Chapter 22 #2
Cass and Nash were both armed. She could use a weapon, too.
Her right arm was still good. It was just the left one that was currently weak.
Time for her to get off the ground and show them that she was okay.
And she would get up, as soon as the nausea eased and the world stopped spinning.
She hadn’t mentioned the spinning to Nash and Cass yet. No need for them to worry.
Car doors opened. Slammed closed. “Stand down!” A hard order. Her head turned as she strained to see who’d given that order. She peeked through and around the legs of Cass and Nash.
Her eyes locked on the man who’d shouted. Yep, thought that was him.
Her boss from the FBI, Gray Stone, stood near to the driver’s side of the SUV. And her partner Malik was on the passenger side. Both men had their weapons drawn.
Why were so many people pointing guns? They were all on the same side. “Wasting time,” she gasped out. “Bad guy is waiting for me to be delivered to him…so…” Her eyes closed as she took just one moment to rest on the side of the road. Just one wee moment. “Could someone please deliver me?”
“Over my dead body,” Cass swore.
With her eyes closed, she smiled at him again. Or at least, toward him. She didn’t even know if he was looking her way. “You love me so much.” A mumble that came out like Youlovemesomuch.
“Yeah, I damn well do.”
Had that been an actual confession from him? Or was she delirious with pain and she’d just imagined those words? Her smile faded as she cracked open one eye to peer at him. “Say that again.” Not a demand. A plea.
“I damn well do.”
Those weren’t quite the words she’d wanted to hear. She swallowed. Opened both eyes.
“I. Love. You.” Cass stared straight at her.
Those words were way better than his previous ones, even if they had been gritted out between Cass’s clenched teeth. Before she could respond, he added, “And I am going to destroy the Twins for you.”
Her breath sighed out. “You say the sweetest things.”
“Ahem.”
She’d know that annoyed throat clearing anywhere.
Gray, trying to get their attention. “He’s gonna need to leave, fast,” she murmured to Cass.
“Because your crew will be back and they cannot see us hanging with Feds in the middle of the street.” Good thing it wasn’t a busy street.
More like an old, country road that just had them on it.
“You are a Fed, sunshine,” Cass reminded her.
“Nah. I’m yours. Everyone knows that.” Her eyes closed again. Just for a moment. Long enough for her to regroup. “Just like you’re mine.” Her eyes opened. No more weakness, Agnes. Get this show on the road. “Let’s go end this.”
He made no move to end anything. “I want you in a hospital.”
“You love me, so you won’t sideline me. Not now.” She’d wanted this for too long. And it was just a dislocated shoulder. She’d had way worse in her life. “End it…together?”
“Fuck.” His shoulders sagged.
Fantastic. “I’ll take that as a yes…”
“She should be in a hospital.” Rage had his hands shaking, so Cass fisted them. “A hospital. Bear’s betraying ass is in the back of an ambulance, and you put my woman in the back of—”
“A van?” Agnes called out. And she waved to him. From the back of the van. The same van that she’d flown out of not an hour before. “Time is tick, ticking, Cass. Let’s get this show on the road.”
She’d been bandaged up by EMTs. Checked out.
By some kind of miracle, her worst injury was the dislocated shoulder.
A shoulder that her brother Nash had put back into place for her.
Now the shoulder was in a sling, she had bandages on her left forearm and wrapped around her left leg, but she was all right.
She is all right. Something he’d repeated to himself at least a hundred times so far.
Agnes had two brothers. Two brothers that he’d met so far. Ryan and Nash. Jeez, are there more? Cass was a bit afraid there might be. More brothers who were pissed that their precious sister had hooked up with an MC leader.
About to be a former MC leader. Because the game was ending. Secrets were coming out. The tightrope he’d walked would be snapping.
Ryan had been the one in the parking lot at the tattoo shop. Nash had been in the background, and he’d hauled ass after the van when it left. As Cass and Ryan had raced to catch up with the van, Nash had been feeding them directions about the van’s location.
Nash was currently glaring at Agnes because he didn’t like this new plan, either. As for Ryan…he’d brought the van back. He and Javion had come riding back with the van, accompanied by the other Night Strikers, and with a scared-as-hell Raz tied up in the back of the big, black vehicle.
Gray had vanished before they all arrived, thankfully. As had the Fed who’d been with him. Not like Cass had wanted to BS his way through an explanation about why Feds were on the scene to his crew.
Now, though, it was time to act. Time to get the van moving because, yes, Bayne was expecting a delivery.
You’re sure as shit about to get one. Only it would not be the delivery that Bayne expected. You’re getting me, you sonofabitch.
“I didn’t put her anywhere,” Ryan rumbled at him. “She put herself in the van. And she’s right. Time is ticking. Let’s go get this bastard. Now.”
The members of his MC had drifted to the edges of the periphery. They were looking for other threats, ready to follow Cass’s orders.
They didn’t trust Ryan and Nash. He didn’t blame the MC for that. He didn’t exactly trust them completely, either. But I do trust Agnes.
Javion jogged toward him, with a phone gripped in his hand. “Our ghost still has eyes on Bayne, boss.”
Ah, yes. The rider who’d been tailing Bayne since the bastard had killed Hugo. Cass had thought Bayne would keep driving to Arizona, to the big MC powerhouse meeting that waited. Clearly, though, Bayne had other plans.
He never intends for me to make that meeting. He’s trying to take me out.
Cass didn’t give a shit about the big meeting. His target was Bayne. And Winston Striker—if that sonofabitch escaped the grave…And it sure seemed that he might have.
“Our rider says that Bayne is holed up in a warehouse one town over.” Javion rattled off the address. “That matches with the destination Raz gave us.”
The destination they’d forced from the guy.
