“Hey,” I say sharply, hoping to snap her out of it. We need to deal with finding her kid, and her losing it isn’t going to help. Later, when he’s safe, she can let loose, but now I need her to focus. “What’s your name, beautiful?”
Her eyebrows furrow in confusion, but she answers me. And I swear to God, the second I finally learn her name it’s as if I found a piece of myself.
“Kennedy. My name is Kennedy Lewis.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
~ Gage ~
“This must be true love because I haven’t even thought about planning my escape yet.”
– Gage to Aislinn
Half an hour earlier at the Vengeance MC clubhouse…
“Repeat that,” Boss barks, slamming his fist down on the church table.
Needless to say, I just told my brothers about my conversation with Nix, and it went over exactly as expected.
“Worm and Ripper, Prez. The intel is solid seeing as it came from Nix. He’s got no reason to lie, especially when it puts him and his daughter at risk, and only speeds up the inevitable. Hells Riders shit is falling apart, according to him, the Furnace chapter will be disbanded within the month,” I summarize.
“And Nix heard those motherfuckers himself?”
“The day after Diesel’s funeral, yeah,” I confirm, sliding forward to rest my elbows on the table. “Nix wasn’t lying when he said he had no prior knowledge of their plan. And to be honest, if he had, I’ve got no doubt he would have shared it.”
Sarge wades into the conversation stating,
“Only thing that needs to be decided now is what we’re gonna do about it. If it were five years ago, I’d say put them to ground, but the club doesn’t need a war with Hells Riders mother charter. Making a couple of assholes disappear is one thing, but making a couple of assholes who are visible to law enforcement is another. Those boys have been under investigation for months, so them vanishing into thin air is going to raise some suspicion.”
“Maybe, but they won’t be missed. My vote is we go in quiet, just Gage and Fury and repay them in kind,” Boss proposes, visibly shaking with rage.
“Not a bad plan,” Fury puts in. “They’d be easy to get to too. If the vote goes that way, it’ll be an in and out job, clean and quick.”
Banging the gavel, Boss advocates,
“Then I say we put it to a vote.”
“Hold up a second,” I say, pushing up to stand. “The issue of Nix needs to be decided before we vote.”
Boss jerks his head towards me, growling,
“You’re right. For once in his fucking life, he did something decent, it doesn’t absolve him of responsibility, but I trust you, Gage. All of us do. If you’re telling us you believe he really didn’t have anything the fuck to do with this, I’ll base the vote on your word, but know this. If I find out that motherfucker played any part in my brothers’ death, I’m holding you accountable, and I won’t hesitate in taking him out; kid or no kid.”
Fuck, I hate having a conscience sometimes. While I’d love to hang Nix out to dry, let him take his chances with Boss metering out his retribution, I can’t. Just the thought of his little girl growing up without a father, and his woman spending the rest of her life mourning him is enough to have me grunting my agreement.
“I’ll vouch for him.”
“Good, it’s settled then. All in favor of Gage and Fury finding Worm and Ripper, and reenacting the same death they gave our brother and VP say, Aye. All those opposed say, Nay,” Boss commands, scanning the room.
Sixteen members are sitting at the table, and there are sixteen Ayes’. Not that I was expecting a different result, I wasn’t. There isn’t a man present who doesn’t want to see justice served for Diesel, and rightly so.
Catching me after Boss closes church, he asks,
“Beth said Aislinn bailed on her tonight, everything okay?”
This is news to me. When I went home before church, I found Aislinn’s note telling me she was sorry she’d missed me, and she’ll see me later. I was disappointed I wouldn’t see her in the new dress she bought seeing as I had every intention of fucking her in it before she left, but aside from the perpetual boner I was going to be walking with until late tonight, I didn’t think anything of it. Now, though? Now I’m fucking worried.
My hands begin to shake uncontrollably, the fear Aislinn’s hurt or worse coursing through me at an alarming rate.
“Call the boys back, and do it fucking now,” I yell. Boss attempts to put his hand on my shoulder, but I shake him off, and sneer, “Aislinn left a note saying she was out with your woman. I found it about fifteen minutes before I left to come here on the counter at home. That doesn’t mean shit, though. It could’ve been put there anytime between nine this morning and five thirty when I got home. Eight and a half hours, Prez. Eight and a half motherfucking hours.”
“Cash, Fury, Jump, get your asses in here, now,” Boss bellows through the partially open door. Once they’ve filed in, Boss kicks the door shut and instructs, “Cash, call Reaper and tell him to get his ass on his bike and get here quick. Aislinn’s missing.” Glancing between them, he questions, “Any of you seen that friend of hers, Meg?”
“On it,” Cash nods, moving to the corner of the room out of earshot.
Reaper isn’t going to take this news well. In fact, I’d be surprised if he doesn’t lose his fucking mind on the drive from Blackwater to Furnace. Two hours is a long time to spend thinking you may have lost the daughter you only just learned you have. Not that I blame him, I’m in the same fucking boat as he is.
The look of realization on Jump’s face is the mirror image of mine. His lips thin into a tight line, and the square cut of his jaw hardens into solid granite.
