Ruining Me: The Insidious Seven MC, Book Two, page 34
I quickly avert my gaze from him before opening the bottle of Jack. I can sense his eyes on me as I tilt the bottle back and take two large gulps of the rich whiskey. Relishing the burn in my throat all the way down to my gut before I force myself to meet his piercing violet gaze.
“Yes, well,” Rome murmurs as he glances at me from head to toe. “We were in the neighborhood.” I notice the instant his eyes fixate on my swollen nose before he shifts his gaze towards Liam. His jaw clenches as he leans back on his heels and locks eyes with Owen. “And it seems like I've arrived just in time. How lucky for you.” He smiles.
Owen snorts as if Rome has told a joke before he turns his back to my brother. Romeo glances back at me, his eyes posing a silent question I refuse to answer as I bring the bottle to my lips again.
“Max,” Owen barks, causing all of us to shift our attention to the small female. Startled by the sound of her name, she flinches and lets out a small yelp. She turns to face our leader, focusing all her attention on him.
Owen’s hard stare drills into her as he speaks. “I need you to hack into the CCTV across the street. I wanna know if anyone has left that building since we’ve been held up in here.”
Max nods her head before putting the safety back on her pistol and shoving it into her jean shorts at the small of her back. She bolts for the stairs, her hot pink flip-flops snapping against the floor as she goes. I roll my eyes at her battle attire. Some top-of-the-line security firm we are.
In no time at all, she’s running back down the stairs with a laptop in her hands, tapping on the keyboard with nimble fingers. She doesn’t even bother to look up from the screen as she makes her way to the bar and places the computer down before sliding onto the barstool directly in front of me. Her typing never stops as I catch Rome out of the corner of my eye as he rounds the bar. I nearly growl as he slides up next to me. I tilt my head up toward the ceiling and release an exasperated breath.
Is it too much to ask for a fucking break?
It’s bad enough that the brother I chose for myself wants nothing more to do with me. Now I have to deal with the one I can’t seem to escape from.
“Want to explain your face?” he asks. I ignore him as I take another swig from the bottle, letting the alcohol quiet my racing thoughts.
I swallow as Romeo stares at the side of my head, burning a hole into my temples as he waits for me to speak. When it becomes obvious I’m not talking, he shifts his gaze to Liam and Tate. He clicks his tongue against the roof of his mouth as he tsks at me.
“You finally fucked her, didn’t you?” he asks. My hackles raise as I slam the bottle down on the bar and face him. He has a slight smile playing on his lips that I would love to wipe clean. He laughs as he takes in my expression, the sound grinding on my last nerve.
“Good for you,” he says before slapping my back as if congratulating me on some big accomplishment. Bawling my fists, I step toward my brother, ready to start another fight. Only this time, I plan on fighting back.
“Uh, guys,” Max interrupts, stealing all the attention in the room. She looks up at us, her honey-colored eyes wide. “Has anyone checked on Sofee lately?”
My heart threatens to fall to my ass as her words send fear crackling down my spine. I forget all about the brother I want to punch in the face and the bottle in front of me as I push away from the bar.
“Nobody can get in there,” Liam says from across the room. He stands up from his seat, pushing the chair back and causing it to whine against the wooden floor. “The windows are bulletproof.”
Max nods, her short-cropped dark hair swaying with the movement. “I know nobody can get in,” she taps furiously on the laptop as if in a mad dash for information. “But can they get out?”
“What are you rattling on about, girl?” Owen grumbles as he steps up beside me. She flicks her worried gaze up to him before turning the computer to face us. It takes me a beat to recognize what I’m looking at, but when I do, my blood runs cold.
There on the screen is a still CCTV image of Sofee. But it's not just any image of her. No, this is an image of her on the maroon motorcycle she has been riding lately. She has no helmet on and no sunglasses shielding her eyes as she speeds past the camera. Max taps a button, and the screen comes to life. The camera angle isn’t the best but it’s good enough to capture the moment she roars out of the parking lot and onto the road.
