Page 30 of Crusher

“Our sister chapter in California… We can call them down here now and start preparing—” Throttle chimes in, and I cut him off before he can finish.

“Our sister chapter? That’s an eight-hour ride!” I slam my palms against the table, wanting a quicker resolution.

“What do you suggest? Storming them again? Only this time, possibly being outnumbered and not getting to your woman before they do?”

I flinch, knowing he’s right, but still not liking his answer.

Venom looks around the table at all of us. “We need to play this smart. Because after we do this, there’ll be no more Hell’s Outlaws to ever speak of again,” he growls.

Eight goddamn hours. That’s fucking tomorrow. Can she hold on that long? Can I? Seems we don’t have a choice if we want to take 'em all down and keep Sadie alive.

Breaker clears his throat, and we turn to look at him. “I don’t believe they'll kill her.” Just the thought has my stomach turning while he displays a map on the wall with red lines going through Carnage. “Those assholes won’t get paid if she’s dead. And we all know what greedy sons-a-bitches they are. They care more about money than retaliation.”

I don’t know what’s worse: them killing her or them selling her to God knows who.

Breaker continues, despite me not wanting to hear any more. “We have a little time, though. I’ve been combing through missing person reports and the Outlaw’s files. They don’t do these drops often, probably to avoid suspicion. But it looks like they’re about due for a shipment. And they usually add two or three women to the drop to up the bonus payment.”

“Meaning they need one or two more,” Sentinel adds. “They’ll likely be out trying to get them now. Which may mean fewer eyes on Sadie while they’re out snatching women off the streets.”

“Exactly,” Breaker confirms.

Venom rests his forearms on the table in front of him. “Well, looks like their arrogance will be their demise. That video message showed their hand. They wanted to declare they can hit us where it hurts, act like they have some kind of power. But now, we know their game. And they will lose.” Then Prez points at Maverick and Breaker. “Find out where those fuckers are hiding. Get a list of all their current properties and any potential properties. We need to locate where they might be keeping Sadie and any other women.”

“We’ll start loading up,” Sentinel states, as Venom turns his gaze on me.

“I’ll get Mack and the boys here from Oakland.” He holds my stare, making a silent vow that we’ll do whatever it takes to get my woman back. Then he addresses my brothers. “This time we’ll burn those motherfuckers to the ground. I was merciful before, but I won’t make that mistake again. Kill every last one of them and leave nothing but ashes behind.” He slams his fist on the table again. “Now, move your asses.”

We’re cataloging our weapons when Maverick bursts into the armory. “We’ve narrowed it down to two locations.” He sets his laptop on the table and we all huddle around it.

I bend forward, surveying the screen. Carnage rests on a major intersection of two busy interstates, which means there’re always people coming and going through the city. It’s a busy hub for logistics and transportation companies, and large cargo trucks go in and out of town unnoticed. Makes this place perfect for all sorts of illegal transactions like gun running and human trafficking.

Venom slaps Maverick’s back. “Good job. Get some boys together and scope out both places before Oakland gets here,” he directs. It was a short call with Mack, their president, but our sister chapter was on their bikes immediately, ready to ride out.

Not long after we’ve loaded up, Maverick’s hacked into the security cameras around the two locations he mentioned. The screen changes to coding I can’t fucking read and then splits into four boxes that look like a surveillance system. I have to admit one of the spots is ideal, since it’s hidden in plain sight. It’s an old one-story office space, surrounded by large warehouses at the back of an industrial park.

On the outside, it looks like any other typical manufacturing or commercial storage property. And for anyone passing through, they wouldn’t think anything of it. But I know next door is where the Hell's Outlaws' maintain a warehouse for their vending machine business front. It’s how they’ve been laundering their cash for the last several years. Makes sense why they’d hide women there. Close to their other operations and familiar surroundings.

Then, at the bottom corner of the screen, I see something and narrow my gaze. “Right here,” I declare, pointing my finger at the same vehicle that tried to run me off the road a few days ago. “That’s the fucking van that came after me.”

“You sure?” Venom questions.

“Don’t see too many blacked-out commercial vans driving around town.”

We continue to stare at the different views from the security cameras, waiting for any sign of movement. Minutes tick by and a box truck pulls in, stopping short of the entrance to the warehouse. The back door opens and two women file out looking dirty and scared. I suck in a breath at the sight, anger seeping off me in waves.

I glance down at Gamble’s fist clenching the back of Maverick’s chair. I swear he almost reaches for his gun as we watch three Outlaws shove the women inside the warehouse. Gamble’s a lady killer with an easy swagger and loads of charm. But he’s a protector, just like the rest of us. Fuck with him, his people, or women and children, and that’ll be the last breath you ever take.

Now that we’ve confirmed where they’re keeping my woman, along with two other innocent girls, we leave Mav to keep an eye on the place, while we wait for our brothers to arrive. It won’t be much longer before the Outlaws make the exchange, so we have to move as soon as our backup pulls in. The waiting might be the death of me, but there’s nothing else I can do right now.

Just sit tight, Trouble. I’m on the way to bring you home.

12

SADIE

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Droplets of water fall from the stained ceiling, landing close to my feet and causing dampness on my skin. My hands and ankles are tied up with rope, my wrists bound around an old pipe behind me. I can feel the scratchy fabric tear at my flesh, the wounds throbbing with every move I make.

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