Chapter Three
Current day…
Moon
I stare at the men around the table. Since opening the box, my head has realigned and I’m thinking halfway clearly. Fire burns from my toes to the tips of my fingers. I flex those fingers now. This rage is worse than hunting for the men who killed my mother and father. It doesn’t matter that the finger inside the box didn’t belong to Madison. I need to unleash everything I’m feeling on Fernandez.
He’s taken the one thing I value more than any other. The void inside me at having Madison in his hands is almost indescribable. It’s an absence of logical thought and an animalistic need to draw blood. I will kill anyone who stands in my way.
Alex, who is barely holding onto his sanity, will look for someone to beat to death with his fists. It won’t need to be Fernandez, just one of his lackeys, and Alex will gain a semblance of control even if only temporarily. I’ll gladly hand him the first son of a bitch we find who can lead us to my wife and allow Alex to work his bloody magic. The hell I unleash on Fernandez should have him burning from the inside before I’m within a mile of his location.
“My club is here for you with whatever you need,” Dax says into the quiet of the room. I had no doubt the president of the Desert Crows Motorcycle Club would come to our aid. He’s a good man and Madison loves Sofia, his wife, along with their twins, Macey and Jonathan. I glance at the man sitting next to Dax; him I’m not so sure of. He’s Dax’s new bodyguard. The man stands almost seven feet tall and looks like the Jolly Green Giant minus the green and especially minus the jolly. His name is Duke and there’s something strange about him. It could also be my paranoia going into overdrive since Madison’s disappearance. Dax’s man will prove himself or he won’t. I’ll kill without a second thought if he betrays Dax’s trust. “Thank you, Dax. I value your friendship.” He nods. I can tell by the hard look in his eyes that he’s ready for whatever comes our way.
My eyes roam the room again. Alex is beside me looking like he’s ready to jump out of his chair and strangle someone. My other men—Blevins, Juan, Jose, Matt, Colby, and Caleb, who is Madison’s driver, are the men I trust most, and they’ve proven their loyalty multiple times. Other than Caleb and Colby, who is my driver, they’re my house guard and under Alex’s guidance. He hired and trained them years ago. They are men of action and sitting here with Madison in danger isn’t their idea of handling the situation. We have that in common but we all know we need to be on the same page. They’re good men, trained to plan ahead and keep to that plan unless shit hits the fan. They’re also fans of Madison’s and they’re taking her disappearance personally, especially Caleb.
None of the men in this room will like what I have to say next. We’re wasting precious time with every minute we sit at this table, so I spit it out. “I’ve been compromised,” I say. Alex stiffens beside me and I keep talking before he can argue. “If pieces of my wife’s body start arriving, I’ll do whatever it takes to get her back. That means every person in this house is in danger.”
Alex slams his hands on the table. “That’s bullshit.”
I expected his outburst and give him my full attention. “If we don’t find my wife very soon, I’ll give him anything he wants, including this organization.” I stare into Alex’s hard eyes. “As my friend, I need you to do what’s best for everyone. Not just me.” I pull my gaze from his seething expression and address the other men in the room. “Alex will know if the time comes that he needs to take over. If he gives that word, you will follow him to hell and back like you follow me. Is that clear?”
Their gazes travel to Alex, who they call by his last name, Gomez. He’s my enforcer and my best friend. We’ve been through too much together to have a slithering rattlesnake take it away. Alex looks straight ahead, acknowledging nothing. He’ll do it, but he’ll be pissed off that we didn’t discuss it. Too damn bad. He should have had me step aside as soon as Cori’s finger was revealed in that box. He knows I’m right.
The men around the table slowly give their assent. Alex remains silent. With that settled, I turn to Dax. “I need eyes on the ground and information. Contact your friends in California and see what they know about Fernandez. Nothing is unimportant and time is our biggest factor. The women will want part of this action and Celina will be in charge of compiling the leads you find. I’m hoping Sofia will help too.”
“My old lady’s in. I had to threaten her to keep her home today,” Dax adds with a grimace. Alex and I understand. Celina, Alex’s woman, almost took his head off when he refused her entrance into this room. I’m hoping placing her in charge of information will lighten her anger at Alex when the meeting is over. We need her help.
The door opens. Celina peeks inside and then enters. Dax’s man jumps to his feet, his hand on the knife at his waist before Dax grabs his arms and pushes him back into the chair. Celina’s hands go to her hips like a seven-foot giant is nothing she can’t handle. Completely ignoring Alex’s angry expression, she gives us her opinion. “If you think you’re keeping me out of this, you’re wrong. Mak and Cori are my friends. They’re in danger and we need everyone we trust in on your plans. That includes me, the women at the escort service, and the Desert Crows old ladies. I’m the women’s emissary and if you get rid of me, they’ll all be piling in here to speak their minds too.”
Alex grimaces beside me and I don’t blame him. To work as an escort, you need a set of balls and each of the women there have them. The Desert Crows old ladies, especially Sofia, are in a league of their own and kick ass when it’s needed. Celina is the same and she’s also been trained by Alex. I stand up and walk around the table to the only empty chair and pull it out. For the first time, Celina’s gaze goes to Alex and she gives him a death stare while she stomps to the chair I offer and takes a seat.
“I’ll gladly handle the women disseminating the gathered information.” She shrugs when Alex shakes his head. “What? I listened at the door before I got up enough courage to barge in. Stop with the glares so we can move on,” she tells him. There are scary men in this room, but my money is on Celina if shit goes down. She has no fear of her man and I have a feeling she’s the only person who could handle him if he flipped out.
Alex huffs and crosses his arms before meeting my eyes and ignoring Celina. I’ve moved back to my chair but don’t sit. I place my palms flat on the table. “We’ll find Madison and Cori. When we get to Fernandez, I want him alive. He’s mine.”
“Not if I get to him first,” Alex grunts.
Alex doesn’t understand what I’m saying, so I clarify. “I need you, mi hermano, but if you get between me and Fernandez, we’ll finally see who beats who.” I hope the look I give him with that statement sinks into his thick skull. I nod at Celina. “Think of her in the hands of a madman like Fernandez and you’ll understand. Madison is my woman and I will have my revenge. The longer we sit in here discussing this is wasted time, so we’re moving on.”
Alex nods after giving Celina a quick glance. “He’s yours, mi hermano.” We’re brothers by experience if not by blood and we both know it.
Still unable to take my seat, I lay out the plan. “Fernandez may have gone back to California or he might be close by. Someone knows his location. He likes to hurt women. He uses prostitutes and kills them. If he’s back on his home turf, Austin’s connections will alert us.” I keep my gaze traveling around the room meeting each person’s eyes so I’m sure they understand. “Austin and Melina will be here tomorrow. Melina might have information that leads us to her brother’s location. Every piece of data we collect will go to Celina no matter how small or inconsequential. Austin’s men will be at our disposal if we need them. For now, they’ll help fortify the house with additional manpower.” With a quick look at Alex, I finish what I have to say. “Help me find my wife so you don’t have to take over.”
Alex only scowls.