Stryker’s Fight by Erin Osborne
Chapter Eighteen
Stryker
SIX WEEKS. THAT’S how long my woman has been gone. We have been looking all over the place and no one has been able to locate them. Slim, Killer, Playboy, and I have called in every single marker we’ve been owed. Not a single person knows where the hell these fuckers are and what they’re going to do next. All I know is each day without Sally here is another day in hell. I can’t breathe, there is no reason to eat, sleep, or drink to help sustain myself in order to search for my girl and spend time with Natalia when I’m not out looking or fighting.
Slim, Playboy, Shy, and Gwen are on my ass more than anyone else. I’ve been threatened to be locked down in my room, not being allowed out to search, and a ton of other shit from Slim. I have to listen to him since he’s my President. So, when they force me to eat, I eat. If I’m forced to fight, I fight. And when he makes me rest, I rest. It’s not what I want to do, but it’s the way things are done in the Phantom Bastards. Slim’s word is law when it comes to things like this. He’s only trying to take care of us, and I know it’s just a matter of time before I end up snapping on him because this shit is not what I want to be doing. All I want is to find Sally and bring her home for her daughter.
Since Sally’s been gone, two of my last three fights have come and gone. I beat both men’s asses due to the built-up rage and aggression flowing through me on a daily basis. Even without training, there was no competition between the other men and me. The only reason there was even anything for the fans to get excited about was I dragged out the fight into two rounds.
The only thing on my mind is Sally and finding her. There are so many possible things going on in my mind about what’s being done to her and what she’s thinking and feeling right now. I don’t know if she’s been left alone or if she’s having the shit beat out of her. Chrome having her is the last thing we needed to happen in our lives. If there’s nothing I’ve learned in the last month, it’s that life is way too damn short and I’m going to live each and every fucking day as if it were my own. Yeah, I knew that before, but having Sally taken from me hits a lot different than anything else.
“Church!” Slim bellows out as I walk in the common room with Natalia on my hip.
Looking around the common room, I spot Gwen sitting on the couch. Walking over there, I press a kiss on Natalia’s cheek and sit her down just down from the one woman she’ll let hold and comfort her. If I’m not around, Gwen is the only one Natty wants. When she has a nightmare or is missing her mama and I’m not at the clubhouse, Gwen is the only one who can comfort her. She’s been a tremendous help to me so I can go out and do what I have to do.
“I don’t know where I’ll be after this meetin’. Are you okay to keep her with you for a while?” I ask Gwen.
“Of course. Stryker, you guys are gonna find her. She’ll come home and you’ll help her get past what’s been happening to her. I have every faith in you and the club to bring her home where she belongs,” Gwen assures me.
At this point, we’re all running out of hope of bringing Sally home alive. It kills me to say we’re not as hopeful as we were, but it’s the truth. By now, we’d have someone know where they are, and no one can find them. Tech, Fox, Siren, and some friends of Siren’s have been looking on the dark web and not had any luck to find them. I have never seen someone cover their tracks as good as what these fuckers are doing. They don’t seem to be smart enough to be working on their own to make sure no one knows where they are. Someone has to be helping them, and we can’t even find out that information. Chrome and his assholes are gone.
Walking into church, I hand over my gun and knife, but I don’t give up my phone. Not a single one of us are giving up our phones when we’re in church or anywhere else in case someone calls. We always want to be next to our phones, so we don’t miss any calls or messages. There’s always that one chance someone will find out some information and let one of us know. Taking my seat, I wait for everyone else to sit down and our meeting to begin.
“Stryker, have you put out any more feelers?” Slim asks after slamming the gavel on the table.
“That’s all I’ve been doin’. No one has seen or heard anythin’ from them since they were in town. We don’t want anyone to get hurt by divin’ too far into the underworld and I’ve stressed that point. The less civilians who try to find the Frozen Bastards, the better off everyone will be. At least that’s what I keep tellin’ them. Has Siren or anyone else come up with anythin’?” I respond, my voice filled with concern.
“Not a damn thing,” Fox says, his voice hard.
Before anyone else can answer or say a word, my phone vibrates on the table in front of me. with lightening quick reflexes, I grab it off the table and look at the unknown number on my screen. Looking around the table, I answer it.
“Hello?”
“Stryker?” an unfamiliar man asks me, his voice filled with dread.
“Yeah? Who’s this?”
“My name is Dagger and I know where someone belonging to you is right now. Everyone you’re looking for is here in one location. I’m not sure how long they’ll be here though,” the man tells me as each man in the room looks on.
“And why would you be givin’ me this information?” I question him, not wanting to walk into a trap of some sort.
“Your girl is in a bad way. They’ve been beating her and barely feeing her. I’m the only reason she gets any water at all. I’ve been tasked with watching over her until Chrome decides to come back down to see her. She needs a hospital, and we need to figure out how to get her out of here without them seeing her.”
“They’re all there right now?” I question him. “Can you keep them there?”
