Chains by Kristine Allen

“Step  Inside,  the  Violence”—Red

In the short distance to the clubhouse, I must’ve checked my rearview mirrors a hundred times. What was taking Jasmine so long?

I flipped my kickstand down with my foot and pulled out my phone. Her phone rang until it went to voicemail. Frowning, I called again. And again.

Ghost and Phoenix pulled in next to me as I was shoving my phone back in my pocket and kicking the kickstand back up. Angel walked out of the clubhouse.

“Where you going? You just got here,” he asked.

“Jasmine!” was all I shouted before I tore out of the compound like the road was on fire behind me. It was mere seconds before the roar of bikes caught up to me, and Angel pulled up to ride next to me as Phoenix and Ghost fell in behind.

We entered the neighborhood, and for once I cursed the security that slowed me down. By the time we reached the house, my heart was in my throat. The SUV sat in the driveway with the driver door open.

I’d never un-assed my bike faster in my life. Seeing her purse in the passenger seat with the diaper bag had me damn near hyperventilating. My hands brushed over everything, but I got nothing. For the first time, I cursed the fact that I couldn’t read my woman or my child.

“Jasmine!” I shouted as I raced to the house and barreled inside. “Jasmine!”

Silence.

“No. This cannot be happening again. No way.”

“She’s not answering her phone. I checked her stuff, and it wasn’t in the vehicle, which means she has it with her. You have her location on your phone, right?” Angel calmly asked, pulling me out of my panic.

“Yeah. Yeah, I do.” Fumbling, I pulled out my phone again and flipped through the screens until I found the app I needed. My stomach churned and my heart was about to blast through my chest wall. Her phone was north of here, and I busted out of the house with Angel on my heels.

Before I could get on my bike, I saw Ghost holding an apple core by the stem. “What the fuck are you doing?” I demanded. “We need to go!”

“This was on the edge of the driveway by the road. It seems weird that someone in this neighborhood would toss an apple core out on someone’s lawn.” He cocked a brow.

I approached him and snatched the apple core. What I saw had me dropping it like it was red-hot.

“No way,” I said, stunned, as my head pounded.

“What was it?” Angel asked me.

Disbelief had me reeling.

“It was my mother,” I whispered, aghast.

“I sent a message to Venom. He said to proceed with caution, and he would send back-up to catch up to us. Let’s go,” said Angel.

Once I mounted my phone and left the location screen open, I started my bike. I was already on my bike and pulling out of the driveway and I heard Ghost cussing. “Goddamn it!”

They quickly caught up to me. We hauled ass up the road, but none of us had prepared for a high-speed chase, and we had to stop for gas before we could catch up.

As quickly as we could, we fueled up. As I was on one side of the pump, Angel was on the other. “Bro, we don’t know who has her or if they’re armed. We can’t go racing up on them because we could put them in danger. I say we follow at a safe distance until they stop.”

“That’s my ol’ lady and my baby!”

“I get it, Chains. And it’s my sister and my niece—I don’t want anything to happen to either of them either.”

“Fine. But when they stop, we move in,” I argued.

“If it’s safe to do so, yes.” Angel was much calmer than I was, and I had no idea how he was managing it. We took off our cuts and locked them in our saddlebags. No need to advertise who we were as we followed whoever had taken my family.

Fuck. My family.

The thought of losing them nearly brought me to my knees.

In no time, we were back on the road, but they’d gotten quite a lead on us. I cursed myself for not turning around the second I realized she wasn’t behind me. Now between gas stops and traffic, they were a good thirty to forty-five minutes ahead of us.

As I watched the movement of Jasmine’s phone, I prayed like I’d never prayed before. To a God I barely believed in and to the gods of my mother. The stone around my neck seemed to heat against my skin as I did, though I convinced myself it was my imagination.

When it stopped outside of Minneapolis, I experienced anticipation that we were nearly there. I motioned to Angel that they had stopped, and he nodded his understanding. The closer we got, the harder I prayed that we got there in time and the hotter the stone was against my chest. We pulled off the interstate and stopped a few blocks away at a fast-food restaurant.

“What do you want to do?” I asked Angel, antsy to reach them.

“I need to call Venom to give him a quick update, then I say we go up on foot. They’ll hear our bikes if they haven’t already,” he said. Though I knew we needed to keep Venom in the loop, I was on edge at having to wait. Thankfully, the call was brief.

“We good?” I asked him as I grabbed my phone off the bracket on my bike.

