Page 67 of Rise In Arms

“I’m going to find him and I’m going to kill him,” I growl at Quill, who’s outside in the waiting area with the boys. After Charity cried her heart out, and I promised that Blake was going to pay for this, she fell asleep, and I left her side with only one thing in mind—to make Blake pay for what he’s done.

“Did you find out any information from his friend?” When we left the compound to hurry to the hospital, Prez told Gunner to stay behind and find out where Blake was staying, by torturing his friend, who was left behind with a bullet in his shoulder, away from the eyes of the paramedics who had taken Charity.

“Yeah, man. They were staying at the inn on the highway.”

Checking I still have my gun tucked out of sight in the back of my jeans, I go to leave the room. Quill grabs my arm, though, keeping me there. “Trigg, man, cool off. You haven’t slept much, and you’re angry right now, you’ll do something stupid.”

I look down at my arm then up at Quill, giving him a warning look to back off. His hand releases my arm and he glares at me. “Trigg,” he pleads, his voice deep and gravelly.

“Don’t! I’m leaving. Don’t try and stop me.”

“Then we’re coming too,” he says on a sigh.

I shrug my shoulders. “Do what you have to, but like I said before, he’s mine, and only mine.”

Quill nods in understanding, then Jasmine comes running through the doors. “Is she okay? Please tell me she’s alive?”

She looks into my eyes, and I don’t know if it’s my body language or the fact that I have murder on my mind, but she steps back. “Quill? What’s going on?” she says, looking over my shoulder.

“Jazz, baby, call the girls and get them here to the hospital, we have something we need to do.”

I look at Quill and lift my chin in approval. Jasmine looks from me to Quill again and frowns. “Quill, baby, what’s going on?”

He leans in and kisses her on the forehead. “I’ll explain later. Stay here and keep an eye on Charity, her and Hazel need you right now.”

“Hazel? Where is she?”

“She’s just resting in room two-twenty,” Quill says, lifting his chin toward a door further down the corridor.

“Okay.”

“Gotta go, babe. I’ll call you.”

“Be careful, Quill,” Jasmine says, kissing him lightly on the lips. Then she turns to me. “You too, Trigger.”

I nod. “We ready?”

“Yeah,” Quill replies, and turns to the other guys. “Let’s ride.”

I ride like hell on speed to the inn, the boys behind me. Blake’s going to pay for what he did to Charity.

We spot the SUV parked in front of one of the motel’s room, and I push forward on the throttle and pull in to park beside it, not caring that we’ve made our presence known.

Quill and the others park next to me, and I look over at them. “Remember, he’s mine,” I remind them. They all nod, knowing they won’t be able to stop me.

The long line of our bikes surrounds the motel room, so Blake won’t be able to run anywhere. I stand and step off my bike and remove my gun from the back of my jeans. It’s 3:00 a.m. and the streets are silent.

Suddenly the motel room door is flung open, and I point my gun at it. Blake steps out, his own gun pointed at me. “Kane, man. Charity okay?” he asks, smirking at me.

“She’s alive, if that’s what you’re asking,” I growl, seething with white-hot anger. I know what he’s doing—he’s baiting me, and it’s working.

Blake’s smile is half-crazed. “Pity, that. You see, if I can’t have her, nobody can.”

This man is fucked-up.With the way he’s sniffling, and rubbing at his nose with his other hand, it makes me think that he’s on crack, or something else hard-core. He’s still wearing his blue jeans and black sweater, and he’s taller and more built than I remember, but that doesn’t stop me from wanting to kick the shit out of him.

“So… you’re here, and I’m here, both with guns pointing at one another. What’s next?”

Three of his “friends” step in behind him, and I throw my gun on the ground instinctively. “Fight me.”

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