Chapter 2
CHAPTER TWO
Mercury
I roll my eyes at Pisces and Orion. This business is serious and we don’t have time to insert jokes and come up with pseudonyms for the girls, especially since they haven’t even met yet. We don’t know if they’re going to get along or if there’ll be some cat fights in the future.
“Y’all, enough,” Gemini states, noticing the way my eyes are twitching from their banter.
I’m not impressed and wish that they’d know when it’s time to be serious and when it’s time to play.
Finley’s not out of the woods by a long shot, and just because we helped get her to the surgical clinic, it doesn’t mean she’s going to become part of what we’re building here.
For all we know, she could flee the area after she’s released; fuck knows I would if I was a woman who was so horribly attacked and treated.
“We were just trying to lighten the mood,” Orion says. “Didn’t mean anything by it.”
“Yeah, and there’s a time and a place to be the class clown. Newsflash, dumbass, that’s not here and definitely not today after she’s just had surgery to remove bullets and arrows from her body!” I chastise. “Y’all were dropped on your heads, I swear to God.”
“I wasn’t but the jury’s out on Orion,” Pisces states. Seeing my glare, he holds up his hands in a ‘calm down’ motion. “I hear ya. Gotta say, it’s a fucking good thing you found her, Merc.”
“No shit.” Glancing over at the woman in the bed, I realize her pain meds have knocked her out, which is good.
I don’t want her to hear me tell them my suspicions about the whole situation.
I still need to go back out there and see if I can locate this cabin, but considering that they hunted her, I can’t go alone.
This whole shitshow is bad enough she’ll likely have nightmares for a long time without me compounding them by reiterating some of the things she shared with me to the guys.
It doesn’t take me long to fill them in and the consensus is I’ll go back out to where we found her and nose around some more to see if I can find any evidence of the place she was being held.
Gemini is calling Hercules in and leaving him on her door for the time being since we don’t trust that news will get out about the fact she was found alive.
No reason to give whoever the fucker is that’s backing this a reason to try and finish what they started.
Granted, I know based on what I’ve previously found that Jeffries is undoubtedly involved, but outside of that, I don’t know who else could be hunting women like they were prey.
“I’m going to head out to see what I can find,” I say. “May be out of pocket because we have no clue what kind of acreage we’re dealing with, y’know? Is it a contained area, or are they spread out?”
“All questions we’ll find the answers for, brother,” Gemini replies. “Got Orbit running some searches on missing women in this area for the past decade. But I think you need to take someone just in case they’re out there looking for her or even hunting someone else.”
“Could be longer than that if it’s been kept in the family as far as who is orchestrating it all,” I interject. “Also, if this is something they offer to other sick fuckers, they probably have other areas in the state they use for their hunting grounds.”
“What if it’s not just women?” Pisces asks, adding a new layer to this fucked up bullshit.
“Let’s start with women and go from there,” Gemini suggests. “I’ll have Orbit expand his search to encompass all of Montana, but for the time being, we’re going to focus on our neck of the woods once we get some results back from him.”
“It’s as good a place as any to start,” I reply, adding my stamp of approval.
“I’m heading back to our hospital to see Skippy,” Orion announces.
At my surprised look, he shrugs. “She’s Sutton’s best friend, but outside of her, she’s alone.
If nothing else, I’ll be a familiar face for her to wake up to since Sutton still has to work, even if it’s at the house.
Y’all can relieve me later to grab something to eat, then I’ll come back and guard her.
I know she’s in ICU, but I can sit in the waiting room and keep an eye on everyone who comes through there.
Can Orbit get me a schedule of the nurses on duty do you think? ” he asks.
“Don’t see why not. I’ll give him a call when I leave,” Gemini says.
Orion said something that sparked an idea in my head.
“What if they’re looking for victims who have no familial ties?
Look at the facts as we know them so far…
new to town or have no family members looking for them.
Check and check. So far, the victims we’ve recovered, as well as Sutton, are either fresh to the state or have nobody that’ll call in their absences when they go missing outside of work associates. ”
“Good point,” Gemini replies. “I’ll add that to the ever-growing list of shit to have Orbit search for, how does that sound?”
“Works for me.”
I suspect that this group of people is going to test every one of my abilities as a tracker.
Good thing I relish a challenge because I won’t rest or leave any stone unturned in an effort to find these bastards and shut them and their vile operation down.
And if a few of them end up finding their way to Hell along the way? So be it.
While Gemini wanted another brother to come with me, it dawned on us both that we’re spread kind of thin right now, protecting Sutton while she’s with Skippy, as well as Finley, and I’ve got the experience and abilities to protect myself without needing a brother at my back.
It’s a good thing that I took one of the ATVs out because the terrain is terrible.
Some areas are muddy as hell thanks to all the snow melting, while others look like they were covered all winter long.
I was able to follow Finley’s haphazard path and ended up at a ramshackle one-room structure that’s barely standing.
