Then again, I’ve always been a one-percenter.
I shake my head.
“Thenwhere?” he asks.
“The floor.”
“How would we do that?” Mickey asks.
“We drill a hole in the floor and get a camera in to see what’s going on. Then I’ll set a charge for a selected area. Whether it pulls Viv or whoever this guy is down to us, either way, we separate the two. We have enough guys in the garage to grab one or the other.”
The boys look at each other, but I see a few nods. My girl is going to be pissed. I’m going to move her things around to make it work, but I think she’ll thank me when I save her. Well, eventually. Pretty sure I’m going to get punched in the face, but I think it’ll be worth it. They always say “Love is pain.” Or is it “Life is pain, and you just get used to it”?
Either way, I’m getting my girl, and if she hates me for it, she does. I’ll live with it knowing she’s alive, but I won’t live knowing she’s dead and I didn’t stop it.
Lucky stands, stretches his neck, and asks, “Where do we keep the C-4?”
I grin for the first time in what feels like days as every single brother also stands. They’re all backing me and my crazy idea.
Once the plan is made, the boys make quick work of getting me what I need. I’m not even surprised they have everything. This is a Hounds MC, after all. We come prepared for everything, from a year’s supply of condoms to enough explosives to take out a few small buildings. Thankfully, I only need enough to put a dent in one floor. Nothing more.
The worst part of the plan is that we all agree it has to happen at night. We don’t give a shit about the neighborsseeing, but having the cover of darkness helps. We even get Flint to flicker the streetlights enough that they go out each time a group of three makes it from the club to her garage. We’re sticking to only nine in the building, but we’ve got plenty waiting outside in different positions. They’ve been making their way into the place for hours, making it all look as casual as possible in case the guy has eyes on us somehow.
With the nine of us inside, we work as quietly as mice, moving all Viv’s metal equipment to the side. Most of it was bolted down, so we had to get creative by prying it up. She’s going to be mad as a hornet for sure, but I keep telling myself it’ll be worth it.
Once we have the equipment out of the way, Mickey drills a hole in the corner that he knows will have the most opening to her apartment and is right next to a stud, so it should be hidden a bit when we slide the scope through.
Radar mans the video as Mickey runs the endoscope camera through the hole. It’s not high-tech enough that we can see all the details—it’s meant for looking under a car’s engine—but we can get an image.
“There.” I point to the screen and see a lowered railed bed in the middle of the floor with cuffs. From the angle, I can’t see who’s on it, but it only takes one guess.
“Where’s the guy?” Grim asks over my shoulder as we watch the video while Mickey moves the camera in a slow rotation.
“Stop,” I whisper when I see him. He’s toward the back of the apartment, and it looks like a tripod is set up by the rear window. He’s watching us like we thought. But he doesn’t seem to be on to what we’re doing.
I look at the camera again, then the room, and do some basic math. Then I go to my bag, pull out the C-4, and start prepping the ceiling. No one helps me. Not that they can’t, but they know this is my thing. The reason I’m called Domino.
I make things fall down. It’s what I’m good at.
Chapter 28—Viv
I’ve been hit a few times. More so back when I started in the business. It’s been a long time since I let someone get in more than one punch without blocking. Two if they get lucky. I was also expectingit and had the adrenaline to keep me going.
I didn’t expect Henry to snap. I especially didn’t expect him to keep snapping. One punch I get. I mean, I bit part of his tongue off. But the third and fourth? Or was it the fifth? He rang my bell, that’s for damn sure.
I hurt. I hate hurting.
And I still smell the vomit.
He must suck at cleaning. If that’s not a sign that this isn’t going to work for us having kids, I don’t know what is.
Oh, right, the whole “Henry’s a psycho” part is another reason this isn’t going to be a successful relationship.
Time has faded in and out. He’s been keeping me drugged on something. Not sure what it is, but it makes me want to sleep. I don’t feel high or anything, so at least I don’t have to worry that it’s some kind of drug that’ll disqualify me for my next fight.
I tried drugs a few times in high school. Never saw the appeal of feeling as if time was going ata snail’s pace and you were thinking faster than a speeding bullet. At least that’s how I felt each time. I didn’t like it. Felt out of control, and that’s something I definitely don’t do.
Andyeah, we get tested like any other fighter does. The whole thing might be underground with no actual rules, but they still want it as fair as possible to keep the sponsors happy. Well, as fair as telling someone to take a fall when you have to for some ungodly amount of money and all. I never did, though. Tommy never asked me to. I honestly don’t know what I would say if he did.
