“Fuck me, Dad. So he wasn’t there when you went back?” I asked, looking over the room who were all staring at me like a side show act. I didn’t give a fuck. This was too heavy.
“No, and they wouldn’t tell us anything about him. We know nothing about Baby B.”
A banging came to the steel door hard and insistent. Since they didn’t enter, it had to be one of the women.
“Who is it?” barked out Green who was still standing by the door.
“Princess. Need you now.”
“In,” Cruz yelled, and Princess came in like a raging storm going straight to her husband.
“Dryerson has gone off the deep end. He kidnapped Katie.”
I jumped to my feet. “What?”
Princess’ eyes came to me, then to her husband and back, “What the fuck?” Princess was not an easy woman to surprise, but this time … yeah. I’d done it. Or my twin did? Fuck, this was messed up.
“We’re learning as we go, babe,” Cruz said, getting her attention again. “What’s goin’ on?”
“Katie called her sister and said she was locked in a bathroom at some random person’s house. She gave us the number of the phone, and Austyn pinged it about an hour from here. She’s scared as hell. But she got away from Dryer…” She looked at me, then back to Cruz. “The man…”
“Tie these two fuckers up, and let’s roll,” Cruz ordered.
I was on the move, but halted at the sound of my dad’s voice. “Son?”
“I’ll tell ya what I can later. Gotta go. Don’t worry,” I said as Micah handed me my phone, and I ended the call.
I had to get to my woman.
And fuck me … my twin.
32
KATIE
Fear. I’d felt it so many times in my life. Fear from my family. Fear from leaving. Fear from letting Dryerson in. Fear of living at times.
This fear, though, was a knife to the chest. I was bleeding on the inside. I wouldn’t even be surprised if red tears came from my eyes.
The man I'd let in. The man I loved was trying to hurt me. He swore to me he’d never hurt me. That he’d be by my side. He said he loved me.
This wasn’t love. He didn’t know the definition of it.
“Are you still with me?” my sister asked from the other end of the line. I hadn’t hung up, needing something … a lifeline. Even after all I’d done, Ensley was always there for me.
She seemed to be the only one I could count on at the moment.
“I’m here. I hear him yelling outside. He’s telling the woman who lives here if she doesn’t open the door he’s going to kill her husband. It’ll only be a few minutes before he’s in the house.”
“Fuck,” Ensley said. “Just stay with me. Look for a weapon. A razor, a zit popper—
hell, a damn tampon. Find something.”
I searched through the medicine cabinet. Inside was a razor, but the blades were imbedded inside of it. “A newer razor. Let me see if I can break the blades out.”
“Do you still hear them?”
I listened. “Yeah. They’re arguing.”
“Good. Unlock the door.”
“What? Are you out of your mind!” I shrieked.
“Look in the bedside tables and the dressers. See if there is a better weapon. A knife. A gun. Something you can use to protect yourself.”
They were still fighting. “Okay.” I shakily unlocked the door and peeked out. Seeing no one and the door to the bedroom still locked, I moved like lightning. I opened the dresser drawers and found nothing. The side table next to the bed had a revolver. One of those old time ones where you spin the dial and see if you get a bullet or not.
I had no clue how to use it, but it was a weapon, and I was a fast learner.
“Did you find something?” my sister asked, but before I could answer the door to the bedroom burst open.
The phone fell out of my hand and clattered to the floor as Dryerson came at me like a bull seeing red.
I lifted the gun and fired.
Bang … bang … bang … bang … bang … click … click … click.
Dryerson fell into me, landing us both on the bed with him on top of me. I scrambled like I never had before, climbing out from underneath him while still clutching the gun.
Dryerson didn’t move. I watched for his back to rise and fall with breaths, but they didn’t come.
Nothing.
My back hit the wall, and I slid down to my butt.
I wept. Hard body-wracking sobs.
I’d killed the man I loved. The man I thought I’d spend the rest of my life with. The man who had my heart in the palm of his hand. The man I’d finally thought would be my happy.
Then he ruined it.
Ruined me.
For good.
33
DRYERSON
I rode my bike like I’d stole it, weaving in and out of traffic. Horns blared around me, and I didn’t give them another thought.
Katie.
I had to get to Katie.
He had her.
The last report was Ensley told Katie to find a weapon. Then we took off.
I had to get to my woman.
I’d fucking kill that son of a bitch. Blood? Fuck him. He was no one to me.
Micah was right beside me with many of the Ravage MC behind us. The ol’ ladies were in Micah’s SUV with Austyn at the wheel driving like mad and needing to get away from the cops. Ensley was riding shotgun, doing the GPS. I had to remember that and let them lead, but it was hard.
Katie. My Katie. He'd hurt her.
Fuck.
I had no fucking clue. Nothing. Not even looking myself up to try to find my birth parents just to find they were dead. Nothing. And I mean nothing led me to think there was another one of me out there.
My mind reeled the entire drive there. The hour drive took about thirty minutes, and as we made the turnoff, I let Austyn in front of us. She had the GPS and would lead the way. Then she’d get the fuck back with the rest of the Power Rangers.
They led us into a subdivision, and there was no way to miss where the action was. Police cars were everywhere. Lights, guns out, the whole nine yards. We didn’t know these cops, so this was going to be tricky.
I had a will… I’d find a fucking way.
Parking the bikes, an older couple stood on the front yard talking to two officers.
“You can’t go in there.” A cop tried to stop me.
“My woman is in there. She’s probably in shock. I need to get to her,” I told him calmly.
“The ambulance is on its way.”
“Is she hurt?” Fuck it. I charged in just as I heard Micah talking to the officer, covering my ass like he always did.
I searched through every room, coming to a door with an officer at it.
“Sir, you can’t be in here.”
“The guy outside said I could come in. She’s my woman.” The officer looked me up and down and nodded, stepping to the side.
Face down on the bed, sky blue eyes open and staring at me was my identical twin. I didn’t see his whole face, but from just the side I could tell we were mirror images. That was creepy as fuck.