Page 102 of Idaho

"Anywhere's better than that fucking place," Butcher muttered, ripping the suit coat off and undoing his tie and the top few buttons on his dress shirt. "You owe me one for putting that shit on, Idaho."

"Deal." He was about to help me finish off a threat. I'd give him his favor. Pointing toward the squeal of tires and retreating tail lights, I answered Toxic's question, "We're going after him."

CHAPTER 35

Idaho

Igot into the driver's seat at the same time that Static took the front, leaving Toxic and Butcher to crawl into the back. This was one of the cage rides from the club, and though it started up easily enough, I regretted not having the horsepower from my own car. No way the four of us were fitting in the Ferrari, though. I pulled out onto the road, eyes fixed on the tail lights ahead of me.

"Fuck, move your damn seat forward," Butcher said, punching the back of Static's headrest.

"Knock that shit off," Static snapped. "It's as far forward as it's going. I'm not riding with my goddamn knees in the dash."

"Children," I muttered, too focused on catching up with Krier to worry about them. Dove Mountain was outside the Tucson city limits, so there were a lot of back roads and darkness, without the city traffic.

"He's turning!" Toxic called out.

I eased off the gas and turned down the road after him. It was a dirt road, and I had no idea where we were headed. The headlights gave us just enough light to see the road ahead of us, but it didn't illuminate the surrounding desert. There could be cacti, or boulders, or fucking rattlesnakes all around us, and I wouldn't know until I hit them. We were now heading north, deeper into the desert, and the road was getting rougher as we went. This wasn't meant to be driven on, especially not in sedans.

"What the fuck is he doing?" Static asked.

"If he was trying to get away from us he should be heading into the city," Butcher told us. "Somewhere he could blend in."

"Just be grateful I won't be killing him in the middle of fourth street," I muttered. Slamming on the accelerator, I sped up and slammed into the back of his car. I'd buy the club a new car once this was all over.

"You could PIT him," Butcher suggested.

I shook my head in response. A PIT maneuver was where you hit the back panel of a car with the front of yours, sending them into an uncontrolled spin. Law enforcement used it, when the conditions were right. And we had used it in the military whenever we needed it. In order to perform it, I'd have to pull off the road and alongside him. "And take a fuck ton of cactus spines in the tires?" I asked. "Not happening."

There was no way to go very fast on the road that had now turned into a little two track meant for ATVs and dirt bikes mostly, but I still wasn't taking the chance of flipping our car in favor of stopping him. I wasn't risking my brothers' lives for that slimy shit. He'd have to stop eventually. There was nowhere for him to go.

"He's stopping," Static muttered.

That was my cue. Slamming on the breaks, I jerked the wheel to the side, blocking the path so he couldn't get past us. He'd have to go around, and take the same chance that he wouldn't pop a tire. Shoving open the door, I got out, eyeing the car in front of us. My brothers were right behind me. We'd have enough warning if he threw it into reverse, because the reverse lights would come on. It would give us much needed time to jump out of the way. Same for if he gunned it to try to outrun us now that we were outside the vehicle. In order to put it into drive the gear shift bypassed reverse, so the lights would flash on the back. The tail lights continued to glow red in the darkness. He was trying to figure out what to do.

"We need to get to him before he decides," Toxic said, making me wonder if I'd said the last out loud.

I hadn't, we were all just thinking the same thing. We were all in different military operating specialties, besides me and Static, but we were all trained in the same way. We were taught to think the same in dangerous situations. It was a habit that would never die.

"Static, you and Butcher go right. Toxic, with me. If he tries anything, detain him. Try not to kill him. He's mine."

They all nodded as we each pulled our guns out. We all had on shoulder holsters that had been hidden by our suit coats. Butcher's had been in plain view since we left the party, but there wasn't anyone out here to notice. We split off into our groups as we approached the car from both sides. We opened the doors and I heard Krier's panicked voice as he called out for mercy as Butcher dragged him from the driver’s seat and out the passenger door of the car. "Please don't hurt me!"

"Stop," Butcher ordered. "Turn around."

The sound of a body hitting metal made me smile as Toxic and I moved around the vehicle to rejoin the others. I missed that sound. Missed the thrill of this. The boardroom gave me a different sort of thrill, but here and now I realized I still needed this in my life. No wonder these guys were a part of the club. They got to live out the urges that the U.S. Military had trained into us. They'd molded us into warriors, then expected us to stop and be normal once we retired. Newsflash, we weren't fucking normal. And never would be again. The need for violence was a burning flame deep inside my chest.

"What are you going to do to me?" Krier asked, his voice shaking with fear.

I stepped up beside him and he flinched away from me. He was now on his knees in the dirt with Butcher standing behind him. Static was off to the side, keeping an eye on our surroundings in case someone decided to come looking for us. I doubted it would happen, though. Fremont probably thought Krier was dead, or at least that we were all dead, and Eva's family didn't know what was going on. They wouldn't associate with the man who'd tried to take Eva from them.

The only person looking for Krier was probably some assistant. "You're going to pay," I told him. "For trying to hurt my woman."

"I wasn't going to hurt her," he snapped. "I just needed her to convince her father..."

"To pay off your debts," I finished for him. Squatting down so we were at eye level, I let him see the rage that had been building in me since the night she was attacked. "Tell me, Krier. How well did you know the men you hired to kidnap her?"

His eyes were wide, and they darted around, looking for someone to talk reason into me. My brothers' faces were as cold and emotionless as my own. I knew exactly what Krier was seeing when he looked into my eyes. His own death.

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