Chapter 64
Reaper
With a grunt, I tighten the last nut on the tire of a Honda CRV I’ve been working on for the last hour.
The owner had just bought the SUV for his daughter’s sixteenth birthday and immediately splurged to get snow tires put on.
Not a lot of people put snow tires on their vehicles, but personally, I think more should.
They provide better traction and handling on icy and snowy roads when winter rolls around this neck of the woods.
“Boss!” I hear Mark yell from the office and I scramble to my feet at the urgency in his tone.
He gestures for me to come to the office as he talks into his phone.
My chest tightens as I look around for my own phone and frown when I don’t see it.
Did I leave it in the office? Shaking that off, I cross the shop and Mark damn near slams the door shut behind me.
He switches the phone, my phone I realize, over to speaker and my chest tightens even further at hearing Chris’ frantic voice come over the line.
“Reaper’s here now, Chris.”
“Someone took Aunt Lark,” he chokes out and my stomach sinks. “We went to get groceries and a few more things for Sway and me after school. I don’t know where Nathan and Drake went.”
“Where are you?” I ask him.
“Sway started following them. We stayed a few car lengths behind them, but then we lost them at a light change. They were headed for the interstate when we lost them. Uncle Reaper… I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay, Chris. It’s not your fault,” I try to reassure him, but from the strangled sound that comes over the line, I don’t think he’s going to believe me anytime soon.
It’s only been a couple of days, but the bond between Chris and Lark, hell even Sway for that matter, is unmistakable. “What did the car look like?”
“Black SUV, tinted windows. We only got part of the license plate. MA803. There were two people in the front. Besides the guy that grabbed Aunt Lark, we couldn’t see if there was anyone else in the back.”
I force myself to breathe regularly and to not clip my words. Chris might not realize my anger is at the assholes that took Lark and might think I’m angry with him.
“Lark’s wearing multiple trackers, so hopefully we’ll find her soon. Head back home. I’ll call Emma and let her know what happened.”
“Okay.”
“Keep alert on the drive back. Let me know when you guys get home.”
“Will do,” he pauses, exhaling loudly. “Let us know when you find her. And… Uncle Reaper?”
“Yeah?” I ask, worried he’ll say something he shouldn’t in front of Sway.
“Make it hurt when you catch them.”
The icy hardness in his voice surprises me, but it really shouldn’t with how much he’s been around the club growing up.
“And get in some punches for me! No one messes with our Aunt Lark and gets away with it!” Sway seethes in the background and I find myself grinning despite the heaviness of the situation.
“Drive safe you guys and text when you are back home.”
I hang up with them after they agree again and instantly dial Python, putting him on speaker since Mark hasn’t left my side. Not that I blame him or anything since he’s Lark’s uncle.
“Lark’s been kidnapped. Can you track her location?”
He curses and a moment later I hear him typing.
“They’re headed out of town. Last time the trackers pinged off a tower they were passing Oak Ridge” He doesn’t say anything for a moment, and right when I’m about to say something, he speaks.
“I texted Devil—the guys are getting their gear. We’ll head out when you get back. ”
“No time,” I reply as I grab my things from under my desk and then grab my truck keys. “We’ll meet up on the road. I’ll call Emma and let her know on the way. Send me her last known coordinates and keep me updated as we go. We’ll meet up on the road.”
“You got it, Pres,” he says and I hear him call out for Devil as he hangs up.
Opening my safe, I stash two handguns and some extra magazines into my backpack.
When I close and resecure the safe, I’m not surprised to see Mark with his back to me as he pointedly ignores what I just did.
If something happens and the cops come here, he can safely say he didn’t see me grab my guns.
“I’ll head to the house and take care of my sister,” Mark says as he turns around when he hears me recrossing the room. Then he levels me with a hard look. “Do you think it’s her stalker?”
“One of them, that’s my guess,” I reply and his brow furrows in confusion. He must not have known that bit. “We think she has two. We might be lucky in that they’re working together, but my gut says that isn’t the case.”
He gives me a curt nod. “Keep us posted. Don’t worry about the garage. I’ll call in a couple of guys and then head over to the house and let Em and Ma know as well as keep an eye on the kids for you.”
I clasp his shoulder. Relief flows through me that Mark will be there to protect all of them.
Not that Emma and Lottie are slouches in the shooting department.
When this whole stalker business started, I was worried about them being alone in that big house, so I asked if they knew how to shoot.
Let’s just say Lark’s sharpshooter abilities could have come from anyone in her family.
And not for the first time was I proud my woman has such abilities.
I stride out to my truck and get in, quickly buckling up. My phone dings with a text from Python stating that they’re on the road. Starting my truck, I peel out of the lot and race toward the interstate. I dial Python and he picks up immediately.
“They’re still heading north,” he tells me and I curse under my breath.
Why did this have to happen today when a massive snowstorm is about to hit us full force? Unless that was their plan. To use the storm as a cover and hope that it slows us down. My gut sinks and I pray Lark doesn’t get stuck out in the storm.
“Who stayed behind?”
We never leave the clubhouse fully unmanned, but right now, I’m wishing our club was bigger like Thor’s is. More manpower would be appreciated in situations like this.
“Odin and Razor. Nathan and Drake checked in. Both were hit from behind while on lookout and didn’t see who hit them.
