Jabba’s Journey (Iron Howlers MC #2)

Prologue

Jabba

It’s been two months since the sweet butts came up missing, and every day, we go out and search, but come up empty. However, this morning during church, Corbin reached out to Cyrus with a viable lead, so as the club’s Enforcer, we decided I would go check it out.

Finished packing, I’m now washing my laundry since I changed my bedding so when I get home, I’ll have clean sheets. It’s one of my idiosyncrasies; I hate coming back from a run, taking a shower, then getting into a bed that’s been unused for sometimes up to a week.

Now, I’m sitting with several of the other brothers eating lunch and chit-chatting with everyone. I wish I could wait to go until Jazzy got home from school, but I want to get several hours of wind therapy under my belt before I stop for the night.

When Harmony’s eyes glaze over, all conversation ceases as we wait for her to reveal what she’s seeing through her premonition. I worry it has something to do with my upcoming mission and decide to pack even more ammo, so I’m prepared for any eventuality.

As her eyes clear, she pins me with her gaze, and says one word, “Hurry. Your mate and the club girls are depending on you.”

Well, fuck. Good thing I’m nearly ready to go. Nodding, I stand and take my empty plate to the kitchen, and after I rinse it off, I put it in the dishwasher. I know the prospects will take care of cleaning up since Harmony’s now doing all the cooking, but my time in the military prevents me from just leaving it be for someone else to handle. After I get my dried clothes, I quickly remake my bed, then grab a few more things and shove them in my saddle bags. Hoisting them over my shoulders, I leave my room then set them down so I can lock the door, confident that nobody will mess with my stuff. That’s not how we roll in our brotherhood, but old habits die hard.

“Shiny side up, Brother,” Cyrus says as I make my way to my bike. “You call if you need backup of any kind whatsoever. If what Harmony saw is true, you’ll need us to bring a cage at least.”

“Will do, Pres,” I reply, attaching my saddle bags to my bike.

I crank up my girl, reveling in her rumbling purr, and after putting my helmet on and tying a bandana around the lower part of my face, raise my arm to Cyrus, who bumps my fist with one of his own.

“Be careful, Brother,” he whispers. Thankfully, because of my shifter abilities, I can hear him over my engine.

“Always,” I promise, raising the stand before I begin pulling through our parking lot to the road.

My sense of urgency grows with every passing mile. Right now, I’m glad I won’t need a lot of rest, because I feel as though I’m running out of time.

And that simply won’t do.

Electra

“What was I thinking?” I murmured as I looked around at the men surrounding me. I knew about the Red Caps; they were legendary throughout Appalachia and quite frankly, despite my own abilities, they scared me half to death.

Still, like an undisciplined witch instead of one with a few years under her belt, I went out on my own to collect several plants and herbs I needed to finish up a customer’s order. Now, I’m trapped. Not only that, but having heard some of the things they’d said, my life is definitely in danger.

I wince as I’m shoved into the back of a nondescript van, and while highly inappropriate, my thoughts drift to the fact that they may be older than time, but they’ve kept up with modern conveniences. Probably so they could blend in better and continue their reign of terror.

“Stop that!” I hiss as one of them gets too handsy, which earns me a fist to my temple. “Lights out, Electra,” I mumble to myself as the darkness pulls me under.

“Shh, you’re okay, you’ll be fine,” a voice whispers over someone moaning. It takes me far too long to realize that I’m the one moaning. “Don’t let them hear you, they’ll come back,” that same voice warns, a hint of fear embedded in her tone.

I manage to pry my eyes open, although one is so swollen it’s mostly shut as I stare into a face I don’t recognize. “Who… who are you?” I ask as my gaze notices three other women nearby.

All of them are bruised and battered, although their bruises are varying shades of purple, yellow, and black, which tells me the men who’ve taken us are frequently free with their fists.

“We’re club girls for the Iron Howlers MC,” the one holding me replies. “I’m Candy, and that’s Sushi, Ellie, and Queenie,” she adds, pointing to each woman in turn.

I have no clue what a club girl is at all, but that’s the least of my concerns right now. Being stuck inside what appears to be a cave of some sorts is definitely more important in the grand scheme of things.

“Why are we here?” I query.

I guess that’s the biggest question. I’ve known of the Red Caps but didn’t think a water witch would be on their radar at all. Neither would these women if memory serves about what the bastards get into.

“We don’t know,” Queenie softly says. “Hopefully, Cyrus and the brothers know we’re gone by now and they’re looking for us.”

“Before we wind up dead in a ditch,” Sushi continues. “I think my arm’s broken.”

“My shoulder’s dislocated,” Ellie states.

Each woman’s face is tearstained, and their clothing, while minimal at best, is worse for the wear, with tears and missing buttons.

“I won’t have anyone looking for me,” I murmur as I continue to catalog my injuries. What’s worse, I won’t be able to heal if I can’t get near a water source. “Where are we?”

“Somewhere inside the mountain,” Candy says. “We think it’s their hideout or something, not that they say much when they’re around. It’s just we’ve seen a lot of them milling about when they bring us up to their main room to ‘interrogate’ us.”

“Why would they want to do that?” I sputter out the question. I’m aghast that these women would be beaten or threatened for answers they most likely don’t know the answers to.

My head’s pounding, not only in pain, but also with all the information the women are throwing at me.

“Because they think we know things that’ll help them.” With my head hanging, I don’t catch who said it, but it feels like an omen.

“If that’s the case, what do they think I know? I’m not a part of the Iron Howlers. I don’t have any association with them. Taking me won’t help them in the least.” My admittance has another thought entering my mind, they need me for something else, something that may end up being the end of me. I can’t let that happen. A sense of dismal foreboding swallows me whole, my body feels as if it’s drifting into a dark abyss. What is it about my powers that they think will enhance their cause?

I’m a water witch, and I can’t use my power without a sediment source, which this area is swamped with. I mean, I know there is water somewhere nearby, but being physically injured is keeping me from drawing from it to help heal me. Considering I’ve just come into my gifts, and I haven’t had a chance to test them out to their full capabilities, I’m nervous that I’m not mighty enough for the Red Caps, and once they figure that out for themselves, I’m doomed. Will they keep me hostage until I come into my full awakening? That’s a concept I can’t fathom. No. I refuse to believe it. They’ll end me because they aren’t known for having patience.

If anything, they’ll push me until I either break or I fulfill whatever role they want me to carry out. I won’t use my witchery for evil intent. I’m a good witch, I’m not bound by my thirst for blood. Dark magic isn’t something I strive for, if anything, I made an oath to the goddesses the day they shined their light on me and granted me with the gift of water that I’d use it for good.

No matter how much they torture me, I’ll never be their willing victim.