Page 69 of Rebellion of a Kingdom

I watched them all move in unison, every single one of them doing something to get ready to help get my girl back, and all I could do was stand there. My phone still gripped in my hand. Was that the last time I’ll ever get to speak to her? The last time I will ever hear her voice. Was this morning the last time I will ever touch her, kiss her, love her?

Hour’s pass, I don’t know how many, but the ache in my chest grows by the second. This isn’t like when she was gone before. No. Then I knew she was in control, had her guard up, and her wits about her. This is different. She didn’t leave, she was taken, and we have no idea where.

“What do you fucking mean you can’t find them?” I snap at Elijah as he taps away on his laptop, Lincoln right beside him.

“Exactly what I said, Riviera. They’re gone, like they disappeared.” He replies calmly, making me want to smash that fucking laptop right into his face.

We are all spread around the living room, dressed head to toe in tactical gear. I’ve got more weapons strapped to me than I ever have before, and all we need now is a direction to point them in.

“Then what was the purpose of the fucking tracker in her necklace if we can’t use it to find her.” I snap back at him furiously. Yes, I wanted to gift Elle with a beautiful, sentimental necklace for Christmas, but that wasn’t its only purpose. It’s fitted with a state-of-the-art tracker, as is Cassie's bracelet. After what happened, I wasn’t taking any chances.

“They must have broken it. The signal is completely gone. It’s weird.” Is all he can come up with, and I swear he really is about to get a broken nose via laptop.

I look to Lincoln, but his eyes don’t lift from his own screen, I can feel the anger burning off of him. This isn’t just Elle, but Jace too. We can’t lose them, we won’t survive. Logan has positioned himself at one of the windows, gun in hand and his stare never leaving the front gates. Max’s guys are spread around the house, awaiting instruction, while still standing guard, and Asher silently broods in the corner. He looks two seconds from killing us all and going after them in the only way he knows how. Alone. His gaze collides with mine, as if he sensed my stare and I see his jaw clench as something comes to his mind.

“What happens to it, if there aren't any towers to pick up the signal, like if they were in the middle of nowhere?” He asks Elijah, and I turn towards him to await his answer.

Elijah shrugs, “I guess it just wouldn’t appear, but it would still give us a last known location unless something had blocked it.”

Asher closes his eyes and cricks his neck from side to side. “I know where they are.”

My head snaps back in his direction, “where?”

“Where this all began.” He only says four words, but they turn my stomach. Where this all began. They’ve been taken to Donovan’s playground in the woods. The huge compound they have there, that has more fucking security than Fort Knox. The one place we have avoided at all costs, because we know it’s almost impenetrable. We need a fucking miracle.

Zack looks to Max who nods, pulling out his phone and stalking from the room. Doesn’t take a genius to know he’s calling for backup. I doubt he knows enough people to get us out of this one, but we can’t not try. I promised Elle I wouldn’t leave Cassie’s side. How can I keep that promise and still save her?

Two hours pass, it’s 8pm, they’ve been gone for eight hours and we have nothing other than a location. A location we don’t know if they are definitely at, but does it even matter? Even with definitive proof we have no way to get in there. Lincoln hacked a blueprint and with Asher’s help, they have printed us a pretty accurate layout of the place and all it does is reinforce the fact that we are fucked. So many entrances, so many guards, so many fucking cameras. We’d need a fucking army to get in there. As soon as I think it, it clicks in my head.

“Linc, call Jack and get every guy here. I don’t give a fuck what they’re doing. They are needed here.” He looks up at me as I grab my jacket from the back of the chair and throw it on, pocketing a set of keys

“Where are you going?” He asks, and I see Asher’s eyes on me too.

“To pay President O’Sullivan a visit.” is all I respond before I spin on my heels and walk out. I feel someone following, but I don’t pause, just continue on my way, only stopping at the office to pick up a burner phone before moving through the house. I don’t stop until I am climbing into a car and then the passenger door swings open too.

Asher climbs inside without saying a word and when I don’t immediately move, he looks at me, “we doing this, Riviera?”

I smile, “you bet your fucking ass, we’re doing this.”

I barely register the drive over to the Hallowed Crows MC, but my knuckles ache from the tight grip I have on the wheel all the way there. I won’t smash through the gates like Elle did, but only because if I did, I wouldn’t stop there. The rage inside me burns through my veins and I need to channel it in the right direction. When I get my hands on Greg Donovan, I am going to fucking rip his limbs from his body. There won’t be enough of him left for anyone to ID him. From the silent seething of Asher beside me, I know I’m not the only one thinking such things.

As we approach the club, I remember it’s Friday, and even though it’s getting into the evening, the gates are open with people bustling around going about their usual business. As soon as I slide the car into their space, we have eyes all over us. I slam the door as I get out and Ash follows suit. I don’t see Rebecca anywhere, but I spot Connor and his VP at the same time they spot me.

Connor tosses the cigarette between his lips to the ground, and then walks our way, “need something boys?”

“Calling in that favor.” I bite out, and his eyes flick between the two of us and back to the car. I know he is looking for Elle and the lack of her presence fucking guts me all over again.

“I made that deal with your girl, not you.”

“Yeah, well my girl is fucking indisposed right now.” I snap out, and his eyes focus on mine.

“He has her?” He asks pointlessly, because I’m sure he can tell from the fury in my eyes that we lost her.

I just nod. He watches me in silence for almost a minute, before he nods and then whistles loudly in a pattern like a bird. It sets off a chain reaction as guys spill out from everywhere following his tune, whistling back as they appear.

He keeps his stare locked with mine when he addresses them loudly, “get ready for war boys, it’s coming.”

I nod and pull the burner from my pocket and toss it at him, “when I call you, you answer. Be ready.” Is all I say before I climb back into the car. Asher doesn’t move at first, until he pushes past Connor and heads straight for the guy, I know to be Killian and gets right in his face. I don’t know what he says, but it has Killian smiling viciously and offering him a mock salute.

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