If I hadn't been so livid and so bone-deep terrified that something had, indeed, happened to Maze, I might have found the look on his face comical. His eyes went a little wide; his lips parted; his hands went up in front of him in a defensive gesture.
"I didn't know she was yours," he objected immediately.
"Well it's too fucking bad for you that I don't give a fuck about what you knew."
And with that, a darkness I hadn't known in the better part of ten years overtook me, bubbled up inside until it was a bigger part of me than my common sense, my need for self-preservation, my desire to not have any more nightmares to keep me awake at night.
Wolf released Moose.
I released whatever it was inside that kept me sane.
And Moose got to see just how intimi-fucking-dating members of The Henchmen MC could really be.
"We need him capable of speech," K's voice boomed behind me, grabbing me at both my arms and dragging me away from a beaten, bloody, awful version of Moose.
I let myself be pulled backward, looking down at my hands, knuckles broken open from Moose's teeth. I sighed, flexing my fingers to make sure none were broken.
"Get him up," Reign demanded to Duke who had moved to block the door. He reached down, hauling a hissing, spitting Moose off the ground. "Now you're going to tell us exactly what fucking happened with the Russians or you'll be another in Repo's body count."
"They had a fucking picture," Moose almost yelled, wiping blood from his upper lip. "She was blond, but there was no mistaking her. They'd asked if anyone had seen someone around like her. Said they knew she had been staying at the motel nearby."
"And?" K asked as if sensing he was holding back.
"And then I told him she was here but he got a call."
"Saying?"
"He didn't say much, okay?" Moose exploded, shrinking away from K who had advanced threateningly. "Something about Trenton."
Reign's head nod caught my attention. "Trains don't go to Philly from here," he said, reiterating what he'd said earlier. "She'd have had a transfer. Likely in Trenton."
"On it," Janie said, already sounding distracted as she grabbed her laptop. "Hey, Al," she said to her computer, presumably some kind of video chat with Alex. "Trenton."
"On it," Alex repeated.
"Was it Viktor or Ruslan you talked to?"
"Fuck... I don't know, man..."
"Suit or casual?" K asked.
"Suit."
K nodded and looked at me. "Viktor."
"Is that a good or bad thing?" I asked.
"They're both killers," K said, not comforting me in the least. "But Viktor is a cold son of a bitch. Ruslan is a bit more laid back. And they aren't going to suspect she's as trained as she is. They'll expect her to be the meek office mouse she was before who had a little crush on Ruslan. It might work to her advantage if he's the one who is closer to finding her, if that is the case."
"So we're heading to Philly after all," I concluded, annoyed that we had wasted time.
"Alex found her in Trenton. She got off the train from here and then was stranded there forever. There was some kind of fucking track issue. She's on the camera here, looking a little paranoid, but not super freaked. She got on the train to, I presume, Philly from there."
"She must not have thought she was followed," K concluded. "Maybe she saw Viktor when she was driving back from the food store and put the plan into motion like she knew she was supposed to. She didn't check in because she was trapped and didn't have her burner. Did you girls pick her up in Philly yet?"
"Working on it, but don't get your hopes up. Thirtieth Street Station gets crazy busy. She could easily get lost in the crowd."
"Did you have a plan for where she was supposed to go when she got there?"
"Yeah, she's supposed to go to her locker to get her bag to call me. Then I was supposed to point her in a direction. I wasn't going to keep her in Philly for more than a night and only a night if she was too tired to hop another train."
"The fuck you guys still here for?" Reign asked suddenly, making me start. "Go get your woman, make sure she's safe. We'll talk when you figure shit out. Here," he said, going behind the bar and grabbing a couple of guns.
K hesitated, shaking his head. "I prefer..."
"Take the fucking guns," Reign demanded and K reached for one. I reached for the other two. Then we took off toward the door.
"I'll keep you updated," Janie called. "Keep your phone charged."
We jumped into K's giant SUV and hit the road, K checking his phone as soon as he turned the car around and blinked to turn out onto the main drag. "What the fuck..."