But in those situations, my boy wasn’t fucking missing.

  My heart, my soul, my life wasn’t fucking MIA.

  When I got the same message again, I clenched my jaw, grinding my teeth together. I lurched forward and gripped the front of Shaw’s shirt, slamming him against the wall. His head bounced off of it, and he winced, but he didn’t try to fight me back. He just calmly met my gaze and even shook his head at Arlo when Arlo got up, passing the baby off to Frankie.

  “Where is he?” I snarled. I shook him. “Where the fuck is he?!” I roared. They’d sent my boy out by himself to gather intel on a dangerous as fuck trafficking ring, which I had no doubt had big players. Big players with big enough pockets to make my boy completely disappear. I wasn’t playing fucking games.

  “He went to gather intel on Jeffrey Dorman,” Shaw told me calmly. I wanted to bash his head through the wall. How the fuck was he so calm? I noticed Amaliya come down the stairs, her eyes wide and filled with horror as she took in the scene in front of her. “If he’s not answering his burner, he could just be in a place he can’t. It doesn’t mean he’s in danger, Gunner.”

  I leaned in close to him, narrowing my eyes at him. “One thing to know about my boy, Shaw, is that he will always answer my calls. He may be a brat and an asshole to you five, but he’s not to me.” I shoved away from him, backing up into Jax. I hadn’t even heard him come up behind me. My muscles locked, ready to swing on him if he touched me.

  “What’s going on?” Jax demanded, looking between me and Shaw, his brows furrowed.

  “He’s losing his shit because Ace isn’t answering his phone,” Arlo said like I was just being overdramatic.

  Jax frowned and pulled his burner out, flipping it open. I watched as he punched in Ace’s number before he raised the phone to his ear. After a minute, he clenched his jaw and ended the call, his fingers tightening around the phone.

  “He wouldn’t ignore my call either, Shaw, and you know it,” Jax growled. He looked at me. “Let’s go.”

  “I’ll come⁠—”

  “No,” I barked at Arlo. He sneered at me, but I didn’t give two fucks how he felt. He’d had a problem with me since second fucking zero, and I didn’t have time for his shit. “You can sit your ass right here,” I snarled. Turning, I stormed out of the clubhouse, the door banging against the wall with the force I slung it open with. Jax quickly followed me out, his phone to his ear. Judging by his conversation, he was more than likely telling Blakely, his old lady, what was going on.

  “I need to make another phone call,” he told me as we jumped into my truck, both of us slamming the doors at the same time. “I’m calling in a favor.” He looked at me. “It might cost us something, but Rico knows what he’s doing.”

  I shook my head as I peeled off the lot, hitting the highway in the direction Jax pointed, gunning my engine. “Do whatever. No cost is too high to find Ace.”

  Jax nodded and dialed a number, putting it on speaker. “Jax,” a man drawled. “Don’t hear from you much anymore, brother. What’s up?”

  “I have you on speaker,” Jax told him, clearly a warning to watch what he said if he didn’t want me hearing in. “We’re on a secure line.”

  “Who’s with you?” the man, who I assumed was Rico, demanded. He had a slight accent—maybe Mexican? But it was very faint.

  “Gunner, Ace’s… Papa,” he said after a moment. Rico hummed in acknowledgement. “Ace is missing, Rico. He’s not answering his burner, and he hasn’t called back yet. Something is wrong. Can you track him?”

  “Yeah.” There was some movement on the other end, and then, there was the sound of keys being pressed in rapid-fire succession. Jax pointed to a road up ahead, and I slowed down just enough to make the turn safely before I pressed my foot down on the accelerator again.

  What if we didn’t make it to Ace in time? My heart threatened to shred itself apart at the mere thought. Not finding him in time was not an option. I refused to even consider it.

  “Got it,” Rico announced a couple of minutes later. “They’re headed into Canada. I can send men to intercept. I’m thinking Ace got kidnapped.”

  My heart dropped to my stomach, and sheer training kept me from freaking the fuck out and vomiting. I tightened my hands around the steering wheel, my knuckles turning white as I tried to quell the shaking in them.

  Kidnapped.

  I’d failed him. I’d promised to always protect him, and now, he was kidnapped. He was probably scared—though I knew he’d never show it to his captors—and fearful he’d never see me again.

