Taken

Chapter 1- Axel

The sound of flesh hitting wet flesh echoes through the garage.

“Where the fuck is she!” Daemon’s been at this for hours, but the little rat isn’t giving any information. I sigh unbuttoning my cuffs and rolling up the sleeves of my shirt to my tattooed elbows.

“Ronnie” I glance to the beat to shit guy tied to a chair with rope “we know you were talking to her at the strip and then she goes missing. Now you better start talking or I’m going to gut you with my claws for wasting our time” I emphasise my point by extending my nails until they are sharp claws, flexing my fingers.

Ronnie squeaks visibly flinching “I swear! I don't know anything!” He starts to blubber, and Daemon gives him another hard blow to the face causing him to choke on his own blood and spit as his head is knocked back.

“I hate when they cry, makes my balls shrivel up” He makes a disgusted face at his split knuckles and the blood that coats them.

It’s starting to get to all of them, my sister Bonnie was like the kid holding a relationship together and with her gone the cracks were starting to show. She went missing right under our noses, no trace, nothing. We couldn't protect one of our own and it’s got us all on edge, me especially. My head pounds with the tension.

I grab Ronnie’s greasy hair in my fist and force his head back, Ronnie's eyes bulge out of his head, but he doesn't make another sound. At least the fucker learns quick.

Leaning closer so he can see me with his swollen face I narrow my eyes at the piss poor excuse for a mammal “What did you say to her?” I punctuate each word, spittle flying from my mouth in anger as I place a claw to his sternum, putting enough pressure that a prick of blood starts to leak out and trail down his naked scrawny chest.

“I already told you man; she was on her way to the salon. Said the sweet cheeks wanted to throw a party for Tiny’s birthday and said I should come along. That was it! I came to the clubhouse later and she wasn’t there!” he squirms under my claw causing more blood to trickle from the pinprick wound.

Bikes roar outside on the lot, the crews back and I need to wrap this shit up and call church, looking over to Daemon I know he's thinking the same, Ronnie doesn't know crap, he's useless but we can't risk him snitching to somebody else that we’re on the lookout. I give a slight nod to my enforcer pulling my hand away from the rat’s chest as he lets out a heavy breath, I walk out of the room grabbing a cloth to wipe my hands and dumping it on the ground, the music of Ronnie gurgling whilst his life exits his body and Daemon laughing echoing behind me.

I'd already spent the morning sucking up to some of the posh assholes out of town, not all packs preferred to stay low and instead worked the legit routes of business. I did it in the hopes they might have some information we didn’t, it fucking killed me not to be here doing something, but it had been two weeks now and we were starting to get desperate. If putting on some fancy outfit and sucking up to rich cunts meant we might have a clue where she’d gone it would be worth it, but like every avenue they’d tried so far, it came up empty.

Stepping out into the sunny lot I pull at the stuffy collar of my shirt, eyeing up my made family as I walk over. The chain fence is shut behind them as they all dismount from their rides, I reach Harley at the front and clap my brother on the shoulder, my road captain and everyone else with him look glum. Together we head away from the garage and towards the clubhouse, the prospects and some others following behind.

Neither of us say anything, the atmosphere inside is heavy. At the sight of everyone back, the rest get up from their booths and go to the room off to the right where we hold Church. I take my seat at the head of the heavy wooden table; Rocky my VP takes the right as Harley takes the left. My other brothers take the next seats and Daemon strolls in muttering something about rodent piss and pushing the door as he takes the last seat.

The door shuts with a heavy thud and I take a deep breath trying to muster the courage to face disappointment again. I don't dare to hope.

“Spit it out man!” Rocky snaps, his temper always on the edge.

One of the sweet cheeks had a sister who was shacked up with some shady people, they were bragging about clearing up the streets like some fucking good Samaritans. They sent some of the prospects with Harley to check it out and see what was going on, this was hours ago.

Nothing happened in Philly without their knowledge or agreement, and they couldn’t waste too much time looking into other shit whilst his sister was still out there.

Harley looks around the table. “It's fucked man, people are vanishing off the street. Been happening in Carolina and Virginia over the last couple months.”

I lift my hand to pause him, “Need you to wind it back and go again from the start, we need all the details” I say, trying to keep calm.

“We went to Skiddy, it was quiet, really fucking quiet.” He continues, running a hand over his tanned face, skin-tight from so many hours on the road. Skid row was in the run-down part of Downtown, it was mostly overrun by homeless and druggies. “We got out the gear and they started singing, said people started showing up from down state made it crowded and took away clients. So, we took a trip to Baltimore, drove for three hours before we found anyone who'd talk to us.”

This wasn't sounding good. A low hiss starts coming from Rocky. This was part of the problem when your glue came undone, people got snappy with the ones they cared about to vent the anger that should be directed elsewhere.

“Rein it in man, we need to hear it” I direct at Rocky, trying not to provoke him further. Clenching my fists in my lap I feel my still extended claws dig into my palms the pain ebbing the anger slightly. This was the downside to being in charge, you had to keep your shit together, keep everyone together otherwise it would break completely, and they couldn't risk that happening.

“People were scared, not just the skanks and hobos, Joe public people. Missing cases have been rising starting from the South and heading East, feds are keeping it low because they don't have a clue where to start.” Harley shakes his head, but the corner of his mouth lifts in a smirk.

“So why are you looking so fucking happy, you’re basically telling us nothing!” Rocky jumps to his feet, his chair clattering to the floor, his eyes turn to slits showing he's close to the edge. Nobody reacts, we’re used to this now, he starts panting and pacing the room.

“A gang in the South has started spreading, growing quick and rumour is that they are taking the people, not just girls, but guys and kids.”

Every head snaps in Harleys direction. Rocky stops his pacing and I place my palms flat on the table feeling the heat of my blood spread under my palm onto the coolness of the wood below, my whole body vibrates with tension.

“We checked it out.” The room is silent. “Found some little hood-rats trying to get in with the clowder in Washington, they’d been hired to scout for buyers. The people are being taken and sold at auction in Atlanta, gave us an invite for tomorrow night, and a new shipment just came in”.

A roar fills the room and the door bolts open, banging on its hinges as orange, white, yellow, and black streaks across my vision.

Looks like we're going to auctions.