Chapter 21

Backdraft

With a twist of my wrist, I gun the throttle on my bike, the roaring engine propelling me towards the Boardwalk like a missile. Zoey's sultry words from our phone call are seared into my mind and igniting a raging fire within me. The street lights blur as they zip by melding with the image of her in that damn lacy nightgown clinging to her curves. Every passing mile amplifies my desire for her like the heat leaching off the asphalt beneath my tires. As I speed down the road, I can almost feel her body pressed against mine, her breath hot against my neck. I know that once I have her in my arms again, she'll never miss the glitz and glam of the life she's sampling. I'll make sure of that.

I finally arrive at the grand hotel. The marble columns tower above me as I park my bike in the nearest parking garage. With a satisfying click, I cut the engine and swing my leg over the side, eager to see Zoey. My impatience drives me forward as I storm through the luxurious lobby towards her room, my leather boots echoing against the marble floors. A sly grin creeps across my face, knowing what awaits me behind her door. I can't wait to get her naked under those silky sheets.

I raise my fist to knock, but the door swings open at my light touch and my world comes crashing down around me. Alarm bells start ringing in my head. This isn't right. I know it in my bones. I rush into the dark room, my fists clenched at my sides. As I flick on the light, I am met with an empty space. There's no sign of Zoey.

My heart pounds furiously against my chest as I spot a piece of fabric on the floor. I stoop down and pick it up, running the shred of the silky, lace nightgown I'd been fantasizing about over my fingers. A scent, not hers, fills the air, musky and foreign, and it only fuels my rage. Moving further into the room, I find her purse, phone and a single earring, but no sign of her. Panic rages through my veins like wildfire, consuming all rational thought. Zoey is gone but I'll be damned if anyone will get away with taking her from me.

I snatch my phone from my pocket and dial Aero's number. I need him, I need the club. With shaking hands, I clutch the phone. He picks up after one ring.

"Aero, it's Backdraft," my voice drops to a dangerous growl. "I'm at Zoey's hotel room and she's fucking gone. Someone took her."

"Where's Carracci?" Aero asks and my rage takes a fierce turn.

"Not protecting her." I'm all but roaring now, my fury reaching all new high, even for me.

"Shit, Backdraft, we're on our way. We'll find her, brother, I promise you that." The line goes dead, but I know he's mobilizing the club and they're on the way.

I'm left with only my seething fury as I wait for them to arrive. I storm out of the room, my heart pounding in my chest like a jackhammer. I don't care if I wake the whole damn world as I barrel down the corridor, banging on every door, screaming at the top of my lungs.

A door across the hall swings open, and Cal appears in the doorway, his pants unbuttoned and his hair a mess.

"Backdraft, what the hell's going on?" Cal growls, passing the gun in his hand behind him to Brie.

"Where the fuck were you?" I roar, my fist flying before I can think twice. The satisfying impact of his jaw against my knuckles gives me a momentary sense of relief. My breaths come in short gasps as I struggle to control the urge to strike him again. "Zoey's gone, you asshole! You were supposed to be protecting her!"

Cal retaliates, his fist colliding with my cheek, sending a sharp, searing pain through the side of my face but it's nothing compared to the agony in my chest.

"Enough! Zoey's not gonna want you tearing each other apart!" Brie screams.

I step back, panting, and wipe the blood from my split lip with the back of my hand. Cal's jaw tightens as he pushes past me, storming towards Zoey's door. He throws it open and takes in the scene for himself, his eyes ablaze with anger. "Where the fuck was the guard?"

Cal turns on his bare feet, storming across the hall to Kayden's room, rage fueling every step. He raises his fist and slams it against the door, the sound reverberating through the hallway. With no response from inside, he reaches into his back pocket and pulls out a keycard. He swipes it through the reader, and when it beeps, he steps forward and pushes his full weight against the door until it swings open. I follow behind closely. Cal's face drops when we find Kayden unconscious on the floor. Cal shakes him awake, demanding answers he doesn't have.

Kayden comes around, confusion clouding his features. "What the fuck happened?"

