Chapter 43
Sarge
A life for a life.
The relatively short ride to the clubhouse felt like a lifetime, knowing there’s a man in the basement who might know where my woman is.
Booker didn’t say much, but what he did let slip was enough to pique my suspicion.
Between his cryptic words and the unmistakable fear on his face when he saw me, my gut says I need to press him until he gives me everything he knows.
If he has even a small piece of the puzzle that leads me to Hannah, I’m going to tear it out of him.
The guys all left the bar with me; there’s no partying or letting loose tonight. Crashing through the front doors of the clubhouse, I spot the two prospects still watching Scarlett. She looks like she’s regained her composure, sitting on the couch with her eyes fixed on the TV.
She startles at my return, her eyes snapping to mine. She looks almost hopeful, which only solidifies the delusional mentality I’ve come to expect from her. She actually thinks there’s a world where this ends well for her.
Since we have more important shit to tend to than the woman on my couch, I decide to tie up that loose end later.
“Church, now,” I announce to the room. They all move without question. We need to get everyone caught up on this shit before I head downstairs to break Booker.
We drop our cell phones in the bin outside the private room where we hold Church. All the guys head in, minus the prospects. Getting a seat at this table is earned, and the less the new guys know, the better. All of them except one.
“Giz!” I call out. “Get your ass in here.”
If anyone has earned a seat at this table, it’s him.
Once everyone has filed in and found their spot, I look around the room, making sure to check with my men first. This isn’t just my club; it’s theirs.
“Anyone have an objection to Gizmo sitting in on this one? I think he’s done his fair share to show his character, and I could really use his insight.”
The guys nod in unison. A few of them cut their eyes toward the corner of the room where Gizmo is standing semi-awkwardly by the door, holding his laptop and shifting his weight. They look him over one last time before turning back to me and nodding their approval. Unanimous. Giz stays.
I don’t waste time and start by laying out exactly what we squeezed out of Daryl at the bar. I let them in on the goldmine we’re bound to find in Daryl’s phone and how Giz is confident he can get any and all information from the device.
“What do we know about Booker?” I ask, looking at Raydar. “Has he said anything else, or is he still mumbling incoherently?”
“Aside from him shitting and pissing his pants, he’s only been mumbling ‘nothing happened, she knows that,’” Raydar says.
“He’s currently restrained and hooked up to an IV.
Docs working to get him sober enough to focus and reach deep into that empty head of his and retrieve the information we need. ”
Fuck. More waiting. I thought I had left this hurry-up-and-wait bullshit behind when I was medically retired from the Army.
“Giz, what else have you found on the tech side?” I ask. “Any records of the Scorpions holding land, industrial property, or recent large purchases of any kind?”
“There’s nothing in the Scorpions’ name, nor in any names of the members we’ve managed to identify,” Gizmo says, his eyes never leaving the screen. “I’ve started running the list of associates, but as you can imagine, there are too many to plow through quickly.”
When this is all done, I swear I’ll patch his geek ass right on the spot. He could’ve had a high-paying career working for the feds, but thankfully for me, he can’t stand them.
Focusing back on the moment, my mind shifts to the rat on the couch.
“As far as Scarlett... we can’t let her go. Not yet. She’ll run straight to her uncle, or worse, the cops. We keep her here until this is over.” I run a hand over my beard, meeting the eyes of every man at the table. Not only do I have their full attention, but I have their support.
“If I’m being honest, her fate depends on Hannah’s. If my woman comes back safe, we can ship Scarlett somewhere else—not this town, she’s done here—but she’ll live. Only as long as Hannah does.”
Silent nods of understanding fill the room. The weight of what I’m implying isn’t lost on them, and no one objects. A life for a life—if it comes to that.
“Ace, talk to the Doc when we’re out of here and tell him to name his price.
This is urgent, and we’re going to need him.
Make sure he knows this isn’t only patching wounds; we’re going in blind and don’t know what we’ll find.
Tell him to keep his schedule clear for the next few days.
I want him ready to give Hannah everything he’s got the second we bring her home. ”
I’ll pray to any God that will listen that we bring her home.
The thought of never seeing her smile or holding her in my arms again is more than I can bear.
I’d rather have her question my intentions or my loyalty every damn day than have to live without her.
Those walls she’s carefully built, brick by brick—they aren’t enough to keep me away.
I need the chance to deconstruct them. I need to show her that I mean what I say, and I know exactly what I want.
I’m done worrying about how crazy it is to want her this much, this soon.
All I want now is to show her that my life is fuller with her in it.
She makes me give a shit beyond just going through the motions.
She showed me how much of my life I was wasting by simply existing instead of actually living.
Being around her wakes up something inside me I’m not sure I ever knew was asleep.
Even with a guarded heart, Hannah lives for herself, and she doesn’t apologize for it. It’s so fucking beautiful to watch. I’m a lucky motherfucker just to be a part of her world.
She’s a gift I don’t deserve, but thankfully, I’m greedy when it comes to her, and I’m going to keep her for myself if she’ll have me. There hasn’t been anything in this world I’ve cared for this much, and I need the chance to tell her that.
She has to be okay. She just has to.
Ace is already out of the room, handling the call to the Doc. I can tell the rest of the men are itching to be useful, too. They’re not alone in that. Sitting here behind this table, I feel pretty fucking useless myself.
“There isn’t much we can do until Sleeping Beauty downstairs is sobered up enough to be useful.
In the meantime, make your calls and stay close.
No one leaves the clubhouse without my say-so.
We need all hands on deck and ready to move on a moment’s notice.
If we get a location, we move fast. Every minute, every second counts when it comes to Hannah. ”
I make sure to look each man in the eye. They need to know how serious this is. “Got it?”
A chorus of “got its” and “hell yeahs" echoes through the small room.
“Alright.” I bang the gavel on the table with a loud thump, signaling the end of Church.
Standing from the table, I know exactly what’s required of me after I step through that door. I don’t take pride in having to interrogate someone I once considered a friend. But I will thoroughly enjoy doing whatever is necessary to get my woman back.