“They are. Everyone is upstairs right now. I’m not sure how long I can keep them here. Or how I’ll go about it considering I’m just playing babysitter right now. Not to mention none of them trust me,” Dagger tells us, his voice going whisper quiet. “You guys need to hurry the hell up.”
“We’re on it. Thank you, Dagger.”
“Are there more of you who want to overthrow Chrome?” Slim asks just before I hang up.
“There are a few guys. Not sure what we’ll do once Chrome figures out not all of us are on board with their plan. And that I’m going against his wishes,” Dagger tells me, his voice still quiet.
“Get word to those of the guys who don’t want to follow Chrome. We’ll make sure they’re untouched. Unless they hurt my brother’s girl,” Slim tells him, his own voice hard. “Send over the address and we’ll get there as soon as we can.”
“I’ll send it now.”
Hanging up the phone, I place it back on the table in front of me. My hope is restored along with a ton of extra anger flowing through my veins. I listen in on the plans Slim and the rest of the guys make. Honestly, I’m surprised I can hear a single word as we all get ready to bring Sally home. To make sure nothing ever happens to her again. Chrome is going to die at my hands, and I’ll make sure he suffers.
“Everyone get the fuck ready,” Slim says, his voice bringing me back on track before slamming the gavel on the table.
These assholes have kept Sally close to town, yet far enough away from where we wouldn’t have thought to look. They are up in the hills in the next town over. In less than a half hour, we’re now at the same place as my Sally. The building they’re in, is a rundown warehouse with more holes in it than actual walls. All of the windows are busted out and I’m not sure what the hell else they’re supposed to be doing here considering they won’t have air conditioning or heat when it gets cold. None of this shit means anything to me unless Sally’s in here and we can get our hands on Chrome to finally end this shit once and for all.
Splitting up into groups, we make our way around both sides of the building. There are literally only two ways in and out of this place and we’re not about to let a single asshole escape from here. At least not until we determine who has been fucking with Sally and who wants to get rid of the scum pulling the Frozen Bastards down to the scum sucking club they’ve become. Not all of these men can be bad if Dagger is to be believed. I’m tending to believe him since he called to let me know about Sally.
“On my count,” Slim voice comes through our ear pieces. “Three. Two. One.”
With a nod to Playboy, I kick in the door. I’m among the last in line as we rush in the main room of the hole in the wall building they’re keeping Sally in. There is one main room in this portion of the building. A set of stairs leads up to a second floor. One random door is placed toward the end of the building. My eyes are glued to that door considering upon first glance I didn’t see Sally in here. We all have our guns drawn as several men sit around a few tables looking shell shocked.
“The fuck are you doing here?” the man I know is Chrome asks.
“You thought you could take my ol’ lady and we wouldn’t come for her. You’ve had her for a fuckin’ month and I’ve come to get her back to my family. Your days are numbered Chrome. Or should I say your hours?” I growl out, my voice filled with the rage and venom filling my veins.
“You’re not gonna want that bitch in there,” Chrome taunts me. “Wouldn’t be surprised if she lost your bastard already too.”
I lose my shit, pulling the trigger on my gun, I take out the two men on either side of Chrome just before putting a bullet in his shoulder. He’s not going to get off that damn easy. Now, he’s not fucking laughing as his high-pitched screams fill the room. Playboy and Wood step up on either side of me to make sure I don’t do any more damage than I already have. I’m not here to kill these fuckers before I get to torture and beat them the same way they did my woman.
Turning away, I race to the door that I saw. There is no way she’s upstairs because it’s all open up there and I don’t see the man who called me much less my Sally. Running down the hallway, I kick the door open, not giving a shit if it’s already unlocked or anything else. Time is of the essence considering we were told Sally needed to get to a hospital as soon as possible. Racing down the stairs as fast as I dare as the old wood creaks beneath each step I take, it takes a minute for my eyes to adjust to the dimness of the mildew infested basement.
“She’s over here,” a man calls out, his voice echoing off the walls.
I move toward the voice and my heart stops in my chest when I get closer to him. Sally has handcuffs on her wrists and ankles with cuts, bruising, and blood covering her naked body. She still looks pregnant right now, but that doesn’t mean anything. Dropping to my knees right on the side of the bed, I take in all of the damage that’s been done to my girl. Her entire face is swollen, and I can’t even make out her eyes with how swollen everything is. Blood is caked on her skin and her lips are split wide open. Booted footsteps sound coming down the stairs toward me. I don’t want anyone to see her this way because I know it’s the last thing Sally would want.
“Oh baby,” I cry out, not giving a shit about the tears streaming down my face. “No one come closer.”
All the men coming up behind me stop immediately. I’m sure they have no problem seeing over my head what’s going on and the damage that’s been done to my woman. The farther back they are, the better I’ll feel until I can get her body covered up. Taking off my cut, I place it on my lap, so it doesn’t hit the ground. Removing my tee-shirt, I slide my cut back on over my bare chest before turning to the man who I know is Dagger.
“Where’s the key to release her?” I roar out, my voice filled with pain.
