found bodies inside the salon. In fact, it was the complete opposite. There were no bodies.
The paramedics took their sweet time checking everyone over. Other than a few scrapes and a possible concussion, Ax was in relatively good shape. Ink sustained a few burns but otherwise seemed to be okay. Surprisingly, no one else had been hurt. Ax couldn’t say the same for his bike or their trucks.
The police showed in full force. As usual, they tried to blame it on the MC. Thankfully, Steele had the foresight to call Luca and Carver. Luca tried to talk to Ax. It wasn’t his fault Carlos had broken free and kidnapped Sage and Montana. After giving Ax the party line of we’ll find Carlos and get them back, blah, blah, blah—he realized Ax wasn’t buying it and wisely moved on to Steele. While Ax and Ink continued to answer questions, Steele and Buck dealt with everything else. Once they agreed to let the authorities handle it, they were told they could leave.
“We need to mobilize,” Buck said on the ride back to The Cave.
“Already on it,” Steele replied. “Ego and Tiny are on the gate, and Grover’s in the control room. I talked to Taz and Sledge over an hour ago, and they’re in charge of getting everyone to The Cave. Let’s hold off on saying anything about Art until we’re all together.” At the mention of Art’s name, the car fell silent.
Ax stared off into the distance. His head was pounding, his chest frozen in fear. Carlos had Sage. How in the hell did he pull it off? He thought of her earlier comment. He’s resourceful, especially with the cartel backing him. Carlos had set a perfect trap, but it was Art instead of Ax who’d gotten blown to hell.
“Fucking cartel. I should’ve killed him when I had the chance,” Ax snarled.
“We should have seen it coming,” Buck said, his voice tinged with disgust.
“You think it’s the cartel and not just Carlos exacting revenge?” Ink asked.
Ax’s gut twisted at the thought of Sage in that fucker’s hands. “How else could he get a bomb in the salon that fast? She told me—” He dropped his elbows to his knees and scrubbed his hands through his hair. “Fuck! She warned me, begged me, not to underestimate Carlos or the cartel. I told her nothing would happen, that we would protect her.” Pain hammered at his head while at the same time piercing his heart. “He’s taking them back to Mexico, to Herrera’s territory. We’ll never be able to touch them there.”
“That’s if Herrera even knows about it,” Buck interjected. The car fell silent again.
Ink shot Ax a look. “That’s a good point. We’re assuming Uncle H. sanctioned this whole thing.”
Steele gazed at them through the rearview mirror. “Carlos spent years here. He’s bound to have connections.”
Ax gave it some thought. “So what? You think he’s gone rogue?”
Buck’s head turned, his eyes traveling back and forth between Ax and Ink, his lips twitching with humor. “I wonder what daddy would say if he knew that junior had declared war with the MC on his behalf?”
“There’s only one way to find out,” Steele replied.
“Taz and Sledge were waiting on the front porch when they arrived. After filling them in, Steele told Sledge to call Chopper. Ax asked Taz if Lucy could pick Petal up from school and watch her for him.
They’d barely made it inside when LuLu came running from the kitchen. “Oh, thank God you’re okay! You said to get here, but you didn’t say why!” she scolded.
Steele stepped to the side to talk to LuLu while Ax continued to the office.
He didn’t realize Ink was behind him until Ink muttered, “Montana’s probably scared out of her mind.”
His sore muscles protested as he dropped onto the chair. He thought of sweet, innocent Montana and the tortures she could be enduring—that they both could be enduring. “Just so you know, if Steele doesn’t get anywhere with Herrera, I’m going after them.”
Ink took the seat next to him. “You won’t be alone.”
Steele appeared moments later. Buck, Taz, and Sledge followed after.
Taz pulled a chair up next to Ax. “Lucy’s got Petal covered.”
“Thanks,” he muttered.
Steele pulled out his phone and the room went quiet. He made three phone calls: The first was to their private investigator, Martin. The second was to a former colleague in Austin, and the third was to Luca. He told them each the same thing; that he needed to get in touch