Ash (Hounds of Hellfire MC #5)

Chapter 12

12

ASH

I roared in outrage, bringing Blaze and King running out of their offices.

“What the fuck?” Blaze asked, but Ace just shook his head and shrugged while I demanded that Mark give me every detail.

“Shit,” King grunted. “Sounds like Nora’s been snatched.”

I nodded, and he dashed back into his office.

“Did they take her phone?” I barked at Mark.

“It’s in the fucking ambulance. Shit! Shit! How did I let this happen?”

“Don’t have time to reassure you, Mark. But for fuck’s sake, what were you gonna do without getting yourself fucking killed? Send me your location and any description of the guys, the vehicle, which direction, whatever you can remember.”

I hung up just as King returned, and Kevlar, Cross, and Fallon came jogging toward us from the other direction.

“Nora’s been taken?” Kevlar asked.

“Ran her fucking ambulance off the road and took her,” I informed them as I forwarded Mark’s text to Wizard. “They grabbed her medical bag, so I’m guessing they want her to treat someone.”

Fallon’s expression faltered. “What if she doesn’t have the training for the person’s wounds?”

I scowled at him. “What the fuck do you think, asshole?”

“What can we do?” Cross asked.

“Get suited up,” King instructed. “Soon as Wizard has something, head out.”

Blaze was texting and looked up. “Need more backup?”

“Should be good, but keep a couple on standby,” I replied over my shoulder as we all followed Kevlar to the armory.

Just as I finished arming myself with a couple of guns, a knife, and a few other lethal items, my phone rang.

“Tell me,” I demanded when I answered Wizard’s call.

“Got the van on traffic cams. You got any kind of tracking on Nora? Anything at all?”

I was about to tell him no when a light bulb went off. “Holy shit. I forgot. She’s got a fob to my house.” I’d given it to her in case the keypad ever went on the fritz.

“Give me a sec…okay, sending you a location.”

“Owe you, man.”

“Nah. You’d do the same for my woman.”

True.

“Let’s ride,” I grunted as I jogged from the armory to the garage and out to my bike, which was parked in a lot on the side of the clubhouse.

It took fifteen minutes to get close to the area the GPS indicated as Nora’s location. We parked half a mile away and hoofed the rest on foot to stay stealth.

At the indicated coordinates was an old warehouse. The windows were just below shoulder height with no bars or deterrents of any kind. Wizard’s satellite scan hadn’t hinted at any kind of security system either.

The motherfuckers were clearly morons for picking a place that provided no protection, making it easy for us to get inside undetected.

I motioned for Kevlar and Cross to go around the side of the building, while Fallon and I breached from the back. We were prepared to climb the windows but found the front door unlocked.

“Unbelievable,” Fallon grunted.

“Stupid as shit, but I’m not complaining.”

The door opened to a small room that appeared empty, so we entered but stayed in the shadows.

I froze when I heard Nora’s scared but determined voice. “If you’re not willing to take your friend to the nearest emergency room, he would’ve been your best bet at saving his life.”

“You better hope you’re wrong,” a man barked. “Because your fates are tied together now. If he dies, you die.”

Fury ripped through me, and I took a step forward, only to be yanked back by Fallon. “Calm the fuck down, or you’re gonna get her killed.”

I sucked in several deep breaths and nodded once I was in control. We silently moved toward a cracked door, and when I nudged it open a little, I saw four big guys huddled around my girl. She was on the ground, looking over an injured man while one of them held a gun to her head.

That fucker’s life had just ended.

When a second man moved to get her bag, I knocked on the doorframe.

“Howdy,” I drawled as I walked a few steps into the room.

All of the men swiveled their heads in my direction, and the one beside Nora dropped to the ground with a bullet between his eyes, another crumpled over Nora’s bag with a hole in the side of his head. The last two managed to get their guns in their hands before they also dropped like lead weights, hitting the ground from lethal gunshots.

Nora screamed, but not at the sight of four men being shot right in front of her. She jumped to her feet and came running at me full speed.

“Fuck, baby girl,” I grunted when my arms closed around her. “Scared the motherfucking shit outta me.”

“I knew you’d find me,” she said between sobs as she squeezed the life out of my torso.

“Always, baby girl,” I reassured her—and myself. “Always.”

“I-I”—she hiccupped—“I don’t want to have any regrets, though.”

“Regrets?” I echoed as I used a finger under her chin to tilt her face up.

“I love you,” she blurted. “I should have said it before.”

The words stunned me, and when I didn’t speak right away, doubt began to creep into her bright blue pools.

I shoved one of my hands into her fiery tresses and held her head back so she couldn’t look away. “I love the fuck outta you, baby girl,” I growled, my expression dead serious. “More than life. So, if you ever scare the shit out of me like this again, you won’t be able to sit for a fucking week. Got it?”

Nora giggled, and I couldn’t help smiling in return.

A groan of anguish caught our attention, and I glanced over to see Kevlar and Cross kneeling over the injured man.

“Worth trying to get him to the hospital?” I asked.

“Yes,” Nora snapped. “I get why the other two are dead, but it’s my job to save lives, Eli.”

“Fuck, baby girl. You’re gonna make it damn hard for me to do my job sometimes.”

She shrugged. “But you love me, so you’ll get over it.”

I laughed before glancing over at Kevlar and Cross. “Take the van, and I’ll get someone to come grab your hogs.”

Then I ordered Fallon to stay with the motorcycles while I took my woman home.

The ride back to our house helped me calm down, especially since the feel of her wrapped around me on my bike was a constant reminder that she was safe.

After parking in the garage, I dismounted, then didn’t bother with helping her down. I just scooped her into my arms and stalked into the house, right to our bedroom.

Setting her on her feet, I walked her backward to the bed. By the time we reached it, I’d stripped her naked.

“Stay right here,” I ordered before spinning on my heel and stalking into my closet. The items I wanted were tucked away on a shelf I knew she couldn’t reach. After retrieving them, I returned and grunted in approval when I saw that she’d stayed exactly where I put her.

“Very good, baby girl,” I crooned.

Her blush spread all the way down to her pussy, and I had to remind myself that I needed to do something before I devoured her.

“Been wanting to see you like this since the moment you walked into that house.”

“Naked?” she laughed.

I shook my head and held out one of the things I’d brought from the closet. “In nothing but my brand.”

Nora’s hand trembled when she reached out to take the leather vest. “You want me to be your old lady?”

“Who the fuck else would I want?” I asked with a smirk. “Didn’t you hear the part where I said that I love you?”

She beamed a smile and handed me the vest to hold while she slipped her arms into it.

I looked her over, then grabbed the sides and hauled her body against mine. “Fuck, yeah,” I growled. “Looks even better than I thought it would.” I kissed her deeply, then chuckled when she whined in protest. “Patience, baby girl. There’s somethin’ else I want you to be.”

She grinned and shrugged. “Whatever it is, I’ll say yes.”

“Good,” I grunted. “’Cause I wasn’t asking.” I picked up her left hand and slid a diamond ring that, while beautiful, didn’t come close to sparkling as bright as my girl. “Gonna be my wife, too,” I stated before taking her lips in another soul-stealing kiss that had us both shaking with need when it ended.

“Like I said,” she panted. “Even if you didn’t ask. My answer is yes.”

“Love you so fucking much, baby girl.”

“Good thing I love you too because it makes us a perfect match.”