For a second, his grip on me loosens and I use his distraction to bring my fist down hard behind me. His grunt of pain tells me I hit him squarely in the balls. His arm holding the cloth against me loosens and I stumble away from him, feeling dizzy and lightheaded. For a moment, I see two of my attacker but then it becomes clear who it is.
“You!” I snarl as I try to stay upright.
“Yes, it’s me, my little Songbird, and now you’re mine.”
“I’ll never be yours,” I slur and then my eyes widen when he pulls something out of his pocket. I try to run, but I stumble, falling to the floor. The next second, electricity runs through my body and I try to cry out, but I don’t know if I actually make any sound at all.
My sluggish brain conjures an image of Anthony and I mentally tell him I’m sorry. That I shouldn’t have pushed Nathan away earlier. As dark spots dance across my vision, my last thought is that this is all my fault. My body crumbles as the darkness swallows me and I barely register a strong arm catching me as I fall.
Chapter 79
Reaper
Igrunt,strugglingwithgetting a bolt off as I work under the hood of a Chevy Camaro. Suddenly, the air around me seems cooler than usual and an icy chill runs down my spine as I swear I hear Lark’s voice in my ear saying ‘I’m sorry’. Standing, I look around, but nothing seems out of the ordinary. Mark is in the bay next to me working on the engine of a Mazda 3 and Rick is working on a F-150 muffler.
Walking over to my workstation, I wipe the grease off my hands and check my phone, but there’s no messages. I dial Lark’s number, needing to know she’s alright, but it goes to voicemail. I try again and again, but each time it goes to voicemail.
Fuck.
I’m about to dial Python when suddenly Nathan’s name pops up on my screen.
“Pres, I’m sorry. It’s all my fault,”he sputters right as I pick up his call.
“Woah, woah, woah. Slow down. What’s all your fault?”
“Lark! She’s gone and it’s all my fault.”
Another trickle of ice slides down my spine at the panic in his voice and numbness spreads throughout me. A second later, that numbness is replaced with fire as determination fills me. I will get whoever the fuck put their hands on my woman and they will bleed for what they’ve done.
“What happened?”I damn near growl into the phone as I walk out the back door and toward my truck.
“They needed a new keg from the backroom and I got up to follow Lark like you wanted me to when she just snapped. She just wanted five minutes alone, which I get since we’ve been tailing her nonstop. She said we already secured the back rooms and Drake was watching the back door. No one should have been able to get in so I caved. A minute later though, I got a bad feeling so I went to check on her. Her keys were in the door, but she wasn’t there. I went out back and found Drake lying on the ground with a dart in his neck. I looked around but I couldn’t find any clue back here as to who it could have been. I’m so sorry, Pres.”
“Get back to the clubhouse with Drake. We’ll talk later about your punishment.”
“Understood, Pres.”
Hanging up with him, I start my truck and dial Python. Thankfully, he picks up right away.“Lark’s gone. Are her trackers active?”
“Fuck,”he curses and I hear papers shift around before the sound of keys clicking comes over the line.“Fuck,”he curses again and my heart drops.“Her cut and purse are pinging from the tavern still. He’s ditched her phone somewhere down the lane of the tavern and a bit later down the road are her boots. Some of her jewelry is pinging from your house. She could have more on, but the signal could be jammed.”He pauses againand my heart sinks even lower.“Pres, her injected tracker isn’t coming online. He has to have a jammer.”
“Fuck,”I curse as I run a hand through my hair.“I’m on my way back to the clubhouse. Scour the footage and see what you can get from it. Put a message out to everyone—Mandatory Church now.”
“Will do,”he replies and the line goes dead.
“Fuck,” I curse again as I clutch my phone so hard my knuckles turn white.
I speed through town toward the clubhouse and make it there in record time. My tires skid as I pull to a stop in front of the clubhouse and stalk inside and into Church.
I shut the door hard behind me and turn to face my brothers, all of whom look like they’re ready to rip someone apart with their bare hands. Python and Smoke’s focus is glued to their monitors; three laptops surround each of them. My gaze cuts to Nathan nearby and realize Devil must have told him to attend. I’m pissed as fuck at him, but he isn’t the only one at fault right now.
“Update?” I all but bark as I fight my instincts to be out hunting for the asshole that took my woman.
Python motions toward the screen and I pull it down.
The security footage of the tavern pops up and out of the corner of my eye, I catch Nathan hanging his head when the argument he and Lark had plays.
As Lark unlocks and opens the door to the backroom, I damn near growl when I see someone step out of the shadows behind her, dressed in an oversized hoodie and with a ballcap pulled down low over his face. He places a cloth over her mouth as he grabs her.