"Dominic outsmarted us. He's got Zoey." Cal fills him in. "And the guard at her door is gone too."

"Shit." Kayden curses under his breath, scrubbing his hand down his dreary face and stumbling to his feet.

"We don't have time to worry about him right now!" I growl, my voice hoarse. "We need to find her now!"

Kayden's fingers move rapidly as he pulls out his phone and flips open several laptops on the desk. He begins to assemble his teams remotely, his brows furrowed in concentration as each screen lights up from some other location. But my attention is drawn away by the loud commotion in the hallway, signaling that my club has arrived.

"Hashtag, get your ass in here!" I shout. We need every advantage we can get and he's the only one I trust to find her.

Hashtag rushes in understanding the urgency. His laptop is already open and balanced on his arm while the fingers on his free hand fly across the keyboard. There are multiple images on his screen. One has some kind of computer code running along it, another is flashing faces in what appears to be a sequence, but I'll be damned if I have a clue what he's doing. The rest of his screen is filled with camera feeds. He gives me a rushed nod and sinks to the floor with his legs crossed and his computer resting on his lap. His intense gaze is fixed on the screen, barely acknowledging Kayden's larger setup sprawled across the desk with similar feeds. But I'm well aware of their pissing contest as Hashtag's fingers fly over the keyboard in a blur, trying to out-hack Kayden's team. I can see the determination in his eyes. He's never lost a challenge and he's not about to start now. It makes me admire him even more, although I'm not about to admit that out loud.

"We'll find her, Backdraft," Aero assures me, patting my shoulder. "We'll find her, I promise."

I nod in response, but I'm not so sure. Not when we're up against people willing to hurt the ones they're supposed to love to get what they want. Zoey's life hangs in the balance, and I swear on everything I hold dear, I'll move heaven and earth to bring her home.

My feet pace across the floor between Hashtag and Kayden, trying to find something useful in whatever it is they're doing. My mind is racing so fast I can barely make out the voices of the rest of the club out in the hall but I trust they're working just as hard trying to figure this out. Whoever took Zoey better not have harmed her, because if they've so much as laid a finger on her, they're dead. She's mine, damn it, and I'll tear this city apart to get her back.

Minutes feel like hours as they comb through the footage, my stomach twisting into knots with every passing second. Finally, Hashtag lets out a curse and my blood runs cold.

"I found something," he shouts as he angles his screen so Aero and I can get a better look. The feed from the security cameras play out on the screen. Cal and Kayden huddle in behind us as we watch a man rap on the door. My vision blurs with rage as we watch Zoey draw open the door in that little white nightgown and a smile on her face.

Fuck. She was expecting me.

Her expression falls to one of terror. I grit my teeth, my hands clenched into fists at my side as I watch Zoey try to push the door closed and the mother fucker shouldering his way through. I double over like I've been punched in the gut, the air ripping from my lungs as the door closes behind him. I have no idea what's happening on the other side of that door.

"That's not Domonic Cassedy." I bark at Hashtag, my fists clenching at my side. "Who is that?"

The image in the corner of Hashtag's screen stops on the man's face. His details sprawling across the bottom complete with his height and weight, date of birth and address but his name has Cal cursing behind me.

"Gino Moretti. You have to be fucking kidding me."

"You know who he is?" I need answers and Cal Carracci is the only one with any.

"He worked for my brother, Angelo. He had both hands back then." Our heads snap in his direction and he shrugs. "He kidnapped Brie and my daughter. He was supposed to be dead."

"Looks fucking alive to me." I'm seeing red and still have no idea where Zoey is or what this asshole wants with her.

"There's more." Hashtag's voice grabs my focus from the thoughts running rampant in my head.

The hotel room door swings open and Zoey emerges into the hallway with this Moretti character at her back. Her hair is messy and the strap of her nightgown is torn and hanging off her shoulder.

If that son of a bitch touched her, he's going to pray for death when I get my hands on him.

She takes hesitant steps toward the elevator, her eyes locking onto the surveillance camera as if she's trying to send a message. A chill runs down my spine. Does she know that we'd be able to see this footage?

