Chapter 5

I was sitting at the worn wooden bar, the steady hum of conversations and laughter filling the Red Devils MC clubhouse, when my phone buzzed in my pocket. Pulling it out, I saw Tina's name flash on the screen. My gut tightened – she knew better than to call me while I was at the clubhouse, unless it was important.

"Hey, babe," I said, trying to keep my voice casual. "What's up?"

"Brooks," Tina's voice trembled, raw with fear. "They're here. There are three men, masked, with guns. They broke into our house."

My heart slammed against my ribs, adrenaline flooding my veins. I could hear her labored breathing, punctuated by muffled sobs. The surrounding room seemed to fall away, replaced by a cold, primal need to protect my family.

"Where are you?" I asked, my voice low and urgent. "Are you safe? And where's Kennedy?"

"I'm hiding in the closet with Kennedy. She's terrified, Brooks." A sob cracked her voice. "I don't know what they want. They're tearing through the house–"

"Stay hidden, stay quiet," I instructed, gripping the phone so tightly it threatened to crack. My mind raced, already calculating how fast I could get home. "I'm coming, Tina. I'll be there as fast as I can."

"Please hurry, Brooks. I–" Her words were cut off by the sound of a door slamming open, followed by a man's gruff voice shouting orders. The line went dead, leaving only a high-pitched tone echoing in my ear.

"Shit!" I cursed, jumping to my feet and slamming my fist against the bar. Panic clawed at my chest, threatening to consume me whole. My wife and daughter were in danger, and there was nothing I could do but pray that I'd make it in time.

I stormed out of the clubhouse. My bike roared to life beneath me, its familiar vibrations anchoring me to reality.

"Please be okay," I whispered into the wind, willing my bike to fly faster than ever before. "Both of you, just hold on."

The wind roared in my ears as I tore through the streets, pushing my bike to its limits. Every red light was another obstacle between me and my family, but there was no time for caution—only speed and raw desperation.

"Damn it!" I snarled, weaving through traffic like a man possessed. Images of Tina and Kennedy, terrified and alone, flashed through my mind, fueling my determination to reach them.

I rounded the final corner, the tires screeching beneath me, and my heart plummeted at the sight of our home. The front door hung open, splintered wood strewn across the porch like a cruel invitation. I killed the engine and leapt off my bike, sprinting towards the wreckage.

"Kennedy! Tina!" My voice echoed through the empty house, a desperate plea met with silence. Panic clawed at my chest as I took in the chaos surrounding me—overturned furniture, shattered glass, and drawers ripped from their hinges.

"Where the hell are they?" I muttered under my breath, rummaging through the debris. My fingers closed around a small, stuffed unicorn—Kennedy's favorite toy. It was torn and dirty, a testament to the violence that had unfolded in our once safe sanctuary.

"Please, God," I whispered, clutching the tattered toy to my chest. "Don't let them be hurt."

My hands shook with anger and fear as I dialed the police, the cold metal of the phone pressing against my cheek. "My wife and daughter's been taken," I told the operator, voice raw from barely suppressed emotions. "Three men with guns broke in."

"Can you give a description of the men?" The voice on the other line was calm and professional, but it grated on my nerves.

"Masked. That's all I know," I replied, frustrated at how little information I had to offer.

"Stay where you are, sir. Officers are on their way," the operator instructed. I clenched my jaw, the need for action churning inside me like a storm. But I knew that if I wanted to get them back, I'd have to work with the police, at least for now.

Within minutes, sirens wailed in the distance, growing louder as the red and blue lights cut through the dark night. I opened the front door just as the officers stepped out of their cars, their faces grim and focused.

"Brooks?" one of them asked, extending his hand. I nodded, shaking it before getting to the point.

"Three masked men with guns broke into my house and took my wife and daughter,," I said, my voice cracking with the effort it took not to break down completely. The officer's face hardened, and he signaled for his partner to start investigating the scene.

As the second officer started dusting for fingerprints and snapping photos of the chaos that surrounded us, the first officer turned back to me. "Did your wife say if they mentioned anything about what they were looking for?"

I shook my head, memories of Tina's trembling voice playing on repeat in my mind. "No, she didn't. They just took them and left."

"Is there any reason someone might want to target your family?" the officer inquired, watching me closely.

"None that I know of," I replied, my thoughts racing back to the Red Devils MC and wondering if our enemies had somehow found out about my connection to the club. But no, that couldn't be it. The life I led within the MC was separate from my family—I'd made sure of it.

"Alright, we'll do everything we can to find them," the officer promised, his voice steady and reassuring. "We'll be in touch with any updates."

"Thank you," I muttered, my throat tight with a mixture of gratitude and desperation. As the officers finished their investigation and left, I stood alone in the wreckage of my home, the weight of their abduction crushing down on me like a thousand tons.

"I swear, I'm gonna find you," I whispered into the silence, my resolve steeling itself against the darkness.

I paced back and forth in the wreckage of my home, my boots crunching on shattered glass as I clutched my phone like a lifeline. With each step, my heart pounded harder in my chest, filling my ears with a staccato rhythm that mirrored the desperation coursing through me. I could feel the oppressive weight of helplessness bearing down, threatening to crush me beneath its suffocating mass.

"Come on, come on," I muttered under my breath, willing my phone to ring with news of Tina and Kennedy's whereabouts. The silence was deafening, amplifying the void their absence had left behind.

"Brooks!" a familiar voice called out from behind me, shattering the silence like a gunshot. I spun around to see Zane striding toward me, his face etched with concern. "What the fuck happened?" he demanded, his eyes scanning the chaos before him.

"Someone took them, Zane," I replied, my voice breaking with the weight of unshed tears. "Tina called me, said there were three guys wearing masks and carrying guns... and then the line went dead."

"Shit," Zane cursed, running a hand through his hair as the gravity of the situation settled over him. "Have you heard anything since?"

"Nothing," I admitted, shaking my head, frustration boiling over into anger. "The police were just here, but they don't know anything yet either."

"Alright," Zane said, his voice steady and reassuring. "We'll find them, Brooks. I swear it."

"Damn right we will," I agreed, the embers of determination beginning to burn within me. "No one gets away with hurting my family."

Zane clenched his jaw. His eyes filled with a silent promise of retribution.

"Whoever these guys are," I growled, my hands curling into fists, "they just made the biggest mistake of their lives."