windshield used to be.

“Need a souvenir,” Diablo barked at me as Trick brought the car to a screeching halt.

“Get your ass in this car, soldier,” I screamed. “That’s a fuckin order.”

“Spotted one hiding in the bushes,” Gambit muttered down comms just as a single gunshot cracked through the air, and Gambit crowed , “Got the wanker.”

Diablo’s hand came up and slashed down. A blood-curdling scream went up as Diablo let out a triumphant cry before holding up a bloody ear. “Not a cock, but it’ll do,” he yelled, scrambling to his feet but keeping low as he hustled to the car.

“You’re a fuckin’ liability,” I yelled at him, holding onto the handle above the door as Trick sped up the grass slope. “The SAA’s meant to keep the club safe, not run around chopping cocks off.”

“That’s why I settled for Smoke’s ear,” he retorted. “It saved time trying to get his britches off, and it’ll teach that fucker a lesson for shooting me in the chest.”

“You were wearin’ a vest!” I snapped.

Diablo leaned forward, his eyes narrowing. “He didn’t know that.” His face twisted angrily. “You mark my words. I’ll get that fucker’s needle dick one day.”

“Why you gotta be such a serial killery asshole?” I bellowed.

The fucker held Smoke’s severed, bloody ear up to the side of his face. “What was that? Didn’t quite catch what you said, Prez. Got a sore ear.”

Trick barked a laugh.

I tipped my head back and muttered to myself, “God, give me strength.”

“Two vehicles approaching from the north, both Explorers,” Gambit’s voice informed us. “Reckon Ace called for reinforcements. The time’s ripe to get the fuck out of here.”

“We’re swapping cars,” Trick told me as he raced down the road. “Knew they’d be shooting at us, so I hotwired theirs to get shot up instead of ours. Plus, we can hardly take a thirty-minute drive back to the hotel in a car full of bullet holes and no windshield.” He suddenly jerked the steering wheel right and stopped at a clearing where our GMC waited.

“Good thinkin’, brother.” I threw the door open, jumped out, and raced to our vehicle, getting into the passenger side with Diablo at my back. I pulled my phone out of my pocket as Trick jumped in the driver’s seat and slammed his door closed. “Seat belts on, motherfuckers. Safety first. We gotta swing out to get Gambit and Fletch, then it’s home sweet home.”

“Pedal to the metal, brother,” I ordered. “Something’s going down at the hotel. I think it’s gotta do with Anna.” I held my phone up. “Gonna call Blade now.” As I said the words, my cell began ringing in my hand. I stabbed the accept call icon and Colt’s voice immediately came through the speakers.

“Prez, we gotta problem.”

Something heavy settled inside my gut, and I rubbed at the sudden acid burn inside my chest.

Please, Jesus, not Anna.

Diablo leaned forward from the back seat. “What is it?” he barked.

Colt heaved in an audible breath as if trying to brace himself. “Prez. Blade told me to call. Get home now. We gotta big problem. Anna’s disappeared.” He pulled in another breath before murmuring, “We think somebody snatched her.”