“Why did you take all these men if you just wanted to make an agreement with their clubs? This seems a bit extreme,” I said.
The man flashed me a smile. “Ah, if only their clubs had been more agreeable. A proposal was sent to each months ago, long before each club was lured into deserted warehouses in their territory. The Presidents wouldn’t listen, so we tried to send a message. It went unheeded, and the next negotiation went much the same as the first.”
Every man in the warehouse, everyone patched, had a blank look on their faces.
“You tried to come to an agreement with the Presidents before and after Ashes was hurt. This was just a last resort?” I asked.
“Yes. I’m sorry it came to this. We needed to make an example of them, and show them they weren’t the only ones with the power. They needed to understand that my boss will do anything to see that this goes through.”
“Ashes, give him what he wants so we can leave. Some of these guys don’t look like they have much time left,” I said.
“It’s not my call, Nik.” His gaze swerved to the other bikers. “And I definitely can’t speak for any of the other clubs.”
I looked at the others, but didn’t see a single officer’s patch among any of them. If these men didn’t agree, if Ashes didn’t agree, then we might all die. And I was not going to leave my son without either of his parents. There had to be a way out of this.
“Why did you take all these men if you knew none of them could give you what you wanted?” I asked the man in the suit. “Mister…”
“Ramirez. I’m Julio Ramirez, and I mean you no harm, little Nikki. I took these men in hopes their clubs would be willing to cooperate. As you can see, that was not the case. But then I realized that this one, your Ashes, had a woman at home. I could tell he has a soft spot for you, and I hoped the rest of his club might feel the same way. MaryAnn wanted you here as part of her revenge, but I had my own agenda.”
Hold the fuck up. “Are you telling me that you spoke with Cinder and he knew you were torturing Ashes and did nothing?”
Mr. Ramirez shrugged a shoulder. “He could not be persuaded to see things my way.”
“Do you have his number on your phone still? In the contacts or history?” I asked.
“But of course.” He pulled a phone from his pocket and dialed Cinder, putting the call on speaker.
“I already told you I don’t deal with terrorists,” Cinder said, his voice a deep growl over the line. Mr. Ramirez raised an eyebrow as he gazed at me, as if to say, See?
“Cinder, it’s Nikki.”
Dead silence.
“Did you even notice I was missing?” I asked.
“Of course we did. Have men out looking for you right now.”
“I’m guessing they won’t find me,” I said. “I’m with Ashes and the others. All the missing bikers are here. I’m assuming you know that Mr. Ramirez had others as well. Right?”
Cinder cleared his throat. “You have to understand, Nikki. This isn’t about saving one man, or even a few men. I have to do what’s best for the club as a whole. I’m not trying to be an unreasonable asshole. There are others here who need my protection, need me to make sound judgments when it comes to this sort of thing. If I agree to Mr. Ramirez’s terms, what’s to stop others from trying the same thing?”
I let that sink in for a moment. I could tell from the look on Ashes’ face that he’d already known the answer we would get. Had he heard Cinder’s refusal to the terms the first time? Had he known all this time that his club had turned their backs on him and the others? They were supposed to be a family!
“As President you’re responsible for every man wearing your colors, aren’t you, Cinder?” I asked.
No response. But I had a feeling he was listening, even if he didn’t like what I had to say.
“Ashes and the others aren’t worth less than those still at the compound. Each man in your club is equal whether they’re an officer or not. Some may hold more power than others, but each and every one is your brother, your family. You don’t turn your back on family!”
“Nik.” There was a warning tone in Ashes’ voice.
“No! I don’t care if he’s the big badass President of Devil’s Boneyard. I don’t care if he needs to make an example of me later. Right now, he needs to do whatever is necessary to bring you, me, and the others home. That’s his fucking job!”
“She’s right,” Cinder said. “Very well, Ramirez. You may drive your shipments through my territory, but if there’s an uptick in deaths from drugs or illegal firearms, I will come for you.”
“I have no intention of harming your little town,” Mr. Ramirez said. “I merely need a place to store some items from time to time, until I’m ready to make my move. I can assure you that I will not be taking business from your club. My interests lie elsewhere.”
“Then send home my men, and Nikki.”
Ramirez sighed. “Pity. I rather liked her spirit. Very well. I’ll release them. But I can’t let the others go until their clubs come to the same agreement. It’s just business.”
I looked at the other men. One wearing a Reckless Kings cut that said Crow. The other who looked like he was nearly on death’s doorstep was from Devil’s Fury. His cut said he was called Dragon. If their clubs didn’t agree, they would die. It didn’t take a medical degree to discern how far gone they were.
“Cinder, can you call Devil’s Fury and the Reckless Kings and let their Presidents know that both Crow and Dragon won’t make it home if they don’t agree? And they need to agree now.”
Ashes growled at me, probably worried about me being insolent to the Pres, but I was more worried about saving the men here with us than anything else. I’d take whatever punishment Cinder deemed fitting, but I wasn’t going to leave without knowing these men had a chance.
“Fine. I’ll call them, but I make no promises,” Cinder said. “And, Nikki… we’re going to talk when you get home.”
At least I was going to make it home, so that was a step in the right direction. I went to Ashes, wrapping my arm around his waist and started to lead him toward the warehouse door, but he dug his heels in.
“Baby, you’re not going out there in just a bra.”
I huffed at him. “Really? We could be dead right now and you’re worried about me leaving the warehouse without a shirt? In case you missed it, they ripped mine and you don’t seem to be wearing one.”
Ramirez came closer, pulling off his jacket, then unbuttoning his shirt. The last thing I wanted was to take anything from this man, but it was just a shirt.
“Permit me,” he said, handing the garment to me. “It’s the least I can do after those idiots treated you so poorly. They will be dealt with. I know your Ashes wanted to handle it, but I can assure you they will suffer much more at my hands. Take your Nikki home. You may use the car parked outside. The other two won’t be needing it anymore.”
“And my brothers?” Ashes asked.
“They may go as well. The others will remain here until I hear back from their clubs.”
I hesitated, not wanting to leave anyone behind, but Ashes swung me up into his arms and carried me out of the warehouse. I locked my gaze on the men still held captive, and my heart hurt for them. Would they survive this ordeal? Or would this be the last time anyone saw them alive? It was wrong, so wrong to leave them.