Bella Chapter 2

My heart was pounding almost out of my chest, and my hand shook as I took out my phone to make a call. What I'd just heard scared me to death. Diane was a mess, and I knew she wasn't able to think clearly enough to do anything, so it rested on me.

When Diane came in and told us Sadie wasn't at home and she was still not answering her phone, we didn't automatically panic. Sadie was known to get caught up in her head and zone things out. Diane thought this was the case when she didn't come to the salon after school. When Sadie didn't answer her phone, Diane assumed she had gone home and had her headset on, playing a video game. I'd seen how lost Sadie could become when she played, so I could believe it. I'd offered to go check, but Diane said she needed a break.

When she didn't find her, she came back and told us. Diane was preparing to make a couple of calls to a few kids Sadie was friendly with. That was until one of the clients who was getting her hair done piped up to say she saw Sadie outside the salon a while ago when she came in, getting into a car with a man. This set off our panic. The description of the man wasn't of anyone we knew. I wanted to slap the lady for not saying anything sooner. Diane had already left to go home to get Sadie when the woman came in, but still. She should've mentioned it. She was in enough to know Sadie wasn't supposed to go with strangers. Diane was sobbing as I brought up Londyn's name on my phone and called her. It only took a couple of rings for her to answer.

"Hey, Bella, what's up?" she said cheerfully.

"Londyn, nothing good. Listen, we need you. Something is wrong," I said rapidly, stumbling over my words. I paused a second to take a breath, which allowed Londyn to say something.

"Bella, slow down. I'm putting you on speaker so Torpedo can hear you. What happened?"

"I was at Diane's salon. She went home to check on Sadie since she never came to the shop after school and wasn't answering her phone. You know how she gets sometimes. Anyway, when she got there, she wasn't there. Di came back here, and we were about to go searching for her when one of the customers said they had seen her get in a car with a man. She didn't know who he was. Sadie didn't seem to be scared of him, so she didn't think anything of it. The car came from the back parking lot."

It wasn't Londyn's voice that spoke back. It was Torpedo's. "Bella, can you get Diane and come to the compound? We'll help you find Sadie, but I think it would be best if we did it from here. Are you alright to drive, or should I send one of my brothers to get the two of you?"

My knees weakened in relief. Diane was getting more upset by the second. If things ended up badly, she'd need me, Londyn, and anyone else we could get. I prayed it wouldn't come to that.

"I can drive. We'll be there as soon as possible. Thank you. She wanted to call the cops, but I don't think they'll file a missing person report until she's been gone for twenty-four hours," I told him.

"Actually, for a minor, most states do it much sooner than that, but we can ask Cuffs and Wrecker. They'll be here. Don't worry about the cops right now. Drive safe," he said calmly. I remembered two of his club brothers, as he called them, were cops. They'd know what to do.

"We will," I promised before hanging up.

"Oh my God, what if he hurts her? What if I never see her again?" Diane wailed. The other employees and a few customers were trying to reassure her. I went over to her.

"Diane, we need to go to the Infidels' compound. Torpedo said to come there. His brothers, remember Wrecker and Cuffs? They're there, and they're cops. They'll help us figure out what to do, so there"s no need to call them. Let's go." I used a firm voice to get her moving.

It didn't take much for me to get her to leave using that tone. One of her stylists who had a key promised she'd stay and close up shop for her. They all called out that they'd let us know if Sadie came back, not that I thought any of us believed it would happen. The drive wasn't a long one, but it seemed twice as long, although we were close to the right end of town.

I barely returned Vicious' wave as we entered the compound. I took the first open spot closest to the clubhouse door without taking spaces the bikes obviously were meant for. I didn't even have the engine off before Diane was stumbling out of my truck. She almost fell on her face. I hurried after her, but she was running for the door. I was steps behind when she flung it open and ran inside.

She ran straight into Londyn's arms. She and Torpedo were close to the door when we entered. Londyn talked softly to her. She was attempting to calm her down. I stood back to see if she'd have more success than I had. I tried talking to her all the way here, and all she would do was wail and cry. Sadie was all she had. If she lost her, it would kill Diane. Torpedo gave me a sympathetic look, which I could only try to smile at.

"Diane, honey, you have to stop crying. You'll make yourself sick. Have a seat. Let us talk this out. Phantom and Tamysin are searching for her right now. They already have a lead. When we find where she's at, the club will go get her," Londyn told her as she moved Diane to a table and pulled out a chair for her. I watched Diane drop heavily into the chair. I followed and took the seat on the other side of her. Londyn and I put her in between us.