“Yep, let’s go,” Angel took the lead, but we hadn’t gotten a block when the phone started moving again.

“Shit! Fall back! They’re moving again!” Not waiting, I raced back to my bike, shoving my phone back on the holder and starting the motor. The little blue beacon was coming back toward us.

As it passed where we were, there were two vehicles. A silver SUV with tinted windows, and a black Mercedes with the same. We waited until they were a block or so away where we could see them, but they were far enough ahead before we pulled out.

The car went straight, and the SUV got back on the interstate.

Anxiety like I’d never experienced hit me as I tried to decide which one to follow. At the last minute, I motioned for Angel to go right, because the blue dot caught up and was merging onto the interstate.

Staying at a safe distance so as to not draw suspicion, we followed them for about an hour. Ghost and Phoenix got off the interstate to fuel up. It wasn’t much later when they drew up behind us. Then Angel and I got off to do the same.

“Why don’t we just try to stop them?” I demanded as I rushed to get the pump ready.

“You want to risk them hurting your girls?” Angel replied, and though I hated the helplessness, I knew he was right.

“Where the fuck do you think they’re going?” I asked as the gas reached the top and I slammed the nozzle back in the pump.

“No clue. Let’s go.”

It seemed like the quickest pitstop known to man as we put the gas caps back on, hit the throttle, and roared out of the lot. We caught up to Ghost and Phoenix and rode behind them. Since we could see the silver SUV further up the road, tracking Jasmine’s phone wasn’t as important. Didn’t mean I shut it off. As long as I could see that blue dot, I had faith that I’d catch up to that SUV and get my woman and my daughter back.

By the time the vehicle pulled off the interstate, we had been driving for about five and a half hours, had stopped to fill up one more time, and we were near Duluth, Minnesota. We skirted the city and continued north. My hands were cramping, and I released the handgrips one at a time to flex and stimulate the blood flow.

We had to drop much farther back and rely on my tracking app, because the traffic out that far was nearly non-existent. If we had kept the vehicle in our sights, they would’ve also spotted us.

After crossing over Island Lake, the blue dot left the main road. I signaled my brothers to slow down as we approached where they had turned. It had stopped and wasn’t moving any longer. What we were met with blew my fucking mind.

“What the fuck?” I heard Ghost exclaim.

The road literally ended with a thick covering of bushes that seemed to grow right over the dirt drive.

“Shit. Let’s go,” Phoenix sad as he turned his bike around on the narrow road and left. Not too far down the road, he pulled off into a roadside rest area.

“What the fuck was that about? We needed to figure out how they got around those bushes!” I shouted at him.

“There were cameras,” Ghost nonchalantly said as he sat on his bike watching me.

“Fuck. How did I not notice that?” I grumbled as I raked my fingers through my hair. My nerves were frayed, and it was like spiders crawling under my skin.

“Because you’re being driven by emotion right now and not your head,” Phoenix said as he pulled out a joint and snapped his fingers to light it. The flame seemed to bounce off his fingertips to the end of the white paper until it lit. He took a deep drag and handed it to me. “Take a hit and calm down.”

I took two before handing it off to Ghost.

“I’m not gonna sit here getting high when my family is in there somewhere.” I motioned down the asphalt toward the turnoff.

“Didn’t say we were, but we need to think and have a solid plan before we go barging in there and get your family and us killed.” Phoenix said.

“Phoenix is right,” Angel agreed.

“Well, what do you suggest?” I asked, voice laced with frustration.

“You really need another hit,” deadpanned Ghost. “Your brain is like, nonfunctioning. Hello, there are cameras. That means I go and look for a way in. Then I come back and get you knuckleheads and we rescue our family.”

“Fine,” I grudgingly conceded before an idea hit me. “Can you call Facet and see if he can tap into their security feed?” I asked Angel.

“Already sent him a message at our last stop to see what he could find out. Last I checked, he hadn’t come up with a thing. Now that we have a location, I need to update him. If the security system is hooked up to internet, he’ll get in.” He sent a text, then waited.

“There was a driveway to another property across the road and before we reached that drive. I think we could pull in and push our bikes into the brush and hide them. Then Ghost goes over, works his magic, then we go play John Wayne,” Phoenix said with a smirk as he took one last hit. He held it in and slowly exhaled into the air.

“Well, let’s get our asses in gear,” I said as I straddled my ride.

Angel reached out and grabbed my arm. I glanced at him with a frown. “We’re going to get them back.”

Unable to speak, I nodded.