  I’m coming, baby boy. Just hang on for me. Hang in there, sweet boy. Papa’s coming.

  “Can you send me the tracking info?” Jax asked, his jaw pulsing with anger.

  “Yeah, sending it now,” Rico told him. “Be safe. By the time you reach Ace, my men should already be there, ready for your command. Don’t die, Jax.”

  Jax snorted. “Noted. Thanks, brother. We owe you one.”

  “Nah,” Rico said. Jax blinked, but other than that, there was no surprise in his face. “I like Ace. And I don’t want to see him lost in this trafficking shit. Bring him home, Jax.”

  With that, he ended the call. Jax called Shaw, filling him in, keeping the conversation short and abrupt. “Ace has been kidnapped. Headed into Canada. Rico is sending men. We’re on our way.”

  “I’ll call Konrad and⁠—”

  “No,” Jax snapped. “We don’t have time to wait for everyone to get to the clubhouse and for you to hit the road. Gunner and I will handle this. We’ll be fine.”

  Shaw sighed. “Jax, we don’t know Gunner like that⁠—”

  “I trust him,” Jax told him, his tone revealing his annoyance. “And Ace trusts him. I need to go. Keep your phone close.”

  With that, Jax hung up. Then, he grabbed his personal phone and tapped on his screen a couple of times before he handed it to me. “Ace is the red dot,” he informed me. “Directions are set up to get to him.”

  I nodded once, feeling like I could breathe now that I had a tangible location for my boy in front of me. I glanced at Jax. “I have weapons under the backseat. You mind putting them together? We’re going to need them. I’m taking out every son of a bitch I can. No one takes my boy from me and lives to tell the tale.”

  Jax nodded and unbuckled his seatbelt, climbing into the backseat. He whistled low when he pulled up the backseat, revealing the duffel bag of assault rifles and ammunition I had there. “Worried about an apocalypse?” he asked as he pulled the duffel out. He flipped the seat back down and rested the bag on the seat, reaching inside and pulling out parts.

  “It was the only way I could keep a somewhat peace of mind after I was released from the military,” I told him honestly.

  He nodded. “I get that.” He glanced up at me as he pulled gun parts out of the bag. “I’m glad Ace found you. He needs someone like you. You… make him happy. And he’s been miserable for a long time, Gunner.”

  I sighed, my heart squeezing in my chest for my boy. “I know. He’s going to be a mess when we get our hands on him, Jax.” But I would take care of him. I would do whatever it took to make my boy feel safe again.

  “I know,” he said quietly. “He puts up a front, but unlike the others, I’ve always been able to see right through it. He self-destructs because if he hurts himself before someone else can hurt him, it doesn’t hurt as bad.”

  I clenched my jaw. “You’re pretty insightful for such a quiet bastard.”

  Jax snorted. “I observe. And I’m pretty detached from my own emotions. I can see everything a bit more clinically.” He looked up at me. “The moment I saw you protecting Ace, the way Ace let you touch him without freaking the fuck out, I knew you were here to stay.” He glanced out the window at the passing trees. “We’re going to find him, Gunner. And I’ll help you slaughter every mother fucker in our path.”

  Good. Because I was ready to spill blood.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Ace

  My skull was pounding something fierce as I slowly dragged myself out of the darkness. My jaw was throbbing, the pain rattling through my teeth and down my throat. I could even feel the low throb of it in my fucking ear canal.

  “Oh, he’s waking up,” a deep voice crooned, but not in a soft, soothing way. It was condescending and cold. It made shivers of trepidation slide down my spine.

  And it immediately made my eyes snap open. Bright light assaulted my eyeballs, making me hiss a breath through my teeth and wince. I blinked rapidly, trying to force my eyes to quickly adjust. When they did, I turned my head and looked at Johnny Dorman, my lips curling in a sneer at the sight of his sick, twisted face.

  I tried moving my wrists, but they were bound to the surface I was lying on. My heart slammed against my chest bone, fear gnawing at my insides. When I tried moving my ankles, I realized they were bound, too. Vomit swirled in my gut, and when he reached forward, tracing my jaw, I had to swallow bile. My stomach was revolting, and my body began trembling despite the bravado I was forcing.

