Page 23 of Hell & Back

“Yes. Get me to my computer.”

Exactly ten minutes later, Tuck was pulling up to the clubhouse. Kylie didn’t wait for him to come around and help her down. She jumped down on her own and was running through the rain for the door. By the time he caught up with her she was rushing through the common room, turning down the hall, on her way to her office. He cleared her door withRace, Dagger, Maverick, Jackson and Trick hot on his heels. She was already bringing the cameras up when he moved in behind her to look over her shoulder. The others poured in after him, crowding around her desk.

“Talk to me. What the fuck happened?” Race stood with his feet braced apart and his arms crossed over his chest.

He was so pissed the Phantoms took Darren and worried about what they might do to him he could barely contain the urge to throw everything in Kylie’s office against the wall. Knowing it was necessary to fill them all in but not having the patience for it, he took a deep breath then launched into what happened. “We went to Kylie’s baby doctor appointment. It started raining sometime while we were inside. Darren told us to stay under the portico while he went to get the truck. On his way, a van sped after him. A guy came out from between two cars and drew his attention. I ran to help, but with my bum leg, I couldn’t get there in time. Three guys jumped out of the van. One hit him over the head with something, knocked him out and then they tossed him into the van. I ran to get the truck, picked up Kylie and chased after them. I got within two car lengths behind them before they sped through a red light and I lost them.” Tuck looked down when he felt Kylie squeeze his hand as he leaned into her desk.

“Don’t be so hard on yourself,” Dagger told him. “It could’ve happened to any one of us.”

Easier said than done. Was this how Darren felt when he witnessed Tuck getting shot and was unable to stop it?

“You’re sure it was the Phantoms?” Maverick rubbed his jaw.

“Yeah. Saw their cuts.” Tuck rubbed his screaming leg, wishing he’d brought his pain pills with him. He was supposed to have his first physical therapy session today. Obviously, he wouldn’t be making that appointment.

“Tuck, you need to take a seat and get off your leg for a little bit. You haven’t even had your first physical therapy visit yet.” Nothing got by Kylie. She was amazing the way she took care of him and Darren and she would make an even more amazing mother. If she’d known he’d fallen in his mad dash to get to Darren, she’d be taking him to the E.R. to get him checked out. He didn’t want to be left out of anything, so he kept his mouth shut and pretended to not be in as much pain as he really was.

“We’re having a girl,” Tuck blurted.Yeah, that ought to keep their attention on something other than his leg.Congratulations were given and the news they were having a girl raised the mood for just a moment, only to drop right back down to the ground again.

Race turned his gaze to Kylie. “She’s awfully quiet and calm. She in shock?”

“Sheis pissed off. They shot one of my guys and now they took the other. Not mention they kidnapped me once and already stabbed Darren once. I’m fucking done with this crap. I want Darren back and I want the Phantom Furies out of our lives permanently,” she said, her eyes never leaving the screen or her fingers from the keyboard.

It was priceless how every brother in the room all wore various versions of shock at her hostile outburst. Race and Maverick’s brows lifted to their hairlines. Jackson and Trick’s eyes grew round and Dagger was smiling like a loon. He’d always liked when a woman had spunk. Eventually, they all had smiles on their faces. Too bad she was a woman; she’d make one hell of a brother.

“What’s she,” Race stopped himself. “What areyoudoing?” He nodded at the computer.

“Checking the Phantom properties in Redemption to see if they might have taken Darren to one of them. So far, no one hasgone to any of them, but I’m setting an alarm to send me an alert if anyone does show up in case I miss it.”

“Do you think they’ll take him to Taos?” Trick asked.

A look of dread passed between them all. If they took Darren to Taos, they were fucked. Until someone could figure out where in Taos the Phantom Furies had a clubhouse, they had not one single clue where to start looking.

DARREN

Darren had no idea how much time lapsed from the time he was kidnapped, knocked out and dumped in this shit hole. His head was fucking killing him and he was afraid it might get worse as he slowly opened his eyes. He didn’t know who hit him over the head, but he was dead when he got his hands on them. Just by the musty smell and the cold temperature in the room, he felt he had to be in a basement or some room underground. Was he at the Phantom Furies’ clubhouse? Were they, right now, right above him laughing and partying it up because they’d taken a Sons of Redemption brother right from under their noses?

The longer he lay there, the more different things came back to him. Like once he woke the first time, he’d been hanging by his arms from the ceiling in what looked like a garage. There’d been mechanics’ tools, the smell of oil and assorted motorcycle parts spread out on a workbench. He’d found hanging by his arms funny considering the Sons did the same thing with the men they caught. A couple of the Phantoms took offense that he found his situation funny and proceeded to beat the shit out of him. Huh. That explained why his ribs hurt so bad. They’d triedto ask him questions about his club and instead of answering, he’d only laugh some more.

At some point, he thought he remembered seeing a couple of cartel guys come in and say something along the lines of wasting him. They suggested they should use him as a test subject. What the fuck kind of test subject were they talking about? After they left, he’d felt a sting in his neck and within seconds, he must have passed out. That must have been when they transferred him to this place.

With great effort, he managed to turn to his side, the pain causing his stomach to roll. He couldn’t hold the position any longer and collapsed onto his back once again. He closed his eyes and breathed through his mouth until the sick feeling passed. He slowly opened his eyes and this time, only moved his head. Turning to his left, he saw metal bars. Turning to the right, he saw the same thing, more metal bars. If he tipped his head back just enough, he saw a concrete wall. At his feet was yet another set of metal bars. What the fuck? He was in a jail cell?

Exhausted from the pain in his ribs and head, he stared at the ceiling thinking about Kylie until he couldn’t hold his eyes open anymore. He dreamed of how happy she’d been when Tuck survived his gunshot wounds and was able to come home. He worried that she’d make herself sick trying to figure out where the Phantoms had taken him. Was she getting enough sleep? Was she eating enough? Was Tuck making sure she did enough of both for her and the baby? Would Darren make it out of here alive and see her again? Would he live to see her and Tuck’s baby girl? What would they name her? What would she look like?

He came to again at the sound of a frustrated cry. What the hell?

He turned his head to the right and saw a naked man staring back at him. By the vacant look on his face, he wasn’t sure the man saw him. Darren’s brows pinched, wondering ifthe man had been there earlier when he’d checked out his new surroundings. Turning to the left, he saw another naked man. He was standing against the back wall, in a corner moaning in pain. Looking closer he wasn’t sure, but it looked like the man was jacking off. What the fuck?

Well shit. Darren had a bad feeling. Glancing down his own body, he was pissed to see they’d stripped him naked, too. What the fuck?!

“God damn it!” someone in a cell across from him shouted.

Darren slowly made his way to a sitting position and peered into the shadows of the cell across from him. Seeing what was there, he wished he hadn’t. A slim built man with long stringy hair, also naked—again, what the fuck—walking around his cell. Turning to the front of his cell, Darren tensed. His eyes were watery and it looked like he’d been crying. The tortured look in his eyes as he frantically tried to jerk off was something he didn’t think he’d ever forget. What was going on down here? Why were two men down here trying to get off by their own hands and why was he forced to see it?

The sound of voices joking and laughing as they drew near put him on alert. It had to be the Phantoms. Unless they passed him off to someone else? Would they have turned him over to the cartel?

“You’re awake.” Fucking Crockett, president of the Phantom Furies, stopped outside his cell. He shoved his hands in his pockets and Darren wanted nothing more than to wipe that satisfied smirk right off his face.

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