Chapter 31 Bush
The freight elevator crawls upward like it’s carrying the weight of the world instead of eleven pissed-off bikers. I’m wedged shoulder-to-shoulder with Chrome and Hunter, my knuckles brushing the cold steel wall every time the car shudders. There’s barely room to breathe in here.
No one complains.
Every single one of us is thinking the same thing–rescuing Zara and delivering pain to the Bushrangers.
The chains rattle overhead as the elevator grinds past another floor. The sound echoes through the shaft, loud and ugly.
Fred’s panicked and quavering voice keeps replaying in my head.
“I don’t have the money. I swear I don’t have it.”
The bastard sounded like he was about to piss himself when he realized what Vandal wanted.
Fifty million dollars. The money Fred had stolen from the Bushrangers, plus interest. Chrome assured Zara’s father that he would put up the money to get Zara back.
Luckily, Smoke discovered their location by watching the video feed.
The same brick wall that I leaned against while watching Zara’s shining moment.
The same view from the window, but one floor down.
Our guys didn’t see the Bushrangers leaving the building with Zara, because the motherfuckers never left the building.
They simply used the rear freight elevator to take her down one floor.
Now we’re riding up in that elevator.
I rub my jaw, heat simmering in my chest.
If they’ve touched her…
The elevator groans again.
“What’s the plan when we reach the floor?” I ask.
“We’ve got it covered,” Chill says, jerking her chin toward Viper and Izzy.
Viper flashes a wicked smile while Izzy rolls to her toes.
The elevator lurches again as we approach the third floor.
Right on cue, the two of them explode into giggles. They’re loud and over-the-top. I’d swear they were both drunk, but I know better.
“It’s party time, girls!” Viper squeals, her voice bouncing off the steel walls.
Izzy joins in, practically bouncing on her toes.
“I am so ready to party!”
Piston snorts quietly behind them while Arson shakes his head.
But the act is perfect.
Chill’s plan is perfect. No way the Bushrangers will suspect an elevator full of Demon Dawgs when they hear the squeals coming from these two. I can see Vandal and the others chomping at the bit to add a few more women to their sick party.
The elevator slows, and the chains above us clank. My hand settles on the grip of my pistol while every muscle in my body tightens with expectation. I’m ready to burst through the door and take out every Bushranger.
The car jerks once, then stops.
Metal scrapes against metal as the outer gate begins to slide.
“We’re here!” Viper laughs again, loud and reckless.
The door slowly opens to reveal all six of the Bushrangers waiting for us. Their eyes land on the women first. Surprise turns to shock as they realize the women aren’t partiers and they aren’t alone.
The elevator door finishes sliding open, and everything explodes.
Chrome moves first.
One second we’re crammed inside the freight elevator, the next we’re pouring out like a pack of wolves. Boots slam against concrete as we surge into the room.
The Bushrangers stumble back in shock. They weren’t expecting this.
Good.
A roar rips out of my chest as I charge the closest one. My fist connects with his jaw before he can even raise his hands. Bone meets bone with a satisfying crack, and he drops like a sack of bricks.
The room erupts into chaos. The Demon Dawgs and the Bushrangers collide.
Grunts, curses, and the thud of fists hitting flesh fill the air.
Someone crashed into the table they planned to strap Zara to.
It skids across the floor with a screech.
The fear and anger at the thought of her tied to that table has me roaring out as I search for my prey.
Hunter barrels into two Bushrangers at once, tackling them into the wall. Viper grabs one by the collar and drives her knee into the guy’s gut. Smoke and Arson work together like they’ve done it a thousand times—one distracts while the other lands the knockout punch.
Across the room, Chrome squares off with Vandal.
Their clash is immediate and brutal. Vandal swings first, but Chrome blocks it and answers with a punch that snaps the man’s head sideways.
My attention snaps to movement in front of me. The object of my brutal anger. Menace.
The bastard grins.
“Well, look who came to play.”
Rage burns through my veins.
“You should’ve stayed the hell away from her.”
He lunges.
I duck his first swing and slam my fist into his ribs. I feel something give beneath my knuckles. He grunts but doesn’t go down, coming back with a hook that glances off my shoulder.
