My men suited up, ready for battle.
It was part of the Brotherhood that I loved. Not just being president and making orders and demands. But knowing that no matter who you were as part of the club, the president, an officer, a prospect – your Brothers had your back through thick and fucking thicker.
Mix had warned us about who we were dealing with. These guys didn’t mess around. There was a reason Daniel Ashley traveled everywhere with men to protect him. They weren’t afraid to shoot first and ask questions later if they thought their boss was in trouble. There was a chance that things would go ass up and we could lose men. I knew this, and my boys knew this, but they were ready to do what it took to get my girl back. And we would do whatever it took.
We’d left Target at the club. Doc had given him some great ‘pain meds.’ He should be knocked out for a few hours. If that failed, there were still a couple boys there with orders to not let him leave. We were still trying to keep suspicions down in the event he was a bigger player in this game than we thought. I had a feeling he was just an easy pawn with a severe hatred for women.
The gated house sat above us on a hill. We had members from both clubs here, but Optimus had made it clear that I was leading this operation. Optimus, Wrench, Tie and myself sat in a car, watching and waiting as the rest of our men got into position around the house. With more than twenty of us ready to break this shit down, and predicting ten or so men of his, things were looking positive.
My body itched. I was ready to make this asshole pay.
The house was far enough on the outskirts of town that there wouldn’t be a lot of attention on us. There were still a few neighbors around who could possibly hear the commotion and call the police. So we needed to be in and out as fast as possible. No fucking around.
“They’re in place. Ready when you are,” Optimus said, his voice serious and his face stern.
“Let’s do this.”
Optimus nodded, sending a quick text on his phone. “Wrench, get the gates.”
Wrench jumped out of the car and jogged across the road. There was a keypad next to the gate, Wrench plugged a little device into it and pressed a couple buttons. After a few seconds, the gates started to open and I gunned the car. We pulled up next to the gates and Wrench jumped in before we sped up the driveway.
We knew alarms would already be going off. We were prepared as I slammed on the breaks just before the front doors skidding to a halt. The large doors flew open in time with our car doors. We all climbed out the opposite side of the car, using it as protection while two men exited the house carrying handguns.
We were far better prepared.
“Up and over,” Tie called. We all covered our heads and huddled behind the car as he lopped this exploding beanbag type thing toward where the two men stood. It was like a small grenade, but it wasn’t meant to kill, rather incapacitate. It was like being hit with one hundred tiny paintballs that were going to fucking hurt. We heard the soft bang and the men yelling out in pain, along with the little balls pinging and ricocheting off all the surrounding surfaces.
I peeked over the hood of the vehicle. The men were lying just outside the doors, rolling around and groaning in pain on the concrete tiles.
“Get their guns,” I said as I took off up the small incline of stairs. Tie was right behind me, grabbing one gun as I whipped the other away, Optimus and Wrench covering our backs. I patted the guys down, they screamed, obviously still sensitive from the small explosion. Optimus and Wrench zip tied them to a pole and we worked our way into the house.
I heard a few gunshots outside, and I hoped and prayed that my men would make it out of here in one piece. We were all willing to give our lives for the club, many had done it before us, but it didn’t make losing a Brother any easier.
There was a large staircase straight ahead which lead up to a small landing on the second floor. Doorways opened up to either side, one to a small living or entertaining room, the other to what seemed like a dining room. The house was huge, with hallways that led who knows where and rooms that opened into other rooms.
I heard a scream, a female scream. My body launched itself up the stairs, following the noise.
“Freeze!” I stopped, checking over my shoulder to find one of the armed guards standing behind my boys in the open doorway. They slowly turned, and we all held our hands up in the air, but still clutching our guns. “Slide your weapons across the floor to me.” They did just that. The guy was good, he managed keep an eye on me and my Brothers. What he didn’t expect was for Tie to slide across something else.
“What’s that?” the man demanded.
“You wanted our weapons,” Tie shrugged. “Just being helpful.”
