“I’ve been worse.” She shrugs her shoulders. “Want to tell me what’s going on? I know Monica is missing and you’re sitting here like a wounded puppy.”
I bark out a laugh spinning the beer bottle between my fingers. I haven’t taken a drink, but I really want too. “Well, you nailed it. Someone took her and we don’t know who yet. Once we find out though, everything is off the table.”
“Xander, please be careful. These men, they have no code. No ethics. No brotherhood. They don’t care who they hurt or why. It’s how they got me.” Danyella rests her hand on my arm, drawing my attention.
“How did they get you?” I should’ve asked this earlier and now I’m a piece of shit brother who was more concerned about his girlfriend than his sister.
“Don’t beat yourself up, Xander.” Danyella puts a little bit of pressure on my arm. “I was walking down the street when a van pulled up right alongside me. It was broad daylight and I didn’t think someone would dare touch me.” She stares off into space replaying what happened in her mind. “I mean come on, you’re my brother. Who in their right mind would touch a Royal Bastards sibling? Well, they did. They took me right off the street, put a bag over my head, bounded my hands and feet so I couldn’t fight back. Trust me I tried.” Danyella tucks a piece of her blonde hair behind her ear.
“Did they say anything?”
“Just that being Blayze’s sister, I’ll bring in a lot of money when the time came. There’s one thing that doesn’t add up though.”
I turn to face Danyella and wrap my arms around her. “You’re safe here, squirt.”
“I know. But I need to tell you this. The men who took me and the men who held me hostage weren’t…”
Tiny and Red open the door interrupting Danyella. “Capone! Blayze! We got something.”
“Hold that thought, Danyella. I’ll be right back.” I hurry over to them with Capone right on my heels. “What did you find?” I’m searching the cameras they have playing.
Red speaks first. “It took us a while to find it because they avoided the cameras at all costs. But she did make one mistake.” Red hits play and the screen comes to life.
“She? What do you mean she? Our kidnapper is a woman?” I ask.
“Just watch,” Red replies.
My eyes are glued to the screen when a woman in a black hoodie approaches the camera and pulls the hood off her head. The purple streaks in her hair are unmistakable. She flips us off and runs toward the back of the gym. Samantha, the club bitch.
“Son of a bitch! I’m going to kill her.” Capone growls. He’s out the door before anyone can say anything.
I hurry after him and head to the back of the gym. It’s still night out and the floodlights don’t reach back here. I pull my phone from my pocket and turn on the flashlight app. The fence butts up to the back of the building with only a small space to fit through and goes higher than the building’s roof. Capone and I search all around the fence and don’t see how they got in and out.
“The motherfucker from Los Demons. How’d he get through the fence?” I speak out loud. I look up and down, not seeing how they were able to pull this off. “The only way in and out is through the gates. So, how’d they do it?”
Capone takes off into the building leaving me standing here. I hear shuffling feet above me and shine my flashlight toward the noise. Capone comes into view at the rooftop. “Son of a bitch. I figured it out. Blayze get up here now.”
I hurry around the side of the building, into the gym doors and head up the stairs that lead to the roof. My footsteps echo along the hallway. I shoulder the door open and search for Capone. He’s standing at the edge of the roof staring out into the darkness.
“What’d you find?”
“Look,” Capone points to the edge of the roof toward the fence. I shine my flashlight in that direction and see what he sees. They cut the fence that towers over the building. Small enough for a person to fit through but not big enough for us to see from below. “My guess is that they cut this part of the fence, had a ladder on the other side and used it to get in and out.”
“What the fuck? How’d they avoid the cameras set up all over the clubhouse? And how’d they get Monica out without her causing a scene?” I’m beyond pissed the fuck off now.
“That I’m not sure about. But if Samantha was behind this, she knew where the cameras were set up at. She knows our blind spots and the ins and outs of the clubhouse. I’m going to fucking kill her when I get my hands on her.” Capone turns on his boots and walks back into the gym. Leaving me up here by myself.
I squat down and stare into the darkness. The city of angels lights up the view far away in the distance. “Where are you Bug? Give me something here.”
“Blayze?” Danyella approaches me and stares out into the darkness. I rise to my feet and wrap an arm around my sister’s shoulders. “I’m so sorry this happened. What can I do to help?”
“Tell me everything you can about the men who took you. Leave out no detail. It might be the only way we can catch these fuckers.” I peer into Danyella’s green eyes. Pain and turmoil swirl in her once vibrate and cheerful gaze.
“Ok. But not up here. This is going to take a while,” she whispers softly.
I offer Danyella my hand and she takes it squeezing it for comfort. “Come on then. Let’s head back to the clubhouse and get Capone. Maybe hearing what happened will help us track Monica down.” Together we leave the roof and head into the clubhouse. I find Capone in his room pacing back and forth.
“Danyella is going to tell us everything that happened while she was kidnapped,” I explain to Capone. Danyella and I enter and she sits on his bed.
Capone sits next to her and gently takes her hand in his. “Take your time. It’s just the three of us and anything you say will stay between us.”
“Thank you,” Danyella offers Capone a sad smile.
Chapter 14
Danyella
My heart is pounding hard against my chest when Capone grabs my hand and squeezes it affectionately. I’ve always had a crush on this strong, loveable but asshole man. I’ve never acted on any of my feelings and then I was taken away from him and my brother. I never thought we’d be sitting here shoulder to shoulder, hand in hand. But we are. And they’re waiting for me to tell them what happened.
I inhale a deep breath and steady my nerves. “I don’t like to think about what happened to me. I tried the whole, ignore it and it’ll go away thing, but every day when I woke up chained to the bed, I knew I couldn’t ignore it. When my body would be sore from the beatings, I couldn’t ignore it. And now Monica needs me so I can’t ignore it.”
“Take your time, Danyella.” Capone’s smooth voice and warm hands soothe me.
“As I told Xander earlier, they took me right off the street in broad daylight. I tried to fight them off but there were so many of them and one of me. I was targeted for a reason. These men threw a bag over my head and zip-tied my hands and feet.”
Leaving this little boutique store in the heart of L.A., I catch a glimpse of a black van following me down the street. There are people all around me and I’m the sister of the V.P. of the Royal Bastards MC. There is no way someone would mess with me. Not in broad daylight. Not on a busy street.