The bar instantly fell quiet when Cotton walked in. With a slight nod towards the back door, he let everyone know it was time for church. Just as he was turning to leave, he spotted Dive and Cass. He glared at them for a long moment, making Dive’s eyebrows furrow in momentary confusion. With a quick glance over to Cass, Dive realized how he’d fucked up. He didn’t say a word as he stepped away from Cassidy, looking at her like she had three heads and followed his brothers into church.
It didn’t take long for everyone to fill the room. Rip took a seat next to Cotton, while Dive and the rest of his brothers stood behind him. Once the rest of us were settled, Cotton turned to Rip and said, “Appreciate you coming in early like this. We needed to make sure that everyone was on the same page before these motherfuckers strike again.”
“Not a problem, but it’s been pretty quiet on our end,” Rip started. “Been waiting for them to make a move, especially with all that intel they gathered on our brothers and families.”
“Came after us again last night. That’s why we moved the meeting up. Used explosives to set a fire at our construction company. Figured they did it to lure out our VP, so they could get to his old lady.”
“Fuck!” Rip growled.
“We managed to get her out before they could get their hands on her, but the attempt was made nonetheless,” Cotton explained.
“Making a move like that, they’re calling for war,” Rip told him.
“You got that right. We’ve had Big Mike looking into their club, identifying all their possible allies. They’ve got the numbers they need to make one hell of an attack,” Cotton replied.
“Any idea where they might be holed up?” he asked.
“Mike caught something on one of our surveillance streams last night. Looks like a couple of them are hiding out in one of the old warehouses in Angeles, waiting for more to come.”
“There’s no doubt that there will be more. We can count on that, but you’ve got us. Been allies with your club for as long as I can remember, even back when your uncle was sitting in that chair. Best thing he ever did was passing the reigns down to you. Just let us know what you need,” Rip confirmed. “But if they have the kind of numbers I think they’ve got, you’re gonna need more than just us at your back.”
“Aware of that,” Cotton answered. “Already talked to the Northern Caballero’s. They’re in.”
“And with the Nomads we know in the area, we’ll be able to take them on,” Maverick added.
“We’re armed and ready. I suggest you do the same,” Cotton warned.
“Been ready. We’ll head over to the warehouse now and secure the perimeter. Just let us know what you want us to do from there,” Rip assured him.
“Thanks, brother. We’re right behind you,” Cotton told them as they stood to leave. When the last of the Forsakens had pulled out of the gate, I set out to find Wren and Wyatt, figuring they were getting settled in their room by now. As soon as I walked through the door, I got a bad feeling as I scanned the room and didn’t see any sign of them. I reached in my back pocket for my phone and called Clutch. I called three times, but he didn’t pick up. It wasn’t like him not to answer, confirming my thoughts that something wasn’t right.
Not wanting to waste any time, I headed straight to my bike. I’d almost made it to the parking lot when Maverick stopped me. “Hey, what’s the rush? Is something going on?”
“Wren and Wyatt aren’t here, and Clutch isn’t answering. Headed over there now to see what the hell is going on,” I told him, trying not to panic.
“I’ll go with you,” he told me as he motioned for Q’ and Two Bit to follow us.
When I pulled through the gate, I didn’t look back to see if my brother was behind me. I knew he was there, same as Q’ and Two Bit; they were always there when they were needed. Maverick could see that I was worried, but there was no way he knew just how panicked I really was. Not knowing what was going on with Wren was killing me. I tried to push it out of my thoughts, trying to block the ‘what ifs’ that were racing through my mind, but it was useless. I knew in my gut that something was wrong, really wrong. I turned the throttle forward, pushing my bike to its limit. I didn’t care how fucking dangerous it was to drive at that speed, I had to get there. When I finally pulled up to her house, her car was still parked in the driveway. I got off my bike and hurried inside. When the door swung open, I found Clutch sprawled out on the floor, bleeding out all over the kitchen. Maverick and the boys came in behind me. Each of them rushing over to help with Clutch.
“Oh shit!” Q’ blurted out.
