“Hands behind your head. On your knees.”
He closed his eyes and did as instructed.
Within a second, three cops were on him. He was pushed roughly to the tarmac, his cheek mashed against the gritty road, and his arms dragged to the small of his back so his wrists could be cuffed.
“Oh, God.” Leah lifted her trembling hands to her mouth. It was gut-wrenchingly awful to see him like this. Usually so in control, tough and commanding, he was now being overpowered.
She pushed away from Brooklyn. She had to explain to the cops that he’d been protecting her.
“No.” Brooklyn grasped her arm. “You’ll make it worse.”
“But I—”
“Stay here.” She kept a tight hold of Leah. “He doesn’t need you now.”
A tear slipped down Leah’s cheek as Carter was hauled to his feet. It took two cops to drag him up. He was then marched to the nearest car and stuffed in the back.
She could almost see the anger radiating from him, as if the air around him shimmered with it.
“Yeah, that’s right. Get outta here,” Taff directed at the last cop to return to his vehicle.
The cop turned and pointed at Taff. “You guys are skating on thin ice. Before long, we’ll have you all behind bars, and your visitors too.”
“Yeah, take them, ugly bastards.” Taff threw his arms in the air. “Want their address?”
The policeman ignored him and dropped into his car.
Within seconds, they were swinging out of the street, taking Carter with them.
“In the name of the fucking good Lord.” Hudson turned to Brooklyn. “Can you damn well believe that?”
“That the Mambas turned up or Carter’s been arrested again?” Brooklyn asked.
“Both.” Hudson rubbed his bleeding knuckles. “Wyatt, you and Taff go check on our friends at the factory. We need what we’re owed. And don’t worry about being polite.” He turned to Razor. “Good work with the alarm. They couldn’t have been here long before we got out here.”
“No, just long enough to pull the fancy bird.” Razor nodded at Leah.
Hudson looked at her. “You okay, doll?”
“Yes.” She swallowed tightly and looked at the empty street. “Now what?”
“Now you go and get your man out on bail. Whatever it takes.” Hudson studied her. “That’s your specialty, right?”
She nodded. Of course, that was what they wanted her to do. It was why she was here in the first place, for when shit hit the fan like this.
“Good, so do your stuff.” Hudson shook his head. “Goddamn it.” He walked to the surf shop. “What a pile of crap. I’m gonna gut those damn Mambas for this.”
Chapter Twenty
Leah took a cab to the local sheriff’s office. Brooklyn had felt sure that was where Carter would have been taken.
She tried to steady her breathing, to think straight. It had all happened so fast, the arrival of the enemy club, the cops, being grabbed.
A shudder went up her spine at the thought of how it could have turned out for her, if the Mambas had taken her as insurance for being paid.
It didn’t bear thinking about.
“Thanks.” She gave the cab driver a twenty and climbed out.