Chapter 6
The bar silenced. Not a soul spoke as I stared at Laurel. I couldn’t think beyond the constricting pain in my chest.
Bella. Baby. Please be okay.
I struggled to breathe and clenched my fists, turning from Laurel to meet Raven’s shocked expression.
“Fuck.”
Hawk rushed inside behind Laurel and nearly slammed into her, knocking her aside. “Shit. Sorry. Pres! It’s Lou. He’s hurt!”
That finally forced me into action. I rushed outdoors and glanced at my guys on the ground. Why the fuck were they all passed out? What the hell happened?
Lou groaned from the picnic tables, struggling to sit up. He pulled a small object from his thigh with a curse. “Fucking darts, Crow.”
Darts? I didn’t understand what he meant until I took a seat beside him, taking the item he placed in my palm.
“Fuck. They drugged you.”
“No, just me. Bella. Everyone outside. They were quick. We never saw or heard anything.”
Fucking Undertaker. He planned this shit. Our crows should have heard them approach and sounded the alarm. Why didn’t I see any of them in the sky? No caws. Not a single kraa.
Raven noticed at the same time. “There aren’t any crows.”
I closed my eyes, searching for the connection. I could feel them. They were close. . . but blocked somehow. Strange.
“I can feel my crow,” Talon announced, “but something is wrong.”
Yeah, that was obvious.
“We’ll discuss this in church later.” I began giving orders, taking care of those who’d been hit with the darts first. Lou was the only person wounded. The assholes targeted the old man on the scooter. They would answer for that.
“You okay, Lou?”
“My jaw and head are poundin’. Took a right hook and a pistol to the back of my head. I guess they didn’t like it when I tried to fight.”
Raven chuckled. “You badass motherfucker, Lou.”
“Shit,” he cursed. “I would’ve had ’em all beat if Bella wasn’t here. I was scared they were gonna hurt her too.”
“Did they?” I asked, my voice strained.
“Just a couple of darts.” Lou cleared his throat and dropped his voice. “She didn’t fight them, Crow.”
What? Why?
“I think she believed she was protecting you and everyone else by sacrificing herself. Damn noble but foolish too.”
“They take anyone else besides her?”
“Not that I saw.” He rubbed the back of his head and shrugged.
“Where’s Falcon?” I hollered.
“Here, pres.” He joined us, ticking his chin at Lou. “I got you, old timer.”
Lou flipped him off.
Yeah, he was fine.
I left Lou as Falon healed his injuries and talked to each member who had been a target of the darts. None could tell me much. It happened fast. Everything had been quiet until they were struck and went down.
There wasn’t shit to learn from this other than Undertaker wanted me to go after my woman. He was forcing a confrontation. To be honest, I never understood why it took so long. This shit should have been sorted when Rook was still president.
It didn’t matter now. I had to free Bella, and I didn’t have time to waste. I’d already lost valuable minutes handling shit here when I really wanted to rush after her and tell everyone else to fuck off and figure it out without me. But that wasn’t an option. I was the president of the club, and I had to do my duty.
I rubbed my tired eyes and headed back inside The Roost. The sight that greeted me sent uneasy vibes down my back: two bloody people, Sadie and Carson, sitting at a table with Callie and Hawk. Across from them, Laurel sat alone.
Well, shit. I didn’t want to deal with either group. I almost left Raven in charge so I could head out, but I decided against it. This gave me the excuse to be abrupt and to the point.
“Laurel,” I greeted her as I stopped in front of her table. Talon, Raven, and my sister approached. Gail’s hand curled around my arm. Fuck. I needed her support right now. That panicky feeling in my chest relaxed just a bit.
“I’m here, Austin.”
I squeezed her hand in response.
“Austin,” Laurel began.
“That’s Crow to you,” I corrected.
She sighed. “Crow. I know this is a shock.”
“It doesn’t matter what this is. I don’t have time for it. Bella’s been taken.”
Laurel rushed to her feet. “By Undertaker?”
What the fuck did she know about it? “Yes.”
“That’s the reason I’m here. To put things right and clear up the past.”
“There isn’t shit to put right. You fucking left when I was seven years old. Walked out of my life and stayed gone.”
“Crow,” she whispered, flinching with my words.
“Don’t give me that innocent act. Do you know what that did to me? How many nights I cried for my fucking mother? Have any idea how hard and confusing that was?”
“I can explain.”
“I don’t care about your fucking explanation.”
I’d reached the end of my patience.
“I have a letter from Rook. He-he told me to show it to you if something happened to him. He said it would help.”
Help what? The loss and trauma of my youth?
“I don’t want to read it,” I snarled.
“Austin,” Gail whispered. “Take it. You don’t have to read it now.”
Laurel held out the letter, and I snatched it from her hand.
“Leave. I can’t deal with this right now.”
Laurel nodded. “I know. For what it’s worth, I’m sorry, Austin.”
Too fucking late for that now. The damage was already done.
“I’m staying at a hotel. Come find me when you’re ready. Room 315 at Sunset Station.”
I didn’t reply. My hand almost crumpled the letter as she walked out of The Roost. My heart ached for a new reason, and I had to brush the feeling aside.
“I’ll go with you whenever you want.”
I tugged my sister into a hug. This was too much. All at once. I was this fucking close to losing my shit. “Gail,” I managed to croak.
“It’s okay, Austin. It’s gonna be okay.”
I released her to walk to Sadie. “We need to talk, but I can’t delay any longer.” I gulped in air, trying to calm the fuck down. Bella needed me. “Did you bring that fucking deer into my bedroom?”
