Bile rises in my throat as he hangs up. The phone slips from my hand and I struggle to catch my breath.

“What happened?” Krypt demands.

“H-h-h-h-he has Claire.”

“Shit,” he snarls, standing up and bellowing. “Prez!”

“Krypt, wait,” I yell. “H-h-h-he said that if I don’t trade my life for hers, he’ll kill her. I can’t let him kill her; I can’t.”

Krypt spins around, his expression livid. “You’ll not be doing any such fuckin’ thing.”

“She’s my best friend. I can’t just let her die.”

“That’s where you have to trust us.”

“No,” I scream. “He told me no cops or bikers, or he’ll do horrible things to her, and I know he will, Krypt. I know he will.”

He lunges forward, taking my shoulders. “You need to fuckin’ trust us.”

“What’s goin’ on?” Maddox says, appearing in the doorway.

“Howard’s finally made his move. He wants Ash. He’s got her best friend.”

Maddox hisses a curse. “Fuck.”

“Yeah,” Krypt growls. “That’s what I fuckin’ said.”

“You need to let me go, please,” I beg.

Krypt shakes me just slightly. “There is no fuckin’ way I’m lettin’ him kill you. No fuckin’ way.”

“Krypt please,” I say, hysteria rising.

“You’re not fuckin’ goin’,” Maddox barks. “So quit fuckin’ thinkin’ it.”

“We’ll sort this,” Krypt assures me, but I don’t believe him.

“My office, now. We need to call a meeting.” Maddox storms out.

Krypt stares at me, and I know he doesn’t trust me. He sighs and holds my wrist, taking me down the hall. He leads me into a room, opens the drawers and pulls out—oh hell, no. I squirm against him, kicking out because it hurts too much to move my shoulder. Because of my injury, he overpowers me quickly.

He snaps the cuffs onto my wrist and locks me against the bed.

“I’m sorry, baby.”

“No, Krypt,” I scream as he backs out of the room. “I hate you. I fucking hate you.”

He disappears, leaving me in hysterics.

Oh God, please don’t let them kill her.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

KRYPT

“This is fuckin’ bad,” I bark the minute I get into Maddox’s office. “I left my girl in there fuckin’ screaming, and I can’t trust she won’t run. Howard has got us good on this one. He’ll make sure we can’t ambush him.”

“No,” Maddox mutters. “He’s counting on us ambushing him.”

I narrow my eyes. “What are you talkin’ about?”

Tyke, Grimm, Ray and Zaid enter the room, their eyes going straight to Maddox. “Fill us in, boss,” Zaid mutters.

We fill them in. Then Maddox turns back to me.

“He wants us to ambush him, Krypt. I have no fuckin’ doubt about it. He will have this set up so the cops will be on our tail the minute we show. That, or he’ll kill the girls and leave them there, with only us in their presence.”

“Then what the fuck do we do?” I bark.

“I don’t fuckin’ know,” Maddox growls, running his hands through his hair. “He’s got cops on the inside, he’s got fuckin’ guards on the inside. If we get picked up, we’re fucked. We can’t afford to let him beat us.”

“Even if we got somethin’ on him, his cop buddies will make sure he doesn’t get locked away,” Tyke points out.

“We’re royally fucked,” Grimm mutters.

“There’s a way. I just gotta think of it,” Maddox snaps. “I won’t let those fuckers hurt them girls or my fuckin’ club.”

“I got an idea,” Tyke murmurs. “But you ain’t gonna like it.”

All our eyes turn to him.

“I ain’t got nothin’ else right now, so speak,” Maddox orders.

“You send a girl in.”

“No fuckin’ way,” I bark.

“Listen,” Tyke snaps, his eyes flashing with anger. “If we rock up out the front, sayin’ we wanna make a truce, then the attention will be off Claire. If there’s already a girl in there she can get her out. . .”

“We ain’t go no one we can send in, for a fuckin’ start,” Maddox growls.

“We do,” Tyke murmurs, his eyes falling on Maddox.

A chair skids back as Maddox launches from it. “No fuckin’ way will you be touchin’ Santana.”

“Howard and his men ain’t ever seen her, Maddox. You’ve kept her quiet for a long time. She could slip in as a whore easily.”

“Over my dead fuckin’ body.”

“You got another option?” Grimm yells. “’Coz if you don’t, I think Tyke has the closest thing we have to gettin’ that girl back.”

“I said fuckin’ no. I’ll find another way.”

“I don’t want you to find another way.”

All our heads snap around to see Santana standing at the door, her arms crossed over her chest, her eyes glaring through Maddox. He storms over to her, his fingers curling around her shoulder. “There is no way in fuckin’ hell I’m lettin’ you near that club. Now stop eavesdroppin’ and get out.”