“I don’t like to share him either, but I don’t have a choice.”
“How are you holding up?” Lynn asked.
“Good. Jace explained some things to me about what they do. I’m not as worried as I used to be, but still, I am, you know?”
“Yeah,” Mia said. “It’s the way of this world. You never stop worrying, but if you love him and he loves you, it’s worth it. And we all know you love him, and he loves you.”
She smiled.
Lynn laughed. “He gave you a cut in a month and a half. That has to be some kind of biker record.”
She laughed softly, and then the smile died on her lips. “It’s soon but it feels right. It feels perfect.”
“There’s no question he’s crazy about you, Allie.” Mia popped a chip in her mouth. “Like there’s no question you’re as crazy about him.”
It had been only a short period of time, but Allie couldn’t picture her life without him. She glanced at each of them and smiled.
“He looks at you the way every woman wants to be looked at,” Tiff said softly, her eyes glued to her drink.
Allie swallowed. She’d never noticed the way Jace looked at her; knowing Tiff noticed it warmed her heart. If only Tiff realized someone looked at her like that too. She rested her hand over Tiff’s. “Open your eyes, Tiff.”
Tiffany’s gaze met hers, and then almost as if she couldn’t help it, they went to Cuss. It said it all. Still, Allie found it hard to believe. The two of them cared about each other, and for years, they hadn’t done a thing about it. How could Cuss not realize it? Why hadn’t he made a move? She would have a talk with him.
Finishing her martini, she stood. “Have to use the restroom. Be back.” She spotted Blaze standing behind her.
“Where you goin’?”
She quirked a brow. “I can use the restroom, can’t I?” she teased, if only to lighten the mood. She couldn’t imagine how boring it must be for them watching her every move.
He smirked. “Yeah, but it means I gotta wait outside for you, Classy.”
“Scared the toilet will swallow me?”
“Terrified,” he mocked with a smile.
Allie shook her head, smiling. The restroom was small, three stalls, and empty. She parted the door into the first stall, did her business, and washed her hands. Sparing a glance in the mirror, she spotted him. The tall, thin, dark-haired man stepped out of a stall and headed for her. He wore a T-shirt and jeans, but you could tell he didn’t feel comfortable in either.
“You’re in the women’s restroom.”
“I know.” His voice accented, a New Yorker.
The determined look in his eyes, the menacing sound of his voice, he wasn’t there by accident. She should’ve run or screamed or done something, anything in that split second, but she froze solid, panic choking her.
He pulled a gun from his waistband. “You try to run or scream, and I shoot you. Then I’ll shoot your biker friends.”
Her eyes on the gun, her hands shook. Her pulse jackhammered at the base of her neck. There was nothing she could do. She nodded.
He lifted his chin and pointed the gun to the back of the restroom where there was a window. Taking the cue, she walked toward it.
“Open it. Jump out.”
She pushed the window up, looked out, and spotted another man waiting—another man she didn’t recognize. He was shorter than the other with a slightly bigger build. Placing her hands on the window sill, she jumped out. The man grabbed her arm roughly and yanked her forward so quickly she tripped, landed on her hands and knees. He heaved a frustrated sigh, his hand still firmly gripping her.
“Fucking idiot.”
She stood and turned.
He hadn’t been talking to her. His gaze on the other man. “She’s not delivered in perfect condition, we don’t get paid. Remember?”
The man loosened his grip on her arm. “Sorry, boss.”
Good to know. Not that it would help her now. Not that it mattered, they’d take her to Wyatt, and he wouldn’t think twice about hurting her.
“Fucking worthless,” he sniped. “Get the fucking car.”
“Right.” He released her and took off.
A black SUV pulled up a moment later. Blaze shouted her name. Anxiety streaked her. The man pushed the barrel of the gun against her lower back, and she jumped.
He threw the car door open. “Not a fucking sound. Get in.”
She did and quickly.
Because she didn’t want Blaze to find her.
Because she had no other choice.
****
Army patted him on the back. “She’s gonna love it, Trig.”
Trig pulled his gaze away from the diamond ring and met Army’s gaze. “Yeah?”
Army nodded. “Yeah, fuckin’ positive.”
