Boxed Set: Steel: Blacthorne MC Romance (22 page)

N
ick

It had been just over an hour since I discovered Ella had left. I hated to think of her out there alone. I wondered if she had reached Dorset City yet. I guessed that’s where she would be heading as it was the nearest place with an interstate connection.

A hammering on the door made me look up. It sounded urgent.

I pulled open the door to see Chad standing there, his plump face creased with a frown. Crap. Had they already realized that Ella was gone? I’d wanted to give her as much time as I could.

But what Chad said surprised me. “Victor is coming.”

“Victor is coming here? Why?”

Dammit. How had Victor managed to find out about Ella so fast?

There was no way I could ask Chad that question without confessing I knew Ella had gone. I tried to play it cool, and see if he’d offer up any more information.

“I spoke to Damien on the phone,” Chad said. “He mentioned something about the Venom crew. Victor thinks they’re encroaching on his territory and wants to hit them hard.”

I almost smiled. It had nothing to do with Ella. They didn’t know she was gone, and with this distraction, hopefully she’d have even more time to make her escape.

As Chad carried on talking about the plan to get back at the Venom crew, I tuned him out, barely listening to the details. I couldn’t get up any enthusiasm for the dumb feuds between MCs.

We went to the bar together to find Tom and fill him in. As usual, he was propped up against the bar, nursing a beer and enjoying the attention of a curvy blonde.

When we joined them, the blonde turned to me, moving close and resting her hand on my chest.

“Hello, handsome,” she whispered and winked at me.

I gave a barely imperceptible shake of my head, and the smile fell from her painted lips.

She shrugged. “Suit yourself,” she said sulkily and stepped back over to Tom.

But Tom had grown tired of her attentions, too. “Not now, sweetheart. We’ve got business to talk about.”

After the blonde left us with a toss of her head, Chad filled Tom in on the latest developments.

“Where’s Jackson?” I asked.

I hadn’t seen him for a while, and I didn’t like it. I felt safer when I knew exactly where Jackson was. I didn’t trust him.

As I turned, I saw Jackson enter the bar. Most of the females in the bar, turned to look at him, something that probably stroked his already overgrown ego.

He was smart and coolheaded — a dangerous combination. Jackson had usurped my position in the Blackthorne crew.

Victor used to trust me and rely on my opinion, now he was much more likely to rely on Jackson. I knew that wasn’t the only reason I mistrusted Jackson, though.

He was so still and calm on the surface. He reminded me of that saying —
still waters run deep
. There was a lot I didn’t know about Jackson.

Jackson joined us, but before we could tell him about the latest developments, there was a sudden change of atmosphere in the bar. Victor Blackthorne himself stomped in, and the conversations in the bar stopped suddenly as people fell silent to stare at him.

Victor himself was anything but silent as he walked in, cursing and glaring at anyone who dared to look at him. Damien walked by his side, talking to his brother in urgent whispers.

This had to be big. Victor normally used his crew to do his grunt work. For him to be here in person meant things were very serious indeed.

When the brothers reached us, Victor glared at me.

Shit. What had I done this time?

It was Damien who spoke first. “Ella’s been taken.”

At first his words didn’t sink in. I thought he’d got it wrong, or confused somehow.

Ella had run away… She hadn’t been taken.

But then my blood grew cold as the implication sunk in. All this time I’d wasted sitting around thinking that she was on her way home and really she’d needed my help.

I looked at Damien searching his face for more information. “How?”

“Apparently she ran away,” Victor spoke, his eyes cold and fixed on me, and I knew he thought I had something to do with it. At the very least, he suspected I knew she’d left.

I couldn’t admit to that. Victor would kill me for the disloyalty.

I shook my head. “I just saw her an hour ago. She has to be around here somewhere,” I said, hoping my acting skills would be convincing enough for Victor.

“Apparently, from what we’ve learned, she turned up at the sheriff’s department in Marcham town,” Damien said. “Unfortunately, the sheriff was being paid off by the Venom MC, and after she mentioned the Blackthorne crew, her fate was sealed.”

Damien steely gaze told me that I would be punished for Ella’s betrayal. But I didn’t give a shit about that now.

“So the sheriff turned her over to them?” Chad asked.

Victor gave a single nod of his head.

I gripped the counter.
No. This couldn’t be happening
.

“They’d better not touch her,” I spat out.

If they’d hurt her, I’d tear them limb from limb. I’d make it my life’s mission to kill every last one of them.

Tom put a big, meaty hand on my shoulder and squeezed. “Hey, calm down, buddy. Victor will sort it,” he said.

I looked up, ready to tell Tom that I was perfectly capable of sorting it myself. I wouldn’t trust Ella’s safety to anyone but myself, but as I looked up, I caught Jackson’s gaze, and it was then I knew.

In that instant, it all became crystal clear. How could I have missed it?