"I-I-I can't l-lose her. I can't," Diane stuttered.

"We won't," Londyn said.

"What did Tamysin and Phantom find? You said they had a lead," I asked.

As I did, my attention was diverted from Londyn and Diane to the man setting water bottles in front of each of us. It was Boomer. I gave him a slight nod of thanks. I was startled when he didn't leave. In fact, he took the seat on the other side of me. His penetrating stare made me feel exposed. What was he doing? I was diverted from thinking about it by Torpedo. What he said next shocked me.

"The man who took her works for a client of Londyn's. We've been investigating them. The accident Londyn had the other night was caused by his men. We think they were trying to find Londyn at her place and somehow found Sadie. Maybe she spoke to them, or they asked her if she knew Londyn. We don't know. We have eyes on the two places we think they'll most likely take her. We had plans to go to one of them soon anyway, so we'll know for sure she's there then, if not before."

"What client? Why would he be looking for you or for his people to cause you to wreck?" Diane cried out in confusion.

"I didn't meet the Infidels by accident, Di. I came looking for their help because I was suspicious this client was possibly dealing in something illegal. It wasn't until the night of the wreck that we were able to confirm it. I ended up in altercations with his men. When they tried to take me, they crashed into my car. I'm so sorry, Diane. I never thought they'd take Sadie or anyone else."

"This is your fault?" she asked, sounding out of it.

"Yes," Londyn said softly. I knew this was killing her. She would be the last one to knowingly lead her friends into danger. She was willing to take it on herself. I knew about her time in the Marine Corps and the kind of dangerous missions she used to do. She hadn't told me everything since much of it was classified, but I knew enough. If she thought there was something shady about this client of hers, then there was.

"No, it's no one's fault but the bastard whose man took her. We're going after her," Torpedo told her sternly.

"What kind of illegal stuff are they involved in?" I had to ask.

"We believe they're bringing women from other countries here and either forcing them to work in his business as unpaid workers or selling them," Londyn admitted as she gave Diane a concerned look.

"What! Oh my God, we have to call the police. You have to tell them this!" Diane shouted.

"We can't call the police. Listen, if they're doing what we think they are, how likely do you think the cops will be to catch them all and shut it down for good? It's best to let the club handle it," Londyn told her.

Before any of us could say anything else, the guy I recalled as Phantom came into the room. He walked right to our table. "Dragon just called. They confirmed Sadie was just brought to the property we're watching. She was taken inside. He said she appears unharmed."

"Then you have to go get her," Diane sobbed.

"We will. We need to make sure when we do, we do it the right way so no one gets hurt, especially Sadie. I know it's hard to do, but you've got to let us do this our way. We've done this several times. We know what we're doing. Rescue missions are not new to us," Sin told her kindly but sternly. He and others had silently come over to listen to our conversation.

Diane let out a wail, which gutted me, and put her hands over her face. I leaned over to whisper in her ear. "Di, let the Infidels and Londyn take care of this. I believe they can. All of them were in the military, like Londyn. They have skills. Trust them."

I was interrupted by Sin speaking to her again. "Diane, I need my guys in a meeting. We've got to adjust our rescue plan. I want you to stay out here with Londyn and Bella. If you need anything, they can get it for you. We'll be back as soon as we can," Sin explained.

She lifted her head and sniffed. "Alright, just get my daughter back."

"We will. Come on, let's go," Sin told his men.

As they moved off, before he got up, Boomer surprised me by whispering in my ear. "We'll get her back and make them pay for ever taking her. I promise. Don't cry." I nodded as I held back the tears, trying to escape. I had fought not to let them show, knowing Diane needed me to be strong, but it was hard. Sadie was one of three people I considered my family. I'd lost enough people in my life. I couldn't lose her.

Londyn kept talking to Di, trying to comfort her, and she repeated over and over how sorry she was. Soon, we were joined by the other women. They moved over and sat with Diane. They worked to distract her and encouraged her to have faith that their men would bring Sadie back. Londyn had gotten up a few minutes ago to let Sara have her seat. She was over by a window. I went over to her. I needed to verify something, but not where Diane could hear me.

"They're gonna kill them, aren't they?" I asked softly to be sure Diane wouldn't hear me. Londyn hesitated, so I continued, "You don't need to say anything. Message received. I hope they make them hurt when they do. If they've touched her, I'll follow them to hell to make sure they hurt more."

