by Wild, Nikki
“Awesome,” I growled, letting the sarcasm slip into my tone. “Who the fuck is it this time?”
Grizz checked the door, speaking loudly enough for me to hear – and therefore the unwanted guest, as well.
“It’s Talon.”
The entire club went quiet enough to hear a pin drop. My men started reaching for weapons as I crossed the threshold and relieved Grizz from his post at the door.
Questions rolled through my head:
What the fuck was Talon doing here?
How the hell did he even find us?
With a reluctant groan, I unlocked the door and pulled it open. Sure the fuck enough, there stood Talon, a wicked grimace crossing his lips. Behind him, a van sat parked on the other side, one of his own Dragons standing watch beside the driver’s door.
If Talon was so fucking displeased to see me, he could have just not shown up.
“Hunter,” Talon replied, his growling tone bearing a sadistic glint. “I believe that it’s time you and I had another talk…”
“Is that so?”
“It is,” his voice rattled in his lungs. “They say that the enemy of my enemy is my friend, and you and I have a mutual enemy with a particularly large footprint…”
“Soroka Sarkonov,” I acknowledged. “Talon… it was you, wasn’t it? Disappearing the crate like that… I know for goddamned certain she’s going to rip your balls off when she finds out you had a hand in dumping that container into the Pacific.”
“Both are true when it comes to that bitch,” Talon chuckled, “and I think you’ll be singing a different tune when you know what she’s done.”
“Straight to business, I see. Alright, Talon, I’ll bite – care to fill me in?”
Talon tilted his head, watching me carefully. “Where do you think your woman is right now?”
The air escaped my lungs.
I fought down the burning rage that flared up, filling my very core. Rising inside and building pressure, it threatened to snuff out and sear away every ounce of rationality inside me.
“What did you do, Talon?”
“I didn’t fucking do anything, Hunter,” the diabolical biker president responded with complete seriousness. “The proxy of Soroka Sarkonov came to see me today, and your little bitch decided to eavesdrop on our little conversation.”
“How do I know any of this is true?”
Talon reached into his pocket, pulling out a smartphone and handing it to me. I recognized those little scratches and scrapes, and that lock screen wallpaper. It definitely belonged to Sarah.
“I believe that this is hers.”
My world came crashing down.
I could hear my men mobilizing behind me, but I waved them away. Drawing weapons now was not a good idea.
“You… you let her die…”
“I didn’t let anything happen, boy,” Talon instantly cut in. “And the last I saw her, your woman was still alive. We found Sarkonov’s cargo container, and the proxy took Sarah with her when she left…”
He descended into a coughing fit.
“Why are you telling me this?” I demanded to know, the second he regained his breathing. “Answer me, Talon… We have fucking bad blood between us. I’ll kill you right here with my bare fucking hands. Why the fuck did you come to taunt me?”
“Taunt you?” Talon roared. “Why the fuck would I taunt you? I need you! Time is of the fucking essence…”
“What the hell are you talking about?” I asked, trying to force my building anger back down. If there was any chance that she was still alive…
I could see the calculations running in the back of his head as he turned. The old bastard was weighing his words, carefully reflecting on precisely how to answer my question.
“Sarkonov’s proxy is responsible for your missing girlfriend,” Talon finally replied. “But Sarkonov herself has been a thorn in my side for a long fucking time. I need the bitch disposed of, and I need it done quickly.”
“You want to drag me into a fight.”
“As I recall, our enemy doesn’t have my pregnant girlfriend,” my nemesis continued. “I am giving you a rare and unique opportunity.”
I crossed my arms as I coolly regarded him. “And what is that, exactly?”
“Your woman is locked in the sealed container.”
I felt my eye instinctively twitch.
“The container is on the back of a truck, and it left my jurisdiction just over thirty minutes ago. Pretty soon, it’ll leave Los Angeles, and you’ll never fucking see her again.”
“Get to the point,” I snarled.
