I had to give up my ID when I handed in my resignation, so I grab Darren, pulling him to the door. They gave him a temporary one for the time he’ll be here.
“Open it!”
He quickly slides his card and I push through the doors the moment the light turns green. The only thing in that corridor Tyler pointed to is an emergency exit. Footsteps behind me tell me the boys have followed, but there’s only one thing on my mind right now.
Ellen.
At the door, I spot two men and a gurney in the back of an ambulance. Fuck. When I burst through, one of the men glances up, fear instantly draining the blood from his face.Ellen. I pull my gun, pointing at what I have a clear shot of—his head. The other man closes one of the ambulance doors. Charger and Tyler show up next to me, weapons drawn, but I shut them out. I pull the trigger, putting a bullet between the eyes of the man still visible. He slumps to the floor, the other door slamming shut as the vehicle peels out of the lot. My instinct is to keep firing, but I don’t want to cause an accident, possibly injuring Ellen. Or worse. Plus there are people moving about who already heard the shot. I signal the two men to stand down.
“Fuck!”
I grab my burner, dialing Gage.
“E,” he answers.
“They have her. They fucking took her, Gage!”
“Who?” he demands in a panic.
“Ellen! They put her in the back of a fucking ambulance and just drove out of here with her.”
“Fuck!” he growls. I can almost feel his anger vibrating through the phone. “Call Tek. Get a handle on her.”
“No, no, no, no!” I pace, grabbing and pulling a handful of hair. “She doesn’t have her necklace. Had to remove it for surgery.”
“Motherfucker!” he shouts. After a few beats, he continues, “Head back to the clubhouse. Call Mission and get some bodies here. I’m done fucking around with this asshole.”
Before I hang up, I hear him say to Willoughby, “Your boss just grabbed my sister, so right now I give zero fucks. You tell me what I need to know or you’ll beg for death, motherfucker.”
I end the call, motioning to Charger and Tyler while I run around the side of the building to get back to my bike. I’d like to rip the hospital a new one for letting this happen, but we don’t need the cops involved. This is my fault; I should have been here.
I have to find her.
I have to.
***Ellen***
“Who are you? Where are you taking me?” I ask as the man above me straps me to the gurney.
“Don’t worry,” he says in a reassuring voice. “I’m really a nurse. I read your chart and know exactly what to do. I’ll take care of you. Nothing’s going to happen to you.”
“You kidnapped me and a man is lying dead right there!”
“Thatwas your guy.” He nods toward the body.
Thank God. It must have been Tyler or Ron. At least they know what’s happened. I just hope they’ll be able to find me.
“Please… just let me go. You can drop me off in front of the hospital. I won’t tell anyone anything. I’ll say I didn’t see your faces.”
“I’m sorry.” By the look in his eyes, I almost believe him. “I can’t.”
“They have something against you, don’t they?”
“My family,” he admits. “I don’t do this… he has my wife and daughter.”
“Shit. Then it doesn’t matter if you’re a nurse or not.”
I close my eyes, praying this doesn’t end the way I think it’s going to.Jon, I need you. Tears pool behind my closed lids. Just when I think I’ve finally got it all, it’s about to be ripped from my clutches before I can even taste the experience. It’s not fair, but if this is indeed my last day on Earth, at least I’ve known the love of two good men, my son, my family. It’s a hell of a lot more than some people get.