Page 27 of Liberator (Serpent Sinners MC #2)
Chapter 27
Prime
The roar of bikes and the screeching of tires brought me out of my office at a run. There was shouting and scrambling as the crowd in the bar frantically shifted to let Sweet have an open path. Terrified women clung to their men or hid beneath tables. Security guards pulled their weapons while searching for the source of the attack.
No guns were blazing. No enemy barged in. Yet, chaos surrounded me. Two prospects barreled in after Sweet. Their eyes were wide with terror. They were covered with blood and smelled strongly of smoke and sweat.
“DOC!” Sweet roared. “Doc! Help! Hurry!”
I pushed my way through the crowd and into the empty circle they’d provided for Sweet. In his large arms he carried a man, another prospect, Ike. The man was bleeding heavily although there was a shirt tied around the wound to put pressure on it.
Fear and anger mixed with my shock. One of my prospects was bleeding out and I had no idea why. I had to rein in my emotions and find a way to deal with a situation that was out of control.
“Clear the bar!” I shouted.
Flame, Rod, and Stretch began to take what was left of the patrons out the front door. All three appeared to be just as confused as I was.
“How bad is it?” I asked as I stroked Ike’s lolling head. My touch brought him around enough for him to feel pain. He screamed in my face, and I paled. I hadn’t meant to cause him agony.
“DOC!” Sweet yelled again. He wasn’t listening to me at all. He had a one-track mind. His only goal was to find Doc.
“What the hell?” Doc called out as he came from outside. “What the fuck is going on? Can’t a man go on a damn ride without everybody freaking the hell out?”
“It’s Ike, Doc. You have to save him. Can you? Please!” one of the other prospects babbled in a panic.
Doc took one look at Ike and his face turned to stone. “Take him to the back. I’ll do my damnedest, but I can’t promise anything.”
Sweet put him on the table in the infirmary but didn’t back off.
“You have to let him go, Sweet. You’re in Doc’s way. Move!” I ordered.
“HOLD HIM DOWN!” Doc demanded of the shaking, overwhelmed prospects who’d followed us.
I assumed he needed Ike to remain motionless while he dug out the bullet to keep from causing more damage. I stepped up to help, but Doc shoved me away.
“You’ve got other business. These boys need to see the consequences of their actions. Find out why I’ve got a young man bleeding to death on my table,” he commanded.
He was right. Sweet needed to explain things to me.
“Where the fuck have you been? What did you get these boys into? What were you thinking?” I demanded of Sweet.
“It wasn’t me, boss. I was dumb enough to go along with it, but it wasn’t my idea. He was already sneaking out with just the prospects when I discovered him,” Sweet answered.
I asked the question even though I had guessed the answer, “Who?”
“Rage. He couldn’t stand the idea of Vikki being tortured or killed. I understood that because of Jemma. I had to help. She was paying back a debt I was partially responsible for. Jackson was mine. I couldn’t allow him to face the fucking cartel with just prospects,” Sweet declared. “Is he going to live, boss? Did I get Ike killed?”
“I don’t know. He’s lost a lot of blood. Explain what you did. Where’s Rage?” I asked.
I had to give Sweet something to focus on. The big man was near tears and as white as a sheet. He was taking the full blame when it had been Rage who’d obviously ordered the prospects to defy my orders.
“He’s still there. He refused to leave without Vikki. Everything went to hell.”
“Explain,” I reminded him.
“He got the address from Zoe’s phone. It’s a compound outside town. It’s fenced and guarded. We slipped under the fence and searched as many buildings as we could. Then, we found a dormitory. We took out the guards, but someone in the towers saw Rage and started shooting. We killed a few men and managed to get inside. There were guards there too. Women and kids hid under beds and behind furniture. We didn’t find Vikki. The building was burning. We were outnumbered even though we shot a dozen or more. They just kept appearing out of nowhere. I said we should retreat, but Rage wouldn’t go. Ike got shot. His scream made me lose focus. I’m sorry, boss. I left Rage behind,” Sweet admitted.
“There were mistakes all around. We all carry some of the guilt. I have to fix this. You understand that don’t you? I need you to calm down and focus because I’m about to leave you in charge of everything here. Stay with Ike. Make sure he lives. If it would help to have Jemma here then call her,” I ordered.
