Wounded (Dogs of War MC Book One) (15 page)

Red paused in his pacing, shaking his head.

“Have you ever seen him track something? It’s ridiculous, he doesn’t track so much as he just
knows
,” Rock said.

“And he’s not a bad guy to have in a fight,” Moose added.

“He’s a Loner, he’s not one of us – “

“He’s a Dog of War just as much as I am,” Rock said, “I can’t help it you two have got your issues. We need everybody here on this. If we’re going to find them and fight, we can’t be choosey about who will help us.”

Sidney could see the uncertainty in Red’s face.

“They’ve got your daughter man,” Moose pleaded, “and my wife. We need Demon.”

“Fine, call him. Call all the Loners in for that matter. Tell them to be here by sunrise.”

Sidney, kept her eyes down on her work, ingesting the overheard information. Not only was the little girl missing, it was Red’s daughter. She ached for him, but she didn’t know what she could do. This world was so far removed from anything she was used to. Under normal circumstances she’d feel like a fish out of water… with everything that was happening she just felt overwhelmed. It was too much to take in at one time. She concentrated on her work, that at least she understood.

All of the guys except Red trickled out. She finished stitching the hurt wolf the best she could with what she had. They’d given her something for pain to give him and if Red’s healing speed was any indication, he’d probably be fine by the morning.

“How is your wrist?”

Red looked up at her from the place he’d taken on the couch, brooding look on his face, “What? Oh, it’s fine,” he twisted it to show her.

“Worried about your daughter?” What a stupid question she thought, of course he’s worried about his daughter.

“Yes. I was going to tell you about her but there just hasn’t been time.”

“I know. Our time together has been… full of adventure,” she smiled at him, trying to lighten his mood.

One side of his mouth tried to smile but didn’t quite make it, “She must be so scared.”

Sidney sat down beside him on the couch and put her arm around him. This she could handle, she could comfort someone who was scared or hurting, “You’re going to find her. I know you will.”

Red looked into her eyes, searching for the promise those words held, “I’m not a good father Sidney.”

She didn’t know how to respond so she just kept holding him.

“I haven’t even seen her in months. She stays with her mother’s parents. That’s the best place for her,” his head dropped into his hands, “or at least that’s what I thought. I thought I was doing the right thing by leaving her there. This is no place for a kid, I mean look at what happened tonight?”

Sidney wanted to ask where the mother was but she stopped herself. This probably wasn’t the right time to start asking about the women in his past.

“I thought that if I left her with them she’d be safe. Her granddad is a dentist for Christ’s sake. She should have been safe.”

“You didn’t know this was going to happen. There was no way for you to know.”

“No, I didn’t know. But I should have been there to protect her. She should have been alone with only two old people around if something happened. She’s only five. Five years old and I left her unprotected.”

She hated the way it was tearing him up, she held him closer. “You do the best you can with what you have, and you thought you were doing what was right.”

“No, I was doing what was easy. If I get her back things are going to be different. I’m going to be different.”

“Not if, when,” she assured him.

He nodded, “You’re right. When I get her back, and I kill all the bastards that took her, I’m going to be a different father. The kind of father she needs.”

The morning sun hurt when Sidney opened her eyes to the sound of men talking. She stretched and everything in her complained. Falling asleep tangled with Red on the couch had seemed like the right thing to do the night before, but her back was telling her that maybe she should have thought it through a little more.

But she couldn’t have left him no matter how much more comfortable the bed would have been. He’d needed her, and as bad as she felt for the situation he was in and the pain and worry he was feeling over his daughter, it had really felt good to be needed. David had never needed her emotional support before, if the bastard even had emotions, which was debatable.

“Why isn’t he here yet?” she heard Red ask.

“I don’t know, he said he’d be her before dawn.”

“Well sunrise was two hours ago and he still hasn’t shown up,” she could tell Red was impatient and angry. She couldn’t really blame him. “You’re sure he said he was coming?”

“Yes, fuck, how many times do I have to say it?”

Red walked over to the prone figure on the floor, which had changed from a wolf and back into a man overnight, “Wake up,” he kicked him hard in the side. Sidney winced, even though he was probably healed she still saw him as her patient.

The man stirred and Red kicked him again, “I said wake up.”

He rolled into a sitting position, wiping the sleep out of his eyes with the palms of his hand, and looked up at Red, “So I’m not dead?”