I release a harsh breath as I step away from the bar and turn toward the MC room. I need to see for myself. Need to see if she really was foolish enough to leave when she knows her life is in danger.
“When was this?” Owen growls as I grab the door handle and fling it open. The moment the door slams into the opposite wall, I know there is no life in the room.
“Footage time stamp was about fifteen minutes ago,” Max says as I catch sight of the still-open window. Suppressing a roar of anger, I thrust my hands into my hair as I wrack my brain for explanations as to how this fucking happened. I turn quickly and slam the door closed before heading back to the bar.
Max swivels in her barstool to face me as I reappear. “So, about the time you were getting your ass kicked up and down this bar,” she says. “That would explain why none of us heard her leaving,” she murmurs. Tatum slides up next to her as we all crowd around.
“Not helpful,” she chides her friend.
“Find her,” I snarl, looming over Max. “Now.”
“Did you shove a tracker up her ass while you were fucking her?” she snarks, causing red to rim my vision. Liam bristles behind Tate at the quip, but if Max is intimidated by him, she doesn’t show it.
“Check the LoJack on the bike,” Hayden offers. “I installed it right after she started using it daily.”
Max wastes no time as she types furiously on the keyboard. I know it’s only a few seconds, but it feels like hours before she finally speaks again.
“Gotcha,” she says with a victorious smile. The typing lulls for a second before she resumes. “She’s at the hospital. Pulling up the feed right now and… I’m in.”
No longer able to stay in the background, I grab the computer and turn it toward me. My eyes sweep every view on the screen, desperate to find the woman who hates me so I can spank her ass raw for this and never let her escape me again. She knows everything now, so she should have known not to leave the clubhouse without any protection. For fucksake, she was just shot at and barely escaped certain death. What was she thinking?
Even as I internally voice the question, I know the answer. She doesn’t care if her life is in danger. She wanted to get away from the people who betrayed her. She wanted to get away from me.
“There,” Rome is the one to speak as he points to the screen. I squint as I click on the small display depicting one of the many hospital parking lots. The image becomes larger, filling the monitor and showing me exactly what I’m seeking.
“Sofee,” I murmur as my eyes lock onto her. Her back is to the camera, but I can still tell it’s her by the sway of her hips. Relief threatens to wash over me prematurely before I see she isn’t alone.
All the blood drains from my face as I’m unable to do a damn thing besides watch the screen as Sofee slides into the passenger side of a sleek black car and shuts the door. The driver slides behind the steering wheel, but the car doesn’t move forward. The windows are tinted so dark that I have no hope of seeing anything beyond the polished exterior of the vehicle.
Seconds turn into painful moments. All of us surround the small computer, waiting for any signs of life until finally, movement draws our attention. And then all hell breaks loose, rendering me completely useless as I’m forced to do nothing but watch in horror as my worst nightmare becomes a reality.
“Is that…” Tatum mutters as she slides up beside me, anxious to get closer to the screen. I stare at it, unable to look away or do a goddamn thing as Sofee falls out of the car onto the unrelenting pavement below. One tinted window rolls down, finally revealing the real threat as he aims his weapon toward her just as she regains her footing.
“There you are,” Romeo mumbles beside me, wonder lilting his tone.
None of us thought he was a threat. There wasn’t a single thing that alarmed us or made us think he was anyone other than who he claimed to be. Watching the horror play out before my very eyes makes me realize that this one oversight could very well spell death for the woman I love.
The unmistakable kickback of his gun being fired directly into Sofee’s back causes my heart to stutter as if I were getting shot right beside her. Unable to look away, I watch her hit the pavement again as a monster steps out of the vehicle and stalks her like prey. The beast under my skin roars and thrashes, responding to the primal threat. A cold sweat breaks out on my forehead as I stare at him towering over my woman with a wicked sneer on his familiar yet foreign face. My all-consuming rage threatens to boil over as he glances up from an unconscious Sofee, finds the camera, and winks directly at it. Taunting us before aiming his gun at the camera and firing.
