She laughed again. “Why am I not surprised? That girl’s a character!”
Bo couldn’t help but laugh. That was a good way to describe Danny. Hell, it was a good way to describe all their women. You’d have to be a strong woman to put up with the lot of them. “Yes, ma’am, she is.”
“She’s in delivery room number two. The doctor’s cleared her for visitors for the time being but of course you should knock first.”
Bo nodded and thanked the woman. He easily found the room, but as he raised his hand to the door, a low animal wail met his ears. He froze and felt his breath lodge in his throat. A cold sweat broke out over his flesh, sending a shiver down his spine. He closed his eyes and forced a long, deep breath into his lungs. You’re home! Bo told himself, repeating the mantra over and over again in his head. You’re home! You’re home! You’re home! You’re fucking home. Get your shit together! He silently screamed to himself, but in his mind he could smell the blood, hear the wails of agony, feel the heat. He could feel himself begin to shake and knew he was on the verge of losing it. The breeze from the door opening brought his eyes back open, and he was face to face with Gabe.
“Oh shit man, sorry!” the man stammered as he nearly bowled him down. “Can you get the doctor? They have to give Danny something!”
Bo took in the sight of his friend and was almost relieved to see someone who was as close to the edge as he was. It gave him something to focus on besides his own issues. Nodding, Bo stammered his reply. “S–sure.”
Sighing with relief, Gabe spun and ran back into the room.
Returning to the desk, he found the nurse he’d spoken with earlier still in command. “She needs help! Do something!” he cried, gripping the counter with white knuckles.
Instead of jumping at his command, she calmly patted his hand. “The anesthesiologist will be here in less than fifteen minutes. Just calm down.”
“But she’s hurting.”
The nurse nodded sympathetically. “Yes, having a baby does that, but it’s worth it. I have five little ones myself. Just help her with her breathing and try to keep her as calm and comfortable as possible.”
“But…”
“No buts. Go!” she ordered firmly, and Bo was reminded of some of the company commanders he’d had during hell week.
Back at Danny’s room, he knocked, knowing Gabe wasn’t going to be pleased that he was alone. When Gabe answered the door, he shook his head. “Best they can do is fifteen minutes.”
“What?” Gabe bellowed.
“Calm down man. You’re not helping her if you’re losing it.”
Gabe scrubbed his face and Bo could see the big man’s hand shaking. “You don’t understand. It’s killing me to see her like that. She’s always so strong, but this…God, how can women go through this?”
Bo didn’t have an answer for him, but he felt his training click back online. This was no different than a mission. They had a goal, and they did what they had to, to accomplish that goal. “It’s fifteen minutes. We need to get her through fifteen minutes. Get your shit together!” Gabe met his eyes and Bo could see that it was tearing the man apart seeing his wife suffering. He held up his twisted left hand. “When I was sitting in the VA hospital I was told that I would never get any use out of my hand again. Do you know what I told them? I told them to fuck off. That they didn’t know what it meant to be a SEAL. We’re tough as nails. And Gabe, Danny’s tough too. She can do this.”
Gabe closed his eyes, and Bo could see him visibly calming. “You’re right,” he agreed as he opened his eyes. Turning, he entered his wife’s room with Bo at his heels.
Bo hid his shock when he saw the drawn face of the usually vibrant woman. “Well hello, beautiful,” he said with a forced smile.
Danny managed to laugh despite her obvious pain. “Not exactly feeling beautiful right now, Bo, but you’re sweet to lie to me.”
“He’s not lying, sweetheart. You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen,” Gabe said as he sat down on the edge of the bed and began to rub her shoulders.
“You have to say that, sweetheart. You love me,” Danny replied with a roll of her eyes.
“Well I love you like a sister, and I think you’re beautiful too.” And Bo was surprised to discover he really meant it. She was pale, washed down with sweat, and her golden eyes tight with pain, but she was also strong and determined. Bo had the sudden image of Layla giving birth to his child. She would be strong and filled with fire just like Danny.
