Mayhem
I was almost insane by the time the information reached us.
I was out just waiting for word from the compound.
I prayed more since Astrid was taken than I had in my entire life.
The call came in to Reaper. He, Crusher, and Sandman from my club were with me, along with Sarge, Styx, and Stitch from the Marauders.
We figured if Baker had help, they couldn’t be that many. Surely seven of us could handle it. Though when the call came in, a second group would be dispatched from the clubhouse to serve as backup. I had no intention of waiting for them to get here before we made a move. I hoped Reaper knew that.
It seemed that, based on the information Aubrielle gave us, Beast and Spawn had discovered a close Navy buddy of Radley Baker’s who had property not far from Bristol.
It sat outside of Meadowview, Virginia. It was a small town about twenty minutes from Bristol.
It was included in the Tri-Cities region, which included Kingsport, Bristol, TN, and Bristol, Virginia.
After a couple of minutes of determining our approach, which was too many, we took off. I got hemmed in by the others to keep me from going over a hundred miles an hour. I knew it was stupid to do, but I had to reach Astrid. She’d been gone for five hours. She could be dead by now.
Using the directions sent to us, we were brought in on the west side of the property, a half mile away.
It was a smart move, but I hated that we had the delay of hiking our asses over to the place she was being held, though we would be hauling ass.
We would split up when we reached the property and encircled the house.
There would be no polite knocking on the fucking door.
We’d storm the place and cut down anyone between my woman and us.
Reaper grabbed my shoulder before I took off. “You got it wrapped tight?” he asked.
“I’m good. Worry about the motherfucker Baker and anyone else who’s there helping him.”
Reaper gave me a chin lift, then we were off.
Sarge and Styx had been in the military, so they were fast. Those who hadn’t been were no slouches in this department either.
They’d done enough of these types of things over the years to become experts.
Sad in a way when you thought about it. The number of times in the past twelve years we’d done this for one club or another was depressing.
We slowed down as our destination came into view.
The house was a two-story farmhouse, no surprise for this area.
What surprised me was the pristine condition it was in.
It was picturesque enough to be featured on a postcard or in a vacation ad.
Baker’s friend clearly took care of his property.
I wondered if he was inside with Baker, harming my woman.
My fist tightened around the butt of my gun at the thought.
Hastily, last-second instructions were whispered to us by Reaper, and then we were moving again.
I wasn’t shocked that my president was practically glued to my side.
We were the ones going in through the front door.
Sarge and Crusher were coming in the back.
That left Sandman, Styx, and Suture to cover the outside and provide backup if necessary.
All of our watches were synced up. At the agreed-upon time, we slipped into the house.
When we first got to the doors, we checked if they were unlocked—no such luck.
However, we’d come prepared for it and wanted a quiet entry, so Reaper dropped down to pick the lock.
I wasn’t sure who would do the back door.
This was the most dangerous time. Our entry could be detected before we wanted, and Baker, or whoever was inside, could harm or even kill Astrid.
My mind shied away from that possibility.
Moving as quietly as possible through the first level, we found it empty. Crusher and Sarge met us in the middle. We were preparing to head upstairs when we heard a thumping and muffled sounds, like someone trying to talk while gagged. We’d heard it enough to recognize it. My heart sped up.
Knowing we weren’t backing out, we headed for the stairs.
Again, I was in the lead. This time, it was Sarge next to me.
It took skill and patience to go up those stairs and make barely any noise in our thick-soled boots.
At the top, a hallway led to the right, and along it were several doors.
As I scanned, I noted there were two doors open while the rest were closed.
Was that where Astrid was? Or in one of the closed ones?
Quickly exchanging hand signals, we crept down the hallway—guns at the ready.
As we passed the first closed ones, Reaper and Crusher peeled off to check them.
The next two closed rooms were mine and Sarge’s to check.
Returning to the hallway after checking them and finding nothing, the four of us shook our heads.
That left the two open rooms. I pointed to the left one.