Erik was at the clubhouse and offered to pick up Nathan and Drake since Doc thought they might have concussions.
When Erik gets back to the clubhouse, he’s gonna look into the security cameras to see if he can figure out who took Lark and hit them.
Mama Astrid is already set up for when they get back to check them out.
When Dom heard what happened, he came back as well.
The rest of us are on the road and I can see your truck a few vehicles in front of us.
Loki’s driving and we’re point for our crew. ”
I glance in the rear-view mirror and relief fills me at seeing the familiar caravan spread out to make it less obvious that we’re all together.
“Tell Loki to take point since you’re with him. Keep us all updated on her coordinates as they change but stay on the line.”
“You got it, Pres.”
I eye the storm clouds in the distance and pray we find Lark before it hits. Because if it stops us before we can find her… I shake my head at that. At the thought of losing Lark to these assholes, my chest tightens so tightly it’s hard to breathe.
No.
I will find you, Lark.
I’m not losing you.
Two hours later, the storm whips around us as I pull in behind Loki’s truck at a hotel that’s most definitely seen better days.
According to Lark’s trackers, they should be here.
We’d gotten delayed because of the storm and had to slow our speed, which only allowed the gap to grow between Lark and us until Python discovered her signals had stopped.
After a little digging, he found that they’d checked into a hotel as the storm worsened.
Glancing around, I spot three black SUVs, all with tinted windows, in the parking lot and my gaze zeroes in on the one that matches Chris’ description.
MA8034.
I get out of my truck and stuff my hands into the pockets of my leather jacket, suppressing a shiver.
Devil and Python get out of their truck, following me inside while the rest of the guys wait.
It wouldn’t do to raise alarm and start making demands, so for now, we have to play our roles as guests.
The night clerk, who looks like he’s barely eighteen, eyes us warily as we walk in and he shifts a little behind the counter.
“Good evening, how can I help you?”
“Two rooms please, and is there any way they can be adjoining rooms?” I ask, trying to keep my voice as neutral as possible.
The clerk, whose badge says his name is Brian, taps away on his computer and I notice a slight tremble in his fingers. Is it because of us or did the assholes who took Lark give him problems earlier? Or is it something else entirely?
He nods and then as he grabs the keys, the cuff of his shirt rides up a bit and my gaze lasers in on the bruising around his wrist. I hesitate, not wanting to spook the poor boy.
I share a glance with Python and he gives me a chin lift, letting me know he saw the same thing.
As soon as we get in the room, he’ll be combing through the security feed.
If those assholes laid hands on this kid as well, they’re in for a world of hurt on top of what is already coming their way.
The kid slides two envelopes toward us. “Your rooms are on the third floor, 302 and 304, and yes they are adjoining. The closest entrance to your rooms, if you don’t want to take the elevator, is around back on the east side of the building.”
He goes on, explaining the usual spiel you get when checking into a hotel. Internet information, breakfast, and where the ice machines and elevators are.
Taking the cards, we head out into the storm and pull around back. I grab my backpack, wishing I had more than just my two handguns, and lead the way inside and up to our rooms. As we walk, Devil hands me a familiar bag.
“Grabbed a few things for you and Mama Astrid grabbed some things for our Queen as well.”
The hard glint in his eyes, in all their eyes, tells me they’re all looking forward to hurting whoever took Lark.
But behind that hard glint, is also respect and worry for their Queen, my Old Lady, and soon to be wife.
If they’ve laid a hand on her, they’ll be enjoying an even longer stay down in the cellar than they’ve already earned.
As I step into our room, I take in everything as Devil and Razor secure the rooms. I check my weapons and my mind wanders to Lark, praying she hasn’t been harmed.
Then my traitorous mind goes back to when Half-pint and I were kidnapped by Black Plague, and I slam the door on those memories. I can’t think about that right now.
However, a sliver of those memories refuses to be shut away.
How Half-pint held her own during the whole ordeal.
My thoughts shift to Lark again and it’s then that I really let the thought form that I’ve been having for months.
That Lark is made of the same cloth as Half-pint, and quite frankly, I wouldn’t be surprised if she put her name in to Prospect and become a full member at some point.
I’m brought out of my thoughts as Python grumbles under his breath and I turn to find he’s set up multiple laptops on the desk.
“Her tracking shows she’s close, but you won’t believe this, Pres.”
He points to the laptop in the middle and presses play, showing a man dressed in black entering the motel about an hour ago.
My frown deepens when I see those same bruises already on Brian’s wrist which means he got them a different way.
I shake that off for now and focus on the man dressed in black.
He takes his cards and then leaves out the front door.
Python flips the security feed and follows him as he pulls around toward the back and then gets out, looking around.
He closes the door and then opens the back door.
My blood boils as he hoists Lark up in his arms as the other three men get out of the SUV and they all head inside.
I frown as I watch them climb the stairs up to the third floor and then my eyes widen when I see which room they go into.
Room 306.
My gaze darts to the far wall of the room we’re in, which is room 304.
Lark, my Neith, my Darlin’, is on the other side of that wall.
Everyone quiets down as we try to hear something, anything, from that room, but all we’re met with is silence and a child’s playful shriek coming from down the hall.
Hang on, Lark. I’m coming.