Since Phoenix was the one who spotted the other drive, he led as we pulled back out. Not far down, he turned off on a dirt road that I assumed was private property. We stopped, and one by one backed our bikes into the trees. We gathered loose limbs and broke off smaller ones from the surrounding trees to cover up any chrome that might reflect and be seen from the road.

“I’ll be back,” Ghost said as he disappeared in front of our eyes. A shiver skated down my spine.

“How the fuck does he do that?” I muttered.

Angel glanced my way. “How do any of us do what we do? It simply is.”

“What did Venom say? Is he sending anyone as backup for us?”

“No. Venom, Squirrel, Kicker, and the prospects are holding down the fort. Sabre and Blade are down in Puerto Rico with the brothers down there looking into something with the trafficking shit. Raptor and Voodoo went to look into the gunrunners that killed Halvorson’s friend. They’re with the Los Angeles chapter right now. All that’s available are the old timers, and that’s not fair to have them come up here. They’re practically retired.”

“I knew we should’ve kept that guy alive that we picked up in Texas,” I grumbled.

“Kind of hard when he had a goddamn stroke during our interrogation,” Phoenix said with a grin.

“Well, if Blade wasn’t such a sick fuck, maybe he wouldn’t have made the guy have an aneurysm,” I argued. Angel snorted, and I glared at him.

“Not his fault the guy had a weak vessel in his head,” Phoenix said before he shrugged.

I sighed.

Time seemed to crawl as we waited for word from Ghost. Though I knew his gift would keep him from being seen, we had no idea what type of people we were dealing with. What if they could see him? Hell, did he show up on thermal cameras? I’d never thought to ask. What if he did and they had them?

My brain wouldn’t stop.

“Do you think he’s okay?” I asked as I paced.

“Of course I am,” a voice whispered in my ear, making me nearly jump out of my skin.

“You’re a fucking asshole,” I snapped.

Ghost chuckled as he stepped around me.

“What did you find?” Angel asked. We all gave him our full attention.

He took a deep breath, exhaling as he puffed his cheeks out. “That is some serious shit over there. I’m talking cult-type crazy shit. Doomsday Peppers Ranch shit.”

“What?” I asked not understanding exactly what he was getting at.

“The bushes are fake. Really incredible ones, but fake. They are on a roller system that moves out of the way. The fence that runs about fifteen to twenty feet in from the road even with those bushes is eight feet tall and electrified. Razor wire at the top of that. Seems to go on forever.” He shook his head in amazement.

“So how do we get in?” I asked, ready to explode in exasperation.

“It appears there’s only cameras at the gate. Quite a way down the fence line is a spot that is eroded. I think we might be able to shimmy under it. Might be a tight fit for your big ass. How good are you at limbo?” he asked with a smirk.

“Can we dig it out more?” Phoenix asked the question I had.

“One of you carrying a shovel up your ass I don’t know about?” Ghost asked with a cocked brow. I flipped him off.

“Let’s go,” Angel said. As the club’s enforcer, he was the highest-ranking member there. We deferred to his judgement and followed him.

When we saw the washout Ghost had referred to, we shot him a look of astonishment.

“You think we’re gonna fit through that?” Phoenix quietly asked in disbelief. His eyes looked like they were gonna pop out of his head. “How the fuck did you get in?”

“I didn’t, dumbass. I looked for a way in, and I found it,” Ghost said as he fluttered his lashes.

“You said the fence is hot and there’s a fucking barbed-wire strand running under that below the dirt’s surface!” Phoenix said as he propped his fists on his hips.

“Jesus. Bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch,” grumbled Ghost as he rummaged around in the trees. He came back with an E-Tool like I’d used in the army.

“What the fuck? Where the hell did that come from?” I asked in amazement.

“Well, I didn’t have it up my ass, but I did have it in my saddlebag.” The smartass had the nerve to snicker. He tossed it to Phoenix, who instinctively caught it.

“Why the hell are you giving it to me?” he asked.

“Because you were the one of little faith,” Ghost said with a shrug.

That time Phoenix flipped him off, but he crouched down and started digging, careful not to touch the metal shovel to the fence. Sweat trickled down his brow, and he paused to wipe it off with the back of his hand. “You’d think it wouldn’t be this fucking hot. We’re damn near in Canada,” he muttered.

“Thank fuck,” replied Ghost. “I hate the cold.”

“Yet you live in motherfuckin’ Iowa,” said Phoenix as he continued to dig. Then he handed it off to me. “Your turn.”

