Page 54 of Embracing the Consequences

Johnny glared at the two men he had bound and gagged on the floor of the utility van. “Call her again,” he ordered.

Ken let out a laugh from behind his gag.

Ice chilled Johnny’s spine. He leaned forward and ripped the gag from Laraway’s mouth. “Where is she?” Johnny growled.

Laraway laughed again. “You’ll never find her.”

Johnny snapped out a punch so quick Laraway didn’t know what hit him. Devil stomped on Laraway’s rib cage with a heavy boot. There was an audible crunch beneath his boot before Laraway screamed like a little bitch.

“Where the FUCK is she?” Johnny roared. He glanced at Devil across the enclosed space.

Laraway laughed in response.

Devil shook his head grimly.

Johnny leaned over and decked Laraway hard enough to knock him out. His body fell limply to the side, hitting the floor with a thud.

Vince refused to meet anyone’s stare. He kept his gaze down as he glared at the zip ties Johnny had slapped on his wrists—fastened so tightly they cut into his wrists.

“Marcos.” Kevin spoke up from the front. Johnny looked over to see him driving the van, a cell phone pressed to his ear. “We think Kara’s been kidnapped. She’s not answering her phone. Laraway indicated he’s behind it.” Kevin was quiet for a moment, listening. “Search it anyway; we’ve got them both. We’ll be flying out soon.” He hung up the phone and met Johnny’s gaze in the rearview mirror. “Kara kicked him out of her office. He said she’s been working late all week. He’s going in to search.”

“MOTHERFUCKER!” Johnny spat out, his blood boiling. He reached for his phone and dialed Kara himself.

Johnny paced the cabin of Jack’s private plane like a caged lion. He hated flying, hated the tin can in the sky. He felt locked up, itchy. Not to mention, he was pissed the fuck off.

Laraway was still unconscious from the punch in the van. They had immediately rushed for the airport, knowing they were breaking half a dozen international laws. They managed to playoff half carrying Laraway onboard by acting like he was drunk. They immediately dumped him in the bedroom and hog-tied his ass in bed.

Vince Carmichael, on the other hand, stoically moved where they put him and kept his mouth shut after they pulled off his gag. He was now sitting in a cabin chair, dozing against the window.

Or he appeared to be dozing.

Johnny didn’t care.

“We need a plan.” Kevin sighed, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck.

Johnny shot a look at Carmichael. The man’s chest was rising and falling steadily. He didn’t trust that he wasn’t faking it. “We’ll move them to a safe house when we land. We need information. If Kara really is missing, they might be the only way to find her.”

“Fucking bullshit.” Devil swore and stood up. He started pacing at the other end of the rather spacious yet still-too-small jet.

Kevin leaned forward in his chair and rested his elbows on his knees. He slid a hand from the back of his neck over his head slowly and repeatedly, as if breaking up the tension that had settled there.

Johnny knew that move—it was one of the few tells his best friend had. As stress settled onto Kevin’s shoulders, he let out a slow breath before he rubbed his eyes. “We need a plan,” he said again, his voice low.

“We’ll take them back to the compound, interrogate them. We’ll find her,” Johnny answered, giving his friend a solid plan.

“No,” Kevin said, slowly unfurling from the chair. He stood and faced Johnny head-on. “No club. This stays among the three of us.”

Johnny frowned, eyeing his brother. Very rarely did Kevin ever question Johnny’s decisions. “We’ll need the club’s help rescuing Kara if she’s been taken,” Johnny shot back.

“If she’s been taken, we’ll ask for help,” Kevin conceded.

“He’s right,” Derrick jumped in. “This is personal. We take them somewhere else, interrogate them ourselves, then turn them over to the DA.”

Johnny stared at his two best friends, his brothers, men he would die for, kill for. “Alright.” He nodded slowly, thinking quickly. “We can take them to my dad’s house; the basement has a holding cell.”

Both men nodded, and slowly the three of them returned to their seats and settled in for the rest of the flight.

When they landed, Kevin placed a call to Jack, who informed them of a vehicle waiting for them on the tarmac. As they climbed down the plane stairs, the driver got out and walked around the front of the Suburban.

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