Page 17 of Centering Kaos

“I need you to sit this one out. At least for now. We’ll hit this job with stealth, speed, and tech.” Link looked over the rest of the group. “Tap.”

Tap stepped forward eagerly. “Yessir?”

“Go with Kaos to retrieve Tina and Dylan,” Link replied. “Full stalker protocol.”

Tap nodded and slid the backpack he’d been carrying over his shoulders. “Yessir. I’m ready.”

I didn’t know what stalker protocol entailed, but clearly, Tap did. He seemed prepared, and I was glad one of us knew what we were doing.

“I don’t want to leave the sister vulnerable,” Emily said as Jameson started to fuss. He got a handful of her long dark hair, and Link swept in, releasing the toddler’s fist and taking him from his mom.

“We won’t.” Link settled Jameson against his shoulder, patting his back as he paced behind his desk. “Since Tina’s told Matt she’s no longer staying with her sister, we’re gonna make that happen. We need to remove any and all traces of her and set up safety protocols that make the sister an unappealing target. Rabbit, you available to join the away team?”

“To swoop in and save a couple of women? Shit, boss, you don’t even have to ask. Just call me Superman. You know I live for this,” Rabbit said.

Link cracked a smile. “Yeah. Just don’t go lookin’ for your Lois Lane. We got a fuckin’ job to do.”

Rabbit threw his hands up, as if appalled that Link would even suggest such a thing.

Link picked up his phone and started mashing buttons. “I’m texting all three of you the address. Get there, get them out, make sure the sister’s safe. I want Tina’s car back here at the station. Tap, if you find a tracker on the car, keep it on there. It would make my day if that fucker shows up here looking for her.”

“Yours and mine both,” Havoc agreed, his expression dark and foreboding. The big guy didn’t seem to care for being benched.

Tap nodded. “Ten-four.”

“Morse, Hound, you’re leading support. The club and all of our resources are at your disposal.”

“Thank you, Prez,” Morse said.

Emily typed something into her phone. “Morse, I just sent you a link to Tina’s file. It contains everything we have on the ex.”

“Got it,” Morse replied, his fingers flying over his tablet. “I’ll share the pertinent information with the Away Team, and the Home Team will come up with a plan to—”

“I don’t want to know,” Emily said, cutting him off. “Whatever it is, leave me out of it. And this time, don’t put any new information in that folder.”

Morse chuckled. “Knowledge is power.”

“It’s how you obtain your knowledge that the courts take exception to,” Emily fired back. “You keep your knowledge, and I’ll keep my plausible deniability.”

Link met my gaze. “Thank you for volunteering your house, brother.”

I nodded. “Not a problem. Whatever you need.”

His expression hardened. “We’ll iron out the details and let you know what’s going on once Tina and Dylan are safely tucked away. Matt said he can get to her in thirty minutes, I want you there in ten. Go. Don’t let that son-of-a-bitch reach her before we do.”

He didn’t need to tell us twice. Tap, Rabbit, and I ran for the door.

“Who’s driving?” I asked as we hit the hallway. “All I have is my bike.”

“We can take one of the loaners,” Rabbit said.

He and Wasp ran the club’s shop, Formation Auto Repair. The shop kept vehicles on hand for customers in need of a loaner while their car was being worked on. I’d spent some time with Rabbit, and he seemed like a bit of an odd duck with more energy than any grown man should have. It surprised me when Link chose him for this mission, but now, I got it. Rabbit had access to transportation, and if there was a problem getting Tina’s car back to the club, he knew who was on duty and could call for a tow.

We could have easily run the few blocks to the shop, but since we were in a hurry, the three of us hopped on our bikes and burned rubber down the road. Before joining the club, I’d never been much of a motorcycle guy. Sure, I had a dirt bike I liked to do tricks on as a teenager, but I never would have picked two wheels over four. Navigating Seattle traffic and parking had converted me, and as we wove through the bunched-up cars waiting for the light, I was damn grateful for my Harley.

Rabbit skidded to a stop beside a little Jetta that had to be at least twice as old as Dylan, barely turning off his engine before racing to the building. Tap and I parked next to his bike, and when Rabbit emerged, he tossed a set of keys to me. “You’re drivin,’ Kaos. Tap will need to work, and I’m gonna take my bike. I can get there faster in case the motherfucker shows his face.”

With loud, colorful tats covering both arms, and dressed in jeans and a dingy white T-shirt under his cut, Rabbit was a lot to take in. My size had intimidated Tina, but at least I didn’t look like I was fresh out of the slammer and packing heat. To the best of my knowledge, Rabbit had never done any hard time, but he did usually have a 9mm holstered at his waist and kept a knife in his boot. If Tina found him standing on her doorstep, chances were she’d probably never open the door again.

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