Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
TECH
“Do these idiots have a death wish?” I muttered to myself. I was currently in the cave doing perimeter checks when I saw two figures standing in the woods across from the clubhouse. Once I switched cameras for a closer look, I saw it was Jenny’s uncles.
They had a pair of binoculars, and it looked as if they were staking out the clubhouse. I thought they would have taken heed to my warning, but I guess the thought of getting their hands on Miracle's trust fund was worth the trouble.
I had already gone to Michael to sget a better understanding of Miracle’s trust fund. I had no experience with this type of thing. I thought no one could access another person's trust. But according to Michael, it all depended on the wording in the trust.
Unfortunately, Jenny didn’t know this before she passed.
Miracle's current trust had a few loopholes that made that money accessible. I tried changing it, but Michael said that since it was originally Jenny’s and she had passed it on to Miracle, there was nothing I could do.
All I could do was take care of the threat.
I grabbed my phone and left the cave. Making my way to the common room, I saw most of the brothers were in attendance. I made a beeline for Viper.
“Prez, you have to see this. Look.” I handed him my phone so he could see the camera feed.
Viper watched for a few seconds before a scowl took over his face. “Have these motherfuckers lost their mind?”
“What is it?” Axel stood from his barstool and looked over Viper's shoulder to see the screen. His mouth dropped open. “How long have they been out there?” Axel asked right as Viper handed me my phone back.
“For about an hour. They parked further down the road. I guess they thought if their car wasn’t near, we wouldn’t know they were out there.” I shook my head in annoyance. I was becoming overwhelmed with the shitstorm that had become my life. I just wanted all of this to be over.
Viper opened his mouth to say something, but everyone’s phone simultaneously pinged at the same time. The energy in the room tensed. We all knew whatever the hell that was, it wouldn’t be good.
I peered down at my screen and saw a text from Cara. I clicked it, and I struggled to breathe.
Cara: Get to the salon. NOW!
I snapped my head to Viper, and I saw the panic on his face. “Axel, take a few of the brothers and get rid of those two. Torch the car too. I don’t want a single trace coming back to us.”
Axel took Ink, Diablo, Chains, Rambo, and Ghost. The rest followed Viper and me out the door. Bear and Armor weren’t too far behind. I knew they were frantic to get to their Ol’ Ladies just as I was to get to Will. As soon as I was on my bike, I cranked it and took off like a bat out of hell.
I tried calling Will’s phone from my Bluetooth helmet, but he wasn’t answering. That only panicked me more. I was trying to stay positive. My mind kept taking me to a dark place. When we turned onto the street to the salon and saw the building up in flames, I damn near lost control of my bike.
I ran up to the scene right as an officer was tying caution tape to block off the public. I tried going around him, but he put his hand up, stopping me. “You can't go in there!” he barked.
“Get the hell out of my way! My fiancé is in there!” I roared.
A few officers approached us, like they were ready to take us down. Before they could make a move, the chief pushed his way through. “Let 'em in.” The officer looked like he wanted to protest, but Chief sent him a look that had him standing down.
The chief had had our backs for years. I was glad he was here. It stopped us from going to jail for assaulting officers because that was exactly what was going to happen if they thought they were going to keep us away.
I made my way in with Viper, Bear, Armor, Blade, and Torch hot on my heels. The rest of the brothers stayed behind the tape and watched the scene.
“What happened?” Viper questioned Chief.
“All I know is someone intentionally set the fire and trapped them inside. I just got here right before you.”
Hearing that the fire was started on purpose, I knew deep down it was Sire. I spotted an ambulance and picked up my pace. The closer I got, I finally spotted Will and took off running.
“Will!” I yelled, and his head popped up. He pushed the oxygen mask away and ran into my arms. We held each other tightly as I kissed his cheek, neck, and forehead. “Are you alright?”
He nodded. “Yes, I’m fine. I promise.”
“Will, where is… C-Cara and Sara?” Viper's voice shook as he searched the crowd for them.
I glanced around and didn’t see them anywhere. Sofia and Oscar were seated on the ambulance's bumper, appearing terrified. Armor was already checking Sofia over from head to toe.
“When we got out of there, Cara refused medical attention and took off that way. Sara and the prospects followed her.” He pointed in the direction they had gone, and Viper, Bear, Blade, and Torch took off. “Babe, go.”
“No. I need to make sure—”
“I’m fine, Jacob. I swear. GO!”
The urgency in his voice propelled my feet to move. Armor and I were right behind them. After a few blocks, I could hear Cara’s voice.
“I don’t understand. My watch says my phone is right here, but I don’t see that damn duffle bag anywhere.”
“Cara, can you please let the paramedics check you over? Your face is swelling,” Wyatt pleaded.
“No. I told you I’m good.”
“Cara...” Wyatt paused when he saw us making our way over.
“Hellcat, what are you doing?” Viper pulled her into his arms, checking her over. His face flushed a deep shade of red, and his eyes grew noticeably darker at the sight of her face. “What the fuck happened to your face?!”
“Sire backhanded me,” she replied nonchalantly.
“He backhanded you?! And how the fuck did this happen?” Viper barked as he tried to make his way toward the prospects.
Cara grabbed his arm, stopping him. “Babe, it wasn’t their fault.
” She then told us what happened. By the time she was done, I was fuming.
I knew I should have told Will no. I had a feeling Sire was watching, but I didn’t want to keep refusing to allow Will to leave.
If I kept him home like I wanted, none of this would have happened.
“How the hell did he get in, if all the doors were locked?” Bear asked.