Jackson was the damn undercover cop.

E
lla

After the guy with the yellow bandanna had pulled me from his bike, I was determined to make myself as difficult as possible. I fought him every step of the way, driving my elbows into him and kicking out, aiming for his groin.

But nothing seemed to slow him down.

He threw me over his shoulder, chuckling, squeezing my butt hard. He carried me into a tatty old shack behind the biker bar we’d arrived at. My voice was hoarse from screaming, but nobody had tried to help.

He slapped my butt hard and chuckled again as I wriggled against him, trying to get free.

“I bet you are a spitfire in the sack, baby. Maybe I’ll come and visit you later, and you can show me exactly how good you are.”

I struggled against him as he manhandled me down to the floor and pushed me into a room. Before I managed to struggle to my feet, he’d shut the door behind him, leaving me locked in.

I hammered on the door, kicking it and screaming again and again.

But all I could hear was his footsteps retreating.

Panting, I rested my forehead against the rough wood paneled door. I needed to get my breath back. I had to stay calm, so I could try to work out a way out of this mess. I should have been on my way home by now. I knew I shouldn’t have trusted Sheriff Morrison. As soon as I’d seen him, I’d known there was something not quite right.

I heard a movement behind me and jumped. I hadn’t realized there was anyone else in here.

The light was dim, and I leaned back against the door, terrified, as my eyes searched the room.

I was sure
something
had moved. Had it been a rat?

Then I heard a voice. “Ella, is that really you?”

My hands flew up to my face, and I smothered a sob.
Holy crap
. I recognized that voice.

“Claire!”

N
ick

I stared at Jackson as all the pieces fell into place.

I tugged on his arm. “Can I have a word?”

Jackson nodded once and followed me as I walked outside the bar.

Outside, I took a couple of deep breaths and looked up at the darkening blue sky. It wouldn’t be long now until it was dark.

Jesus. Where the hell was Ella? What had they done to her?

Jackson stood beside me. “Steel, what do you want?”

I shook my head. It all made sense now. How could I have been so blind?

Jackson might be a traitor and a cop, but right now, I needed to get Ella back, and he was the only one I could trust.

“You’re the cop,” I said. I didn’t waste any time getting to the point.

Jackson flinched, but he didn’t deny it. “Listen, Nick the most important thing right now is getting Ella back.”

My temper flared, and I got up into his face.

“You think I don’t know that?” I shoved a hand into his chest, pushing him backwards.

It felt like my fucking heart had been ripped out.

“You need to help me.” I spat the words at him. “We have to find her. If we don’t, I’m going to tell Victor who you are.”

Jackson narrowed his eyes, but he didn’t respond to my shove. “You don’t have to threaten me, Steel. I want to find Ella and make sure she is safe just as much as you do.”

I really doubted that. I physically hurt to think of her in danger. Imagining her somewhere I couldn’t protect her was driving me crazy.

“I’m going to help you,” Jackson said. “But first there’s something I need to tell you.”

I gritted my teeth as he looked at me, and I longed to land a punch on him…on anyone just to release some of this pent up frustration.

“It was me,” Jackson said cooly. “I took Ella to the sheriff’s office.”

I shook my head as I tried to process the information.

“
You
took her?”

The very idea that Ella had chosen to trust Jackson over me twisted my gut.

But I quickly pushed those thoughts away. None of that mattered now. It only mattered that we found her.

“Why didn’t you stick around to make sure she was okay?” I asked accusingly, feeling the anger surging through me.

Jackson took a deep breath. “I should have. I wish I had.”

Jackson must have read something from the expression on my face, and he looked at me with pity, reaching out to slap me on the back.

“We are going to find her,” he said.

“How?” I could hear the desperation in my voice.

Jackson ran his hands through his hair. “I don’t know, but we need to make a start. If she was taken by Venom, we need to find out which of their properties is closest to the sheriff’s office.”

I thought hard, trying to remember, and then it came to me.

“There’s a bar under their control about ten miles from Marcham. It’s called Sizzle.”

Jackson nodded. “Then there’s a good chance that’s where they’ve taken her.”

I nodded. He was right. I set off at a run towards my bike.

Jackson called after me, “Hang on, Steel,” he called out as he followed me. “Aren’t we going to tell Victor?”

Screw that
.

“I’ll tell him when I get back,” I yelled, straddling my bike as it roared to life.

E
lla

As my eyes adjusted to the light, I saw Claire huddled in the corner of the room, sitting on an old, saggy bed. She leaned forward with wide eyes as if she couldn’t quite believe I was really standing in front of her.

I rushed forward. “Claire, oh my God. It’s really you. What happened? What are you doing here?”

Claire clutched my hand. “I’m so glad you’re okay. When they took you, I thought…” Her voice trailed away, and she shuddered.

