Page 56 of Unhinged

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

ACID

We tear the backlot of the clubhouse apart. High and low. Check every goddamn inch. Even search the strip of woods that kisses up against the fence.

Nothing. No sign of her. Gidge is gone.

My heart pounds so hard it feels like it’s gonna punch straight through my ribs.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," I mutter, shoving a broken pallet out of my way. A useless piece of shit obstacle when what I need to find is her . We need a plan. A goddamn miracle. Some kinda clue. Some hint on where he would've taken her. I’d like to tell myself we need to look at every angle.

That we don’t know for sure.

But we do. We know exactly who it is.

Earl.

Judge and Dillon told us. Told us everything.

The bastard who hurt her years ago—he's back. And he took her.

I clench my fists so tight my knuckles crack. I'll rip him apart. Tear him limb from fucking limb. Paint the ground with what's left of him.

“Back to the clubhouse!” Gears shouts, voice cutting through the night air. “We need a fucking clue or lead.”

I need to find her .

Gears is right. Can’t find shit when you’re running around like a chicken with its head cut off.

“I can help with that,” Franko says, stepping forward, a little breathless. “I think.”

We all turn to him.

"I had information for you. That’s why Brydge called me here. That—and 'cause she always loved a dramatic flair," Franko adds, with a small, humorless smile.

“We’ve noticed," Gears grumbles under his breath.

"Brydge ending our meeting wasn't wise," Franko continues, "but I also didn’t think Earl would be so ballsy as to snatch her at a party loaded with MC brothers.”

"How do you know who took her?" I snap, stepping closer. The alpha in me doesn't trust him.

“And what, you were just gonna wait for the right moment while we were flipping this place upside down?” I add, teeth gritted.

Franko shakes his head. “I tried. Right after the music stopped—I was trying to get your attention, but it was chaos. Everyone was shouting, moving, panicking. Then Judge dropped Earl’s name, and you all scattered.

” He shrugs one shoulder, tight. “I figured you'd want to hear it without twenty people breathing down our necks.”

Gears doesn’t back off. “So you let us waste time while you stood there holding secrets?”

“I didn’t realize how bad it really was until your sister said it—until it hit me that she was actually gone, ” Franko snaps, then reins it back in. “I thought maybe she stormed off. But once I knew for sure, I tried. I did. And I got something. Something important.”

“Spit it out then,” Gears barks.

"In private," Franko says, glancing around. "I don’t trust anyone here but you three."

Fine. I jerk my chin toward Gears’ office. We head inside, slamming the door shut behind us.

“Talk,” Gears growls, arms folded across his chest.

Franko nods. “It’s Earl. No question.”

"How the fuck do you know that?" I demand.

Franko hesitates. Then he says, real quiet like he’s about to confess to murder, "Because Earl and The Father are the same person."

The room goes still. So still I swear I can hear the blood screaming in my ears.

"No fucking way," I say, shaking my head. "He was her foster parent. Not a goddamn drug kingpin."

Franko shrugs, way too casual for what he just dropped on us. "He was a middle-class working man. Tina too. But they got mixed up with a guy named Phil Lango. Built a business together. Then Phil mysteriously dies, and Earl takes over. Wasn’t long after Brydge left."

He pauses, looking between us.

"He’s been poking around the underworld for years.

Putting out feelers. Asking about his ‘missing daughter,’" Franko sneers.

"Never asked me directly, but I got friends. Word travels. A buddy of mine down in Mexico, he’s got cartel ties—he told me Earl sent around a photo once.

Brydgett's photo. Asking if anyone had seen her. "

I close my eyes for a second, breathing through the rage. She’s been hiding all this time. Surviving.

"This is good news," Gears says, a wicked smile curling his mouth. "One bullet. Two birds. The Father and Earl are the same prick. He’s been flooding our streets with tar, and he’s the son of a bitch who hurt our omega. We take him out, and we clean house."

"It can’t be that easy," I whisper, staring at the floor. My head's spinning. Gidge’s foster dad... her rapist... and a major drug lord. The world’s too small.

We keep talking, the plan forming fast. The women and kids—we're sending them out. Bettie’s taking Judge with her. No arguments. We’re locking down the clubhouse until this is finished. Franko agrees to stay and help. Arrow suggests calling Nikola.

I nod. Gears nods.

Franko raises an eyebrow. "The head of the Morozov Mafia?"

"One and the same," I tell him, my voice flat.

