Judgment Road (Torpedo Ink #1) Read online

  There were fourteen Diamondbacks in their space. Three prospects outside. Another two actual patch members pacing the parking lot. Preacher would take out the two patch members and all three prospects if it came to that. He’d kill at least three outright before anyone realized the threat to them. The fourth would go down trying to return fire. The fifth might be a problem.

  He’d marked the road captain, enforcer and Diamondback nearest the president, the one on his right, in that order. Savage would take three more at the table. Czar would kill the president before he went to the floor. Ice and Storm would each take out two. Lana and Alena had indicated their targets. Master and Keys would take out the rest. The moment Plank had not so subtly threatened Anya, Reaper considered him a dead man. Even if he didn’t kill him tonight, he would pay the man a visit.

  “Your man, Code. Can he find where they’re keeping her?” Plank persisted.

  “Maybe. When we went after the wife of the president of the Demons, we took out their sanctuary. I didn’t think they could regroup that quickly.” Czar didn’t point out that they’d offered to help protect his wife and track down the threat to her. Plank had been close to rude, stating they could handle their own shit.

  “She’s not here, is she?” Plank came right out and asked.

  Czar sat back in his chair. “Seriously? That’s fuckin’ messed up. We bring you the word that you’re going to take a hit, offer to help, without askin’ for anything back, just out of respect and you accuse us of takin’ her?”

  “Not accusing you. Just asking you. She’s been gone eight hours. Tried to find the son of a bitch that helped them, but have no clue.”

  Czar lifted his hand, and Absinthe, who had returned to his position behind the bar in order to help Maestro protect Anya, went down the hall to get Code. Reaper had no idea if Code could figure out where they’d taken Plank’s woman, but no matter what, he knew the club was in trouble. The Diamondbacks had chapters all over the world. They were a big club, had no problem using violence to get what they wanted, and they had long memories. Torpedo Ink had made certain to show their respect so they wouldn’t have problems with the club.

  “You meet Reaper?” Czar asked, holding Plank’s gaze.

  Plank shook his head. “No.” He sounded annoyed.

  “I think it’s necessary that you do.”

  Plank shrugged. “Bring it.”

  Reaper moved then, coming out of the shadows as if a part of the dark wall had come to life. His face was scarred. Blank of all expression. His eyes were dead. Not just ice, but flat and glacier cold. He turned those eyes on Plank and let him see that his days were numbered and Reaper would cut his fuckin’ heart out for threatening his woman.

  “Reaper, Plank, president of the chapter in Mendocino,” Czar said. “Reaper’s our enforcer. One of two. His brother is around here somewhere.”

  The big man, the one wandering around, came at Reaper, stood close, too stupid to know Reaper would kill him in seconds. The man made it easy and seemed to be asking for it.

  “Reaper.” Czar kept his voice low.

  Reaper didn’t move. Didn’t look away. These men had threatened Anya. Savage would be tracking the other one now, Pierce, the road captain who was no longer lounging so casually against the wall. Lana emerged from the bathroom right into the middle of the men waiting outside for her.

  Plank studied Reaper’s grim features and then leaned back in his chair, his eyes on Czar. “You son of a bitch.” There was respect in his voice. “You really don’t have her.”

  “No. We gave you the information and offered to help,” Czar reiterated.

  Reaper was very aware the president of the Diamondbacks was president for a reason. He was intelligent, just like Czar. He could read men and situations. Plank waved the enforcer away. “Stand down, Jiff.”

  Jiff continued to glare at Reaper. Plank sighed. “Are you crazy? Reaper, we’re not a threat to your old lady. I don’t wage war on women. Jiff, I told you to move on.” The man poured steel into his voice.

  Reaper barely nodded. He stepped past Jiff as if the man was beneath his notice. He was making an enemy, and they’d worked hard to stay off the Diamondbacks’ radar. They’d tried to do something good, to save Plank’s old lady, and now they’d brought hell down on their heads. Fuck them. He’d go at them one by one. Take them out when no one suspected them.