I sat beside her on the bed and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “We’ll get out of this,” I said with more confidence than I felt.

Hell, I’d been kidnapped
twice
. Could my luck have really gotten any worse?

“Tell me what happened that night. I got your message — the one you left with the girl along with your phone.”

Claire closed her eyes and smiled. “I’m so glad that worked. I was desperate to get in touch. I figured if you’d managed to get away you’d be trying to call me.”

“How long have they kept you here?”

“Only a couple of days,” Claire said. “But I don’t have a watch, so I lose track of time. But hey, at least I have a room with a view,” Claire said lamely, pointing to the small window that looked out onto the parking lot.

I stood up and peered outside. It was already dark now. Nick would have realized I’d left. He would think I’d left of my own accord and that I hadn’t trusted him.

Jackson was probably on top of the world, thinking he’d done the right thing and gotten me away from Blackthorne safely.

I wondered how they would react if they could see me now.

“You didn’t tell them you saw anything that night, did you?” Claire asked.

I shook my head. “No.”

Claire smiled and looked relieved. “That’s good because the Venom MC are known for being ruthless.”

I cocked an eyebrow. “So that’s who took you? The Venom MC?”

Claire nodded. “Yes. They took you, too, didn’t they?”

I shook my head and returned to sit beside her on the bed again. “No. It was the Blackthorne MC.”

Claire’s face screwed up in confusion. “Blackthorne? But they are Venom’s deadliest rival.” She shook her head. “I don’t understand.”

Join the club, I thought.

“So what happened to you that night,” Claire asked.

I took a deep breath and began to tell my story, confessing to Claire that I didn’t really remember much about that night at all.

“I’d had too much to drink, but when I woke up there was a huge biker guy, who I later learned was called Chad, blocking the doorway, and I was holed up in some horrible motel room. Then they wouldn’t let me go. They didn’t hurt me but…” I trailed off and looked at Claire. I had a horrible feeling she hadn’t been as lucky as me. “Did they hurt you?”

Claire exhaled a long breath and then pointed to a slight shadow on her cheekbone. “I got this when I dared to talk back to one of them.” She sighed. “I wish I had managed to block that night out, too, but unfortunately, I remember everything.”

“What happened?”

“We were in the bar, which was pretty much empty, still drinking, when the guy you hooked up with came back. Remember him?”

I swallowed hard and nodded. I certainly remembered more things about Nick Steel than Claire could ever imagine.

“Everything seemed to happen at once,” Claire continued. “Four bikers burst in the main entrance and started shooting. They killed a guy — someone at the pool table. It was awful, there was blood everywhere. And then the guy you hooked up with, he got shot.”

“Nick,” I mumbled. My chest ached.

“I’m not sure what happened to him,” she said.

“He’s okay,” I said. “They got him to a doctor, who got the bullet out, and he’s going to be fine now.”

Claire looked at me a little oddly as if she was surprised by the tone of my voice when I spoke about Nick. But she didn’t ask me about it and continued on with her story. “In the confusion, we got up from the table and tried to get to the door, but I didn’t make it. You were almost outside when a guy grabbed me. I later found out he was David Kidd, an important member of the Venom MC. I can remember you screaming and chasing after us as he dragged me outside, but you couldn’t get to us before a crowd of people swallowed you up.”

Claire shivered. “Everyone was trying to get out of the bars at the same time. The bar we were in was practically empty, but outside, it was mayhem. People had heard the shots and left all the bars along the strip. I couldn’t see you, and he made me get on his bike, telling me he’d slit my throat if I didn’t. Since then, it’s been one long nightmare. They took me around the state, and we stayed in dive after dive. All the places were just like this one — run down and in the middle of nowhere.”

Claire leaned back against the wall and sighed. “Somehow, they forgot to search me, and I still had my phone. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a charger, and my battery was soon dead. But the girl I met a few days ago had a compatible charger, and I asked her to give you a message if you called.”

I squeezed Claire’s hand as she wiped away a tear.

“She said she would have charged the phone for me and given it back, but I was scared they would kill me if they found out I had a phone. Besides, I quickly realized you can’t call the cops on them as the law around here seems to be under MC control. They boasted about that the first night they took me.”

I nodded ruefully. I’d found that out the hard way. Sheriff Morrison was clearly under Venom MC control.

I spotted a bottle of water beside us on the nightstand next to the bed.

“Is it okay if I have some,” I said, gesturing to the bottle. “I’m so thirsty.”

Claire reached over, picked up the bottle and handed it to me. “Don’t drink too much of it, though.”

“They ration your water?”

I couldn’t believe it.
The assholes
. Would it really have killed them to give Claire enough to eat and drink?

Claire shook her head. “No, it’s worse than that. I think they drug the water to keep me quiet.”

I stared down at the bottle in my hand. Suddenly, I wasn’t quite so thirsty.