But every second that passed, every wasted moment felt like a goddamn eternity. The tracking took time—too much fucking time. Gunner paced like a caged animal, hands twitching at his sides. He wanted to move. He wanted to act. Sitting around while Jesse had his hands on Dawn made him feel fucking useless.
“Where the hell is he?” he snapped.
Ruger, their resident hacker, barely looked up from his laptop, fingers flying over the keys. “Working on it.”
“Work faster,” Gunner demanded.
Beast stepped in. “We’ll find him,” Beast reassured him.
Gunner clenched his jaw. That wasn’t good enough.
Jesse could be doing anything to her right now. Hurting her. Scaring her. And Gunner was just standing here, waiting for a goddamn address. He shoved a hand through his hair, exhaling sharply. Then—
“I got him,” Ruger announced, voice tight with focus.
Gunner was at his side in an instant, heart pounding.
Ruger tapped the screen. “Bastard’s holed up in an abandoned warehouse at the edge of town.”
A flicker of hope, sharp and deadly, ignited in Gunner’s chest. Gunner didn’t wait. He turned on his heel, already heading for his bike. “Then that’s where we end this.”
The Sentinels followed without hesitation. Engines roared to life, the deep, thunderous growl of Harleys filling the night air. Tires spun, kicking up gravel. The sound was a warning. A promise.
Jesse thought he could take Dawn. He thought he could get away with it. He was fucking wrong because Gunner was coming for him. And he wouldn’t stop until Jesse was six feet under.
****
The warehouse reekedof oil and rot, a damp, suffocating stench that clung to the air like decay. The flickering overhead lights buzzed, casting jagged shadows across rusted metal beams and cracked concrete floors.
Gunner moved like a predator, his gun firm in his grip, every muscle in his body coiled tight, ready to strike. His pulse pounded in his ears, but his focus was razor-sharp.
He could hear his brothers spreading out behind him, securing exits, ensuring there was no escape. But none of it mattered. All he cared about was Dawn.
A voice cut through the silence, lazy and taunting.
“You got here faster than I thought, Gunner.”
Jesse.
Gunner rounded the corner, his breath stalling in his chest.
Dawn.
She was tied to a chair, her wrists bound with thick rope, her cheek darkened by a fresh bruise. A thin trickle of blood ran from the corner of her lip. Her chest rose and fell in quick, uneven breaths, her eyes wide with something between fear and defiance.
Gunner’s vision blurred with rage. Jesse stood behind her, one hand fisting her hair, the other pressing a gleaming knife to her throat. His smirk was lazy, confident, like he thought he had the upper hand.
“Not so tough now, are you?” Jesse sneered, digging the blade in just enough to make Dawn flinch. A crimson bead welled against her skin.
Gunner’s grip on his gun tightened, his finger feathering the trigger. His voice was low, deadly. “Let her go.”
Jesse tsked, shaking his head. “Now, where’s the fun in that? You took something from me, Gunner. I’m just here to take it back.” Jesse curled his fingers tighter in Dawn’s hair, yanking her head back. “Maybe I’ll carve my name into her first. Make sure she never forgets who she belongs to.”
White-hot fury detonated in Gunner’s chest.
“Last warning,” he ground out, shifting his stance, lining up his shot. “Let. Her. Go.”
Jesse chuckled. “Nah.”
