Chapter Fourteen
Rebel
I tore through the house, chest heaving, heart pounding like a Goddamn sledgehammer. Isy was gone. Panic clawed at my insides, ripping through me as I stumbled out the door. The moment I’d come home, something had felt off. I’d scoured every inch of the house trying to find her. She hadn’t left a note or tried to call. What the hell happened?
“Fuck!” I roared, mounting my bike and tearing off to the clubhouse. Sweat dripped down my face, mixing with the tears I tried to hold back. I couldn’t lose her. Not now. Not like this. As much as I wanted to believe she’d just gone for a walk or to visit with one of the other women, in my gut I knew she wasn’t at the compound anymore and hadn’t left voluntarily.
The clubhouse loomed before me. Parking my bike, I shut off the engine and ran up the steps. I burst through the doors, scanning the room with wild eyes. “Has anyone fucking seen Isy?”
My voice cracked, desperation filling me. Everyone stopped to stare at me, and I didn’t care if they thought I’d lost my mind. Nothing mattered right now except finding her.
“Rebel, calm the fuck down.” Bull’s gruff voice cut through my panic. The mountain of a man approached me. I didn’t want his help. I’d promised to keep his daughter safe and now…
“Stay out of this.” I turned away from him, but his hand gripped my arm, fingers biting into my flesh like a vise.
“Isy’s not just your woman. She’s my daughter. I’m not going to sit on my ass and do nothing if she’s vanished, you hear me?” I hated the truth in his words, but time was running out. Swallowing my pride, I nodded reluctantly.
“All right, Bull. I just… I need to find her.”
“Good. Now tell me what the fuck happened.” His stern gaze bore into me, demanding answers.
“Isy was taken, and I don’t know who or why. We need to find her, fast.” Bull studied me for a moment. I shifted on my feet, feeling antsy. “She’s not at home. There’s no note and she didn’t call me. She wouldn’t walk off without saying something.”
“Let’s call and talk to Wire. He might be able to pick up something off the local cameras.”
“Fine.” I clenched my fists. I couldn’t shake the feeling that Isy’s life was slipping through my fingers like sand. Every second wasted was a step closer to losing her forever. Deep down I knew Price had her. I couldn’t think of anywhere else she’d be.
“Rebel, we’re gonna find her,” Bull said, his voice firm and unwavering. “Now pull yourself together, and let’s get to work. We have to stay calm if we’re going to get through this.”
As much as I hated to admit it, he was right. I took a deep breath, steeling myself for the task ahead. Together, we’d find her -- no matter the cost.
Bull followed me to my house, and we sat at the kitchen table. I needed to tell Atilla, but right now I wanted to actively search for Isy. Once the ball was rolling, I’d fill in Atilla. He’d probably chew my ass out for it, and I’d deal with it if that happened. Bull pulled out his phone, dialed Wire’s number, then put it on speaker. It rang three times before he answered.
“I’m busy so this better be important,” Wire said instead of a normal greeting. I could hear his keys tapping on his keyboard.
“Wire, we need your help,” Bull said. “It’s Isy… we think she’s been taken.”
“Shit,” Wire muttered. The keystrokes on the other side stopped. “You got any leads? Anything I can start with?”
“Nothing. We’re hoping you might be able to dig something up,” I said, trying to keep the desperation from seeping into my words. “She was at home while I was out on a job. I got back and the house was empty. It’s not like to her go somewhere without letting me know.”
“Let me see what I can find,” Wire replied. I heard the clicking of keys again and knew he’d started the search.
“We have to find her, Wire.”
“Rebel, I’m going to do everything I fucking can. Just shut up and let me think,” he said.
“Maybe we should check with our contacts,” I suggested, thinking someone should have seen something out of the ordinary. It would give us more than we have now. She didn’t just disappear, which meant she’d gone through the gate… or through the fence. I’d have to ask someone to check and see if it had been cut anywhere.
“Fine,” Bull agreed, his voice strained. “I’ll check with the other Reapers who are here right now. You ask the Raptors.”
“We’ll find her,” Wire said. “I’ll keep working but give me a heads-up if you find any clues. I’ll do the same.”
Bull ended the call and pocketed his phone. I went straight to Atilla’s house and let him know what was going on. He called every officer, but no one had heard anything. Even the women said they hadn’t seen Isy.
Hours passed, and every lead turned to dust, leaving me feeling more frantic by the second. I ran my fingers through my hair, pulling at the roots as if I could yank out the frustration that consumed me.
“Nothing, fucking nothing,” I muttered, pacing the clubhouse like a caged animal. The thought of Isy, scared and alone, tore through me.
“Rebel --” Bull began, but I cut him off.
“Don’t tell me to fucking calm down!” I snapped, my fury boiling over. “Every second that ticks by, she’s slipping farther away from us!”
