I’m not a good man, and for Jenna, I’ll kill every man responsible for this. Protectiveness flows through my body, and I see it mirrored on the faces of my brothers around me. Murder is all I see. Those who dare to take what’s mine will pay me back with their blood.
“It was the fucking prospect, Lee. He was the rat and sold us out to the Reapers. He was a goddamn plant, and now they have her.” I look around the room and realize there are more than fifteen Hell Chasers gathered here. We’re a larger charter, so it doesn’t surprise me to see so much support, but it feels fucking good knowing we have this kind of manpower to get my Angel back. Each member in the club brings a special skill, whether it’s from their time in the military, the garage, the fighting ring, or the tech business. They all have something valuable.
Prince pushes off the wall where he stands. I glance to his left and notice that Shiny’s body has been removed, but the blood and brain matter remain splattered across the wall.
“I just got off the phone with Ace. He’s running through the surveillance cameras from around the garage and through town. He says they took off in a black van, and she was with them when they left.” Prince rubs his hand down his stubbly chin. “Right now, we know there are at least six involved in this situation, but we’re going to have to be smart about this.”
I nod at him and get to my feet, ignoring the onslaught of pain raging through my body. I start to sway, but Blaze steadies me with his hands on my shoulders.
“You have a concussion and really shouldn’t be up right now,” Doc mutters behind me. I turn and glare at him.
“I don’t give a shit what I’ve got. I made a promise to her that I would keep her safe, and what did it fucking get her?!” I’m yelling now, and I know Doc hasn’t done anything wrong, but I need to take this out on someone.
“Enough!” Prince roars. “We need to work fast, and this shit isn’t helping. Get your shit together, Axel, or I’ll leave your ass here.”
I scowl at him, but I understand his words. I’m a liability right now. My connection with Jenna could put us all at risk, but I’m going to fucking be there to pull her out of this hell.
It’s been almost four hours since I woke up. Ace had tracked the van to the edge of town and then it just disappeared from all cameras. That means they’re hiding right outside Cranson Creek. Knowing the Reapers are behind this, we know theplayers involved, but no one has reached out to make contact. We don’t know their angle yet, but we need to find out soon. Jenna’s cell and purse were tucked under the truck where she hid, so we can’t track her. I feel like I’m losing my mind.
“Jenna is a fucking badass. She’s going to make it out of this,” Cal says in a low voice next to me, no doubt seeing how close I am to losing it. It hasn’t escaped me how intently he’s searching or how invested he is in finding her. I know he and Jenna have become friends and spend quite a bit of time together. I don’t blame him for getting close with her; Jenna is gorgeous and smart, but I’ll break every bone in his body if he tried anything in these last four months.
“You’re right, but she still shouldn’t even be in this mess. She wouldn’t be a part of this if I hadn’t pulled her in.” I state. Cal shakes his head and looks at me.
“You don’t get it, do you? Jenna came back to you. She knew the risk she was taking when she fell in love with you, but she did it anyway.” His voice carries a hard edge as he speaks about her and me. “She’s not some damsel who needs you to shelter her from the world. Because you trying to save everyone leaves you with blind spots—like the one that let those fuckers walk through the door and take her.”
He walks away before I can respond, but I know he’s right. I should’ve told someone where I was headed this morning or asked for backup. I should’ve had someone watching my back in case something went down. But when I heard her voice on that voicemail, all I could think about was getting to her as fast as I could.
A buzzing sound pulls me from my thoughts, and I glance across the table at Jenna’s phone. The number on the screen is unknown, so I take the chance and answer it. Maybe it’s her.
“Hello,” I say, holding my breath and hoping to hear her voice.
“Axel, Axel, Axel… thought you could take my girl from me. Tsk, tsk.” The voice is familiar, it’s that fucking prick from the bar. Jack. I put the phone on speaker and set it on the table.
“Don’t worry. I’ve got her here with me again—safe, where I can make sure she doesn’t get mixed up with you.” Prince nods at Ace, who immediately opens his laptop and starts typing furiously.
“I swear, you lay a fucking hand on her, and I’ll tear you apart, limb from limb,” I snarl into the phone. The men in the room gather around the table, listening intently. Jack cackles, and then I hear the sound of a match striking, followed by Jenna’s muffled screams in the background. I grip the table so hard I think it’s going to snap in half.
“Every time you threaten me, I’ll take it out on our girl here,” Jack says, his tone smug and cruel. The line goes quiet for a moment, and I wonder if he hung up. “Her skin is so beautiful when it’s red and coated in blood.” His excitement is palpable, and it fuels my rage. He’s enjoying this—hurting her. It’s going to be satisfying to make him pay.
“What is this, Jack? You sad your ex-girlfriend left you, so now you have to fucking kidnap her?” I keep him talking, hoping to buy Ace more time to track the call. Blaze grabs his phone and starts texting at the mention of Jack’s name. I did my research on the guy after the bar incident and found out he lost his shit when Jenna left him. The man spent time in a mental hospital after attacking a woman in a grocery store who looked eerily similar to Jenna. Seems he never got over his obsession, and now he’s patched into the Reapers.
I hear another match strike, and my heart races. “What the fuck do you want?” I snap, desperate to keep his attention off her.
“That’s more like it,” another voice says in the background. Red.
“We didn’t make any headway on our little territory proposition last time we spoke, so I thought we needed to give you a small incentive. I left you alive in good faith,” he says in a calm tone.
I sneer at his idea of “good faith,” but Prince steps in to take over communication.
“We can talk, but there will be retaliation for what you did, Red. This can’t go unanswered.”
“I understand. But that would mean we get to play with the girl and then kill her. So, pick your poison. I want Cranson Creek, end of story.”
“You want the whole fucking town?” Blaze growls from across the table. “That was never the fucking deal.”
“Yeah, well, I’ve changed my mind. I want your answer by morning. We’ll keep her alive until then, but mark my words—if you say no, I’ll just kill her and find something a little more motivating.” The call ends abruptly, and I feel the intense need to break something.
I punch the wall as hard as I can, over and over, until my knuckles are bleeding and the drywall crumbles onto the floor. A small buzz draws my attention back to Jenna’s phone. Prince picks it up, and his face hardens with vehemence as he hands it to me.
