I sped through the drive that normally takes 30 minutes in just 20, with a heavy heart and racing thoughts. I know it's too late to catch them, but there's no other choice but to go home. Ray is slumped against the front steps, his blood staining the concrete beneath him. He lied, his injuries are far more severe than he let on. Using his belt as a makeshift tourniquet, he managed to slow the bleeding from his leg, but his shirt is drenched in red and a pool of blood forms around him. As I approach, I can see how deathly pale he is. FUCK! “You said it wasn’t bad! You need a fucking ambulance.”
I place my hands against the wound with one hand dialing 911 with my other. When they get here they are gonna wanna question me and that will take time Lola doesn't have. I will have to make myself scarce while they are here. As soon as I hear theambulance I look down at Ray. "They will be here soon and I can't be here when they arrive."
Ray's eyes meet mine, filled with regret. "I let the club down...I let her down. I'm so sorry."
"Hey, look at me you did no such thing. I need you to hang in there though." The sound of the emergency vehicles grows closer.
Ray shoves at me, “Go! You need to leave so you can save her!"
I quickly stand up and sprint into the house, making a beeline for the secret basement that I had carefully included during my early renovations on the cabin. It’s dark and musty but the paramedics won't linger and with no one else around they should be gone fairly quickly.
Keyes arrives shortly after the ambulance departs, and I am relieved to see him. "I rushed here as fast as I could. Let's go inside so I can set up and track down your girl." His unusually friendly demeanor is unsettling; he's usually a cocky and sarcastic asshole. As we enter, I watch him pull out his laptop and arrange his equipment on the kitchen island. "Do you think she has her burner phone with her?"
"I'm not sure. Usually, she keeps it on the nightstand when she's here. I can go and see if it's there." As I start to head towards the stairs, the sound of computer keys tapping fills the room.
“Don’t bother, it's here. Give me a second let me run the GPS on his phone.” More clacking and then, “Shit! He must have turned it off. I'm getting nothing.” Running his fingers through his shaggy blonde hair, he cracks his neck and returns to typing away. “Let me run some property records on him. Wait! His car is newer right?”
I casually lift my shoulders in an unsure gesture, but he doesn’t even glance in my direction. He is fully engrossed in the computer screen.
"It looks like there is a 2020 Dodge Charger registered under his name. It's equipped with an advanced anti-theft GPS system, which can be challenging to hack. I'll see what I can do. By the way, do you happen to have any black cherry soda?"
“Uh, no. Is that even a thing?”
He turns toward me with a look of bland irritation. “Yes, it’s a fucking thing. Jesus Christ Reaper you need to broaden your horizons and banging a 20-year-old is not what I’m talking about.” There it is. There’s the Keyes I’m used to.
“Fuck you, Asshole.” I growl.
He laughs manically going back to his screen. “Hang on. . . I think I might have it. Fuck! Firewall.” He leans in closer to his screen as if that somehow will make it easier to do his hacking. Actually I know nothing about hacking, maybe it does. “Let me just find a backdoor really quick.” It’s a little unsettling how he can hack anything he sets his mind to. I’m really glad to have him as a brother instead of an enemy. “Bingo! GPS says this is where his car is. . .” He turns the screen to face me.
“Text me and Stallion the location. Stay here and keep tracking the location, let me know if his car moves.”
“What no, please?” He looks at me with a shit eating grin.
“You want me to knock your ass off that stool?”
I dial Stallion’s number as I walk out the door, “Keyes found the GPS location of Dylan’s car. He should be sending you the location. I’m leaving now. Get as many guys as you can and meet me there. Oh, and bring a cage.” I’m not sure what we will find when we get there but one way or another he’s gonna be brought back alive and put in the cave beneath the clubhouse.
“Done, brother.” With his confirmation I end the call. Climbing onto my bike and pulling up the location on my phone. According to this they didn’t go too far but it’s secluded and that sends a chill down my spine.
I pull up on the Charger parked in the middle of the road a few long minutes later. Getting off my bike I pull out my Glock and approach it slowly, It’s empty. There is nothing but the woods out here. A burst of fear grips my heart, what if he killed her? This would be the perfect place to dispose of a body. No! No, I will not go there. I pull out my phone and shoot a text to Stallion.Car is empty going into the woods.My girl is a fighter. She is out here and she is still alive. Looking for any sign of which way I should go, I see it. Blood. It’s not enough to be fatal but it’s quite a ways back down the road heading into the woods on the east side. Did she jump out of the fucking car? I can’t think of another reason there would be blood this far from the car. Quietly I make my way through the woods, gun raised. I doubt either of them made it far enough that they wouldn’t have heard my bike. My girl is smart and she won’t come out if he hasn’t already caught her.
15 minutes earlier
Lola
I come to, to the sound of tires on gravel and the bouncing of the car. My anxiety skyrockets as I realize I am in the trunk and its pitch black in here. Closing my eyes, I breathe just like Stallion had me do at the prison. This time the control comes easier. Reopening my eyes, I can see it’s not quite pitch black there is a light red glow from where the brake lights are andthen I remember learning once that cars have an emergency release in the trunks. I thought they were supposed to glow or something but don’t see anything like that so I start feeling around between the brake lights.
I’m pretty sure we are on a dirt road now which means the car can’t be going that fast. Maybe I can make a run for it, if I can find the release. Suddenly my hand catches on something, it feels like a hook or a T shape maybe. This has to be the release. Praying that Dylan doesn’t have that gun handy, I yank on it hard. The trunk pops open and I was right, we're on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere and the car doesn’t seem to be going very fast. I have no idea how to best do this but I’m thinking if I roll while covering my head it will cause the least amount of damage, hopefully. I can’t overthink this, I just need to do it.
I essentially throw myself out of the trunk covering my head and face with my cuffed hands. The rocks and dirt scrape over my exposed skin but I don’t have time to focus on that either, I need to run. Picking myself up I see the charger come to an abrupt stop and I bolt for the trees. I’ve never been a very athletic person but it must be the adrenaline pushing me to run the fastest I think I’ve ever run in my life. Dylan isn’t a runner but he does have longer legs than me so I probably won’t be able to outrun him. As I run I scan the dark forest for a place to hide and all I see is trees I decide fuck it and slip behind the first tree wide enough.
Slapping my hand over my mouth, I listen. I don’t hear anything. Where the fuck is he? I know there is no way he just gave up or thinks I got away. The urge to look around the tree for him is almost too much to push down. I hear it then, the roar of a bike coming from the road. Reaper. Suddenly, something, no Dylan grabs me by my hair pulling me away from the tree.
“When are you going to learn? You will never escape me.” He drags me by the hair further into the woods. “Just because youwhored yourself around to all that biker trash doesn’t mean you belong to them. I knew I was right about you cheating on me with fucking Reaper but wow you will just spread your legs for anyone won’t you.”
“What the fuck are you even talking about? I never cheated on you.”
He throws me to the packed earth of the forest floor before delivering a powerful kick to my stomach, knocking the air out of me. "Don't bother trying to deny it, I saw everything," he sneered. "I saw him taking you from behind, bent over the railing, fucking you like a cheap whore. So you can stop lying."