“Rebel, I know you’re scared, I am too… but we have to keep it together,” he urged, his voice firm yet compassionate. “Losing our heads won’t help Isy.”
I knew he was right, but the fear gnawed at me like a relentless beast, threatening to consume me whole. I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath and summoning every ounce of strength I had left.
“We can’t give up on her. We won’t. Someone has to know something.”
A Prospect entered the clubhouse, hands shoved into his pockets. He seemed paler than usual and nervous as hell.
“Um, it might be nothing, but… Raven was here earlier. I let her through the gates, but she didn’t stop at the clubhouse. I didn’t think much of it. Thought she’d arranged to meet someone and was going to their house.”
“Is she still here?” I asked.
He shook his head. “She left about an hour after she arrived. I didn’t notice anything off though.”
I gave Bull a description of Raven’s car, and he texted the information to Wire. I had no idea why Isy would go off with Raven, and the Prospect hadn’t mentioned seeing my woman with her, but… I had a feeling she was involved somehow. As much as I wanted to believe otherwise, I didn’t have anything else to go on right now.
Bull’s phone rang and he put it on speaker when he answered.
“Got something,” Wire said on the other end of the line.
“What?” I asked.
“Video footage. Apparently one of your brothers has a camera system installed at his house. It caught a woman and man putting Isy in the trunk of the car you described, so I’m assuming the woman is Raven.”
“That bitch!” When I got my hands on Raven, I was going to kill her. Why the hell would she do something like this?
“Cameras around town let me track her vehicle. Looks like Price got out inside a parking garage. Both were in the car when Raven pulled in, but he’s missing once she leaves. My money is on Isy being with Price,” Wire said.
“Any idea where he went?” I asked.
“No. I’ll have to carefully examine every vehicle going out of there to see if I can spot him. A few have blacked-out windows in the back seat. It’s possible he has a driver, but it’s going to take a bit to narrow it down.”
“What about Raven?” Bull asked. “Any idea where she went?”
“Yeah. I’m sending you an address now. From what I can tell, she’s still there, unless she left on foot after parking. I’d have to watch the footage from that point onward to know for sure,” Wire said.
“I’d rather you focus on Price,” I said. “Bull and I can check the address you send. If Raven is there, we’ll make her talk.”
Bull ended the call and held my gaze, his eyes hard and unyielding. Together, we stormed out of the compound and roared down the streets on our bikes. I should have told someone where we were going or what the latest update was, but I’d only had thoughts of Isy on my mind. Once we reached the address, I shot off a text to Atilla and Spade, letting them know my location.
I didn’t even have to knock on the damn door. Raven opened it, a smile on her face as if nothing in the world was wrong. “Rebel. I’m surprised to see you here.”
“Cut the shit,” I said, shoving past her into the house. Bull followed and shut the door behind him.
“Where the fuck is Isy?” I demanded, not bothering to hide the fury I felt over her part in all this.
“Rebel… I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she stammered, trying to play innocent. “Is that the woman you claimed?”
“Tell us where she is, or I swear to God, I’ll tear you apart!” I yelled.
“Rebel, let me handle this,” Bull interjected, his tone dark and menacing. He stepped forward and yanked Raven’s hair back, forcing her to look him in the eye. “You’re gonna tell us where Isy is, or we’ll make you wish you’d never been born. You fucked with the wrong woman. She may be Rebel’s, but first and foremost, she’s my daughter.”
Fear filled Raven’s eyes, and I saw the oh shit that flashed through her mind the moment she realized we weren’t backing down.
“Please, I don’t know!” she cried, tears streaming down her face.
It looked like she was going to try and play this off until the very end. I heard a vehicle pull up outside and my phone vibrated. I glanced at it, seeing a text from Atilla. Sending backup. Bring her here.
Fine. I knew the club had trusted Raven, but being at the compound wasn’t going to save this bitch. I would do whatever it took to make her talk, and I knew Bull would too.
“Wrong fucking answer,” I said, and without another word, I slammed my fist against her stomach, knocking the air from her lungs. Her body crumpled, but I held her up, refusing to let her escape the pain. “You’re going to get into whatever vehicle the club sent over, and you’re going to the compound.”
She sniffled and nodded. “Fine. I’ll go with you, but I really don’t know what I did wrong.”
I wanted to kill her right then and there. I shoved her in Bull’s direction, and he led her outside, then handed her off to Stinger. My brother had a look of disappointment on his face as he shoved Raven into the SUV parked out front. Bull and I followed them back.
Atilla waited for us in the clubhouse. “Take her to the soundproof room. She’ll find out what happens when you turn traitor on the Savage Raptors.”
I started to trail after Stinger and Raven, but Atilla held up a hand to stop me.
“I won’t sit this one out,” I said.