We circle each other, boots sliding on the concrete floor. When Menace rushes me again, I’m ready. Grabbing his vest, I yank him forward and drive my forehead into his nose. The room is loud, but I hear the satisfying crunch of cartilage.
Blood explodes down his face as he staggers. I don’t stop. I hammer him with three quick jabs, sending him crashing to the floor.
He’s down and out, so I can scan the room. That’s when I see her. Zara. She’s tied to a chair near the windows, ropes binding her wrists and ankles. Her hair is messy, her eyes wide—but she’s alive.
Relief punches the air from my lungs.
I move toward her, but Izzy is already on there. She saws at Zara’s bindings, releasing her.
“I got her!” she shouts at me.
I nod once and turn back just as Menace tries to crawl away.
That won’t happen on my watch. Grabbing the back of his vest, I haul him up and slam him face-first into the concrete. He goes limp.
Around me, the fight is winding down. Hunter and Piston wrestle the last Bushranger to the floor while Smoke yanks a handful of zip ties from his pocket. One by one, my brothers bind wrists and ankles with the plastic restraints.
Vandal is the last to fall as Chrome plants a final punch that drops him cold.
Silence slowly settles over the room except for our heavy breathing.
Izzy finishes cutting Zara free. The second the ropes fall away, I’m moving in her direction. I cross the room in three strides and drop to my knees in front of her.
“Zara.”
Her eyes lock onto mine.
“Bush…”
That’s all it takes. I pull her into my arms and hold her tight against my chest. She’s shaking, her fingers clutching my vest like she’s afraid I’ll disappear.
“You’re okay,” I murmur into her hair. “I’ve got you.”
My heart finally starts beating again because she’s safe in my arms.
“Why don’t you take Zara back to the clubhouse while we deal with these assholes?” Chrome suggests, slapping me on the shoulder.
“Good idea,” I say, steering Zara to the elevator. She clings to me as we ride down. When the doors open, we find Tony and Bianca waiting for us.
“You saved her,” Tony cries, moving forward to pull Zara into his arms. “I was so scared.”
“She’s safe. I’m going to take her back to the clubhouse. The others will be down in a few minutes. Then we’re all going to celebrate your successes at the clubhouse. Deal?”
Tony and Bianca both force smiles for Zara’s benefit. I doubt anyone is in the mood to party right now, but that will change once we’re all back at the clubhouse. We need to celebrate Tony and Zara’s achievements and forget the stress of the past hour.
When we reach my motorcycle, I hand Zara her helmet. After she slips it on, I remember her father. I send a quick text letting him know that she’s safe. He can talk to her later.
I led Zara upstairs at once so she could shower and spend some time getting her head together.
“I should call my Dad,” Zara says when she returns to the room. She has one towel wrapped around her body while she uses another to dry her hair. “But before I do, I need to understand what happened. The Bushrangers were after me this whole time because my father stole money from them?”
I nod sadly. “I’m sorry, baby. You should talk to your Dad. I told him we rescued you, but I think he’d like a chance to explain, and I’m sure he wants to make sure you’re safe and unharmed. I have some club business to attend to, but I’ll be back to get you for the party.”
Zara slides her arms around my neck and rises on her tiptoes to kiss me. “Thank you for rescuing me. I plan on rewarding you later.”
I grin at her. “I can’t wait.”
In The Shed, I find Viper and Chill waiting for me with Chrome. They’ve split Vandal and his men into separate cells, so there are two per cell. Vandal and Menace are in the first cell.
“Where’s Piston?” I ask. He’s my enforcer and usually with me when I work in The Shed.
“He had a job tonight. He’s working security for a party,” Chrome says, before shifting his attention to the men in the cells. “What do you want to do with them?”
“Kill them. We don’t have much of a choice. If we let them go, they’ll go after Zara again, and I won’t let that happen.”
Chrome rolls his eyes. “I wasn’t suggesting we let them go. I just didn’t know if you wanted to torture them before killing them or just eliminate them. Chill and Viper have offered to help provide some pain if you want their help.”
I grin at the two women, who look excited to dole out their special form of punishment.
I’ve heard about the techniques the two women use on rapists, and as much as I want to release some of my anger through the use of my whip, I realize that all I want to do is get this over with and party with my woman.
“Let’s just end them. They’ve wasted enough of our time.”