Page 127 of Tempting Fate

As I’m sliding my right foot into my boot, Slash returns. “Tied the bitch up in the freezer. She’ll get a little cold, might even sober her up, but it won’t kill her before we get to talk to her.” Walking over to Joker, he uses his foot to flip him onto his back. “He’s still breathin’. I’m impressed. No doubt you want me to lug his hefty arse downstairs for you.”

“Well, one of us is the brains, and the other is the brawn.” I lean down to tie up my laces as I work hard to maintain my flippant tone while the voice in my head screams at me to go to Lily. “I’ll leave you to work out which one is which.”

Once I’ve retrieved Joker’s smashed phone from the floor, I head back into my bedroom. After grabbing my cell from the bedside table, I perch on the sloping edge of my bed and thumb through my contacts. My finger hovers over Lily’s number, then the listing for her burner phone, until I decide against ambushing my woman with news of this disaster and press call on Cub’s name.

“Can’t come to the phone right now, leave a message and I’ll call you back when hell freezes over and the rapture begins. Since the glaciers are meltin’ faster than ever, that’s probably sooner than you’d expect.”

“Hey,” I begin after his rambling greeting ends, and his message bank clicks into action. “Can you get into Joker’s cloud and remove some images for me? You’ll know the ones when you see them. Also, need you to see if he’s forwarded that shit onto anyone.” I sigh before launching into the next part. “It’s not what it looks like, so I need you to avoid jumpin’ to any conclusions before you ring me back. Call me when you can… shit’s gone down.”

As soon as I end the call, the walls of the room I destroyed start to close in on me. I push back to my feet and pace from one side to the other and back again. Step after step, I walk a line into the carpet as I formulate my next move.

“Joker’s hangin’ from the roof,” Slash announces as he swaggers his way into my space ten minutes later. “No thanks to you, of course. You owe me… motherfucker’s heavier than he looks. Had to use the pulleys to get him up there. When he started cryin’ about his arms hurtin’, I left him to it…”

When he trails off, I jam my hands in my hair and turn to face him. “I needa call Lily. Needa explain this shit. Get in front of it.”

“You needa sit the fuck down and think this through.”

“That’s all I’ve been doin’.”

Slash snorts. “Yet the best you’ve come up with is tossin’ our miscalculation onto Cherub’s shoulders to make yourself feel better? Think harder for fuck’s sake.”

“I’ve left a message with Cub. The problem is solved if he can delete the photos in time.”

“Therefore, callin’ Cherub would only cause another problem. One that’ll be avoided if you listen to me.”

“Keep bein’ a smartarse, and my fist’ll be causin’ a problem for your face,” I threaten as I advance on him. “I’m not in the mood for your warped version of support.”

“How dare you?” Slash plants a hand dramatically on his chest and pretends to swoon. “I let you into my bed, and this is how you treat me afterward. I have feelings, you know.”

“I don’t know where you keep them, ’cause it’s definitely not in your fuckin’ thick head.”

“Jesus, hit a man when he’s down, brother…” He trails off when my phone rings as I’m about to swing on him. Slash laughs. “Saved by the bell.”

Seeing Cub’s number on the screen, I dive to snatch it out of Slash’s hands when he tries to answer my phone. I smack him away with one hand while I accept the call and wedge the phone under my ear. “Did you get ’em?”

“Get what?”

“The photos. Of Slash and?—”

Cub’s tone is clipped when he cuts me off. “I don’t have the time to retrieve dick pics Slash sent to some random bitch. I’m callin’ because I can’t reach Toker. He was supposed to check in with me almost twenty minutes ago. Weston’s wife says he hasn’t made it home after his shift either. I can’t get through to Cherub’s normal phone or the burner. The lines must be jammed with a blocker or somethin’ ’cause I’ve checked the surroundin’ cell towers, and they’re functionin’ like normal. Every layer of protection we have in place has gone MIA at once… that can’t be a coincidence.”

“It’s gotta be Alex or the Bishops.”

“Yeah. That’s what I’m thinkin’ too.”

My phone beeps in my ear. “Stay on the line. Hunter’s ringin’ me. He might have answers, so I’m gonna add him to our call.”

“Righto.”

“Hunt,” I say after I’ve activated the conference call option. “You’re on with Cub and me. I’m gonna put you on speakerphone so Slash can hear as well.”

“Be quick,” Hunter’s voice echoes down the line as I hit the speaker icon. “I don’t have much battery left… This emergency in Inadale that Brutus dragged us out in the middle of the night to deal with was a setup. We were ambushed from a side road about forty clicks outta the city. Got broken bodies everywhere. Brutus is okay. Missin’ some skin and nursin’ a smashed leg. Angelis and Duke are bleedin’ bad, but they’ll live... Cass’ fucked-up. I’m alone, tryna help him because Isaiah and the brothers still capable of ridin’ have made chase… Venom, I’m on my own, dealin’ with a dislocated shoulder and road rash. Need you to haul arse to me… I’m outta my depth right now.”

“Can’t,” I tell him bluntly. My pulse is skittering at a staccato pace. My head is screaming that everything that’s happened has been a setup. My body is frozen as implications I don’t want to acknowledge do their best to invade my brain. Shaking myself free of the dread that wants to render me useless, I explain, “Toker hasn’t checked in, and Weston’s missin’… Lily’s my priority.”

“Me, Sander, and Nads are on that side of the city…” Cub’s voice cuts out for a few seconds, then he’s back. “We were about to head to some basketball gala dinner thing but can be with Hunt in twenty minutes if I push it.”

“You do that. Scan the cop channels… make sure they’re not on their way. I’ll send any of the prospects and hangabouts still here to help ya. We’ll come to you once it’s confirmed Lily is all right.”

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