“No, Prez. I don’t have a fucking clue, but I sure as hell want to find out.”
“You and me both.” Viper paused, then ordered, “Get back to the clubhouse, and then we’ll discuss our next move.”
“What about Collins?”
“I’ll send a couple of prospects over to get him.”
“Understood.”
I followed the others to our bikes, and as we backed out of the driveway, I glanced at the house.
It didn’t feel right to leave Collins sitting there, but we didn’t have a choice. We needed to get back to our brothers. Besides, I knew it wouldn’t be long before the prospects came to collect him, and once they had him back at the clubhouse, arrangements would be made to give Collins the kind of burial he deserved.
By the time we returned, Viper and Menace had already worked out a plan for Jagger to visit Tully at the prison and were setting up a wire for him. He walked over to Menace with a scowl and asked, “What the fuck is all this?”
“It’s a wire.”
“I see that. Why the hell are—”
“You’re too fucking keyed up to think straight.” Menace fastened the tiny camera and mic to his shirt. “We’ll use it to communicate back and forth, and it’ll help make sure nothing gets past us.”
“How the hell am I supposed to get through the fucking guards with this shit?”
“It’s not big enough to set off the metal detector. Besides, our contact will be meeting you at the front gate.” Viper went on to explain, “I had Tully put in solitary. I didn’t want him pulling anything until you could get there.”
“Good.”
“When Reynolds brings him out, it’s vital that you keep a level head. It’s the only way you’ll get Sophie back.” Viper placed his hand on Jagger’s shoulder and looked him dead in the eye. “You got me?”
“Yeah, Prez, I got ya.”
Viper and Menace went over everything with Jagger one last time, then he and Axel headed to the prison. Axel wouldn’t go into the prison with him, but he’d keep an eye out for anything suspicious and make sure Jagger got inside without any issues.
It would take them about an hour to get to the prison and line up with Reynolds, so Menace used the time to set up his laptop and speakers in the conference room. We all gathered around the table and waited.
And waited some more.
It felt like an eternity before we finally heard Jagger’s voice come across the mic. “I’m here. Reynolds is taking me to Tully now.”
“Good.” Menace tried to reassure him. “We’re all right here with ya, listening in.”
“It’s gonna be hard not to jump his ass the second I see him.”
“I get that, but you’re gonna—”
Before Menace could finish his thought, Jagger came across the mic, “He’s bringing him in.”
“Breathe, brother,” Menace whispered. “Breathe.”
RAELYN
“Do you know your name?”
“I’m, uh...” The answer was right there within my reach, but I was in such a deep haze I couldn’t force myself to grasp it. “I don’t know. I can’t remember.”
“It’s okay. We’ll get there.” The paramedics had put a neck brace on me, so I couldn’t turn and look at the nurse as she asked, “Do you know where you are right now?”
“I think I’m in the hospital.”
“That’s right. Do you know what city you’re in?”
“Nashville?”
“Yeah, that’s good. Very good.” Her voice sounded reassuring as she added, “We’re getting things ready to take you down for a CT scan.”
“A what?”
“It’s just a scan to ensure you don’t have a concussion.”
“Oh.” I was still fighting the fog that had settled over me, but I knew enough that I didn’t want them to do the CT. “But I don’t think I need that.”
“You have a pretty nasty bump on your head, and we need to get that checked out.”
“But—”
“It’s just precautionary. We need to make sure you don’t have any other potential injuries. Don’t worry. It won’t take long.” She patted my arm lightly, then added, “When you’re done, we’ll get you into a private room so you can rest.”
“Okay.”
While I couldn’t recall my name, I remembered everything about the accident: the black truck speeding through the red light; its squealing tires and screeching brakes; gritting my teeth as I braced for impact; the jagged sounds of metal on metal and glass shattering; and the panic that took hold when I lost control of my car.
My body was being jolted from side to side; then, everything had gone black. I’d woken up in the back of an ambulance with paramedics poking and prodding me as they took my stats. I tried to sit up and tell them I was okay, but the neck brace made it hard to move.
I was now in the ER with nurses hovering over me, ensuring I didn’t black out again. I tried to answer all their questions but was too out of it and couldn’t respond with much more than gibberish. But the longer I lay there staring up at the white ceiling tiles, the clearer my mind became until I was finally able to say, “Raelyn Thomas! My name is Raelyn Thomas.”