I watched as he gathered his wits and shook off the panic. He nodded his understanding and shifted into his guardian pose. He recited the address to me before giving his new wife a call.
He shuddered but otherwise gave no sign of his emotions when Doc came to us with Ike’s blood still on his hands and shirt to say, “The bullet nicked an artery. I got it out and repaired what I could, but he lost more blood than I’d like. He should be in a hospital. I won’t argue about the fact that he can’t be because too many questions can’t be answered. So, I’m going to rig a blood transfer like I did in the military. I’ve called in Specs to be the donor. They share the same blood type according to our records. He should be here any second.”
“Thanks Doc. You’re doing great. I’m leaving to get this mess finished and retrieve Rage, so Sweet’s in charge for now. Check with him if you need approval for anything,” I answered.
It took less than fifteen minutes to rally the crew and have them armed. After looking around at them I felt unsettled and scared, which was a terrible way for the man they looked up to for guidance to feel. I asked them to wait for just a moment and went to my office to gain some perspective and stop second guessing myself.
I plopped into my chair and put my head in my hands. There were decisions to make that I didn’t want to screw up. Out loud to the empty room I said, “I need help.”
The answer came to me abruptly. Once I’d spoken the words an idea had solidly formed in my brain, and I instantly knew it was the correct one.
I grabbed for my phone and called Zoe. She picked up quickly, as if she’d been waiting for my call.
“Prime! It moved. The phone moved! It did not go far, but it definitely is not in the same building it was in before. I was just about to call you,” she declared in a rush.
“It’s not Vikki. She doesn’t have the phone,” I stated before she jumped to conclusions.
“How do you know?” she asked defiantly.
“Because Rage was a dumb ass. He took some prospects and Sweet to the address your tracker showed. She wasn’t there, but my men got into a shoot out with Aguilar’s minions. I’ve got one barely clinging to life and Rage is AWOL. I have to assume they’ve got him. I’m done with this shit. They’ve got two of my people now, and I’ve come too close to breaking a fucking promise. I can’t live with that, so I’m going in after them. Your father can kiss my ass.”
“He is more likely to tear it off along with some other body parts. You will screw up the relationship you have with him if you do this shit. He is not happy with you as it is. Do you really want to sever the ties that bind you to him? That is a dangerous move, Prime. I think you should reconsider. I want your people safe, too. But two people are nothing compared to the entire club and the others you protect. You do not want the mafia for enemies,” she consoled me.
“There are a lot of things I don’t want, but my wants don’t count for shit. What I need is help, the mafia’s help. I need you to go against your father and send me some men. From the sound of it the compound I need to raid is overrun with Aguilar’s men. I don’t have a chance in hell without backup, and I’d have to split my men because someone needs to find Vikki,” I explained.
“You do not ask for much, do you?” she sarcastically replied. “What makes you think our men will follow my orders? Father can have me killed just like anyone else that betrays him, and the men know they would face things worse than death.”
“Don’t give me that shit. You’ve got your damn daddy wrapped around your finger and we both know it. He may truly think he controls you and that you aren’t important to him, but he’s delusional. You have steel for a spine. I bet half the mafia is scared of you,” I argued.
“Some of that may be true, but I will never admit to it. Here is the deal I will offer. I will send some men to aid you, but it must be kept on the down low as your people say. Father can never learn I had anything to do with it. The men I will send are loyal to me. They worship the ground I walk on. It is them who I have wrapped around my finger. But I must have your promise to keep them alive.”
The way she said it sent a prickle over my skin. I didn’t like the thoughts that entered my mind.
Without thinking about the fact that it was none of my business, I asked, “Exactly what did you do to get them wrapped around your finger so tightly that they’d obey you and hide it from your father?”
“I like men. Enjoying them relaxes me. Many of them have found me to be a tasty morsel without taking what my father prizes so highly. There are ways to keep that intact and still be fulfilled. I am not a child, and I have needs and desires that Father would prefer to think are nonexistent. So, my exploits remain a secret and he gets to use my technical virginity as a bartering tool,” she admitted.