Talon appeared to contemplate savoring the moment, but quickly decided to relinquish his strategic position over me. “I know where it’s going, and I know who will arrive to take things from there.”
“Soroka Sarkonov,” I groaned.
“She won’t trust anyone else on this one,” he explained. “Once she discovers the liability locked inside, your woman is as good as dead.”
I gazed down at my hands. They were balled into shaking fists at my sides, the knuckles white with fury.
My family was in danger.
I had to rescue them, and fast.
Lifting my gaze, I matched his gaze with a dark glare. Paternal anger fueled my words as I decided that, whatever the cost, I would strike a deal with the Devil if it meant the safety of my child… and the safety of the woman.
“What do you want, Talon?”
The biker president smiled wickedly.
“It’s your lucky day, Hunter,” he replied. “I’ll give you the destination, and I want you to kill Soroka Sarkonov.”
“You want me to kill the most dangerous fucking woman in the world?”
He took a step forward.
“I didn’t ask for any of this,” Talon snarled, his rotting breath slipping into my lungs. “The evils that I call my clients – the evils that I know – are nowhere near the danger that she represents.
“You want to smuggle some drugs through my port? Fine. You want to ship some guns through? Sure. I’ve let shit move through that dock that would make your toes curl, and I have never said a fucking word. I keep my mouth shut, I keep the shit protected, and I take my money.”
“So why the fuck did you dump Soroka’s cargo into the goddamned ocean, Talon? You started this, and now you want me to fucking end it?” I replied, growling. It was written on his face now.
He was responsible for all of this.
“I didn’t know it was her fucking container, all I knew was what it had on the inside... Trust me, I did the fucking world a favor when I shoved that piece of shit straight into the water, and you’ll do the world a favor when you put a bullet in Soroka’s fucking head,” Talon replied angrily.
“What’s in the box, Talon?” I demanded.
“The crate’s lead-lined,” he answered cryptically.
...Fuck.
“There are few things in this world that would make an dangerous woman of her caliber scramble like this,” Talon continued, “and now you know why I did what I had to do. I knew the repercussions, and I expected to die, but still… I couldn’t have predicted any of this.”
A lead-lined box, in the hands of an arms dealer…
“I think you fucking know what’s in the box, Hunter,” he continued gravely. “But all you need to worry about right now is your woman. Stop Soroka, and we’ll all put that goddamned box somewhere that it’ll never be found…
“And maybe live to see another fucking day.”
“She threatened you,” I realized.
“Better than that,” Talon shook his head with a dark, defeated scoff. “She threatened the lives of my entire organization… And if she gets her hands on that cargo container, that’ll be the fucking least of our problems.”
Jesus Christ, I thought to myself.
Talon composed himself. “I’m dying, Hunter. I’m fucking dying, and I’ve done my share of bad fucking things. I can’t make all of that better, but I can sto
p whatever twisted bullshit Soroka Sarkonov is planning. I can try to make something right. This might be the only fucking good thing I ever do.”
“You want redemption?”
Talon chuckled. “Redemption? I don’t want fucking redemption. I want security for my men. I want a safe place for their children and their fucking grandchildren. This club is my family, and Soroka Sarkonov will wipe every last one of us off the earth if we don’t stop her now…”
“I want more than just her location,” I pressed.
Talon narrowed his eyes. “You want more? Besides your woman back, safe and sound? What, that ain’t good enough for you?”
“This little spat between Sarkonov and you doesn’t have anything to do with us,” I replied as calmly as I could manage. “We were dragged into this just as much as you were… if I’m going to do this, then I need something more from you.”
He growled angrily. “Name the price.”
“You came to me out of desperation with an offer that benefits us both,” I reasoned out. “Someday, I’m going to need a favor when I’m in trouble… I want your word that I can count on you for help.”
“You want to be allies,” the biker president muttered aloud, stroking his graying beard.