Maverick dropped to his knees and placed his fingers at Clutch’s throat, checking for a pulse as he tried to talk to him. “Clutch… brother, I need you to open your eyes. Can you do that for me, man? Open your eyes,” he demanded.
With a strained moan, Clutch tried to say, “Wr…en.”
I knelt down over him, and inches from his face I pleaded, “What is it, Clutch? You gotta tell me.”
When he tried to take a breath, his face grimaced in pain, but he finally managed to say, “Her… ex, and…”
“And what, Clutch?” I shouted as I tried to get him to respond, but it was too late. He’d passed out from the pain and blood loss.
“Call Doc and get the brothers to bring over a cage,” Maverick told Q’. “Tell them to make it fast. He’s lost a lot of blood.”
While Q’ made the call, Maverick did what he could to stop the bleeding. Clutch had two gunshot wounds to the chest, one close to his shoulder and the other was lower by his hip. Doc had dealt with much worse, so I had no doubt that he’d be able to help him. He’d have to.
“I’ll be right back,” I told him.
He nodded, and I headed down the hall to see if there were any signs of Wyatt or Wren. When I passed Wyatt’s room, I noticed that most of his things were gone. He’d packed up most of his stuff, but there was no suitcase. I left his room and walked across the hall to Wren’s. Her suitcase was still laying on the bed, but there was no sign of either of them in the house. I went back to Maverick and said, “No trace of them. That motherfucker came in here and took them!”
“Just stop for minute. Take a step back, and think about this. This is your thing, Stitch. You’ve gotta treat this like it is anybody other that Wren and Wyatt, forget that this is about the people you care about. It’s the only way you’re going to be able to find them,” Maverick explained.
I rested my back against the wall and took a deep breath. I knew he was right. I was letting my emotions get in the way. I tried to clear my thoughts, think only of the facts that I knew about Wyatt and Wren and all of their dealings with Michael. I was trying to think, but it was damn near impossible with my brother laying there on the floor, looking paler by the minute. Thankfully, the cage finally pulled up out front to get him. Two Bit opened the door for Doc, leading him quickly over to Clutch. Once Two Bit helped Doc load him in the SUV, they were both gone, leaving me alone with Maverick and Q’.
When they pulled out of the driveway, Maverick turned to me and said, “Okay, brother. How do we find this kid and his mother?”
“The cell phone. I gave him a cell phone a couple of weeks ago. It has a tracker in it,” I remembered.
“I’ll call Mike,” Maverick told me.
“What do you need me to do?” Q’ asked.
“Just hold tight. Once, we know what direction they’re headed, we’re going after them,” Maverick answered.
I paced back and forth, glancing periodically over at the pool of blood on the kitchen floor. Each time I saw it, the more infuriated I became.
“Stitch,” Maverick warned.
“I know,” I growled. He just didn’t get it. He had no fucking idea. He had a family – Henley, Gavin, and for most of his life, he had parents that gave a shit. I’d only had Emerson, and now, for the first time, I had a chance for more. I had a chance to know what love really was, to truly feel it and give it back in return. I couldn’t lose it. Not now, not when I was so close. Wren was mine, and I wasn’t about to let anything happen to her.
“They’re out on 101 headed towards Clearwater. About an hour out,” Q’ announced.
“Want me to call Gonzalez? See if he can help us out?” Maverick offered.
“I’ll call him,” I told him as I walked out the front door and headed towards my bike. Before I started my engine, I dialed Gonzalez’s number. The Caballero’s were our allies, and Gonzalez owed me more favors than I could count. It was time for him to pay up.
“Yell-o?” Gonzalez answered.
“Need your help,” I told him. “Blue 2007 Toyota is coming through your area. Need you to stall him.”
“Got an ETA?” Gonzalez asked.
“Any minute. Be ready. Coming in on 101 headed to Clearwater. Slow him down,” I demanded.
“On it brother.”
“Good. I’m on my way,” I told him as I hung up my phone and started up my bike.
Chapter 19
Wren