Page 42 of Protectors

Chapter Twenty-Three

Geek

AFTER THE BULLSHITfrom the other day, my dad decided to come to work with me today. He’s been helping me with the installation and we’re still not even halfway done with the job. I don’t know why the hell it’s taking so long to get all the cameras set up and adjusted today, but it is. My dad and I are both getting frustrated as every minute passing by seems to last an hour. We don’t talk as each camera is set up and my dad uses my phone to check everything before I tighten everything down and we move on to the next one. Today we’re installing a security system in a mansion that’s been recently built on the outskirts of the city. Valor isn’t sending me out of town on any jobs since I went off on him. It’s something at least considering I don’t want to be away from my girl’s side even though I know she’s with Ghost at Phantom Ink.

As my dad and I make our way to the next camera, his phone rings and I watch as he pulls it out of his pocket while his brow furrows. He answers the phone with confusion filling his face as he listens to whoever is calling him.

“Fuck,” he finally says, dread in his voice as he looks up at me.

Without a word from him, I know deep in my soul something has happened to Alana. I almost drop to my knees as my dad hangs up his phone and rushes to my side. Looking up at him, I know my face is showing every single emotion filling me.

“What happened?” I ask my dad, my voice breaking and barely above a whisper as he pulls me into his arms and doesn’t let go.

“When Alana was at Phantom Ink, she had a massive panic attack. Stryker said Ghost told them it’s the worst he’s ever seen her have since she got to Pine View. I don’t know how, but he managed to get her out of the attack. When he asked her what she needed, Alana told him she needed to go outside for some air. Kian went out back with her while Deegan moved to the front of the buildin’. Ghost was talkin’ to his dad, Cage, Joker, and Pops while Crab and Beckett were dealin’ with the clients in the shop. They did their best to protect your girl while she was in the middle of her panic attack so no one could see her or get close.

“Cage went out to be with his daughter and that’s when everyone rushed outside after they heard Cage yell. Kian was on the ground in a pool of his own blood. He’s still not conscious to Stryker’s knowledge but he’s at Doc’s office. No one can find Alana. She was taken from the shop so we need to head to the compound right now. They already have Ghost there and we’re the last ones not around. Vault doesn’t want any information given until everyone is around so he doesn’t have to say things more than once. Especially King because it will only mean he’s takin’ time away from searchin’ for her,” my dad tells me as my body collapses but doesn’t hit the floor with his arms wrapped around me. I hear the loudest groan I’ve ever heard in my life and know after several minutes it’s coming from me. The sound is completely heartbroken and guttural as my dad helps me out of the mansion and to the truck I’ve taken from work.

I barely register him sitting me in the passenger seat of the truck or getting in the driver’s seat. Instead of seeing the scenery passing me by like normal, my gaze is unfocused and filled with some kind of haze. Not only are thoughts of what’s currently being done to Alana flooding my mind, but images of her since we’ve been with her filter through like a slideshow. One picture after another of the memories we’ve been creating. When those run out, images of her over the years when we were growing up start to mix in with the other pictures.

“Colton, we’re here. It’s time to pull your shit together and be the man Alana needs you to be. Ghost has already punched a fuckin’ cement wall and now has a cast on his hand and arm. You have to keep your shit together so we can put a plan in place to bring Alana home where she belongs. We have two strong clubs here and I know Dad will call in the remainin’ members of our chapter to come help us get your girl. If it’s needed we can call in Venom’s chapter, the Fallen Brethren, Knight’s Rebellion, and Satan’s Anarchy. We can’t rule out Gage’s chapter of the Wild Kings either. Terrence won’t be able to get far with her. And if I know Alana the way I think I do, she’ll be able to handle Terrence on her own. Even if she hasn’t been able to do so in the past. Now, she’s buildin’ a future and has a lot more on the line than before. She’s got the love she feels for Ghost and you to give her the strength to fight with every fiber of her bein’,” my dad says, pulling me out of my head as my door opens and I find my grandpa standing there with Killer just behind him.

“You good? Or does Killer need to lock your shit down before we head inside?” my grandpa asks me, his voice full of pain but hard at the same time. He’s torn in two right now as I look at him. On one hand he wants to be my grandpa and give me the strength I need to get through this. The other part of him is being the President of the Phantom Bastards and making sure a member of a club is gonna be able to fall in line and do what needs to be done right now without letting personal feelings get in the way.

“Thought I was gonna have to lock Ghost down and have been sittin’ with him since Stryker brought him back. So far, he’s doin’ better than I thought he would. He’s lost and not trashin’ the place. You both need one another until we can put plans in place and bring Alana home. Rely on your best friend and family until we get your girl,” Killer says letting me know how my best friend is even before I step foot inside the clubhouse.

“I’m not okay. I won’t be okay until Alana’s home. I’ll keep my shit locked down until I have reason not to. That’s the best I can give you right now,” I answer, my voice sounding robotic to my own ears as I look between my grandpa and Killer as I barely register the driver’s door closing and my dad joining them in front of me.

Getting out of the truck, they lead me inside and I immediately find my best friend as he sits at a table in the back with his dad and Alana’s family. Skylar is crying as Cage holds her in his lap with his arms wrapped tightly around her. Joker is close at their side as he whispers in her ear while rubbing his hand up and down her back. Stryker is sitting close to Ghost’s side and I know the pain my best friend is in. He’s staring blankly at nothing and hasn’t registered that I’ve even walked in the clubhouse. I make my way over to him and take the chair next to him. Still, he doesn’t acknowledge me as Beckett rushes over with a drink but I wave him off.

“We’re gonna have church out here since there are so many people today. Most of the ol’ ladies are up at the houses to help take care of the kids and stay in one place. All Prospects and the few ol’ ladies still here are allowed to be included in today’s church because of the circumstances. The ol’ ladies are Alana’s family and we’ll need every fuckin’ hand on deck to bring Alana back home. I’m gonna turn this over to King. He’s been bustin’ his ass tryin’ to figure out where Alana is and how Terrence managed to get his hands on her when she was literally right outside Phantom Ink,” Vault states, his voice loud and emotionless as he looks around the room.

My grandpa moves to his side along with Grim as the three Presidents show unity while King presses some buttons on his laptop to fill the TV screens with images he’s seeing. That’s really the only way he can easily explain things to us because this allows us to see what he is. What appears to be several different cameras fill the screens and I instantly know some of them have been tampered with.

“As you can see, not all of the cameras at Phantom Ink are properly workin’. These ones have been tampered with,” King states, using one of those laser pointers to show everyone else what he’s talking about. “I don’t know when this shit happened because none of us received an alert of anythin’ happenin’. Every single security system on each of our businesses and every inch of the compound have been set up to alert every member of this chapter. I’ve talked to several of you and you’ve shown me your phones and all of them are empty of any alerts. No one has come forward with somethin’ weird showin’ up either. So, I don’t believe this was Terrence. He's not smart enough to get around the system we have in place. He’s got someone helpin’ him and they managed to hack us.”

“Are you fuckin’ kiddin’ me? What the fuck more can we do to make sure this shit doesn’t happen?” Vault growls, his voice cold and lethal as his attention is only on King for an answer to this question.

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