“For now, we have a common threat,” I clarified. “When this is done, instead of turning our backs… we will be in debt to one another. You and I might have had our differences in the past, but there’s no reason to hold onto old grudges. Let’s clear the fucking blood out of water.”
I held out my hand.
Talon regarded the gesture carefully, his eyes glued to the extended limb. I could see the cogs in his head turning, running through the possibilities, on the lookout for any hitches…
“I will offer your charter formal recognition from the Los Angeles Devil’s Dragons, and all the benefits as such. No longer will you scramble through the desert on your own… Hunter, you realize that this is a two-way street.”
“You want access to the Outlaws,” I replied. “You want to use us as a gateway to them.”
“Perceptive,” he chuckled.
“I can’t guarantee that,” I replied calmly. “They might answer to me, but I can only bend them so far. If they want to speak to you, the decision will be theirs to make, not mine.”
“I’m am an old man on death’s door. I can’t protect my family alone… I need strength in numbers, Hunter,” he replied. “I seek sanctuary for my men, in these dark times, particularly with those as high and dangerous as Sarkonov gazing down upon us…
“I recognize what you have accomplished with your united band of renegades. If I can ally with them, then I won’t be alone when my next enemy appears…
“Do we have an understanding?”
I straightened my hand. “I believe so.”
Talon’s rough, ancient hand grasped mine with a firm, resolute shake. “Welcome back, Hunter Hargreaves… against our enemy, my resources are yours for the taking.”
If the stakes weren’t so high, and if my woman and unborn child didn’t hang in the balance… I would have been happier to make my old nemesis my reluctant, powerful ally. But there was no time for that.
“How long do we have?” I asked, withdrawing my hand from his grip.
“There’s a GPS tracker on the truck. The proxy is apparently sticking to the back roads. A direct cut down I-10 will take you where you need to go. If you leave now, you’ll have time to position your people and wait for her approach.”
“And Sarkonov?”
Talon chuckled. “She keeps her appearances very, very brief. She’ll show up, but you’re going to have to let her proxy think everything went smoothly. Let her get to the drop-off point. Wait till the bitch finally shows her face before you do anything.”
“You said you have resources…” I recalled, glancing over his shoulder at the truck. The driver gruffly acknowledged me with a curt nod. “What do you have?”
Talon smiled evilly.
“Guns, Hunter… lots and lots of guns.”
At my calling, half my men assembled behind me. I directed them to the van, and they unloaded several wooden crates and dragged them inside.
While they were clearly confused that Talon was coming in behind me, they crowbarred open the containers to reveal a bevy of assault weaponry and handguns in an array of options. Half of the crates contained brand new bulletproof vests – a fortunate choice, as we were running low on ours.
“Listen up, everyone,” I spoke over the clatter of the guns. The room went silent as all eyes trained onto me.
“It should be no surprise that Talon and I don’t exactly see eye to eye,” I paused, glancing his way, “but we have come to set our differences aside for the sake of a greater threat.”
“Soroka Sarkonov,” Grizz responded. “You’re going to challenge Soroka Sarkonov.”
“Sarkonov sends someone to act as her representative, someone we call her proxy,” I reminded them, reaching into my pocket. “This person is dangerous enough to enjoy full cooperation of the criminal underworld wherever he or she goes.”
Within seconds, I was holding out the smartphone that he had given me. “This phone belongs to Sarah. Talon has brought it here as proof that she’s been taken. In a few hours, Soroka is meeting up with her proxy. When that happens, if we aren’t there first, Sarah is going to die.”
“You will not ride alone,” Grizz stepped forward. “If Sarah is in danger, then you shall have my gun at your side.”
The Dragons glanced amongst one another, unsure on how to proceed. Despite my conviction, I sensed their clear and apparent apprehension. I was asking them to fight the goddamned boogeyman. Nobody had ever gone after Soroka and came out alive on the other side.
“I won’t pretend that I’m not asking the world of you,” I addressed them. “This is the woman who bears my child… I’m going. I will ride alone or I will ride with my brothers. I certainly will not begrudge–”
“Aye,” spoke Ricochet. Cutting me off.
