Dead Souls MC (Complete Series #1-5), page 80
“We got her. Let’s get the hell out of here.”
And then, the entire world went black.
14
Brynn
The second I heard the fighting happening, I knew we were in trouble. I heard several pairs of boots falling on the floor and I knew Diesel was drastically outnumbered. My hands searched around in the closet for anything I could defend myself with. Anything I could use to gain the upper hand if they got to me.
Because I knew they would. Diesel was strong, but he wasn’t that strong.
I moved around on the small closet floor, my hands rumbling over all sorts of things. Shoes. Socks. Dirty fucking underwear. Yikes. So gross. I reached up and felt around in the clothes hanging from the hangers, but the only thing even remotely close to a weapon was the hanger itself. I pulled shirts from them, trying to find a nice heavy wooden one or a wire one I could untwist and stab into someone’s stomach.
But all he had were the cheap plastic dollar-store ones.
Fucking hell, Diesel. Really?
The sound of crashing glass made me jump and I looked through the slats of the closet. I saw someone coming into Diesel’s bedroom through the window he had pressed me against earlier. I shuffled to the back of the closet, scooting off to the side so I had the slightest bit of wall to cover me up. I held my breath, trying not to cry as I listened to Diesel fight off what seemed like three or four different men.
I dug into my pockets to see if my cell phone was there, until I looked through the slats of the closet and saw it on the floor.
Of course, it would be on the damn floor.
I heard multiple sets of footsteps approaching me and I fell as quiet as I could. Given all the noise I heard, there had to be several guys in the apartment. While I could take on one guy myself, with my martial arts training, I wasn’t sure I would be able to hold my own against three men. Every muscle in my body tightened as a war raged outside Diesel’s bedroom door. I curled my legs against me, making myself as small as I could within the shadows of the closet. The only defense I had was camouflage. The only thing I had at my disposal was not being seen. Because if they saw me--whoever they were--I had no way to fight them all off.
I saw their shadows. It darkened the already-dark bedroom. It cast a heinous darkness upon the closet through the small slats. My entire body shook as I bit down onto my lower lip. Every time I heard Diesel grunt or groan, I wanted to rush to him. To help him in any way I could. I knew he was hurt. I knew he was aching. And I wanted to help him. To get to him. To save him in any way I could.
But I was trapped by the predator standing outside of the closet.
When the shadow shifted, I thought I was okay. I figured whoever it was had turned their sights onto Diesel. Until the closet door ripped open and a body stepped in. I looked up and saw a face staring straight down at me, and I did the only thing I knew to do.
“Diesel!”
The man grinned at me before he reached down and wrenched at my arm. I struggled to get away from his grasp, but he slammed the butt of his gun against my head. My body fell limp as he dragged me out behind him, like a fucking caveman with the woman he had claimed as his own for the night. The room spun as my legs stumbled underneath me, but I somehow found the strength to call out for him again.
“Diesel! Help me! Please!”
I looked over briefly and saw Diesel on the ground. Men stood around him, kicking him and spitting on him. I tried to scramble to him, but the man had a grip on my arm so tight it brought tears to my eyes. I knocked up against Diesel’s dresser and felt the sharp corner penetrate my skin. Blood trickled down the back of my arm.
“Brynn?”
Diesel’s voice caught my attention before the man shoved me towards the window. I sure as hell wasn’t going out that thing with him. It was a fucking two-story drop! I planted my hands and knees into the wall and pushed back into him, forcing him to use all of his strength to get me to move.
“No! Stop it, you son of a bitch!” I exclaimed.
“Brynn!”
I whipped my head around at the sound of his voice. He was closer. No longer impeded by a wall or a structure. But the distraction gave the man behind me what he needed, and soon my body was falling out the window with his. I reached up for the window, my body plummeting to the ground as the man kept a tight hold on me.
We hit the grass in the back of Diesel’s apartment complex and I felt my ankles burning. The man continued to tug me towards a car and I lost all sense of what was happening. I was scared. My body ached. My heart thundered in my chest and my body felt heavy and lighter-than-air at the same time. The apartment grew farther away, and I watched as Diesel’s face appeared in the window.
“Diesel!”
Then, someone appeared behind him.
I tried to call out to him, but the man stuffed me into the back of a car. The door slammed and I scrambled to my knees, pushing myself towards the door on the other side. I reached for the handle and jiggled it, trying to open it as best as I could. I rose up onto my elbows and fiddled with the lock, pressing down onto its feature to get the damn door to open up for me.
But it wasn’t budging. I couldn’t unlock the door.
I was trapped.
I heard the driver’s side door open up before the man got in. He cranked the car up and sped away from the apartment complex, the tires of the car squealing. I laid there for a second to catch my breath and gather myself. Because in the grand scheme of things, this wasn’t the worst situation to be in. My arms weren’t bound and neither were my legs. There were no bars or cage separating me from the man driving. All I had to do was find a way to incapacitate him, then I could toss him out and ride the car back into town.
I gathered myself, walked myself through my own plan, then threw it into motion.
