Chapter Six
Ghost
Something is wrong.
It’s the first thought I get when I open my eyes.
One look at the drawn curtains tells me that it’s still night-time.
So what the hell woke me up? I could’ve sworn I heard a door click shut, but that can’t be right.
There is no way in hell someone would break into my apartment.
Not with all the tight security I helped implement. Still, I decide to check.
I reach over to touch Iris and talk her back to sleep in case the sound woke her too, but the sheets are cool to the touch. I turn to look at her side of the bed, brows furrowing as my eyes move to the en suite bathroom but the lights are off in there.
Maybe she woke up to grab a drink from the kitchen.
I don’t immediately panic as I shove the covers off me and climb out of bed, walking naked out of the bedroom and down the short hallway to the kitchen. It’s empty and a quick search proves that she’s nowhere in the apartment.
I begin to panic.
Maybe she couldn’t sleep and decided to go out for a walk, I try to reason as I walk to my nightstand to grab my phone.
There are many places in this casino she could have gone to relax.
Still, that offers me no comfort. The fucking cartel was able to gain access to the casino already and even though we’ve tightened security, there’s no such thing as foolproof security.
There are always vulnerabilities that can be exploited.
Goddamnit, where is she?
I call her phone, praying that she’ll pick up and when her phone lights up from under her pillow, I curse out under my breath.
I walk around her side of the bed to grab it when something else catches my eye.
It’s a paper folded neatly next to her phone.
Something about that paper sends my heart jumping to my throat but I still reach for it and open it.
My eyes skim over the note, hardening with every word I read.
It’s short and littered with apologies over the trouble she assumes her presence has caused.
Apologies for leaving me while I lay fucking asleep and oblivious.
Her promise to hold our memories dear to her heart, and how much our time together meant to her.
Her plea for me to forgive her for making the hard choice to leave, but ultimately, it’s for my sake—to keep me safe, like I’m the one that needs protecting!
I read her plans to meet the US Marshall agent assigned to her case and how they’re going to relocate her.
I love you. I’m sorry. Please don’t hate me. I want you to have a good life.
I crumble the letter in my hand and toss it aside as I stalk to the closet.
I yank the door open with more force than necessary then dig around for a dark pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and a black hoodie to match.
I put on a cap then reach under the closet to the safe where I keep my guns locked and grab the silencer.
I haven’t used a gun since I joined the Steel Sinners, never had use for one, but as I slide it into my jeans, I realize that a life—perhaps multiple—will be taken tonight.
My eyes are resentful as I track the crumbled letter that lies at the foot of the bed.
Fuck, what the hell did she expect would happen?
That I would read the letter then climb back into bed and mourn the loss of her? Or did she think I would brood a little then move on with my life and pretend she didn’t walk into it and wreck it…wreck me? Well, to hell with that!
I slide into my combat boots and leave my apartment; the first stop is the security room.
No one questions me when I ask the night staff to replay the footage from tonight.
My jaw clenches tight as I watch a clearly scared Iris walk out the door with nothing but the clothes on her back.
She reaches up to tuck her hair behind her ear and I shout for someone to pause the video.
“She took her smartwatch,” I mutter under my breath. Probably forgot to take it off but there’s no doubt they’ll take it from her when they see it.
I storm out of the security office and dial Pope’s number as I consider how to track her.
Pope takes the call on the third ring and I hear a female voice in the background, which I assume is his wife.
“She’s gone,” I say when he comes on. “The US Marshall assigned to her case reached out and got her to leave the casino.”
“Meet me in my office in five.”
The call goes dead and for a minute, I stand there staring at it. I don’t fucking know what I was expecting from Pope. Maybe I thought he’d give me his blessings to go and wreak havoc in his city, bring chaos to it unlike anything they’ve seen in years.
I force myself to remain calm even as everything in me itches to track down Iris and ruin the lives of the men who got her to leave the safety of the casino.
Still, I head to Pope’s office and I’m surprised to see his cousin, Priest as well.
They all look alert, nothing like men who were just woken up in the dead of the night.
“I arrived an hour ago,” Priest says by way of greeting, perhaps reading the question in my eyes. “I’ve been trying to get rid of the Víboras Gemelas. Those bastards are like cancer and my men have been trying to get to their leader for months. This is our chance to do so.”
I nod as Pope lets us into his office. “I have our tech guy tracking her phone—”
“She left it behind,” I say, my eyes moving to the minibar and for the first time in two years, I get the urge to take a shot. Anything to calm the rage in my head. Just one goddamned shot. But Pope beats me to it as he grabs a bottle of water and tosses it to me, understanding clear in his eyes.
Fuck!
I uncap the water and chug it down. It will be enough. It has to be. “She took her smart watch,” I tell the men. “I went down to the security room and reviewed the footage and made sure no one dragged her out but no, she left of her own free will, albeit terrified. But she took her smart watch.”
“Perfect, I’ll have our tech track that.”
He takes out his phone and makes calls that I am too restless to listen in on.
I pace in his office like a caged tiger, wanting…
no, fighting the need to storm outside and go find her myself.
Every second she’s out there alone fucking counts.
The mob I was a part of had a solid rule against hurting women and innocents but I know damn well how to hunt down prey and get rid of them before sunrise.
“Found her!”
My head snaps up to meet Pope’s gleaming eyes. “Where is she?”
“She’s moving but we have her coordinates.” Moving. Okay. That means she’s still alive. I hope to God she’s still alive. “Let’s go!”
He doesn’t have to tell me twice. I’m out the door and stalking toward the elevator.
We step in and I try not to pace on the short ride.
When the doors open, I start to storm out, but I stop short.
Standing in the lobby of the casino are no less than fifty men, all clearly armed.
Some I recognize as members of the Steel Sinners and others are our guests from Austin, the Steel Order MC.
For one second, I’m confused by what all these men are doing here until Pope walks forward and debriefs them on the matter.
“A woman, twenty-four who works for us is out there and in danger of falling into the hands of the Víboras Gemelas. They are a dangerous cartel that is known to prey on women and innocent children.” Pope tells the quiet crowd.
“Her name is Iris Turner. Five foot seven, chin-length brunette hair and blue eyes. Let’s find her and set an example for the next fuckers that’ll think twice before coming into our city and terrorizing our people!
I watch with shock as everyone nods along with his words and when he’s done, they all head for the door. Ready to fight for a woman they don’t know. A family unit unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before. Even more surprising is the man we find in the parking lot, astride his motorcycle.
Bishop Cassidy.
Pope and his twin have had a complicated relationship ever since their father died five months ago and left everything to Pope, essentially cutting Bishop off.
Turning his sons against each other, just because Bishop reminded him so much of the woman who escaped him, causing a right between the brothers who had always had a strong bond.
Still, that will fractured their relationship but I guess not enough that Bishop and his men couldn’t travel from Reno to join his brother in a fight against intruders.
“Let’s go,” Pope calls out as we climb into cars, the revel of engines making my blood hum. I haven’t felt anything like that in years. A strong family unit, bound together, not by blood but loyalty. Oh, the fucking Víboras Gemelas are not going to know what hit them.