“Aye,” spoke Skid.
“Aye,” spoke Victor.
Soon, the room filled with the confirmations that I feared might never come. My men had my back. My Devil’s Dragons would fearlessly follow their leader into battle against even Soroka Sarkonov.
My gaze shifted to Talon. A confident smirk begrudgingly crossed his lips, and he gave me a slight nod to offer a token of respect.
“Suit up, boys,” I addressed my motorcycle club. “After that, we ride due east. Our objectives are to rescue Sarah Buchanan, defeat Sarkonov’s proxy, and take down the bitch herself! Let’s get some!”
The men roared with war lust as they scrambled to throw on bulletproof vests, load the weapons, and prepare for a fight.
“I need to know where I’m going, Talon,” I turned to my surprise ally, who followed me past the swarm of men. “The moment the men are ready, I want to be hitting the road.”
“Of course,” he replied, withdrawing a map from the inside pocket of his jacket. “I’ve taken the liberty of marking out what I think her rendezvous coordinates are going to be… And here’s a phone tracking her in real time…”
Unfolding the map, I held it up and scrutinized the markings, comparing it to the map on the phone. The small dot moved slowly along a winding road, taking Sarah further and further from me with every passing second. Talon indicated a pullout point just past Temecula.
“Here?” I pointed to a red dot.
“That’s the place,” Talon nodded, stroking his beard. “If you leave now, you won’t even need luck on your side…”
He was right. The rendezvous point looked fairly accessible from the main interstate, and I suspected that we could beat our enemies there with time to set up an ambush.
Talon stepped back to talk with his single accompanying biker, and I found myself face to face with my second-in-command, Grizz.
“Permission to speak freely, sir.”
“You know you don’t need my fucking permission
Grizz,” I replied. “You always have clearance to speak your mind with me.”
“Talon is not telling you everything that he knows,” Grizz spoke ominously.
“I think I’d be more surprised if he was telling me the whole fucking truth. Friend or foe, the old bastard’s all that we have right now,” I said, casting a sideways glance back at the president of the Los Angeles Devil’s Dragons. “Thy have Sarah, Grizz. I have to get her back.”
“I’m with you,” Grizz said, grabbing my shoulder.
“Good… let’s ride.”
Hang on, baby, I mentally called to Sarah as I made my way to my bike, as I heard the sound of my men clamoring behind me to their own motorcycles. The ominous air was filled with gun-stained vengeance.
We’re coming for you.
Sarah
When I awoke, the first thing that I was aware of was the throbbing pain in my head – a swirling spiral of aching that eclipsed all of my thoughts. The second thing was that I was bound awkwardly and hastily, with my wrists tied behind my back.
The third was that I’d become blind.
After a bout of horrendous panic, I realized that it wasn’t that I was actually blind. I felt the constant movement of my prison, and the bumping of the road beneath me.
That meant that not only was I locked in the missing storage container, but Hannah had successfully removed it from the Port of Los Angeles.
It was on the truck, heading God knows where… rigged to possibly explode, with me trapped inside.
And it was lead-lined…
Panic gripped at me. I didn’t feel unwell, but there was no way to tell if the bomb in this container was leaking radiation. The lining could have just been a contingency, or maybe this thing had been slowly making me sick as I laid here for who the fuck knows how long…
After all, I was a goddamn private eye, not a fucking expert in nuclear physics.
I wondered if she was driving it now, or relying on someone else to do so while she rode shotgun. Maybe she wasn’t even in the same vehicle, choosing to run in an escort vehicle.
Either way, I was pretty much fucked.
I tried to wiggle around and see if I could dislodge my phone from my jeans. If that were so, at least I could use it for a light source. I’d get a grasp of my surroundings so that I didn’t accidentally bump into something prone to bursting into flames, especially given who really owned the container that served as my jail cell.
