Page 36 of Aftershock's Fury

“You’re his son?” I ask the other man. “You’re Aaronov.”

“You were right, she’s smart. Hello, my dear princess, I’m Boruta Aaronov.” He’s got to be close to forty years old, and like his father, he didn’t age very well.

“I’m Harlowe Thatcher. You killed my parent’s, asshole.”

I twist my body, readying to attack, when a sharp pain hits my upper chest. I look down at the dart protruding from me. I rip it out of my body and throw it across the room before I punch Aaronov in his smiling face. My hit doesn’t land, and he punches me. I fall to the floor and stare out the door, hoping my guards come in, but I don’t see any of them. Instead, I’m lifted and carried out of the bakery.

Aftershock

Ilook down at my phone and see GB’s name. “Yeah, what’s up?”

“They got her. Sorry.” He coughs, and then there’s nothing.

I stand up in the middle of the meeting we’re having regarding the evidence from my dad. “Golden Boy,” I yell into the phone, but he doesn’t answer.

Kodiak is up, and we both run from the room. I miscalculated her safety, and I was wrong. I thought she’d be okay for a couple of hours without an officer. I had a patch and three prospects watching her.

“It’s Goat,” I shout to Vortex as I rush to my bike.

I don’t bother with my helmet. I take off, tires spinning and throwing up dust. I cut off cars and weave through traffic, pushing hard toward the outskirts of town. I can’t afford to get pulled over, not now.

By the time I reach the bakery, I see Harlowe’s truck pulling up, but Marnie is behind the wheel. I whip around to the front, and there, lying on the ground, is GB. He’s been shot.

I rush to his side and lift his head. “Come on, kid.” I check his vitals. “Call an ambulance,” I yell at Marnie as she holds Oly in her arms.

“Sorry, Shock, I tried. When I saw him tranq the other guys, I pulled my gun, and the other man shot me.”

“Fuck,” I exclaim, upset that he willingly took a bullet to save my girl—and she was still taken.

“She was tranqed when they carried her out. Blue panel van. Newer model. Had something weird written on the side.”

“Okay, kid, don’t worry. I’m going to take off. You get better. EMS is on their way.”

Sparky, who is a volunteer firefighter and EMT, checks him over. “He’ll be okay until they get here.”

“Okay, let’s go.”

“Miner, take Marnie and Oly to my house. Put it on lockdown. Take Fezzik too.”

“Where is Fezzik?” I look around, worried.

“He’s been tranqed too. I’ll have a vet I know come to the house and look him over.”

“Thank you.”

“Rylan?” Marnie says his name as she cries.

Kodiak walks over to her and kisses her deeply, then presses a kiss to Oly’s forehead. “I’ll be back with Harlowe. Be safe, and do whatever Miner tells you.”

“I will. I’m sorry I wasn’t here.”

“I’m glad you weren’t. They would’ve hurt you both.”

He walks to his bike as we hear the sirens approaching, and we take off.

We pull over in a neighborhood where we have a safe house. We roll the bikes into the garage, hidden from prying eyes, and gear up with supplies we keep here for situations just like this.

When we finally leave, we’re in a large three-row SUV and another vehicle, switching it up to keep the police off our trail. I’m sure they’re watching for us after responding to GB’s gunshot wound.

---