“Not asking you to. I want you and Bull to question her, but someone else needs to be in the room. Not Stinger. He likes Raven too much. Truth will be there so wait a minute for him to arrive,” Atilla said.
“Fine. But she’s going to talk one way or another,” I warned. “Even if I have to bathe that room in her blood.”
“She handed Isy over to Price,” Bull said. “And Wire can’t find them.”
Atilla sighed. “Shit. We’ll do whatever we can to bring her back.”
Truth walked in and the three of us headed to the soundproof room. No matter how much Raven screamed no one would hear her.
Stinger had secured Raven to a chair and she stared at us with a tear-stained face. “I swear I haven’t done anything.”
“Raven, we have you on video helping Price shove Isy into the trunk of your car. You can deny it all you want, but there’s hard evidence,” I said.
She shook her head. “No. It’s wrong. Someone made that up!”
I hauled back my hand and slapped her across the face, not holding back. When she still wouldn’t talk, I started where I knew it would hurt her the most… I hacked off her hair. She screamed and thrashed, cussing me and still denying she knew anything.
Bull crouched in front of her. “The longer my daughter is with the man, the less likely I’ll get to her before he breaks her. You’re going to tell me how to find her. If you don’t, I’ll start carving your flesh like a fucking Christmas goose. Got it?”
I wasn’t sure which was scarier. His words, or the fact he said them in a soft conversational tone, as if he were talking about the most mundane thing in the world. Raven’s eyes went wide, and she shook her head. “No, please…”
“Tell us!” I roared. “I won’t ask again! If the next words aren’t Isy’s location, I’m letting Bull do whatever the hell he wants to you.”
“Okay, okay!” She sobbed, finally breaking under the weight of our wrath. “Price has her locked up in some broken down motel about an hour from here, or that’s where he said he was going. He wanted me to join them, and I said no.”
“Why the fuck did you betray us like this?” I asked.
Raven’s face crumpled. In that moment, she looked utterly defeated. “You --” she choked out, unable to finish her sentence. “You’ll never want me, will you?”
Was that seriously what this had been about? She’d endangered the woman I love simply because she was jealous? What the fuck was wrong with her?
“Damn right, I won’t. Now tell us everything you know about Price and what he plans to do with Isy. If you know it, we need the exact location of the motel.”
She sobbed, her body shaking uncontrollably as she spilled the twisted details. “He’s been obsessed with her for a while now. Wants to break her, make her completely submissive to him. He said once he’s done with her, he’ll sell her off to the highest bidder. He knows some sick fucks who get off on owning broken women.”
The air around us seemed to thicken, weighed down by the horrifying truth. Rage and terror twisted like venomous snakes in my gut, threatening to consume me whole. We had to find Isy before it was too late.
Bull clenched his fists, knuckles whitening. I wasn’t sure he wasn’t about to take a swing at Raven. I placed my hand on his shoulder and eased him back a few steps. Truth went closer to Raven, kneeling in front of her. Whatever he said must have terrified her. She pissed herself and started pleading for her life.
She’d picked the wrong brother if she wanted mercy… Truth didn’t have any when it came to women. Except his wife. He adored her, and only tolerated the other old ladies.
“We need to tell Wire,” Bull said, seeming to age right before my eyes. “I know we don’t exactly see eye to eye, but finding Isy, bringing her home safe… that’s all that matters now. I can see how much you love her. That’s all I can ask for. We’ll get her back, and you promise to treat her right.”
“She’s my everything, Bull. It fucking kills me to think of what he might be doing to her.”
“I’ll text Wire now. Hopefully he’ll have something for us soon,” he said.
We decided to wait outside the clubhouse, our bikes within reach. The moment Wire sent us a location, we’d be able to leave and get Isy back. Spade and Viking waited with us, ready to lend a hand.
Bull’s phone rang and he put it on speaker, showing me Wire’s name on the screen.
“What did you find?” Bull asked when the call connected.
“Took a minute but I narrowed down which car belonged to Price. Once I knew we were looking for a defunct motel, it made it easier to track him. I’ll send you the details in a minute. There’s not a camera close enough for me to see them right now, but she was alive when he hauled her out of his car.”
“Anyone else there?” I asked.
“Driver. He’s leaning against the vehicle smoking, so as far as I know, only Price and Isy are inside. If there are other men in there, I don’t have a way to find out. Place is too old for cameras.”
“Thank you, Wire! I owe you one,” I said.
“No, man. Isy is family. She may be a Raptor now, but she’ll always be a Reaper by birth. I’d do this for any one of our kids. Just get her back.”
The call ended and Bull received the text. He showed me the address and I shared the details with the rest of my club. Viking got on his bike, ready to follow us.
Isy, I’m coming for you. And God help anyone who stands in my way.