Chapter 35
ZANE
Hard knocking wakes me. The sun outside the window is bright, Sienna is in my arms, and I feel like I’d only just gone to sleep.
“Come on, Zane,” Rogue calls from outside the door. “You’ve slept long enough.”
A part of me wants to curse him out and tell him to go to hell. But another part, the louder part, knows I owe him too much to behave that way. And that the woman in my arms will only truly be mine again after I deal with her husband and those pieces of shit protecting him and threatening us.
“Sounds urgent,” Sienna mumbles.
“I’ll be right out,” I call out to Rogue then kiss her forehead.
“It is,” I tell her. “Though I’d rather stay right here with you anyway. Always.”
She grins and kisses me on the lips. Gently and softly. Probably because she knows that anything more will just get me going and then I’ll never get out of this bed.
“Then let’s deal with the bastard,” she says. “And afterwards we’ll spend a whole week in bed.”
“Or a month,” I say and grin, but release her and get up while I still have the strength to do it. One more kiss and I might not.
I take a quick three-minute shower, change and head down to the warm room, carrying my boots so as not to keep Rogue waiting any longer than is necessary. Sienna said she’d wait in the bar to find out what happens next.
I expected everyone to be in the war room, but it’s just Rogue, Blade, and Alice in here waiting for me. Alice smiles at me as I walk in and is eyeing me with a new sort of appreciation in general.
“We’ve briefed Alice on everything that’s been going on,” Rogue says. “And everything that we’re planning regarding the Hydras.”
She nods along.
“Sienna is ready,” I say, sit down in one of the chairs and start pulling on my boots. “What’s the plan?”
Rogue takes a seat across from me. “I think it’s best if we lure Sienna’s husband somewhere and abduct him. That will give us some leverage with the Hydras.”
I scoff. “Assuming he’s high enough for them to want him back. I didn’t get the sense that the guy was especially important.”
“The Hydras helped him out with the personal matter of trying to get his wife back,” Blade says. “That suggests he’s pretty important to them.”
“Or just loaded,” I say. “He is that. Maybe he made them an offer they couldn’t refuse.”
Rogue gives me a sharp look and holds it. “What’s going on, Zane? Why are you blocking this now?”
I shake my head and raise my hands in defense. “Not blocking anything. I’m just calling it like I see it. But yeah, I’d rather not let Sienna anywhere near him.”
I’m not even sure why that is. Not because I can’t protect her from him. I can. I will.
Maybe it’s because a part of me is still afraid she’ll choose him over me. Or is it because I don’t want her to suffer with him a moment longer than she already has?
“Sure seems like you’re having second thoughts,” Rogue says, since he clearly still knows me better than I know myself.
I think that’s the secret to his success. He has this special gift that allows him to see right into the soul of anyone. It would’ve made him a good priest, but I’m glad he didn’t go down that road. Because it makes him an even better MC president.
I shake my head again. “No. I’m not. But I would rather we got on with this sooner rather than later. What’s the plan?”
“Same as before,” Rogue says and picks up his phone, tapping off a text. “Except we’ll have Sienna lure him somewhere and then we’ll snatch him. We think the Saloon is the most logical place, since it’s nearby and we can control every way in and out.”
He’s talking about the Flamingo Saloon, the diner not far from here where Angel first let him kiss her what feels like a million years ago. It’s on the road to this clubhouse and even more of a dive bar now than it used to be.
The MC owns it, and I have no idea why Rogue isn’t doing anything with it. The Flamingo Saloon used to be the it place for Hollywood celebrities to hang out. By the time we found it, the glory days were long gone, but there’s no reason why it shouldn’t be cool once again.
One day I’ll ask him about it. I’ll even offer to help bring it back to life. But not today. We’ve got much bigger things to worry about today. Like making sure we survive long enough to even think about the Saloon.
“All right, so now what? Sienna calls him and sets up a meet?” I ask. “And we’ll be waiting to snatch him up? Sounds like a simple enough plan.”
“You can’t be there,” Rogue says. “If he sees you, he’ll know something’s up.”
“So I’ll hide somewhere,” I say, glaring at him. If he thinks he’s gonna make me let Sienna do this alone he’s got a fight coming.
“Fine, you’ll hide somewhere close by,” he says and chuckles. “I was gonna have you wait at the clubhouse, but I see you’ll never go for that.”
“Damn straight,” I grumble and even Blade cracks a grin.
We go over the plan again, ironing out every last detail, even though I think we all know that plans never go the way you set them up. But I guess it’s better to have a plan.
I’ve spent my entire adult life without a plan, just drifting, picking fights when I felt like it, joining other people when I felt like it, leaving them, being alone. Maybe if I ever stopped to make a plan, I’d have gone to look for Sienna sooner. I’m very sorry right now that I didn’t.
“All right, so we’re all set?” Rogue asks. “Everyone knows what to do?”
I nod, the rest do too.
“Go tell Sienna what she needs to do now,” Rogue says. “Make sure she knows she’ll be fine meeting the guy and that we’ll have everything under control.”
I scoff, but don’t elaborate. I just tell him I’ll get it done—that Sienna will get it done—and leave the room to go find her.
A million tiny things could go wrong with this plan. A billion, even. But I won’t think about that, or I’ll go insane with worry. Or end up pulling the plug.
I can’t do that. Because me and Sienna will have no sort of future if we don’t take care of this problem first. And a future with her is the only thing I want. The only thing I ever wanted.