Chapter 8
Carson sped up as we approached the main gate outside Undertaker’s compound. His foot pressed the accelerator to the floorboard. “Hang on!”
“Shit!” I yelled, bracing for impact as he bulldozed through with the SUV and crashed the barrier, dragging the gate with us for several feet before it flew off and clattered a short distance away.
Behind us, I heard the rumble of engines and glanced in the rearview to see that Hawk, Claw, and Cuckoo had followed. I didn’t know if Carrion had arrived or not. I didn’t see him or his bike, but that didn’t mean shit. He never used conventional travel methods. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was hiding in the forest somewhere, already using the shadows to track Bella.
We finally made it after eight fucking hours on the road. I was antsy as fuck to find my woman and finally get justice for Rook.
Carson pulled to a stop outside a huge house. Mansion, to be precise. Undertaker was living well on this land.
Too bad he didn’t fucking own it any longer.
I opened the door and jumped out, palming my gun as I approached the house. My club brothers were right behind me. There wasn’t a need to kick down the door since it was unlocked when I checked the knob. The front door swung open, and we entered, spreading out to cover our asses in case of trouble.
There wasn’t a need. No one was there. Not a fucking soul greeted us.
Frowning, I continued to move from room to room, searching for Undertaker or any of his pack members. After a thorough search, we came up empty.
Down a long hall, we entered the bar. Oddly enough, it resembled ours. Lots of stools, leather couches, pool tables, neon liquor signs, and a wall of glass behind the rows of liquor. The Dirty Death logo hung on one wall, and another was filled with framed photos of club members.
I itched to burn the fucking place to the ground, but I didn’t have time to deal with this shit.
The entire fucking house was deserted. And now I was pissed.
Where was Bella?
We exited the bar, meeting Carson and Sadie by the SUV. Something was up. It had to be a trap. I didn’t put it past Undertaker to try to lure me into his forest where his pack had the advantage and could ambush us. They were fucking wolves.
A lone howl lifted into the air.
My gaze swung toward the trees. “They’re not here. No one is.” Realization hit me in the chest, and I almost stumbled as I took a step forward. “They’re hunting.”
“Oh, no,” Sadie gasped.
“The pack is hunting Bella,” Carson guessed. “You need to go!”
Fuck!
“You find Undertaker. Do your part. I’m going after my ol’ lady.” I didn’t stick around for a reply, racing toward the trees as I heard Hawk, Claw, and Cuckoo follow.
It was eerily quiet when we entered. Not even birds flew overhead or chirped within this forest. We still hadn’t seen or heard from the crows. I didn’t have time to worry about that right now. Bella was my only concern. Once I had her, I’d get her to safety and take care of Undertaker. He wasn’t escaping my revenge.
The club wanted vengeance for Rook, and they’d have it.
“This place is fucking creepy,” Hawk whispered.
Cuckoo shrugged. “I kinda like it.”
He would. Anything weird or horror-themed, he enjoyed. I hadn’t noticed his costume until now. I’d been too distracted.
“Are you Indiana Jones?”
“It seemed appropriate,” he answered with a shrug.
Claw snickered. “Yeah, it is, brother.”
Earlier that day, I’d seen Cuckoo’s prisoner costume and the shrunken heads on his belt. Now, he switched out his jeans for khaki pants and wore his cut over a brown leather jacket. It didn’t make sense, but neither did Cuckoo half the time. A coiled whip was attached to his belt. He even wore a brown fedora like Indiana always had in the movies. For once, there wasn’t any blood on him. No vampire teeth, either.
“You almost look respectable,” I mused.
Cuckoo shrugged. “I like to keep everyone guessing.”
“What’s in the bag?” I asked, looking at the prop messenger bag he’d draped across his shoulder.
“Dynamite and snacks.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Let’s keep moving.”
Another long, mournful howl like the one we heard before we entered this forest echoed from somewhere ahead of us.
“Bella,” I whispered, running in that direction, only to burst from the line of trees and enter a clearing with tall grass that reached my hip. Anything could be concealed here—even wolves.
“Shit, pres.” Hawk ticked his chin. “We’re goin’ in blind.”
“We move slow. Stay close,” I ordered.
I noticed movement to our right and paused. Something scurried along the ground. We moved in that direction only to startle a flock of geese. They flew upward, honking and cackling as they took to the air, immediately flying in formation.
“Christ.” Claw scrubbed a hand down his face. “Fucking geese.”
“Be glad it wasn’t a bear,” Hawk joked.
Yeah. Wolves probably weren’t the only predator in a hundred acres of forest. After Gail found the deed, I looked at a map of Undertaker’s land. The forest was dense in spots. I knew Lake Alpine was remote enough to work for Undertaker’s pack. They had the advantage of knowing the terrain.
We were too fucking vulnerable.
“Head to the trees.”
We re-entered the forest, trying to keep track of the ground we already covered. Hawk used a compass on his phone. The more we walked, the deeper into the forest we traveled.
I stopped with a sigh. “Undertaker is toying with us.”
“We’re gonna end up lost,” Claw agreed.
“What do you want to do, pres?”
I could feel eyes on us. The Dirty Death was out there. They were tracking our movements. Undertaker held them off. But why? And for how long?
