Ink (Blackwings MC: Croftridge #4)

Chapter 1 – Ink

INK

“Iguess I’m going to head home,” I said and got to my feet. “Thanks again for dinner.”

“Hello,” Dice answered. “Slow down, man. I’m going to put you on speaker so Ink can hear, too.”

“Raven called. She’s at a party with Blaze and said they need help. She was whispering and wouldn’t tell me much, but if she called me instead of Falcon, something is really wrong. I have a feeling I’m going to need backup, but not Dad or Dash,” Flint blurted.

Dice looked at me and mouthed, “Get Edge.”

“All right, man. Tell me where we’re going.”

While Dice got the details, I ran across the street to Edge’s house and pounded on the front door. “Blaze and Raven are at a party and called Flint for help,” I said as soon as he opened the door. “He wants backup.”

“Evie!” Edge shouted. “I gotta—”

“Go,” she said. “Be careful.”

Dice was backing out of his driveway when we turned to run across the street. We met him at the road and hopped into his truck.

“Did you get any more info from Flint?” I asked.

“No. He didn’t know anything else.”

“So, we don’t know what we’re walking into?” Edge asked.

“No, but it can’t be anything good if an MC president’s daughter and granddaughter call for help.”

“I’m more concerned that they aren’t leaving on their own,” Dice said. “It makes me think they were drugged or are being held there.”

“Fuck me,” I groaned. “If either of those things is true, there won’t be enough of whoever did it to go around.”

“Is that Flint?” Edge asked and pointed to the truck in front of us.

“Yeah,” Dice confirmed.

“Thank fuck,” I said. I knew he wouldn’t wait for us to go inside if he got there first.

“Call him,” Dice said. “Let’s try to coordinate before we get there.”

“Is that you on my ass?” Flint asked, his voice coming through the speakers of Dice’s truck.

“It is,” Dice said. “Edge is with us, too. How do you want to handle this?”

“I was going to call when we get there. If she doesn’t answer or can’t come outside, we’ll go in and get them.”

“We’re five minutes out. I’ll try calling her now,” I said.

“Go ahead,” Flint said. “I’ll stay on the line while you do.”

I quickly dialed Raven’s number and put my phone on speaker.

“Hello,” Raven whispered.

“Raven, it’s Ink. Are you okay?”

“No.”

“Do we need to come inside and get you?”

“Yesss.”

“Where are you?”

“Clossshhhet. Upshairs,” she slurred.

“Raven?”

“Pleash shurry.”

There was a clattering sound, followed by Raven’s soft breaths. Then we heard a female scream in the distance.

“Blaze!” Flint shouted through the speakers. “That’s Blaze!”

“Are you going to try that again, you little cunt?” the man who was about to die asked.

“Yesh,” Blaze slurred. “Told you I’d bite it off.”

The sound of flesh hitting flesh, followed by Blaze’s pained grunt, filled the truck. “Fine. I’ll let you sit a bit longer. Looks like the other one is ready.”

“No!” Blaze yelled, but she sounded garbled. “Ssleave her alone.”

I almost dropped my phone when my body was forced back against the seat as Dice accelerated to keep up with Flint.

“We’re right behind you, Flint,” Dice said. “We’re going in as soon as we get there.”

“Is she still talking?” he asked, his voice filled with worry.

“I can hear Raven breathing, but I haven’t heard Blaze say anything else.”

“Fuck!” Flint shouted.

“Ssthey’re gonna kill you,” Blaze mumbled in the distance.

“Damn straight we are,” I said, even though I knew neither could hear me. “Hold on, girls. We’re almost there.”

When Dice came to a sliding stop in front of the house, we jumped out with guns drawn and ran to the front door. Flint shoved the door open with so much force that one of the hinges broke.

“Blaze!” Flint roared.

“Upstairs, man,” Dice instructed.

When we got to the top of the stairs, we found several people in various states of inebriation and five closed doors. We each picked a door and kicked it in while yelling for Blaze and Raven.

When the door I kicked flew open, my heart stopped for a split second while I took in the scene.

Blaze was sprawled on the floor with blood smeared across her face, and she appeared to be unconscious.

There was a girl on the bed, partially undressed, with the motherfucker removing the rest of her clothes on top of her.

The little prick turned and looked at me. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

Stepping over Blaze, I shoved my gun back into its holster, grabbed him by his shirt with both fists, and threw him across the room. He crashed into a dresser and crumpled to the floor in a heap.

“Blaze!” Flint gasped and dropped to his knees beside her.

“Where’s Raven?” Dice asked.

“I’ve got her,” Edge said as he stepped around a corner with a fully dressed, yet unconscious, Raven in his arms.

“Who the fuck are you?” some cock weasel asked as he stepped into the room with two of his cronies.