I dug with a passion I never had in the military. When I was satisfied that I thought I could fit, I tossed it to the side. It would’ve been easier if I could grab the fence to push and pull myself through. Instead, I had to lie on my back and shimmy under. The barbed wire caught on my shirt, and I froze. Ghost carefully picked the fabric from the barb, and I continued through.

Once I was on the other side, I listened to make sure no one was coming. When I was sure it was clear, I motioned for my brothers to go under. They repeated my motions, but once they got to a certain point, I was able to grab their arms and slowly drag them the rest of the way.

We were all through and brushed off the loose dirt. Checking my weapons, I ensured they were all loaded and chambered, then replaced them in the holster at the back of my pants, then the ones at each ankle. Angel, Ghost, and Phoenix did the same.

“Let’s go,” Angel said.

I gripped his arm. “Hey, I think when we get to wherever they’re holding Jasmine and Ehria, you should hang back. If you’re hurt, you can’t help if….” My words died off—I was unable to finish my sentence.

“I understand. We’re going to get them back.” His intense gaze held mine as I swallowed with difficulty before I inhaled deeply.

“Lead the way.”

We silently made our way through the trees, parallel to the dirt drive. When it seemed like we’d walked miles, the trees thinned, and a large clearing was revealed. There were several large buildings and about twenty-five smaller ones. All were metal buildings, completely nondescript other than some flower beds in front of the smaller ones. There wasn’t a vehicle in sight, but one of the long buildings had a bunch of closed bay doors, and I assumed that must be where they were stored.

“I’m going in to see where everyone is,” Ghost said barely above a whisper before he vanished. Clenching and unclenching my hands, I twitched and fidgeted. By looking at me, no one would guess I’d been a decorated operative. Then again, I’d never once been on a mission where the subject was personal.

“How do you think he makes his clothes disappear? You think he has special fabric?” Phoenix quietly asked as he scanned the area. My expression of disbelief was lost on him, because he didn’t glance my way once. He scratched the back of his neck with an inked hand.

Absently, I thought about how most of his work was mine. “How are you even thinking this shit at a time like this?” I whispered.

“Need to keep you from losing your shit,” he said as he glanced my way and cocked a brow.

“Can you two be quiet?” Angel asked in exasperation.

“Where the fuck is everyone? Unless they have another exit that we can’t see, there should be someone here,” I murmured as my gaze clocked every detail of the compound.

“It’s eerie as fuck,” Angel softly murmured.

There was a snap in the brush behind me, and I had my pistol out and aimed as Ghost appeared with his hands up and a cocky grin. “Easy, bro.”

I softly snorted. “You’re slipping. I heard you. Now what did you find out?”

His grinned disappeared immediately. “See that big building in the center?” he asked as he pointed.

We all nodded.

“All the smaller buildings have windows; those are houses. I don’t know why, but everyone is inside. That biggest one in the center has none, and there are cameras all around it. If I had to guess, they’re in there. Problem is, we have no idea how many or what we’re up against.”

I raked my fingers through my hair. “Now what?” I asked Angel. Personally, I wasn’t against storming the place, but my logical side told me that was stupid as fuck, because we wouldn’t stand a chance in hell, and I could get my family harmed.

“Ghost, do you think you can get inside?” Angel asked.

“Undetected? No clue—but I can try. Didn’t want to risk it until I told you guys what was up.”

“Here’s Facet,” Angel said as he pulled out his phone.

A slow grin spread across his face, and his brown gaze lifted to mine. “We’re in. He’s got their shit running on a loop. As long as no one comes or goes for them to realize something is up, we’re golden. What’s the best approach?” he asked Ghost.

Ghost walked us through the layout and which route we could use get to the center structure with the least chance of being seen from the windows of the homes. Heart hammering, but minds focused, we moved according to plan while Angel waited in the trees. We all had spent time in the military and it showed. Well, except Ghost, but he had his own skills that made him a badass without formal military training.

When we were close, Ghost disappeared and opened the door a crack. Then it slowly opened enough for a man to slip through. He was gone briefly before he reappeared and waved us in. Fucking spooky as shit.

Again, I cursed that I couldn’t touch anything to see if Jasmine and Ehria were okay, but the benefits had outweighed the risks at the time. None of us anticipated she would go missing again. The thing was, if I had it to do over, I didn’t think I would’ve changed it. The ability to touch my woman and my child without gloves like a normal man was something I never thought I’d be able to do.

Now I had to get them back.

Safely.