I audibly moaned as I took a bite.
I didn’t know if it was laced with anything. I didn’t know if this was how this guy got off at night. And I was so hungry and so thirsty and so scared that I didn’t give a shit about it. I quickly ate while the gag sat in my lap. Grease and sodium dripped down my chin and fell onto my chest. I felt disgusting. Dirty. Decrepit, for the first time in my life.
“I like watching you eat,” the man said.
I closed my eyes and blocked out his words. His face. His snarling smile. He danced the straw against my lips and I took a long pull of what I found to be Sprite. I gulped it down. I suppressed the pain of the carbonation as it slid all the way into my stomach. Oh, how I wanted more. Another meal. Another drink. A fucking napkin to wipe up my sloppy face and neck and chin.
“See you soon, pet,” the man said.
I growled at his words, but all he did was laugh. I watched him crumble up the bag and toss it into a trash can off at his side. He looked back at me one last time from his lean, towering form. Then, he walked back through the door and closed it behind him. Left me in the room to let my food settle and my mind spin.
I felt a surge of energy rush my veins as his voice began wafting through the door.
“Make it quick and quiet,” the man murmured.
The one good thing about the timbre of his voice was that it didn’t do well with suppression. He could whisper and I’d fucking here that nonsense from a mile away.
“They’re on the move,” another voice said.
“Where, is the question,” the man said.
“I mean, they’re doing what we asked, Javier.”
“Don’t say my name.
“Sorry. Um, Boss. They’re doing what we asked.”
“Did someone call back?” Javier asked.
“Yes. They’re snagging him in the morning, and then they want to meet to make the switch.”
The switch? Him?
Holy shit. No.
Thor, come on. Don’t let those guys be so fucking stupid!
“Good. Set up the meet. Tell them we want Diego alive. If they toss a body at us, you let them know we’ll do the same,” Javi said.
“Of course,” the other voice said.
I struggled more against my bonds. I tugged at my ankles, trying to break the plastic free. There was no way in hell I was letting this happen. Diego’s ass had to stay in jail and Thor’s ass had to stay out of fucking trouble! It was obvious Olivia had lost her leverage over the guys. Or maybe she had caved to them to try and keep Colt happy. I didn’t know. I didn’t fucking know what was going on, but I sure as hell wasn’t going to let that club trade their only lead to this cartel for me.
Fuck that shit.
I wiggled my ankles around, trying to free them. I took another tug at my wrists, even though I felt the trickling of blood speed up. I grunted. I pushed. I tried to break the legs of the chair I was sitting in. I didn’t give a damn how I could move, I just needed to be able to move. I could use the bandana in my lap to wrap around both my wrists. It would be a nice stranglehold from behind for the men that were much larger than me. I’d be able to grip their throats and sling them around like a damn weapon, all the while choking the air from their lungs.
It was incredible, the kind of weapon a small piece of fabric could be.
I grunted as the door opened back up. I growled as the man named Javier came back into the room. I struggled against my bonds as he leaned against the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest.
“Enjoying yourself?” he asked.
“You’ll never get away with this,” I said.
“And she speaks.”
“I won’t let you get away with this. Every single one of you assholes are going to be tossed in prison.”
“I’m sure that’s what you think, yes,” he said.
I heard his footfalls coming closer. I listened as he approached me. That long stride. That cocky grin. Those glaringly dark eyes. I felt his hand grip my hair and he pulled my head back, forcing my gaze to his.
“You will be a wonderful consolation prize,” he said.
Without thinking, I spat in his face. I hocked the biggest ball of snot I could and projected it right into his face. He bowed his head quickly to wipe it off him and I brought my forehead against his nose. I bashed myself right against him, feeling him cry out as he stumbled backward.
“You bitch!” he roared.
I tugged again at the plastic, hoping I had worn it down enough to break free. I tugged forward with my legs, hoping the endless amounts of squats I’d done over the years could pay off in that moment. Javier wiped his face off. I watched him reach for his gun. The bandana slipped from my lap as I panicked, tugging and pulling despite the pain I was in.
“Come… on!” I exclaimed.
Then, his laughter hit my ears.
The satanic sound stopped me in my tracks. I whipped my head up, tears forming in my eyes at the sound. His smile peeled back into something akin to an image from my childhood nightmares, and I felt myself panic. Panic was never good. Panic in a situation like this robbed even the most intelligent person of their rightful senses. The lines began to blur. Sounds faded away. All I heard was the pulsing of blood in my ears as my body temperature began to skyrocket.
I broke out into a cold sweat as Javier drew his hand back.
“How cute!” he exclaimed.
His hand cracked across my cheek and my head fell off to the side. Blood rushed my mouth. I felt something solid grace the back of my tongue. I gagged, my body trying to prevent me from swallowing it. And just as I worked the solid object to the front of my mouth, another punch landed against my gut.
I opened my mouth and watched blood spill into my lap. Blood, and spit, and my fucking back molar.
I gasped for air as Javier stood up and straightened his shoulders.
“Get some sleep, pet. We have a busy day coming up,” Javier said.
