Chapter 9 Sly
CHAPTER NINE
SLY
Since we don’t have much cash, we sleep in the SUV and use the little bit of money we have to grab some fast food through drive-thru’s. This way, we limit the chance of being spotted by anyone, as our escape must be on the news by now. It also reduces the risk of being caught on any camera footage.
By the time we arrive in Colorado, we’re all exhausted. We took turns driving, but it’s a long trip and a long time to be on edge, waiting to be pulled over by the police at any moment for driving a stolen vehicle.
But as I drive us through the dark streets of Colorado Springs, all I can think about is her, my little bird.
Is it possible she’s actually here somewhere?
My eyes are constantly scanning the streets, as if I might see her walking down the sidewalk.
Not that I know what she looks like other than black hair and blue eyes.
But I have a feeling I will recognize her the second I lay my eyes on her.
We had absolutely no reason to follow the GPS here, and now I’m starting to regret it. It was my idea, and I’m worried I’ve not only led us astray, but now we’re so far from Wren’s home that we have no trail to follow.
How will we find her?
“There,” Pete says, pointing to a rundown motel up ahead. “That’s where the GPS is taking us.”
I pull into a spot covered in shadows, and we all step out, taking a moment to stretch after the long drive.
“Now what?” Pete asks, looking around the less than welcoming motel.
“We ask if anyone has seen her,” Dex says, marching toward the lobby.
“We don’t even know what she looks like!” I call after him.
“I know enough!” he yells back. I move to join him, but Jagger lays a hand on my shoulder, stopping me from following as he shakes his head.
He’s right, one of us going in there won’t raise any suspicions, but four of us might.
“Dex!” I call, and he spins around, tilting his head at me. “At least let me go ask, you’re more recognizable.”
“You mean because of my scars,” he asks, frowning at me like I insulted him.
“No, because you’re a giant,” Pete chuckles, referencing Dex’s massive frame.
He rolls his eyes as he heads back to us. “Fine, go.”
I nod and quickly head for the lobby before he changes his mind. Stepping inside, the smell hits me hard; mold, stale coffee, and cigarette smoke. I kind of hope Wren hasn’t been here; this isn’t the type of place she should stay.
There’s an older man behind the counter, and he folds up his newspaper and stands when he sees me enter.
“Good evening, you lookin’ for a room?”
“Maybe later. Right now I’m looking for someone, a woman. Mid-twenties with long black hair and pale skin.” I try not to show my nerves, but realizing I literally know nothing else about her appearance, not even her height, makes this feel like a fool's errand.
“Yeah, I’ve seen her.”
“You have?” I ask in shock, not really expecting this wild goose chase to end with finding her.
“Yeah, sweet girl. She’s been here all week. She’s not here right now, though. She left a few hours ago.”
“Do you know where she went?”
He stares at me for a moment, and I’m not sure what he’s looking for. “You here to help her?”
“Yes,” I answer instantly on alert, leaning on the counter as if being closer to him will get the answers I crave faster.
“Normally I wouldn’t share a young girl’s whereabouts, but she was headed to the Gravel and Grit; that’s a biker bar on the outskirts of town.”
A biker bar? What the hell is she doing there?
“I warned her it could be dangerous but she insisted she had business there and wouldn’t be long.”
“Thank you,” I say with a nod before turning to the door.
“Wait!” he calls, and I turn back toward him, even though every part of me is screaming to get to Wren as soon as possible.
“The bar is owned by the local biker gang, the Iron Reapers. Their compound is located out on Old East Road, between the fourth and fifth concession. But you didn’t hear that from me. "
“Why are you telling me?”
“That girl was sweet. Much too sweet for a bunch of bikers. And if the stories about them are true, then she might be in trouble.”
I throw a thanks over my shoulder as I shove the door open and run back to the SUV.
“What’s wrong?” Dex asks, seeing my panic as I yank open the driver's door.
“Get in! She’s in trouble.”
Everyone climbs in and Pete sits beside me as I tell him, “Program in the Gravel and Grit, it’s a bar.”
He presses a few buttons, and it feels like it takes way too long before the nav pings, telling us to turn right out of the parking lot.
“What’s going on, Sly?” Pete asks, looking between me and the road.
“It’s a biker bar. He implied they have a bad reputation and that she could be in trouble. He told me where the Iron Reaper's compound is, too.”
