Page 29 of Crusher

We leave the game room and I walk Kyle over to Lily and her son, Caleb. They’re huddled with Gunner at a table off to the side of the main room. They’ve just survived their own run-in with the Outlaws a few weeks ago, and Gunner has kept an eye on them like a hawk, often bringing them here, where they can be close by.

Gunner looks back at me and nods when we approach. “You good?”

“Good as I can be,” I confess. He’s one of my closest friends. Which means he’s all too familiar with how I’ve been tied up in knots over this woman for months. I gesture to my brother’s new family. “This is Lily and Caleb.” Then, I nudge the kid forward. “And this is Kyle.”

“Hey, sweetheart,” Lily’s voice is calm and kind, just like a mom’s should be. “I was just about to get this little monster a snack. You wanna come with us to the kitchen? See what we can find?” She smiles warmly at Kyle while she ruffles her son’s hair.

“Okay,” Kyle replies, his tone suggesting he’s nervous.

“Go on,” I encourage him while Lily and Caleb rise from their seats.

But before they head off, he turns back to look at me. “You promise?” He doesn’t need to say more for me to know what he’s asking.

“You have my word.” I watch the three of them walk away before I pivot toward my brother. “We got Church.”

Gunner’s gaze sharpens; then he follows me down the hall.

We enter the room and find Venom already seated at the head of the table, waiting as we all file in. I take a seat next to Gamble and he slaps me on the shoulder. He knows the lengths I’ll go to for Sadie, so there’s no need to voice them. Sentinel is the last one to enter, taking his place beside Prez.

All murmurs come to an end when Venom slams his heavy fist on the old table. “These motherfucking Outlaws are smarter than I gave them credit for. That was my mistake. One I won’t make again. I thought that bullshit with Striker taking Caleb was a pointed incident, but it looks like these assholes are up to far more than that,” Venom proclaims. He motions to Maverick, who clicks a button on his laptop, projecting the screen onto the wall at the side of the room.

The video a few of us watched earlier begins to play, and the anger I had let diffuse—at least a little bit—suddenly intensifies after seeing Sadie’s battered face again. I can see the rage in her narrowed eyes as she glares at the camera. She’s not crying, not begging for help, not kicking and screaming to be released. My woman doesn’t cower; she fucking fights. And I can tell she’s ready to make these men pay just as much as I am.

The temperature in the room rises as tension fills the air, everyone’s eyes locked on the images displayed on the wall. When the video stops, all eyes shift to me.

“They got balls. I’ll give them that,” Gamble grumbles beside me.

“More like they lack a sense of survival,” I retort.

Gunner focuses his gaze on me, no doubt remembering his own recent encounter with the Outlaws. “They’ve fucked with us for the last time. Ever,” he promises, and the rest of my brothers vocalize their agreement.

“What the hell did he mean when he said we ain’t the only ones?” Reaper asks.

“Maverick and Breaker did some digging on that,” Venom answers, pulling our attention back to him. “Seems like the Outlaws are just one leg of the trafficking route for whoever they work for. They pick up the cargo, then hand it off. But they get a bonus if they add more women to the shipment. In exchange, they get paid and get protection from this unknown party.”

“So they’re moving women and adding to the shipment? Fucking pieces of shit,” Gunner curses. “You mean to tell me this was all happening right under our noses?”

“Apparently,” Venom sneers.

Then, the screen changes and photos are displayed of Mayor Prescott in different hotel rooms with various females. One image shows him gripping a young girl by the head, forcing her to gag on his pathetic cock. I bet his wife would love to see this.

“Looks like Prescott’s been getting around,” Gamble snarks.

“This ain’t the half of it.” Maverick’s mouth twists in disgust. “I hacked into the Outlaw’s files and found tons of pictures and videos of him not only fucking women who aren’t his wife. But also making them do some depraved shit, then beating the fuck outta them if they didn’t comply.” Maverick shakes his head. “Guess that’s one way to use your political power. Sick fuck.”

Country has a curious expression etched on his face. “But what does Ratchet having this shit on Prescott have to do with us?”

I stand from my seat, restless energy forcing me to move. “Blackmail. He does whatever the fuck they want him to do now, which includes making false arrests, finding an excuse to be on our asses, allegations that we haven’t paid business taxes… Take your pick. The Outlaws may be able to hit us physically, but they need help to fuck with us financially. The mayor certainly has the power to help them with that.”

“Not going to fucking happen,” Sentinel hisses.

Throttle puts the pieces together in his head. “Makes sense why they’ve been so fucking cocky lately.”

“Yeah, and with this unknown backer standing behind them, we don’t know what we’re up against,” Sentinel thinks out loud. “They didn’t see us coming when we attacked their clubhouse. But whoever they work for, you can guarantee they’ll protect their investment to keep the women coming in. Which means they could supply the Outlaws with guns, manpower, who the fuck knows what else if they think we’re coming for them.”

Now, I get it. “Hate to admit it, but it adds up.”

“We need reinforcements. This isn’t just about getting Sadie back. We need to take these fuckers out now and be done with them permanently,” Sentinel declares.

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