Chapter Eleven. #2
“Sunny’s hacking into the hospital feed. As soon as he’s in, we’ll have the footage,” Chance said.
I sent Chance a dark look as I paced back and forth. Jinx arrived and sat on the arm of an armchair, his gaze latched firmly on me.
“What?”
“When we find her, I’ll be your wingman,” Jinx replied quietly. I nodded sharply, unable to trust my voice right now. April’s scared face appeared in my mind, and I hated to think of what she was going through.
Minutes ticked past before Chance’s phone beeped. “We have the footage.” He opened the message, and we stared at the screen.
“Shit,” Chance muttered as we watched the kidnapping.
Chance let it play and then rewound it. The men knew where the cameras were and kept their identities hidden under baseball caps.
But the caps didn’t match the expensive suits they wore.
Chance’s phone beeped again, and Sunny sent something else through.
“What the fuck?” Chance exclaimed as he stared at the two images before him. Sunny had caught their faces in a car’s mirror and in a window reflection.
“What?” I demanded.
“Why the hell is Clive Salisbury kidnapping your nurse?”
“Who?”
“Clive Salisbury. The kingpin of the dark side of South Dakota. Washington handed Salisbury his empire, and Salisbury has stayed out of Hellfire’s way since.”
Why the hell was the man who ruled the underworld abducting April? My frustration grew as Chance turned to Bear, who had arrived within the last few minutes. Bear was on the phone, and I waited for an explanation. Tension was ramping up as I barely held on to my temper.
“James. My prospect’s woman has been kidnapped. April Graham. Chance and I recognised the guys who took her. Both work for Salisbury, Sebastian and Felix, his two top-ranked captains. Why the fuck are they kidnapping an innocent nurse from the hospital?”
“I’ll contact him and get her returned,” James Washington replied.
“Hurry before Hellfire declares war,” Bear declared. Washington didn’t reply but cut the call.
“Get feelers out. Why is Salisbury in Spearfish and not Rapid City, his usual haunt? Find out why he’s taken April. Is it because she witnessed something, or because she’s a nurse?” Chance said.
“Salisbury’s got to be holed up here,” I snapped.
“Ain’t arguing, Harlequin. We’ll find her,” Chance promised.
Yeah, we would, but what condition would April be in?
April
“Come. The boss needs you. Remember to keep your mouth shut, do as you’re told, and nothing bad will happen. Just do as ordered,” the guy said.
“Okay,” I whispered. I was led a short distance to what I assumed was another room, then inside.
The hood was removed, and I blinked into the dim light.
A man sat on a chair, staring directly at me.
He was well-built and clearly worked out.
He wore a classy suit and tie and was handsome, some would say gorgeous, but his eyes were cold as they stared at me.
“Miss Graham, a pleasure to meet you. As you can see, I’m at a disadvantage, and I was wondering if you’d be so kind as to help,” he said.
I didn’t say a word, not to ask his name or scream that I didn’t have much choice in being here. Instead, I studied the pale, sweat-soaked skin and the pain on his face. His hands shook on his knees, where they rested, and his leg trembled as well. A gurney was close by with several packages.
“What do you need, Mr…Ah?” I finally asked.
“Boss will suffice. I was in a rather unfortunate incident. Sadly, I’ve been shot, and no, I can’t go to the hospital.
GSWs must be reported to the police, but these can’t be, given the circumstances in which I received them.
Miss Graham, I’d be most grateful if you could remove the bullets for me. ”
I just managed to constrain a snort as if I had much choice if I wished to leave alive.
“Where are they?”
“I have one to my shoulder, the bullet is still inside, one close to my ribs and one in my thigh. Rather annoyingly, none of them passed through, so they needed removing.”
“I’m not a surgeon,” I blurted. If I killed this man, his goons would no doubt murder me.
A ringing noise burst through the room, and I jumped and backed against the wall. Boss sent me a chiding look as he glanced at one of his men.
“Seb?”
“Washington again, Boss. This is the eighth time in the last ten minutes,” Seb answered.
I recognised his voice from the man who’d spoken to me several times.
“Interesting.” Boss stared at me. “Ever since Nurse Graham arrived here, James Washington has been blowing my cell up. Who is Washington to you?”
“Me? I don’t know anyone called Washington,” I gasped as three sets of gazes turned on me. Two were vaguely threatening, and one curious—the Boss. Fear trickled down my spine.
The cell went silent once more, and seconds ticked past before it began ringing anew. Boss put his hand out and beckoned to Seb for his phone. Seb passed it over, and Boss answered, putting it on the loudspeaker.
“Salisbury, you have somebody who belongs to Hellfire MC. Give her back unharmed,” a cultured, rich voice said with no preamble.
“Washington, you’re in no position to make demands. Not in my world,” Salisbury retorted.
“Your world was mine. Don’t mistake the fact that I gifted it to you as a weakness because I got clean. I want April Graham delivered safely to a public place. That is non-negotiable.”
“Washington, you’re forgetting who has power now!” Salisbury snarled.
“And you forget who gave you it. Do you want me to step out of retirement and reclaim what was mine? That can be arranged. You took Miss Graham because you heard she had links to Hellfire MC. Therefore, you assumed she’d done jobs for them.
Miss Graham hasn’t. The woman is completely clean and innocent. ”
“Which means you just gave an innocent my name. What’s stopping Miss Graham from giving it to the police?” Salisbury said, keeping his gaze on me.
Dizziness threatened. Salisbury was right, I could identify him.
“Don’t play games with me. You’ve now created a very dangerous and awkward situation for yourself,” Washington retorted calmly.
“How so, James?” Salisbury drawled, not seeming bothered at all.
“If I need to spell shit out, Clive, then I handed my empire to the wrong man. Let me explain in terms you’ll understand. Miss Graham belongs to a Hellfire MC brother. Women and families are off-limits. If she’s harmed, Hellfire will call for blood. Your blood.
“Considering what happened in Rapid City, are you prepared for a war with the allies that Hellfire can call upon? Shit, they have a direct line to the President and the Vice President, with whom they fought side-by-side. April shall be returned unharmed to a public location. I hope I make myself clear, because Salisbury, retirement is becoming a little boring,” the man called Washington threatened.
Now that was a definite threat. Salisbury didn’t react well to it.
“I’ve been injured. As soon as your little nurse has stitched me up, she’ll be on her way. Washington, my men better not be injured, or there’ll be war,” Salisbury threatened.
“Don’t make threats you can’t follow through on. The combined allied MCs and their outside allies are a fight you should avoid. You’ve an hour to get April to my estate, then the gloves come off. April, can you hear me?”
“Yes?” I stammered.
“You won’t be harmed. Just quickly do what’s needed, and then they’ll set you free. Harlequin is waiting for you,” Washington stated.
“Okay.”
“April, I understand this is scary, but be as strong as I believe you can be. Salisbury will protect you as if you were his own. He won’t want the repercussions of not doing so,” Washington said. Somehow, I sensed that was a threat as well as reassurance, and Salisbury rolled his eyes.
“Two hours, Washington, non-negotiable,” Salisbury stated and cut the call.
“You’re a very interesting lady. Such a shame Hellfire have a claim. If they hadn’t, I might have been tempted,” Salisbury said.
“Time’s ticking, I’d better remove those bullets,” I murmured.
“Indeed.” Salisbury rose and undressed. I looked away from the muscled body as Seb held the gurney steady while Salisbury climbed onto it. “Please proceed. My men secured everything you should need.”
Hands shaking, I began opening packages and sterilising equipment. I just wanted to go home.