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The one she kicked gives her a scant nod. “Yeah, you’re both wanted by someone up the chain and it’s our job to procure you.”

“Using a big word doesn’t mean you’re smart. Because if you were, you would know better than to snatch a brother’s old lady. The Sons of Rage MC can raise a thousand men in a matter of hours, and trust me, they will. Every single one of them will be gunning for you. What do you think of that?”

I can see how uncomfortable her words make him, but he tries not to let on. Instead, he says grudgingly, “I think you talk too much for a hostage.”

I chime in, “You really should just let her go. Taking me is no big deal,” I lie. “But taking Queenie will bring you no end of trouble.”

The one Queenie kicked in the balls responds, “I think we can handle a couple of women.”

The jumbo-sized driver smirks in the rearview mirror. “If that were true, your balls wouldn’t be bruised right now, Theo.”

“Don’t use my name, dipshit. And they caught me by surprise. That won’t happen twice.”

Queenie just keeps antagonizing him. “Well, Theo, if you don’t mind me saying, I don’t think you’re half smart. Did you actually think we were just going to go along and do as we were told like nice little victims?”

“If you can shut your mouth, I can shut it for you,” he replies tightly.

“Are you sure about that? I’m worth more unharmed. If you were smart, I wouldn’t have to tell you that. If you injure me, that’s less money for your boss. He probably wouldn’t take kindly to you costing him cold, hard cash because you couldn’t control your anger.”

I can tell she’s absolutely right because he opens his mouth to reply and closes it again, looking all kinds of irritated.

Suddenly, she glances at me. “How about you, Beth? Are you alright?” she asks.

“Other than being abducted, I’m fine. I hate that people got injured because of me.”

“Are you sure this is even about you? There’s no telling who these imbeciles are.”

“Their boss was the one stalking me. I recognized him.”

Queenie side-eyes that guy she kicked in the balls before looking back at me. “That’s damn good news,” she says brightly. “The club’s been looking for him. They can dust his ass right along with these fools.”

My mouth falls open because that doesn’t seem like an expression Queenie would use.

We just continue talking like our abductors aren’t sitting right there. “Queenie, I wish you hadn’t come back for me, that you’d stayed with the others where you were safe.”

She interrupts, tugging on her arms, which are still zip-tied behind her back. “Now, where would be the fun in that? I haven’t had an adventure out in the world in a long time. Plus, taking me will absolutely enrage Rock. He’ll tear every single one of these fools limb from limb when he catches up with us.”

I sneak a glance at Theo and see him swallow thickly. He’s not so tough now that Queenie is putting the fear of righteous retribution in him.

Playing along with the way she’s decided to play this, I ask, “Has he really taken people apart before?”

She nods and tries to look earnest. “Yes. He skinned the last person who kidnapped me and buried him in an unmarked grave. My old man can get vicious when someone messes with his family.” Glancing at me, she shrugs. “These boys have made a serious mistake, and they’ll pay dearly for it.”

No matter what we say or do, the van continues creeping along the back roads of Cedar Falls. Behind us is a destroyed spa, two injured prospects and a group of terrified women who have barricaded themselves in the basement. Regardless of the brave face Queenie is putting on for our captors, I’m more frightened than I’ve ever been in my life. All I want is for Striker and his club brothers to find us. I want to go back to Striker’s home and pick up where I left off. I don’t want to die before I have a chance to tell him he’s a father.

Chapter 17

Striker

I’m carrying Josie around the clubhouse on my shoulders. We’re having a good day. All the old ladies are with our president’s old lady, Tessa. She wanted a spa day instead of another baby shower. So, all the brothers with children are taking care of our little ones today. I look around at my club brothers and decide none of them have it as good as I do. Most of the brothers with kids have more than one and they’re running in different directions. Jinx is still recovering from his injury but he’s taking care of his baby. Meanwhile, Josie is a little angel in kid form.

We sit them down around the row of tables in the back of the room that’s normally reserved for the club officers and their families. They dig into their fish sticks and fries.

I move Josie’s drink off to the side so she doesn’t accidentally knock it over. I was going to help her, but she seems to be doing a good job of feeding herself, so I step back. Jasper and Slate are sitting nearby and wave me over. I look around for Jinx and suddenly realize why he’s so tired. His baby starts crying every time he slows down or tries to sit. Poor bastard. I grab a seat with our club president and VP because I’ve spent most of the day on my feet as well.

“You’re takin’ to bein’ a dad like a fuckin’ duck to water,” Slate says.

I scratch the back of my neck because I can’t very well tell Slate that his daughter, Katie, is a busybody who’s got to have her little paws in everything. Instead, I tell him, “We’re still gettin’ used to each other. She’s pretty mild-mannered most of the time.”