“We’ve got it,” I reply. “We’ll call if that changes.”
“Keep me updated. I’ll warn Reaper. We’ll be ready in case you need us.”
It reminds me why I’m proud to be a War Brothers MC member. We’d give our lives for each other and the people we care about.
“We will,” Twitch replies.
“Try not to kill anyone,” I hear Bomber yell out as we rush out the front door. He knows me better than that. I make no promises. We start up our bikes and race to Milly’s car.
With a heart pounding so hard that it’s getting bruised against my rib cage, I park next to Milly’s car, swing my leg over, and peer inside.They aren’t here.I pull the handle. The car’s unlocked. I hear Twitch pull up behind me. Peering inside the car, I see both Milly and Ivy’s bags.
Twitch dashes around the car. “Where are they?” he yells, and I feel his rage all the way down to my bones.
I open Ivy’s bag to see her phone and wallet, and I know they’ve been taken. Suddenly, it’s like there’s a dagger against my throat and I’m struggling to breathe. The angels will cry when I rip this world apart to find her, because there’s nothing I won’t do for Ivy.
“Give me the number of that fucking loan shark leader,” I order Twitch in a menacing voice.
Twitch goes through his phone, then puts it to his ear. “Abraham, it’s Twitch from the War Brothers MC. Where are they?” His temper and voice both rise.
Striding to Twitch, I grab the phone and hear the man say. “Watch your tone. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I take a breath to speak clearly, but my voice is strained. “Your men have taken Ivy and another woman that’s a part of our MC family. Where are they?”
There’s a pause. “It was no order from me.” His voice is defensive. “They did it on their own accord. I’ll call them. They disregarded my agreement with your club, so I’ll send you their address if I can get hold of them.”
“I am going to kill them.” Have no doubt about that. I touch the handle of my knife in its sheath on the waistband of my jeans. I want to fuck their faces with my knife until I see a river of blood, and I’ll do it all with no guilt on my conscience.
“Did he tell you?” Twitch is quick to ask.
I shake my head. “Not yet. He needs to get a hold of them. We can’t wait. We need to find Ivy and Milly now. Did you end up finding out if anything happened to Ivy’s ex?” Is he with them, dead, or still in town? If he is alive, he’d be severely beaten by now, hanging on to life or... “Maybe try the hospital to see if he’s there.” If we can find him, maybe he could help us.
“I never heard anything. I’ll call the hospital now.” He brings his phone to his face. “Yeah, hi, it’s Richard Jesmond’s brother. A relative told me he is in the Crown Village hospital. Can you check for me? I’d like to pay him a visit.”
There’s a pause. “What level and room was that?” He waits for a reply, then a hint of a smirk curls the corner of his lips. “Thanks for that. I’ll be seeing him soon.”
My chest loosens at his words.
We get on our bikes and race out of there. It isn’t long until we get to the hospital and we’re striding through the sliding doors and into the air conditioning, though it does little to ease the burning of my skin.
“What level?” I ask.
“Two.”
Twitch pokes the up button at the elevator multiple times as if that will make it go faster. The minute drags on as my mind tortures me.What if we’re too late and they’re already dead?The elevator pings and the doors open. Wide-eyed people walk around us as they get out and we step inside.
When we reach the right level, the doors open and we step outside. I follow Twitch as he walks with long, fast strides, looking up at the room numbers. He turns into one of the rooms, and I see the useless piece of shit covered in bruises and bandages, lying on the hospital bed. In three strides I’m at his bedside. He gasps loudly, and I pull my arm back and slam it into his jaw. I hold back just enough to make sure he feels the threat but isn’t left unconscious. He cups his jaw and scrambles back into the bed.
“Now that I’ve gotten your attention, you pathetic excuse of a human being”—I spit venom—“where were you staying in Crown Village when you were with the men from the loan sharking group?”
He swallows hard. “We didn’t stay in Crown Village.”
“Where did you stay then?” Twitch ask, his voice hostile.
“The suburb next to here...” his lip trembles. “It was out of town in a cabin.”
I peer at Twitch, who cocks his head. “Opal Bay?”
Ivy’s ex frantically nods. “That’s it.”