Page 76 of Dealing Dirty
“Wait. This Ethan guy was the one you were tailing to the casino? That can’t be a coincidence,” Jack adds.
Sasha and Micah agree.
“Then we have our answer,” Jack says, too grim for my liking. “If Bruce is still after The Pound and wants to keep us and the Wolves at his mercy, then kidnapping the two of them was his move.”
Black spots cloud my vision. “If Bruce has them, then they could be anywhere in Mackville. Hell, they could be long fucking gone by now.”
Jack’s phone beeps from inside his pocket. He meets our gazes when he slides it out to check the caller ID. “It’s Ben.”
Jack answers the call, presses the speaker button, and practically growls at his brother. “Where have you been? I’ve been trying to get a hold of you since last night.”
In all the chaos, I almost forgot that Ben had bolted at some point during the night.
There’s a bit of static over the line, some rustling and low voices. “I don’t have long. Hazel’s at the mayor’s mansion on the west side of town.”
Blood drains from Jack’s face, matching my trembling hands.
That conniving bastard. I’ll make Jackie pay for this.
“There’s a masquerade tonight with the other figureheads in town. You’ll need to be on alert. There’s a creek that runs along the bottom of the hill on the southside of the mansion. I’ll find a way to sneak her out, but you’ll have to do the rest. Warn the Wolves if you must, but tell them to keep their numbers light.”
“Ben, wait,” I interject before he can hang up. “What about Juliana?”
“Juliana?” he asks as more crackling sounds across the line. He starts to say something, but he’s cut off. “I have to go,” he says and hangs up.
No way.
I barely recognize my voice. “We’re not leaving that house without her. I don’t care if I have to blow the door off the hinges and strangle Bruce myself.”
The back of the chair creaks under my grip, and the urge to smash it over the bar is too tempting.
Jack’s eyes take on a murderous edge. “If Ben didn’t know that Jules is there, then how the fuck did he know about Hazel?”
“It doesn’t matter what Ben did or didn’t know,” Sash pipes up. “We have a location, and that’s all we need.”
The younger sister I know and love disappears, and in her place is a commanding officer. “Jack will alert the Wolves of what we know and wait with them for Hazel at the given location. The three of us will flank the building to find an entry point. Once we locate a safe spot to enter, Derrick will go in, grab Jules, and get out.”
She pulls her pistol out of the holster hanging over her jeans and places it in my hands. “From the sounds of it, I wouldn’t be surprised if these ‘figureheads’ attending includes the police chief. I’ll have to hang back and watch the perimeter with Micah. I cannot stress this enough, but we do not want to draw any attention to ourselves.”
The gentle warmth of her hand on my arm drags my gaze to hers. “Let’s go get your girl.”
* * *
A thin hair tie binds my blond mop into a half messy bun—courtesy of Sasha’s styling skills—and the three-piece black suit itches my hypersensitive skin.
“Why am I the one always playing dress-up?” I hiss from beside her and Micah in the bushes outside of Jackie’s mansion. Multiple glass windows with high arches bleed yellow light out onto the perfectly trimmed lawn, highlighting an obnoxiously large fountain.
“Did you want to waltz in there looking all sweaty while wearing your bar getup?” Sasha asks. “I made you cute and presentable. You’re welcome.”
She throws an arm out to catch herself when I ram my elbow into her side.
“Jack’s not too happy about being left behind,” Micah remarks.
Being overly cautious, we left Sasha’s car next to a pasture not far from the creek where Kenneth, Cooper, and Jack wait for us to return with Juliana and Hazel.
“Too bad. He’s going to be a father. Now’s the perfect time to practice patience,” I say as his amber eyes roll.
“How are we going to get around those guys? There could be a whole army of them around back now,” Micah says, gesturing to the two guards who stand at attention in front of the entry.
