If we can figure this out together, we might have a better idea of where we’re being held.
“I thought my friend would help me, but he’s betrayed me. I can’t believe he’s done that.”
He shakes his head, just staring at the floor. His shoulders are slumped forward as he curls in on himself. I recognize defeat when I see it. That won’t do. He is going to need to fight their torture with every bit of strength he can find deep inside.
“Rook. They’ve threatened to hurt you, but you can’t give in to it.Wecan’t give in. There must be a way we can get out of here.” I lean forward and gently touch his right cheek where there’s a big bruise forming over the skin. “Did they do this to you?”
He nods forlornly, and I blink back tears.
“What about the others? I can’t believe they just decided to leave me to my fate.” My voice is so bitter and so damn sad.
“They haven’t,” he croaks. “They’re going to come, but they wanted to make a proper plan. I didn’t agree with waiting because I knew that terrible things could happen to you in the meantime. So, I tried to come and find you myself… look how that turned out.”
He gives a chuckle that fades into a series of hacking coughs, then he groans again, curls up, and closes his eyes.
Oh, Rook…
My heart catches, and my vision mists with tears. I gently stroke his dark blond hair out of his face and brush the backs of my knuckle against his cheek. He leans into my hand, his eyes still shut, like he’s seeking the warmth of my touch.
Who knows how serious his injuries are? He has a bruise on his cheek and what looks to be a nasty bump forming on his forehead, plus blood in his hair. I pray he doesn’t have bleeding on the brain or anything too serious.
I curl down onto the floor beside him, wrapping my body around his, forming a protective shield.
Please, God, don’t let them kill him.
7
GHOST
Ace throwsa series of maps and printed images onto Jack’s desk. He’s already taken a marker to them, arrows pointing around the Revenants’ compound.
When we saw those messages between the Numbnuts and the Revenants, my blood ran cold, but there was also a slight sense of relief. I had been worried that Camile might have been taken by the cartel who attacked her family, but this way, she’s still hopefully close by.
“I was able to get some overhead schematics together, too,” Ace tells us. “Their compound is on a smaller scale than ours, but it’s a similar layout. They have their clubhouse and main living areas, but here, on the outskirts, is a larger building, separate from everything else, which I assume they use for storage. If I was going to hold someone there, I’d pick that place, away from everyone.”
Jack presses his lips into a thin line and nods. “Makes sense. It’s getting onto the compound to reach it that’s going to be the issue.”
Ace hasn’t finished and points at the map, which hasblack pen markers following certain roads. “I put these routes together when we were going to take those Revenant fuckers down for stealing our shipment and beating up Bruce and Reynolds. Now we can make even better use of them.”
His green eyes are wild, and he’s full of so much pent-up energy he can’t stand still, never mind sit. He’s bouncing on his toes like he’s about to leap onto Jack’s desk and pound at his chest with his fists.
I almost feel sorry for whoever gets in his way when we reach the rival MC’s compound.
He speaks in a rush, like he can’t get the words out fast enough. “Problem we’ve got is that the way they’ve situated their compound means they’re slightly elevated to the surrounding roads.”
“So, they’re gonna see us coming,” Jack growls.
“Yeah. No matter which way we approach, if they are watching for us, which they most likely are, they’ll spot us.”
I step in. “But we’ll use the cover of darkness, and we’ll make sure we don’t have any lights on.”
Jack glances over. “Surely, they’ll have scouts positioned around the area. They’ll hear our engines and know we’re coming.”
“Yes, but they can’t watch everywhere,” I point out, “which is why I suggest we split up. One thing we have on the Revenants is numbers. We already outnumber them, by far, and after your old chapter arrives, we’ll probably have double the men they do.” I gesture to the map. “So, we approach from every angle, make sure we divide their men up, too. In a one-on-one situation, we have the advantage.”
Jack shakes his head. “Which is what makes thiswhole thing so fucking strange. What are they thinking, unless this is some kind of setup? The Revenants know we’re a bigger club. First the shipment, and then coming onto our fucking compound to snatch Camile…”
I interrupt. “Speaking of which, have we decided how we’re going to deal with those fucking Numbnuts?”