A sudden gasp drew his attention. Danny was suddenly very tense. Bo felt his eyes widen as he watched Danny’s big belly ripple and then tighten beneath the thin fabric of her hospital gown. What had the nurse said? He was supposed to encourage her to breathe? Didn’t you do that without even thinking? Still he was the master of improvising. “Breathe, Danny,” he ordered, as if he knew exactly what she should be doing.”
“I am fucking breathing.” She growled, and it took all his years of training not to step back. He’d faced down trained mercenaries that weren’t as scary.
“The nurse said you were supposed to breathe, so by God you are going to breathe,” he said in his firmest, most commanding voice.
“All right damn it,” she cried before she broke into a series of long, odd pants that made Bo want to hyperventilate.
He could tell the exact moment the contraction eased because she visibly relaxed and the lines on her face eased.
“That’s it, sweetheart,” Gabe encouraged, stroking her hair as he carefully extracted his hand from her tight grip. Bo fought back a chuckle as the big man flexed his hand and winced.
They progressed in the same fashion, joke, breathe, relax, joke, breathe, relax, and Bo could safely say he was never more relieved to see someone as he was when the anesthesiologist walked into the room. Happily, he excused himself from the room and went to the waiting room.
Smokey greeted him with a nervous grimace. “They wouldn’t let me in when I got here just a few minutes ago. They said the doctor was getting ready to go in.” The older biker shook his shaggy head, and Bo could see the worry on the man’s face. Danny was like a daughter to him, and this had to be frustrating.
“That was the anesthesiologist. They are going to get her hooked up on some type of pain meds. Then I’m sure they will be able to give us a better idea of what’s going on.” Bo paused and looked around. “I am surprised Gloria isn’t in there.”
Smokey shook his head. “No, she stayed with Layla. We didn’t want to leave her alone with everything that was going on. They should be down in the room y’all were in.”
“No, they weren’t. I was there just a little while ago and there was an orderly cleaning up. They were nowhere in sight.”
Smokey’s eyes widened with worry. “They have to be here somewhere.”
“You’re probably right. I mean this place is a maze. It took me forever to find the labor and delivery ward.”
Nodding, Smokey agreed. “I’m sure you’re right.”
“You stay here, and keep us updated. I’ll go find them.” Bo laughed. “If I know Layla, she’s probably wandering around now trying to figure out where the hell she is. She has the world’s worst sense of direction.”
Grinning, Smokey chuckled. “My Glory’s not much better. She went to visit her cousin one time and ended up in the wrong state.”
* * * *
An hour later, Bo was on the verge of total panic. Layla and Gloria were nowhere to be found. Neither answered their cell phones or returned any text.
* * * *
If her circumstances hadn’t been so bad, Layla might have laughed at the cliché situation she found herself in. She and Gloria lay on their sides, hands tied behind their backs, bouncing along in a plain white panel van. How many bad horror movies had started like this? All they needed was a psycho in a ski mask. Well okay, they had the psycho.
She glanced around the inside of the van for something to use as a weapon, but nothing presented itself. “Can y
ou roll over so I can get to your hands?” she asked Gloria, keeping her voice as soft as possible.
Gloria shook her head. “I’ve been trying, but we’re bouncing too much.” Layla had been having the same problem. They had been moving for over twenty minutes, and by the feel of it, they had to be moving up into the mountains.
It was time to face reality. She closed her eyes again and swallowed hard. “Look, it’s me they want. You just do whatever they want. Stay alive and Smokey will come for you. They will all come. You know they will.”
Gloria nodded and gave her a weak smile. “I know. No one knows these mountains like my hubby, but you need to hang on too. You can’t give up. Bo won’t stop searching until he finds you.”
“They’ve been gunning for me for too long. There’s no way they are going to let me live, but if they are concentrating on me, then they will leave you alone.”
Gloria’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t you dare! You are not sacrificing yourself for me, do you hear me?”
“Gloria, be reasonable. This guy isn’t going to let me live anyway. If I can buy you some time, then take it.”
