Chapter 25
Ox was in the process of making himself a White Russian when the doors to the clubhouse banged open.
“Ox!”
His head snapped up and he abandoned his drink altogether when he saw Tango and Rebel stomping towards him.
“Gentleman, what's going on? Where’s Axel?”
“He’s fuckin’ missing! The video feed on our surveillance system was cut from the outside. Silver Bullets must have done it during all the commotion earlier, smarmy bastards!”
Ox saw Limit and Rider walking towards them out of the corner of his eye; Fury wasn't far behind.
“How do you know he’s missing?”
“Found his bike on the side of the road just an hour ago. He ain’t answerin’ his phone, man.”
Ox took note of the fact that Tango, the biggest motherfucker around apart from Limit, was panicking. A man like him didn't panic unless he had a damn good reason, and Ox knew it.
“Alright, take this down the hall. Church is now in session, fuckers! Round it up, everybody, the party is over!”
Much to his satisfaction, everyone within shouting distance of him started moving. The doors to the clubhouse were closed, the gates were locked, and every man in a cut was headed for church.
“Ox, wait. Before we go in there, there’s something else you should know.”
Ox waited to hear whatever Rebel had to say, his mismatched eyes steely.
“What is it?”
“On the first side road off the mountain, we found another bike. Has your colors on it.”
Ox’s eyes widened when he realized exactly what the fuck that meant. Prettyboy and Esme were now officially missing, too.
“Fuck!”
He checked the clock to see that they’d been gone around four hours, which didn't bode well.
“How long did you say Axel’s been gone?”
“He only left a couple of hours ago. We found his bike first, tried calling his phone, we got nothing. Can’t find him anywhere, Ox. This has the Silver Bullets written all over it,” Tango said adamantly.
“Which means that Prettyboy and Esme are probably with Axel, wherever the fuck they are.”
Tango’s eyes widened.
“Esme’s with them too? Fuck! My God,” He rasped as he ran a hand through his hair. He kicked a chair out from under the table nearest to him and swore a blue streak.
“We ain’t got time to waste right now, men. Call your brothers, get them here as fast as possible.”
Ox didn't stop to wait for a response, but he did hear Tango on the phone as he headed for church. The room was packed full of people, but he sought out Rider immediately.
“Rider! Track Esme and Prettyboy’s phones immediately. See if you can find Axel’s too,” He shouted as he stomped towards his chair.
Rider’s eyes widened but he hastened to do as Ox said.
“What’s goin’on?,” Fury asked.
“Axel’s missing, so are Prettyboy and Esme. Tango and Rebel found his bike parked in town when they were looking for Axel. Found his bike too,” Ox said.
He had no idea what to do, where to go from there.
It didn't make sense that the Silver Bullets would kidnap one of his men and his old lady…
Why would they do that?
The Seven Deadlies and the Silver Bullets had no beef. The only connection they had was the Lone Rangers, but Ox and his club would always back Axel and his men.
“Shit, this is so fucked! Why would they take Prettyboy and Esme?”
Ox glanced at Green and shrugged.
“I don’t know. I have no fuckin’ idea what’s going on, Green.”
“Do you think this is about the black book?,” Fury asked worriedly.
“No. Axel is the only one who knows about that right now. He hasn't even taken it to the table.”
There was a knock on the door and Tango and Rebel filed in.
“They’re on their way. What now?”
“I need to know how many men you’ve got circling your club,” Limit said.
Ox glanced at him, but he didn't question him.
Limit was the enforcer for a reason. He used to be a Marine sniper, but after too many years in the dark depths of war, he’d opted for another type of brotherhood.
The Seven Deadlies.
“Last we counted, there were ten. The Silver Bullets aren't a huge club, as we all know. That’s why this whole turf war is getting a little ridiculous. Axel didn't take them seriously. He warned them that if they didn't back off, he’d obliterate their entire crew, but they’re relentless.”
Fury shook his dark head.
“What about his sister, Ashley?”
Tango scoffed.
“Stubborn bitch wouldn’t leave. They've been fighting about it for weeks, but Axel couldn't get her to agree to stay elsewhere. They’re bringing her now.”
Ox nodded.
“Rider, any news?”
He nodded.
“Looks like Esme’s phone is here, but both Axel and Prettyboy’s phones are pinging from the same spot. Hold on, I’m mapping out the coordinates so I can get an arial view of wherever the fuck they are,” He said.
“Well, the Silver Bullets have a couple of their own smaller warehouses tucked back by their clubhouse. Maybe they took them there?,” Slayer offered.
Everyone looked at him.
“What?”
“Nothing, that ain’t a bad idea. Boss, I’m gonna go get the artillery ready. If we’re doing this, we’re doing it organized. I want everyone strapping double and I’m gonna make sure my rifle is ready.”
Ox couldn't help but smile.
“I was hoping you’d say that.”
The sound of bikes rumbling outside had Ox gesturing towards the lot.
“Slayer, Green, open the gates. Let the rest of their crew in.”
“Boss, I got them. Slayer was right, they’re holed up in some warehouse. I can’t get any real time footage because there’s no available cameras for me to hack out there, but I think Limit is right. We need to be organized.”
Ox had no doubts about that. He knew the Silver Bullets weren't the sharpest crayons in the box, but Andy had a reputation for being trigger happy. Up until now that hadn't been a problem for the Seven Deadlies- the Silver Bullets usually stayed out of their way.