Last week, he’d been heading to the compound when he took a detour. He didn’t realize where he was headed or what he meant to do. Somehow, he ended up at a jewelry store. He walked in and looked at several rings. When he set eyes on the two-carat, princess-cut diamond, he knew it was the one for Allie. He picked a simple band, had it sized, and maxed out his credit card to pay for it. It cost a fortune because it was two carats and because of the color, clarity, and some other bullshit the saleswoman explained he hadn’t paid much attention to, but he wasn’t leaving the store without buying it. It was Allie’s. What it cost didn’t matter. It was worth it. She was worth it. He’d take several guard jobs, and it’d be paid in full.
The saleswoman called him that morning and told him the ring could be picked up. He brought Army along because Army was his best friend and because as her brother, he wanted his approval.
It was soon, too soon to be thinking about proposing, but he wasn’t changing his mind about her, not in a month, not in a year, not in a decade, not in a century. She was the one for him, the only one. He wasn’t going to waste time. In the biker world and life, they were as good as married, but Allie was beautiful, sweet, and smart. She didn’t grow up in the biker world and didn’t fully understand it. Most importantly, she deserved to wear a white dress and walk down the aisle in a church. Women dreamed of doing that, and he wanted to make all her dreams come true.
“Telling you it’s perfect. She’s gonna fuckin’ ball when she sees it.”
He drew his gaze away from the diamond to look at Army. “Don’t want her fuckin’ crying.”
Army chuckled, shaking his head. “It’s what women do, brother. They’re upset; they cry. They get emotional; they cry. They’re really happy; they fuckin’ cry. Get used to that shit now.”
“It’s true.”
His gaze snapped to the saleswoman, Giselle, a short blond with pale blue eyes.
“I know because I’m a woman and all.”
He looked back to the diamond ring. He grinned.
“Is she expecting it at all?”
“She’s not,” Army answered.
“Then she’ll definitely cry, but it’ll be a good cry.”
“Haven’t even thought how I’m gonna do it.”
“That’s easy.”
He looked at her.
“Some men go all out, do something spectacular, but she loves you, she won’t care whether you ask her in a fancy restaurant, at a concert, or in the middle of a bar.” She smiled. “Trust me.”
“Thanks.”
His phone rang. He dug into his pocket, answered it, and brought it to his ear.
“Got some news,” Doug said.
He handed the ring to Giselle, so she could package it, and said to Doug, “Spill it.”
“This info was hard to come by because the bastard’s smart. Discovered he has an off-shore account, got millions in it under a fake company. That company makes deposits into other off-shore accounts. Looked into them and found out those companies are also dummy companies. Got sites with addresses, but the buildings are empty. It was a fuckin’ pain in the ass, but discovered those off-shore accounts belong to judges in New York. Get what I’m saying?”
He got it. The ex was paying off judges. This information leaked, the ex would be facing jail time and lots of it. Trig wouldn’t need to worry about the bastard messing with Allie’s life because his life would be in shambles, and his Allie would be safe.
He smiled. “Don’t need to tell you to leak it.”
“You don’t. Just sent a slew of emails to all the right people including the media, meaning agencies in charge of sorting this shit out are gonna wanna do it fast. All we gotta do now is wait for his ass to get arrested.”
Fuck. Best day ever.
He’d move Allie into his house this weekend, and then he’d propose. They’d get married and have a couple of kids, and he’d never go a day without her.
“You haven’t said a fuckin’ word for like two minutes. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were in shock.” Doug chuckled. “Now, to some bad news, haven’t been able to figure out who’s been messing with her. Found nothing on that. That said, guy’s a defense attorney, so he knows plenty of shady people willing to do anything for the right price, and he’s got money, so, not that I have to warn you, but keep eyes and ears out for that, least until he’s arrested and whoever he’s paying to mess with her realizes he isn’t getting paid.”
Doug was right. He didn’t have to be warned. It didn’t matter, not anymore. By this weekend, he’d have her settled in his house. He had a state-of-the-art alarm system, and he’d be there. Nothing would touch his Allie. “You’re right. You don’t.”
“Gotta let you go. Got another call.”
He hung up, looked to Army, and grinned. Army handed him Allie’s diamond. As they strode out to their bikes, he explained what Doug found.
Sitting astride his bike, his phone rang again. He read Blaze’s name on the screen before he answered it.