  He glanced again at the president of the club. He’d suspect. He was too smart. He also recognized Czar had them boxed in. If push came to shove, they were all going to die.

  Code came out of the back with his computer. “Got something, Czar. Don’t know if it’s the place where they’re holding her, but found another club. They like to hide in plain sight. This one is in Marin. It’s smaller, and as far as I can tell, no underground tunnels …”

  He walked right past Anya, seemingly so intent on his computer and the information he’d come up with that he didn’t notice the standoff in the room. Reaper knew better. Code was extremely lethal. He’d studied the monitors before he’d come out and he knew the position of every Diamondback in the room. He already had his plan of kill, just as Reaper did. Just as they all did. Reaper also didn’t doubt that Code legitimately had information that would help find the Diamondback’s woman.

  Code bumped casually into Anya as if he hadn’t seen her. “Sorry,” he muttered.

  Reaper saw Anya’s eyes go wide and knew Code had shoved a gun into her hand. He was proud of her. She hadn’t so much as flinched. She was very pale, but she kept it together. She stepped away from Code, toward the bar, where she could place the weapon on the shelf below the bar for easy access.

  “No problem. I hope you can help them, Code.” There was sincerity in her voice. She had seen the work of the Ghost hit men.

  Code made his way to the table and plopped his computer between the two presidents. He leaned in between them, his body blocking Plank from Czar deliberately. No one had liked the idea of Czar exposing himself to danger. As long as he was in such close proximity to the president he was vulnerable.

  “They have a small club in Marin. No underground, and the layout of the club doesn’t leave a lot of places they could hide her. But if they took her fast, they’d have to have her close,” Code said. “I’ve got my girl fishing right now. She can hack anyone. If she gets a nibble, she’ll find your old lady.”

  “Your girl?” Plank raised an eyebrow. “If they think we’re going after her they’ll kill her. I had the feeling they wanted to kill her. Make us all think they can get to us any time.”

  “Don’t know her name or where she is,” Code admitted. “She’s an elite hacker. We met online several years ago and struck up a friendship. We help each other out occasionally. She won’t get caught. I’ve tried tracing her and can’t find her.”

  Czar had been studying the layout of the club. Reaper saw him nod. Code was right. There didn’t appear to be a place to hide a prisoner. “Anya, you ever work at the Ghost Club in Marin?”

  Anya leaned her elbows on the bar. Reaper guessed her legs were shaking and she didn’t want to draw attention to that fact. “I subbed in a few weeks when one of the bartenders was really sick.”

  “What comes to mind? Take your time and think it over.”

  Anya bit her lip, frowning a little. “The club is the draw for the big spenders, Czar. All their clubs are.”

  “How many do they have, sweetheart?” Czar asked.

  “In the Bay Area? Just the two. They’re very popular. Marin and San Francisco. In San Francisco, the casino is underground, but in Marin, it’s at the round tower building. Big complex. A few condos. It’s about six to ten miles from the club. The club owns the building. The casino takes up the entire second floor. Security is particularly tight because they need time to hide the equipment from the cops if a disgruntled loser is ever stupid enough to turn them in. So far that hasn’t happened because they play rough.”

  “She’s got to be there,” Code muttered. “I w
as already searching for properties owned by the club. It would have come up eventually, but Anya got us there faster.”

  Plank started to rise. Anya’s breath hissed out of her lungs. “No. Stop.” She held up her hand. “You can’t go after her. Not if she’s there. Not like that.” There was real fear in her voice, and for the first time Reaper was torn between his duty to protect Czar and to get to his woman, who was clearly afraid.

  To Reaper’s shock, Plank lowered himself back into the seat, looking at Anya. The president of the Diamondbacks beckoned to Anya. “Come here, sit with us. Why can’t we go after her if we know where she is?”

  Anya hesitated. The enforcer for the other club made a move toward her, and Reaper came out of the shadows. Every member of Torpedo Ink stood up. Lana slid between the enforcer and Anya while Alena positioned herself directly in front of the road captain, a faint smile on her face.

