CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Cody—
He dismounts his bike, putting his phone to his ear.
A second later, his eyes flick to mine and lock, and with the expression on his face, everything inside me goes cold.
I drop my kickstand and I’m off my bike in a flash, stopping in front of him. “What is it?”
“Settle down,” Cole snaps, moving in next to me.
“Give me a second. I’ll call you back.” Crash lowers his phone.
“Gigi tried to get ahold of TJ, but since we’re riding, he didn’t get the call. When he didn’t respond, she called Wolf.”
“What is it?” I ask, wishing my VP would get to the fucking point.
“Snake’s got Heather.”
My blood drains to my boots, and I feel like I might sink to the ground. I actually take a step back to catch myself. “Oh my God.”
There’s a roaring in my ears, and suddenly Cole’s got his arm around me.
“We’ll get her back.”
“Heather,” I whisper. “When… when did he take her? How?”
“Gigi was with her at the apartment getting some things because they thought it was safe until Wolf called them to the clubhouse. The girls saw Snake when they were leaving and hid in the stairwell, but then Gigi said Heather kissed her son and gave herself up, walking out to him.”
“What the fuck?” I bark.
“She did it to save her kid, Cody,” Crash says. “And Gigi, too.”
The crew gathers around us.
“Is Gigi okay?” TJ asks, and I hear the panic in his voice.
“Yeah, she and Tucker are safe.”
“When did this happen?” I ask again.
“Like ten or fifteen minutes ago. Wolf was trying to get one of us to answer our phones. Mine kept vibrating on my hip, and when it wouldn’t quit, I knew it had to be important.”
“Where would they go?” Billy asks. “That motel again? Texas?”
I stare at the ground, stunned, and Cole slaps my chest. “Cody?”
My glazed eyes meet his. “Pull it together, brother. We need to find her quickly.”
I nod and swallow the lump in my throat.
“Did she share her location with you?” Cole asks.
My eyes widen. “Yeah.” I yank my phone out and pull the app up. Cole and Crash lean over my shoulders to study the little satellite map.
“They’re headed down I5. They’re just south of Santa Nella.”
Cole points at the screen. “Scan out.”
I adjust it.
“Find a shortcut to I5,” Cole barks.
“Here.” Crash points at the map. “We cut over on Hwy 198, and we could intercept them around Turk. That puts us out here. There’s nothin’ out there but onion fields and orange groves.”
Cole studies the map. “We wait there and cut ‘em off coming under the overpass.”
“I don’t want her hurt. We can’t wreck them,” I say.
Cole drags a hand down his face. “We can surround them and force them to the side of the road, but any option isn’t gonna be perfect, kid.”
“Letting him get away with her is worse,” Crash says, meeting my eyes.
“Cody?” Cole asks, leaving it to me.
“Let’s surround them. It’s her best chance.”
“Okay, let’s move. We haul ass, boys,” Cole orders, and everyone scatters to their bikes.
We do almost a hundred miles an hour up the highway, swerving in and out of traffic. I half expect flashing lights to appear behind us, but none ever do.
Cole and Crash are at the head of the pack, and they slow up, and I know we’re getting close to the turnoff.
Forty minutes later, we arrive at the on-ramp to I5, and I skid to a stop on the gravel shoulder and pull my phone out, checking Heather’s location. I think in the last hour I’ve said more prayers to a God I’m not sure I believe in than I ever have.
Cole and Crash come to stand next to me, peering at the map.
“We didn’t miss them. They’re close. Should be coming south over that rise any minute.”
“Okay, half of you get on that side of the highway,” Cole orders.
I wait with Crash, Cole, TJ, and Billy, while Shine, Reckless, Shane, and the rest go to the far side.
My stomach is in knots. If this goes badly, Heather could die, and it’s all about to go down in the next few minutes. My father rolls up next to me and reaches across, patting my shoulder.
“We’re going to get her, son.”
I nod, praying he’s right, but terrified I’m about to lose the love of my life when I just found her.
As we sit idling, every moment with her flashes before my eyes.
The first time I laid eyes on her, the first time I kissed her, the way she looked at me the first time I made love to her.
The light in her eyes every time she looked at her son.
I can’t lose her, and I can’t let Tucker grow up without his mom. That cannot happen.
I curse the fact that the search for Ray took my attention off Snake and off Heather’s safety. I let myself be distracted, and I swear I’ll never let that happen again.
I cannot make a mistake now. The next five minutes are too important.
Breathe, I tell myself, and I think about putting my gun to Snake’s head and calmly pulling the trigger.