Chapter 55: Wolf.e: Chapter 54

The moment I pull over to the side of the road my phone rings. It’s Ax calling me back. I pick it up and watch it ring for a moment before I answer.

“Brinley?” he says before I can speak. “What’s wrong?”

I feel the fear creep up my throat when I realize I’m here and that I’m really alone.

“I think Gabriel is in trouble.” I tell him the whole story as I fidget with my keys.

Ax tells me he can’t get through to him or Jake either.

“I’m already on my way. When you called, I tried them both and they didn’t answer, I have Kai with me. Gabriel will be just fine, don’t worry, okay? I’m sure it’s just a misunderstanding,” he says in a reassuring voice that makes me see a side to him that Layla must see.

I hang up and put my phone on silent and then slip it in my pocket. One thing I forgot to tell him is that I’m already here. And I’m not leaving. They’re too far behind me, even going faster than the speed limit, they’ll need thirty minutes and Gabriel might not have that much time.

I stand beside the car parked on the side of the highway and pace as I chew my bottom lip. I pull my gun from its holster and check the mag again. I start to walk up the side of the gravel road that leads to the cabin, trying to keep to the sides as much as possible, my gun gripped in my hands and pointed to the ground, trigger finger extended down the side of the barrel like Gabriel taught me. I can see the cabin lights in the distance as my feet make crunching sounds on the tiny rocks underneath them.

A hundred yards out, I move to the grass to soften my arrival, and I listen. I take in the numbered plate at the edge of the street that confirms I’m in the right place. The driveway is so shrouded in shrubbery I can’t see the full cabin from here. It’s just dense and green. The thick sounds of crickets and tree frogs fill the humid air as I take in my surroundings. The cabin itself sits at the end of a deep drive. There are two massive outbuildings behind it that are bigger than the main house. The closer I get I realize he’s still here, I see his bike and Jake’s and another I’ve never seen before. I breathe out a sigh of relief when I see Jake pass by the window. I’m about to turn around and get the hell out of here when the most torture-filled, panic-inducing sound I’ve ever heard comes from the house. As long as I live I know I won’t forget it.

Instead of running away like I should, I move faster, as quietly as I can, to the front of the house. I push down the nausea that fills my gut when I see him through the open door. I lean my head back against the wood siding and try to remember how to breathe before I can brave another glance back in.

My mind reels as I take in the scene before me. Gabriel is strung up by rope to the wooden beams in the ceiling. Crucifixion style. His face is bloodied and battered. It’s difficult to see where the blood is coming from. His hair is soaked with blood and that makes me think his head has been wounded. Nothing is how it should be. His arms are a sick sort of colorless shade, except for the bruising that’s already started where the ropes dig into the skin of his wrists. Blood covers him from head to toe and it’s obvious he’s been hanging here for a while. The blood has dripped down his body to form a pool of sorts under his feet, which barely touch the floor. He’s been hit on almost every visible part of his skin, red welts blossom in so many places I can’t keep track. There’s bruising down his ribs, and he has numerous small gashes that drip blood down his chest.

And Jake isn’t doing anything as another man scrapes a piece of barbed wire down his body, tearing his flesh open in the process. The man is older, skinny with a big, bushy gray beard. He’s wearing a Disciples of Sin cut. Without the ropes, Gabriel would snap him in two. The more I watch in horror, the more I realize Jake is pacing like he’s okay with this, or worse yet, in on it.

Oh my god. This is a betrayal.

I feel nauseous and lightheaded as I breathe in shallow pants, trying to remember every word Gabriel taught me, praying that the men inside don’t hear me. Every part of our training flashes through my mind.

Pause, be smart, take in your surroundings before you attack, be aware of everyone’s location, are there any other threats?

I pull my phone out and hit record before leaning it against the ledge of the window that sits adjacent to the door, hidden from plain sight as the men talk. Whatever happens, all I can hope is that the club finds it. I go over my plan in my mind—breathe, aim, and take the skinny one out. I don’t want to shoot Jake, but I know I may have to, and if he’s in on this then he’s just another target.

I can hit them both and save Gabriel. I’m here for a reason, I tell myself over and over as I try to focus on their words.

“You’re going to give me your account numbers now, before I slice up your other side,” the stranger says.

“Wolfe, man, fuck. No amount of money is worth this. Just give us what we want, and I’ll end it quickly for you. Marco, man, fuck… just wait, he’ll talk,” Jake adds.

Marco. Marco Foxx. It takes everything I have to not shoot Jake where he fucking stands. He’s been working with the DOS president behind the club’s back?

“I’ll make sure Brinley is safe. I won’t let anyone touch her,” Jake adds before he and Marco argue for a few minutes about my fate. As they do, I keep an eye on the rest of the room that Gabriel’s in, making sure there’s no one else here.

There’s a table with multiple tools and knives on it, drugs, drug paraphernalia, rope, everything they needed to get Gabriel into his current position. I run it all down and make sense of it all in my head. Jake must have lured him here and then stabbed him in the back.

“Time’s up,” Marco grunts as he moves to Gabriel’s other side.

“Fuck, stubborn fucking—” Jake calls out.

“I’m about to shoot you first, you fucking pussy!” Marco bellows at Jake. “You obviously don’t know your cousin here very well. You said he would talk if we threatened the girl.”

“This is your own choice, just tell me and I’ll save her,” Jake pleads with Gabriel as Marco moves to put some sort of heavy-duty glove back on and pick up the piece of barbed wire. The marks on Gabriel’s torso resemble the pattern on the wire, and I stifle down my vomit again as I stare at his torn flesh.

“I don’t trust you,” Gabriel says low, calm, his eyes are devoid of any emotion as another family member betrays his trust and lets him down.

I’ve seen enough.

I will fucking kill them and burn this house to the ground. If I die, at least I’ll die trying. Gabriel will not die before I’ve had the chance to tell him how strong and incredible he is. He may be an outlaw, but he’s my outlaw and he is everything I could ever want. He’s unforgiving and raw and the only truly honest person I’ve ever known, ever loved.

I take a deep breath and aim through the open door, I exhale just as Gabriel’s eyes meet mine. No one else sees me but him. We anchor each other for a few seconds and he shakes his head no so slightly I would’ve missed it if I blinked. There’s not a chance I’m not going to help him. I keep his gaze, nodding just once and then I aim and pull the trigger. Marco’s body hits the floor with a grunt and a thud before my brain allows me to register that I hit him.

After that, I don’t hesitate, I don’t know if he’s dead but I have to get to Jake before he gets to Gabriel or we’re both done, and I didn’t come all this way to let that happen.

I burst through the door without looking behind me to meet my fate.