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Minutes pass while the three of us absentmindedly listen to Dale as he explains the details of our operation to Michael. I keep telling myself that it will get worse before it gets better and that I just need to ride this out. But the hits keep coming, harder and deeper each time, and now I’ve got the love of my life in mortal danger.
My mind is blank other than a paralyzing fear inhabiting it, and I don’t know what to do with fear. It’s supposed to be fuel for men to do great things, yet all it does is bring my demons back with a vengeance. What we did in the Navy we swore we’d never do again, sanctioned or otherwise.
One look at Kai and I know he’s thinking the same thing.
“We’ve got eyes all over Anaheim and across key points in Orange County,” Dale tells Quick. “We’ll get a line on your daughter soon enough.”
“And if you don’t?”
“I think we need a slightly different approach, but your approval is required,” I say to Dale.
He gives me a curious look. “What are you suggesting?”
“The boys and I pay another visit to every other club in Orange County,” I reply.
“You did that and nothing panned out,” Dale scoffs.
“You betrayed their code, surely they’re not interested,” Quicksilver adds, shaking his head.
I give them both a hard, unyielding look. “I have no intention of asking them nicely.”
“Orry’s right. We need to do this the hard way,” Drake interjects. “But that means pushing some boundaries your law-abiding colleagues may not approve of. We need some leeway.”
“Nobody is getting killed,” Dale snaps.
Kai puts on his coldest, meanest grin as he crosses his arms. “Oh, you don’t have to worry about that. I’ve got ways of making people talk without a single drop of blood being spilled.”
“Dial it down if you want the FBI to sanction anything that you’re about to do,” Dale replies.
“Do we have your go- head or not?” I ask, determined to get a yes out of this.
He nods once.
And so, the rules of the game have changed. While I may not be a fan of this buried side of ours, it’s clearly a prerequisite of what is about to unfold. I promised Quicksilver I’m going to do everything in my power to get his daughter back. And I can tell from the slight nod and look on his face that he understands what we’re about to do.
27
Nadia
It’s been hours since I was brought to this place. This dark, ugly, cold place. I’m in a basement, in some kind of cabin, I think. They had a hood over my eyes the entire drive here. I felt the bumps in the country road, and I tried to remember as many sounds as possible—train whistles, traffic noise—anything that might help me figure out where I am.
I smelled the pine needles as they dragged me out of the car and across the dry dirt. I heard twigs breaking under the soles of their boots. I knew I was somewhere in the woods, in a basement, entombed in cement. There was barely any light, only a thin beam breaching through a small, barred window. It was damp, the humidity making my hair curly and my skin clammy.
They haven’t come down in a while. Carla brought me a bottle of water, but that was it. I can hear them upstairs, their heavy footsteps, their muffled voices.
I’m terrified, but my instincts keep telling me to look around, to find something, anything that might get me out of this place. I’ve counted four people upstairs. Likely the same who abducted me—Kyle, the two goons, and Carla. My guess is that Colton put them in charge of my captivity while he goes out and kills my men.
The basement door swings open, and Carla comes down the creaky wooden steps. “You should get some rest,” she says. “It’ll be a while before we all get what we want out of this deal.”
“God, Carla, I can’t believe you bought into Colton’s bullshit,” I scoff and settle in the darkest corner, never taking my eyes off her. “What are you doing down here?”
“I was getting bored upstairs. Kyle and the guys keep arguing about what to do until we hear from Colton,” she says with a casual shrug. “I suggested they go out and shoot some cans or something, and they suggested I give them a blow job instead.”
“Let me guess, you’re saving yourself for Orry,” I shoot back with a cold grin. “You delusional idiot.”
“Say what you will, honey, but that’s where it ends,” she replies.
“What did Colton tell you, exactly, huh? That he’s going to get me out of the way and let Orion, Kai, and Drake live after he forces them into surrendering the club? That was the story, right?”