  “You really do have such a pretty face and a perfect mouth,” Dorman murmured, tracing my bottom lip with the pad of his thumb. I turned my head away, and he gripped my jaw, forcing my head back around so I was forced to look up at him. I swallowed more bile. “I’ve got a few clients who would love to break you and force you to bend to their will.”

  “Fuck you,” I sneered, fear clawing at my throat. “And get your goddamn hands off of me.”

  Dorman’s face twisted into a sneer. Clearly, he had no patience, and I was going to use it to my advantage. I’d mouth off until he killed me before I allowed myself to become a rape victim again. Before I ever allowed this son of a bitch to sell me off to the highest bidder.

  Death was always the better option. Going through all that shit a second time would destroy me.

  “While other men—and some women—might enjoy the mouth you’ve got on you, Ace Journey,” my teeth clenched at the sound of my full name, “I do not. Don’t test me, boy.”

  I snorted. “So, you what—personally kidnapped me and you can’t handle me? Is that it? Not man enough to⁠—”

  His fist connected with my cheek. My head slammed to the side, and my teeth cut into the soft flesh of my mouth, blood welling on my tastebuds. Another of his fists rained down, smacking me in the temple. And then another. And another. I laughed and laughed, blood spilling from my mouth and pooling on the metal table until finally, blessed darkness wrapped me in its comforting arms.

  “Gunner?” I called, dragging my hand down the wall. The hallway was so fucking dark. And it seemed never-ending. There were no doors. No windows. Where was the goddamn exit?

  “Just keep following my voice, baby. I’m here. I’m always here.”

  Tears welled in my eyes and spilled down my cheeks at the sound of his strong, steady voice. Pain exploded in my rear end, and I screamed, my legs trembling and threatening to give out on me. Vomit crawled up my esophagus, and I choked as it poured from my lips, spilling down my bare skin.

  Why was I naked? Where did my clothes go? I looked down at my body, panicked.

  “Papa?” I cried, sobbing. Everything hurt. My head was going to explode. I screamed again when my hole was forcefully stretched open, and I retched again. My legs gave out beneath me, and something pinned them down. “Papa!” I screamed.

  Where the fuck was my Papa?

  “I’m coming, Ace baby. I’m coming for you. I swear to you, I’m coming. And when I do, I’m slaughtering everyone who put their hands on you, sweet boy. Just hang on for me.”

  I jerked awake, a scream tearing from my abused throat as I just got stretched wider and wider. “Shut him up,” someone growled. A rag was stuffed over my nose, and then, everything went dark again.

  A rough slap dragged me awake. I groaned, the stench of vomit stinging my nostrils. I ached everywhere, especially in my ass and my face. My hands and ankles were bound again, but this time, they were just bound together and not to the table, which gave me a little bit of mobility. I’d have to be smart about getting the fuck out of this mess.

  “Wake up, boy,” Dorman snarled, slapping me again.

  I spit in his general direction, laughing when I heard him mutter a curse right before his hand wrapped around my throat, cutting off my airflow. I blinked up at him through blurry eyes, darkness threatening to pull me under again. I was extremely weak and tired, and I just wanted to sleep.

  I needed to sleep.

  “Go fuck yourself,” I slurred, my words strangled. My eyelids were too heavy to fight against.

  “Don’t you⁠—”

  The loud explosion of gunshots rang out from the hall. Dorman jerked back from me and rushed for another door away from the hall, running like the coward he truly was. Gritting my teeth, I rolled, then rolled again until my body dropped from the table and landed on the floor with a loud thud that knocked the breath from my lungs. I was pretty sure I bruised a few ribs, too.

  I bit back a whimper, trying to force myself to breathe. I couldn’t just lay there and be a sitting target. I had no idea who the fuck was here, but I needed to find cover. Because if it was an enemy and not someone here to help me… well, I could find myself in a much more dangerous situation than the one I was currently in.

  When I moved, my vision blurred, the pain in my skull threatening to take me under, but I forced my eyes open wider. I couldn’t give in. Not yet. I needed to get these bindings loose and get the fuck out of here.