There is so much blood on Sally and surrounding her, I can’t even tell if she’s still bleeding from anywhere. Hell, she could have internal bleeding for all I know with all of the injuries to her body. Dagger reaches into his pockets and pulls out a set of keys. I catch them when he tosses them to me and hurry to unlock the cuffs restraining my woman. Tears still course down my face as I look at her. I can’t seem to drag my eyes from her for longer than a second or two. This is not how my woman should ever be treated. She’s only known pain in her life, and I want to take it all away from her. I didn’t protect her the way I’ve sworn to do.
“You Dagger?” Slim asks, his voice filling the room.
“I am. I’m the one who called you.”
“Can you go let us know which ones aren’t on board with Chrome’s plans and want to get the hell away from him? If they had a hand in touchin’ my man’s woman, they won’t be let go. Be honest or you’ll be joinin’ them,” Slim warns the man standing in front of us.
“I’ll let you know. None of the guys who don’t agree with Chrome stepped foot in this room besides me. That’s only because I knew she needed water. It would be too obvious to bring her down food. I tried to make sure she was okay. They didn’t rape her. I want you all to know that. Most of them taunted her with it and I know Chrome got handsy when he was in here earlier. There was nothing I could do without getting my ass beat and not being able to protect her or call you.”
“How did you get my number?” I ask him, not knowing the answer.
“They didn’t take Sally’s phone from her. I wrote down the number she was in the most contact with and I’ve kept it shut off in my pocket since then,” Dagger responds, his voice strong as he reaches in his pocket and hands it to Slim.
“I need to get her out of here. Slim, can you have one of the Prospects pull the SUV up?” I ask, carefully lifting Sally’s prone body from the nasty mattress.
Sally moans out in pain, and I try to pick her up carefully. There is no way I want to cause her more pain than she’s already feeling. Slim and the guys stand in front of me and behind me on our way up the decrepit stairs. I’m honestly worried they’re going to fall apart with so much weight on them. However, we make it up them and I carry my girl to the front of the warehouse. All the men are still sitting in their same chairs and tables with the exception of the two I already killed. I don’t bother stopping as I continue walking straight through the building until I’m outside where I can finally catch a breath of fresh air.
The Prospect has the SUV waiting for me right outside the door. He opens the back door for me, and I climb in with Sally still in my lap. There is no way in hell I’m going to let her go when I just got her back. Until we get to the hospital, Sally will remain in my arms. I’ll hold her until the very last second I can.
“Everyone else is stayin’ here to take care of the guys and get them back to the clubhouse. They’ll make sure they’re chained up until it’s time for you to get your justice. Prospect, I’m drivin’,” Playboy informs us as he gets in the driver’s side of the SUV.
Playboy gets us to the hospital in record time. He drives well over the speed limit and doesn’t give a fuck if any cop follows us and tries to pull him over. My Vice President won’t stop until we’re in the parking lot of the hospital I don’t pay attention to anything as I ride keep my gaze locked on Sally. Other than when I picked her up, Sally hasn’t moved or made a single noise. I’m scared to death I’m going to lose her and our son at the same time with all of the trauma she’s suffered.
“Less than five minutes,” Playboy informs me. “Already called ahead and they’re waitin’ for us. Things are gonna move fast as soon as I pull in. They’ll be waitin’ outside with a gurney for her and will more than likely take her straight up to imaging before determinin’ what she needs to have happen.”
I lean over my woman and press a soft kiss against her forehead. While I don’t want to touch her, I need to have some sort of contact before she’s taken from me once again. Playboy wasn’t lying when he pulls into the parking lot almost on two wheels and stops directly in front of the emergency room doors. There are several staff members waiting outside with a gurney in the middle of them. Playboy parks the SUV, and my door is yanked open. One of the nurses goes to take Sally from me. That’s not happening.
“Back the fuck off. I’m gettin’ out of here with her in my arms and I’ll be placin’ her on the gurney,” I order her, my voice harsh and I don’t give a fuck.
The nurse backs off as the gurney is pushed to just in front of the door. I carefully get out of the vehicle. Turning my body, I lay her down on the stretcher and slide my arms from under her body.
“Sir, we need to get her inside,” a man says as I continue standing at her side.
Playboy wraps an arm around my shoulders to hold me back as they wheel her inside and away from me. These people are going to do their absolute best to help Sally and I’m not going to step in the way of that. However, they’re taking my heart away from me once again. I just got her back and I have to let her go all over again. This is bullshit. Walking through the doors, I don’t bother trying to get back where the exam rooms are. There’s no point in causing a scene when it will take these people from doing their jobs. I pace the waiting room floor while Playboy takes a seat, and the Prospect parks the SUV so it doesn’t get towed.
I don’t know how much time passes before the guys and ol’ ladies begin to file in through the emergency department doors. After checking in to see if we’ve heard anything yet, they take seats in the waiting room as everyone else moves to the opposite side. No matter how much good we do in the community, people are still afraid of us when we’re all in one spot and there is obvious tension in the air. I’m pacing like a caged animal and there is no way I can even begin to stop it. Not until I know what’s going on with Sally.