Franko whistles low. "How the fuck did you get mixed up with him? He’s new blood to these parts."

I smirk, but there’s no humor in it. "Went looking for who was pushing tar in our turf. Ended up in Nikola’s underground fight club. Gidge volunteered to fight. Won her match." I snort. "Then Nikola tried to double-cross us."

Franko’s eyes go wide.

"Gidge pulled a knife on Nikola," Gears explains with a groan, already digging his phone out of his pocket. "Now they’re damn near friends. Got us an alliance out of it."

“That’s the short version," I mutter.

Gears holds the phone to his ear. His whole body’s tight, tense like a bowstring about to snap.

"Nikola," he says when the line picks up. "It’s Gears. You seen Brydgett? Our omega?"

A pause.

"She was taken tonight. By The Father. Turns out he’s her old foster dad. And the piece of shit who raped her."

Another pause.

"Yeah. Keep us in the loop. Thanks."

He hangs up, his mouth a hard line.

"Nikola’s just as surprised as we were. He’s sending some of his men to patrol the streets. I’m sending him a picture of Earl."

"We should do the same," I say, my hands balling into fists again. "Get the brothers out there. Blanket the streets."

"We will," Gears says, voice rough. "But first, I’m sending Bat and Keg to find that Marcus fella." He looks between me and Arrow. "He’s missing too, if you didn’t notice. I want his ass found and questioned."

I nod once.

They won’t get away with this.

Not while I’m still breathing.

I shove through Gears’ office door so hard it slams against the walls. I don’t even care.

We gotta find her. Gotta move. Gotta do something .

I storm down the hall toward the main room, Arrow and Gears right behind me, Franko trailing after like a goddamn shadow. I don’t even realize I'm up on a chair until the whole room’s staring at me. "Listen up!" I yell, my voice cracking at the end like some idiot teenager, but I don't care.

Gidge is missing. Gone.

"As you know, Brydgett's missing," I say, my hands fisting at my sides. "Taken right out of this goddamn party. You all saw her here tonight. You all know who she is. She ain't just any omega. She’s ours ."

Murmurs. Curses under breath. One of the prospects swallows so hard I can hear it.

"And we know who took her," I grind out. "Name’s Earl. Same motherfucker behind the tar creeping into our streets. Same bastard who took Gidge into his home when she was a kid and raped her. Don’t you dare feel bad for her or when she comes back, she’ll gut you herself, and I think we know she’s capable of it. ”

A vicious growl rips through the room. A chain reaction. Rage swelling. Alphas bristlin’. Even the betas look ready to snap teeth.

"He's dirty. He's dangerous. And he’s got a head start. But we ain't letting him get far."

I pause, sweeping my eyes across the crowd. I need them to be steady. Need them sharp.

"You ain't gonna go running wild and blind. We do this smart. Gears and Arrow are running point. Bat and Keg—you’re finding Marcus, that fella who showed up here late as hell. If he knows something, we’ll beat it out of him."

Bat nods, face already dark with fury. Keg cracks his knuckles like he’s looking forward to it.

"The rest of you—fan out. Hit the streets. Gas stations. Motels. Truck stops. Earl’s gonna need somewhere low-key to lay low if he’s smart. You see somethin'—you call it in. You don’t act alone. You call."

I pause, breathing hard. The alpha in me is roaring. Wants to tear something apart. But that won’t get her back.

"You smell anything... you hear anything..." I snarl. "You feel anything off—trust your gut. Gidge is out there waiting for us. Hurting. Scared."

The words taste like acid in my mouth.

I can't fucking stand the thought of her scared.

"And if you find Earl?” I smile slow and mean. "You hold him. You break whatever you gotta break. But you don't kill him."

I look at Gears. He nods.

"That pleasure’s ours."

The room rumbles with approval. The brothers are ready. Hungry for blood.

"Go!" I bark.

They scatter like a controlled explosion. Organized chaos. Exactly what we need. I hop down off the chair, turning to Arrow and Gears.

"Bat and Keg got Marcus. Nikola’s got his boys watching the streets. We got the brothers combing the city. What’s next?"

Gears runs a hand through his hair, looking grim.

"Next," he says, "we figure out where Earl would take her. Somewhere he feels safe. Somewhere she wouldn’t dare scream."

My gut twists. Fury licks up my spine.

I will find her. No matter what it costs.

She’s my omega.

And no one steals from us and fucking lives.