“Men, listen closely. They have our friend and our family in there. I want Rayna and Ashely kept here with a couple of my men and couple of Axel’s. This could all be a big distraciton, and we can’t afford to lose anyone on either end,” He said as he tied his hair into a knot at the nape of his neck.
“What about Laura? Should we call her and get her here just in case?”
Ox felt his throat constrict at the question.
I want her safe, too.
“Yes. Tell her we’re going into lockdown and we need her here. I’ll pay her double for her time until this is all over,” Ox said as he stood.
“Limit, Fury, Rider, You’re with me. Green, you and Slayer stay behind.”
Green opened his mouth to argue, but Ox shook his head.
“I need you two here. Don’t argue.”
Green clamped his mouth shut before he nodded solemnly.
“You got it.”
“Green, this isn’t a punishment. I don’t trust anyone else to stay here and man the fort.”
His green eyes met Ox’s and suddenly, he smiled.
“Alright, Ox. I get it.”
Ox nodded, his hands gesturing for everyone else to follow.
“To the armory. I want everyone packin’ as much heat as they can stand. We have no idea if they’ve got help or not.”
“I’ve got their location singled out and I can send you a detailed route to take thats the quickest and quietest,” Rider called.
“Do it! Send it to Limit, too. I want him leading this expedition.”
Rider didn't say another word but Ox felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, signaling Rider had done as he said he would.
“Ox! Is everything okay?”
Rayna’s voice made him sigh heavily before he turned to face her.
“We’re in lock down. You're not to leave the clubhouse, don’t even step outside. The Silver Bullets have Axel, Prettyboy, and Esme. We’ve gotta rescue them.”
She looked around, but Fury wasn’t in sight.
“He’s getting things ready. Green and Slayer will stay behind with you. Don’t worry, Rayna. Just keep Axel’s sister, Ashley, company.”
Rayna nodded eagerly, but he could tell she was close to losing it.
“Do you want me to handle this?,” She asked softly.
Ox’s mouth expanded in a smile he hadn't expected when he pulled her into his arms.
“No, sweetheart. Club business is club business, and this don’t concern you. I appreciate the offer, but I’m not unleashing killer Rayna on ‘em. You sit this one out, okay?”
She returned his hug before they were interrupted by arguing.
“Get your hands off of me, you behemoth!”
Ox caught sight of Slayer reaching for Ashley. He rolled his eyes and whistled loud enough for Slayer to stop moving altogether.
“Keep your hands off of her, Slayer. She can handle herself,” Ox said.
“Thank you!,” Ashley called.
Ox watched as Ashley sent Slayer a glare, but he only smirked at Ashely.
“You’ll be beggin’ to feel my hands on you, baby.”
She rolled her eyes at him, but Ox could tell that she wanted to smile.
“Promise me Fury will come home to me,” Rayna whispered.
Ox looked down into her blue eyes and pressed his mouth to her forehead.
“He’ll come back, baby. Don’t worry.”
Rayna snorted, and he knew she’d be up all night worrying, but Ox didn't look at this little mission
as more than a very annoying bump in the road. He couldn't tell Rayna that though because at any point, their mission could get complicated and on the off chance that something bad did happen, he didn't want that to hurt her even more.
“Fury will be fine. Esme and Prettyboy will be fine. Axel’s one tough fucker, he can make it through anything. What I need is for you to keep it together and make sure Ashely doesn’t lose it, because trust me, she can and will if the need assails her.”
Rayna nodded.
“Okay, I can do that.”
Ox turned towards Ashely, who was drinking at the bar, her shoulders tense.
“Ashley. We have their location. We’re gonna go get ‘em back, okay?”
She glanced up at him, but he knew nothing he said could make her feel better. Axel was all she had left.
“Alright.”
Rayna seemed to understand that Ashely was going through the same hell she was about to go through, so she hurried to join her at the bar.
“Hey, baby. You like tequila?,” Rayna asked.
And another one bites the dust!
Ox had no doubt Rayna would be the den mother for any and all women who passed through their clubhouse. Shaking his head, he headed towards the armory where he could hear the Lone Rangers and his crew talking.
“So, we got any idea how we're gonna run this?,” Pierce asked.
Peirce was the Lone Rangers's accountant, but Ox also knew he’d done some time in the slammer for Axel years back. He was a black-haired blue-eyed monstrosity that was as quiet as Limit usually was.
“I’ll head in first and get to the roof. If I can get to the roof unseen, I can take out as many of those fuckers as I can before I call you guys in.”
“We’re not letting you lead the calvary alone,” Ox argued.
“Fine, send Fury with me. Either way, I need up on that roof. From the arial view I saw there was a skylight, I could probably use that to my own advantage too.”
Ox admired Limit and his propensity for violence. He admired him for being so calm and collected and for getting shit done, not that any man at his table lost their head that easily. Limit had his rifle strapped to his back as he packed a small satchel full of whatever else he'd need. Pierce, Tango, Rebel and the rest of Axel’s crew were busy loading their own weapons.
“Boss, they been gone a while. What if something happened to ‘em?”
Ox hated that someone had to ask that question out loud, but it was a possibility. Anything was possible.
Anything.
“We’ll burn that bridge when come to it. For now, let’s finish formulating a plan so we can bring our family home.”