Chapter Fourteen
Logan
The door shut and I heard Akira rushing away. Shit. I never told her about Scarlet. I hurried to the door and yanked it open. She must have been moving faster than I’d thought, because she was long gone. Heading back into the apartment, I hoped like hell I hadn’t just fucked up royally.
My stomach twisted as I grabbed my phone and called Akira. Straight to voicemail.
“Akira, it’s Logan. Call me back as soon as you get this. It’s important.”
I hung up, unease crawling up my spine. Something felt off. Wrong. I tried again, willing her to pick up.
Voicemail.
What the hell? She couldn’t already be at the bar. Was she just ignoring the call because she was driving?
“Damnit,” I muttered, running a hand through my hair. Something told me I needed to get to Akira. I shouldn’t have let her leave, at least not on her own. As much as I didn’t want to bend her to my will, I should have insisted she wait and let me go too. What the hell had I been thinking? Maybe I’d just wanted to be different from her dad, who seemed to like smothering her. But in this case, being overprotective wouldn’t have been a bad thing.
I snatched my keys off the counter, heart racing as I rushed out the door. I barely leaped down the stairs and ran to my bike, then I swung my leg over the seat. The Pony wasn’t far, but every second felt like an eternity. I broke all the speed limits, almost daring someone to pull me over.
Gravel crunched under my tires as I pulled into the parking lot. Akira’s car sat in its usual spot, but something was wrong. Her purse lay on the ground, and next to it, her keys glinted.
“No, no, no,” I whispered, scanning the area. “Akira!”
Silence answered me. My pulse pounded in my ears as I crouched down, touching her belongings with shaking hands. Where was she? What happened?
I stood, fighting to keep my breathing steady. Think, Logan .
I knew what I had to do. It terrified me, but there was no choice. I had to tell her father. Wraith would likely kill me for letting this happen, but if it meant finding Akira, I’d face down the entire Dixie Reapers MC. Hell, I’d gladly let them kick my ass right now.
As I gathered her things, my mind raced. It couldn’t have been Scarlet. I still had so many questions about what set Scarlet off, and if someone had been pulling the strings behind the scenes… Or was this completely random? Akira had said she had to come here. Did that mean someone asked to meet her?
No time for that now. I tucked her purse and keys into my saddlebag, my resolve hardening. I’d find her, no matter what it took. And when I did, I’d never let her go again.
I swung back onto my bike, the engine roaring to life. As I peeled out of the lot, one thought consumed me: Hold on, Akira. I’m coming for you .
I was more than halfway to the compound when I realized just showing up might not be a good idea. Pulling over, I knew what I needed to do. I pulled out my phone, quickly dialing Wire’s number. The call connected almost instantly.
“Wire, I need your help,” I blurted out, my voice tight with urgency. “Akira’s missing. She was taken from outside The Pony.”
“Whoa, slow down,” Wire’s voice crackled through the speaker. “You sure about this?”
I swallowed hard, picturing Akira’s belongings scattered on the ground. “Positive. Her car’s still there, but she’s gone. I found her stuff on the ground, like she’d dropped it and been dragged away. Someone snatched her.”
There was a brief pause. “Shit. Have you told anyone else?”
“No,” I admitted, running a hand through my hair. “You’re the first call I made. Although, I’m on my way to your compound. I knew I had to tell Wraith.”
“Smart move,” Wire replied. I could hear the clacking of keys in the background. “It’s better to have something to tell him other than his only kid is missing. I’m accessing the security cameras in the area now. Give me a few minutes.”
As I waited, my mind raced with possibilities. Was Akira hurt? Scared? The thought of her in danger made my chest tighten. I should have been there to protect her. She’d always insisted she could take care of herself. If that was true, then I wondered if they’d snuck up on her.
“Got something.” Wire’s voice cut through my spiraling thoughts. “I’ve got footage of a black sedan pulling to a stop on the street. Two men, masks on. They knocked her out and grabbed her fast. Looks like she tried to get one of her weapons, but she wasn’t fast enough.”