“Argh! You’re as stubborn as the rest of them.”
“Yep, that’s me. Bo one time told me that I could give a brick wall lessons in stubborn.”
“Isn’t that the truth. You just wait, you get yourself killed, and I’m thinking he’ll bring you back just so he can paddle your ass.”
Layla felt her cheeks heat. Did everyone know they had a special relationship? “I don’t know what you mean,” she said, and it sounded lame even to her own ears.
“Oh please, I don’t know which one of you is the biggest freak. I know for a fact that Danny goes out of her way to get herself in trouble. She and Willa plot together sometimes.”
She had to laugh. She had totally seen Danny do that. “You’re no better. You just hide it while we let our freak flag fly.”
“Shut your foul mouths!” The barked order came from the front of the van. They hadn’t seen the driver of the van, only the man who’d caught them in the hospital. It had become quickly obvious that the driver was the dominant, and the other man the submissive.
Layla and Gloria sobered. They traveled several more minutes in silence, before Gloria whispered, “At least I didn’t get left behind for this kidnapping. When Danny and Gloria got kidnapped by the biker gang last year, I got left behind. It sucked.”
“I think that’s one club you could have lived without being in, considering we’re probably both good as dead.”
“Nah, our men will come for us.” Gloria insisted, with a certainty that humbled Layla. If Gloria could have that much faith, then she could too.
“I hope you’re right.”
“You two just don’t know what shut up means do you?” The voice from the front seat barked as he brought the van to a stop. Seconds later the back doors of the van opened and Layla felt the world drop out from under her as she saw who stood there, Sheriff Thompson.
Chapter Fourteen
Bo knew he must look like a cold bastard to the people around him. The group had gathered at Layla’s apartment, which had been dubbed base camp. He had pulled Gabe aside briefed him on the situation, but they’d made the decision to keep everything from Danny until after she’d given birth. Romeo had remained behind at the hospital to guard the pair. Willa and Jake had closed her small bed-and-breakfast and joined them as well. The place was full and Bo stood stone silent on the edge of the group.
Bo forced himself to focus. He’d never had this kind of problem before, but then the mission had never involved Layla. He turned to Ghost, who was working furiously at his computer. Bo was good with the computer, but Ghost was in a league all his own. There wasn’t a system out there he couldn’t get into, nothing he couldn’t find.
Poor Thunder sat in the corner whimpering. The poor beast knew something was wrong, but couldn’t understand what. All he knew was that his mistress was gone. Every few minutes he would get up and walk through the apartment as if hoping that she would turn up.
“Any luck getting the video feed from the hospital?” he questioned even though it had only been a few minutes since he asked.
Ghost looked over his shoulder and gave him a frustrated eye roll. “Oh yeah, is that what I was supposed to be doing? I thought I was looking up last night’s game scores.”
“Ghost!” Doc barked, Bo growled, and Thunder whined.
Ghost just gave them a shit-eating grin, appearing to not be the least bit intimidated by Doc’s warning or Bo’s growl. He shot Thunder a sympathetic look before turning back to his friends. “It’s downloading. Don’t get your panties in a wad. I said I’d get it. Chill!”
Gritting his teeth, Bo began to pace again, feeling like a caged tiger. His stomach was knotted as his mind filled with images of Layla’s sweet body beaten and bloodied. He would suffer anything to save her from a moment’s pain, but right now he was helpless. He wanted to roar. He knew on the outside he appeared calm, cold even, but on the inside he was screaming in agony. It was only years of training that was keeping him under control. How had Jake and Gabe stood it last year when their women had been kidnapped?
“Okay, I got it,” Ghost called, and Bo sighed. Now he had something to focus on. Ghost transferred the image to the large television he and Doc had just installed a few days before. They had declared Layla’s tiny television too small to watch football, and the fifty-two inch flat panel had appeared. She’d been indignant that they seemed to be taking over her apartment, but now Bo was glad. It would make reviewing the footage much easier. They knew the approximate time the girls had been taken, but there were dozens of cameras discreetly placed throughout the hospital. Watching them all could take forever. It was time Layla and Gloria might not have.
