Page 16 of Dusty and Dented
“Shit.I’m still ten miles away.And I’m pushing this fucking car as hard as I dare.Tell the guys to go ahead without me.I’ll catch up a soon as I can.It’s more important to make sure that Andy’s safe than for me to be there when they do it.”
Less than a minute later the bikes that had come up behind him, one by one, passed him.Each rider waved or threw a hand signal.Dagger clenched his teeth and forced himself to keep going.He wanted to be there, to be the one to rescue her.But he needed her safe faster than he could get there.He also wanted to be the one to knock Shadow’s teeth in, but realistically, he knew that part would likely be over before he got there.
Maybe if he got lucky and Raven was in a good mood, they wouldn’t just beat the shit out of Shadow and let him go, but they would take Shadow and whoever was helping him back to the Angels’ club house and put them in one of the cells in the basement so they could find out who was behind this.And if they’d had anything to do with the drive by.
If they took them back to the clubhouse there was also a chance Dagger could get a little time with them, to teach them about how you don’t treat the Angels’ women.
Dagger didn’t care how they treated their women.Well, he did, but he wouldn’t go to their clubhouse and stop it, at least not unless he discovered things were going on like had been with the Iron Demons a few months ago.Then it hadn’t been just him, but most of the Angels that had gone in and put an end to it.And an end to the Demons.
He drummed one hand on the steering wheel while scanning the road ahead for the van with Andy in it or the bikes that his brothers rode.He saw neither.Feeling more than a little frustrated and desperate to get to them, to make sure she was okay, he eased the accelerator down as far as he dared.When the wheel began to shimmy in his hands, he was forced to ease off and slow down, but it irked.
If he could get her out of this safely, he swore he was going to either make sure this heap was completely gone through and fixed, or he would find her something he wasn’t going to worry about every time she went anywhere.Even if he had to give her his truck to drive while he worked on the car or found something she would be comfortable driving.
He had to slow down as he hit West Yellowstone.He was careful to stay at or below the speed limit.The last thing he needed to be pulled over and delayed even more.He reached the intersection where Hawkeye had told him the van had turned and made the corner.
“Where are you?”Hawkeye asked.
Dagger jumped.He’d forgotten they were still connected and that the phone was still on speaker.
“I just turned onto 20.How far behind am I?Have they stopped them yet?Is there any news?”
“They’re about six miles ahead of you and just getting them pulled over now.I don’t have word yet on if she’s there or what kind of condition she’s in.”
Dagger clenched his teeth and flexed his fingers around the steering wheel.As soon as he cleared the edge of town, he floored the accelerator again.He would be there soon to see how she was for himself.
Chapter Thirteen
Andy woke as she slidaround on the metal floor of the van.She slid until her back hit something hard.Pain shot through her hip.She bit her lip to keep from crying out.She didn’t want whoever had her to realize she wasn’t still out.She was afraid they’d hit her and knock her out again, leaving her helpless.
Helpless was just being another victim and she had decided when Travis brought her back to Craven’s Creek that she would never again be a victim.Gravel pinged against the underside of the van.It jerked from side to side a couple of times.Two men’s voices came from somewhere in the van, talking and cursing.She was too busy trying to keep from bouncing off the walls and ending up hurting more than she already was to pay any attention to what they were saying.
The van slowed, the rocks pinging against the undercarriage slowed, then stopped as the van seemed to roll to a stop.
“What now?”one voice asked.
“Get in the back, use her as a shield and be ready to hurt her when they open the door,” a second voice said.
