Page 8 of Victorious: Part 3

Suddenly, my phone buzzes in my jeans pocket.

Quickly, I pull it out to see an incoming call from an unknown number.

I show it to Sin, and he nods for me to answer.

“Yeah,” I say, keeping my voice steady.

“Ah… the famous Phoenix,” a heavily accented voice purrs through the speaker. “I was beginning to think you didn’t care about your little wife.”

Spanish accent.

Definitely Cartel.

“Where is she?” I growl.

“She’s been… uncooperative. Very chatty, your Clover. We had to give her something to loosen her tongue.”

Curling my lip, my anger almost tips over, my hand balls into a fist, my voice rising when I speak, “If you hurt her—”

“Hurt her? We gave her truth serum. Very effective. Makes peoplevery… forthcoming. And extremely horny.” The man laughs, a sound like a damn hyena. “She keeps talking about how much she loves you, how good you are in bed. It’squiteentertaining. But she doesn’t know anything useful about your club operations, and that makes her, well, you know… not useful.”

I am going to kill him.

I am going to kill him slowly.

I am going to make him beg for death before I’m done.

“What do you want?” I force out, trying to keep my shit together so I don’t give our location away.

“Information. About your club’s operations. Whatinformation do they know about the Cartel? But your little wife?” Another sniveling laugh. “Truth serum works very well on diabetics, you know? Their blood sugar drops, they become confused, compliant—”

“And you thought drugging my wife would makemecooperative?”

“Oh, we hoped she’d be cooperative. But all she’s told us is how good you fuck her, andnothingabout club business. So, for now, she’s merely entertainment for the boys and me, until you arrive, of course.”

My vision goes red, adrenaline surges, not knowing whatexactlyhe means by‘entertainment.’They’re using her medical condition against her, exploiting her vulnerability.

“But here’s the thing, you better come quickly, because once she stops being entertaining for us…” he pauses for dramatic effect. “She’s ofnouse. If you understand my meaning?”

“Oh, I’m closer than you think,” I spit through gritted teeth. “But if you fucking touch her—”

“You’re in no position to make threats,hermano.You have ten minutes, or we start therealfun.”

Then the line goes dead.

Sin moves instantly, speaking rapidly into his radio. “All units, we’re going in hot. Clover’s in imminent danger. Rules of engagement… anything that’s not Clover or Phoenix is a target.”

“Copy,” the guys all reply down the line as Sin turns back to me.

“You ready to get your girl back?” he asks, with a mischievous glint in his eye like he can’t wait for this fight.

“Fuck yeah,” I state.

He signals, and we rappel down from the roof and move in coordinated formation toward the warehouse. My heart hammers so damn hard I can barely hear my own footsteps, but my training kicks in. Growing up in the Steel Serpents and nowyears of riding with Defiance, it’s all coming together for this moment.

Ghost’s voice cuts through the comms, tight and urgent. “Thermal shows Clover in the northeast corner, second level. Eight hostiles… maybe more. Movement is sporadic. Could be patrols. No visuals on weapons.”

“Copy that,” I reply, adrenaline starting to spike.