The prickle became an all-out shiver. My skin felt too tight on my body, and my head hurt. My hands fisted and I bit down on my lip to keep from saying the things that spun inside my brain. Zoe wasn’t my daughter or my sister. I had no right to reprimand her for her careless behavior. I also wasn’t a snitch. I’d keep her secret.
The sudden tension passed, and I finally said, “I agree to your terms. I need this alliance and don’t want Petrov as an enemy. How do we find out where Vikki is?”
“My men are very persuasive. I will send some to the spot where I dropped her off in the beginning. The snotty little prick I sold her to will tell them anything they wish to know when a knife is held to his tiny cock. I truly wish I could be there to see it, perhaps wield the knife myself. Where do I send the rest?” she asked.
“There’s a grove of trees about a half mile from the compound. It acted as an excellent place for Rage to leave the bikes and the van, so we can all use it, too. I’ll give you an hour to gather your loyal groupies and meet them there. Have them ready for a small war,” I replied.
The mood among my men was a grim one. No one expected to find Rage alive. We all believed he’d sacrificed his life while trying to rescue Vikki. And we all doubted it had been worth it because she was probably already buried or floating in a body of water somewhere. We’d let her down. I’d broken my promise. I had Zoe searching for her, yet I didn’t believe she’d be found.
Three Hummers with armored plating waited for us at the meeting spot. Each held six men, making a total of eighteen. The guns strapped to them weren’t ordinary ones. They were military issue machine guns. They also carried grenades and knives that would easily slice through a tree trunk.
I reminded them, “There are innocents inside. I don’t want them harmed, so be careful with those guns.”
They nodded as a unit and their leader said, “Zoe has given the orders. We are to obey you unless what you say compromises your life or that of your men. The innocents are to be protected at any cost.”
“I assume she told you not to get killed so that Petrov never has to learn about this little mission,” I stated.
“That was an unspoken order that did not need to be clarified,” he answered with a grin.
“I don’t think there’s any sense in trying to sneak up on the compound. I’m sure they’re aware that I’ll come for my man, so they’re ready for us. Will your Hummers get us through the gates unharmed?” I asked.
His grin widened and he pointed to the top of the vehicles. Small, Russian, rocket launchers sat atop each one.
“I do not believe anyone will be left to challenge our entry. We will clear a path without a problem,” he told me.
“Let’s get it done, then,” I declared.
The Sinners rode inside the Hummers with the drivers. The mafia men clung to the sides or kneeled on top. The sound the vehicles made as they approached the compound pulled all the guards to the main gates. A rocket was launched long before we came into range for their defensive weapons. A second followed to clear a wider path and make certain none of us were hit by any stray bullets. Anyone left to rush the vehicles were taken down with the machine guns. It wasn’t a fair fight, and I didn’t really give a damn.
The few who’d held back to guard the rest of the compound were easily picked off by my men as we leaped from the Hummers and busted into buildings. We shot indiscriminately, not worrying about whether the man was running away or shooting at us. The fewer men Aguilar had left once we were done, the better off we’d all be.
The innocents we found inside scattered before we could let them know we weren’t the enemy. I didn’t blame them. Rockets and machine guns were signs of war, and they had every right to be scared. Some of them probably didn’t even understand English, so we wouldn’t have had much luck at explaining anyway. I had wanted to help them, but at least they were free.
Smoke and dirt floated in the air making it difficult to see. So, we blindly spread out to search for Rage. Every building was taken apart and searched without luck. No closet or small room was missed. I had almost given up when we discovered a steel door behind what had appeared to be a bookcase in the main office. The bookcase had been left slightly out of place, revealing its secret.
The door led to a basement that smelled of human sweat, blood, and chemicals. The floor was wet, and the space was pitch black except where a spotlight showcased Rage.
His head hung with his chin on his chest. His toes were limp against the wet floor and his ankles were tied together. Rage’s arms were over his head, hanging from chains in the ceiling. One was twisted in an unnatural manner where his shoulder had been dislocated. He was barely recognizable due to the swelling and bruising on his face. Tiny, bleeding cuts and several circular burns covered his body from the torture he’d endured. I wasn’t certain he was alive until his entire body twitched to show that even unconscious he was in agony.
“Fuck it! Help me get him down!” I screamed.
He screamed as we lowered him, taking the pressure off his arms and sending his nerves into spasms as they awoke.