Page 19 of Up in a Blaze (Polished P & P #4)

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

BLAZE

I rubbed at my chest again as I paced behind a fucking shipping container at the port. The ache wouldn’t quit. My heart was going to explode.

Henri had been taken.

Sawyer too.

He was just a kid, and Henri was my damn world.

Sawyer meant something to Henri, so of fucking course he’d go with him. He’d probably jumped into the van right after the kid. Didn’t want Sawyer to deal with anything on his own.

I couldn’t blame him for doing it. I would have done the same. We were both protectors.

But goddamn motherfucking hell, this terror coating my insides was gonna end me. I was gonna lose myself, and the only way to stop that was to have Henri in my arms. To have his scent clogging my senses. To have his words calming me.

But he’d been taken.

And since Sawyer meant something to Henri, he did to me too.

Both had been snatched.

Fuck me.

Fuckin’ hell.

I wanted to spew.

No one knew where they were. They’d lost the goddamn van. How the hell did they lose it?

Crouching, I dropped my head and inhaled deeply through my nose.

Henri’s smiling face flashed through my mind.

Another flash, but worse, and it was of Henri with blood coating him.

“Brother.”

I stood, pulling my upper lip back and snarling over my shoulder. “Fuck off.”

Torch moved into my space anyway. “I know what you’re feelin’.

” Yeah, but when Wrenley got taken, at least he’d been with her.

“You wanna leave, I’ll back you all the fuckin’ way and come with you.

But, like I said, Tech reckons the cunts that took them are headed here. To the boat we’re waitin’ on.”

“Tech’s not certain,” I bit out. I needed him to be sure, because if I stood around wasting time where I could have been looking for Henri, then I’d lose my shit in a worse kind of way.

“Brother, Tech wouldn’t fuck around when Henri’s at stake. He knows Henri means everythin’ to you. Just wait a bit longer. The boat will port in the next few.”

Fuck.

Christ!

Wait. Wait. Wait.

My gaze landed on Quake talking with Loyal, who was glaring at the ground and gripping the top of his head. Maybe he was feeling like I was since Sawyer had been taken and Loyal had a thing for the kid.

I would’ve talked with him, but I couldn’t fucking offer anything when I was a jittery and stressed-out mess myself. Thank fuck, he at least had Quake.

I stared back at Torch. “Henri better be fuckin’ coming this way,” I warned and started pacing again.

“Yo” I heard from down the other end of the container. Country and the other brothers had arrived. Just in time.

Maybe I could slip away, get to a computer, and?—

“Blaze,” Tech called as he approached, waving his iPad around. “The van with the same plate just got pinged on a camera close by. They’ve got to be comin’ here.”

Stopping, I demanded, “You’re certain?”

“Yeah.” He nodded. “I reckon they’re gonna try and get Henri and Sawyer on the boat.”

Country approached. “You cool?”

“You fuckin’ asking that for real?”

His jaw clenched. “I know you ain’t, but I gotta know if you’re gonna run off on your own and ruin this whole fuckin’ thing. All I’m askin’ is for you to try to keep your head on straight. We’ll get these cunts. They’ll pay for even thinkin’ of touchin’ Henri.”

I nodded stiffly before Country walked off again.

Really, I’d try to keep my damn cool. For Henri.

“Any footage from the ship?” Torch asked Tech.

“Just shows masked men gettin’ around on board. No sign of the taken, but there’s a shipping container of interest. One where the men keep disappearing into with water and food.”

“We aim for that container then,” I said.

Tech nodded, gazing down at his iPad. “That’s what Country said. But we’ll have to get through at least three dozen men first.”

“We’ll do it.” Torch grinned.

I ground my teeth together, wishing I had something to punch now. “Are you keeping an eye on the van?”

He showed me his screen. It was split with multiple traffic cameras. “I’ll have them as soon as they’re close. There’s a camera at the front entrance to this docking yard. I’m connected to that too. You’ll be the first to know about their approach.”

“But,” Torch started, “we’re gonna keep in control until we can get Henri and Sawyer away safely.”

Glaring, I snarled, “Like I’d fuckin’ risk their lives.”

“State and Saint are down the front too. They’re questionin’ some people who run this joint.

Obvious there’ve been some payoffs for a boat that size to travel undetected from Australia to here,” Tech said.

He was probably just talking to take my mind off things, but there was nothing stopping me from thinking about Henri and Sawyer stuck in a fucking van with the people who nabbed them off the streets.

What were they doing to them?

It was bad enough they touched them to get them in the van. That action alone signed their death warrants. But would they do something else to them?

“I’d say there were a lot of people paid off to look the other way,” Torch added. I could feel his gaze burning into me. Studying me.

My goddamn insides felt like they were being flayed open. Bile rose, but I swallowed that shit down. I couldn’t crack. I couldn’t let my body get the better of me.

I had to lock it all the fuck down. Henri needed me.

I had to have a clear head and let the anguish burn into fury.

