Page 60 of Her Possessive Bikers

35

JACOBY

My knuckles turn white as I grip the handlebars, leading our convoy of bikes through the night. The tip came from one of our street informants - an old warehouse on the outskirts of town. The thought of Indy hurt or scared makes my blood boil.

"Keep tight formation," Tres barks through our helmet comms. "We don't know how many hostiles we're dealing with."

The warehouse looms ahead, a hulking shadow against the starless sky. I kill my engine and coast the last few yards, the rest of our crew following suit. The silence feels heavy as we dismount.

"Jacoby, take point with me," Tres orders, checking his weapon. "Kyler, coordinate the others to cover the exits."

"If they've hurt her..." Kyler's voice trails off as he loads his gun.

"Focus," I snap, though my own hands shake slightly as I chamber a round. "We get in, we get our girl, we get out."

We edge toward the warehouse entrance when the flood lights snap on, momentarily blinding us. Lupe emerges from theshadows, flanked by his crew. The facial tattoos on his round face twist as he grins.

"Well, if it ain't the damn cavalry." Lupe spreads his arms wide. "Come to rescue the princess?"

"Cut the shit, Lupe." Tres's voice carries that dangerous edge I've learned to recognize. "Where is she?"

"Alive. For now." Lupe pulls out a cigarette, taking his time lighting it. "Little roughed up, but damn she's tough, just like her old man was."

I hear Kyler's gun cock and he starts to approach.

"Back the fuck down Kyler, not now." I whisper.

I hear him growl under his breath, but I hear the sound of his boots as he steps back.

"Looks like we got ourselves a situation here, don't we?" Lupe says.

My trigger finger itches as I scan the catwalks above. I count at least six more of Lupe's men in the shadows, all armed.

"Name your price," Tres says flatly.

Lupe takes a long drag. "Simple. You eat a bullet, right here, right now. Then your boys can take the girl home."

"Like hell," Kyler snarls behind me.

"Think about it." Lupe's eyes glitter. "One life for another. Plus, my boys get your territory. Everyone wins."

"Except us," I cut in. "How about we counter-offer with you releasing Indy, and we don't paint these walls with your brains?"

"Funny guy." Lupe's smile doesn't reach his eyes. "But here's the thing - you're not in a position to negotiate. I got your girl. And if Tres here doesn't take the deal..." He makes a slicing motion across his throat.

The warehouse falls silent except for the hum of the flood lights. I can feel the tension radiating off Tres beside me, see his jaw working as he weighs our options.

"Clock's ticking," Lupe says. "What's it gonna be?"

Tres steps forward, his boots scraping against the concrete. My heart hammers in my chest.

"Don't!" I grab his arm. "There's gotta be another way."

"Tres, please," Kyler's voice cracks behind me.

Tres shrugs off my grip, squaring his shoulders as he faces Lupe. The warehouse air grows thick with tension.

My chest tightens as I watch Tres step forward. First Brick, now this? The club's already bleeding from one loss - losing Tres would tear us apart at the seams. I glance back at Kyler, seeing the raw panic in his eyes. The kid's barely holding it together, his fingers white-knuckled around his gun. Brick took him in when no one else would, and Tres became his rock after we lost the old man. Now he might lose both father figures.

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