Chapter 34
Chapter thirty-four
Karson and I communicate through the bluetooth headset inside of our helmets, allowing both of us to speak. Our bluetooth also allows us to connect to Slater behind us, which is ideal for times like this.
“Fuck yeah, Mav! You did it brother” Karson says over the line.
“I wasn’t sure Michael was going to bite, but he did. This is going to be great for us.” Slater adds.
“Slater, did you manage to find enough people through your contacts to bring in?” I ask, still in business mode. My brain hasn’t stopped trying to work out the details and specifics of how we’ll work out the daily ins and outs. All I know is, we’ll get it done.
“I was able to pull in another hundred and fifty guys. If not through my VA contacts, through people, who know people. They’re on their way to Oregon now, and I just sent contracts over for another eighty.
We’re covered, boss. Now relax. Enjoy this win, man.
” Slater tells me and a weight lifts off of my shoulders.
I smirk, and twist the throttle, speeding ahead of them.
Karson’s maniacal laughter reaches my ears and I smirk.
“Hell yea, let’s go!” He shouts and he quickly catches up to me.
My phone rings, and I look down at it on the handlebar mount to see that it’s Parker. She never calls me during her shifts, and I immediately worry something’s gone wrong. Cutting the guys off on the bluetooth, I answer.
“Hey, Sweetheart. Is everything okay?” All I can hear in the background is screaming, and glass breaking. “Parker, what’s wrong?” I ask, my heart rate picking up and the line goes dead.
“Fuck!” I shout and speed up again, leaving Karson and Slater behind me.
“Mav, what the fuck? What’s going on?” Karson shouts.
“I don’t know. Parker just called, but the line went dead. It sounds like there’s a fight at Doc’s.” I grit out, weaving in and out of the few cars left on the highway.
“God damnit!” Karson seethes, I don’t have to look behind me to know he’s catching up.
“Boss, vehicle coming up at a high rate of speed in the left hand lane. I got eyes on ‘em.” Slater says.
My phone rings again and I quickly reach out to answer the call, but my gloved hand accidentally hits decline in my haste.
“Son of a bitch!” I shout. My heart pounds in my ears, and I quickly hit redial. The other end rings, then goes to voicemail.
“Hey, you’ve reached Parker. Leave me a message and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.”
“Guys, look out!” Slater shouts and I turn my head to the side just in time to watch the front fender of a Challenger Hellcat aim at the back tire of my bike. Just in time, I swerve to the far right and pin the throttle, flying down the breakdown lane.
“Jesus that was close. He’s keeping up with you.
I’ve got a plate; asking PD to run it now.
” Slater says calmly, and I glance over my shoulder to see the vehicle getting closer to me again–Slater’s Audi close behind.
Just as he’s about to swerve into me, I let off the throttle and the vehicle rockets past me.
“Fuck this fucking fucker.” Karson says, and I watch as he passes me, catching up to the vehicle.
His voice cuts out and Dethrone by Bad Omens plays full blast inside my helmet, fueling the rage I feel.
Speeding up again, I get back in line with Karson and pull my Smith & Wesson SD40 out of my left hip holster.
Aiming for the back glass, I take three shots. At the same time, Karson fires off a round at the Hellcat’s tires. Glass shatters and the vehicle swerves sharply to the right, goes through the right lane and slams to a halt into the guardrail. Smoke billows out from the hood as I fly past.
“Slater, get someone to this spot now. Find out who the fuck that was and get back to me. I have to get to the bar.” I order and max out the throttle.
“Already on it, I’ve got two of our guys behind me. They’re at the car now.”
“Good, you’re with me and Karson. Let’s go.”
“Sorry guys. I tried to cut him off but he got around me. I’m right behind you.” Slater apologizes.
“Shit happens. I don’t care about that right now. Something’s wrong.” I say calmly, even though I feel anything but. We’re still thirty minutes away from the bar and I open the throttle.
Pulling into Doc’s, my heart leaps into my throat when I see about thirty people standing outside.
Most of them have black eyes, split lips and one guy has a severe laceration to the left side of his face.
Hopping off of my bike–Karson in tow–we burst through the front door.
Another fifty or so people linger inside, and Cole pushes past me with some man's shirt twisted in his fists. I step to the side as they reach the door, and Cole yanks the man closer to him so they’re nose to nose.
“I said get the fuck out!” He screams in the man's face, and shoves him out onto the sidewalk. The guy falls on his back and groans, and Cole whips around.
“Everybody! Get. The. Fuck. Out. Now!” He booms over the crowd in front of us, then turns to Karson and I with a grin.
He wipes his bottom lip, which I now see is split and bleeding, with his thumb and sucks the blood off.
People start shuffling toward the door, and I glance behind the bar–the empty bar.
“Where are the girls?” Karson asks, a hint of panic laced in his voice, and my feet move toward the counter.
“They were behind the bar when the fight broke out. I saw them duck down, they should still be there. I got my ass handed to me tonight, man.” Cole tells him as I round the end of the bar.
