Page 21 of Belladonna’s Nightmare

“Another good question, Cassidy. Keep your eyes open; this is aimed at the Royal Harlots. I don’t understand why they took Teddy. But I’m betting Warrick is somewhere here too. This feels personal. There’s something SNAFU about this,” Hatton admitted.

“No shit, Capt.” Cassidy nodded, and I turned my attention back to searching for Fortune and the others.

I considered his words. Was this down to us? Could this be the Bloody Femmes hitting at us? But why let us live if it was them? Then again, who knows how Foxy’s mind was working with several of her shithead sisters facing prison time. My eyes swept the walls looking for explosives; I wouldn’t put that past her, but I didn’t see anything.

“Hey! What’s stopping Belladonna from reading my thoughts?” Cassidy suddenly demanded.

“Because your private thoughts are just that. You have to think at me for us to hear you,” Belladonna explained. “Hiding something, cop?” she teased.

“Nope,” Cassidy instantly replied. I saw the knowing looks on Hayden’s and Hatton’s faces. Cassidy was holding something back, and I bet it had everything to do with one of my sisters.

Blade turned to Cassidy, and he ignored her. Oh ho! Which twin did Cassidy have his eyes on? How interesting.

“Dagger!” Blade shouted and rushed forward as we checked the furthest cell from us and found our missing people. I ran behind her as I saw the slumped figures in a corner of a large room. Fortune, Heart, Poker, and Stitch all lay beside her. Warrick had his arms out as if he’d been trying to protect them. Hatton crouched by Stitch and gently tapped her cheek while Blade just belted Dagger straight around it. Dagger blinked, sat up, and head-butted Blade.

Well, the twins were fine.

“Bro, come on, wake up,” Cassidy urged Warrick, whose eyes fluttered. Stitch woke with a jolt, her hands held out, a red/white light coming from them.

“Hey! It’s us!” I exclaimed, slapping her hand down quickly.

Stitch yawned and winced as she saw my face.

“Sorry, I just remember being attacked,” she murmured as she got to her feet.

Hatton reached out and steadied her.

“What’s going on?” Warrick asked Cassidy, and he explained.

“We better find the others,” I said, and they nodded.

“Good idea,” Hatton replied, eyes on Stitch. They were puzzled, and I understood why. Hatton had seen Stitch heal, and it had always been a white-blue light. What nobody outside the club realised was that Stitch could also steal someone’s life. It was a closely guarded secret, and we’d never spill. It was something we’d take to the grave.

Wylde

We searched every floor along the way for signs of life besides ourselves. It felt like a bad horror movie, but several of the sisters were pale: Poker, Belladonna, Heart—and that worried me. I bet Poker was boosting the shield around Heart. Belladonna was probably scanning for signs of life.

Sapphire walked beside me, but I could feel her edginess. Her sisters were under her protection, and she’d not had a single premonition about this. Was it because it was a nuisance instead of a genuine threat? Was someone messing with us? I couldn’t decide.

But then again, who the fuck knocks out cops and an entire motorbike club slash party?

No, this wasn’t a prank gone wrong. It was an out-and-out attack. Hatton was right. This had to be related to the RHMC because they’d been attacked in two places. Too many questions were unanswered. I was worried. And I knew Sapphire was, too.

“Okay?” she asked, squeezing my hand.

“Just trying to figure out who has the balls. I keep circling back to the Bloody Femmes too. Unless it’s Warden, as payback for your display,” I muttered.

Sapphire paused, and I slammed into her. Her face blanked as she considered what I’d said.

“Belladonna!” she called.

“What?”

“How good is Romeo?” Sapphire demanded.

Everyone stopped walking.

“What?” Belladonna replied, frowning.