Page 25 of Toxic Biker

I stare through the colored glass wall, wondering if it’s still the Seth inside I know or if they’ve fucked him up beyond repair. If he is still intact, well, this could be a ploy. I have no idea what sort of twisted fucks Carlos Montoya and his partner are, but with them being cartel, I know I should be frightened. This entire setup could be some sick twisted game they’ve decided to string out in favor of collecting cash from Seth’s family, the kidnapping and potential sale of his sister, or perhaps once he heard I was trying to contact Seth, they decided to fuck me up in the process too.

“Let’s just grab him and get the hell out of here. Don’t overthink it, you’re caught up in your head again,” Powerhouse grumbles, keeping me centered, and kicks in the door.

The men on the couches watch us cautiously, guns still trained on my childhood friend. “We were told to wait here with him, that you’d show up,” one of them speaks to the both of us, clearly not knowing who is who with our faces still covered in the balaclava. The room’s much quieter, blocking out most of the blaring alarm and flashing lights, thanks to the thick, blue glass. It brings everything into fresh focus, cutting off the chaos of the club. Or maybe it’s the tablet kicking in, but whatever it is, suddenly I feel like I can see, think, and process the situation clearer.

“Where’s your boss? We want Carlos or Draco, where are they hiding?”

They stare at us, not offering up a single word. I didn’t expect them to, but it’d make things a hell of a lot easier.

“What do you want?” Powerhouse asks, instead of demanding to know who we shoot first, like I would’ve.

One mumbles something; I think they speak Spanish, but I’m not completely sure as I took German when I was in school. I was young and dumb and let Seth talk me into believing we’d go backpacking across Europe one day.

The other directs, “We’re going to walk with him to the elevator.” He shifts his head to the side and for the first time since entering, I realize there’s more to the room you can’t see from the glass outside. The room goes from glass to what appears to be a solid wall, but in the middle of the wall is a line, just a touch lighter than the blue paint.

It’s all pretty fucking deceiving and we could’ve been walking into a trap we didn’t see beforehand…but in reality, this entire trip feels like a goddamn trap.

“How do we know when those doors open, we won’t be shot down?”

One shrugs, yanking Seth up to his feet, making him yelp with pain. The men shift until Seth is blocking most of their bodies. “I can say you don’t have to worry, but we both know it may not be true,” the guy speaks again, and I decide I want to kill him first for the bullshit half-assed answer.

Rather than taking their words in and worrying, I grin and let loose a loud laugh as the pill definitely begins to kick in. If it’s not the meds, then it’s the placebo effect hitting me, making me think I could probably walk on water at the moment and be fine. Yeah, I’m focused, but I’m also feeling a touch on the murderous side. “You better hope toGodthere’s someone in that elevator, because the moment Seth moves away from your body, I’m spraying you down with every bullet in my clip. One of you motherfuckers are gonna die today since your boss is a cowardly SOB.”

Powerhouse grunts beside me, no doubt wanting me to shut up, but it’s like I can’t stop myself once I get started. I stalk towards the men, a panther on the prowl, just waiting for the first opportunity to leap and slaughter them both. “Stay back!” one guy shouts, his voice sounding a bit shakier than before. Pussy.

“You’re all gonna die,” I sing the words, really trying to fuck with them. I’m feeling like a million bucks, and I want them to know it, to fear my confidence.

“Shut up! We’ll kill him. We’ll do it!” the other man threatens, shoving his gun into Seth’s head. Thankfully, he’s smart enough not use the trigger. I think they both realize Seth is the only thing protecting them from me turning into a fucking savage at this point.

“Where’s your pussy ass boss? He’s a fucking bitch, and my brother wants to kill him.”

Their attention is drawn away with Powerhouse’s question and I concentrate on keeping them in my sights. I wasn’t lying when I said I’d be shooting as soon as Seth is out of the way. “I can’t tell you that,pendejo.” They hit a spot on the wall and the elevator begins to slide open. I’m already aiming, waiting for a group of armed, crazy fuckers to jump out.

Surprisingly, it’s empty. Not what I was expecting at all.

“For being the cartel, you sure are some dumb fuckers,” Powerhouse comments, shaking his head. He’s serious, his expression stoic as he allows the pendejo insult to roll right off of him. These fuckers have no idea he’s used to the insults and shit talking from all the fights he’s been in. He’s the most relaxed, yet calculated brother, always assessing the best way to hurt someone who may threaten his safety.

Seth whimpers as he’s shoved harshly from behind. He falls to the floor, rolling to the side, and I rain bullets. The doors close faster than any fucking elevator I’ve ever rode in before, making me scowl. “Goddamn it. I wanted those fuckers to die.”

“Bloodthirsty? Since when? You’re one of the most chill dudes I’ve ridden with. Besides, you probably poked a few holes in them with all those bullets.”

“Bro, I already wanted to kill these crazy fuckers for threatening Lacey, but that pill you gave me made me want to string them up and watch them bleed out too.”

He curses as we rush to Seth, both working to free him of the tape, ropes, gag, and blindfold. When he finally meets my eyes, I can’t believe I recognized him. I was too distracted to take his features in. He’s been beaten, badly.

“It’s me, buddy, I got you.”

His bloodshot eye meets mine, instantly watering. The other is swollen shut and discolored. He begins to sob as he whimpers my name, “A-Asher? Tell me this is real life and you’re here. Am I making you up?”

“I’m here under this mask, Seth, just wearing this to cover my face from witnesses. We’re going home.”

“I-I can’t walk. They’ve broken my ankle so I couldn’t escape. My ribs,” he attempts to carry on but can’t. They’ve fucked him up and we have no idea to what extent. His front teeth are missing, just nasty raw, beat-up skin in their place and it takes everything in me not to freak the fuck out and react. He always had one of those perfect, white smiles after years of braces and brightening treatments. I used to give him shit about it when we were teenagers, but it was something he was always proud of. His smile.

My chest squeezes at the sight of him. He’s the last person in the world to deserve this. The fuckers who did this need to pay. I hope it was those two on the couch and I landed some shots, although I’d have preferred to torture them slowly so they could feel Seth’s pain and more.

Grabbing the closest drink I see; I lift it to his lips and have him take a few sips. He can’t do much, he’s in so much discomfort. I pour the gold liquor into his mouth, hoping like hell it’s tequila to kill away some of the lingering agony he’s no doubt experiencing, but I know it won’t be nearly enough. I should’ve brought pain pills with me, but it was the last thing on my mind when I left the club.

“We don’t have time for this,” House points out and I shoot him a glower.

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