A hush descends on the bar as the screen goes black, and we all come to the realization that Matteo has been under our fucking noses this entire time.
“Holy shit,” Hayden says, his voice sounding distant.
“He’s been hiding in plain sight,” Max breathes, her words echoing as if shouted from the other end of a tunnel. Owen’s lips are moving, likely forming a well-thought-out plan of attack, but I hear no words over the loud static filling my ears.
My heart threatens to explode in my chest as an ungodly amount of adrenaline fills my system, and I push the laptop away. I bolt to the MC room before throwing the door open with so much force that it rattles on its hinges. Dashing to the faux crates of liquor stacked against the far wall, I easily push them aside, revealing the keypad for the double-door safe that only members of the MC know exists.
Quickly entering the code, I step back and remove my vest as the locking mechanism grinds. Hearing footsteps behind me, I quickly turn and catch sight of Liam stalking into the room with a determined gleam in his eyes. Refocusing on the safe, I ignore him as he steps up next to me. The floor-to-ceiling doors seamlessly blend in with the wood paneling until they slide open, unveiling a cache of tactical weapons large enough to give G.I. Joe a stiffy. Less than half a second passes before we both reach inside, retrieving our tools for vengeance.
First, I yank a shoulder holster free and effortlessly slip it on, feeling it mold to my body like a second skin. Selecting two standard issue Glocks, I slam a full clip into each and grab two additional clips. After tucking everything into my holster, I pick three large throwing blades and discreetly stash them in my right boot. Standing tall, I run my fingers along a row of smoke bombs and flash grenades. Selecting two of each, I secure them to my holster, along with an earpiece and an extra mask. I quickly place the device in my ear before pulling the mask over my head and securing it snugly over my nose and mouth.
Turning back toward the door, I find my vest sitting on top of the faux liquor crates and hastily slide it back onto my shoulders. My footfalls are fast and loud as I walk purposefully out of the MC room and toward the main entrance, not caring if anyone else is following.
I’m not waiting for Owen to come up with a plan of action. I’m gutting that motherfucker and saving my girl, with or without help from my brothers.
“Get me a fucking address,” I demand, never slowing my stride even as I hear multiple boots following after me.
“You think he was stupid enough to list his real address?” Max calls out, already typing furiously on the keyboard.
“No, but he is cocky enough,” I hear Romeo say as he jogs after me. Not waiting for him to catch up, I slam out the doors, praying to a god I don’t believe in that we aren’t too late.
TWENTY-EIGHT
SOFEE
You’re such a dumb bitch. You’re such a dumb bitch…
My inner voice chides me relentlessly as the automatic sliding doors open, and I’m blasted with a burst of frigid air. The industrial air conditioner cooling my overheated, too-tight skin as I step into the bustling emergency room, sending gooseflesh racing down my back.
If I’m being completely honest with myself, I can’t even blame the voice inside my head for speaking to me as if I’m an idiot. Really, who the hell gets shot at and then thinks, “Hmm, this seems like a good time to squeeze my ass through a tiny window and sneak out of the safest place I could possibly be right now.” I must be insane to risk my life just to escape the people who have done nothing but deceive me for the better part of a year.
Did I get halfway through the window and think to myself that this was probably the worst idea I’ve ever had? Yes. Did I still confidently march right up to my borrowed motorcycle, start that bitch up, and tear ass out of there like I stole it? Also, yes. Do I regret it? No, not really.
Right now, I feel as though getting shot would hurt less than the gut-wrenching suffering I was experiencing on the floor in that godforsaken MC room. Ironic, how the only place I could escape the people who betrayed me was in the very room Declan first promised to ruin me. How could anyone expect me to willingly sit on the floor in that room and be reminded of the fact that I was so easily fooled? So easily manipulated into thinking my life was just fine.
So, instead of dissolving into a puddle of tears and despair, I decided to take control of my situation. The first step in reclaiming myself was gaining distance from those who believed I was too delicate to handle the truth. When I stated that this was my life, it was not just a message for my brother; it was a realization I needed for myself as well.