And as I stared at my tooth sitting in my lap, I listened to him leave the room. Close the door behind him. Lock it from the outside, despite the fact that it was a hotel room. Fuck. These kinds of rooms never locked from the outside. They’d outfitted these rooms for their nefarious deeds. Helpless tears spilled into my lap. I felt the warmth of my own blood soaking into my jeans as spit fell from my mouth. My stomach rolled with nausea, even though I desperately tried to keep the food down.
“Fuck,” I whispered shakily.
I drew in a shuddering breath and closed my eyes. I slowly lifted my head, trying to get my bearings. Trying to make sure I wouldn’t make myself so damn sick. My jaw ached. My mouth still trickled with blood. I pressed my tongue back into the empty expanse of the hole my tooth had left before I sniffled. I felt my jaw swelling already. Bruising. Locking up with pain. I coughed as the pain from my gut rushed over me, making it harder to breathe.
“Thor,” I whimpered.
I’d never asked for anyone before. Never cried out for anyone before. But in that moment, with my body bleeding and my stomach fluttering and my mind racing, I called out for him. It wasn’t loud, and it wasn’t needy. It wasn’t desperate and it wasn’t some last-ditch effort to do something. It was an involuntary reaction. A hopeless prayer to any God that would listen.
“Thor, please,” I whispered.
I didn’t want him to do what I thought the club was about to do. I didn’t want them to kill anyone. I didn’t want them to get into anymore trouble. I didn’t want Liv’s job to be compromised. I wanted to get out of that fucking room and run back to them and find a way to sort this out without the possibility of what was about to happen.
I didn’t want Thor to help them bust out Diego, only to be caught.
I didn’t want him thrown into jail forever because of my decision to save Liv.
“Find me, Thor. Please. But not like that. Anything but that,” I begged.
Chapter 22
Thor
“I’m sorry Willow got dragged into this shi
t,” Jace said.
I quickly switched out patches and badges in the closet while Jace stood watch.
“I know you don’t talk about Debra, but I want you to know that I get it,” Jace said.
Fuck. I really wanted that man to stop talking.
“I’ll make sure we do whatever it takes today to ensure Willow’s safety,” he said.
I quickly readied the rest of my guns before slipping out of the janitor’s closet. I eyed Jace hotly, telling him I really needed him to shut the fuck up. But instead, Jace put his hand on my shoulder.
“We won’t lose her like you lost Debra, okay? We aren’t letting that happen to you again,” he said.
There was something in his eyes. Something sincere and passionate. I nodded my head as Jace slipped his hand from my shoulder, then the two of us turned and faced the long expanse of the hallway in front of us.
“Ready?” Jace asked.
“Yep,” I said.
The entire morning had been spent preparing. Jace and myself had tracked down guard uniforms in our size. Brewer stayed with us to make sure the switch off went as planned. We came into the jailhouse as guard trainees, then had a few things stashed away in our pockets to make the official change. Badges that needed swapping. Hats that needed swapping. Tactical belts that needed to be filled with other things. The guard uniform got us in as trainees, but there were small details to the uniform that had to change once we got past the checkpoints Brewer laid out for us.
But we had done it.
“You got ammo?” Jace asked.
“Yep,” I said.
“Mace?”
“Uh huh.”
“Two sets of handcuffs?” he asked.
“I’ve got everything I need. Including a will to kill that fucker I’ll have to suppress,” I said.
Jace grinned. “Well, let’s take this one step at a time. While I’d take great joy in watching you do what you do best, getting Willow back is our number one priority.”
Willow.
Holy hell, there was no telling what she’d endured with those psychopaths. I’d had my fair share of run-ins with random cartels before. Small time run-ins, sure. Nothing but peddlers of the drugs on the streets and possibly their direct bosses. But, I’d seen enough to know how crazy these assholes were. How desperate they’d be to protect the empire that was theirs. And now that we were dealing with higher ups in the cartel, the stakes would be even higher.
And I knew they would be more willing to follow through on any threats they’d toss our way.
“She’s gonna be okay,” Jace said.
“Can we talk about something else? Anything else?” I asked.
Jace shrugged. “Leti’s coming along nicely.”
I snickered and shook my head. Women. That seemed to be the only fucking thing we talked about nowadays. Women and their pregnancies. Women and their families. Women and their want to come out of safehouses or stick around in town or help out any way they could. There were times when I thought Jagger was the luckiest of us all.
Especially in times like this, when he didn’t have to worry about someone he cared for being taken. Because we all fucking knew Jagger had the worst of it. The worst upbringing. The worst family. The worst ties to the worst family in this fucking country. He attached himself to no one. Nothing. He was a floater. The true definition of a drifter. The only stake he had in this fight was the fact that his club was part of it.
Nothing else.
“Ready?” Jace asked.
I nodded, then the two of us started off down the hallway. We passed by holding cells with men who snarled and whistled at us like we were women in some fucking miniskirts. I looked over at them, silencing them with my looks. Some of them started murmuring about us. Rumors that always circulated regarding The Black Hornets. Jace and I walked past all them with our shoulders rolled back and our heads held high.