"There." I point at the camera feed. "She's saying something. What is she saying?"

Hashtag rewinds the footage, zooming in on her face, and hits play again. My eyes stare at Zoey's image on the screen, studying every detail. Zoey's lips move, forming the words that send a chill down my spine.

"Bomb… Get Out…"

Shit.

Aero rushes out of the room and seconds later the shrill wail of the fire alarm pierces my ears. Urgency sets in as chaos erupts in the halls. I hear my brothers barking orders as hotel guests fill the hallway. Kayden shields Cal and Brie as they take off toward safety. I curse under my breath. I know they're important people and it's his job to protect them, but what about Zoey? They're the reason she's even here.

"Everyone get out. Now," Aero orders from the doorway.

"We're right behind you, Pres," I reassure him.

"Don't fuck with me, Backdraft. We'll find her but we need to be alive to do that." Aero turns back to the hallway and I return my focus on Hashtag.

"Time's not on our side, Hashtag. Find her. Where did they go?"

He returns his focus to the monitor, his fingers trembling as they fly over the keys. "This doesn't make any sense."

"Talk to me, Hashtag."

Hashtag brings up another camera feed and shakes his head. "I don't get it. From what I'm seeing, they never left the hotel."

"How can that be? Where is she?"

Hashtag shakes his head, "I don't know. They never get off the elevator."

"Is there a floor without cameras?" My head is spinning with questions, "What about the roof? They had to have gone somewhere?"

A few more keystrokes and Hashtag has the hotel blueprints pulled up. "There's a service corridor off the first floor but there's no cameras."

Fucking hell. She's been right under my nose the whole time.

Hashtag closes his laptop, tucking it securely under his arm. Together, we burst out into the hall and join the stream of people rushing down the stairs towards the nearest exits. The sound of panicked footsteps echoes around us as we descend several flights of stairs. I spot Aero and the rest of our club up ahead helping guests who need assistance. Knowing my brothers are safe and almost out of the building, I slow my steps.

Hashtag notices my hesitation and turns to me. "Backdraft, what are you thinking?"

I shake my head. "I'm not leaving without her."

"You'll need a passkey to access the service corridor."

"Already got one." I hold up the key I swiped from one of the hotel staff a few floors up. "You did good, kid. Now get out of here."

The rush of people fades away as I turn back and head toward the elevator. With a press of a button, the polished metal doors slide open, and I slip inside, releasing a sigh of relief as the doors slide shut. I press the button for the main level and insert the key into the slot. Adrenaline builds in my chest as I watch the numbers tick by. She's here, somewhere in this building and I will find her.

The elevator doors open onto the opposite side and I step out into the service area, my heart racing with each step I take. She's close. I can feel it. I can feel her.

The cold concrete walls close in around me sending a chill down my spine as I walk further in. The fluorescent lighting back here is dull and yellow compared to the LED lights in the rest of the hotel. It casts flickering shadows along the floor, turning every nook into a potential hiding spot for a bomb. I step cautiously, looking for potential traps and explosives.

The blare of the fire alarm assaults my ears as it reverberates around the enclosed concrete space. I scan the barren walls until I spot the intrusive device overhead. With the tip of my knife, I dismantle the red plastic device and separate the wires until the horn silences in my hand. Its vibrations still echo in my head as I struggle to focus on my surroundings and listen for any signs of Zoey.

I follow the hum of the air conditioning units and the rhythmic rush of water moving through the pipes that run the length of the ceiling. My boots echo against the concrete floor mingling with the buzz off the endless rows of mechanical equipment. I move deeper in and find myself forced with a choice to go left or right. Both lead deeper into the massive room lined with more equipment.

I scan both paths with a growing sense of unease. I glance down the left side and then the right, repeating the motion several times. I need to find her and fast. If there is a bomb, I have no idea how long I have until it either detonates or the bomb squad moves in. I close my eyes and inhale a deep breath, letting my instincts guide me. Opening them, I turn to the left. Pushing on past more rows of equipment. The urgency in my steps grows with every passing second. Nearing the end of the hall, I freeze in my steps when I hear the soft whimper of her voice.