Page 59 of Chaos Bound
The pulse on his neck throbbed, and his voice, when he spoke, was harsh. “When?”
“Tonight. Holt… er… T-Rex is alive.”
His breath left him with a moan, and he pressed a closed fist to his mouth. “How do you know?”
“I’ve been with him,” she said, feeling braver. “We escaped Viper’s dungeon together. You know I’m telling the truth. You saw him. At the gas station in Still Water. We were there.”
Tank staggered back to the wall, scrubbed his hands over his face. “Christ. I knew it was him. I fucking knew it, and no one believed me. I knew he wasn’t dead. I would have felt it. Just wait till I tell—”
“No. You can’t tell anyone.” Naiya held up her hands, keeping him back. “He thinks… you betrayed him. He thinks the Sinners left him to die in Viper’s dungeon.”
“Jesus fucking Christ.” Tank groaned and wrapped his arms around his middle, clutching himself. “We came for him. A week of recon, a massive attack on the Black Jack clubhouse, explosives, trucks driving through the building, ambush… the works. Two brothers got into the dungeon and saw a body. Same build, same hair… they even found the medallion he used to wear. But they couldn’t see his face.” He thudded the wall with his fist. “They couldn’t see his damn face, but they assumed it was him.”
Naiya backed up a step. “I think it would be better if you don’t tell anyone and come with me to see him first. But you should know he’s here for vengeance, not just against Viper, but the Sinners, too.”
“Three months being tortured by Viper, waiting for your brothers, losing hope.” His voice cracked, broke. “I’m surprised we’re still alive. Take me to him. And if he shoots me before I get a chance to talk, then I’ll die a happy man ’cause I’ll know he’s alive and he’s free, and that’s all I ever wanted.”
***
Holt startled awake, his heart pounding.
Viper coming. Must have fallen asleep. He clenched and unclenched his fists, trying to prepare himself for what was to come. But he didn’t hear the chains. He tested one arm, then the other…
Reality hit him in a rush. He was free. In a hotel. And vengeance was close at hand.
He reached for Naiya, felt the empty bed beside him, the cool sheets, pillow barely dented.
“Naiya.” He pushed himself up, looked around the room. Waited. Called again. His skin prickled, and he left the bed to search. First the giant marble bathroom, then the living area, the balcony, and finally the hall. Her shoes were missing. And her bag. And her new sweater was gone.
A black hole opened in his chest, sucking the air from his lungs. Had she left him? Had he been too rough? Too hard? Had he done something wrong? Was she still angry he’d left her behind?
He pulled on his clothes, reached for his weapons. On the table beside his gun and holster, he found her note.
Gone for a walk? At midnight? With Viper and the ATF hunting her? What if she was hurt? Lost? What if they found her? What if she needed him?
Too agitated to wait for the elevator, he took the stairs two at a time down to the lobby. He checked with the night clerk and yes, she’d seen Naiya leaving about an hour ago, but no, she didn’t know where she’d gone.
Holt ran out the door and into the darkened street. A taxi driver waved to him, but he shook his head. Where would she go? Why the fuck would she walk around alone at night? Panic gripped him hard and he staggered against the wall. He couldn’t lose her. She was the only person who knew him when he didn’t even know himself, accepted him for the way he was now, not knowing how he was then. She was the only woman he had ever truly wanted—a woman he couldn’t imagine himself without.
She was Tank’s type of woman—small and beautiful, deeply passionate, quirky and funny—and yet she made Holt feel things he’d never felt before; she made him feel whole again, and he couldn’t go on if a piece of him was missing.
He looked left down the street, wondering if she would have headed toward the city. Or would she have gone right toward the residential area of town? He took a step to the left and he heard a sound. A voice. Laughter. Low and deep. So familiar. His heart skipped a beat, and then he saw them.
And in that moment his entire world imploded.
Tank. He would have known him anywhere. The same walk, the same set of his shoulders, the flash of the tattoo that matched Holt’s own. And Naiya. His once best friend with his girl. Laughing as if they’d known each other forever.
Maybe they had.
Maybe the joke was on him.
He slipped into the nearest alley, pressed his back up against the wall and took a deep breath. Tucked into his belt, he had a Glock 17 and a SIG P226. He’d holstered a Ruger P Series across his chest, along with a .22 on his left leg and an assortment of blades.
Vengeance would be his tonight.
He waited for the footsteps, the lilt of Naiya’s voice, Tank’s loud murmur. And yet vengeance was not his first thought as he stepped out of the alley, the Glock pointed at Tank’s chest. “Get away from her.”
Tank froze mid-step. The night air stilled around them. Time stopped. Holt looked into the eyes of the man he had called brother and saw himself. Walking dead.
