I stopped him midsentence. “Get to the part where you explain why they fucking tookmywife.”
Abel locked eyes with me. “Because of me.” He worked his jaw for a few seconds before continuing, “I made a bad call a little while back, and it didn’t just affect us here—the shockwave made it all the waysouth.”
“Care to elaborate on that?” Igrowled.
My father looked at me. “We got our hands on some cocaine and heroin, seemed clean enough and was going to turn a nice profit for all the players involved. The Sinners were low men on the totem pole teaming up with a group of Pagans, and we scooped it out fromunderthem.”
“This is all because we stole some fucking drugs from those scumbags?” I was ready to kill Abel and Holt right on the spot. White knuckling the edge of the table, I tried to calmmyselfdown.
Bear’s words broke through my murderous thoughts. “There’s a warehouse not far from here and we think they might have taken her there. It’s a few hourssouth.”
“Why the fuck are we still sitting here then?” Iscreamed.
Abel held his hand up to me; his calmness was making everything worse. It was his fucking fault we were in this damn mess in the first place. Why wasn’t he reacting faster and with more force? “We can’t risk being wrong and them knowing we’re onto them. We can’t go in halfcocked, guns blazing, and lose men on a wild goosechase.”
“All I know is that my wife is out there somewhere. She’s scared, hurt, and God knows what they are doing to her.” I didn’t want to think of the worst, but it was the only thing on my mind. “You know what scumbags do to women likeRaine.”
Abel flew up to his feet. “Don’t fucking think for one second that you want to find her any more than I do or that I don’t want all of their heads on stakes. I am going to get my daughter back come hell or fucking high water if it is the last thing I do on this damnearth.”
I leapt from my chair, throwing it across the room. “Then start fucking doing something because Raine is pregnant and it’s not like we have time towastehere.”
They all stared at me and Abel collapsed back in his chair. “What?” he finally choked out. “She’swhat?”
“It’s early, and we just found out, but…Raine ispregnant.”
Abel’s hands were shaking as his face turned bright red. He got up from his chair, his fists clenched. He stared directly into my eyes. “Mark my words,” his chest heaved with each word, “she is going to come home. We will save her and mygrandchild.”
I put my hand on his shoulder. “Then let’s get this fucking show on the damn road and give these men a fucking run for theirmoney.”
Wrapping his arms around me, my father-in-law gripped me with all his might. “I am so sorry this happened. I promise that everything is going to be all right intheend.”
I knew that his words were just empty promises, but for some reason I believed them. I knew that Abel would get Raine home safely or dietrying.
Chapter6
Raine
Everything hurt.I could barely even open my eyes. Trying to sit up, I realized I was handcuffed to a metal-framed bed. I had no idea where I was. All I knew was that I was in the middle of a small, dark room on an old, smelly mattress, alone. There was a bulb hanging from the ceiling emitting dim yellow lighting that was more annoying than helpful. Right across from me was a metal door with bright light coming in from the bottom, and that was it—not even a pot to piss in or a chair oranything.
“Hello? Is someone there? Anyone? Help!” I screamed as panic started to take over. Even talking hurt. I could barely remember the black truck ramming into the side ofCrickett’scar.
Oh my God,Crickett!
“Mom!” The cry leapt from my lungs. “Fuck! Crickett? Areyouhere?”
Noresponse.
I was alone in the room.What if they have hersomewhereelse?
Frantically, I tried to remember what had happened. I remembered hitting my head on the windshield and Crickett screaming from the other side of the car. There were flashes of glass shattering and me being pulled through the passenger’s side window, but that was all I couldrecall.
My heart sank. I didn’t want to think about what they had done with my stepmom. She had to be all right. She was alive and fine—I had to believe that because I needed to focus on mysituation.
I couldn’t hear anything. All I knew for sure was that I had been abducted. I clutched my stomach with my free hand.The baby.I had almost forgotten why Crickett and I were even ontheroad.
I started to sob as I realized Ryder was out there somewhere and I might die before I got to see the sight of my husband holding our precious child. Curling into a ball, I clutched my knees to my chest. Silently, I prayed for Ryder to burst through the door and scoop me up into his arms. I whispered his name as the doorcreakedopen.
A tall, slender man with a ski mask over his face walked in, holding a tray. He set it down on the floor next tothebed.
