Page 34 of Unhinged
“Their beta’s not someone you want to fuck with. Do we really want to risk her wrath and pissing off Levi?” he finally says.
“I don’t care,” I growl. “She’s our Kismet. And we’re not stopping until we find her. I don’t give a shit about anyone else. She’s the future queen of this MC, and we’re gonna get her back.”
I hear Acid’s sharp breath on the other end. “Alright. I’ll make the call.”
“Good,” I mutter, hanging up and slipping my phone back into my pocket.
I turn, walking back to my bike, the rumble of the engine a comforting sound. The yellow Harley gleams in the dim light as I straddle it, feeling the weight of what we’re doing pressing down on me.
Brydgett Hale.
The woman we’re hunting down, the one we laid hands on—our Kismet. The one who’s going to tear everything apart or put it back together, depending on how you look at it. I should be angry. I should be furious that my brother, Gears, had us break the rules and lay hands on her. But I’m not.
I can’t be.
There’s something about her that’s different, that pulls me in. It’s like I’ve been waiting my whole damn life for this, even if I didn’t know it.
The irony hits me harder than I expected. We’ve kidnapped her. We’ve hit her. And now we’re chasing her down, hoping she’ll come back to us.
Dillon and my mom haven’t let us live it down. They’re pissed, mad we went that far, even if it was for the right reasons.
I pull the bike to a stop and take a deep breath, the weight of it all sinking in. Acid might never forgive himself for what he did to her, but I’m not sure I can forgive myself either for letting it go that far.
But what’s done is done. We’ve already crossed that line. We’re in this.
And I’m not stopping until I find her.
I won’t stop until she’s ours.
ACID
I pace the length of my room, phone in hand, fingers flexing around it like I might crush the damn thing. Levi's number is already pulled up. I hit call, and lift it to my ear.
"Yeah?"
"I need a favor from Stone," I say, cutting to the chase.
“Hold on a minute.”
There’s nothing but silence until another male voice answers. “What can I do for you?”
“Stone, this is Acid. Levi is our brother from the club. We need a favor.”
He sighs, long and slow. "This about that omega?"
"Yeah. I need you to reach out to your informant, see if they can dig up anything on an Ike Hale."
"I don’t know, man." There's a hesitation in his voice that puts me on edge. "That contact's solid, but I can't risk burning that bridge. They came through when we got our omega back. If I push too hard..."
"Please," I say. "We'll pay you and him—or her—whatever it takes. Just make the call."
Stone goes quiet for a beat too long. I hold my breath, waiting. Finally, he exhales. "Fine. I'll be in touch."
I hang up and immediately head to Bettie and Dillon's apartment at the clubhouse. The place smells like home when I walk in—garlic, butter, and something cooking on the stove.
"Take a seat, Titus," Bettie says without turning around.
I freeze in the doorway. "How did you know it was me?"
