A smile tugged on my lips as I made my way into the kitchen, noticing the gallon was warm. Strange. Usually, Ani followed behind Thunder, checking on him to see if he had put things away. Little guy hardly ever forgot.
I tossed the useless gallon in the trash and stashed the cereal, calling out for Ani. No answer.
“Thunder?”
My Reaper became edgy. He clawed at my composure, desperate to break free. Close to panic, I ran through the entire apartment, noting the unmade bed and signs of a struggle. My Ani wouldn’t leave a mess. She always kept things picked up and ready.
My chest moved faster with every breath. Something was wrong. I pulled out my phone, calling every fucking person in contact with my ol’ lady. No one had seen or spoken to Ani. Not in over a day.
I already knew from my Reaper what had happened, but I didn’t want to believe it. She said she loved me. Ani agreed to be my ol’ lady. We finally had our moment.
Closing my eyes, I remembered how she looked, the sadness in her eyes as we kissed. The tears that she said came from the movie. The way she asked me to wait.
And—fuck—the milk!
The milk on the counter. Her clue that danger lurked in the apartment, and I missed it.
Noooooooo!
My Ani and Thunder taken right after the asshole hit me over the head. Why didn’t I pay attention? How could I let her past catch up to us and snatch her away?
My lips parted, and a cry of anguish left my chest. How did I find them?
Yanking my cell from the pocket of my cut, I dialed Grim’s number. “Pres,” I yelled into the phone, my voice so haunted, I knew he would be concerned.
“Diablo. What happened?”
I couldn’t speak. Couldn’t say the words out loud that made it true.
“Fuck. Where are you?”
“Revelations Ink,” I finally managed to say.
Grim hung up. He found me five minutes later, my head in my hands as I sat on the couch. Agony punched me in the chest with every fucking breath. When he stormed into the open door of the apartment with half the club on his heels, I couldn’t hold back the sorrow. My lungs wanted to collapse. My eyes filled with tears I rapidly blinked back.
“Diablo, talk to me.”
“They’re gone,” I choked out. “Ani and Thunder.”
His expression revealed the pain he knew I felt. “I’m sorry, brother.”
I shook my head, standing as my hands clenched into fists. “No, pres. She didn’t leave me. Not willingly. Ani agreed to be my ol’ lady. She said she loved me. Never would have separated like this, not after that.”
“Fuck,” he cursed. “Your Reaper?”
“Pissed. He knows they were taken.”
That was all I had to say for the club to have my back, ready to do whatever it took to bring them back, no matter what we had to face.
I reached out to the connection I shared with Thunder. The special link created between us. A golden tie that connected my darkness to his light. I felt his fear, sorrow, and anxiety. He didn’t want me to worry and sent his apologies.
No. Fuck that.
I could sense whoever took them kept switching vehicles, moving across the country to confuse the path. Didn’t matter. My Reaper could follow as long as Thunder didn’t sever the tie that bound us together.
“You must be Grim,” A deep voice announced.
My head snapped to the doorway, spotting Diesel and several of his Redemption Ryders. Intelligent and observant, he immediately noticed shit wasn’t right.