I looked at my watch. It was a little after eleven am. I’d been woken by Jax at six because he had a lead for me to chase.
Five hours later, we were at yet another dead end. I couldn’t understand how nobody seemed to know who was responsible for my father’s shooting. It didn’t make any sense that at least one person hadn’t cracked by now.
I had intended to go home as soon as I’d woken up and apologise to Alana. I hadn’t even had a chance to call her yet. I knew she was accompanying Lucia to her doctor’s appointment this morning. If I left for home now, I could be waiting for her as soon as she got back. Fuck the dead end leads I kept chasing, I was going take her to bed for the rest of the day and show her how much I needed her.
I was walking to my car when I felt a hand on my shoulder. ‘Alejandro,’ I heard Jax’s familiar voice in my ear. ‘Something’s happened.’
I spun on my heel. ‘Whatever it is, it can wait,’ I frowned.
He shook his head and I knew instinctively that he was about to blow my world apart.
‘Alana and Lucia have been taken,’ he said.
I stared at him as my heart threaten to explode out of my chest. ‘No. It’s a mistake,’ I shook my head.
‘I’m sorry, amigo. Another SUV ploughed into theirs while they were on their way back from the doctor’s office. Hank and George are dead. Hugo has been take to County General. They’re not sure if he’ll pull through. But the girls were taken alive. Our friends in the LAPD are keeping a lid on it for us for now. But, it was a well planned and orchestrated hit, Alejandro.’
He continued talking but his words were drowned out by the blood thundering in my ears. I had felt fear many times in my life, but this was nothing like I had ever experienced before. I was paralysed. My future flashed before my eyes – a future without her.
It was incomprehensible.
I had to get a grip on myself. I had to focus on the only emotion that would get me through this. The only emotion I could control.
My anger.
‘Speak to our friends in LAPD again and get me everything on the incident, and I mean everything, Jax. Pull every man off every single job we have and get them on this. I don’t care how many people we have to step on to get information, just find out whoever has them,’ I swallowed the emotion down and concentrated on the rage inside me.
‘I’m already on it, amigo,’ he said as he placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder. ‘We’ll get them back. I promise.’
‘We’d better, Jax. Because if we don’t, I will burn this city and everyone in it to the ground!’