“We need water,” Cuckoo announced. He pulled a couple of canteens out of his bag.
“And to track Bella. She’s the priority.” My ol’ lady was intelligent and resourceful. She’d get to a water source, too. Maybe she was at the lake, hiding and waiting for me to find her. It was worth a shot. “We get to the lake and look for any sign that Bella has been there.”
I refused to believe that she was dead. Undertaker wanted me here. It didn’t make sense to harm my woman. He wanted to maintain control, and he did as long as she was alive. The second she was harmed, that ceased to be his advantage. We both knew only bloodshed would follow.
He didn’t kidnap her to kill her when he could have accomplished that without bringing her four hundred and fifty miles away to his pack land. The ancestral land he loved. No, he wanted that fucking deed and Bella was his insurance that he’d get it back, which proved this hunt was nothing more than a ruse. A distraction. He was playing a game.
For his pack members? Were they bored? Restless?
This grew tiresome. I didn’t come all this way to hike through the fucking forest and delay finding Bella.
“Where are you, Undertaker?” I shouted. “Come out and stop hiding like a coward!”
Only silence greeted me. Fuck!
We managed to find the lake an hour later. The surface glittered like thousands of clustered diamonds below the sun’s bright rays. Crystal clear, blue-green waters were postcard-perfect, simply beautiful. The backdrop of lush green forest provided a view that dazzled the eye. It was the perfect escape from the world.
Bella had to be close.
We searched the embankment, following the lake’s edge for miles. I had almost given up hope until I saw a pathway that dipped below a slab of overhanging rock. It hid a rough trail that wrapped around the side of the lake and then led toward another section of forest.
My boots pounded the ground as I splashed through the shallow stream. There! Prints from a dainty pair of boots!
Baby, I’m here.
She walked through this path recently. The boot prints were still muddy and hadn’t dried yet.
“Bella!”
AS SOON AS I HEARD that howl, I knew the pack had found me.
In a futile effort, I ran. Stupid. I didn’t make it far before I tripped over an exposed tree root. Not my finest or most graceful moment. I landed hard, twisting my ankle in the process.
“Fuck!” I screamed, blinking back tears. This wasn’t good. Any second Dirty Death members would arrive. I was hurt and easy prey.
I rolled to my side and rose on my hands and knees. My ankle already throbbed, so I didn’t think about anything other than getting back on my feet. I had to be strong. Fierce. Brave.
I used a nearby branch to steady myself as I slowly rose, testing my weight to see if I could stand on both feet.
Nope. I almost buckled with the wave of pain that followed.
Tears filled my eyes and spilled over. I swiped across my cheeks, hating, feeling so weak and defeated. This wasn’t how I was going to die. No fucking way. I’d come too far. I survived my parents’ deaths, my Gram passing away, Bree’s kidnapping and recovery, building my own business, and finally finding the perfect guy. It wouldn’t end here.
I heard rustling and the heavy thud of something large moving toward me. On instinct, I scanned the area around me for a weapon. A heavy, thick branch had fallen from a nearby tree a few feet away. It looked snapped off, but I didn’t care. It would be sturdy enough to use for protection.
I just had to reach it.
There wasn’t time to crawl to it. I had to walk. Five steps. I nearly screamed at the pain shooting up my leg as my weight put pressure on my swelling ankle. I reached the branch and collapsed, picking it up as whoever found me finally reached my location.
It wasn’t Undertaker or any of his club members. No wolves or dangerous predators.
“Crow!”
My hero rushed toward me, falling to his knees. His arms surrounded me, and it was all it took for me to burst into tears.
“Babe. I got you. I’m here.”
“You found me,” I blubbered.
“Always, Bella, mine.” He tilted my chin up, pressing a soft kiss to my lips. “Are you hurt?”
“My ankle. I twisted it.”
A grim nod followed. “Let me see.”
I leaned back as he lifted my foot, scowling at the injury.
“Call Falcon,” Crow bellowed. “Tell him to get here as quick as he can.”
I didn’t notice Hawk, Claw, and Cuckoo were with him. “Hey, guys.”
“Glad to see you, Bella,” Hawk replied before he walked a short distance away, dialing Falcon’s number.
Claw grinned. “You’re tough.”
“I had to be,” I pointed out. “Big forest and all that.”
Cuckoo patted me on the head. “You’re hard to kill. That’s good.”
Nice. “I’m happy to see you all too.”
“Bella.” My name left Crow’s lips in an agonized whisper. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there. For our date. To protect you. If I had been,” he began.
No. It wasn’t his fault. “Hey. This isn’t on you. I know what’s going on with the club and all the shit with Undertaker. With Rook. I don’t blame you.”
“I could have lost you.” His forehead lowered to mine. “Fuck, babe.”
“I knew you would come. I never doubted.”
His hand slid around my neck. The warmth of his fingers caressed my chilled skin. “Always.”
“I think you need to marry me now,” I joked.
“Bella, baby, that’s my fucking goal. You say the date, and we will.” His gaze locked on mine as he lifted his head. “I’m fucking serious.”
“I know.”
“Then when?”
“Next month. End of July.”
“It’s a date.”