Page 27 of Crusher

He releases Sadie, spreading his arms wide in a show of words. My brothers growl around me, ready to taste blood.

“Y’all might wanna give up now and let the inevitable happen, 'cause ain’t no way you cocksuckers’ll win this time. And guess what? We’re not the only ones in Carnage sick of your bullshit.”

What the fuck is that supposed to mean?

Then, without warning, the screen goes black and my chest squeezes tight, making it hard to breathe.

“FUCKING SHIT!” Venom yells, grabbing a wooden chair and throwing it across the room. Kyle darts behind me and the movement gets Prez’s attention. So he drags in a few lungfuls of air in an attempt to tamp down his anger.

Flashes of Sadie’s injured face play on repeat in my mind. Her swollen eyes, blood-crusted nose, busted lips, split-open cheek…

Goddamn it!

Sentinel remains stoic with his muscular arms crossed over his heaving chest. If you didn’t know him, you’d think he was calm right now, but I can see it in his eyes. He’s ready to destroy someone. His mind is working overtime, recalling the details of the video. Minutiae that no one else would notice. He’s the observant one. The kind of guy who locates every exit in a room and plans an escape route, always ready for some shit to go down.

“Wa-was… that my… sis-sister?” Kyle stutters from behind me, his hand clutching the sides of his jeans while he shakes with fear. Tears stream down his face and deep regret tears through me. He never should’ve seen that, seen Sadie that way. And I’d do anything to erase those images from his brain.

“We’ll get her back,” I vow to him.

“It’s your fault! This never would’ve happened if it weren’t for you.” Poor kid starts to sob, and I know he’s right. “It was just the two of us and we were fine without you!”

I step up to him, surprised when he doesn’t back away, then gently place my hand on his shoulder. “I won’t argue with you, Kyle. It is my fault, and I wish to God it wasn’t.”

He sniffles, wiping his nose with his sleeve.

“But I wasn’t lying when I said I care about your sister.”

His forehead wrinkles with anguish, and I feel his pain. I may not have known Sadie for long, but she’s gotten so deep beneath my skin that she’s become a part of me. She’s all I think about and everything I want. The woman I breathe for, even if she treats me like a pain in her ass. I’m her pain in the ass and that’s all that matters to me.

“C’mon. I’m gonna take you to the game room for a while. You can hang out there with Angie. She might even let you win at foosball if you’re nice.”

Kyle dries his tears with the heels of his hands while I wave Angie over to take care of him for me. She’s one of the older club bunnies, been here so long she doesn’t know anything else. And she’s quick to tell you she doesn’t want anything else either. She’s like a den mom to the other girls, and we show her that level of respect.

“Come with me, cutie. I’ll show you where I keep the good snacks and sodas.”

Kyle returns Angie’s wink with a sad smile, and I take it as a sign he’ll be all right for a while. At least long enough for me to plan to take down some Outlaws.

10

CRUSHER

“Maverick, dig up everything you can on the Outlaws and any last known contacts,” Venom orders as our club hacker’s fingers fly across his keyboard. My brother’s had his head buried in his computer for hours, and he’s turned up some helpful information.

Looks like an anonymous “concerned” citizen falsely reported unpaid taxes for all the Disciples’ businesses.

Concerned citizen, my ass.

No one else believed that claim either, and Mav was able to track down their IP address. Turns out the originating emails came from the mayor’s office. Can’t prove it was Prescott himself, but I’d bet my Harley that the jackass ordered some office flunky to do the dirty work for him. It’s no secret that the motherfucker has an issue with us, but I’m surprised he’d be this petty.

I pause, thinking about the bullshit that’s gone down over the past several weeks and wonder if these events are somehow connected. The attacks on our businesses and our shipments, harassment from Carnage PD, the false arrests of our brothers…

Are the Outlaws and the mayor acting separately, or could they be working together? And what’s this got to do with Sadie?

“I’m getting her back,” I mutter to no one.

“Damn fucking right,” Venom promises, clasping my shoulder with a firm hand.

Breaker storms over to the bar with his laptop, taking a seat next to Maverick. The kid’s been training under him for months, and he’s proving to be almost as good when it comes to all the techy shit. “What do you need?”

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