DAX
“Weston,” I gasped as Cognac crumbled to the ground.
I couldn’t believe my eyes, even though it’d only been four days that I’d been gone so much had happened. Wes turned to me and scooped me up in his arm clutching me tightly to his chest burying his face into my neck. Stunned— never having seen him act like this before I didn’t fight his hold.
“I can’t believe I let them take you Shortcake,” Wes murmured into my neck.
Unsure of what else to do I hugged him back just as tightly. “They didn’t hurt me. I'm okay Westy.”
Setting me back down he pulled zip ties out of his back pocket and secured Cognac’s hands behind him and his feet together.
Then he picked me up and set me on the bed of the ATV kneeling down and pulling off my boot.
His fingers brushed against my skin just above where the ankle monitor was as if he was afraid to set it off.
“They’ve never used it,” I told him, giving him a small smile when he looked up at me. “Did you find a way to get it off of me?”
“Yes and no,” Wes sighed. “I can mask it long enough for us to get it off but we need a magnetic key to get it off. Each key is custom to each ankle monitor so the person who is wearing it can’t just get a hold of any random key and use it.
With the app I can make you disappear long enough for us to figure something out.
The trick was getting you and one of the leaders with the app out of here before anyone noticed. But it seems you did that for me.”
A light bulb went off in my head. “You disabled the motion sensor?”
Wes nodded as he stood and went through Cognac’s pockets until he found his cell phone.
Then he tested each of his fingers until the right one unlocked the phone.
Swiftly he went through the apps until he found the one he needed as he pulled out a cord from the tactical vest he was wearing.
Weston was never the one to be on the front lines, that was always my job, but we’d both trained to be ready for any situation being connected to Two Tricks.
Grabbing the laptop I watched as his finger flew over the keyboard bypassing the security and gaining access to their whole compound security.
“I’m going to cause a major diversion in the compound that should keep them busy long enough for us to get to a safe house. I don’t want to risk taking you back home or the shop because that will be the first place they’ll look,” Wes said not looking up from his work.
I nodded. “We can’t go to any of Tricks’ warehouses either in case masking my signal doesn’t work. Guess you weren’t so crazy for making us have safe houses all over the state.”
A loud siren blared behind us making me jump.
“Don’t worry it’s just me,” Wes reassured as he plugged in the phone hacking into that next. “Just a few more seconds and we should be good. Got it! Okay you jump in the driver seat and I’ll get him strapped in back here so we don’t lose him with your crazy ass driving.”
“You’re always so mean to me Wes,” I pouted even though I could only hold it for a second before a smile bloomed on my lips.
Hopping down I slipped my foot back in my boot tying it back up before vaulting into the driver's seat. I of course had to move the seat all the way up and lower the steering wheel but none of that mattered as I turned the key and the engine rumbled to life. The back bed had five foot sides so I wasn’t too worried about him falling out once Wes got him strapped in.
“Oh make sure to keep the cooler, it's full of food and drinks,” I called over my shoulder.
Moment’s later Wes was by the fence with a set of bolt cutters making a big enough opening for me to drive though. It took longer than I wanted it to knowing that we had limited time to get the fuck out of here before the noticed we were gone.
“Cognac. Cognac, come in. Everything back here is going crazy, Eagle thinks we’re under attack by Two Tricks we need you and Dax back here now.”
I looked down at the radio for a moment unsure of what to do. The voice was so frenzied I couldn’t tell if I knew who it was. Reaching down and grabbing the radio from the floor rolled my shoulders and readied myself for the performance of my life.
“Help. They are shooting at us. Please we need backup, Cognac ran out of bullets. We’re on the east side along the fence line please there’s too many of them!” I shouted into the walkie-talkie revving the engine so it sounded like we were running for our lives.
There was a pause then Eagle’s voice came across the radio. “Dax who is after you? What can you tell us?”
“It’s the Mad Dogs,” I answered, knowing that the two MC gangs didn’t like each other.
The Phantom Saints had pushed them out of the LA area when they grew in power and Mastiff, their president, didn't take it well.
There had been rumblings recently that they were gonna make a move to reclaim their territory.
