Chapter 12 Crow
The fence didn’t hinder us as we hopped over it, landing together as a group in the dusty dirt not far from the DDMC bikes covered in bird shit.
Hawk moved through the shadows, keeping hidden before he reached the first motorcycle.
The Harley parked in front belonged to Undertaker, the pres of the Dirty Death MC.
That club had been a rival with ours for over a decade thanks to the feud over territory and Undertaker’s infamous temper.
Hawk pulled out a cheap bottle of whiskey, taking a couple of sips before pouring the liquor over the row of bikes. When it was empty, he opened one more, ensuring there was enough liquid to accomplish destruction. He ran back to the shadows, dropping next to my side as he panted.
“Too fucking hot for this shit, Pres.”
“It’s about to get a lot hotter,” I replied, ticking my head toward the Harleys.
Cuckoo clicked his vampire teeth together. “I’ve got the starter, brothers.”
I stood, pulling out my gun as I watched for any movement. “No one leaves this compound. Stay sharp. Raven, Hawk, Carrion, you’re with me. Talon, Claw, Cuckoo, I want this place lit up like a goddamn fourth of July celebration.”
“Fuck yeah,” Claw exclaimed.
“I’m gonna enjoy this,” Cuckoo added, pulling out a lighter and touching it to an alcohol-soaked cloth partially stuffed into an empty bottle.
He threw the Molotov at the row of bikes.
Glass shattered, breaking into sharp shards as sparks scattered over the whiskey-soaked ground.
Fire erupted along the trail, the hungry flames climbing up the rubber and chrome of the motorcycles with eager flickers.
A few shouts could be heard as DDMC members rushed outside, hollering at one another to contain the flames.
I didn’t stick around for what happened next, rushing up the steps that led to a door on the northern end of the building.
Kicking down the door, I rushed inside, followed by Raven and Carrion.
The first guy to pop his head around the corner got a bullet in his brain. No cut, so no one useful.
Somewhere close, I heard a scream.
“Shit!” I cursed, running through the lower portion of the compound until I located the stairs. Bullets exploded from my gun as I hit two more men, surprised to find them without distinguishing marks, cuts, or tattoos. Where was the rest of the DMMC?
At the top of the stairs, I turned left, heading toward the room I believed Brianna was being kept.
We didn’t hesitate to kick down the door, standing back as multiple guns began shooting in our direction.
I dropped low, using my crow’s enhanced hunting senses to pinpoint Brianna’s exact location.
Once I had it fixed in my mind, I opened myself up to my crow, calling others to join in the mobbing.
There was only one window at the back of the room, facing the east. I closed my eyes, exhilarating in the feel of my crow’s freedom and his ruthless hunger for a fresh kill.
Several crows joined me, cawing out their excitement as we raced toward the window.
Slam! The glass cracked, splintering as more crows pressed against the pane and clawed at the surface, shattering the barrier within seconds.
Black birds swarmed inside, attacking the men in the room surrounding Brianna. She screeched, fighting harder as I noticed the two motherfuckers holding her down.
Torn clothing hung from her body as she kicked and lashed out. She’d been beaten, and I couldn’t tell if she was already being assaulted or if this was only a repeat of continued acts of violence.
I never had a chance to intervene.
Raven lost his shit.
He let out a Kraaa that shook the walls, rushing forward with two blades in his hands.
He preferred hand-to-hand combat over guns and viciously attacked the two men.
The first was pulled from Brianna’s side; his throat slashed open swiftly before he was thrown to the side.
The second was kicked to the ground as Raven dropped onto his chest, ripping apart the guy’s chest and abdomen before he backed away and let the crows begin to feast on his flesh.
His screams filled the room as the crows grew bold, almost drunk on the feeding frenzy, pecking away at his eyes and vulnerable organs.
The other man in the room tried to run out, and we caught him, noticing the Dirty Death MC cut he wore. The two men who had held down Brianna also wore the same cuts. Their club would answer for this.
Raven scooped up the frightened girl, snarling at anyone who ventured close, even his brothers.
I never saw him like this with any woman.
He had a reputation for being unattached.
I heard what the sweet butts called him: emotionally distant.
He didn’t sleep with them often, preferring to find sexual release with women he met at Bull’s Saloon.
Raven didn’t have trouble finding pussy. His shiny bald head and salt and pepper beard attracted them like flies to honey. Heard him called a silver fox more than once. Boy, did he hate that shit. Funny as fuck.
Now, though, I saw a side of my V.P. I hadn’t since he was with Sarah, his ex.
This was some trippy shit right here. Crows mated for life, and we didn’t find them easily. Our hearts usually only attached to one female, and if that didn’t work out or she died, we never found another.
Sure, we could fuck all we wanted. That wasn’t a problem. Falling in love? That was rare.
I didn’t question him, just led the way through the rest of the upstairs, clearing the rooms until we were confident there weren’t any surprises. Downstairs, I noticed Cuckoo’s wig was askew, and his makeup was half wiped off, probably from sweat. It was still hot as fuck outside, even for summer.
“All clear?”
“Yeah, Pres,” Talon answered, glancing at Raven and snorting, shaking his head. “Got us a couple of prisoners to interrogate. They’re already on their way back to The Roost. Claw and Hawk just left.”
Cuckoo opened his mouth wide. “Caw!”