“You’re right. We can’t delay. Carson and I are coming with you. I’ll explain on the way.”
“It’s not safe, Sadie.” Callie reached for her sister. “Stay here. Don’t go back to Undertaker.”
“I know you don’t understand, sis, but I’ve got to do this.”
Callie dropped her hands. “I don’t. He’s hurt you.”
“I’ve hurt him too. Not the vargulf.” She sighed. “It won’t make sense now, but it will later.”
“Pres.” I turned my head, watching as Carrion appeared, walking toward me as he materialized from the shadows. “You’re gonna save Bella.”
I gripped the letter in my hand and almost fucking cried with relief. “You’re sure?”
“Now? Yes. It had to be this way.”
I trusted him. “I’m leaving. Now.” I stuffed the letter into a pocket inside my cut. I’d read it later because it wasn’t as important as Bella.
Whatever words haunted me from the past weren’t helping my present.
“Raven, I need you here. If anything happens, you’ll the lead the club.”
He dipped his chin. “You got it, pres.”
“Hawk, Cuckoo, and Claw, you’re with me. Carrion?”
“I’ll be riding out now.”
Noted. He left as I turned back to Raven. “I don’t suspect anything will go down while I’m not here, but stay sharp. Rael, Exorcist, and Shadow should arrive soon from Tonopah.”
“I got this, pres. Go.”
SINCE I NEEDED TO TALK to Sadie and I wasn’t sure if Bella would be able to ride when I found her, I opted to take one of the company vehicles. Hawk, Cuckoo, and Claw rode behind us. I assumed Carrion scouted the way ahead of our location down Hwy 95.
“Lake Alpine is how far?” I asked, turning around to ask Sadie. She sat behind Carson, who volunteered to drive.
“About eight hours.”
Eight fucking hours. A lot could happen in that amount of time. None of it is good.
“How did you meet Undertaker?”
“On a case over three years ago.”
“I placed her undercover to help catch the men who were trafficking girls in the Las Vegas area,” Carson added.
“We built a case against some of the traffickers, Mayor Elliott Goodman, and the Dirty Death MC. I had to get close to him. He liked me.” Sadie shrugged.
Damn. That was dangerous.
“Why did you do it?”
“I didn’t give her a choice,” Carson answered.
Sadie smirked. “He didn’t expect to fall for me.”
“Yeah,” Carson agreed. “That’s true.”
She turned her attention back to me. “Undertaker is unpredictable. You know this. But what you don’t know is that he’s not just a vargulf.”
“Fuck.” Of course, it wasn’t that easy. “What is he?”
“He’s an Alpha wolf. The leader of his clan.”
Yeah. So?
“It means he’s fighting an internal war. I’ve seen it.”
Carson gripped the steering wheel and shot a glance at her in the rearview mirror.
What the fuck did that mean?
“I told him he had to cut ties with his vargulf to be with me. I never expected him to do it.”
Well, shit. “He bit you?”
“Yes. He mated me, Crow. I, uh, I’m pregnant too.”
Jesus. Christ. She slept with that fucking bastard?
“The thing is, I care about his wolf. The Alpha. That part of him is good. It’s the vargulf that’s evil. Everything awful he’s done has been the vargulf. I know his human/wolf side didn’t want it.”
How could she possibly know that?
“You could be wrong.”
“He told me when he slept. The vargulf would rest, and the Alpha would wake, eager to protect and be with me. We bonded on those long, lonely nights.”
Carson grumbled, but I couldn’t figure out what he was saying.
“But I know how to free him, Crow.”
Now, that got my attention. “You know how to defeat the vargulf?”
“Partially, yes. I need to use the Alpha’s real name.”
“I’m guessing he told you when the vargulf was sleeping.”
“He did.”
“What if he’s tricking you?”
“I thought of that. But then he did something I didn’t expect.”
“Yeah?”
“He asked me to kill him.”
The fuck?
“He’s afraid the vargulf will harm me. All the Alpha wants is his mate and child. He’s willing to do whatever it takes to protect me. That’s our ace. It’s the reason we can defeat the vargulf.”
Interesting assumption. “So what does this all have to do with him?” I ticked my chin at Carson.
Sadie smiled. “He’s my mate too.”
I glanced at Carson. “What the fuck are you?”
He smirked. “I’m a warlock.”
Werewolves. Vargulf. Crows. And now a goddamn warlock. “How many fucking supernatural beings are there?” I asked sarcastically.
Carson snorted. “Is that a serious question?”
“Look, man. I ride a motorcycle and lead my club. We have our bond with the crows. I don’t need more.”
“I get that. The more your eyes open, the more your world grows. Your need to protect your woman and your club is your life. Adding more only complicates things. It’s a lot.”
True.
“I can channel magic from the earth and use the elements. It’s tricky and exhausting, but with the right combination, I can bend it to my will.”
“Okay.” I didn’t want to know how that was possible.
Sadie leaned forward, bracing her elbows on her knees. “The vargulf believes my bond with Carson was broken when he mated me. But what he doesn’t know is that the vargulf can’t mate. He can fuck and cum, but he can’t procreate. It’s why he needs to possess an Alpha. Their virility ensures breeding can continue.”
“So his Alpha wolf got you pregnant. He wants to die to save you and defeat the vargulf, and the two of you are gonna use magic and say the Alpha’s name to break the vargulf’s hold over him.”
“Yes.” Sadie beamed a smile. “See? It’s not that complicated.”
The fuck it wasn’t. I didn’t say shit.
If this plan helped me rescue Bella, I would go along with it.