It was an address that meant nothing to Cass.
He was sure it was some hole-in-the-wall place, but probably one that Bayne had secured.
Cameras, alarms, far too many of Bayne’s thugs.
Not like Cass could just go roaring right up to the place on his motorcycle.
The doors wouldn’t be opened to extend him a warm welcome.
Well, the doors wouldn’t be opened if he drove up on his Harley.
But if he arrived in another vehicle…like a black van that is expected, then those doors would open.
He could ride straight up to his prey. Thus, the current plan.
Though he would have preferred for Agnes to be safely in a hospital bed while he handled the violence that was to come. And, oh, yes, there would be violence.
You thought to take her from me? To hurt her?
“Cass?” Agnes’s worried voice. “Why do you look like you’re getting ready to murder someone?”
Because he was. He slowly unclenched his fists.
“Javion, I want you to secure Raz. He doesn’t get away, understand?
You hold him, and you make sure he contacts no one.
” A pause. “He does get to keep breathing, though. For the moment. So don’t kill him…
yet.” Sooner or later, he’d probably have to turn Raz over to Gray.
Later would be better.
“What are you gonna do?” Javion wanted to know.
“I’m going to drive a van.” He and Agnes would be going to this final battle together.
“Uh, I’ll drive,” Nash offered. His eyes were kinda eerie when they locked on you. Not because of the color, but because the guy’s gaze was so stone-cold. Neither Nash nor Ryan had shown a hint of fear since Cass had met them, not even when the other bikers had come back and circled around them.
Under other circumstances, he might have liked them.
He doubted they would ever have liked him. They probably wanted to kick his ass because he’d fucked their sister. And I intend to fuck her again, at the earliest opportunity.
Provided he could give her what she’d always wanted—vengeance.
“I’ll drive,” Nash said again. “You can stay in the back with Agnes. That way, you can keep watch over her. Plus, not like you want to be recognized on sight when the van pulls up. If you’re in the back, it will allow us to get closer to the target.”
Yeah, it would.
“Besides,” Nash was not done, “you need someone you can trust with you.”
“What the hell am I?” Javion instantly demanded. “The enemy?”
Cass lifted his hand and put his fingers against Javion’s chest when the man started to lunge for Nash. “Easy.”
“That prick just insulted me! Easy, my ass!”
“I need you to secure Raz.”
Javion glared at him. “It’s because I lost her, isn’t it? You hold me personally responsible.” His head turned toward the back of the van. “Agnes, I told you this would happen!”
“Javion, my friend…”
Cass did not know why she’d just emphasized the word friend, but she had. He also did not know when she and Javion had become friends, but, whatever.
“My friend,” she repeated, “Cass is trusting you with an important job. He’s not shoving your spine down your throat. This is a win.”
Javion didn’t appear convinced.
But Cass needed the man to stay with Raz. “I’m counting on you,” he told Javion.
Javion nodded. Reluctantly. But then his chin jutted up.
“And I’m counting on you to keep your ass alive.
” He leaned toward Cass. “Don’t care what kind of cons you’ve been running.
You are my friend. Come back alive.” Then he turned on his heel and stalked toward the other men who waited on their motorcycles.
Javion had never wanted to be the leader of the MC. But, as before, Cass had the thought of…But I know he’d be damn good at the job.
Ryan stood near the open, rear doors of the van. His arms were crossed over his chest as he peered inside at Agnes. “You got that knife I gave you tucked into the sling?”
“Yes.”
“And the mace?”
“Yes.”
“And you have a gun?”
“Got it.” She inclined her head toward him. “And later, you’re gonna give me answers about how you wound up here.”
“Oh, I can tell you that right now. Got here the usual way. Stalked you. Pissed off Gray. Followed the dead bodies you left.” His head cocked. “Want me in this van with you?”
Cass jumped into the back of the van. “I have her.”
“Do you.” Not a question.
“I do.” A definite answer. Cass glowered at her brother. “I vouched for you with the crew. You and Nash. Told them that our paths had crossed before. That you’d proved I could count on you.”
“You can count on us,” Ryan affirmed.
“Good. But I really only need you to do one thing. Well, two things, actually.” He was making up plans as he went along.
Ryan waited.
“Tail the van, but stay out of sight.” The first order.
“Done.”
He’d figured that would be Ryan’s response. “Second, make sure that whatever happens to me, Agnes walks away.”
Her right hand fluttered across his arm. “Nothing is going to happen to you. You and I are going to win.”
“Your optimism is always a plus,” he said, but Cass kept his eyes on Ryan, waiting for the other man’s response.
“I will make sure Agnes walks away,” Ryan vowed.
Good. Some of the tension slid from Cass’s shoulders. Nash had already gone to the front of the van. Cass heard the engine crank up.
Ryan slammed one rear door. “You got plenty of weapons on you, Striker?”
He was more than locked and loaded. “I made your sister a promise, and I intend to keep it.”
“What promise was that?”
“She gets the vengeance she always wanted.”
Ryan didn’t slam the second door. His gaze did shift to Agnes. “She’s a Fed. She gets justice, not vengeance. Feds lock up the bastards who break the law and hurt others. Feds make them spend the rest of their miserable lives behind bars.”
“Right. Understood.” Cass sucked in his right cheek. “Agnes, your brother is a killjoy, huh?”
“Feds lock them up,” Ryan repeated.
“Sure. Sure. Heard you the first time. Now, if you don’t mind, I have a date with a sonofabitch who thought he was going to murder Agnes and leave her broken body for me to find.” You really think I’ll just let him get locked up?
Ryan hesitated. But Nash had the van cranked up and ready to roll. Time, as both Ryan and Agnes had pointed out, was ticking.
Ryan slammed the door closed.