“So he’s seen her?” Dex asks in shock from where he and Jagger are seated behind us.
I nod. “Yes.”
“How do we know it’s her?”
“He said she was sweet, that she’s been here for a few days.”
Everyone’s quiet for a moment before Dex speaks. “It could be her.”
“It is,” I say with a nod. “I can feel it. We’re getting close.”
“If anyone has laid a finger on her, I’ll slice their hands off and shove them down their throats,” Pete says, palming his shiv.
“That’s if I don’t get them first,” Dex says, cracking his knuckles, like he’s ready for a fight.
“Bet I can take out more than you,” Pete says over his shoulder with a smile.
“Deal,” Dex smiles back.
“We don’t even know if she’s there, or has been harmed,” I say, my fingers digging into the steering wheel.
We’re all quiet as we drive through the streets of Colorado Springs and onto the quieter outskirts. The lights of the bar up ahead make it stand out as there’s nothing else around. There’s a bunch of motorcycles out front, and I find a place away from them to park.
“Don’t start anything until we know where she is, understand?” I ask, turning in my seat to face all three of them.
“Yes, Dad,” Pete says with a roll of his eyes, before opening his door and hopping out.
Silently, we cross the parking lot, only the loud music and voices from inside penetrating the night. When we step inside, I immediately clock that it’s entirely bikers, all decked out in black leathers. Not a place we want to linger.
I step up to the bar, and the bartender moves my way. “What can I get you?”
“I’m looking for a woman with long black hair.”
His eyes dart nervously to a man sitting at the bar before he tries to hide his reaction, letting out a small laugh. “We serve alcohol here, not girls.”
“Have you seen her?” I ask again, leaning toward him and trying hard not to slit his throat right here. Too bad I don’t have a knife yet.
“No, now do you boys want a drink or not?”
“No,” I say, instantly turning to the man he had eyed earlier and yanking the knife from where it’s strapped to his side and holding it to his throat. “What about you? You going to lie to me, too?”
I hear the bar grow silent, other than a few chairs scraping as my comrades fan out around me, protecting my back.
“There ain’t no girl here,” he grits out, anger filling his eyes.
“That’s a double negative, which means she is.”
“What? No! She’s not here anymore.”
I drop the knife and step back. “Anymore? Who did she leave with?” I ask, my temperature rising with my rage.
He shakes his head, looking a little scared, and I growl.
The bartender, maybe feeling safer with the wooden bar top between us, says, “Look, she left with the boss, just forget about her, he’ll have claimed her by now.”
“You son of a—” I place my hand on Pete's chest, stopping him from leaping over the bar and slitting his throat.
“Not now, time is of the essence.”
He nods, gritting his teeth before we run from the building. Thanks to the guy at the motel, I know exactly where the bikers live. I give Pete the coordinates, since we don’t have an actual address to program, and he uses the cell to direct me there.
It only takes ten minutes, but it feels like the longest ten minutes of my life, wondering what we’ll find there. Is it even her? Has he hurt her?
When we find the compound, I’m surprised by the lack of security. I park at a safe distance, so they won’t hear us coming and switch off the engine.
“Plan?” Pete asks as we stalk toward the front door.
“Get Wren, and get out,” I tell him, not feeling like coming up with any sort of plan right now; my rage fueling me forward.
“And kill anyone who gets in our way,” Dex adds with a nod.
When we reach the door, I gently try it, but find it’s locked. “Move, I’ll get it,” Dex says, taking a few steps back, as if he means to ram it. A feminine scream pierces the air from inside, and dread pools in my stomach. Dex charges, busting the door wide open on his first attempt.
I push through right behind him with my stolen knife at the ready. My eye catches movement to the side, and I watch in horror as a large man swings his arm down, hitting a woman underneath him across the face.
Dex roars as he charges at them. Suddenly, we’re surrounded by bikers. One comes at me, and I quickly slice his throat, needing to get my eyes on Wren. Dex punches a guy so hard he flies back and doesn’t get up.
The two of us push through toward the man we saw hit someone, who seemed to be the center of attention, before we came in. Even now, he’s holding someone down, underneath him. That better not be Wren. Pete and Jagger cover our backs as we slice and punch our way through the room.
“No! Stop!” The woman cries, and Dex lunges, knocking one biker out of the way before he manages to tackle the man with a raised fist.
That’s when I see her. Beautiful long black hair, piercing blue eyes, fair skin, and the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. She’s also crying and absolutely terrified.
