Chapter 20

CHAPTER

TWENTY

CLINK

The SUV pulls into the clubhouse parking lot, the tires crunching as they roll down the driveway, and then it stops at the same time my phone rings. I’m almost surprised that the little rectangle box makes a fucking noise, and I jump slightly, moaning when I do.

The drive from Knoxville to Pineville took almost five hours longer than it should have. We are shit patients and had to stop more times than we ever would have had we been on our bikes or not in fucking pain the whole time.

But it is what it is. We don’t have a goddamn choice at this point. And now we’re here. Looking down at the device, I am not surprised to see that my contact is already getting back to me.

“Maddison,” I grind out.

I’m honestly not sure I want to know where she is. Not because I think there is anything that could happen that would change the way I feel about her, but more that I’m not going to be able to control myself and what I’ll do to get her back.

“Her credit cards haven’t been used, but that didn’t surprise me. However, when I hacked into the doorbell camera from the house across the street, I got nothing. I checked Sal’s Bar’s outside cameras, and I watched her being carried away from her car. And she did not look conscious.”

I chuckle at the part where he hacked the fucking cameras… every fucking where. Then in the next breath, rage fills my entire body at the thought of her being unconscious and carried out from a fucking public space. She should be safe just simply because she’s mine, but also, a very well-lit parking lot should also be a place where she can walk to and from her goddamn car.

“So, what are you telling me?” I demand.

He laughs uncomfortably. “He put her in a car, and I got the plates.”

“So where the fuck is my woman?” I ask.

My contact lets out a sigh. He obviously thinks I’m exhausting. I am fucking exhausting, but I don’t give a fuck right now. I need to know where my woman is. And I’m going to burn the world down to find her.

“Just give me a goddamn minute,” he says with a grunt.

Biting the inside of my cheek, I worry the skin there and wait for him to tell me who the fuck has my woman. Inhaling and exhaling through my nose, I’m seconds away from telling this motherfucker to hurry the fuck up, but I know he likes the flair for dramatics.

So I wait.

Pressing my lips together, I fucking wait, and then I wait some more.

“It’s a guy who goes by the name of Blur. I mean, I could tell you his real name, but that would be pointless. You know who he is. He’s from Tennessee. Knoxville, to be exact.”

“Do you know where he’s staying here in town?” I ask.

“I do. And I would tell you if you’d shut the fuck up.”

Rolling my eyes, I almost tell him he’s pissing me off and that he better hurry the fuck up, but I decide against it. King, Atomic, and Guts exit the SUV, but I stay where I am on this fucking phone call.

“He’s not staying at a hotel. I found his info, and then I traced him to a coffee shop that just happens to be across the street from a neighborhood. And in that neighborhood, there is an Airbnb. That Airbnb has been booked for the next three months.”

“So they’re at the Airbnb?” I ask, interrupting him.

“They’re at the Airbnb,” he confirms.

He clears his throat in the silence that follows, and I wonder what the fuck is happening. Because it’s clear he’s not telling me everything.

More silence.

This motherfucker is all about the control, but so am I. I’m ready to beat the absolute shit out of him over the phone. I wish it were fucking possible. Jesus Christ, I wish he were in front of me right now. Pain or not, I would fucking obliterate his ass.

“I’ll text you the address,” he murmurs.

“Anything else you’re not telling me?” I ask.

He chuckles but doesn’t answer me right away. Then he clears his throat before he speaks. “Yeah, one more thing,” he says. Sucking in a breath, I wait for him to continue. “Conrad is here from the Southern Mafia. He’s also got some kind of obsession with your woman. I hacked into his computer and found not only a whole file on your girl but pictures as well.”

Fucking great.

“Send me the goddamn address,” I say, gnashing my teeth together.

He agrees and ends the call but tells me to call him back, and we’ll do lunch. I’ll do lunch with him when pigs fucking fly. Thanking him for everything, I end the call, and by the time I make it out of the SUV, I have the pinned location sent to my phone.

As I stumble toward the clubhouse door, I’m surprised to see that King and Atomic aren’t in the conference room holding church. Atomic isn’t in his office. Instead, they are watching me walk into the room.

“I think I know where Dillion is,” I announce.

Rim takes a step forward, then another. “I got her,” he announces. “Stay here.”

“Fuck that,” I snap.

He arches a brow, then his lips curve up into a smirk. “You need rest. Let us get her and bring her home.”

“Rim,” I grind out. “They die. They all fucking die.”

He jerks his chin, his eyes finding mine. “They all fucking die.”

I don’t know how I got into the clubhouse or how I find myself in bed, but my mind repeats those words on a loop.

They all fucking die.

Over and over.

DILLION

I’m alone.

Finally.