“I was having a hard time understanding that, too. But right before I took off, I heard the owner from across the street telling one of the firefighters that he had footage of a woman letting them in from the inside. I thought we were the only ones inside, so I was confused. I asked if he could show me. The woman who let them in posed as a customer earlier that day. I remember her. She must have hidden somewhere in the shop and waited to let Sire in.”
Viper started pacing, cursing under his breath. “We need to find him!”
“Done.”
Everyone turned to Cara with a raised brow.
“I planted a tracker on Sire while he was choking me. I jus—”
“He choked you?!” Viper was practically foaming at the mouth. “Track it now, Cara.”
She pinched the bridge of her nose. “If you would allow me to finish talking, I could tell you the coordinates are on my phone. Sire took everyone’s cell phones and all of our weapons. I used my watch to track my phone, and it shows that it should be here, but I can't find it.”
Viper pulled out his phone and clicked a few times. Seconds later, we heard a chime above us. We looked and quickly spotted a duffel bag in a tree. It was too high to reach from the ground.
“Come on, princess.” Bear squatted down to the ground. Sara straddled his shoulders, and he stood.
Bear was six foot seven, and Sara had a nice height on her as well. With her on his shoulders, she was only a few inches from the bag. “I need you to jump, honey. I almost got it.” Bear did as she asked. Sara snatched the bag down, throwing it to Viper.
He opened it, retrieved Cara’s phone, and handed it to her. After a few taps, all of our phones pinged again. “Now, let's go.” Cara tried to walk away, but Viper stopped her.
“No. You go home. We’ll go get him.” She opened her mouth to argue, but he cut her off. “Baby, I know you’re tough, but you need to go home and ice your face. The entire right side of your face is swelling. I promise you’ll get your chance to get even.”
Cara squinted her eyes at him. “Fine. But I swear if anybody kills him before I get the chance, there is going to be hell to pay.”
I chuckled, knowing her crazy ass was dead serious. Sire's last moments on this earth were going to be extremely painful.
“Understood. Now, let's go.” He grabbed her hand, leading her back to the salon.
When we got back, I pulled Will aside. “I hate to leave you after something like this, but I have to—”
“No. It’s okay. I promise. Go get that sick bastard and make him pay.” Will spoke against my lips before kissing me. I got lost in the moment until I heard Viper yelling for us to go. I helped Will into the backseat of Cara’s truck and shut the door.
As we walked away, Viper called Cara’s name. She let her window down, staring at him in confusion.
“Don’t think I didn’t notice. I’m loving that color on you, Hellcat.” He winked, making her blush.
I swear that man didn’t care what was going on. He would always find a way to flirt with her.
Cara grinned, shaking her head. “Thanks, baby.” She let her window up and took off with the prospects following her truck.
As I mounted my bike, I felt like a kid on Christmas, finally getting the gift they had been begging for. I have been searching for Sire for too long, and now… his ass was mine.
The longer we drove, the more I understood how Sire was able to keep a low profile and stay away from us. This man was staying over two hours away in Jacksonville. No wonder we couldn’t track him anywhere in the city limits.
His dedication to staying hidden and undetected was commendable.
But like Cara said not too long ago, he was bound to make a mistake.
His mistake was getting too close to Cara and allowing her to place that chip on him.
Viper might not be thinking about it now, but I knew the pieces would click once the dust settled.
Cara either knew or suspected Sire would show up at that salon. Why else would she have a tracker on her? Although she brought her plan to the table and we denied it, she ultimately got what she wanted.
Viper couldn’t penalize her, though. She didn’t do anything behind his back like she normally did. He gave her the green light just like I did with Will. From here on out, no amount of pleading would make me ignore my instincts.
“Keep it quiet, guys. I don’t want these motherfuckers trying to run if they hear us,” Viper ordered as we approached the small home.
Sire was deep in the country. This home was the only house for miles, which worked perfectly for us. We didn’t need to worry about neighbors.
Half of the brothers snuck around back while the rest of us crept to the front door. I waited for Viper’s signal, and as soon as he nodded, I kicked it in. Sire was the first off his feet, dashing toward the back. He was met with Bear’s fist when he opened the back door.
I laid eyes on Cody’s father as he raised his hands in the air along with the other two disciples Sire had with him. Bear slung Sire to my feet. He swayed from side to side, indicating he was dazed from that punch.
“We got another one!” Armor announced as he walked through the front door, holding a woman who was sobbing into her hands. “I found this one trying to sneak out of the bedroom window.”
When she lifted her head, I recognized her immediately. It was Cody’s mother, Rebekah. Judging her flawlessly styled hair, I knew she had been the one to let them into the salon.
How, after all these years, were these two still faithful to this man? It just went to show that, regardless of how terrible of a human being Sire was, he had a loyal following. And for that, they would die with him.
“How did you find me?” Sire slurred.
I laughed, reaching down into his hoodie and pulling out the chip. He looked at it, baffled. “For the first time in your life, a woman outsmarted you. Unfortunately for you, it’s going to be a deadly mistake.”
“Allen… I am your fath—”
I cut his words off by knocking him out with the butt of my gun. Not once in my life had this man ever acknowledged that he was my father. I damn sure wasn’t about to allow him to do so as a bargaining chip.
As I stared at him, I waited for some kind of emotion to take over, but to my surprise, there was nothing.
I wasn’t angry. I wasn’t hurt. Hell, I wasn’t even scared.
It took me this long to realize Sire was weak.
He was only strong because of his followers.
They were the ones always doing his dirty work.
Although he was not the one to execute his plans, he was the ultimate mastermind. Sire was the reason for every bad thing that happened in my life. He started this war a long time ago.
And I was going to finally end it.