Pride mixed with fear in my gut. That was my Akira, fierce to the end. “Did you get a plate number?”
“Yeah, but it’s stolen. Belongs to a blue SUV. I used the cameras around town and tracked the car to the edge of town, then they hit the highway. Lost them after that.”
I clenched my fist, frustration building. “So we’ve got nothing?”
“Not nothing,” Wire countered. “We know what we’re dealing with. This was planned, organized. That narrows things down.”
I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me. “Is it possible to find her?”
Wire sighed heavily. “I need more time. But right now, you’ve got a bigger problem. You need to man the fuck up and tell Wraith his daughter is missing.”
“He’s gonna kill me,” I muttered, cold dread washing over me.
“Maybe,” Wire agreed. “But if you don’t tell him and he finds out later, he definitely will. And even if you survive, you can kiss any chance with Akira goodbye.”
I knew he was right, but that didn’t make it any easier.
“Fuck.” I ran a hand down my face.
“Good luck, brother,” Wire said before hanging up.
The ride to the Dixie Reapers compound felt both endless and far too short. As I waited at the gate, I pulled out my phone and sent a quick text to Dawson. Akira’s missing. At Reapers compound now. Might need backup .
The gates creaked open, and my stomach dropped. There, waiting for me, was Wraith himself. His imposing figure stood like a statue, eyes burning with barely contained rage. Looked like someone had already told him about Akira.
I pulled through slowly, heart hammering in my chest. I parked and got off my bike. As I opened my mouth to speak, Wraith’s fist connected with my jaw.
I hit the ground hard, pain exploding across my face. Before Wraith could land another blow, two figures rushed in, pulling him back. Through watering eyes, I recognized Venom and Savior, their grips tight on Wraith’s arms.
Jesus, I’d have never guessed someone his age could still hit that damn hard. I was lucky he hadn’t knocked me out.
“Easy, brother,” Venom said, as he struggled to restrain Wraith.
I spat blood onto the gravel, wiping my mouth with the back of my arm. The metallic taste lingered as I pushed myself to my feet, facing the trio of seasoned bikers.
“Akira’s missing,” I managed, my voice rough. “I’m guessing you already know that. I swear, I didn’t --”
“You were supposed to protect her!” Wraith snarled, lunging forward only to be held back by Venom and Savior.
My chest tightened. “I know. I fucked up. But Wire’s already searching for her.”
Wraith’s eyes narrowed. “Wire? You told that tech rat before coming to me?”
If Wire hadn’t told him, then how had he known? Now probably wasn’t the best time to ask. I swallowed hard, tasting more blood. “I needed intel fast. He’s tracking the vehicle that took her.”
Venom’s grip on Wraith loosened slightly. “You have a lead?”
“Maybe,” I said, meeting Venom’s piercing gaze. “Wire said he might have something. Should we go to his place?”
The tension in the air was palpable as Wraith considered my words. I held my breath, acutely aware that my next moments with Akira -- if I ever saw her again -- hinged on this decision.
Finally, Wraith jerked free from Venom and Savior. He stalked over to his bike. “Let’s go.”
The ride to Wire’s house was tense, my mind racing with possibilities of what we might find. Would it be good news? Or would I be leading Akira’s father to confirmation of his worst fears?
Wire was waiting for us when we arrived, his usually relaxed demeanor replaced by a grim focus. He ushered us inside without a word, leading us to his tech-filled workspace.
“What do you have?” Wraith demanded the moment we entered.
Wire’s fingers flew across his keyboard. “I tracked the vehicle to Millbrook,” he said, pulling up a map on one of his monitors. “They stopped for gas, and then they disappeared. But I’ve been checking the footage at every exit outside of town, and they definitely didn’t leave.”
My heart leapt into my throat as Wire pulled up another window, revealing a grainy image. You could see inside the car from this angle, and in the backseat lay Akira.
“I got this from a nearby security camera,” Wire explained. “You can see they have her at this point. Without knowing where they went, it’s hard to say where she is right now.”
