“You sick fuck,” I scream and twist the chain so much, the cuff at my ankle jerks and pulls as he struggles. “I told you I would kill you!”

In that moment, I have an outer body experience. I float, and it is like I am staring down at myself as I kill this man. I keep going even when his face and body go slack and he falls to the ground, taking me with him. Something inside of me won’t let me stop. Anger. Red blooded anger.

It isn’t until arms wrap around me that I am jerked back to reality. I start screaming and struggling. No! I was almost away. I kick and scream at the top of my lungs at the person who has me in a tight bear grip.

“Piper,” the voice says. I don’t recognize it, but his voice saying my name settles me. Something about it makes me feel safe.

“Who are you?” I sob as I stop fighting the stranger.

His arms loosen and he turns me around, and I am greeted by the most beautiful older man I have ever seen. “I’m Juan.”

The cries grow stronger and pour from my body. Breakneck’s informant. “I’m safe, I’m safe,” I cry. Oh my god. “Jinx!”

Juan picks me up as I cry out and carries me outside to a black SUV. “There she is,” he says as he places me inside the backseat.

“Piper! You made it!” she screams and wraps me into her arms, and we cry together as Juan gets into the front seat.

“We gotta go ladies. Others will be here any minute. I’ve been scoping this place out for days. The guys should be making their rounds anytime now.”

“Thank you!” Jinx cries into my shoulder, and I know it is directed at me and Juan.

“Piper… I imagine you want to call, Sniper, yeah?”

Oh god, do I!

“Please!”

Jinx loosens her grip and allows me to take the phone from Juan. I dial the last known prepay number of his and pray he hasn’t disposed of it yet.

***

Chapter Twenty One

Sniper

I am loading my guns into my saddlebag along with boxes of ammo when my phone rings. I dig it out of my pocket but don’t recognize the number.

“Breaker,” I grumble into the phone.

A sweet sounding gasp comes through the line.

“Darlin’?”

It can’t be. It fucking can’t be her. Is it her? Please say something!

“Snipe… oh god. Say it again,” she pleads.

“Braxxon,” I scream at the top of my lungs to signal my brother. “God, darlin’, where are you? Tell me,” I plead.

She exhales. “Jinx and I are in Juan’s SUV. He’s taking us somewhere safe.”

I have never been gladder to know that motherfucking ghost.

“Thank fuck, baby. Are you in one piece?”

Please say yes, say yes!

A sob escapes her, and my grip tightens around my phone.

“You should talk to Juan now,” she says when she gets control of her emotions.

I don’t want to talk to Juan. Fuck!

“Sniper, man,” Juan says into the phone, but it isn’t Juan’s voice. What the fuck is going on?

“This ain’t fucking Juan. Juan has a goddamn accent. Who the fuck has my girl?” I seethe into the phone.

“Sniper, chill,” he says in the accent I am familiar with. “Better. It’s fake man. I am going to text you an address. Meet us there and bring the Doc and his son.”

When my brother comes running up to me, my face explains it all, and he snaps his fingers to our brothers standing around the compound parking lot.

“Juan… how bad? One to ten for wounds,” I question.

“Nine,” he says without hesitation.

I close my eyes and scream curses. When I am in control again, I ask my next question. “And my Piper’s mental state, same scale?”

Juan is smart, and I trust his answers.

“Twenty, man,” he sighs without his fake accent.

I bring my free hand up to the bridge of my nose and squeeze. “She’s being tough and trying to mask it, isn’t she?”

He doesn’t know her, but Juan hasn’t stayed a ghost all of these years without some smarts about him.

“For a matter of time. Don’t know for how long,” he says vaguely.

“Text me the address, and Juan, I can’t thank you enough, man.”

He doesn’t respond. He does what Juan always does. He hangs up, and I follow, staring at my screen, waiting for the address to come so I can get to my girl.

“Call the Doc and his son. Juan said it's bad. I don’t know about Jinx. Fuck. I forgot.”

My brother starts ordering people around, and Pyro calls up the Doc. ZZ orders Storm to let Berry know and to keep the commotion quiet for fear of Winter finding out.

When my address is the one that comes through, I tilt my phone up so my brother can see.

“If he wasn’t so fucking useful, I’d say this shit is a problem.” He chuckles.

I honestly don’t care. He has my woman, and I am going to her.

“Pyro, load up Ripley and Akela and follow behind us. Plans are still the same. They can’t heal with one another. They will feed off of each other’s emotions, and I want them to deal with this shit in their own ways,” my brother orders.

“Go get my best friend, Sniper,” Storm says while handing me Piper’s phone. “When the time is right, I want a call from her, please.”

I agree, take the phone, and tuck it in my back pocket.