Chapter 10
Ringo
T he night air was thick with tension as we pull up to the cabin. The headlights of our bikes cutting through the darkness. All of my club brothers are right behind me.
Our engines rumbling with a loud growl like a warning to anyone who might be lurking in the shadows. My heart was pounding in my chest, not just from the ride, but from the fear gnawing at the back of my mind of where Remmy could be.
I park my bike and quickly dismount, the others following suit.
“Spread out,” Prez orders, his voice sharp with command. “Look for anything out of place.”
No one needed to be told twice. Fanning out into the trees, their flashlights sweep over the ground around them. I make a beeline for the cabin, hoping against hope that Remmy might have just wandered off somewhere nearby and couldn’t find his way back in the dark.
Kimmie is on the porch, having come outside when she heard the roar of all the bikes. Her face is pale and her eyes wide with fear. “Ringo.” she whispers, rushing to me. “Did you find him? Is he okay?”
I pull her close, holding her steady as I feel her whole body trembling. “We’re going to find him. I promise.”
Just as I said it, one of the guys calls out from the edge of the property. “Ringo! Over here!”
I turn away from Kimmie, running toward the voice. Kimmie is right behind me, her breath hitching in her throat.
When we reach the spot, I see Torque kneeling over something. Moving closer, I realize it is the Prospect, half-hidden under a bush, unconscious and beaten to hell.
“Damn it.” I mutter, crouching down beside him. “Is he alive?”
“Yeah, he’s breathing.” Torque says, checking the Prospect’s pulse. “But he’s out cold. Looks like someone worked him over pretty good.”
I clench my fists, anger boiling in my veins. Whoever did this was going to pay. But first, we had to find Remmy.
“We need to move fast.” Prez says, standing next to me, looking around at the others. “If it’s her ex or one of his goons, he’s likely still in the area waiting for his chance to get to her.”
Just then, Snake comes running up to us from the cabin. He has his laptop in one hand, the glow of the screen lighting up his face. “I tapped into the club’s cameras around town.” he says, his voice breathless with urgency. “I’ve been tracking an unknown vehicle. It passed by here not too long ago and headed toward the old industrial district.”
“Where is it now?” I asked, my heart racing.
Snake taps a few keys on his laptop, the screen flashing with images from different cameras. “It’s parked at an abandoned building near the edge of town. I just pinpointed the location.”
“The old building next to the towing company?” Prez asks.
“Yes. The one we don’t have cameras inside of.” Snake mentioning the obvious.
Kimmie gasps, clutching my arm. “Do you know if Remmy is there?”
I look at Snake, who nods grimly. “There’s a damn good chance. The vehicle stopped there, and there’s been no movement since. I checked the only camera that’s pointed directly at that building.”
“But you couldn’t see who all got out of the vehicle?” Kimmie’s voice wobbles.
“Sorry. The camera can’t see that far into the parking lot of that building. There’s a gate. All I know is they went in and haven’t come back out.” Snake tells her.
“Let’s go,” I say, my voice hard. I turned to Kimmie, gripping her shoulders. “Stay here with the Prospect. We’ll bring Remmy back.”
She nods, tears brimming in her eyes, but just as I start to pull away, her phone rings. She fumbles to answer it quickly, her hands shaking. “Hello?” she says, her voice trembling.
I watch her face pale as she listens to the voice on the other end. I could hear the faint, chilling sound of a man’s voice; cold, threatening. It has to be her ex although I seriously hate calling him that. The mother fucker is a predator that likes fucking little girls.
It’s time for his ass to get fucked so he can know how it feels. I motion for Kimmie to put the phone on speaker and she does.
“Return to me, Kimmie,” the voice growls through the phone making my nostrils flare, “or I’ll hurt the boy. You know I will. I wonder if he could take everything that you did?”
Kimmie’s eyes fill with absolute terror, and I grab the phone from her hand, holding it to my ear. “If you touch him, you’re a dead man,” I snarl.
There was a pause on the other end, then a low, mocking laugh. “You’re too late. She’s mine, and so is the boy. I’m waiting for you, Kimmie. You have thirty minutes.”
The line goes dead.
I look at Kimmie, her face stricken with fear. “We know where they are.” I tell her gently, trying to keep my voice steady. “We’re going to get him back.”
Without another word, I hand her phone back, then turn to the guys, looking at my Prez who gives me a nod. “Let’s move. We know where to go.”
We mount our bikes, the engines roaring to life as we tear out of the yard and onto the road. Kimmie stands on the porch, watching us disappear into the night. The fear in her eyes will forever be burned into my mind, fueling the inferno in my gut.
We were going to bring Remmy back, and we were going to end this once and for all.
Kimmie
The roar of the bikes fade into the distance, leaving a deafening silence behind them. I stand frozen on the porch, my heart pounds relentlessly in my chest.
Every fiber of her being screams at me to go after them, to make sure my son is safe and to be there for him when they pull him from the clutches of the worst man in the world.
But Ringo had asked me to stay behind, and I know deep down that he is right to ask that I stay here and wait. At least, my head knew it. My heart was another story.
There’s no way that I can just stand here and wait. I needed to be doing something, anything, to bring my boy back to me.
Grabbing my keys from the table inside, I’m about to rush to the car when the sound of a vehicle approaching makes me stop and peep outside in case Hugo pulls a fast one.
A black SUV pulls up the drive, and my heart sinks further in my chest as I think the worst. But as the door opens and Bella, Mina, and Fiona climb out, I feel a wave of both relief and frustration.
“Kimmie!” Bella calls, rushing over to her. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” I reply, though my voice is strained. “But I can’t just stay here. I need to go after them.”
Mina steps forward, placing a calming hand on my arm. “I know you’re worried, but the guys have it under control. They know what they’re doing.”
I shake my head, tears welling up in my eyes. “But Remmy... he’s my son. I can’t just sit here and do nothing.”
Fiona moves closer, her voice soft but firm. “Kimmie, you going after them won’t help. You could end up in more danger, and that’s the last thing everyone needs right now. The best thing you can do is stay here, where you’re safe.”
I bite my lip, fighting the urge to argue with her. I know they are right, just like I know Ringo was right but the helplessness was suffocating. “I just don’t know what to do.” I mutter as my voice breaks.
Bella pulls me into a tight hug, rubbing my back soothingly. “You’ve done everything you can. Now you need to trust them. They’re going to bring that sweet boy of yours back.”
I cling to her for several long moments, trying to draw strength from her words. I want so badly to believe my son will come back to me, but the fear gnawing at my insides won’t let me rest.
“They’re used to this kind of thing.” Mina adds, her voice still calm and steady. “Ringo wouldn’t have gone if he wasn’t sure he could handle it. He’s not going to let anything happen to Remmy.”
I nod, though the tears still spill over my cheeks. “I’m just so scared.”
“We all are,” Fiona says gently. “But you’re not alone here. We’re here with you, and we’re going to get through this together.”
“Thank you,” I whisper, pulling away from Bella, my voice still shaky but grateful.
Bella smiles back at me, squeezing my hand. “We’ll stay with you until they get back, okay? We’re not going anywhere.”
I take a deep breath, trying to steady myself in the same way that these amazing women were. The fear was still there, but it was dulled slightly by the presence of these women, who were ready to stand by me no matter what. I no longer felt so alone anymore.
“Okay,” I say, my voice a little stronger. “We’ll wait together.”
The three women nod at the same time, offering me reassuring smiles. I knew the waiting would be agonizing, but at least I wasn’t facing it alone. This time, I had friends willing to stand by me no matter what.