They would fucking pay for touching him.

For touching Sawyer.

My hands itched to start breaking bones. And I wanted every damn finger on their hands snapped. Hopefully I’d have time to do it slowly. I wanted to see the pain in their eyes, hear the fear in their cries.

But if I didn’t have time, I’d make sure they couldn’t breathe the same air as Henri again.

Tech hummed. “Yeah, true. Look at this place. Usually, I’d say it’d be busy with workers, but it’s like everyone’s got the day off.”

“Even if that’s the case,” Torch said, “where’s Murphy’s people at? Why aren’t they here guardin’ the area for their shipment?”

“Maybe they really are here for a quick pickup and won’t even step foot off the boat,” Tech thought aloud. “As long as they’ve paid the employees and harbor control, this is an easy stop for them.”

“Fuckin’ Murphys. People are too scared to go against them.”

Tech snorted. “But we’re not.”

I didn’t give a fuck what they were saying or anything about the Murphys. I wanted Henri here. I wanted the van to pull in so I could start destroying those motherfuckers.

“Saint and State will get answers from the employees at least,” Tech said.

A sharp whistle sounded. We all looked down to the other end of the shipping container. Country waved us their way. Tech quickly looked at his screen and said, “Ship’s docking. We gotta move. It’s pulling in five containers down,” Tech said.

I stretched my neck, cracking the tension.

Torch pulled a knife free and smiled at the ground. He tapped his knuckles against his temple. His switch had been flipped, and he was ready to take lives to protect the unfortunate and the brotherhood around him.

In a lot of ways, I was like Torch, only my switch was always on.

Stealthily, we crept down between the containers. I was behind Tech, Torch at my back. It wasn’t hard to guess that Country or Death had ordered Torch to keep on me. He was the only crazy one who’d go against me like I had him when he lost it.

Christ, Henri had ripped me a new one after I’d fought with Torch.

Henri.

Fuck.

My throat thickened.

Tech suddenly stopped and turned to me, gaze wide.

“What?” I demanded.

“The van just arrived.”

My heart hammered and blood raced.

Country moved close with a phone to his ear.

“Yeah, watch them. Make sure they don’t signal the drivers in any way.

Text when the van passes through checkpoint.

Shit’s about to get real.” He hung up. “That was State. The owners were paid off with an excessive amount of money to get rid of their employees for the day while they manned the entrance and looked the other fuckin’ way when they got a delivery of people.

Saint and State will stay with them.” His hard gaze locked with mine.

“We stay hidden and quiet until we know we can get Henri and Sawyer without anyone gettin’ hurt.

Even if we have to wait until they’re on the boat and safely locked into one of those containers before we take control. Hear?”

“I fuckin’ hear,” I clipped.

Country sighed. “Know how you’re feelin’, brother. But know we’re right here with you.”

I swallowed hard and nodded. I’d think about why he was suddenly calling me brother later.

Country turned, and the brothers parted for him to get close to the edge. I stayed behind him. I needed the perfect view of the van arriving.

I had to see Henri. Had to make sure he and Sawyer were all right.

Henri had better fucking be okay.

Torch was close at my back. Almost breathing down my neck if he were a bit taller.

“Loyal. If Torch’s attention switches, you’re on Blaze duty,” Country said.

Fucking hell. Another babysitter.

I could feel the gazes of other brothers on me. Like I was a rabid animal ready to attack anyone. Quake and Wreck, the biggest out of the brothers, got close to my side. They were ready to take me to the ground if I tried anything stupid.

Let us just pray that no one had harmed Henri or Sawyer.

My heart lodged in my throat when I heard the van’s approach.

Everyone stayed silent.

We wouldn’t see them drive by since we had to peek around the damn corner of the shipping container to see what was happening. But we all listened to the brakes screech when they pulled to a stop.

Country glanced over as he thumbed at him and me and then around the heaping metal. He knew I’d be looking no matter what he said. Any of the guys there would be the same when it came to the one they loved in trouble.

I needed my eyes on him.

Country crouched and peeked around. I hovered over him and looked.

My jaw clenched when the back of the van opened. Two masked men climbed out while the passenger and driver up front got out, slamming their doors shut after them.

“Get the fuck out,” one of the dead men ordered.

Sawyer appeared first. A guy roughly grabbed his arms and yanked him from the back. Sawyer cringed, tugging his arm away from the guy’s grip before moving closer to the van door again.

He reached out, and a slim hand slipped into Sawyer’s.

Henri.

He jolted forward and yelped when someone in the van behind him kicked at his back.

Fury washed over me. Hands landed on my shoulders, holding me in place.

His cheek was marked. Someone had touched him. Hurt him.

The man climbed out. “Stupid fucks.”

Guns were drawn by two of them and pointed at my firecracker and Sawyer.

One waved the gun to the side. “Move to the ship and don’t try to escape, or we’ll shoot.”

I wanted to run out there and shoot them all, but it was a risk I wouldn’t take.