  “Did I ask you to escort Reaper’s woman over to me?” Plank demanded. “Go outside and take a breather. I know Sylvia is your sister, but she’s my wife. I’ll get her back.”

  That put things in prospective for everyone. Jiff was strutting around trying to make something happen. Anything. Just to bring his sister home safely.

  The enforcer stomped to the door but didn’t go through it. Instead, he turned back toward the table, arms folded across his chest, a stubborn look on his face.

  Reaper held out his hand, gesturing once toward the table, and Anya immediately came out from behind the safety of the bar. Alena glided away from Pierce, giving him her sweet smile. He grinned and shook his head. Lana followed Anya, making certain to stay close enough that Anya might feel safe, but enough of a distance that she could fight if need be.

  Keys vacated his seat to allow Anya to sit beside Czar. She did so reluctantly. Plank leaned close. “Why shouldn’t we go after her?”

  Anya took a breath, touched her tongue to her lips nervously and then glanced first at Czar, and then Reaper. Czar nodded. “Tell him, Anya.” His voice was very gentle.

  “They’ll kill her before you could ever reach her, and they’ll be gone like smoke. That’s why they call themselves ghosts. You can identify the main players by the little gold cuff links they wear. They’re in the shape of a ghost. They dress in suits, and if they do ride, they only ride to try to fit in. That building is very secure. Cameras, audio recorders, guards at every entrance. On every floor. At the elevators. I was taken there several times in the weeks I was subbing and worked the bar at the casino. I had to be escorted in and out. If they think you know where she is, they’ll slice her into little pieces just the way they did my roommate.”

  Plank went silent. He sank back in his chair, staring almost uncomprehendingly at Anya. Reaper couldn’t blame him. The Diamondbacks were considered one of the most powerful and dangerous clubs in the United States. Few crossed them. No president of a chapter would ever think someone would have the balls to kidnap his old lady. It just wasn’t done. The entire club would hound you for the rest of your days. No one would stop until you were dead. If the Diamondbacks went after Plank’s wife, they would do so in force and she’d be dead before they got to her. That was plain to the club president.

  “We got out Hammer’s old lady,” Czar said. “We were able to use blueprints of the tunnels and plan each move carefully. You know we’re originally from Russia. Taking back people and things was sort of our business over there.”

  “Why’d you leave?” Plank asked.

  “It got a little hot for us. Don’t worry, we’re legitimate here.” Czar glanced at Code, who flashed a brief grin that failed to light his eyes. “The point is, that’s our area of expertise, if you care for help in planning.”

  That would be a big one for the club president of the Diamondbacks to swallow. On the other hand, Plank was a very intelligent man. So far, Torpedo Ink had been respectful, even when they made it clear they would be willing to fight if the Diamondbacks tried to take Anya from them. Plank was smart enough to use every resource available to him.

  “Do your thing. I have to make a couple of calls.”

  “Plank, it’s your call,” Czar said, “but I’m warning you, the more people who know you’re going in after her, the less her chances are. Let’s find your mole, figure out how to get her back and then make any necessary calls.”

  Plank put his phone away. “How can you find the member betraying us? I would stand behind every member of my chapter. They’re brothers.”

  Code’s fingers were flying on the computer. Data was moving across the screen fast. Almost too fast for the human eye. Plank craned his neck at first trying to see what Code was accessing, but it was almost impossible from his angle. Code continued for a few minutes. In the silence, one could have heard a pin drop. He sucked in his breath and turned the screen toward Czar. While he did, his fingers tapped on the table. The sound was barely perceptible.

  Reaper read their code. Few things shocked him. He moved ever so slowly. A soft glide on the floor. Staying in the shadows, trying not to bring attention to himself while he made his move, stalking his prey from the darker corners of the room. Ice, already with his back to the door, shifted subtly as well.

  Czar turned the screen toward Plank. The financials were there in black and white. The wins and losses. The losses piling up until the amount was obscene. Plank stood up, pushing back his chair slowly so the legs scraped over the wooden floor.

