Affliction

“What? I’m serious,” he pushes me as my phone rings from beside me. I ignore him and answer on the second ring.

“Sy,” her voice whispers down the line and instantly I’m on alert. Why would Holly be calling me and why does she sound scared?

“Holly?” I ask, coming out of my chair.

“Help us,” she says over the sound of a moving car. My blood runs cold and my heart rate picks up.

“Where are you?” I ask, snapping my fingers to get Jesse’s attention. He stands, reading my body language.

“Zane grabbed us coming out of the theater in town. Brooks is hurt I think,” she adds.

“Are you hurt?” I question, not wanting to know the answer.

“I’m okay, but Kadence isn’t. He knocked her out and I can’t get her to stay awake.”

“Do you know where you are?”

“No, I only know we turned left out of the back entrance of the parking lot.” She takes a shaky breath.

“Fuck, okay. I need you to hang on for a minute while we get the boys on this, okay?” I ask, walking inside the clubhouse, ready to round up all our available men.

“Okay, Sy,” she says quietly. I have to give it to her, she sounds scared, but she has her shit sorted.

“Hold on. I’m still here,” I reassure her, trying to keep her calm while my body hums with adrenalin.

“Jesse, try to get Brooks on the phone. Hunter, get to the theater.” I start barking orders out as the clubhouse comes to life with the stress of it all.

“Holly?” I ask when I hear a shout in the background.

“Yeah?” she says quietly.

“What’s happening?”

“I don’t know. We’re still driving.”

“Can you see anything out the windows? Know which way you could be going?”

“No, I lost count of how many turns we did. Kadence keeps coming in and out of it. I’ve been trying to keep her calm.”

“Okay, sweetheart, we got everyone on this. Hang tight. We’re on our way,” I assure her, even though I have no fucking idea where she is.

“Hurry, Sy,” she whispers, her fear coming down the phone and hitting me like a punch to the face.

“I’m coming and that motherfucking asshole is dead,” I promise her, meaning every word of it.

She doesn’t say anything, her silence telling me enough.

***

“Are we sure they’re in here?” I ask Chip, one of T’s men, when we pull up at the front of the old barn about thirty miles outside of town. With no idea how to find the girls, we called in a marker with our rival club, Warriors of Mayhem. Where the Knights Rebels run a clean club, the Warriors run it dirty. I don’t like the fuckers, but with Nix still thirty minutes out and both Holly and Kadence in danger, I have to trust them. T set us up with all the information we needed to get to the girls. Information that’s led us to here.

“Yeah, we have guys around the perimeter,” he says, walking around the van to get to the side. We follow quietly, keeping ourselves hidden. “We’ll go in, see what we’re up against and sort it out. T wants Gunner.”

“We don’t even know if Gunner is in there,” Jesse says, coming up behind me.

“We’re taking that chance,” Chip cuts him off.

“I don’t want fucking chances. He has two of our women in there, about to do who knows what. I fucking want him,” I growl, my control slipping. I just need to get to her and worry about Gunner later.

“It’s our recon and we’ll run it the way we want to,” he repeats, not stepping down. I look him over, sizing him up, seeing if I can take him. He has about two inches on me, but what I lack in height, I make up for in size. I could take the fucker. He holds my stare, but I don’t give a fuck. If I have to walk in and kill Zane with my own hands, I will.

“Sy, step back,” Jesse insists stepping between us. “You’re too close.” I know he’s right, but I don’t give a fuck what anyone says. I’m going in with or without them.

“I’m in. End of story,” I say, leaving no room for argument.

“Just let us secure the perimeter, and then we can move,” Chip says finally, agreeing to my play. I don’t have a moment to agree before a gunshot rings throughout the quiet night. Racing forward, I don’t care about the consequences. When I hear Kadence scream Holly’s name, I know I have to get in there.

“Sy,” Jesse calls quietly after me, but all I see is red. The asshole is dead. I’m gonna fucking kill him.

Kicking the door open, my eyes search the small area and go straight to Holly. Sitting against the wall, her hands cover her stomach. My gut tightens and something I haven’t felt in a long time ignites in me. Rushing forward, my gun goes straight to the asshole leaning over her. The bullet goes straight through his skull, but I don’t have a minute to register I just killed a man. I fall at her side and watch as she struggles for air.

“Holly,” I shout and shake her to make her open her eyes. My mind is running all over the place. I can’t lose her, not when I only just figured out I want her.

“Lay her flat and put pressure on the gunshot wound,” Jesse instructs while holding Kadence’s body over his lap. Fuck, when did he get here? Everything runs in slow motion. The commotion around us ceases to exist as I sit here watching all life leave her body.

“Holly!” I shout, pressing into the wound. “She’s not breathing,” I choke out, as panic seeps through me.