"They'll regret ever taking her or those other women," she swore to me. Her facial expression was equal parts grim and vengeful.

"Good."

We didn't say anything else. We stood together and waited. Along with praying, I imagined all the ways the guys could hurt them. All of them involved blood, extreme pain, and screaming. Along with those, I fantasized about what I would do if I got my hands on any of them. It was maybe an hour before the guys came out. Diane was out of her chair and asked them if they were leaving to get Sadie.

She was told yes, but some men would stay behind to ensure the women and children were safe. They didn't know if the men who took Sadie and were after Londyn knew Londyn was here. For all we knew, Sadie might've told them. I made my offer.

"If you need to take more men, I can stand guard with Londyn here. I can shoot, and I'm not afraid to put a bullet in someone."

"That's not the easiest thing to do," Boomer said with a warning in his tone and a frown on his face.

"No, it's not, but then again, it wouldn't be my first time."

I watched as his frown turned to shock. Looking around at the other men, I saw I'd done the same to them. I didn't offer an explanation. That story was something I hadn't shared with anyone, not even Di and Londyn.

"She can do it. If some of the guys stay, I'll go with you," Londyn told them. She'd momentarily appeared surprised but then hid it. I bet she'd ask me to explain once this was over. I had to decide if I would or not.

Torpedo vetoed her idea. He used the excuse she might have a relapse from her concussion. She'd told me about it on the phone after it happened. Then he hit her with the suggestion Diane would feel better if she had both of us here. Di was nodding and giving her a beseeching look. I heard Londyn sigh before she agreed. She told him to call when he had Sadie and the other women they were holding free. He promised he would, and those men wouldn't get away with what they did.

After that, it took them a few minutes to leave. They said goodbyes, which involved short conversations, hugs, and kisses. We were left with Bullet, Phalanx, Rampage, Talon, Vicious, and Phantom. I waited until the rescue party was gone, and then I got up from the chair I'd taken as the guys filled us in.

"I'll be right back. I need to grab a few things out of the truck."

"Do you need help?" Londyn asked.

"No, I can get it. You stay with Di. I won't be long."

I squeezed her shoulder before I walked out. I didn't even make it to my truck before Vicious joined me. He came up to me at the truck as I opened the back door. "Can I help you with something?" he asked as he scanned the area. He paid a lot of attention to the gate.

"Nope, I've got it. You know you don't have to follow me. I can take care of myself."

"You very well might be able to, but we don't leave things to chance. Here, let me take those." He tried to take the two cases I lifted out of the back seat. I shook my head no.

"No, I prefer to carry them but thank you. Would you mind shutting the door for me?"

He wasn't happy, but he did it. He followed me to the clubhouse door and opened it. As I entered, I noticed he hadn't. I bet he was told to stay outside and keep watch. I carried my cases to the table where Diane and Londyn were still seated. This attracted the attention of the men inside, and they came over to see what I had. I fought not to smirk as I opened the cases and let them see what Arek would've called my babies.

In the longer case were a rifle and a shotgun, along with the assorted ammo I would need for them. In the smaller one were two handguns, extra magazines, and bullets. I reached behind my back to take out the one I carried with me at all times.

A whistle made me look up to see it came from Rampage. "Damn, woman, do you always carry this kind of firepower with you, or did you bring these special?"

"I like to have options. You never know when you might need them to take care of vermin," I informed him as I checked to be sure they were all loaded and ready to go, even though I knew they were.

"What kind of vermin do you have where you come from that requires these kinds of weapons?" Bullet asked.

"The two and four-legged kind," I said. I didn't miss the concerned looks they exchanged. They had no idea what I had been exposed to or forced to do. I wasn't one to sit back and wait to be a victim or let others be one. Londyn broke the tension by joking they shouldn't get gun envy when she got back from fetching her guns. She promised to let them touch ours if they were good.

This earned her some chuckles. Even I had to smile at her teasing. The other women were keeping Diane's mind occupied, so Londyn slipped away. I secured the cases up where none of the kids could reach them and tucked my Springfield Hellcat back into the waistband of my jeans. I went to stand by the window again. If anyone came here expecting to take anyone, they'd get the fucking surprise of a lifetime. I wasn't afraid to shoot someone. I hadn't lied when I said it wouldn't be the first time.