  “Anya,” he said very gently. “I would very much like you to go to the back room for just a little while. I need to chat with Czar.”

  Anya glanced at Czar, who nodded. Reaper appreciated that Plank realized Anya was new to the life. She got up without a word and turned toward the bar. Instead of going to the hinged slab that Reaper expected her to go to, she went around the bar toward the door that led to the back. To do that, she went dangerously close to the Diamondbacks’ enforcer. Jiff reached out with both hands and yanked her hard against him. One hand held a knife and he locked Anya to him, the blade of the knife against her throat.

  “Anya. Baby.” Reaper spoke gently. No alarm. No expression. “Don’t move until I say to move. Give me your eyes.” He stepped in front of the Diamondback enforcer, right under a light so that it spilled down on him, bathing the lines and scars carved deep into his face with a yellowish, malevolent glow.

  Anya’s gaze jerked to his, went wild in alarm and then settled. He willed her breathing to do the same. The Diamondbacks surrounded Reaper, but he didn’t back off and he didn’t look at them. Only Anya. Keeping her grounded to him.

  “What’s the problem, Hogan?” Plank asked, calling the man by his legal name instead of his road name.

  Plank walked through his men to stand beside Reaper, something Reaper would never have allowed Czar to do, and he hoped like hell that Ice and Storm or someone would prevent Czar from making that mistake. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Alena moving through the Diamondbacks, coming in from the left. Lana was taking the right. Jiff didn’t bother to look at either of them. No one could ever conceive of the two women being a threat. The truth was, they were every bit as lethal as any of the male members of Torpedo Ink. They’d had the same training in every way to kill another human being.

  Jiff shook his head. He was sweating. “Step back. All of you need to step back. I’ll slit her fucking throat if you get any closer.”

  Anya made a soft sound of distress that crawled right down Reaper’s throat and hit him in the heart, piercing deep, settling in his belly. She was pale, so pale her skin looked almost translucent. He took a deep breath. He would have to move fast. The knife was too close, skimming her flesh, a thin line of red appearing.

  “Hogan, take the knife from her throat. What the fuck is the matter with you? You’ve already cut her. We need their help in getting your sister back. You don’t want to get them all riled up so we go to war and don’t have time to bring Sylvia home.”

  “You know. I know you know,” Jiff blurted. His eyes were wild. He wa
s going to kill Anya. Reaper could see he’d made up his mind that he had nowhere to go. He’d double-crossed his club. He’d traded his sister’s life for his own. He’d betrayed their code. Plank wouldn’t forgive him. They’d kill him, and if they did it fast it would be a miracle.

  “What do I know?” Plank asked softly. Making him say it.

  Jeff threw his head back and howled. “I owed them hundreds of thousands of dollars. If you’d just let them run their fuckin’ money through our pipeline, they would have backed off, but you said no. I had to give them Sylvia. I had no choice. They were going to cut me up.”

  “Who?” Plank prompted. “Who threatened you? If you’d come to the club we would have protected you. Taken care of it for you. That’s what we do.”

  Hogan had not only given up his sister, two Diamondbacks had been killed when she’d been taken. He knew, no matter what Plank said, he was a dead man. Jiff shook his head, his eyes wild with fear. Reaper could smell his terror. He’d smelled it enough times. With each back and forth of his head, the knife slid lightly over Anya’s throat in a sawing motion. Blood trickled down her throat onto her chest. Reaper’s gaze followed the drops.

  “Czar, when I kill this douchebag are we going to war?” It was a warning to them all.

  “No war,” Plank said.

  Reaper didn’t wait. At the same time, Alena went in from one side, Lana from the other. Lana sliced right through Jiff’s arm, the one holding the knife, cutting up, not down, going through the under part of his arm, the blade continuing in one motion right under his armpit where she slammed it deep.

  Alena simultaneously yanked Anya free as Jiff’s arm lowered just enough to get his victim out of the way. Alena pulled Anya with one hand and went up under Hogan’s other arm with her blade, twisting back to slice deep under the arm and then shove the knife all the way into the armpit.