“Can you guys hear me?” Colt asked.
I cracked my neck as his voice came alive in my ear.
“About damn time you guys got set up,” Jace murmured.
“We can hear you,” I said.
“Good. Brewer left me with the schematics of the building. Let me know when you walk through the hallway of holding cells and see the—”
“Black metal door with the red handle?” I asked.
Jace reached out for it before pushing it open.
“Walking through it now,” he said.
“Great. Good timing. Okay, the guards you’re replacing are on their break currently. Right now, it’s only the two guards in the back of the van,” Colt said.
“When the fuck did the van pull up?” I asked.
“While you and Jace were having your dick-sucking pow-wow,” Colt said.
“I hear that grin,” Jace said, smiling.
“No smiling. Looks weird in the uniform,” I said.
“Better listen to Thor. He knows what he’s talking about. Take your cues from him on how to stay hidden,” Colt said.
“Are the guys set up along the route in case—”
“Got them heading there now. I just don’t have them in your ears so you two can concentrate,” Colt said.
“Perfect,” Jace said.
“Okay, at the end of the hallway you guys are walking down, there’s a door to your left before you hit the back wall. Take it, and you’ll be dumped into an encased outside walkway with fencing and barbed wire,” Colt said.
“What do we do once we get there?” I asked.
“You head for the van at the end of the walkway. You two aren’t responsible for getting Diego in the van. The back two guards are. Don’t make eye contact. Don’t smile. Don’t make small talk. Just do the damn thing and get your asses in the front seat,” Colt said.
“Got it,” Jace said.
We did as we were told. We followed Colt’s command to the letter, and the only thing I thought was how good he already was at this. Taking the lead. Informing us of what was going on. Executing the plan from our hub of a van from down the room. I looked over at Jace and found him trying to suppress a grin. I knew he was thinking the same thing I was.
Colt would make a fantastic president.
“Going out the door now,” Jace said.
“Let’cha know when we get to the van,” I said.
I pushed the door open and Jace walked first. The walkway was lined with broken concrete and barbed wire that hadn’t even been cleaned off. Caked blood and rust sat on the spikes before it gave way to a fucking electric fence. This place wasn’t joking around. I tried not to stare and gawk at the damn thing as we made our way to the van. And just like Colt told us to, we went straight for the two front seats.
And just like he said would happen, the two guards in the back got out and went back inside.
“What if those guards—”
“Brewer has taken care of the guards on break. Here’s what happens now. Those two guards will escort Diego to the van,” Colt said.
“Wait, just Diego?” I asked.
“Oh, yeah. He’s the only one being transported today, thanks to Liv,” Colt said.
“Wait, what?” Jace asked.
“I don’t have time to explain. The two of you need to shut up and listen. Those guards will put Diego in the van, then you two will drive off. There are no stops between this department and the prison you’re headed to. So, look in your glove compartment,” Colt said.
I looked over at Jace before he opened it up. I watched two federal I.D.s fall out. One for me, and one for Jace.
“The fuck are these?” I asked.
“Since you won’t have to toss extra prisoners out onto the highway to get Diego alone, the plan has changed a bit. Listen,” Colt said.
“Fucking hell,” Jace whispered.
He tossed me my badge and I slipped it around my neck.
“Rock worked with Brewer to get you two these I.D.s quickly. Your identification will check out at the federal prison and at the front gate when you two leave with Die
go. Your mild backstories were provided by Rock as well, so no one should question you on anything because all your information will pop up in the system when these things are scanned,” Colt said.
“So, we’re going into the prison. Like we said we wouldn’t,” Jace said.
“Why don’t we just toss the two guards out on the highway and speed off with Diego?” I asked.
“If you’ll let me talk, I’ll tell you what’s going on,” Colt said.
Jace and myself drew in a deep breath before we leaned back into our chairs.
“Once you get the van through the main gate sitting in front of you, what happens is up to you two. You’ve got two ways to play this, both of which won’t alter what we do over here. What we want is to give you two wiggle room to make the best decision possible in the moment,” Colt said.
I grinned. “Spoken like a true president.”
“Yep,” Jace said, chuckling.
“Shut up and listen. We don’t have much time. You’ve got two ways to play this. You can either schedule a last-minute food stop—”
“What?” I asked.
“Food?” Jace asked.
“I need you two to shut the fuck up!” Colt roared.
I winced as his voice filled my ears, along with the shrill shriek of the inner ear intercom.
“Got it,” Jace said, clearing his throat.
“We’re approaching lunch time and federal inmates can’t be starved of their food. You can either use your badges and your privilege to pull in somewhere and get him food or you can wait until you get to the detention center and slide him out the back. Because the back two guards escort him from the department to the van, you two will have to escort him from the van into the detention center. One gives you a way to get the back guards out before you take off with the van, the other gives you a hands-on moment with Diego. Both of which have their serious obstacles to overcome. Choose whichever one you’re going to do, and the two teams I have in place will know if they’re a-go or not,” Colt said.
Thor (The Black Hornets MC Book 5) Page 13
