I huffed under my breath. “Gimmie some credit, Bones. It was two guys. We do need to get out of here, though, ASAP.” I used my screwdriver, an excellent multipurpose tool, to press into the locking mechanism on Bones’s zip ties, loosening them and freeing him from the shelf. Gently, I helped Bones rise to his feet and handed him one of the handguns. He checked the magazine on the gun, noting how many rounds were left. I hope he was ambidextrous because his dominant hand was currently cradled against his chest.
Holding up the stolen phones, I asked, “Do you know how to take the computer chip thingy out of these phones?”
“Si.” Bones told me how to remove the chips, and I smashed the phones, hoping that was enough to render them useless, and pocketed the chips.
“Time to get the hell out of here,” I said, and with a nod from Bones, we rushed to the exit. I scanned the lot again, and when it seemed unchanged, Bones and I both moved toward the door at the same time, causing me to roll my eyes.
“Even concussed, I’m probably a better shot than you, and you’re injured. I’ll take point, and you can be the getaway driver.”
Without waiting for a response, I burst through the door and hustled Bones to the car. My eyes were open wide and searching for movement, ears perked up for sounds other than our breathing, ready for Pyro or the Baton Twirler to reappear and ruin our escape. I tossed the keys to Bones, who caught them one-handed and slid into the driver’s seat while I vigilantly watched the lot. The engine spluttered to life, and I rounded the hood of the car before sliding into the passenger seat. Bones threw the car into gear, and the next thing I knew, we were flying out of the parking lot and down the road.
“Where are you going? We don’t know where we are!” I buckled my seat belt because safety first, obviously.
“The hell away from here,” Bones bit out, jaw clenched. “We need to put some distance between us and those fuckers, then we can find a gas station or somewhere I can call Duke. You did real good back there, Indi.”
I grinned and sat up a little straighter in my seat. “Aw shucks, Bones, it was nothing.”
Bones pushed the old sedan as fast as it could go, the speedometer almost at its maximum speed. I rifled through the glove compartment to see if our kidnappers left anything cool in there. No such luck. Not even gum. Suddenly, bright red and blue lights burst into life behind us, causing Bones to groan in frustration and whack the steering wheel with the palm of his left hand.“Indi, put the guns and the screwdriver into the glove box and lock it now. Don’t speak. Just let me do the talking.Comprende?”
I dumped the weapons into the glove box, closed and locked it, and then mimed zipping my lips closed.
Bones pulled the car over to the side of the two-lane road we had been speeding down. The police officer slowed to a stop behind us as Bones shut off the engine and rolled down the driver’s side window. A uniformed officer climbed out of an SUV and walked over to us.
“Sir, I’m going to need your license and registration. Do you know how fast you were going?”
I leaned over the armrest between the seats. “Is there a problem, officer?”
Bones hissed at me under his breath to be quiet. “Unfortunately, Officer, I seem to have left home without my wallet. I apologize for speeding. I was just trying to get my…sister home. She’s sick.” Bones did his best to shield me from the officer’s eyes with his wide shoulders.
Overcome with emotion, I pressed my hands to my chest and gave Bones “aw, shucks” eyes. He called me his sister. I wasn’t sure about Bones the first time we met, seeing as how he attacked Sheila and tied me to a chair in Priest’s confessional. However, he quickly became one of my favorite Crows. Bones seemed toget mebetter than most did, and I challenged any girl not to form a bond with the man who pampered her van. It was impossible.
“Sir,” the officer commanded, bringing me back to the present, “that’s unfortunate about your sister. You were going ninety miles per hour in a fifty-five-mile-per-hour zone. I’m going to have to place you under arrest for reckless endangerment. Please exit the vehicle and put your hands behind your back.”Bones sighed and opened his door, steppingout of the vehicle and placing his hands behind his back. The officer reached for his cuffs, and I suddenly remembered Bones’s injured arm.
I waved my hands at the officer and yelled, “Hey! Officer, wait! Be careful with those, I think my brother’s right arm might be broken.” Unfortunately for me, I had forgotten that my hands were covered in patches of dried blood courtesy of Goon #1’s gaping neck wound.
“Ma’am, is that blood?”
Well, shit.
Chapter 3
Riordan
Ivan and I arrived at the Crow’s compound less than an hour after Indi had been taken. We’d been met by a stone-faced Duke, who accepted my offer to help increase their security until the Crows who were on a job could be recalled. So far, no one had asked how we knew there was trouble, but I was sure that conversation was on the horizon. We were unaware of the extent to which the MC had been hit, but the somber expressions on the faces of their members, coupled with the atmosphere of grief and anger that had settled over Los Cuervos, led me to believe there was more going on than a missing girl.
It had been a few hours since I’d stationed my men around the club perimeter, and according to Duke, Priest and his team should be back any minute. Not wanting to increase tensions as the club dealt with the attack, Ivan and I waited by my vehicle.“This changes things,sobrat,” Ivan said with a sigh. “I know you told Indigo you’d wait to tell yourfamily about her, but if you’re going to offer the Crows bratva assistance, you’ll need to tell them why. Your dad will want to know.”
I leaned back against the side of my Mercedes. “We’re temporarily assisting allies, garnering goodwill with a local MC. That falls under my purview as acting boss in Nevada.Otetsdoesn’t need to know yet.”
“Without your connection to the girl, we wouldn’t be here. The bratva and the Crows have had a ‘live and let live’ attitude about each other before now. When he hears about this, andhe will, he’ll have questions.” Ivan scanned the area, ever diligent about my safety. “It needs to come from you.”
I ran a hand through my hair, sighing. Ivan wasn’t wrong. Our operation in Nevada had always run smoothly, thanks in part to the wisdom of my predecessor, Daniil Savkin. Savkin suffered a massive stroke and died a few months ago, leading to my placement here. If I was upsetting the ecosystem in Nevada, my father would want to know why. “I told Indigo I’d wait till she was ready before informing our family about her.”
“Circumstances have changed, brother. I think she’ll understand.”
“What if…” I cleared my throat. Ivan wasn’t only my second; he was my best friend and like a brother to me. I knew he had my back, but it went against everything my father taught me to voice any insecurity or doubt aloud to others. “I can’t tell him about Indigo and then tell him she’s captured ordeadin the next breath. It’d be too cruel. He’s always felt responsible for Tatiana after everything that happened. Learning he has a niece, but that she’d been taken from him too…” I shook my head.
“Not to mention what your ma would fucking do to you for keeping Indigo a secret.” Ivan snickered.
