“Get me our lawyers.” I say this without even hearing what’s happening, but I don’t need to.
“On it.” His fingers are already tapping at his screen.
“Stay there. Ox is on his way,” Axel shouts into the phone and I wait to hear what I know is going to be the game changer.
He looks up. “Eve got picked up by the Feds for shoplifting.” He rubs the back of his neck. “She won’t talk, right?” Which is code for do you want me to put a fucking bullet in her head? Because we don’t allow traitors and we certainly don’t need any more shit.
“I take it by the look you are giving me that’s a no,” he says.
I breathe in and out and look at my brothers. “This is my woman. She’s my responsibility. I need you guys to protect her.” All of them nod, their eyes trained on me.
Ryder looks up from his phone. “Rodney is on his way to Burbank PD.”
Phones are vibrating as texts are coming in. “We’re on lockdown. Everything that happens does not leave this room. Fuck.” My phone vibrates as I look down to see Doc’s number come up. I roll my neck and prepare myself.
“What?” I snarl because he’s the cause of all this heat. And now I have to protect Eve, all because his wife’s a fucking junkie and he’s worthless. Rage takes over my brain and for a few moments, I don’t comprehend that it’s not Doc speaking but a woman. She’s screeching and weeping on the end of the wire.
“Sandy?” I reach for my blade and stab the wooden table. “You’re going to have to stop that crying,” I command.
“You did this, Blade! It’s all your fault… If you would… If he could have made the drug… this wouldn’t have happened. He would have left us alone.” Her sobbing and slurring words are almost hard for even me to understand and I’m a god damn pro dealing with drug addicts.
“Sandy, what the fuck are you talking about?” I look down at my forearm. It’s covered in goose bumps as I stab the table again. This time, the force is so great a bottle smashes to the floor.
“Um… I think he needs an ambulance… Doc?” She’s gone into sounding like a child. “He can’t be… did you kill him?”
My pulse beats in my temples. “Who are you talking to?” Her breathing is labored and I definitely hear a man in the background. “Sandy? Is that Doc?” I scream into the phone, but it’s eerily silent.
“Fuck.” Looking around the room, I see all my guys are ready, eyes alert. I push on Doc’s name, but it goes straight to voice mail. “Christ! Something’s gone down with Doc and Sandy.” I breathe out before I look up.
“She killed him, right?” Edge speaks as he pockets his phone and checks his Glock. He looks up, eyes eerily calm, quiet, deadly. It’s one of his strong suits. Edge never loses it.
“I have no idea… It sounded like someone is with her. Jesus Christ.” I look at Axel who is pale and anything but calm. “Axel, you come with me and Ox to get Eve.”
I look straight at Edge. “Go take care of it.” He nods. “Ryder go with… if it’s out of control…”
“We got this.” Ryder goes to the safe and hands Edge another Glock along with a bunch of bullets and another two burner phones.
I look down at my phone and hear my teeth grinding. “Talk to me, Roddy. This day has been nothing but fucked. Tell me my girl is safe.” I motion for Axel and Ox to move.
An unsettling foreboding is pumping through my blood like venom from a snakebite. Axel barks orders to the guys playing pool as we pass and Ox beeps open the Tahoe.
There’s static and then Rodney’s voice. “Stay calm, Jason. I’m here and Eve is with me. I got here in time. They haven’t interrogated her yet. They tried but she said nothing.” The breath that I’ve been holding for hours slowly slips out.
“According to one of the cops, she was mute except to ask for water.”
Slamming the Tahoe door shut, I nod at Ox to start driving. “I’m on my way.”
“Don’t come in, Jason. I will call you when we I have her released.”
“I’m not stupid, Rodney,” I snap, getting ready to go off on him. Instead I need him, so I swallow back my scathing remarks. “I know not to come. We’ll wait for her outside.”
“Hold, please.” If all this wasn’t so morbid I would laugh at my lawyer’s polite manners. He’s mumbling something to someone.
“Sorry, Jason, they are being difficult, saying that the clothing she happened to accidentally have in her bag is reason enough to hold her. I’ve informed them that the outfit was planted and she has no priors. So please, one thing at a time. Let me take care of Eve.” He hangs up. The line goes dead and I look down at my fists, which are red and swollen from last night and also because I’ve been clenching them so tight they actually ache.