“There has to be twenty of them or so after us. Cognac took out a few but they are gaining on us, please help.”
I pushed the desperation in my voice knowing that in reality I never would have let anyone think I was that weak. But I really needed them to believe what I was saying and keep them busy while we got away.
“Hang in there Little Hellcat we’re coming,” Eagle said, a darkness in his voice that I could pick up even over the radio.
Tossing the walkie-talkie out of the ATV I flipped it into drive slamming my foot on the gas shooting through the opening Wes made us.
Pausing long enough for him to jump in I fishtailed as the tires kicked up dirt into a cloud.
Laughing I grinned as we flew across the open land to freedom cranking up the music once again.
“Fuck Dax,” Wes yelled as he held onto the roll cage for dear life as I sent us airborne over the crest of a hill crashing back to the ground with a whoop. “Do you have to make everything into a life or death situation.”
“How else do we know if we’ve lived life to the fullest?
When my time comes I want to have no doubt that I took advantage of all life had to offer.
Besides when else am I gonna run away from a biker gang and return the favor by kidnapping one of their guys in return?
” I asked cutting across a four lane road horn blaring at me.
“Not all of us see the fun in living our lives like that,” Wes grumbled, checking behind us at Cognac.
Rolling my eyes I gave him a pointed look. “Right says the guy who just snuck into a MC gang’s compound with no back up to get me out. How exactly was that plan going to go if we didn’t happen to fall into your lap?”
“If you must know I was taking a play out of your book and just gonna wing it when I got to that point,” Wes shrugged.
My lips pulled into a wide grin at his words as we crossed through a river spraying water everywhere soaking us.
“Was that really necessary, there was a bridge,” Wes muttered, wiping off his face.
“Please refer back to my earlier statement,” I chirped with a wink.
Wes just shook his head and pointed to the left. “Take this road until it ends at a cabin that’s our destination.”
Pulling onto the uneven dirt road I slowed not wanting to draw any attention if there were surrounding cabins or campsites.
I shouldn’t have been too worried seeing as we went up into the mountain range with towering pine trees, the air cooling with the shade.
We hit a big rut in the road and a loud grunt came from the back letting us know that Cognac was awake.
I peeked over my shoulder seeing him glaring up at me, teeth barred around the gag that Wes had put on him, and just because of who I am I gave him a wink.
He thrashed around in the back but he didn’t get very far with how securely Weston had tied him to the bed.
A few more miles down a road that would have killed anything besides a truck, a small log cabin appeared.
It was nestled in the pine trees, the picture of secluded bliss with its simplistic appearance.
There was a covered port that I parked the ATV under, turning the engine off causing silence to descend upon us after the roar of the motor.
I hopped out stretching as I took in the small patio that had two wooden chairs on it, setting the tone of the cabin.
Heading up the stairs I examined the door frame for our typical spot to hide the keys.
Spying the small etched double spade mark I pushed on it and the wooden compartment popped open showing a lock box with the keys.
I put in the code and snatched the keys unlocking the door.
“Don’t be a dick and I won’t knock you out again,” Wes growled at Cognac as he hauled him out of the bed of the ATV.
Wes cut the ties around Cognac’s legs and pulled him to his feet, shoving him forward to the cabin.
Trusting Wes to manage Cognac I entered taking in the open concept of the safe house.
My eye was drawn to the stone fireplace with the simple brown couch in front of it.
The kitchen was to the right simple and clean but had an old fashioned wood burning stove.
I remember when Wes talked us into making this into a safe house because it was run all on solar power and natural resources totally off the grid.
The bedroom was up the stairs in a loft area that was also open to the rest of the cabin with a wooden railing.
Weston shoved Cognac into one of the kitchen chairs and tied him to it.
This was not the best place for holding a captive, but it was definitely going to be hard to find if things went according to plan.
Then I would have to decide what to do with Cognac, the simplest choice was to just kill him.
Although there might be a way to use him so they didn’t retaliate if we let him go and both went out separate ways.
Ambling over I pulled the gag out of his mouth and perched on the kitchen table so we were eye to eye.
“Loba,” Cognac said, his eyes searching mine.