Page 56 of Finish Line
“I third it,” Raze agrees.
I nod my head. “Does anyone oppose?”
A round of nays circles the room.
“It’s decided then. Is there anyone who would like to volunteer?” I ask. “Before you do, know that we will not be usin’ bikes or cages. We need cages that won’t be so loud.”
“I’ll go,” Buster and Shade say at the same time.
“Me too,” Clutch adds. He’s been on the quiet end lately, so having him volunteer for this is a surprise. A good surprise.
“Clutch, Tech will ride with you so he can hack the security cams in the areas,” I tell him.
He nods his head in response.
“I’ll ride with someone,” Kicks volunteers.
“Me too,” Buzz adds.
“Good, good. We have three Hondas at the shop y’all can use,” I tell them. “One pair will stake out one location while the other goes to the second location. Clutch and Tech, you’ll spend however much time at each location that’s needed.”
They all nod, lettin’ me know they understand.
“It’s almost sunset, so y’all should head out. Everyone else, stay close and be ready to leave at a moment’s notice,” I announce. “Y’all are dismissed.”
I lean back in my chair, takin’ my time to leave the room. Ranger, Gunner, and Ratchet all stay behind, too.
“What’s up, Prez?” Gunner asks.
“Shadow is still gone,” I say.
“Want me to talk to the cut bunnies? See if anyone knows anything?” Ratchet asks.
“Yeah, that’s a good idea,” I tell him.
“On it.” He gets up and leaves the room.
Gunner and Ranger haven’t taken their eyes off me.
“We will find her, brother,” Ranger assures me.
“In what state, though? Kevin is probably puttin’ her through hell and I’m not there to protect her,” I growl out.
I stand and walk out of the room, heading out front to get some fresh air. Luckily, no one is out here, so I can get a few seconds of peace before I have to get back to my duties as club president. Being president means I have to put up a strong front ninety percent of the time. Most days, it’s easy, but since Athena is involved, I’m findin’ it more difficult to keep my composure.
I’ve been beatin’ myself up over this since the moment I found out she was taken. I should have done a better job at keepin’ her safe, even in the clubhouse. I shouldn’t have let my guard down.
I sit on top of one of the picnic tables, feet on the bench and take in the fresh air. I lose track of time, reveling in the fact that no one has come outside and interrupted my peace. My phone buzzes in my pocket, breaking the streak. Buzz’s name flashes across the screen.
“Yeah?” I answer.
“We hit the jackpot and picked up a couple of new friends at our location,” Buzz tells me.
“Great. Take them to see the scenery.” The scenery meaning the barn where we take guys to be tortured.
“We’re twenty minutes out,” he says.
“We’ll meet you there.” I hang up and head inside.