I bolted upright and wrapped my arm around the man’s neck. He began to choke and weave, the car tires careening us in all sorts of directions. His nails raked along my forearm and I tried to ignore the pain. Tried to ignore the searing, burning sensation that came with him tearing my flesh open. I switched arms when the pain became too much and he continued to choke. What I wouldn't give to press his own damn gun to the side of his head. I saw his hand trying to reach out for something and I figured that was what he was going for. His gun.
But the second I saw his gun still holstered on his hip, I began to worry.
My eyes looked around the car as it weaved and bobbed out of the complex. The man was almost out. All I had to do was keep up my strength long enough to get him to pass out. My mind wafted back to Diesel. To the man that had appeared behind him. Was Diesel dead? Had those men killed him? The idea made me sick to my stomach. But allowing my mind to wander loosened my grip around the man’s neck just enough for him to breathe and catch his strength.
And soon, I felt a needle being jammed into my arm.
“What the fuck!?” I exclaimed.
I ripped back from the man before my head started feeling fuzzy.
“Sit the fuck down, bitch,” the man said.
My body wavered. My head spun. The world felt like it was tilting on its axis and my limbs felt heavy. I slumped against the backseat of the car, trying to fight the drug as best as I could. What had he shot me up with? Was it poison? Was I about to die? My body fell to the disgusting seats of the car as crumbs stuck to my face. I heard the man laughing to himself. Like he was proud of his work.
“Rex mentioned how feisty you were,” the man said.
Tears rushed my eyes as I finally put all of the pieces together. Diesel was right. The Black Saddles had been after me, and we’d left ourselves vulnerable. We spent too much time wrapped up in reliving the past and licking old wounds closed that we hadn’t thought about protecting ourselves.
Tears dribbled onto the seat as my eyes grew heavy.
I tried to stay conscious. I tried to stay alert. My hand reached out for the door to try and pull myself up to see where we were going. Anything to give me any inclination as to what would happen next. I breathed heavily with exertion. The drug was spiraling me into a darkened abyss I knew I wouldn't be able to fight. If I could just… pull… myself…
“Fucking hell, Rex was right. You really do know how to put up a fight.”
I felt another piercing needle blow straight into my side. Right between my ribs as I moaned out in pain. Tears flooded my vision as more of the sedative rushed through my veins and I tumbled to the seat. I knocked my cheek on the handle of the door on my way down, my cheek slumped as drool and tears poured down my skin.
“There. That’ll do you a bit of good,” the man said.
Darkness took over my vision and my fear grew. I was helpless. Defenseless. And now? I was without Diesel as well. All of the things my father taught me to use to defend myself in situations like the one I’d found myself in were worthless if I couldn't move. My breathing became numb and my body went ice cold. The car careened to a stop and I tumbled off the seat, falling to the floorboards. My spine cracked against the seat and I groaned. It was the only thing I could do. Make pathetic sounds in a feeble attempt to get someone to hear me.
But the darkness was closing in, and no amount of fight I had within me would rush that drug through my system any quicker.
“Diesel,” I said breathlessly. “Help.”
Then, darkness swallowed me whole.
15
Diesel
I woke up panting with my cheek planted into the carpet of my apartment. Birds started chirping even though the sun hadn’t risen yet. I pressed my hands into the floor and groaned as I hoisted myself into the air. What the fuck had happened? Why the hell was I on the damn floor?
Then, everything came rushing back at once.
I looked up and saw my broken window and scrambled to my feet. I stumbled over to it and leaned out, looking every which way I could. My mind was still in a haze. My legs still felt weak. My jaw hurt and my ribs hurt and my back fucking screaming out in pain.
“Brynn!” I roared.
But all I heard were the chirping of birds.
I pushed myself off the railing of the window and stumbled over to my phone. Fucking hell, I needed to get my feet underneath me. I scrolled through my contacts and pressed down onto Grave’s number before I held the phone to my ear. It rang and it rang, and I almost hung up to try and call back.
Until his gruff voice came over the phone.
“What?” he asked.
“Brynn’s gone,” I said.
“What?” he asked again.
“They came into my fucking apartment, drugged me, and took her,” I said.
I heard shuffling and the sound of Everly’s muffled voice before Grave came back on the line.
“What happened, Diesel?” he asked.
“I don’t have time. Call the guys. Get their asses to the lodge. Once I can shake this drug from me, we have to figure out where the fuck we go from here. Get Rock’s ass out of bed. We’re going to need his help.”
Then, I hung up the phone and blasted a text message to the Black Hornets.
I sure as hell wasn’t about to tell Dean over the damn phone that his daughter had been taken. I reached down and pulled a shirt from my floor and slid it over my head. The more I walked, the more I got my legs underneath me. But I grabbed the pot of stale coffee and tossed it back anyway. I tossed my leather cut over my shoulders and grabbed my shit, then looked around for my fucking gun.
I grabbed it and holstered it at my side before walking straight out of the front door those assholes had walked through.
The faster I rode to the lodge, the higher the sun became. And every minute I rode through the desert was a minute Brynn was still in their grasp. The wind whipping through my hair and wrapping around my body pulled me from my drug-addled state, and I pushed my bike as fast as it could go to get to the guys quicker. Motorcycles rumbled off in the distance, revving their engines at top speeds. Dust kicked up and the wind circled it around, causing sand tornadoes I dodged at every turn.