“Meg’s supposed to be with Aislinn. Told me this morning she’d meet me back here after she was done.”
“She got family we need to call; boyfriend, husband, fucking cat sitter?”
“No one. Meg’s got fucking no one, except Aislinn,” he grates out.
I catch his eyes, and state,
“Bullshit, she’s got you. And I promise you, we’ll get her back, brother. You’ve got my word on that.”
“Fury, round up Gunner, Maddox, and Dirty and make sure they’re carrying. I want backups for everyone and secondary burners too. Sly can trace their cells to pinpoint their location, so get him working on that before you talk to the boys. Tell him I want the coordinates in five,” Boss orders. I hadn’t thought of that, but to be honest, I’m not thinking about anything other than getting my woman back.
Sly installed the same software on both Aislinn and Meg’s cells that he has on all Vengeance’s; burners and personal cells alike. It doesn’t matter if the battery goes flat or the phone’s turned off, the software will still do its job and narrow down someone’s location to within fifty feet.
“Reaper’s on his bike,” Cash tells us. “He said an hour, hour and a half tops.”
“Not waiting that long, brother,” I address Boss. “As soon as Sly has their location nailed down, I’m going in with or without you.”
Jump nods his agreement, crossing his heavily tattooed arms across his chest.
“I’m with him. We have no fucking idea who has them, and I’m not willing to risk their safety waiting for Reaper.”
“No one rides alone. We’re all going,” Boss declares, shouting for Sly to come in. “What have you got for us?”
“They’re still in town. Corner of Johnson and Highway Slip Road Two. Both signals are pinging in the same place, but their cells are off,” he rushes out. “Brothers are ready to ride when you are, even Sarge is saddling up.”
This strangely doesn’t surprise me. Over the last few weeks, Sarge has developed a strong bond with Aislinn. He says she reminds him of his daughter Marlee who he lost to leukemia the day after her tenth birthday. They have the same coloring, fiery red hair, and unbreakable spirit which no longer evokes a painful reaction from him, but triggers happy memories of be
tter times.
Boss jerks his head toward the door, silently issuing his command for us to move out.
“After your women are brought home, you and Fury will need to take care of the other problem, Gage,” he reminds me needlessly.
“I know,” I concede. “As soon as I know Aislinn’s alright, you won’t hear any objections from me.”
Meeting the stony faces of my brothers, seeing the fear on Beth, Avery, and Blaine’s faces as they huddle together on one of the couches in the far corner, brings about a wave of nausea I have to fight to control. This is exactly what I didn’t want; Aislinn in harm’s way because of me.
I had convinced myself that by smothering her, checking up on her obsessively, and only letting her out of my sight if it was absolutely necessary, I’d be able to protect her, keep her safe. But I failed. I failed in the worst possible way, and now I have to face the facts that I may never get to call her my wife, watch her hold our children, or kiss her beautiful lips ever again.
Cash must notice the change in me, so in an attempt to help he pulls me aside and says,
“We’ve seen and done some fucked up shit, brother. We watched three women we care about, that our brothers love, fight their way back from worse. If you tell any of them I said this, I’ll deny it, but Aislinn is ten times stronger than they are. It’s not just her past that makes her that way either, Gage. It’s her determination to live that drives her, that and her sheer strength of will.”
He’s right, I know he is, but that doesn’t lessen the gnawing feeling in my gut that grows stronger with every passing minute she’s not by my side. Cash’s words may ring true, but the only thing that can help me now is Aislinn herself. Seeing her, being able to touch her, to reassure the both of us that she’s alive is the lone cure to the pain which is so unbearable my heart threatens to break at the intensity of it.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
~ Aislinn ~
“You go to work, and nothing happens. You miss one day; 6 fights, Tupac rises from the dead, one fire alarm, & Metallica plays in the cafeteria.”
– Sad but true
“Linny? Aislinn, can you hear me? Wake up, sweetie. Please, please wake up,” I hear beyond the fog my pounding headache is creating.
Cracking my eyes open, I test my limbs, wiggling my fingers and toes to make sure everything is in working order before rolling my head to the side to look at my best friend.
Meg is covered in blood, but I know it’s not hers. Her mascara is smudged beneath her eyes, her nose is bright red from crying, and her clothes are torn in places, but nonetheless, she’s a sight for sore eyes.
“Were you crying, Meg?” I ask, using humor to prove to her that I’m okay. “Because if you were, you know I’m going to have to share how far the mighty have fallen, right?”
Meg slaps a hand to her forehead, groaning loudly as she rises to her knees.
“I don’t have time to list all the reasons you don’t want to do that, but needless to say, you might want to keep that under wraps if you don’t want me to tell everyone about your dramatic swan dive today.”
“Touche,” I grunt, shifting onto my side so that I can lever myself upright with the help of the couch.
Gesturing to the woman slumped against the chair closest to the exit, Meg tells me,
“I haven’t been able to wake her up. She’s bleeding really badly, and I don’t know what to do, Aislinn.”
Her admission knocks me for a six, causing me to stop and stare for a second. Meg never admits to not knowing what to do. Even when she’s faced with a situation she’s never been presented with before, Meg won’t give up until she has the answer.