“She’s fuckin’ gone, Trig.”
The worst fucking greeting of his life, the worst words he’d ever heard in the same sentence turning the best day of his life into the worst.
Gone.
He didn’t need to ask who. The moment he’d heard the words, he felt a deep pang in his chest.
“Trig! She’s fuckin’ gone, brother. Don’t know what the fuck happened. She went into the bathroom and never came out. Don’t fuckin’ know how the fuck—”
His throat dry, fear clogged it. Still, he managed to say, “Compound.” He barely recognized the sound of his own voice, streaked in anguish and fear, mirroring how he felt inside. He caught Army’s gaze and was thankful, his brother could read him. He wouldn’t have to force himself to say it a loud. Army read the agony he felt churning his whole body in his expression.
Allie was gone.
Chapter Thirty-Three
They drove for what seemed like hours. Then again, it probably seemed like hours because Allie was terrified and couldn’t see where they were headed. In a sense, she didn’t need to know. Wherever it was, Wyatt would be there. Nothing else would matter after that. He may have told her kidnappers not to hurt her, but he would.
Once in the SUV, the man holding the gun shoved it in her face and instructed her to get on the floor. Her mind racing, her heart palpitating, she did. Finally, the car stopped. The man beside her, grabbed her elbow, and hefted her up, pulling the gun in her face. “No fucking screaming. No fighting. No trying to get away. Your man’s paying me good money for this fucking job, and I need it.”
She swallowed the fear choking her and nodded.
He opened the door and dragged her out of the car. She glanced around, not recognizing any of it. An industrial area, a large building with several warehouses lined side by side, but it looked abandoned: no cars, no people, no life.
“Move.” He pressed the butt of the gun to her lower back.
She followed the other man into one of the warehouses. Inside, it was dusty and as she’d assumed, abandoned.
“Move. Far corner, then sit.”
She nodded, walked the distance to the corner, and sat on the floor, facing the men who took seats in two chairs in front of her. She wrapped her arms around herself attempting to stop shivering.
The leaner man pulled out a cell phone, dialed a number, and brought it to his ear. “Fuck.” He hung up. “Bastard isn’t picking up.”
“Probably means he’s on his way. Take a while though.”
The leaner man turned. “Figured that, smartass, but don’t think you fucking realize I don’t want to be sitting here for hours till he gets here. I need to get this shit over and done with and get back to New York before my parole officer realizes I’m gone. He better be fucking good on his word, pay me my fucking money, and get me off those fucking charges. Prison isn’t fun.”
“Can say that shit again.”
None of this information bode well for her. First, they were criminals. She didn’t know what either of them had been to jail for, but Wyatt was paying them and promised to get one of them off charges. Chances were for the right price, they’d do just about anything, even getting rid of a body.
They might need to do that, too. There was no way in hell she was going anywhere with Wyatt.
****
Army went right for Blaze. “Why the fuck was she alone?”
At the garage, two uniformed officers stood a couple of feet away, talking to Blaze. Most of the brothers were there. The rest, Trig knew, were on their way. Mia, Lynn, and Tiffany were also near, huddled together.
“We fuckin’ agreed. We fuckin’ voted. Two fuckin’ guys on her all the time.”
Blaze, brows drawn, shook his head. “She had to use the bathroom. Did you expect me to go in there?”
Army advanced. Instead of backing away or fighting back, as if he thought he deserved it, Blaze steeled himself.
Trig grasped Army by the shoulder and dragged him away. “We aren’t gonna stand here, fighting over what should’ve been done. It’s fuckin’ done, and Allie’s fuckin’ gone.” His voice cracked. “More time we spend fighting, less time we spend lookin’.”
Army relaxed, but his jaw clenched. “Why wasn’t one of the women with her?”
“Fuckin’ better this way,” Cuss said. “We’d be lookin’ for two instead of one.”
“No telling what they’d do to someone they don’t want who’s extra weight.”
His phone rang again. He fished it out of his pocket, turning away from them, and brought it to his ear.
“Been calling you. Wyatt got on a private jet about an hour ago. My guy’s trying to find out where he’s headed,” Doug said.
Too little, too late. “She’s gone,” he managed to say. His voice hollow.
“Fuck. What do you know?”