“Shit,” I cursed, sliding further into the chair, the leather cool against my skin. “Cerberus said the Death Dogs have Karlyn.”
Sypher frowned, then stuck his head out the door, a sharp whistle cutting through the air. “Hey, Jingles! You seen Karlyn?”
Jingles, a mountain of a man, lumbered over. “She’s at Trudy’s with Grace. Beck already called Johnny. They will meet us at the hospital. Let’s go.” His words were a heavy stone dropped into the already churning waters of my mind. The hospital or Karlyn, the soul of our brother?
A knot of guilt tightened in my stomach.
I had to choose who to believe.
My brother or my father.
The thunderous roar of my father’s frantic voice rang out. I needed to be sure.
Sypher’s head snapped to mine, his eyes searching mine. “I’ll break into the town’s feed. You’ve got Trudy’s place.”
My fingers flew across my keyboard, a frantic dance against the ticking clock. I prayed my father was wrong. But the desperation in Cerberus’ voice, the raw fear... it was all too real. And Karlyn. If she was taken, Jackson would shatter. ProtectingKarlyn, and possibly saving Jackson from himself, was worth any potential repercussions King might enforce.
“What the fuck is going on?” Jingles’ voice was a low rumble of confusion as he walked into church, his presence a grounding force I desperately needed, and simultaneously, a reminder of who I was failing.
“Hang on,” I muttered, my gaze locked on the screen as I pulled up the security cameras for Trudy’s. The image flickered to life, a grainy, unsettling view.
“Oh shit,” Sypher breathed, his eyes wide, glued to his screen.
Just then, the feed loaded, and I pushed play. The images seared themselves into my mind. The Death Dogs’ brutal attack; Johnny, gunned down; Grace taking a punch to the face, then being hauled out.
My gut clenched.
This wasn’t a drill. This was real, and it was happening now. “Jingles, call the brothers. All of them. NOW!” My words were torn from my throat, a desperate command that felt like a surrender.
“Why?”
“The Death Dogs have Grace!” My voice cracked. The weight of this double blow was crushing.
“And Karlyn,” Sypher said, spinning his laptop toward me, his voice grim.
I watched Zephyr, a phantom of violence, drag Karlyn down the alley, toward a waiting van. The sight was a punch in the gut.
“This is bad, Nav. Real fucking bad.” Sypher’s words hung in the air, a confirmation of my worst fears.
“Oh fuck,” I barely heard Jingles say as he reached for his phone. No doubt calling Cash. “Hey, get back here fast. No, I know Maureen is in labor, but I’m going to need you here. Grace and Karlyn have been kidnapped. The Death Dogs have them. Just bring everyone with you and get here fast. We’re gonnaneed everyone to lock down King and Ravage when they learn what happened. Yeah, sure, I’ll tell Nav.”
I watched as Jingles pocketed his phone and slowly turned toward me. I could see the war brewing in his eyes. The grim determination settling in his bones, as he said clearly, “You need to find them fast, brother, because all hell is about to break loose.”
Nodding, I returned to my computer, going over all the feeds in Trudy’s place, when I heard the distinct thunder of pipes roaring back into the compound. Moments later, Cash and several other brothers stormed in, all barking, shouting at once.
“What the fuck happened?”
“Any word?”
“Does King know?”
“When were they taken?”
“ENOUGH!” Cash shouted, silencing everyone as he turned his cold eyes on me. “You’ve got about fifteen minutes before King learns what happened. Make them count, brother.” I nodded. “As for the rest of you, get ready. ’Cause when King and Ravage show up, it’s going to take all of us to stop them. I don’t fucking care what you have to do, pray to whatever God you believe in, because if we don’t stop the two of them, they will kill everyone in their path to get to their women. Understood?”
Heads nodded.
“Cash, I have to call Reaper,” Sypher said, reaching for his phone as the vice president of the Silver Shadows shook his head.
