Page 12

ELEVEN

Rio

“Church!” I holler the next morning when I walk from the kitchen into the common room. Issy is helping clean up the dining area after breakfast, but with the information that Miguel provided last night, I want to get it in front of the brothers while the details are still fresh in my mind so we can see what we can figure out when it comes to tracking Mike down.

As the brothers make their way into the room we use for our meetings, I go over everything in my head that I know so far. “What’s up, Prez?” BamBam asks as he takes his place at the table.

“Got some information last night from Lopez’s cousin, the guy that Issy dated for a short time.” I won’t share what he told me with regard to his personal life because that doesn’t pertain to the situation at hand, and as far as I’m concerned, what he does in his bedroom is his business and nobody else's.

Pokey opens his laptop and I smirk when I see his fingers hovering the keyboard, ready to let them fly as he starts to look into the things Miguel told me. I know he’s frustrated as fuck that we haven’t found Mike or our truck and trailer. He’s taking it personally because he’s never been thwarted before.

“Apparently, the Devils have properties that are off the beaten path which is why you’ve had a hard time finding them,” I tell Pokey. “Not to tell you what to do, but maybe we need to check to see if any of these fuckers have family that have properties listed in their name.”

“Didn’t do that search, Prez, I’m sorry,” Pokey states. “Clubs usually keep things in their names so that nobody else can claim them and rip the rug out from underneath their feet. But I have that info in hand so let me get those searches running now.”

Abyss looks at me and asks, “Did you see if maybe Gage knows anything else? Perhaps he’s been to one of these hidey holes.”

Snapping my fingers, I reply, “Good idea. Let’s go see what our captive has to share. Remember, we’re not telling him that Issy and the horses are home. And another thing, Chick? I need you to order a property cut for her.”

“I’m on it, Prez,” Chick replies, smirking at me. “Shouldn’t take too long, either, because I’ve had one on hold for quite some time.”

Chuckles reverberate around the room while I shake my head. “Of course, you did.”

“It’s been a foregone conclusion for quite some time that you’d be officially claiming her,” Abyss points out. “Now, let’s go see Gage.”

BamBam and Gopher, as my Enforcer and SAA, take the lead when we walk into the room where Gage is being held. “Where did Mike go?” BamBam bellows.

Even knowing the brother, I wouldn’t want to face him in a dark alley. When he’s in a calm state, he’s still intimidating, but if his family is being fucked with, he turns downright fearsome in his mannerisms. Right now, his arms are crossed over his chest, which has his muscles bulging. Add in the glower on his face and it’s almost amusing to see Gage’s flinched reaction.

“I-I-I’m not sure. I th-th-thought he was going to head back to his clubhouse,” Gage stammers.

“He’s not there,” Gopher states, poised in the same stance as BamBam.

Gage turns his face to the ceiling, and I watch his fingers as he appears to count off possible places Mike could be right now. “I’m assuming Pokey has already checked into the known properties the Devils own,” Gage muses, looking at me. At my nod, he continues. “There’s one possibility, but it’s off the beaten path and I don’t think anyone’s aware that there’s a fishing cabin there. I’ve been there with him a few times, so maybe he’s there?”

“Do you know how to get there?” I ask.

He nods and says, “I can show you.”

“Let’s get him some clean clothes and head out. Gopher, you stand guard while he takes a shower because none of us need to be closed in a cage with his rank ass,” I command. Gage looks embarrassed, but it’s the least of his worries because I’m still undecided about what to do with him in the long run.

I mean, I understand about his sister, but the fact that he didn’t come to me so we could come up with a game plan still rankles me a lot. Now, knowing what Mike’s plans were for my woman, I’m leaning more toward putting him down like the dirty dog he is. It’s not what I want to do, but for Issy’s safety, I’ll burn the whole fucking world to the ground and not give that first fuck.

We’re all packing, and I’ve got extra ammo stocked in my go-bag since it’s better to be prepared with plenty of hardware than to get caught with our pants down and empty cartridges. Since Gage indicated this place was not accessible by bike due to the rocky, mountainous terrain and we may need to hike if we rode, we’re in our cages since they’re four-wheel drive and have a better chance at climbing than our rides do. Not preferred by me, but at least the loud noise of our pipes won’t alert him, or anyone else who might be there, that we’re coming.

“Turn right there, Rio,” Gage instructs as he points out a tattered dirt pathway that’s somewhat overgrown.

However, as I make the turn, I notice that the grass is smashed down and I can see tire tracks that look relatively fresh. “Y’all look alive and stay alert,” I call through the mic.

“Ten-four, Prez,” BamBam replies. “Me and Gopher will go in first.”

I want to roll my eyes because the two of them are hyper-aware when it comes to me being on runs. Still, their actions have saved me a time or two, so I try not to complain about the fact that they act like I’m breakable. The only one who doesn’t have a weapon is Gage. He broke my trust when he helped abduct Issy, so there’s no way in hell I’ll give him something that he could turn on one of us.

As soon as the cabin comes into view, we stop and get out of our trucks. BamBam and Gopher assume the lead, motioning to the rest of us where we should go. Gage is by my side as we approach the left side of the cabin. When I spot our truck and the trailer nestled behind a bush pile I internally cheer. I have no idea why the tracking we have on both didn’t ping during Pokey’s search, but it’s possible Mike has something at his disposal that allowed him to disable them.

“I hear something,” Gage whispers, just as a female screams. “It’s my sister!” His eyes are wild as he tries to rush toward the back porch. I manage to keep him from giving us away, but just barely, especially when we hear another heart wrenching scream.

“Three-two-one, go!” BamBam exclaims through the mic, kicking in the front door.

As my brothers take his six, I watch the back door, knowing that Mike is inherently a pussy. He’s not gonna face us head-on, no he’s gonna try to escape so he can continue with his nefarious plans.

Gunshots erupt, sending chills down my spine, but when the back door flies open and Mike comes running out, his gun in hand, calm settles over me. Unfortunately, he has a teenage girl in a tight hold around her bicep as he snarls and mumbles something unintelligible.

I’m about to take him out of the equation when Gage screams, “Cherise!” which causes Mike to turn and aim his gun at me.

Time slows down to a crawl. It’s not the first time I’ve ever been in a position where a gun was pointed at me, and while I’m definitely not a fan, I need to make it back home to my ol’ lady. She’s my reason for being.

I watch as Mike pulls the trigger and wait for the pain that I’m about to face.

Except… Gage jumps in front of me and takes a round in his side. As he falls to the ground, BamBam comes crashing through the back door along with Gopher and while Bam tackles Mike, Gopher grabs the girl and pulls her away from the scene.

With Mike now contained, I drop to my knees next to Gage. There’s blood everywhere and I suspect an artery was hit because he’s beyond pale right now. “Shit, Gage, shit. Why did you do that?” I cry out, pulling off my cut then my T-shirt so I can press it to his gushing wound.

“F-f-for Issy,” he whispers. “Tell her I’m s-s-sorry, Rio. Take care of my sister.”

“You didn’t have to, Gage,” I murmur as I watch his pulse steadily weaken. There’s no way we’ll make it to a hospital in enough time to save him. Hell, if he had been shot while in a hospital, it’s unlikely he would live.

“A-a-a-tonement,” he mutters, his teeth now gritted against the pain he’s undoubtedly feeling.

Despite everything he did that went against the club, and also Issy, my emotions are running high. I can feel silent tears streaking down my face at the loss of a friend who was as close as a brother. He inhales once more then… nothing.