Shit just got real.
Chapter 17 ~ Ryder
I couldn’t signal to Ratbag to hide Jade and Lexi in the safe place. Jesus, why hadn’t I thought of that before coming out? I should’ve guessed it was a matter of time before her brother came to the compound to snoop.
Did he know that Jade and Lexi were here?
Hammer caught my eye, and by the frown on his face I knew he’d worked out that this was connected to Jade. He’d helped me look up information on Jade and her cop brother online after Jade had told me the story about the incident, so he’d recognize his name.
I nodded ever so slightly. Hammer was the smart one, like my brother, Max, who was usually two steps ahead of everyone else. He turned on his heels and walked slowly back to the clubhouse. I knew it took every inch of control for him not to run. But if he did, it would raise alarm bells. Acting as if he was just bored was far smarter. But inside, my guts were churning.
Hurry the fuck up, Hammer. Get Jade and Lexi to the safe place. I was struggling to keep my exterior cool and relaxed. As if this was nothing unusual. I had to buy time.
“So, what do you want to see?” I baited.
“Just open the fucking gates, asshole. We’ll talk inside,” he growled, even baring his teeth as a feral animal would to show his intent of ripping anything that stood in his way apart.
Ox groaned behind me. He was struggling to remain calm. I knew he was just dying to lay into the angry cop. If I weren’t careful, we’d have a fucking fistfight on our hands. Well, maybe that wasn’t such a bad idea . . . Only problem was, we were outnumbered three to one and besides, that would just alert them into thinking we had something to hide, and make them even more determined to snoop around the compound.
“Yeah? I don’t give a fuck what kinda badge you wearing. If you’re on my territory, you don’t talk to me like that without getting your fucking nose broken.” I squinted and stared him down. Harrison’s hand went to his nose instinctively. That’s when I noticed it was already screwed. He must’ve had it broken before.
Jesus. A cop with a death wish. There was nothing worse. They were the kind of vigilantes that took the law into their own hands—shooting first, and questioning after. I had to stay calm for Jade’s sake. As much as I wanted to punch the fucker in the face and make his nose bleed, I had to rein it in.
Harrison shook the bars in front of him. “I’m counting to three. If you don’t open the fucking gate, we are shooting it open.” As if that was a signal, the uniformed cops lifted their guns. Jesus, Harrison wasn’t playing a game of chicken. He had balls of fucking steel. I had to admire that about a man, even if he was on the other team.
I nodded to Razor. He knew the drill. Pretending to be so nervous that he forgot the code and kept punching in the wrong numbers. Razor hated playing scared, because he was a really mean motherfucker. Ever since he and Cobra saved me all those years ago, I’d never seen Razor scared of anything.
Harrison saw straight through the ruse. “Quit stalling,” he barked at Razor. Razor rolled his eyes back in his head, clenching his jaw as he aggressively punched in the right numbers. Fuck, Razor wanted to go to town on the cops. He was even wearing his custom shoes with the razorblades imbedded into the soles. We’d have a fucking bloodbath on our hands.
“Razor, chill,” I reminded him. That was the great thing about being brothers. We only needed a word to convey a whole message. Razor shook his head, like a wet dog would, as if ridding himself of his thoughts. He had just as much at stake here, even though he wasn’t aware that Harrison Summers was related to the girl he was sweet on. I hadn’t told him that part yet. Fuck, I hadn’t known before earlier today that he was soft on that bitch.
Why the fuck was Harrison Summers here?
Was it coincidence, or did he know his sister and cousin were here? I just hoped that none of the brothers or their bitches would say anything out of place. None of them were aware of this situation. Not even Cobra or Mia. Fuck.
Once the gates opened, Harrison strode forward, pushing Razor out of the way with one hand. Fucker was strong. Razor growled, ready to retaliate, but I shook my head, showing him to back off—for now, at least.
“Where is she?” Harrison growled, indicating with a nod toward the clubhouse. The cops immediately raised their weapons and stalked the clubhouse.
I held up my hands. “She? Who are you talking about?” Jesus, he was here as Jade’s brother, here to protect her. But she was my woman. I wanted to protect her, too. This was all kinds of fucked up.
“Jade. My little sister. I’m taking her home with me.”
My mouth went dry. Fuck, he’d just commanded up ten fucking cops and a search warrant to help him fetch his sister? He didn’t mess around. He meant fucking business.
“And Lexi, my cousin. I know she works here. Well tonight, that changes.”
I gripped Razor’s T-shirt and fisted it tightly, holding him back. I wasn’t sure how much longer I’d be able to keep everything under control. Praying that Hammer had gotten Jade and Lexi to the safe place, I watched the cops burst into the clubhouse. Only a few steps behind, I wanted to see if the girls were gone.
The boys were playing pool, some hanging by the bar, others around the dartboard, as if nothing unusual was happening. A few women were chatting away on the couches, holding their kids on their laps.
Thank fuck. All those drills in the past had paid off. Everyone was acting as if this was just any Sunday night at the clubhouse. I swallowed hard. Fuck, I loved these people.
Harrison nodded toward the rooms. “Open every door. We won’t rest till we find the girls. I know they’re here. The sooner they come out, the better for everyone. I’ll tear this place to fucking pieces if I have to.”
I believed him. Rage was radiating in waves from every pore in his body.
I just hoped that Ratbag got it right.
Chapter 18 ~ Ryder
My heart nearly jumped out of my chest.
“Hello, cousin. Fancy seeing you here.” Lexi’s sultry voice behind me sent goosebumps scattering across my skin. Jesus fucking Christ. Why was she still here?
“Lexi,” Harrison growled, “Where’s Jade? Is she still in the bathroom?” His gaze went to the door from which Lexi had just emerged.
“Nah, she went home ages ago. Jade and me had a huge fight. As usual. She stormed out of here, saying she’d never go anywhere with me again. Sorry, Cuz,” she looked at him from under her lashes, all apologetically, as if she knew she’d done wrong.
“Jade’s left? How come I didn’t know that? This place is under surveillance 24/7.” Smirking, he grinned at me. “Yeah, just in case you didn’t know,” he said, a clear warning in his tone.
“Yeah, I convinced her to come to the barbeque with me. You know, after what happened with Marcus, I thought she should get out a bit. So I dragged her here. Then we had a fight, and she went home. Probably sulking in her room now.”
Harrison dialed a number on his phone. Smart fucker. My hands were clammy as I fisted them by my sides, my heart racing, pumping adrenaline through my body.
“Jade? Where the fuck are you?” he barked down the phone.
I watched the expression on his face soften as he heard her voice. Yes, I wanted to know too. Where the fuck was Jade? Ratbag was nowhere to be seen.
Harrison closed his phone and instructed his second-in-charge to call back his troops.