Surveying the woman, I note the eleven-inch blade protruding from her left thigh, but can’t see any other visible injuries. Everything is a blur of yelling, the gun going off, and my battle with Jessica for the knife she had somehow taken away from me.
Thankfully, Jessica is a horrible shot; every round missing their targets, ricocheting off beams and lodging in walls. Meg narrowly escaped one to the arm, and I missed taking a bullet to my stomach, diving out of the way just in time. I don’t believe in God, but I’m beginning to rethink the possibility of someone being up there looking over us.
“Help me up,” I instruct, holding my hand out to Meg. Once I’m on my feet, albeit unsteadily, I point to the kitchenette. “See if you can find something to tie her up with, and check if our cell phones are in there.” Meg hurries to do my bidding, allowing me to check on our bumbling rescuer.
If I had to guess, I’d say she looks to be about our age, so in her early thirties. Thick, dark hair, with gorgeous skin all women would be envious of, and perfect curves she is truly beautiful. Tiny too.
“Hey,” I prod, running my hand up and down her arm. “I need you to wake up for me now.” When she doesn’t move, I pinch the inside of her bicep, hating that I have to, but I need her awake to assess her injuries.
A mumbled,
“Ow,” has me sighing in relief.
A pair of unusual stormy gray eyes, hazy with pain blink rapidly trying to focus.
“Hi,” I chirp. “I’m Aislinn, and the crazy bitch banging around back there is, Meg. Thank you for showing up when you did, I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t.”
She grimaces at the pain when she goes to move her leg. I can’t deny it, it’s bad, but it’s not fatal. She’s lost a lot of blood, but from my limited medical knowledge, I don’t think she’s hit an artery. We’d be in deep shit right now if she had.
Stilling her movement with a hand on her calf, I tell her,
“I need to tie something around your leg above the knife. It will slow the bleeding until we can get you help. I’m not going to lie, it’ll hurt like a bitch, but you don’t have much of a choice,” I finish, ripping my T-shirt over my head. Thank God, I layered today, wearing a tank top underneath or I’d be giving her one hell of a show.
I unthread my belt from the loops of my jeans, easing it underneath her thigh until I’m holding an end in each hand. Sliding it up, I fasten one end through the buckle and talk her through it.
“Here,” I state, handing her my discarded T-shirt. “If you have to, put this in your mouth and bite down. I know, it’s not very sanitary, but we have to work with what we’ve got. In a second, I’m going to tighten the loop and try to cut off the circulation. That’s going to make the wound throb and most likely sting.”
“Okay,” she murmurs. “I’m Kennedy. Thank you for helping me.”
“That’s the least I can do,” I return with a kind smile. Glancing over my shoulder I yell, “Meg, any luck finding something to restrain her?” Kennedy shudders, bringing my attention back to her as I reassure, “Oh, sorry. Not you, honey. Her,” I say gesturing to Jessica.
Meg storms out of the kitchenette wearing a maniacal smile which is more than a little disturbing.
“I sure as shit did. Look what I’ve got,” she grins, holding up a length of hessian rope and a blowtorch.
Kennedy’s eyes widen at the sight of the blowtorch, just as I chide,
“You are not a Neanderthal, you do not need to make fire. You certainly aren’t qualified to operate something that requires protective clothing. Now, put the blowtorch down, and step away slowly.”
Dropping it onto the couch, Meg throws her arms up in the air in frustration.
“Linny, you’re the spoiler of all fun, you know that right?” Noticing Kennedy is awake and staring at her in shock, Meg grins and waves at her. “How you doing over there, Blade?”
“I apologize for her in advance,” I mumble, patting her hand. “The zoo didn’t tell me I couldn’t return her, so I’m stuck with her.”
Meg makes quick work of tying Jessica up, which in and of itself is unsettling. Her knots are that good.
“For the best interest of all involved, I’m going to ignore that last comment.”
“Are you ready?” I ask Kennedy. At her weary nod, I quickly create the make
shift tourniquet, cinching my belt tightly which makes Kennedy cry out an agonized scream. “I’m sorry. So, so sorry,” I coo, just as her eyes roll back in her head and passes out.
Meg winces, shaking her head sadly at the sight of Kennedy’s limp form.
“Is she okay?”
“She’ll be fine, but we need to get her to a hospital. Did you find our cell phones?”
“Sure did,” she chirps, waving my iPhone in front of her. “I called Gage, and he said the boys are already on their way. Your dad too, but he’s coming from Blackwater, so he’s still at least half an hour out.”
“Right. Well, I suppose all we can do now is wait.” Casting a sidelong glance at Kennedy, I admit, “I really want to call an ambulance for her, but I think we have to wait and see what the guys say. We don’t know how this works, their world is so different from ours.”
“I agree,” Meg says, stretching her legs out in front of her. “What do you think they are going to do with her, though? I mean, she’s Jonas’ sister. He might not be a member of the MC, but he’s Boss’ best friend.”
Vengeance MC Box Set - Volume 2: Gage ~ Cash ~ Knight (Vengeance MC series Book 8) Page 24