It looks more like a lean-to than a shack.
How she survived for a month in there is beyond me, especially since there are missing boards, broken windows, and no heat.
It’s a miracle she even made it to ‘the hunt’.
There was evidence that she was there; I found scratch marks on the bottom of a wall with her name and remembering the condition of her fingernails, I know she used them to gouge out each letter.
“Fucking pricks,” I growl as I take pictures of the chain that’s embedded through the floorboard and attached to an eye hook.
It’s long enough to make it to the bathroom, but just barely.
“Hopefully she was able to get water in between the times they brought her food. Assholes need to fry as far as I’m concerned.
Hell, stake them out, cover them in honey and let the insects have them. ”
As I continue searching for other signs about anyone else who was at the cabin, I fantasize about all the ways I can make these pieces of shit suffer.
I’m not typically a bloodthirsty person, but the fact that one dead woman has shown up, Skippy was attacked, and now I found Finley tells me this is worse than I suspected and my mind has already gone to the worst serial killer known to mankind.
I think these fuckers are worse because they seem to give the illusion that if the person can get away, they’ll be okay.
And that can’t be further from the truth based on how I found Finley.
If I add in the fact that Sutton was in their crosshairs?
Well, it lets me know they’ve got what they think is a well-oiled machine.
That’s how I know they’ve got more hidey-holes out there, because there’s no way they only have one captive at a time.
Maybe per property, perhaps, but I have no doubt whatsoever that there are other women in peril right now and I’m going to do whatever it takes to ferret them out of hiding.
These fuckwads might’ve thought they had a great playground here in Montana, but what they don’t know is there’s a new group of Kings in town and nobody fucks with us.
We may be new to this MC, but we grew up in one and while we were definitely in the black and white category of life as far as what we did as a club, I have absolutely no problem going gray.
The lines have been blurred now and maybe it’s my southern roots, maybe it’s because I had great role models in my dad and uncles, but women are to be cherished and protected. Not hunted like rabid dogs.
I end up checking about twenty acres in all which sounds great until I realize just how fucking big Montana actually is.
Granted, like I told Gemini, we need to focus on our patch of the state for the time being, because we’re too new to the state itself, plus we’re not a large chapter.
Satisfied at what I’ve accomplished so far, I make my way back to the compound.
It’s time for a shower, some food, and a few ice cold beers.
“Can you send those to Orbit?” Gemini asks as we sit around the table we’re using for our meetings.
Growing up, our dads called it sermon time, other clubs call it church. I have no clue what we’ll end up calling it, I just know that it’s for members only.
“Yeah, give me his info,” I reply, my phone in my hand. Normally, we wouldn’t have them in here with us, but with Orion at the hospital with Skippy, and Hercules guarding Finley, Gemini thought it was a good idea for us to hang onto them.
I send a text with the pictures I took to the number Gemini rattles off, then groan when I get a thumbs-up emoji in response. “He’s younger than us, isn’t he?” I ask, looking at my phone.
Gemini chuckles then asks, “What gives you that idea?”
“The fact he’s using fucking emojis,” I retort. “Once he’s here full-time, can we get one of those projector screen things so information is easy to share?”
“Why not? At some point, we’ll stop bleeding money and start bringing it in, right?
” Gemini retorts. “Before we wrap it up for now, I heard from both Hercules and Orion. Finley’s still in and out of consciousness, which is a good thing given the severity of her injuries.
He lied and told them he was her brother so he’s able to go in and see her once an hour.
As far as Skippy, she’s still in a coma.
They both have a long road ahead of them recovery wise, and even though we don’t really have much, we’ll do whatever it takes to ensure both of them have what they need. Any issues with that?”
I’m already shaking my head, but it’s Pisces who says what we’re all undoubtedly thinking. “Fuck no. If, as Mercury suspects, they target those who have no one, well, they need to think again. Both Skippy and Finley are under our protection now, y’all.”
“Alright, y’all, if nobody has anything else, we’re adjourned,” Gemini says.
Thank fuck. I’m bone weary tonight and need sleep in the worst way so I can get up and check another area tomorrow.
Walking out to the kitchen, I grab a couple of bottles of water and one of the sub sandwiches that Sutton made then head up to my room.
I know I wanted a couple of cold beers, but even though I’m no lightweight, I don’t think I could make it through one tonight.
I set everything on the top of my dresser, hang up my leather cut on the hook that’s behind my door, then strip down before I head into my ensuite bathroom.
Turning the water on, I don’t wait for it to fully heat before I step inside.
I need the burst of cold on my skin in order to stay awake long enough to eat so by the time the bathroom is filling with steam, I’m already out with a towel around my waist. A quick comb through my wavy hair and I’m now stalking toward my sandwich and drinks.
Thankfully, since I’m single, no one’s gonna give a fuck if I get a few crumbs on the sheets.
I know I don’t care one way or another because I’m positive that once I lay my head down on my pillow, I’m going to pass the hell out.