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17

SEVEN

“ S he’s in,” Shephard’s voice crackled through the SUV’s speakers. “Just past security.”

“Good.” He was back at the clubhouse, watching the security feeds he’d tapped into the night before, and he could see her every move. “Any issues?”

“Not that I can see. They just got on the elevator.”

I exhaled slowly, rolling my shoulders. “How does she look?”

“She’s steady.” A pause. “Focused.”

That was Tallie. She had a fire in her. It burned low and steady—a quiet determination that even her father couldn’t smother. But I knew her well enough to know that her nerves were right there on the surface, reminding her that things could take a turn at any second.

“They just made it to the office. He’s taking the tape off now.”

“Anyone else on the floor?”

“Just a security guard and some guy working in a corner office.”

I stared up at the row of windows that stretched across the second floor. One of them belonged to Tallie’s father, and at that moment, she was up there with Detective Joyner, searching for the code. I knew he was a cop and should’ve been more than capable of keeping her safe, but I hated that I couldn’t be with her.

Grim sat next to me in the passenger seat, and he was drumming his fingers against his thigh in a slow, steady rhythm. Like typical Grim, he was solid and unshaken. He wasn't much for talking, but he didn't need to be. He was there to step in if things went sideways.

“Tallie just went in. Joyner is standing at the door watching.”

“Can you see what she’s doing?”

“No actual cameras in the office. Client privilege and all that.”

“Damn.” I clenched my jaw. “I don’t like this.”

“She’s good. No one on the floor is moving.”

Another long, agonizing pause.

“Hey!” There was no missing the excitement in Shep’s voice when he announced, “She just got the drive put in.”

“That’s great. You gonna be able to access the computer now?”

“Should be. I’ll check as soon as she gets out of there.”

The streets were starting to get busy with morning traffic, and it had me on edge. It was a reminder of how little control I had over how this all played out. While I was pleased that she’d gotten the drive put in, I was ready for this thing to be done.

A few more minutes passed, and then Shep announced, “Alright, they’re headed for the door.”

“She got anything with her?”

“Not that I can tell. Just got on the elevator.”

I held my breath until I heard him say, “Okay. They’re out and coming your way.”

“Good deal. Appreciate your help, brother.”

“That’s what I’m here for. I’ll see you when you get back to the clubhouse.”

“Sure thing.”

My attention was all on Tallie as I ended the call. I watched her walk over to her car and open the door. Even from across the lot, I could see the tension in her shoulders. The weight of the day had taken its toll. She wasn’t used to this kind of shit—sneaking around and searching for codes like she was one of us.

But she’d done it, and she’d done it well.

She started her car, and Detective Joyner followed as she started out of the parking lot. I quickly pulled out behind them. I was no longer worried about being seen, so I stayed pretty close. Tallie weaved through the traffic like she had somewhere to be. I had no problem keeping up until a fucking semi pulled out in front of me, blocking my view.

In a blink, the streets seemed to implode, and cars were clogging up every damn lane. A red light caught me, and Tallie and the detective slipped through.

“Shit,” I muttered, gripping the wheel.

I grabbed my phone and dialed her number, but after one ring, it went straight to voicemail. By the time I made it through the next break in traffic, she was gone. I checked every lane, but there was no sign of her or Detective Joyner.

I dialed her number again, and when her voicemail came on, I spat, “I’ve lost you. I got hung up at the light. Call me back.”

I waited a minute, then sent her a text.

When I didn’t get an answer, I tried again. This time, I was a little harsher. “ Tallie. What the hell? Answer your goddamn phone.”

I ended the call and was about to try again when Grim asked, “You told her to head to your place after, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Then, she’s probably headed there.”

“You’d think, but why won’t she answer the fucking phone?”

“It’s probably on silent or ran out of juice.”

“I don’t know, man. I knew this wasn’t a good idea.” I grabbed my phone and dialed Ghost’s number. As soon as he answered, I told him, “I lost Tallie in traffic. She’s supposed to be headed there, but I’m not sure. Call me if she shows.”

“Alright. I’ll keep an eye out.”

“Appreciate it, brother.”

I continued towards the house, but something didn’t feel right. Grim must have had the same feeling because his expression turned tense, and he said, “If you’re that worried about it, call Shep and have him ping her phone.”

