Page 61 of Echoes of Desire
“Em, this is Raven. Blaze and Steel’s woman. Raven, my stupidly brave little sister, Emily.”
“Nice to meet you, Raven. Knox has told me all about you. We’ll hang out when we get him back. Anthony Taylor, don’t tell Mom you got shot.”
“As if I would, Em. Answers. Now.”
Emily rolls her eyes, brushing a strand of hair out of her face as she crosses her arms. “Fine, fine. We were close to taking down a ring tied to a pretty high-profile name. Knox was working on one of their servers when he uncovered files pointing to someone big. A senator, I think. He didn’t tell me much, just that it was bad. Really bad.”
“What kind of files?” I ask, my voice low and tight. “Anything that could lead us to where they might’ve taken him?”
Emily’s jaw tightens. “Maybe. He mentioned something about a property that popped up. A warehouse outside of town. He was trying to confirm its connection before sending it to the authorities.”
King is already pulling out his phone. “Give me the address. I’ll get my team on it.”
“Wait,” Blaze interjects, his tone sharp. “We’re coming with you.”
“No,” King says firmly, his glare unwavering. “This is going to be a bloodbath. I won’t risk you two or your woman.”
“We don’t need your permission,” I say, my voice cold. “This is our family, too. We’re not sitting on the sidelines while you handle this.”
King’s lips press into a thin line, but after a tense moment, he nods. “Fine. But you stick to my plan. No heroics.”
“I don’t know the address,” Emily says. “But give me a few minutes, and I’ll get it. I just need to hack into Knox’s computers.”
“I thought no one could access Knox’s things,” Raven says.
“Oh. I totally could,” Emily says from the other room. “Just give me enough energy drinks and about three months, and I’d get through a layer or two. For now, however, I have his passwords. Got it.”
Rushing back into the room, she hands King a piece of paper. “This is the address he was looking into. So far, he found property taxes from the last three years. And a lease under the name of Bridget Smithton. Who is actually deceased.”
“Good job,” Ghost says. “Ambulance is here. Tyler, you take Raven and Emily with you. Mitchell is tagging along.”
“I already have some men on their way to the hospital,” Mitchell says from his spot near the door. “I wanted extra guards on them.”
I nod my approval. Other than being our MC brother, Mitchell is one of the bodyguards who work the clubs. He works for Taylor, and I know their team of men are top-notch.
Emily steps forward, determination blazing in her eyes. “I’m coming too. With you guys, not Tony.”
“The hell you are,” Taylor snaps, his arm tightening protectively around Raven. “You’ve done enough, Em. Stay where it’s safe.”
Emily glares at him. “I’m not some helpless little girl, Tony. This is Knox we’re talking about. You think I’m going to sit here and do nothing? I’m going, Anthony.”
“She can stay in the truck,” Ghost says. “We may need her if they have security cameras.”
“Damnit, Em, if you take a single step outside of that vehicle, I’ll tell our mother that you want to move back in with her.”
“Evil,” she smiles. “Let’s go. Keep him calm, new girl. Don’t let him sneak off.”
I don’t want to leave Raven behind, but I also don’t want her going and risking her life. Maybe Blaze will stay.
“She’ll have Mitchell, Taylor, and a team of their bodyguards,” he says, reading my mind.
Blaze’s reassurance does little to settle the unease crawling up my spine. The idea of leaving Raven, even with someone as capable as Taylor and Mitchell, doesn’t sit right. But there’s notime to argue. Knox needs us, and every second we waste here is another second he’s in danger.
“Stay close to them, baby,” I say, my voice low as I cup Raven’s face, forcing her to look at me. I don’t remove her from Taylor’s lap. I doubt he’d let me at the moment. “Don’t let anyone out of your sight, and don’t go anywhere alone. Got it?”
Her eyes search mine, worry evident, but she nods. “Got it.”
Blaze steps forward, leaning down to kiss her forehead. “We’ll be back with Knox,” he promises, his voice steady but carrying the weight of unspoken fears. “Please, stay with Mitchell and Taylor, sweetheart.”