But I know it isn’t for long. Conrad has plans for me. Searching around the room, I look for something, anything that could get me either out of here or end me completely so that my soul can leave. I’m sure it sounds cruel and even heartless, but I do not want to be alive for whatever Conrad and this man have planned for me.

The idea of what they could and would do to my body, mind, spirit, and soul is too much to bear.

Standing, I tiptoe around the room. There isn’t anything here. The closet is empty, under the bed is completely empty. The bathroom… nothing. The cabinets in the bathroom, not even a roll of toilet paper.

There is absolutely nothing.

The sound of things crashing outside of the bedroom door causes me to straighten my spine. Looking over my shoulder, I hold my breath as I watch the door, wondering if whatever made that crashing sound is going to break through.

I hold my breath and wait. I’m not sure what I’m waiting for. Whatever is on the other side of that door may be worse than the hell I already know. I’m not sure I want whatever it is to make its way into the room.

I don’t have a choice, though.

My scream escapes without me realizing it. I cover my mouth and try to muffle the sound of my screams. I don’t know what to do, what to say. I’m frozen in place.

I scan his vest while still covering my mouth because I can’t control my screaming, then I stop. My whole body jerks because I recognize the club name on his vest. It’s not Demon Guns or anything else that I don’t recognize. It’s who I’ve been hoping would find me before I was destroyed.

“You good, babe?” he asks.

Nodding, I am breathing in and out of my nose. It’s loud, but at least I’m not screaming anymore. I also can’t move. I’m completely frozen, likely in shock. I’ve never felt this way before.

He chuckles and takes a step toward me, then another. He reaches out, wrapping his fingers around my wrist before he gently tugs my hand down. “You good?” he asks again.

“I think so,” I whisper. “I don’t know.”

“Physically, you okay?” he asks, changing the question.

I nod a couple times, because I’m not sure how to answer, how I’m going to make myself speak. But then I force the words to come out because he’s starting to look really concerned.

“They didn’t hurt me,” I whisper.

“Thank fuck for small favors. I’m Rim. Let’s get the fuck out of here before you do get hurt.”

He wraps his fingers around my wrist again and gently tugs me behind him. His long strides are way too much for me. I end up jogging behind him in an effort to keep up.

When we make our way out of the hallway, I am not even surprised to see that this house is just as empty as the bedroom. Stopping in the living room, I glance around the room.

There are men everywhere. But what I notice is that Conrad and his little friends who took me are on the floor—face down. I tug my arm from Rim’s fingers and walk toward them.

Someone calls out my name, but I ignore them.

Crouching down, I look down at the man who thought he owned me, that he could kidnap me, that he could threaten to rape me and give me to someone else to abuse. My eyes find his. He curls his upper lip at me, which only makes me smile down at him.

“I’m not yours, Conrad. Never have been, never will be. I am mine, and I fucking hate everything about you.”

I think about spitting on him but decide it would be gross, so I don’t. Turning away from him, I start to walk out of the room when something catches my eye. It’s the Demon Guns–vest guy who said he was going to use me. He’s got his back against the wall, the only man who isn’t on his stomach.

Rim reaches out to grab my wrist, but I don’t let him tug me forward. Instead, I turn and face the Demon Guns guy. Looking over my shoulder, I glance back at Rim.

“What’s going to happen to him?” I ask.

He jerks his chin. “Anybody in this house who isn’t wearing a Dark Horse MC vest is going to die. Some today, some we need information from. That one we need info from.”

“But not Conrad?” I ask.

He hums. “Conrad betrayed us. He took our property. Conrad doesn’t live past today.”

I can’t deny that I like the sound of it all. I’ve never been one to wish death on anyone, but if anyone deserves it, it’s Conrad. It’s all the men of the Southern Mafia. I hate them all. And I know it makes me a bad person, but I don’t think I care too much.

Allowing Rim to pull me out of the house, I walk away, and I do not look back. Those people are assholes. I want nothing to do with them, and if they’re obliterated, it’s really doing the world a favor.

Rim guides me toward a pickup truck. I watch as he pulls the door open, then he stands to the side and allows me to climb up. “Let’s get you to your man,” he murmurs before he closes the door.

Snapping my seat belt on, I close my eyes and let out a heavy sigh. I’m free. At least as free as I can be. The driver’s side door slams, and I look over at Rim, who is starting the engine.

“Can you take me home instead?” I ask

“Home?”

Nodding, I clear my throat. “Home,” I whisper. “I just want to get into my own bed.”

The way he eyes me, I know he thinks I’m a bitch, but I’m not sure I care. I need to be alone. I’m not sure I want to see Humble. He lied to me in more than one way, and I’m pissed off about it.

I need some space.

To be perfectly honest, I need to be alone in general.

I just need to breathe.

In and out.

Freely.