“Good idea.”

I immediately called Shep and started filling him in on the situation. I tried to keep my voice steady, but the panic was creeping in. “I lost her in traffic, and now she’s not answering her damn phone. Need you to do your thing and find her.”

“Gimme a second.”

I could hear his fingers tapping on the keys, but I had no idea what he was doing, and I didn’t care. I just needed him to find her. “Come on, Shep. Tell me you got something.”

“I’m gettin’ there. Just hang on a second.”

Grim didn’t say a word. He knew I was two seconds away from losing my mind, so he just sat there and waited for Shep to announce, “I got her.”

“Thank Christ. Where the hell is she?”

“She’s over on Cooper Lane at her parents’ place.”

I didn’t even respond.

I just ended the call and pressed my foot on the accelerator.

Traffic blurred past as I raced across town. I had no idea why she’d decided to go against me and go over there alone. I knew there had to be a reason. I pushed the thought away. It didn’t matter why. The only thing that mattered was that she was there, and no one was looking out for her.

And I had a bad fucking feeling about it.

Grim shifted beside me. “Need to slow down, brother.”

I didn’t.

We got to the house in under ten minutes. Tallie’s car was parked out front, and Detective Joyner was parked right next to her. They should’ve been inside, but the house seemed eerily empty. And to make matters worse, the front door was wide open.

Wide open.

I’d barely put the SUV into park before I was out and rushing up the steps. When I reached the door, I stuck my head inside and shouted, “Tallie!”

No answer.

My pulse quickened as I stepped inside and shouted again, “Tallie!”

When she still didn’t answer, Grim leaned in and whispered, “Something feels off.”

I nodded, then drew my weapon and started inside. Grim was right behind me as I headed into the living room. We both stopped cold when we spotted Joyner sprawled out in the middle of the floor with blood pooling around him. “Ah, damn.”

I scanned the room, searching for something that might give me some hope. “Where the hell is Tallie?”

There was no sign of her.

The room spun.

My hands shook.

Rage and fear boiled up inside me so fast I couldn’t think straight.

“Tallie!” My voice cracked, raw and broken.

Again, no one answered.

I fucked up. I knew something was off the second I lost her in traffic. I should’ve tracked her down right then and there. Hell, I should’ve listened to my gut and never let her go. I’d just gotten her back, and now, I’d let her slip through my fingers again. I had no idea where she was or how to find her. I didn’t know if she was hurt or in danger, and it was fucking killing me. My chest was so tight I could barely take a breath, much less think.

I couldn’t lose her.

Not like this.

Grim put his hand on my shoulder and tried to sound reassuring as he told me, “We need to check the rest of the house.”

I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat as I followed Grim through the house. We cleared the kitchen first. We saw nothing out of the ordinary—just a few dirty dishes and an old newspaper that had been left on the counter. The hallway was empty, and the bedrooms seemed to be untouched.

But when we reached the office, Grim stopped short. “Window’s cracked.”

I stepped inside for a better look and could see that the side window was slightly open, barely enough to stick a hand through. Something about it didn’t sit right, so I walked over and opened it wider. I stuck my head out, but I didn’t see anything out of the norm.

“Dammit.”

Grim didn’t say a word.

He just stood there watching as I let out a frustrated breath. My gut was screaming at me to move. I needed to do something, but I didn’t know where to start.

“We gotta find her.”

“We will. You can count on it.”

Grim hadn’t stopped searching. Even as he stood there next to me, his eyes were scanning every inch of this fucking place. We moved out of the office into the rest of the house. Grim was like a bloodhound, so I wasn’t surprised when he mumbled, “What the hell is that?”

He walked over to the detective and knelt beside him as he reached into his hand and pried something from the dead detective’s fingers. I stepped closer and saw that it was a crumpled piece of paper. It was stained with blood, which made it difficult to read. “What does it say?”

Grim smoothed it out, and his eyes narrowed as he read. He looked up at me with a cold expression as he replied, “Send the brother.”

My stomach dropped.

I’d known all along that Rooks had a part to play in all this, and now, it was confirmed. A new kind of rage burned through me, hot and consuming. “ I’m. Going. To. Fucking. Kill. Him .”