“No, but I can remedy that pretty quickly if you don’t answer my questions exactly the right way.”

Tinker nodded, “My brothers left me on the ground to die like a dog. I watched them ride off while your woman saved me.”

Sidney tried to disregard the warm tingle that ran up her spine at the words
your woman
and instead concentrated on what was happening.

“Where have they got the people they kidnapped?”

“I don’t know,” Tinker shook his head, “I wish I could tell you but I really don’t know.”

Red looked at Moose, “Get a chair and some rope. Looks like we’re going to have to get this out of him the hard way.”

Tinker didn’t react, he seemed resigned to whatever fate was in store for him, but panic rose in the back of Sidney’s throat. Could she sit there and watch a man be tortured for information, even if the life of three people, one of which was a little girl and Red’s daughter, were at stake?

Thankfully she didn’t have to make that choice. The door opened, letting in a stream of piercing sunlight and a man with shaggy dark hair and even darker features.

“Well it’s about damn time, you were supposed to be here two hours ago.”

“Good to see you too Ryder, I’ve missed you. Have you missed me?” The man, Demon, Sidney assumed, made as if to hug Red, but Red pushed him away.

“I don’t have time for any of your bullshit this morning, Demon. I assume you were filled in about the situation?”

“I was,” Demon leaned up against the wall, looking unperturbed by Red’s mood.

“Then you know we’ve got to get out there and start looking, the trail is getting older by the minute if we don’t – “

“I’ve already found them,” Demon cut him off.

“What?”

“They’re being kept in a storage facility out by Pecan Farm Road. It’s only about a twenty minute drive from here.”

“You found them?”

“Isn’t that what I just said? You can thank me later. What is there to eat around here? I’m starving.” Demon’s eyes landed on Sidney and she instinctively covered herself, shying away from his hungry gaze.

“You found them and you didn’t get them out?”

“Hmmm, I’m good,
brother
,” the way he rolled the word, never taking his eyes off Sidney told her he felt anything but brotherly towards Red,  “but I’m not that good. There were at least 10 guys hanging around. I said I’d come help, not commit suicide.”

Red looked around at the rest of the guys, who had come out just in time to catch the end of the conversation with Demon, “We’ve got to get there. Now, when they’re not expecting us.”

“I just got here, and I’m starving. Is that any way to treat a guest?”

“They’ve got Morgan Demon.”

The hardness in Demon’s eyes lightened a fraction, “Fine, let’s go. But I expect to be fed a meal fit for a king when we get back.” His eyes went back to Sidney and lingered before he walked out the door. She shivered, something about him made her feel very uncomfortable. 

Demon’s presence didn’t do much to alleviate Red’s fears about what was about to happen. A million things could go wrong that would result in the death of not himself, but his little girl. He fought the fear back and tried to concentrate on a plan of action to take once they got there. Demon had already scouted the area and knew where most of the Hellhounds were stationed, but people moved, they left to go pee and came back unexpectedly, they hid in places you couldn’t see and popped out and slit your throat without giving you any warning.

The early morning sun flooded the storage facility, making it almost impossible to find shadows to sneak around in.

“What do you suggest Ryder?” Demon asked as they stood surveying the area from a parking lot across the street.

“We’re just going to have to take them in a rush,” Red answered, “I don’t see any other option. They chose a good location.”

Demon considered, “Good but not great. No one is standing along the back of that building. We could come up from behind and drop down on them. That’d give us the advantage of surprise at least.”

Red nodded, “And if you are right about how many there are – “

“ – I am.”

“Then we have a numbers advantage too.”

Demon slapped him on the back, “Glad that’s settled. Let’s go get this done.”

“Wait…” He grabbed Demon’s cut, “If something happens to me, you’ve got to make sure you get Morgan. Don’t let them hurt her.”

Demon returned the stare, his hard instead of pleading, “I will. But for her sake. Not yours.” 

Red almost felt relieved, the fighting seemed to be over almost before it began. He watched as Demon fought two wolves, himself still in human form, using knives to slice them in measured strokes. He was playing with them, enjoying their whelps of pain, feeding off their fear. There was a reason he was called Demon, and this was it. He didn’t fight when he had to, to protect the community, to keep his family safe. He fought because he enjoyed it, liked inflicting pain and watching things die.

Demon straddled the last standing wolf and placed the blade against its throat, whispering something Red couldn’t make out into its ear before slicing its neck completely open.