Page 73 of Iron Heart

I nod. “That squares with what I was thinking. So, Dom’s still missing. And — I just figured out, so is this chick I’ve been seeing. Tori,” I tell them. “I just talked to her roommate, who says she hasn’t seen her in a while. Tori didn’t sleep at her place last night, and she’s not answering her phone.”

“You think that’s got something to do with this?” Yoda frowns.

“I know it sounds crazy, but… I think the same people might have taken them. I sure as hell don’t know why, though.”

But Axel doesn’t look as surprised as I expect him to. Neither does Rourke.

“I think you’re right,” Axel mutters.

I gape at him. “What?”

“Head into the chapel. I’m calling an emergency meeting.”

Baffled and alarmed, I do as he says. Three minutes later, all the Lords in the clubhouse are seated around the large table in our chapel. Axel remains standing, looking preoccupied. He bangs the gavel, and as soon as everyone has settled down, he starts to speak.

“I’ve been contacted by the leader of Los Caballeros,” he begins.

“Holy shit,” Mal mutters.

“He somehow got through to me on my private number. He called to give me an ultimatum. He warned me there will be an all-out war if the Lords of Carnage don’t immediately cut ties with Indio and the Dos Santos cartel, and recognize Los Caballeros having the legitimate claim of their turf.”

“Fuck,” Ranger groans. “So here we go. Indio was right.”

Axel’s face is stony, impassive. “Not only that. The Caballeros have taken credit for ambushing Mal and Cyndi. They’ve taken credit for the garage bombing.”

“God fucking damnit, those bastards,” Mal hisses.

Axel pauses, letting Mal vent, and then continues.

“They also intercepted Dom’s truck, which was filled with our last shipment that was supposed to go north to Tanner Springs.”

“Goddamnit!” Bama explodes up out of his chair. “I knew that fucker couldn’t be trusted!” He turns to me, jabbing a vicious finger at my face. “Your piece of shit brother is probably is on the take for the Caballeros!”

“Shut it, Bama!” Axel warns. “This ain’t the time.”

“But goddamnit, Dante’s the one who —”

“I don’t give a sideways shit!” Axel shouts. “Sit your ass the fuck down and shut up! We don’t know what the fuck is going on with Dom yet. But right now, we don’t have time to figure it out. Right now, we focus! Dante’s brother’s gone missing, and Los Caballeros have him. We’re not sure if he’s a prisoner or an accomplice. But either way, he’s ours, and we’re takin’ him back. And, there’s one more thing,” Axel says, looking at me, “They also have Dante’s girlfriend.”

“Fuck ‘em!” Bama spits out. “Fuck ‘em both. I say we leave both of ‘em to the Caballeros. Let them do whatever the fuck they want with ‘em. Maybe they’ll leave us the fuck alone if we do!”

Ranger snorts. “You’re fuckin’ high if you think that. The Caballeros ain’t gonna be satisfied with that. We don’t have a choice. We gotta get them out. We’ll figure out what to do with Dom afterwards. But him and the girl areours. We take them back.”

Bama snorts. “Fuck that shit! Dom’s a traitor!” he yells, waving his arms. “And ain’t no gash worth risking our lives for! I say we face fuckin’ reality. The Caballeros…”

I’m out of my seat and launching myself at Bama. Before he realizes what’s happening, I have him on the ground, my hands wrapped around his throat, choking off his air supply.

“You’re about to leave this world, Bama,” I roar. “And believe me, it’s gonna be a fuckin’ pleasure to be the one to do it.”

“Dante!” Rourke yells. “Back off!”

“Not a fucking chance!” I yell back continuing to choke him. “He’s wasted too much goddamn air on this planet!”

A bunch of rough arms yank me back and pull me off Bama. Gasping, he kicks his feet wildly at me, then backs himself against the wall, sucking in air.

“Dante!” Axel shouts. “We ain’t got time for this. This shit gets settled later. Right now, you want to save your brother and your girl, we gotta move!”

My prez’s words shake me out of it. I know he’s right. We have to get to Tori before it’s too late.

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