“There!” Bo shouted a half hour later. They watched as a man in nondescript green scrubs moved past the camera with Layla and Gloria. They moved out the janitor’s exit in the rear of the hospital and into a waiting white van.
“He must have known where the cameras were. See how he never directly faces them?” Jake pointed out. Former DEA, he had a keen eye, and Bo knew his cousin had been a solid agent before he been forced to medically retire.
Ghost’s sharp eyes picked up something more. “But he’s not as smart as he thinks he is. The idiot’s reflection is just as clear as a mirror in the glass on the van door. Just give me a minute.” Ghost’s fingers flew over the keyboard, almost too fast for the human eye to see. Within a matter of minutes, he had a picture of a normal, unassuming man up on the screen. His hair was a mousy brown and his face broad and mild.
“Well that’s a start. Good work, Ghost. Now we just have to figure out who this dickwad is.” Doc slapped Ghost on the back appreciatively. It didn’t matter that they weren’t in uniform anymore. Doc was a natural leader and it showed in the way he treated his friends.
“Yes, thanks, man!” Bo added. “Send it to my phone.” As soon as his phone beeped, he forwarded the photo to his friend Gideon, thankful he’d gotten the man’s cell before leaving the hospital earlier.
“Send it to me too. I want to check something,” Jake said, a thoughtful look on his normally no-nonsense face.
Bo didn’t have a chance to wonder what his cousin was up to, as Gideon picked up his phone on the second ring. “Hey, Gid, it’s Bo. I’m sending you a picture of a hospital employee. Can you tell me who it is?”
“Sure. I’m assuming he’s involved with Layla and her friend’s disappearance?” the doctor asked perceptively.
“Yeah, we have video of him forcing the girls into a white van.”
“How do you have that? Our security hasn’t even received a search warrant from the sheriff’s office yet. I just checked. They wouldn’t even let me look.”
“Best not ask questions you don’t want to know the answers to.”
Bo could almost see Gideon rolling his eyes. “Okay, hang on.” He heard shuffling and knew his friend was bringing up the im
age. After several seconds, Bo heard the man curse loudly before coming back onto the line. “Yeah, I know that little bastard. His name’s Ukaria Thompson. He’s one of our janitors. He’s on probation for inappropriate behavior toward several members of the staff. Got all preachy with a few of the ladies here. I knew we should have fired his ass. I’ll send you the information.”
“Thanks man! I owe you.”
“Just get your ladies back safe.”
“You can count on it.” He hung up the phone and turned to the group. “We have a name coming. Now we just need an address.”
Ghost took the name and went back to work.
“Hell yeah, that’s the asshole!” a voice said from the doorway. They all turned, and it took Bo a second to recognize Reb Watkins, the former biker gang leader, turned state’s witness. Reb, who now went by the name Rafael Weathers, had taken his precious daughter and gone into witness protection.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Jake barked at his friend. Thunder growled softly, as if unsure of this new visitor. Bo bent to stroke the beast’s big head to let him know that it was okay, but he understood. He wanted to growl too.
The notorious biker actually shrugged. “Your women are in trouble, and I figured you could use some back up. Besides I can never repay you for what you did for Holly and me.” He paused and gave his friends a meaningful look. “Besides, do you think anyone would actually recognize me?” Bo realized it was true. The man’s long black hair had been closely cropped, almost military short on the sides, though the front still hung down into his pale blue eyes. His bushy goatee was gone, leaving him looking almost baby-faced. Even the gang tattoos that used to mark the front and side of his neck had been lasered away.
“Where’s Holly?” Willa asked, and Bo had realized he’d almost forgotten she was there. She was pale, but her pretty face was determined.
Reb smiled affectionately. “Don’t worry, sweet lady. I left her in safe hands.” The man’s daughter had stolen a piece of all their hearts while she’d stayed with them.
Breaking Hearts [Smoky Mountain Motorcycles 2] (Siren Publishing Allure) Page 10
