“The Stealers have set up shop in Echo Lane,” Adam said to the men surrounding him. “I don’t know that’s where they have Joey, but it’s the best lead we have.” He heard his men muttering around him about Echo Lane. They all knew what that place was like; they had all paid it a visit at least once, and few were eager to return. “If he’s not there, we’ll break a few skulls and find out where he is,” Adam continued. There were no question of who would come; they all would, no order needed to be given.

 

But this was the one thing Adam had never wanted. A gang war was dangerous. People got hurt, civilians not in the game would get hit with crossfire, the cops would find out, and men would be put in jail. There would be a victor, but the cost would be so heavy that it wouldn’t feel anything like victory. But there was nothing to be done about it. The Stealers had started it, and now Scarred Angels was going to end it.

 

“The question is,” Adam said. “How do we ride in: loud or quiet?”

 

“Loud,” said Rick, a junior member. “They think they can fuck with us? I say we go in loud and fast and show them why you don’t mess with the boys in Scarred Angels.” A cheer went up at this, but not everyone cheered along.

 

“Sounds like a great way to get Joey killed,” Mark said from the back. “They have a hostage. We need to get Joey out first, then we can get loud.”

 

“Wait,” Adam said, looking at Mark as he felt his stomach drop. “What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be with Dakota.” For a moment, no one spoke. There were low mutterings, but none loud enough for Adam to hear. “What the fuck is going on?” Adam demanded.

 

“The Kanes just fired us,” Bill said, handing Adam a piece of paper that had just been faxed over, the words Immediate Cessation of Contract in bold letters at the top.

 

Adam looked aghast at the picture. Why would Dakota or John have ended the contract? Scarred Angels had saved both of them; they were close to finding out who the backer was. There was only one reason why Dakota would have done something so cruel. “Does she know about Joey? Did someone tell her?” Adam demanded of the room.

 

“No one told her,” Rick finally said, the men around him nodding. “But she got the message. Came waltzing in here earlier today, looking like she owned the place, was calling for you. We put her in the office to wait and she left not too long after.”

 

“The note and picture are in the office. Did she see them?” Adam demanded.

 

“Must have. She left pretty quick.”

 

“How could you let her leave? We signed a contract saying we would protect them.” This flippant attitude was making him crazy. The Kanes had given Scarred Angels a lot of money, they had paid off the mortgage for the club by saving Dakota, and now everyone was ready to toss them aside, to let them die?

 

“We did save them. We got Daddy Kane home in one piece. We’ve done more than enough for the Kanes we need to look out for our own now. The Kanes got enough money. They can just hire someone else,” said a senior member.

 

“She’s in danger,” Adam said, forcing himself to keep his voice low and even. He couldn't afford to get drawn into a shouting match. “The Stealers don’t want us; they want the Kanes.”

 

“Yeah, but they have Joey. Meanwhile the Kanes are locked up tight in their mansion. You need to stop worrying about them, Mendel, and start worrying about your brother. The Kanes are fine. We’ve already been replaced by a ‘real’ security firm,” Mark said. “Look, Adam, it’s us or them now. And they have people looking after them; hell they could get the army down here with one phone call if they wanted. We don’t have anyone that looks after us other than ourselves. We’re brothers. We look out for each other. Are you really gonna let Joey die for them?”

 

“This isn’t about them versus us. We’re on the same side!” Adam yelled. He couldn’t contain his voice anymore. “Dakota Kane did not kidnap Joey. She isn’t holding him for ransom; the Stealers are. They’re just as trapped in it as we are. We have a job to do. We all agreed that going straight was the best call for the club. We took on the Kane job. Hell, Joey was the one who signed the contract! We could have walked away, but we didn’t and we sure as hell aren’t walking away now that things are dangerous. We took this work on and now we have to finish it. We can’t blame this on the Kanes. It isn’t their fault; it isn’t Joey’s fault. It’s the Soul Stealers and whoever’s paying them, that’s who we’re fighting.”

 

“Adam’s right,” Bill said, putting the fax down on the bar. “It ain’t the girl’s fault. But it’s better that she has a new security team. We’re gonna need all hands for Joey. This is going to be dangerous. We’ll be going against a rival gang and we’re going in on Echo Lane. If the Stealers don’t get you, someone else might. Anyone who can’t do the job, who can’t follow orders, should leave now.”

 

No one moved. No one spoke. A room full of men armed to the teeth. Men who were afraid of death and pain, men with wives and children, they would all go. Adam looked at the room around him, at his brothers. It seemed like a lifetime ago that he had signed the Kane contract. Back then his biggest worry was one of his men hitting on Dakota Kane. But Adam had been the unstable element. Back then he had trusted himself more than anyone else; he had been so sure he could resist the charms of Dakota, but she had pulled him in and, even now, he missed her and wished that she were close.

 

He never would have dreamed that signing the Kane contract would have brought him to this moment. His own body sore and bruised, his best friend kidnapped, and Scarred Angels standing at the edge, about to tip over into a war. It had all been about the money then, but now it was about everything else. It was about love and loyalty and doing the right thing. Those were abstract concepts, not worth dying over, but these men in front of him were the real deal. They were family and they would fight for each other.

 

But what about Dakota? Could she ever be part of the family? Would his men ever go to bat for her like they did for each other? Adam’s heart was wrenched at the thought of what she was thinking. She had found the picture and the note, the threat written on there. She didn’t trust Adam or Scarred Angels anymore and the worst part was that Adam couldn’t blame her. The club had done what it always did in times of crisis: it had banded together. But when they came together, it meant other things and other people had to be pushed away.

 

If only Adam had been there to talk to her, to promise her that he would keep her safe and rescue Joey. He could do both. He was sure of it. But she was gone now, in hiding with her new security team. It’s better this way, Adam thought. If Dakota knew what they planned, she would want to come along, and there was no way that Adam could have brought her to Echo Lane. No, let her stay where she could be safe, where Adam wouldn’t have to worry. He could focus on getting Joey back and then he would fix everything with Dakota. Right now, it was time to prepare for battle. To put on armor and ready his weapons, Scarred Angels was going to war.