Page 106 of Coveted By Cupid

“Boden Vaughn,” Cipher says, reading off his laptop. “He’s a business student at CSU. Lives off campus on Taft Hill Road in Fort Collins. Looks like he was racking up some major credit card debt on top of his student loans. He was past due on his rent last December, and then in January his debt was wiped clean, rent was paid in full, and a good chunk of money was deposited into his savings—all cash.”

“Motherfucker!” I slam my fist down on the table, making the wood groan in complaint. “That alpaca-haired fuckboy and his trashy friend-with-benefits are the reason so many CSU students have been abducted and why my ole lady was nearly taken.”

The entire crew breaks out into angry hisses and curses, joining me in my fury. Some crack their knuckles, ready to go to battle and do some damage.

Boden is going to discover why you don’t fuck with a Royal Bastard.

For a moment, I’m too angry to say more. Rage is pumping testosterone through my veins, making me see red. When I finally find my voice, I growl, “Change of plans. We need two teams. One to go to Riley’s and the other to go to fuck-face’s place.”

“We have to report what we know to the Mercy Ravens,” Oaks says quickly. “We can’t ride into their territory without notifying them first.”

“Message Atlas,” I say to Cipher across the table. “They’ll want in on this if it leads to finding Kirill and Mikhail.”

“On it,” Cipher says, yanking out his cell to call the MC’s president.

I turn to our tracker. “Hound, same team I mentioned before. Bring Riley back here, unmarred.”

“Understood,” Hound says, giving me a relaxed salute.

“Oaks and Drift, you’re with me. No cuts. No bikes. We do this as cleanly as possible and without witnesses. Everyone else, prepare for our guests. Church’s adjourn.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

CUPID

Less than an hour after leaving Loveland, Drift pulls our unmarked van alongside the curb outside Boden’s apartment. The complex is close to campus, near several rowdy bars. It’s your typical college housing, only a grade above Vanessa’s rundown apartment. If we’re in luck, the security will be as shitty as it was at her place.

Quick surveillance shows an active nightlife for the college community, with people walking in and out of the bars on the corners of the street. Their laughter and voices carry down the road to where we sit in the van.

It’s busier than I’d like. We don’t need any eyewitness to what is about to transpire. Frustrated, my teeth grind together.

Drift looks at me from the driver’s seat. “What do you think, Prez? Should we risk it?”

“Drive around to the back,” I say, not willing to throw in the towel just yet. “Let’s see if the rear lot is more private.”

Drift moves the van around the block, coming up behind the apartment building where there’s access to the complex’s parking. Not a single lot light is functioning properly. They’re burned out, dim as hell, or flickering sporadically. It’s dark enough for us to do what we need to do without attracting attention to ourselves.

Perfect.

“Get as close to the building as possible.”

Drift kills the headlights and enters the lot, throwing the van in park near the back doors and giving us the ideal way to escape with Boden. The prick’s apartment is on the ground level, making our job easier. The street in the front may be active, but back here on the other side of the building, the lot is empty of people aside from us. Only old beater cars and another van cover the asphalt.

My eyes home in on the other cargo van in the lot, setting my nerves on edge. At first glance, nothing about it stands out aside from a large dent in the rear fender, until I notice what it lacks.

There are hundreds of white utility vans in the city. However, this one is on campus where women have gone missing—where my woman was nearly abducted. And this one has no plates to identify it.

I motion to Drift and Oaks, pointing out the van. “You see what I see?”

“You think the Russians are lying low in the dickhead’s place?” Oaks asks, doubt coating his tone. “Seems stupid to stay in town, knowing they have a target on their backs.”

All true. Aside from us searching for Kirill and Mikhail, the Mercy Ravens are also combing the entire county for their whereabouts. Staying near campus would not be my first choice if trying to elude capture.

“Sometimes it’s best to hide in plain sight,” Drift counters. “No one would expect them to stay here. Also, we can’t expect them to relinquish their cash cow when the area is ripe with young women to fill their inventory quotas. If anything, they may still try to fill orders, rebuilding the business in this territory.”

“Good point,” I say as I turn in my seat to face my brothers. “Best to be prepared for the worst. Whether Kirill and Mikhail are here, we go in packing. Keep the safety off your guns in case we need to use them.”

Without a word, we adjust our weapons, exiting the van in silence.