Page 44 of Free

“No. Why? What seven girls?”

“We were ambushed. Took seven of our girls. There’s no reason behind this shit, Jamie.”

“That sounds odd. Why would they take the girls? Not to be an ass, but there’s nothing special about your girls, Free,” he declares. Addison. There’s everything special about her.

“I don’t know, man. I can’t figure this shit out,” I tell him.

“Are you okay? You weren’t hit?”

“No. I’m good. A little beat up, but that’s it. I’ll live.”

“I don’t know what to tell you, man. I haven’t heard anything, but I’ll keep an eye out for you.” Somethings wrong. Something he said is wrong. He asked me if I was hit. How would he have known they were shooting at us? I didn’t say that. I said we were ambushed, and that doesn’t mean we were fired at. My heart slowly sinks in my chest. There’s no way he would have done this.

“You asked if I was hit,” I repeat his words back to him.

“Yeah. I just figured they were shooting at you.” How the hell do you just figure that? Probably because of who we are. Soulless Bastards aren’t just a local MC. We’re one-percenters on the wrong side of the law. It makes sense.

“I don’t know what to do, Jamie.”

“I don’t know how to help you either. I’ll keep an eye, and if I hear anything, I will let you know.”

“Yeah, let me know if you do.” I shake my head as I hang up the phone. How could I have suspected my brother? What kind of fucked up person does that make me?

“What’s wrong?” Van asks.

“I think I’m losin’ my goddamn mind, Van.”

“Why?”

“For half a second, I thought Jamie might have somethin’ to do with this shit,” I admit. Van chuckles and slaps a hand on my shoulder.

“You are losin’ it.”

“I know. It’s just all a fuckin’ mess.”

“I know, but we’re gonna find them.”

“No one knows anything. How the hell does somethin’ like this happen, and no one knows shit?” I ask more of myself than him.

“I don’t know, brother, but we’ll figure it out. Mask is doin’ everything he can right now.”

“You know this isn’t just about the girls? It’s about her.”

“I had a feelin’ it was about Addison more than the others.”

“Not that I don’t care, I do, but-”

“You need your girl back. I get it. I would lose my shit if somethin’ happened to my girl too,” he says. I nod my head, knowing he would understand. They’ve had to have seen how attached I’ve become to Addison. I’m not letting her go that easily.

“We may have somethin’,” Mask announces, standing in the office doorway.

“What is it?”

“The van they used was dumped a few blocks from the river. Wanna check it out?” I nod my head. I need to do something. I need to look for her, find her. I feel like I’m slowly losing my damn mind without her here.

I walk toward the door and follow Mask out, grabbing my helmet when I’m near my bike. I slide it on and climb on my bike as too many thoughts race around my head. What if she’s hurt? What if she’s giving them shit like she did me? That would be reason enough to hurt her. Be smart, Addison. Don’t do anything to get yourself hurt. The words ring in my ears as I rev the engine and follow Mask out of the parking lot.

We ride through town and down toward the river when I see the van. We both pull to a stop and kill the bikes before climbing off.

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