“Gotta make sure you get that chance.” Grim clenched his jaw and crumpled the note in his fist. “We need to get the hell out of here. Cops’ll be swarming this place soon.”

He was right.

I forced myself to take a breath, to push past the fury clawing at my chest. If we got caught here, we’d be no help to Tallie. I motioned my head towards the detective’s body as I asked, “What about him?”

“He’s not our problem.”

“What about Tallie’s car?”

“They know she was with him.”

“But…”

“They’ll think she had something to do with it.”

“Okay, fine. Let’s get the fuck out of here.”

Grim and I rushed out of the house, and my thoughts raced as we jumped into the SUV. The moment the doors slammed shut, I threw it into drive and peeled out of the driveway. Grim reached out and gripped the front dash, holding on as he said, “We need to bring the brother in.”

“Already on it.” I grabbed my phone and hit Ghost’s number. After a couple of rings, he came across the speaker, “She never showed.”

“Yeah, I know. I need you to get over to the safe house and get Rooks. Bring him to the clubhouse.”

Ghost was quiet for a second. “Something going on?”

“Just do it.”

“What about the mother?”

“Just need Rooks.”

“You got it, brother.”

The call ended, and I shoved my phone onto the console. I continued towards the clubhouse, and it wasn’t long before Grim asked, “How far you willing to take this?”

“As far as I need to.” My grip tightened on the wheel. “I’m done playing games. Rooks either tells me what the fuck is going on, or he spends some quality time with you in the playroom. Hell, I might even join in on the fun.”

“Whatever you need to do.”

Grim leaned back in his seat and tapped his fingers against his thigh. “I gotta say, I kind of hope the motherfucker plays dumb, so I can have a go with him.”

“Knowing Rooks, you’ll get your chance.”

I felt like the weight of the world was crashing down on me as Grim and I stepped into the clubhouse. We’d had a plan. It was clear and concise, and we thought we’d worked through all the possible missteps. We were wrong.

Never once had we considered the possibility that Tallie would go to the house without telling us. I knew her well enough to know that she wouldn’t have pulled a stunt like that without a good reason. I just had no idea what that reason could be, and it pissed me the hell off. It was my job to keep her safe, and I’d failed.

And now, Tallie was out there somewhere, with people who clearly knew how to play this game better than we did. That was enough to have us all on edge.

Prez’s expression was hard as stone as he waited for Grim and I to make our way over to the bar. “What the fuck happened?”

Memphis and Goose were standing there with him, and they listened as Grim and I filled Prez in on everything that had gone down, including finding Detective Joyner dead and the note that was left in his hand. Goose shook his head as he grumbled, “I knew that asshole was up to no good.”

“Yeah, you and me both.”

“I put a call in to Cotton,” Prez announced. “He’ll get back to me when he finds something.”

Cotton had been the president of the Washington chapter for as long as I could remember, but he’d stepped down a few months back and had taken on a much more powerful role. He’d taken over a kind of distribution role that put him in contact with some of the most powerful men on the planet, and their power hadn’t come from politics or old money. These guys were heavy into the mafia and cartel, and everything in between.

If anyone knew something about the Volkovs, it would be him.

I gave Prez a nod. “Appreciate it.”

My patience was running razor-thin when the clubhouse doors swung open, and Ghost walked in with Rooks. Rooks followed behind him, his jaw tight and his eyes narrowed with anger, and when they reached us, Rooks snarled, “What the hell is this about?”

I didn’t even think.

I charged at him.

My fist connected with his jaw, forcing his head to the side. He recovered fast, and unlike the time before, he swung back, catching me in the ribs. Pain flared, but I didn’t let it slow me down. I rammed my shoulder into his chest and tackled him. We both crashed to the floor and immediately rolled. Fists flew, and we both landed some solid hits.

I barely felt a thing.

My body was running on pure adrenaline.

I caught him under the jaw and dazed him. I used the opportunity to pin him down with my knee digging into his chest. I grabbed the front of his shirt and yanked him closer as I roared, “They took Tallie, you piece of shit!”

Rooks froze beneath me. His eyes locked onto mine, and the whole damn clubhouse was silent. And for the first time since this nightmare started, I saw something flicker in his expression.

Something like fear—not for himself, but for Tallie.

Fuck. This was even worse than I thought.