“Shade.” He could tell from Razer’s voice that what he was about to tell him wasn’t good. “Lily’s … in trouble. Her phone is on, and from what I can figure out, she’s at Sex Piston’s shop. She and the bitches have been taken hostage. From the voices, I think there are two men. I’m going to get the brothers and leave immediately. How far away are you?”
Shade had to clear the wrenching agony from his throat before he could answer, staring at the massive traffic at a standstill. “Five minutes.”
“I’ll call Stud and have him meet you there then call the police. Brother”—Shade heard something in Razer’s voice he had never heard before—“please save her.”
“I plan to.” Shade put his phone back in his pocket.
Giving his bike gas, he used the oncoming lane, going seventy miles an hour. If a car came, he would have been a dead man, but he didn’t care. He went faster until he came to where he had to take a left to Jamestown, where fire trucks and police cars blocked the road.
Shade decreased his speed, finding a space to ride his bike through. The smoke-filled sky was coming from a house near the railway tracks. He could barely see as a cop tried to stop him by waving a sign.
Ignoring him, Shade leaned to the side, forcing his bike through two fire trucks. Firemen leapt out of the way as he passed without slowing down. When he finally managed to get through the smoke and saw the road ahead, he gunned his motor to pick up speed again. He was almost there.
It wasn’t long until he slowed and flicked off his headlight when he turned into the small strip mall where Sex Piston’s shop was. Parking his bike at the end where it couldn’t be seen from inside the store, he was getting off when Stud and the Destructors came running from behind the building.
“Who’s inside?” Shade asked.
“All the women, Lily, and Dale and Joker,” Stud informed him grimly.
“Weapons?”
“Dale and Joker each have one. Razer had Crash transfer the call to Bear’s cell phone. We can hear what’s going on inside; we just can’t get inside without making noise—both front and back are locked.”
Shade was unable to see into the beauty shop from where he was standing. “They in the front?”
“They took them in the back.”
Shade had been hoping they would be in the front of the shop. He would have been able to take them out with a bullet.
“They’re coming out. He’s making Sex Piston take him to the bank to get money,” Bear whispered, covering the cell phone.
“Spread out,” Shade ordered. “No one moves until I signal.”
Sex Piston could be seen unlocking the front door. The woman paused before stepping out, surveying the parking lot.
“Lock the door back up,” Dale ordered loudly.
The dumb-fuck was confident no one was around. The same confidence is going to get him killed, Shade promised himself.
“Move,” Sex Piston demanded, telling Dale to get out of her way before turning back toward the door.
After she locked it, he jerked her away and pushed her toward the car everyone knew was hers at the side of the building. The pitch-black parking lot allowed them to stay out of sight as they walked past, and then Shade and Stud moved in from behind.
When Sex Piston opened her car door, forcing Dale to take a step back, Stud reached out, jerking Dale back by placing an arm around his neck. The slow bastard didn’t have time to react as Shade closed his hand over the gun, wrenching it from his hand expertly. Then Shade pointed it at Dale while Stud squeezed Dale’s throat until he passed out.
As soon as Stud let him fall to the ground, Bear moved out of the shadows, picking up Dale as the other brothers from the club followed him out of the darkness.
“Put him somewhere and leave two men watching over him,” Stud told Bear.
Shade was happy that, for once, Sex Piston’s mouth remained closed as she watched the men drag Dale away.
“You okay?” Stud asked.
As she nodded, Shade could see she was shaken up and worried about her friends, but the tough woman remained calm.
“Joker has the others in the back of the shop, Stud. He has a gun pointed on them,” Sex Piston told them.
“We know.” Stud grimly moved toward her to take her in his arms, holding her close.
“How?”
“Lily. We’ve been listening in on her cell phone,” Shade answered.
“Thank God.”
“Stay here.” Stud released her after giving her a tight squeeze.
“I’m going with you. I can go in the door first and distract him,” Sex Piston argued.
“You’re staying here,” Stud demanded, turning away, but Sex Piston reached out and grabbed his arm.
“You’ve never been inside my shop. He has a gun on my friends. You go through that door first then Joker might shoot. Please, Stud.”
Shade was becoming impatient listening to the two argue, but he knew Sex Piston was right. He could also understand Stud wanting to keep his woman out of trouble.
“Let her go. If he starts shooting in a small room, any of those women could be hit by a bullet. If she could get his back to the door, then we can take him,” Shade said grimly.
Stud hesitated before agreeing.