Page 16 of Tormented in Silence: Part Two

“No.”

“No?” she says mockingly. “Rage, I really can. It’s—”

“No. I’m on my way. I’ll be there in fifteen.”

“Um, it’s thirty minutes away from the club.”

I grunt, “Just text me where you’ll be.” I hang up and speed out of the compound. I don’t mean to snap at her, but I just will feel better when she is in my sights. In my truck. With me.

Almost exactly fifteen minutes later, I pull up right where she said she’d be and I watch her walk out of the building, heading down the stairs towards the truck. I stare at her as she keeps her eyes down the whole walk.

Even as she opens the door and gets in, I don’t take my eyes off her. “Rage?”

I blink at her soft, but confused, voice. “Ready?”

She furrows her brows but nods.

I take off and head towards the diner to get Raven. The community college is about fifteen minutes from the diner, with the club another fifteen minutes in the opposite direction. We pay for Carly to go to college. It is something she shared with me a long time ago that she wanted to be a nurse, so I set her up here and she only comes to the club on weekends now.

We ride in silence. I glance over at Carly a few times, watching her fidget with her phone in her hands and staring out the window. When we pull up to the diner, she smiles as Raven comes out and locks the door behind her before bouncing over to get in the back seat.I want her to smile at… no.

“Carls? What are you doing here?”

“Rage wants me at the club tonight,” she says with a shrug.

“Is everything alright?” Raven asks, glancing at me from the backseat.

I nod. “Yes. We just have something going on tonight and would feel better having everyone staying at the club.”

I can see the questions shining in their eyes, but neither one of them asks. They both understand that I won’t share club shit and they know we are just trying to protect them.

I let the girls know where Presley is as we pull back up to the club.

“I’m really worried about her,” Raven comments quietly, looking over at her I notice she is staring straight out the window, her face lacking the usual happiness and warmth it holds.

My lips curve into a frown. “I know, but we’ll do everything we can to help her.”

She nods, and we all get out and head inside. I let them know we’re leaving late tonight, so they decide to make everyone dinner while we finish getting ready. After everything is ready and everyone is armed, we all head back to the main room and eat the dinner that the girls made. After eating, I do a walkthrough with Sugar to make sure everything is locked up and then those of us leaving get ready to take off.

Carly walks up to me as I stand by the main doors. “Be safe please,” she murmurs as she hugs me, burying her face in my chest.

I freeze for a moment before wrapping my arms around her and hugging her tight. I let out a contented sigh, but we eventually release, and she steps back, giving me a small smile as I walk out the door.

Nerds chose an abandoned warehouse that is about forty minutes from the club and sits right outside of town. Isolated in case things go south and far enough from the club that they can prepare if anything happens during the meeting. We get here first, and I set up the hidden camera and mic that Nerds gave me.

My phone rings the second I set them up. “I got it. We’re good to go. I can see and hear well. I will be keeping an eye. Stay sharp,” Nerds says before hanging up. When he’s engrossed in his work, he doesn’t speak much and is very short with people, but you can’t take it to heart; he is just trying to protect everyone.

I stand front and center with Blade next to me. The rest of the brothers who came with us are spread out. Some outside, farther away. Stone is set up close by with a sniper keeping an eye on everything.

The sound of cars on gravel makes my spine snap straight, and I let out a loud whistle. Everyone immediately goes on high alert. Blade pulls out a switchblade and twirls it in his fingers while we wait. A few minutes later, car doors slam—at least four.

Two men in tactical gear come in first. Their hard, cold eyes scanning the room as they each spread out to the sides. Vance walks in next with perfect composure. A full ass suit, his hair styled perfectly with a clean-shaven face. He raises a perfectly sculpted dark brow.

“I know you didn’t just bring one.”

All I offer is a smirk, watching as two more men dressed in suits come in behind Vance. They each stand beside him. “And I know you didn’t come with just these four.”

Vance mirrors my smirk. “Good to see you. You do look well.”

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