Page 47 of Babe's Bounty
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN: BABE
Once outside, I call Mode and conference in Byte. I still don’t know if I can trust Mode, but I need his help. If he’s the traitor, he could lead me on a fruitless chase, which is why I’m including Byte on the call.
“Mode, I need you to track a vehicle for me. Billings and Blankenship have Min and they kidnapped a young woman. The hospital security feed showed them getting into a black Denali. They gave me a copy of the feed.” I reel off the license plate number.
“I’m on it,” Mode says over the sound of keys clicking. “I already have access to their security cameras, so I have the car.”
“You do?” I ask in surprise.
“Of course. As soon as you mentioned the planned kidnapping, I hacked my way in, just in case.”
“What happened at the hospital?” Byte asks. “I thought the cops were covering Min.”
“So did I. Schwartz said he called it in, but someone called it off. Said it was a hoax.”
“Someone who works for Jordan?” Byte asks.
“That’s what I think.”
“Okay, I’ve got their trail,” Mode chimes in. “They’re headed toward Whiting, I think. Caught up to them on the freeway. They’re staying out of the carpool lane and driving near the speed limit. If you leave the hospital right now, you might catch them up.”
“Any thoughts on where they could go?” I ask.
“Maybe. I’ve found other properties that they might own, but I’m still checking through the records.”
“Shoot me the addresses and I can check on my end,” Byte chimes in.
“Done,” Mode says.
All I can hear is the clicking of keys in stereo. Byte and Mode work feverishly to help me locate Min, while I fly down the highway, checking out every black Denali I come across. I never considered how many black Denali’s there were until today. For every one I spot, the routine is the same. I approach on the driver’s side and check to see who’s behind the wheel. When I don’t see Billings, my temper and panic spike. Logically, I know I have to eliminate each one, but I feel like I’m letting Min down. Even though I know she can take care of herself. I can’t shake the feeling that her situation is dire. She’s unconscious and outnumbered. Plus, they have an innocent they can use against her. Min will do anything to protect Jessica. That’s who she is. But it isn’t just her current situation that has me wanting to shoot the drivers of every Denali I pass on the road. Blankenship knows her cousin. I don’t want to imagine the horrors he’ll inflict on her if he gets his hands on her.
“Okay, they’re getting off the freeway. They’re heading…” Mode grunts before going silent. I hear a crash come over the line and Byte calling Mode’s name.
“What the fuck is going on?” I yell.
“I don’t know. I think something happened to Mode. Smoke, call Chrome. Tell him to check on Mode.”
“Any idea of where they exited the freeway?” I ask Byte.
“No, I was looking at the properties Mode sent. Let me see if I can access his computer.”
I increase my speed even though I have no idea where I’m going. According to Mode, they exited the freeway. I consider doing the same, but then what? My only hope is if Byte gains access to Mode’s computer.
“Fuck. Babe, you need to get to the clubhouse. Chrome said someone attacked Mode. Hit him over the head with a baseball bat and smashed his computer.”
“What about Min?” I ask.
“I’ll keep searching. Smoke has access to the hospital and traffic cams. He’ll find where they exited the freeway and I’ll keep searching the properties to see if I can find where they might have taken her.”
“I’m going to keep looking,” I tell him.
Byte sighs. “Get back to the clubhouse. It isn’t a request, but an order from Chrome. He thinks you know something about the attack on Mode.”
“What the fuck? Didn’t you tell him I’m on the fucking freeway looking for Min? That I wasn’t anywhere near the clubhouse?”
“He knows. He also knows that you think there’s a rat in his club,” Byte says. “Look, Smoke and I will find Min. Go to the clubhouse and talk to Chrome. If we locate her, we’ll call you.”
“Fuck,” I mutter as I aim my bike for the clubhouse. All I want to do is tell Byte and Chrome to fuck off, but I’m a club enforcer. I’m responsible for the club’s safety. Chrome has a rat problem. The rat must be fucking desperate if he attacked Mode. Attacking a club member is the fastest way to earn a dirt nap.