Without even stopping, I draw my gun and fire, taking the closest one in the back of the head. He launches forwards and crashes onto the asphalt where he lies still.
That fucking gets their attention.
At first I think they’re going to fight, but then they see how many men I’ve got with me. A couple run for their bikes, but King directs my troops like a general and they’re surrounded in moments, enough guns to kill them ten times over pointed at them.
“Is my daughter in the fucking building?” I pull right up to the closest Viper and shove my barrel right into his temple. “Answer me!”
He shakes his head frantically, eyes wide in terror. “No!”
My trigger finger twitches, eager to put this fucker out of my misery, but… fuck. These shitheads are messing with my little girl, but this kid might not even be as old as Faith.
“Who is?”
“Two—two Eagles.”
As if in response, the burning front door breaks loose, slammed right off its hinges. Alpha and Ripper come rolling out with it, their cuts smoldering.
“Blankets! Water! Anything! You got it, use it! Now’s the fucking time!” If anyone’s going to kill those two fuckers, it’s going to be me.
Alpha wrests off his cut and throws it aside while Ripper rolls on the ground to put his out. Animal runs up with a thick blanket that he throws over Ripper before he starts patting. Alpha stomps on his cut until the flames go out. Then he sees me, and looks like he’s fucking considering jumping back into the fire.
“Prez!” he yells as he straightens, his beard and eyebrows singed.
A moment later, Ripper’s up on his feet too, his face black with ash, but looking otherwise unharmed. “Fuck, give chase.” He starts coughing and nearly doubles over. “That way.” He points down the road. “We’re talking fucking minutes. They’ve got Faith and Blade.”
“Motherfucker. King! Take the crew and go after them. As fast as you fucking can.”
The roar of near fifty motorcycles starting up at once is loud enough to drown out even the gas station fire. A couple of the guys stay behind for support. “The rest of us, let’s pull the fuck back. If this gas station goes up, we’re fucked.”
I want to be on the road chasing down Crow and his goons, but I need to see the whole damn picture. Being in charge fucking sucks sometimes.
Once we’re far enough away that the gas station going up shouldn’t hurt us, I whirl on the guys. “Tell me what happened, and you fucks had better make it good.” Someone’s going to spot the fire soon, but I can’t fucking wait any longer.
“We stopped to decide on a plan and they ambushed us. We fucking underestimated him.” Alpha’s holding his cut, but hasn’t put it on yet. Instead, he tosses it on the ground in front of me. “We fucked up. Take my cut, but I’m asking—no, you know what, I’m fucking begging—that you let us help get her back. After that, do whatever you fucking want. Execute me, anything. I just want to make sure Faith and Blade are safe. And if Crow’s hurt them, at least let me watch when you tear him in half.”
At that, Ripper looks up too, and he nods. “Anything you fucking want, but we want to make this fucking right. We need to get her back.”
I want to be pissed at them for obviously falling for my girl, but they’re making it hard by being so fucking loyal to her. To fucking humble themselves like that—Jesus Christ. Obviously, she’s seen something in them that I’m struggling to right this fucking moment, and she’s got them so wrapped around her goddamn finger that even Blade went along with this dumbshit madness. And he’s usually the fucking logical one.
“Pick up your damn cut. If I see you throw it on the ground ever again, I’m going to make sure you’re fucking buried in it the same fucking day.” I wait for him to do so, and the moment he looks back up at me, I lock stares with him. “Do you know where they’re taking her?”
“No.” He shakes his head, looking as fucking disgusted with himself as I am with him.
“Just that they went that way,” adds Ripper with a gesture. “In a van.”
“Fuck.” There are hundreds of miles of road and they could be on the highway by now. I have a lot of faith in King, but if they tore out of here, they could be heading almost fucking anywhere at this point. As much as I want to be fucking hopeful, I should prepare for the worst.
Ripper looks up at me, his face a mask of determination. There’s nothing more eager than a man looking for redemption. “Permission to join the chase.”
“Denied. Either King finds them and brings them back, or we need to plan. We’re going to fucking obliterate the Pit Vipers, and your survival is directly linked to Faith coming out of this unharmed. Got it?”
“Crystal, Prez.”
Alpha nods too. Fuck. They’re good guys. I fucking hate this, but if they’ve caused Faith to come to harm—well, a father has his goddamn limits.
29
RIPPER