Dice turned to the guy and smiled cruelly. “You know exactly who I am.”

The guy blinked and turned to run. Unfortunately for him, Flint had gotten to his feet and closed the bedroom door without anyone noticing.

“Look, man,” the guy stammered. “You told me not to sell any drugs to Tawny. And I haven’t.”

Dice nodded. “Yeah, I know.”

“So, uh, what seems to be the problem?”

“The problem is,” Flint said darkly as he grabbed the guy from behind and wrapped an arm around his chest, “someone drugged my sister and tried to rape her.” The flick of Flint’s switchblade echoed through the room a second before he held it against the guy’s throat.

“She’s on the floor bleeding, and I’m not going to be happy until I’ve done the same to everyone who hurt her. ”

“I didn’t touch your sister. I swear.”

“Did you drug her?”

“No!”

“Did you sell whatever was used to drug her?”

“No! I had nothing to do with it.”

One of the other guys who had come into the room with him was shaking like a leaf and looked like he was about to piss himself.

“Dice, grab Dumbass Number Two. I want to have a word with Trembly in private. Flint, if that one gives you any trouble, kill him. We can feed his body to the hogs,” I said, even though we didn’t have hogs. We had pigs.

Grabbing the shaking dude, I yanked him into the bathroom. “Talk!” I demanded.

“I didn’t know my brother was having a party.

He said he needed a ride to the store. He’s the one on the floor, Calvin.

Dumbass Number Two is Leon. The other guy, the one you said sold drugs to your sister, is Willy.

They do this shit a lot. I don’t like it, and I don’t want anything to do with it.

If you let me go, you can do whatever you want to them.

I won’t say a word. I swear. I’ve never met you or your friends. ”

“Well, I’m a little disappointed. You made that too easy.”

“My brother’s been trying to get me to be a part of his crew for a while. I don’t want to, and this is one of many reasons,” he said.

“What’s your name?”

“Tripp Reynolds,” he answered immediately.

“Do you know what they gave the girls?”

He shook his head. “No, but I think it’s blue or something. My brother was bitching about one of his friends getting the wrong color cups for the party.”

I wanted to thank the little shit for being so helpful, but I didn’t want to put a damper on my threat. “If you’re lying, you’re dying.”

“Okay,” he nodded, seeming less scared than before I threatened him.

Fuck.

“I’m funny, not nice. I’ll fucking kill you.”

“Understood,” he said.

“Wait in here while we take care of things. Then you can leave.”

“Um, thanks,” he said. “And, uh, I hope the girls are okay.”

“Yeah, me too.”

I closed the door to the bathroom and returned to the bedroom to find Flint still holding his knife to Willy’s throat. Calvin was still passed out on the floor, and Leon had joined him.

Dice shrugged. “He got brave.”

I nodded and looked at Flint. “Lower your knife.”

Flint did as I said without question and took a step back.

I pulled my gun and used the handle to hit Willy in the side of the head, sending him to the floor with his friends.

“According to Tripp,” I said and pointed to the bathroom, “all three are in on it. That one is Tripp’s brother, Calvin.

That one is their friend, Willy, and the brave one is Leon.

Apparently, this is what their crew does at their parties. ”

“Fucking hell,” Dice muttered. “So, what’s the plan?”

“We need to get the girls out of here,” Flint said. “And we’re going to have to call my dad.”

“All right,” Edge said. “Let’s get the girls downstairs, and Flint can take them to the clubhouse. We’ll come back and grab these fuckers.”

Flint scooped Blaze into his arms while Edge picked up Raven. “What about her?” Dice asked and pointed to the girl on the bed.

“We can’t leave her here,” I said. “She’ll have to come with us.”

“We can’t take her like that,” Dice said.

“Fuck,” I grumbled and pulled my shirt off. “Put this on her.”

Dice stood frozen, looking at the shirt in my outstretched hand like it was a pit viper. “Come on, man. She’s somebody’s daughter.”

That seemed to snap him out of his thoughts, and he sprang into action. “Help me,” he said as he threaded her arm through a sleeve.

I carefully put her arm through the other sleeve, and together, we raised her up to slip my shirt over her head. “I’m not touching her pants,” Dice said, pointing to her unbuttoned and unzipped jeans.

“Me either,” I agreed and lifted her into my arms. “Let’s go.”

As I was rounding the bed, the fucker on the floor groaned and started to move. I looked down at him and snorted. “We can’t have that, now can we?” Raising my booted foot, I kicked him in the head, sending him back to sleep.

“I think you broke his jaw,” Dice said with a hint of disgust.

“Did I?” I asked comically.

Surprisingly, no one said a word to us as we carried three unconscious girls down the stairs and out the front door. While I was grateful for the uncomplicated exit, I was also disgusted that not one person said a word to us or questioned what we were doing.