“Oh shit,” Wrench muttered. The light on the small device shone red and my Brothers all dived, scampering across the floor behind doors and freaking house plants. I jumped up to the landing and hit the deck, not knowing how far these things could reach. The guard didn’t know what to do as we all scattered, he just stood and stared.
Then all hell broke loose. Vases were shattered, windows were broken, tears in the curtains appeared. I heard the odd scream, but it was Daniel’s guard that took the brunt of the attack. When the room was completely silent, I looked up from my hiding spot.
“Tie, you little mother-fucker,” Wrench called, standing from his hiding place and holding his junk. “One of your little things hit me in the balls,” he groaned, walking across the now devastated room like he was a cowboy who’d ridden for a week straight.
I heard Tie chuckle, Optimus too.
I didn’t have time to laugh though. Hearing another scream from the hall which led to my left, I ran. I didn’t even wait for my Brothers to give me backup.
I kicked the door open, holding my gun out and ready to shoot any mother-fucker who got in the way of me finding Harmony.
“Ah, Mr. Cranshaw. How lovely of you to join us.”
The asshole stood against the wall, his fist buried in the dark hair of a woman – a woman that wasn’t Harmony. The bald man who had joined him for our first meeting stood at his side, his gun zeroed in on me as I held my aim on Daniel the scumbag.
“Where is she?” I demanded. He pulled harder on the hair of the girl at his feet. She let out a whimper. She was only clad in underwear, some lacy shit. I couldn’t see her face, but I did notice the drops of blood that dripped from it, staining the cream colored carpet.
“Harmony?” he asked like he was completely clueless to as why I was here. “Oh, she was picked up this morning. The client was euphoric. It's a shame you didn’t take me up on that deal.”
My blood boiled.
She was gone.
“Who took her and where have they gone?”
“I don’t ask for those kind of details. They are private.” The jerk had the nerve to smirk at me. “Although I do have this girl here you could have.”
He yanked her head up and her eyes met mine. She was pretty, even with blood streaming from her nose. Her eyes were a light blue, her hair almost black. She had a fierce look on her face. A look of defiance and anger. She wasn’t my girl, but I’d take her when all this is done, help her to escape this madness.
I heard gunshots echoing in the expansive house. Men yelling, people screaming in pain.
Daniel shifted slowly to the side, another door just a few steps away through which I presumed he thought he was going to escape.
“Kill him,” Daniel ordered. He picked the girl up and held her in front of his body as protection. Now my shot was blocked and he knew it. He knew I wouldn’t hit the girl and risk her life.
The man in the dark glasses beside him grinned, his gun aimed at me and his finger rubbing at the trigger. With my focus on Daniel and the girl, I knew he would get me before I could switch my aim to him.
The door behind me burst open and several shots went off.
My ears rang.
My head hurt.
There was so much noise.
Yelling.
People asking if I was all right.
Was I hit? I hadn’t felt it, but sometimes with the amount of adrenaline sweeping through your body, pain takes a backseat in your mind.
“Kit?” I looked up to see Tally standing over me. Why was I on the floor?
The dude in the suit who had been ready to blow my head off was slumped against the wall, his head hanging unnaturally. The young girl was pressed between the corner of the wall and a large tallboy dresser, her eyes staring down at the floor by my feet, wide as saucers.
My gaze shifted down to the body that was crumbled on the carpet. His eyes were wide open, but staring at nothing. Dead man’s eyes.
“Caleb,” I said quietly.
“Hit you with the door when he decided to barge in here like a hero. Took a bullet, and still managed to shoot the fucker between the eyes,” Tally said sadly, crouching beside me and offering me his hand. He pulled me up and I finally took note of all the Brothers that stood in the room, staring at their fallen comrade.
“Pick him up,” Optimus ordered, but I heard the sadness that drenched his voice. “We gotta get outta here.”
I silently thanked the kid as I watched him be carried from the room, swearing to do right by him for saving my ass. Daniel Ashley may have escaped me today. But he’d keep.