Since the fire, I have spent too long floundering, longing for a place in this new life of mine. All that searching led me to a position where I felt safe letting people in who should have always been left in the dark. Being around the MC and watching how they formed their own family made me think that perhaps my life had been missing something this whole time. So, I decided to take a chance.
And look where it has led me. On the run from a psychopath I’ve never even met, resorting to grand theft auto just to flee the people I once relied on, all while my splintered heart barely beats on. It clings on desperately, akin to a useless hunk of flesh I wish could be torn from my chest. Anything would be better than this excruciating agony.
I step past the automatic doors and into the busy emergency waiting room. A surge of guilt hits me right in the stomach as I look around at all the sick, bleeding, and needy patients waiting to be seen. I was supposed to be clocked in over an hour ago, but that was before my world imploded.
Ignoring the curious stares from patients, I pin my eyes to the floor as I march toward the reception desk. As I approach, I glance up to see Maria and Miles both standing behind the desk, speaking with people who look beyond frustrated by the long wait. Miles notices me almost immediately and stops speaking to a patient mid-sentence as his eyes widen.
Glancing down at my disheveled appearance, a flush creeps up my neck in embarrassment. I look like I’ve been run over by a Mack truck when in reality, it was a five-foot-nothing master hacker plowing me over. My scrub pants are filthy from rolling around on the dirty pavement while being actively shot at. My white tank top is just as dingy and wrinkled.
Glancing toward one of the windows, I catch sight of my reflection and cringe. My curly hair is wild and tangled from the wind beating me on the way here. My eyes are puffy and red-rimmed, as is my nose. It’s blatantly obvious I’ve been bawling my eyes out.
Pulling my gaze away from myself, I catch sight of Miles again. His emerald eyes soften in concern before he raises his finger and quickly directs his patient over to Maria. Then, he rounds the desk and strides toward me.
Warmth flashes behind my eyes again as he approaches. My breath becomes unsteady as my tears threaten to resurface at the sight of my one and only friend coming to comfort me. I swallow thickly, trying desperately to squash the unwelcome emotions. Rolling my shoulders back, I strive to maintain my composure as I walk toward him, meeting him halfway.
“Where the hell have you been? You’re over an hour late for your shift and I’ve been calling—” Miles starts, but his words are cut off as I rush to him. I wrap my arms around his middle, squeezing him tightly as I bury my face in his chest. His light blue scrubs feel soft against my ruddy cheeks.
He seems taken aback for a moment before slowly wrapping his arms around me and hugging me back. His hand finds the back of my head, and his fingers start playing with my hair. A long sigh escapes from his chest as his nose finds the top of my head. “It’s okay, baby girl. Tell Miles what happened,” he coos.
I sniff and shake my head as I ward off my tears. Emotion clogs my throat, making it nearly impossible to speak, but still, I try. “Long story,” I choke and pull away. His arms tighten briefly as if he doesn’t want to let me go before he reluctantly releases me. His brown shaggy hair covers the worry lines marring his forehead as his dark eyes glimmer with kindness. “But it ends with a bunch of lies and me needing a place to stay,”
“It’s about time,” he murmurs. His eyes seem to unfocus for a moment before they crinkle around the edges, and his lips tick up in a small grin. I frown in return, not understanding why he seems happy that I need a place to stay.
But as he sees the look on my face, he shakes his head as his smile broadens. He wraps his arm around my shoulders and starts to lead me toward the reception desk.
“It’s about time for a sleepover at my place,” he states matter-of-factly. “Since our last one was so rudely interrupted.” He grins down at me so brightly that I have a hard time fighting off my own smile in return. Miles has always been able to make me smile, even when it’s the last thing in the world I want to do.
My heart jumps in my chest as a surge of grief almost overwhelms me. The realization that Miles is my only friend in the world right now makes my new Declan-shaped wound fester.