Stepping behind it, I look down and see strands of red hair draped over the tops of her knees.
She sits up, and Ashlynn’s tear filled blue eyes meet mine.
She lets out a sigh and slowly exits her hiding spot.
Scanning the area around her, my heart stops.
“Where’s Parker?” I ask, and she points toward the back door.
“She tried to make a call in here, but it was too loud. So she snuck out the back door. Said she was going to try to call and get some help.” Her voice shakes.
“Ash, are you okay?” I hear Karson call from the door and he pushes through people, then stops at the end of the bar.
“I-I’m fine, Karson.” She says softly but doesn't make eye contact with him.
Spinning around, I rush down the hallway and out the door that leads to the back parking lot. It’s empty. My heart slams against my rib cage and I walk up and down the building calling for her, but receive no answer.
“Fuuuuck!” My hands fist in my hair at the nape of my neck. As I walk back to the door, something on the ground catches my attention and I stop.
No. No.
Bending down, I pick up Parker’s cell phone and flip it over in my hands. The screen is broken, and it lights up with a notification of my missed calls. An ominous feeling slams into me as I stare at the phone. The back door creaks open as I stare at the device in my hand.
“Oh fuck no.” Karson mumbles and I turn my head to look at him.
“It’s her phone.” I croak, and I just know in my gut something has happened to her.
“Mav, I got something you’re gonna want to see.” Cole calls from inside the bar. My eyes slide to the door, then back to Karson. He stares at me wide eyed then steps aside, allowing me past him.
Back inside, I see Cole standing with his back facing me at the tables that line the front window of the bar. Ashlynn sits in a stool at the end with her head in her hands. She hears me approaching and looks up, then jumps down off the stool.
“Was she out there?” She asks frantically, and I walk past her.
“No.” I hear Karson say behind me. He continues talking to her, but I drown it out as I get closer to Cole.
“What is it?” I ask as I approach. He turns to look at me, fury written all over his face.
“Look what I found.” A sinister smile pulls at his lips and he steps aside. Behind him, sitting in a chair with his hands tied behind his back, is none other than Alex.
When Parker and I stayed at the beach house, this was who Cole was looking for, but wasn’t able to track down.
After the last time he was here, and I broke his hand, Cole drove him down to the California border, and dropped his sorry ass off in the middle of the desert.
We thought for sure he’d succumb to the elements, or run and not come back.
Looks like we were wrong.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” I ask, barely maintaining my composure. Beady, shit colored eyes look up at me, and he lets out a dark laugh. His laughter quickly stops, and he smiles smugly at me.
“I told her she’d regret it.” He says and rage overtakes me. My fist slams into the side of his face, and blood sprays out of his mouth. He lets his head hang, blood and drool dripping from his chin onto the floor. He laughs again and looks back at me.
“What’s so special about that fucking tease anyway?
She’s just another whore.” He deadpans. Red fills my vision as I lunge forward, and wrap one hand around his throat, forcing him backward in the chair.
He slams into the ground and air escapes his lungs.
Coming to a stand, I straddle his legs and twist his shirt in my fists.
“Where the fuck is she?!” I scream in his face.
Letting go with one hand, I raise my fist and rein heavy blows to his face, ribs and stomach.
His blood splashes in my face and all over my shirt, but I don’t give a fuck.
I should have killed this prick when he touched her that night in this very bar.
Should have gutted him like the animal he is and let the Oregon wild life handle his remains.
“Mav!” I hear Slater shout from somewhere in the room. Tilting my head to look at him, he stands at the front door with the phone up to his ear.
“Jeremy and the other guy I put on the Hellcat, they got something. There were two men and they were paid off to try and take you out. They wouldn’t give a name, but I have a feeling it’s that piece of shit.
” He juts his chin toward Alex and I nod.
Turning back to look at the slimy, red headed fuck at my feet, I notice he’s laughing between gasping for air.
“Thought you could just take me out, huh? Guess what?” I whisper harshly.
“You failed. Where the fuck is Parker?” I ask and yank his chair back upright.
The four legs teeter before the chair settles, and he throws his head back.
He coughs, then lets out a sinister chuckle.
He brings his head back down to look at me with a straight face.
His eyes are the size of saucers, and overcome with inky black replacing the brown.
“You’re never going to find her.” He tells me through a smile that makes my stomach churn, then spits more blood onto the floor.
Without hesitation, I reach for my gun, cock it back, and put a bullet right between his eyes.
Ashlynn screams from somewhere in the room as blood and brain matter splatter on the window behind him, and his head snaps backward with the force.
My chest heaves as I holster my weapon and storm toward the front door.
“Maverick!” Karson yells after me, but I don’t stop.
Shoving through the door, I walk until I’ve reached my bike.
Tugging on my helmet, I mount the R1 and fire up the engine before pulling my phone out of my pocket.
Tapping the screen a few times, I tap on a contact and it rings on the other line.
Revving the engine, I peel out of the parking lot and fly back in the direction of my house.