I ignored him, turning to Raven. Before I could speak, Carrion pushed off the nearest wall, emerging from the shadows.
“Got a problem, Pres.”
Holy fuck. That was the first time I heard him speak since I arrived.
Carrion wasn’t one to waste words. He didn’t say a damn thing until something was worth mentioning.
He quietly assessed everything around him and took it in, absorbing the information, categorizing, and then stowing it away for future use.
His brain worked in a way that was hard to limit with mere words.
To top it off, he was scary as hell.
Never hung out in the middle of the room or bar with everyone else.
He liked the shadows, called them home, and he often sat with a crow on his shoulder, drinking Jack and Coke.
Most of the members knew he was odd and didn’t fuck with him.
His loyalty was probably the most understood out of every member.
Carrion died on a run, and Falcon brought him back.
That was some crazy shit right there.
Since he revived, he was different. Quiet. Cautious. But when the club was threatened or at risk, he felt it and knew before anyone else. And he had this smile that curled my spine when I saw it. Dark, calculating, downright sinful.
The club girls loved it, but he didn’t do more than flirt or smack them on the ass. His story was the most tragic of us all, and it wasn’t my place to mention it.
All I knew was that Carrion was the guy to have with you when shit went down.
“Talk to me,” I replied, watching his behavior for any clue what he was gonna say.
“Found this.” He shoved a piece of parchment into my hand. The words were smeared like the paper had gotten wet, and the surface crinkled. “It was in the trash. Same room with the girl.”
Nodding, I read over the words. Didn’t make much sense to me.
“The numbers are coordinates.”
“To where?” I asked, more hypothetical than anything else.
“Kidnapper? DDMC hideout? Don’t fucking know.”
Okay. “Thanks.”
His dark gaze bored into mine. “It’s important. Check it out right away.”
I learned long ago not to ignore Carrion’s warnings.
“I’ll take care of it as soon as we’re back to The Roost.”
Carrion gave a brief chin lift and walked outside, joining the shadows before I heard his bike rumbling down the road. He would be in the basement when I returned.
Carrion loved his toys.
“Let’s roll out. Brianna needs to see Falcon.”
“WE’RE GONNA HAVE TO stop meetin’ like this, Bella. I’ll start thinkin’ you got a crush on me instead of my pres,” Falcon joked.
“Hey, I just have a headache.” I winced, squinting at him as he chuckled.
“I can help with that.” His fingers pressed against my temples, applying smooth pressure and tiny circular movements that instantly soothed. The ache receded almost right away, nearly nonexistent after less than a minute.
“How did you know that I wasn’t feeling well?”
“Call it intuition.” I gave him a doubtful look. “I was on my way to follow up.”
“Thanks. I feel a lot better.”
“It’s part of my job—”
Whatever else he meant to say was lost in the chaos that followed. Crow’s voice hollered out my name, and I jumped up, slightly dizzy, running for the stairs.
I wasn’t sure how I made it down without slipping, but when I saw my sister in Raven’s arms, I screamed her name.
Two seconds later, my arms were around her as I sobbed, hugging her close as she clung to me, still cradled in the strength of Raven’s hold.
Her words came out garbled from the tears and emotion, and I didn’t understand a word except that my sister was back.
“I love you. We’re going to get through this, Bree. I promise. I’m right by your side, and I’m not leaving.” Her fingers gripped mine as the tears streaked her face.
“Bell.” It was all she could get out.
Before I knew what was happening, she began to tremble, and then her eyes rolled back. Her body started shaking, and I freaked out. “She needs Keppra! Now!”
“Where are her pills?” Raven asked calmly, setting her down on a nearby couch as he watched her body spasm. He seemed pained by it.
“Shit! At home!”
“She doesn’t need them.”
My head snapped to the right, staring at Falcon. “What?”
“Do you trust me?”
I didn’t know how to answer that. We only met a couple of times. Falcon helped me when I was injured, and he did have a soothing touch. Maybe he could help Bree. “Yes,” I answered. “Please help her.”
“I will.”
Falcon kneeled on the floor, lowering his forehead to hers. Bree moaned, her legs kicking out a couple of times before she relaxed, and the tension left her body. Her muscles stopped seizing, and her fists uncurled, letting a small USB drive fall from her fingers.
Raven picked it up, examining it. “This looks important.”
“Important enough to be kidnapped and die over,” I added, staring down at my sister. “What did you do, Bree?”
She couldn’t hear me. Brianna wouldn’t wake for at least an hour.
Seizures always wore her out. As a kid, it was scary to watch.
It wasn’t much better now, but I knew she would be okay.
I hadn’t thought of her medication since she was taken.
Bree had been seizure-free for over a decade. This wasn’t good news.
Crow’s arm slipped around my waist. “She’s going to be fine. We can put her in the guest room. Falcon will handle her care, and Raven will watch over Brianna until she’s awake.”
I spun around, placing my hands on his chest. “She should go to a hospital.”
“With her kidnapper and the Dirty Death MC after her?”
“You didn’t find him?” I asked with a screech.
“No, darlin’. He wasn’t there—just a bunch of rival bikers. Don’t worry. We’ll find out what they know.”
“And the flash drive?”
“Take it to Eagle Eye. If there’s data on it, he’ll find it.”
“What are you going to do?” I asked, knowing he wasn’t telling me everything.
“Find more answers. I’ll be back soon.”