Even the Earth was rebelling at the fact that Brynn was gone.
I skidded into my parking space and kicked down the kickstand of my bike. I strode up to the lodge and burst through the front door as anger rushed through my veins. The guys were all there and they stood to their feet, taking me in as I drew a deep breath through my nose.
But before I could address them, I heard a very familiar voice.
“Where the fuck is my daughter?”
“Dean, now isn’t the time to argue. We have to find--”
His fist connected with my jaw and the brawl began. I stood to my feet and cocked my fist back, bringing it down into the old man’s cheek. He fisted my cut and barreled me into the wall of our lodge, knocking over chairs and breaking dishes. The Black Hornets tried to peel him off me, but it was no use. His fist came down into my chest before I head-butted him, busting his nose and watching his blood flow forth.
“Cut it the fuck out!” Knox exclaimed.
I went to lunge for Dean as he wrapped his arms around me.
“Dean. Stop. This isn’t gonna help.”
I watched a tall, built man wrap his arms around Dean and pull him back. My nostrils flared, taking in the smell of Dean’s blood trickling down his face. I was out for revenge. I was out for heads. I was ready to take lives and set the damn city on fire just to watch it burn if it got me Brynn back. And if Dean stood in my way, he’d be the first to ignite.
“Breathe,” Knox said as he pulled me back. “Breathe, Diesel.”
“Get off me, Jace,” Dean said.
He shoved the tall man off him before bringing the back of his hand to his nose. He wiped at the blood as Knox’s arms fell from my body and I tugged on my jacket. I eyed every single one of the Black Hornets. I committed all of their faces to memory. My mind was digesting everything at once. Reading everyone at once in a feeble attempt to figure out what my next move was when it came to getting Brynn back.
“How the hell could I have been so stupid,” Dean said.
His eyes turned back to me as the bleeding of his nose stopped
“I should’ve known you would’ve gotten reckless. Unable to control yourself around my daughter. I should’ve known the past the two of you had would’ve made you vulnerable to the one thing you said you could protect her from!”
Dean lunged at me again, but Jace caught him around his chest.
“Let me go!” Dean exclaimed.
“Use your energy to find her. Not tear him apart. He doesn’t have her. It’ll do you no good,” Jace said.
“I suggest you listen to the muscle with eyes,” I said.
“Let’s try not to insult them any further, huh?” Knox asked.
I panned my gaze over to him and felt my blood boil. Who the fuck did he think he was?
“The only way we’re getting Brynn back is if we work together,” Jace said.
“He’s right,” Rock said. “So, Diesel. You gotta walk us through what the fuck happened at your place tonight. Starting with what happened after you two left the bar.”
“The bar?” Dean asked. “She was at your bar!?”
Dean lunged at me yet again and Jace had to hold him back. I had to give him props, for being as tall as he was, he was fast. But before I could start in on my story, the main phone at our lodge rang.
And I froze.
The only people who had access to that number were standing in the lodge. And none of those people included anyone from the Black Hornets.
Fuck.
I’d almost forgotten about Mick and his rat-like ways. For all I knew, he’d given that damn number out to every single one of those Black Saddle fucks. If that man were still alive, I’d put a bullet right in his dick. The ringing of the phone pulled me from the darkness of my anger and started my legs on a journey towards the phone.
“Fucking Mick,” Brewer said behind me.
“I got this,” Rock said as he reached into his satchel.
“Who the hell’s Mick?” Dean asked.
“The reason why you’re helping us,” I said as I picked up the phone. “Rock, you ready?”
“Pick up the phone and give me ten seconds. Then, I’ll have that damn call tracing,” he said.
I put the call on speakerphone and rose my finger to my lips. Everyone in our fucking lodge needed to shut their mouths. I didn’t answer the person automatically. I took the time to listen to the sounds that came through the second I picked up the call. There was shuffling and some muffled words. Something crashed in the background and raked against the floor. The sounds were hollow. Not close by. So, wherever this person was calling from, they were in a wide space.
Which ruled out The Black Saddles lodge.
“Get off me!”
The second I heard Brynn’s voice my eyes whipped up to Dean. He pushed away from Jace’s grasp and came barreling for the phone, but I wouldn't give it to him. Every sound that came pouring forth was more information I could use to track her down. And the anger in Dean’s eyes when I pulled the phone away from him could’ve sparked the fire that burnt this entire place down. I put my finger back to my lips before I held the phone between us, hoping and praying the man could contain himself long enough to keep quiet.
“Anyone gonna answer me?” the voice asked.
But not just any voice.
Rex.
His voice echoed. Kind of like when someone’s standing in a bathroom. Which meant there was no carpet or anything around to absorb the sound. Large space. Echoes. That meant the walls and the flooring were things like cement. Or metal. Or tile. But not at their lodge.
“Maybe,” I said. “Depends on who I’m speaking with.”
“Don’t act like you don’t know who this is,” Rex said.
“It’s easy for me to forget the names of those that don’t matter.”