Sarge and I would take it, while the others took the one on the right.
My brain was in battle mode. Automatically, I slipped back into what I’d known in the military.
Peeking in the room, it was situated so that I couldn’t see much of it.
Indicating I was entering, Sarge shadowed me.
As I went to peek around the corner that was inside the doorway, a movement caught out of my peripheral vision saved me.
I ducked at the same time that I charged.
By the time I saw who it was, I could only slow my charge, but not stop it.
My body ramming into Astrid’s sent her flying.
She landed several feet away on her ass.
However, the gun in her hand remained in her grip.
Disbelief filled me as I rushed to her. My only focus at the moment was her. Let the others take care of anyone else in here. As I crouched next to Astrid, I heard thumping and the garbled screaming, but I ignored it.
“Are you alright? Where are you hurt? I’m sorry, baby. I tried to stop,” I told her frantically, as I ran my free hand over her body.
“Goddamn, you’re like a battering ram. Whew! That’s gonna leave me with a sore ass. Honey, stop it. I’m fine. A few bruises, but that’s it,” Astrid calmly told me.
Her words didn’t stop my examination. What stopped me was Crusher calling out to me.
“Well, shit, I don’t believe this. Wait, yes, I do. Goddamn, and she’s his. I want one like her,” Crusher muttered.
I turned to see what he was carrying on about.
That’s when I noticed that there was a man cuffed to the bed.
His mouth was stuffed with a cloth, then tied with a second one.
He was wiggling and thumping the headboard against the wall, and he tried to speak around the gag.
It was Radley Baker. My anger rose. However, before tangling with him, I had to be sure my old lady was okay.
Facing her again, I caught Astrid rising. I hastily put my hand under her arm and helped her to her feet. She grimaced and rubbed her ass with her free hand, but I saw no blood or anything else that indicated she was harmed.
“Are you positive you’re not hurt? Stitch is here. He can examine you.”
“Who is Stitch? And I don’t need it,” she answered.
Walking her closer to the bed, I told her who Stitch was. Her surprise was evident.
“You mean you guys brought in another club to find me?”
“They came on their own, but hell yeah, we did and would bring more,” I assured her. We weren’t able to say more because Reaper interjected.
“Astrid, it’s good to see you. And you look hardly worse for wear. Do you swear there’s no reason for me to ask Stitch in here?” His voice was gruff with concern. Astrid smiled.
“Reaper, thank you, but I’m good. Some bruising and chafing, but that’s it.”
“You heard the lady. Astrid, mind telling us what the hell is going on here? We came here to rescue you, but it appears we’re unnecessary. Shit, we’re becoming obsolete,” Pres muttered.
Astrid smiled but shook her head. “No, you’re not.
Thank you for coming for me. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to subdue him.
At first, I was the one cuffed to the bed.
However, after a lengthy discussion, which he refused to believe I didn’t get his brother killed, he thought I was intimidated enough to be uncuffed.
That was his mistake.” Her tone grew cold.
The look she cast at Baker was filled with retribution.
“Babe, did he do anything to you?” I whispered in her ear. She wasn’t acting like he had, but who knew?
“No, he didn’t touch me like that, Jamie. He did slap me, though,” she whispered back.
“So he refuses to accept it wasn’t you who got his idiot brother killed? Did you tell him how his brother acted? And that it was his fault you were shot down in the first place?” Crusher asked.
“No, I kept that part out of it since I was trying to get him to uncuff me. I was saving it for later. He’s convinced I used sex to prevent the enemy from killing me.
And when his brother survived the torture and the SEAL team rescued us, during the subsequent firefight, I contrived somehow to get his brother shot.
I was protecting the fact that I was a traitor and told the enemy about our plans. ”
That information got us all muttering darkly. I edged closer to the bed. I glared down at the fucker who kidnapped my woman.
“I want to talk to this motherfucker. Babe, did anyone else help him?”
“No, I’ve only seen him.”
“Good,” I replied, rubbing my hands together.