Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 84471 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 422(@200wpm)___ 338(@250wpm)___ 282(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84471 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 422(@200wpm)___ 338(@250wpm)___ 282(@300wpm)
“What the fuck makes you think that I'd want to lead you guys to him? If that's what this is about, you can forget it. We don't talk much anymore, but he always treated me fair.”
“He's got something up his ass again.” Hellfire's voice has gone deathly serious. The tone he takes right before he kills someone, the one with the quiet, seething fury underneath it. The one that even makes us give him a wide berth if we hear it. “Twice now, he's somehow gotten hold of sensitive information that's gotten my boys shot at. I want to know if you have any information on what he’s up to. And why.”
Grimm purses his lips while he thinks. “You got proof of that? Sounds like bullshit to me. It’s been fucking years, brother.”
Hellfire jerks when Grimm says it. “I’m not your fucking brother, not anymore,” he growls.
Grimm waves it away. “Habit.”
“We caught him in the act,” Dragon throws out before they can distract each other again. “He’s going by Brutus, but when we tracked him down, it was definitely Tanner. Now he's on the run, and we need to find him. And it’s not just us, he’s pissing off Hamid Chafik.”
“What do you want me to do about it? I can tell you what I know, but I haven’t talked to either of you in years. Maybe I should hear his side of it first.”
“You owe me,” Hellfire snarls.
“You’re going to throw that in my face? Fuck you!”
The door slams open, drawing all of our attention to it. Blackout fills the doorway looking like he's ready to start breaking shit. Sinner is right behind him, looking almost as pissed.
“What the fuck?” Hellfire looks as confused as he looks angry.
“Willow’s missing.”
33
BLACKOUT
“What the fuck do you mean, Willow’s gone?” Skyhigh snarls.
“Exactly what I'm saying. Sinner was on guard duty. He can tell you.” I spare a glance for some new guy who has his fucking boots on Hellfire’s desk and hasn’t gotten his head ripped off yet.
Sinner steps forward. He looks real fucking nervous. “She was upstairs most of the morning, and then Paige and Jessica came by to look around the house. I went next door to measure for the new flooring.” He glances back and forth between me, Skyhigh and Dragon. “I told them to let me know when they left. I swear to God. I saw them in the back looking at her garden, and then it was quiet for a while. I heard a car pull up and looked out the window. I saw the guy from the sting at her front door. I called Blackout while I was running out of the house, but by the time I got there, they were already gone.”
“Patrols are on the lookout but nobody’s reported anything yet,” I add.
“Fucking Tanner,” Dragon bites out. He steps up to the new guy and shoves his feet off the desk. “Where the fuck would he take her, Grimm?”
Grimm, whoever the hell he is, snorts in disbelief. “Why the fuck would he kidnap your girlfriend?”
Hellfire stands. “Because he’s a fucking lunatic! Because as soon as we verified his identity, we passed it on to Hamid Chafik and there’s a very good chance Tanner is pissing himself now and doing whatever the fuck he can to either survive, or take out as many people as he can on the way out.”
“You seriously think he would—”
I don’t have the patience for this. “I don’t know who the fuck you are, but I seriously think I'm gonna break your fucking neck if you keep acting like a giant asshole.” I make fists as I take a step closer to him. If this fucker knows where Willow might be…
“Blackout, stand down,” growls Hellfire, only to grab Grimm by the shirt and get up in his face. “Now do you know where Tanner might be? Yes or fucking no?”
Grimm looks less belligerent and more unsure. “If that's what it takes to get you fuckers off his back, then fine.” He shoves off from Hellfire, tearing himself loose. “No promises. I haven’t seen him in a couple years.”
“That’s better than nothing. Let’s ride.” Skyhigh's already opening the door. We file out, and after a bitter glare at Hellfire, Grimm follows.
“Keep me informed.” Hellfire picks up his phone. “I'm gonna get feet on the ground and put out more patrols. If you need backup, the boys'll already be on their feet.”
I bounce two fingers off my head in a casual boy scout salute, and then we're out the door, heading for our bikes.
When we roar through the gate, Grimm leading the way, Hellfire's already got the bells sounding to alert the members.
Grimm takes us up onto the highway, riding it west, towards the ocean. Twenty minutes later, we clear the city limits, roaring through traffic like speed traps don't exist. But we're lucky today. Not a siren in sight by the time we pull off a few stops down from Chafik's estate. Pretty sure Tanner doesn't have that kinda money, though.