Page 129 of Boulder's Weight

Neither of us speak. Both of us know words won't help what we might find.

The clubhouse is in chaos when we arrive—brothers moving around like bees collecting honey for the queen.

I push through them, searching for Amara, for any sign of Kelsey.

I find Amara in church, standing over a map of Chihuahua laid out across the table.

Python's usual seat is oddly empty.

I’m trying to keep calm, but my voice is coming out harsh. "What happened?"

Amara looks up, her face carved from stone. "Ambush at the café. They hit when Kelsey was there with Sam. Rooster and Lashes were on protection detail."

"And?" I demand, my hands clenching into fists, nails digging into my palms so hard I might draw blood.

"Rooster's in surgery at my uncle Alejandro's clinic—took a round to the chest. Touch and go." She pauses, and I know worse news is coming. "Lashes is missing—presumably taken. Sam's in the back room—concussion, lost blood, but the locals stopped the bleeding."

I try to process this information, my brain refusing to ask the question with the answer I dread most. "Kelsey?"

"Taken."

One word. Just one fucking word, and my entire world collapses around me.

A roaring fills my ears, and for a moment, I can't see straight. The rage rises so fast it almost chokes me.

"By who?" I manage to ask.

"Based on Sam's account, Andrés' men. But they were working with someone else." Amara's eyes meet mine. "Someone who knew exactly who they were looking for and how to draw her out."

"Benji," I snarl. "Her fucking brother."

She nods. "They used Astra as bait. Called Kelsey claiming an emergency at the café. Sally, Benji, Andrés all fucking working together. The joke’s on them. When we get our people back, we will, the wrath of the club and the entire cartel will be on them."

"And Astra?" I ask, dreading the answer.

Python would be a wreck if something happened to their old lady.

"Alive. They let her go once they had Kelsey and Lashes. She's with Ruby and Rosa, going through security footage."

I scan the room, noticing Python's absence again. "Where's Python?"

Amara's face darkens further. "They've got him too. Grabbed him this morning, according to Astra. Used him as leverage to make her cooperate."

Jesus fucking Christ.

This is worse than I'd imagined.

They didn’t just take Kelsey—they took Python, our Enforcer, and Lashes. They're trying to fuck with the club in whatever way they can.

"I need to see Sam," I say, already moving toward the door.

"Boulder," Amara calls after me. "We'll find them. All of them."

I don't respond. Words are meaningless now. Only action matters.

I find Sam in the back room that usually serves as the club's makeshift infirmary.

His head is bandaged, blood seeping through the white gauze.

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