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We’ll deal with him another time and in a respectful manner, provided we bring the whole Colton issue to a favorable conclusion.
“We shouldn’t have promised her that,” I say out loud, prompting a sleepy groan from Drake as he sits up on the edge of the bed.
“What?”
“That we’ll come back to her alive. We can’t promise that,” I sigh deeply.
“She needed to hear it, Kai,” Orion says and stands up, his arms out for the world’s greatest stretch in front of the window. It’s a good thing the beach is secluded, otherwise whoever looks up right now would see one hell of a morning wood. “Nadia needed some reassurance. Besides, we do intend to survive this.”
“But we can’t guarantee it,” I insist. “You’re right, though. She’ll sleep better and stay put if she knows we’ll do everything in our power to pick up where we left off.”
“Speaking of, we’re going to have to talk to Quick as soon as …” Drake says, checking his phone. “Twenty missed calls from the old man. He knows she’s gone.”
“He’s pissed,” Orion mutters. “Just text him back and tell him she’s with us. We’ll bring her back and drop her off at the gate.”
Slowly but surely, we pull ourselves into a standing and fully functional positions, the three of us going in different directions to take a shower. There are four full bathrooms in this house, including two half baths. The promise of a new day ahead used to mean a lot more to me when we didn’t have such a shitstorm unraveling on the horizon, but we’re getting closer to our endgame.
Almost there, Kai. Almost there, and you might get your shot at a happy ending, after all.
It could be wishful thinking, but a man can still dream.
Nadia isn’t crazy asking us to promise we’ll come back to her alive. She planted the thought so deep in my head, it has become fuel for my will to live.
After showering and getting dressed, we meet up in the hall. “Done,” Drake says once he’s finished texting Quicksilver. It prompts another persistent call, but he switches the phone to silent and lets it go to voicemail.
“He will punch your lights out the next time he sees you,” I tell him.
“And I will probably deserve it,” Drake shoots back. “In the meantime, I’m dying for some coffee.”
Orion smiles. “I can already smell it.”
We head downstairs, and my heart fucking stops when I realize it’s not Nadia waiting for us with freshly brewed coffee. Our holstered guns are on the sofa, where we left them last night, yet I still reach for mine instinctively.
“Good morning, gentlemen,” Colton Harrow says, casually sitting at the counter island, smack in the middle of Drake’s kitchen. He looks eerily calm, his red beard recently trimmed and oddly matching his red shirt and black leather vest thrown on top. One hand palms a coffee mug; the other rests on a gun on the counter. “Don’t even think about trying something stupid. I’m not here to kill you.”
We’re standing in the kitchen doorway, frozen in place, staring at him, trying to understand the situation. One thing is certain—everything we had planned up to this point has just gone up in smoke. Fear grips my heart when I don’t see Nadia anywhere.
“Where’s Nadia?” Orion calmly asks, but his tone is deadly cold.
“Somewhere safe until you surrender the club and all of your businesses over to me,” Colton replies with a wry smile. “It took me a while to figure you out, dudes, but I’m glad we’re able to have this conversation now. Honestly, I abhor violence.”
“You sent twelve of your men to their deaths,” I say.
“I did, yes. But I got the intel I needed, and it helped me understand precisely what you’re capable of. Unfortunately for you, teaming up with the Feds won’t get you the desired results. There are more of us than there are of you, and given your recent betrayal of the bikers’ creed, I’m afraid the other MCs have agreed to support my bid for Orange County in exchange for leniency.”
“There is no way in hell you’ll ever accomplish that,” Orion says. “Colton, the Feds are on to you. They know your real name and they have your priors. You’re going down, so you might as well get the fuck out of Orange County while you still can.”
“Don’t worry about me; I’m virtually untraceable,” Colton replies. “Worry about Nadia, instead. I understand she’s very dear to the three of you. So, here’s what I’m proposing.”
“I will fucking kill you,” I hiss.
He raises a skeptical eyebrow. “You and what army? Do you think I’m afraid of the Feds? Don’t be ridiculous. Anyway, as I was saying. You hand over the Blackthorn Riders MC. All of it. The clubhouse, the ownership deeds, all your cash reserves, all the stash houses and storage facilities. The businesses. You issue a county-wide announcement that you’ve done so, and then you’ll get Nadia back alive and in one piece. Does that seem fair? It seems fair to me.”
“Don’t hurt her,” Orion says. I admire his ability to remain calm under such circumstances because frankly, I’m itching to rip this fucker to shreds. “We’ll consider your demand and act accordingly.”
“You have twenty-four hours,” Colton replies. “I’m not an idiot. Consider this my last attempt at resolving things in a civilized manner.”
“There is nothing civilized about any of this,” Drake hisses.
