Chapter 38
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Drew
There were three things that were certain to make me react. One: seeing Ayda hurt. Two: my brothers being in danger. And three…
People disrespecting my club.
My hand pushed against the steel door, my shoulder soon replacing it when it offered more resistance than I’d expected. The smell that came from the other side had my face scrunching up and my eyes narrowing. Whatever the place was or had been, it fucking stank.
I couldn’t let myself think about Ayda out there all alone. I wanted the heat taking off us and all this crap laid to rest for good, and the more time I wasted leaving it to the likes of Sutton to deal with, the more those pack of wannabes trod all over everything my men and I stood for.
Pete was at the forefront of my mind again, and as I pushed through and took my first step into the darkness, I asked him to watch over her while I couldn’t.
Yeah, I was fucking praying.
I finally had something to pray for.
My feet skimmed across the surface, kicking against the loose stones, pieces of rubble and whatever else was laid out there I couldn’t quite see.
The only thing that could be heard were my movements, so once I was in, I stood completely still and let my eyes adjust to the diluted light.
I tried to find something to focus on. My neck rolled back as I looked up at the few narrow, wired window panels that lined the top of the bare brick walls.
They weren’t letting much light in, but in that environment, I was grateful for what I could get.
It didn’t take long for the rookie to make his first mistake.
The sound of an iron bar rattling against the floor from not too far away had me moving forward carefully.
Whoever had entered the place was as blind as I was, and the thought of finding him and dealing with him the way I should have all those nights ago had me rolling my shoulders in my cut.
The old me would have been taunting him into playing a game of cat and mouse like a true man, coaxing him out of the corners he was cowering in, but no matter how self-assured I felt that I could handle whatever I was about to come face to face with, I didn’t provoke.
Mainly because I promised Ayda I would be in and out in a heartbeat.
I was all about keeping my promises those days.
I sucked in a small breath as my foot nudged something on the floor before sliding it out the way so I could try and create a clear path without falling on my ass.
“Shit,” came a quiet voice—a voice that was so close, it felt like I could reach out and touch it, and when the shadow to my right turned into a body, my predatory smile broke free.
“Well, well, we—”
I didn’t get time to finish.
The blood-curdling scream from behind me grabbed my attention from the moment my name clawed its way out of Ayda’s throat, and before I could even think to reach out for the fucker in front of me, I was moving on auto, turning on my heels to run in the opposite direction.
Her name was barely a whisper from my lips when something grabbed the back of my cut, the force of it yanking me back in its grip before I could lash out and attempt to free myself.
My whole body turned to shit the moment I heard her piercing scream for a second time.
The only thing I could feel with any clarity at all was the blood within my veins turning cold.
I barely had time to blink or breathe when I was struck on the head with a force so strong it felt like it held the power of an army behind it.
The world slipped away from beneath my feet, and as the concrete came hurtling closer at a terrifying speed, the pain erupted all over, leaving me paralyzed, until everything around me began to fade away.
Then all I was left with was darkness.