I leaned in, studying the image. A large man, face obscured, sat in the front seat.
“There’s more,” Wire said, his voice tight. He clicked to the next image, and I heard Venom inhale sharply beside me.
The man had removed his mask, revealing a face I didn’t recognize. But from the reactions of the others, it was clear they did.
“Tinker,” Wraith breathed, his voice a mix of shock and fury.
I glanced between them, confusion and dread warring in my gut. “Who’s Tinker?”
Venom’s weathered hand dragged down his beard, a heavy sigh escaping him. His eyes held a haunted look.
“Tinker,” he began, “was one of us. Or so we thought.”
I felt my muscles tense, bracing for whatever revelation was coming. Venom’s gaze swept across the room, landing on each of us in turn.
“He betrayed the club,” Venom continued. “Sold information to rivals, skimmed from our profits. When we found out…” He trailed off, jaw clenching.
“What happened?” I prompted, my heart racing.
Venom’s eyes met mine, cold and hard. “Back then, there was only one way out of the Dixie Reapers. You had to survive a beating that would make most men beg for death. In fact, we’d thought no one had survived it.”
I swallowed hard, imagining the brutality of such an “exit.”
“We left him on the side of the road outside town,” Venom finished. “And until now, we’d assumed he was dead.”
“The police wouldn’t have found a dead body and investigated where it came from?” I asked.
Venom shook his head. “Back in those days, plenty of dirty cops in town. We had a few on the payroll. Shortly after this, that’s when things started to change in this town.”
The room fell silent, the weight of this revelation settling over us like a shroud. My mind raced, trying to piece together how this long-buried history connected to Akira’s abduction. And it had to have been quite a while back. If only the older members of the club knew this guy, then that meant it happened before any of them settled down and started families.
“If Tinker has Akira,” Venom said, breaking the silence, “then it’s possible he’s been behind everything. All of it. The man’s had years to nurse his grudge against us. He most likely saw an opportunity with Scarlet.”
I frowned, a nagging doubt gnawing at me. “But that doesn’t explain why he’d drag me into this,” I pointed out. “I’m not even a Reaper. Why target me and Akira specifically?”
Venom’s eyes narrowed, considering my words. The unspoken questions hung in the air between us: What was I missing? What piece of this twisted puzzle had yet to fall into place?
“I’m not sure why he’d use you. As for Akira, if he’s been watching us, then he probably knew she was Wraith’s daughter. It’s easier to get to us through our kids.”
Wire’s fingers flew over his keyboard, his brow furrowed in concentration. Suddenly, he looked up, his eyes wide behind his glasses. “What if it’s not just about the Reapers? Logan, is it possible that Scarlet… really did like you? Obviously, she was obsessed, but could it have started as something as simple as infatuation?”
I shrugged. “What does that have to do with Tinker?”
Wire leaned forward. “Think about it. If Tinker’s been watching the Reapers, he would’ve noticed your relationship with Akira. And if he saw Scarlet stalking you…”
“He could’ve used her,” I finished, the realization hitting me like a punch to the gut. “Manipulated her obsession to help with his revenge. Which makes me wonder how much of what she did was her, and how much was Tinker’s influence.”
The room fell silent as the implications sank in. My mind raced, picturing Akira in danger because of me, because of a woman I never even gave a second thought to. If it hadn’t been for Scarlet, would Tinker have left Akira alone? No, if he had been a Dixie Reaper in the past, then maybe she’d been his target all along.
“What’s our next move?” I asked, my voice hoarse with worry and barely contained rage. “How do we get Akira back?”
Wire exchanged a glance with Venom before answering. “We need more manpower. I think we need to bring in Dawson and Justin. Maybe some other Swift Angels officers too.”
“I actually texted Dawson before I came here. He might be on his way already.”
“Logan, you need to understand something. If you want Akira back… you may have to get your hands dirty.”
I met his gaze, feeling a cold resolve settle over me. “Whatever it takes. I’ll bring her home, no matter what it costs me.”