I run to her, scooping her up in my arms, the need to keep her safe fueling every cell in my body.
As I stand, she starts to struggle. “Let me go!”
I hold her closer as I try to avoid her adorably tiny fists. “Shh shh, it’s okay, I’m not going to hurt you.”
She shakes her head, tears rolling down her cheeks as she tries to push me away, causing my heart to ache. “Please, just let me go!”
“Sorry, little bird, but now I’ve found you, I’m never letting you go,” I whisper, as she smacks me in the chest. She’s so tiny and delicate, I could hold her forever.
My words seem to register as she stops struggling and tilts her head up, finally looking at me. Her tear-filled, beautiful blue eyes are filled with confusion and fear as she stares at me, then I watch them widen with what I pray is hope as she whispers, “Sly?”
“Yeah, baby, it’s me.”
“How are you even here? Am I dreaming?”
“If you are, I hope you never wake up.”
“Me too,” she whispers, her eyes scanning my face in awe, like she can’t believe I’m actually here. Me neither. I never thought I’d get to see her, let alone hold her in my arms.
A loud bang has my head jerking up, remembering we’re in the middle of a battle here, and she’s not safe yet.
“We need to get you out of here.”
I glance back down at her and notice one of her cheeks is bright red, and as I look closer, I can almost make out a hand imprint.
My jaw clenches tight as I grit out, “Who hit you?”
Her eyes widen in surprise, then she points to the man whom Dex is currently punching in the gut.
“Dex!” I yell, and his head whips toward us, his eyes wild until they land on Wren, then he freezes, finally seeing her for the first time. “He hit her,” I yell over the noise.
Slowly, he turns his head back to the man in front of him, rage filling him as his hands clench into fists.
“That’s Dex?” Wren whispers in shock. I don’t answer, afraid my anger will make it come out too aggressively for her delicate ears.
He roars, his fist connecting with the man’s face and sending him flying onto his back. Dex pounces on him and doesn’t let up, punching his face so hard it quickly becomes just a heap of blood.
I turn Wren away, not wanting her to see it. “Don’t look.”
Pete suddenly lands in front of us, as if he leapt from the other side of the couch. He springs up, his eyes wide as he takes in Wren’s face.
“Is that really you, angel cake?”
“Pete?” she squeaks out in surprise.
He grins, leans down, and licks her cheek so quickly I don’t have a chance to pull her away.
“Christ, Pete, is that really the way you want to greet her after all this time?” I ask in exasperation.
He shrugs, his eyes staying glued to hers. “What? I licked her, so she’s mine now.” He gently caresses her cheek, but she winces, pulling away. His smile instantly drops as a look of murder crosses his face. “Who did that?” he seethes.
I nod toward him. “Dex has already taken care of it.”
Pete looks at them, then swears. “Fuck, I'd better pull him out of his blood rage.”
“We need to go,” I say, eyeing the men still coming for us. Jagger’s been holding most of them off so far, but there seems to be more arriving, as if they are sleeping somewhere else in the building and were woken by the noise.
Pete grabs Dex’s arm and ducks just in time to miss a punch from his other hand. “It’s me, dipshit!” Pete yells, then points over to us. “We need to get Wren somewhere safe, come on.”
Dex blinks, and his eyes change back to normal, the anger gone, now just determination glinting there instead. “Right.” He looks at his blood-soaked hands and uses the dead man’s shirt to clean them off before standing, his fist connecting with another biker as he makes his way to us.
Pete takes the lead, slicing the throat of anyone who gets within his reach. Jagger follows him, and Dex takes up the rear as we all but run from the building to our SUV.
Pete jumps in the driver’s seat, and Dex practically vaults into the back, turning and holding his arms out to take her. “Gimme.”
I roll my eyes but quickly pass her over, knowing we don’t have time to argue.
“Sly, you have the phone? I need you up here to navigate,” Pete calls over his shoulder. I climb into the passenger seat as Jagger jumps in the back and closes the door.
Pete tears from the parking lot, laughing like a madman as gunshots ring out around us.
“If they had guns, why did they wait until now to use them?” Dex asks, and I shrug, pulling up the GPS on the phone so I can navigate us out of here.
Glancing over my shoulder, I see Wren curled up in Dex’s arms, her eyes closed as she leans against his chest, looking so tiny compared to his giant frame.
I can’t believe we actually found her.