Brass had been a junkie when Link found him. And he was volatile when he used. He’d gotten stoned and smacked his girl around a few too many times until she finally kicked him to the curb and filed a restraining order. Link had taken the bastard in, helped get him off all that shit, and set him up with a job at the bar. Link had even promoted Brass to night manager when he saw how well he was doing. The motherfucker had repaid Link by skimming from the till.
I guess now we knew what he was using the money for.
I didn’t want Brass around Naomi at all, but especially not while he was using.
“What are we doing about it?” I asked. “Are you getting the money together?” I could cover a hundred thousand easily. Hell, I’d hand over every last penny in my bank account if it meant Naomi would come home safely.
“Fuck no. We can’t pay Brass off, you know that. Every dickwad in the country would think they can pull this shit off. Even if we did pay him, there’s no guarantee she’d be safe. Especially not if he’s using again. The son-of-a-bitch has to know we’re not just gonna roll over and hand him the money. Especially when we don’t trust him for shit. Our best bet is to find her. Fast.” His jaw tightened. “Tap, Morse, can you guys hack into the city’s cameras again? See if you can get a look at whatever vehicle he’s driving?”
“Already on it,” Tap replied.
Link turned on me. “And fuck you, Eagle. I told you she was off limits.”
“You sure did,” I agreed.
He rubbed at the back of his neck. “I should kick your ass out of the club for this.”
My relationship with Naomi had nothing to do with the club, and he wouldn’t kick me out for it. Link was nothing if not fair. We didn’t always see eye to eye, but we had common goals, and he appreciated the hours and money I put into the club. Link was one of the few people I actually trusted and considered a friend. I understood his anger, but he needed to get over it. “You do what you have to do, but it’s not gonna change shit.”
“Goddamn you,” he ranted. “I trusted you.”
Morse and Tap were busy on their computers while Wasp and Havoc made use of their cell phones, but every one of them were tuned into what was happening between me and Link. I didn’t want to have this conversation in front of them, but apparently, we were going to. “I know, and I broke that trust. But I’m not sorry, brother. Don’t ask me to pretend I am.”
“Brother? Don’t you fucking call me that while your knife’s still in my back.”
“No offense, Link, but this thing between me and Naomi doesn’t have shit to do with you. I couldn’t have stayed away from her any more than you could have stayed away from Emily. And ever since she told me about that ambush, I can’t sleep without seeing her fuckin’ death.”
“What ambush?” Link roared.
She hadn’t told him. She’d trusted me with something she hadn’t even told her brother. “Not my story to tell. I thought you knew already, or I wouldn’t have even said that much.”
“I don’t know what the fuck is going on around here. My sister’s been taken by someone who used to be a brother, who’s now demanding a hundred thousand dollars. Another brother knocked her up and is talking about some ambush I should know about. It’s like everyone’s lost their damn minds.”
“I think I have something, Link,” Morse said, cutting in.
We all stopped what we were doing and crowded his computer. On his screen, two men nabbed Naomi from the middle of a busy sidewalk, not even a block away, and stuffed her into a black cargo van. A couple stared after the van as it drove away, but nobody made a move to stop it or save the girl who clearly didn’t want to be driven off. Goddamn cowards. All of them.
“Is that a Chevy?” I asked. “Can you zoom in?”
Morse hit a couple of keys and we were looking at an enlarged view of the back of the van.
“GMC Savana,” Wasp read aloud, already typing it into his phone. “Read me off the license plate, will you?”
Tap called out the letters and digits as Wasp finished typing.
My phone pinged with his group text. We now had a vehicle and a plate. Needing to get out there and join the search, I headed for the door.
“Where the fuck do you think you’re going?” Link asked, grabbing my arm.
Just as keyed up as he was, I glared back at him. “My woman and my kid are in danger. I’m gonna go help find them.”
He kept a hold on my arm, glaring. “We’re not done with this conversation.”
No, we definitely weren’t, but the only thing that mattered right now was finding Naomi and getting her home safe. I met his glare. “Let me go, Link,” I growled.
“You better not fuck her over, Eagle,” he said.
Then he released my arm and I rushed out of his office.
