Chapter 7

The distant hum of motorcycles filled the air as I stood beside my brothers, Ryder and Zane, in the garage of the Red Devils Motorcycle Club. My gaze traveled from one face to the other, both men worn with worry, their eyes reflecting the weight of the situation.

"Alright, listen up," Ryder said, taking control as the strategic mastermind he was known to be. "I'll use my informants and surveillance equipment to help you find Tina and Kennedy."

"Thank you, Ryder," My gravelly voice was filled with gratitude but laced with a hint of desperation. This wasn't the first time I had relied on Ryder's skills, but this was different. The stakes were higher than ever.

"Let's start with what we know and work our way from there," he suggested, knowing that every second counted. We retreated to his makeshift war room, where maps and photographs covered the walls, and multiple monitors displayed feeds from his extensive network of cameras.

"Ryder, you got eyes all over town, huh?" Zane remarked, raising an eyebrow at the sheer scale of my operation.

"Information is power," he replied, tapping his fingers against the table. "Now, let's start tracking down leads."

"First things first," I chimed in, eyes scanning the images on the monitors. "We need to gather information about the Pistons'."

"Agreed," he said. "The guys are already working on it. They've been hitting the streets, talking to contacts, anything they can do to get us closer to finding Tina and Kennedy."

"Any luck so far?" Zane asked, his tone anxious.

"Nothing concrete yet, but we're narrowing it down," Ryder reassured him. "We'll find them."

"Alright," I said, determination setting in. "When did they get bold enough to kidnap rivals families?"

"Let's split up and follow different leads," Zane proposed. "We'll cover more ground that way."

"Good idea," Ryder agreed. "I'll keep an eye on things here and coordinate with my informants. You two hit the streets and see what you can dig up."

Hours turned into days, and we were still no closer to finding Tina and Kennedy. Each lead we followed seemed to dissolve into a frustrating dead end. I could feel the desperation mounting with every fruitless search, every useless tip from an informant. There are too many places they could be and as much as I wanted to just bust down doors until I find them, being stupid and jumping the gun won't make things any better. I have to do this right.

"Dammit," I cursed as I slammed the door of our latest false lead, an abandoned warehouse on the edge of town. "This is getting us nowhere."

"Keep your head up. We'll find them," Ryder said.

"Easy for you to say," Zane muttered under his breath.

As the three of us dove back into the investigation, The weight of responsibility was heavy on my shoulders. We were up against a dangerous rival club led by a ruthless man, and the stakes were higher than ever. But I knew that together, we would stop at nothing to bring Tina and Kennedy home safely. Plus, I'm not one to be scared to get my hands dirty.

The air was thick with tension as we gathered around the table, our eyes locked onto one another. Anger radiated off my brothers, a palpable energy that threatened to consume us all if we didn't channel it into something productive.

"Alright," Ryder said firmly, clenching his fists on the table. "We know The Pistons are behind this, and territory is their motive. But that doesn't mean we go charging in guns blazing. We need a strategy, a plan that'll get Tina and Kennedy back without putting more lives at risk."

"Easy for you to say," I spat, eyes burning with fury. "Those bastards took my family, Ryder. I won't rest until I make them pay."

"Brooks, I understand your pain," he replied, trying to keep his voice steady. "But we can't afford to be reckless. Raptor is a dangerous man, and The Pistons won't hesitate to kill anyone who gets in their way."

"Ryder's right," Zane chimed in, his fists clenched as well. "We all want to bring down Raptor and save Tina and Kennedy. But we have to be smart about it."

"Smart?" I scoffed, slamming my hand down on the table. "While we sit here ‘being smart,' my wife and daughter are suffering at the hands of those animals!"

"Enough!" he shouted, silencing the room. "We're not getting anywhere by arguing. Let's focus on what we do know and work from there."

"Fine," I muttered, still seething but willing to listen. "Let's hear your brilliant plan then."

"First, we need to gather intel on The Pistons' operations and find out where they're holding Tina and Kennedy. If we can pinpoint their location, we'll have a better chance of getting them out alive."

"Okay," Zane said, nodding. "But what about Raptor? The guy's a madman, and he won't go down without a fight."

"True," he acknowledged, mind racing with possibilities. "But if we can find a weakness, something to use against him, maybe we can force his hand and end this without bloodshed."

"Or," I interjected, eyes narrowing, "we could just storm their hideout and take them all out. No more Pistons, no more problems."

"Brooks, you know that's not how this works," he replied, exasperated. "Even if we take them down, another rival club will just fill the void. We need a long-term solution, not a short-sighted act of revenge."

"Ryder's right," Zane agreed, looking at me solemnly. "We need to think bigger than just settling scores. We have to protect our territory, our families, and our future. But we also need to be smart about it, or we risk losing everything."

"Fine," I finally conceded, my anger simmering below the surface. "Let's do this your way. But if any harm comes to Tina and Kennedy... there'll be hell to pay."

They both nodded, understanding the weight of my words. As we moved forward with our plan, the danger of confronting Raptor and The Pistons loomed over us like a dark cloud. But there was no turning back now. We had to save my family, and we had to do it together.

The smell of burnt coffee and cigarette smoke hung heavy in the air as we huddled around a small table, littered with maps, photographs, and hastily scribbled notes. The dim light cast eerie shadows on our faces, highlighting the desperation etched into each of our expressions.

"Alright," Ryder began. "We know that Raptor has Tina and Kennedy in The Pistons' hideout. Our best chance at getting them back alive is to exploit their weaknesses."

"Which are?" I growled, my knuckles white.

"First," Zane chimed in, tapping his finger on a photograph of Raptor, "he's arrogant. He thinks he's untouchable. We need to capitalize on that overconfidence."

"Agreed," he nodded. "If we can catch him off guard, it might give us the window we need to get in and out without being detected."

"Second," Zane continued, "their security system. It's good, but it's not perfect. Ryder, you mentioned knowing someone who could help us bypass it?"

"Right," he confirmed, recalling the conversation he had with his informant earlier. "He's an expert in electronic surveillance, and owes me a favor. He can help us disable their alarms and cameras long enough for us to slip inside."

"Good," I said, my eyes never leaving the photographs. "And once we're in?"

"Divide and conquer," Ryder suggested. "Zane, you focus on finding Tina and Kennedy. Keep your head down and move quickly. Brooks, you and I will create a distraction, keep The Pistons busy so they don't notice Zane slipping through."

"Sounds like a plan," Zane agreed, rubbing his palms together.

"Wait," I interjected, my brow furrowing as I studied the map. "What about their patrols? We need to bypass them too."

"Right," he agreed, leaning in closer to examine the map. "If we can figure out their patrol patterns, we can time our approach to avoid being spotted."

"Or," Zane proposed, his eyes lighting up with an idea, "we can create a diversion elsewhere, something big enough to draw their attention away from the hideout."

"Either way, we'll need eyes on the ground," he said, considering our options. "Someone to keep us informed of any changes in their movements."

"Leave that to me," I offered, determination shining in my eyes. "I know a few guys who owe me a favor. They won't let us down."

"Alright then," he concluded. "We've got our plan. Let's put it into motion and bring Tina and Kennedy home safely."

As we stared at the makeshift battle plans before us, I wondered if we were signing our own death warrants. But there was no other choice. We had to save my family, even if it meant walking straight into the lion's den.