  I wiggled across the floor like a caterpillar, having to stop every few seconds to remember to breathe. To not pass out. To not vomit all over myself again. The pain was damn near about to drag me under. And I was pretty sure I was bleeding rectally, which definitely wasn’t a good thing.

  Boots thumped into the room—two sets. I paused, holding my breath, willing myself not to make a single move or sound.

  “Ace?”

  I burst into tears, sobs tearing from my throat. “Papa?” I cried, slumping to the floor. He was here. He’d come, just like he’d promised in my dream, though I hadn’t dared to believe it. But he was here. He’d come for me.

  I could give in now. I could give into the pain and the nausea and the fear. Because he was here, and he would keep me safe.

  “Got Dorman,” I heard Jax announce. I turned my head to the side, blinking through blurry eyes filled with tears as Jax dragged Dorman out of the room he’d disappeared into by the back of his shirt, an assault rifle slung over his shoulders.

  “Good. Hold him. Ace?” Gunner called again, his boots thumping across the floor.

  “O-Over h-here,” I choked out, my vision becoming dark around the edges again.

  Gunner rushed around the table and dropped to his knees next to me, quickly rolling me over and sitting me up. His jaw was clenched, his eyes burning with fear and concern and anger as he yanked his knife from his belt and cut my bindings. Immediately, I clung to him, sobbing as I buried my face in his neck.

  “Can you walk, baby?” he roughly asked. I shook my head. I didn’t think my legs would hold me up. “Alright, sweet boy. Just hold on to me, okay? Can you do that?” When I nodded, he pressed a kiss to my temple and stood from the floor, his arms beneath me, cradling me to his chest. He looked at Jax. “Make him fucking suffer. I need to get Ace out of here and to a hospital.”

  Jax nodded, a chilling smile tilting his lips. With that, Gunner quickly left the room. Immediately, two men I didn’t recognize flanked us, rifles at the ready as Gunner rushed to the nearest exit. I just quietly cried into his neck, not daring to look up, not wanting anyone to see how much of a mess I was. It was bad enough that Jax had seen how bad off I was.

  Sunlight suddenly warmed my skin, and then, Gunner was depositing me into his truck. He slung his rifle into the backseat, then ripped his shirt over his head, draping it over my body. Once I was buckled in, he closed my door and pulled his phone from his pocket, calling someone as he rounded the truck.

  “Yeah?” Jax asked, sounding a little winded but… cheerful? I heard a gurgle. “Just finishing up.”

  “That was fast,” Gunner grunted as he shifted the truck into drive and peeled away. He set the phone on the middle console and reached over, grabbing my hand in his and lacing our fingers together. His bare arm flexed as he fishtailed onto the highway, speeding toward… somewhere. God, my head hurt. “Meet me at the hospital?”

  “Yeah. Which one?”

  “The one we passed about five miles from the warehouse,” Gunner told him. I moaned in pain when he hit a rough bump. My head slumped back, darkness threatening to drag me under again. “Ace baby, hang on for me. Don’t go to sleep.”

  “I’ll be there shortly. I’ll take Dorman’s vehicle and have Arlo come grab it and get rid of it.”

  “Sounds good,” Gunner told him before he ended the call. “Baby boy, talk to me. Please. You’re so pale.”

  “Don’t feel good,” I muttered. My words were too slurred. I was going to pass out, and I couldn’t stop it any longer. “Everything hurts. I don’t think I can stay awake, Papa.”

  “Ace baby⁠—”

  My vision went dark, and peace finally settled over me.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Gunner

  Jax grunted and shifted around in the driver’s seat. Ace lifted his head from my shoulder enough to look at him before tucking his face back into the curve of my neck. He’d been in the hospital for a few hours—just overnight—before Jax and I snuck him out. They’d managed to stop his rectal bleeding, and Rico had stopped by with pain meds for Ace that he took out of his own supply that apparently, he normally sold.

  I didn’t care. Didn’t ask questions. As long as it was safe for Ace to take and it kept him out of pain, I’d turn a blind eye.

  When I asked Jax if he could be trusted, Jax had told me yes. And honestly, I trusted Jax’s judgment. He wasn’t one to beat around the bush, and he was so damn blunt, I didn’t think he was capable of lying to anyone. He just, quite frankly, didn’t give enough of a fuck to do so.

 

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