"I'm not complaining," I said, knowing I was just as guilty at times.

"Listen, Pop, don't let this shit with Mud interfere with the wedding," said Tank.

"I'm more worried about Frannie's welfare than the wedding itself," he said.

"You think Mud will come after her?" I asked.

"He might try. Look at what he did to Krystal. I can't watch her twenty-four hours a day, either. Even if I wanted to, she wouldn't let me."

"We need to get things rolling and do something before they come after us," said Tank."

"He's right," I said, reluctantly. "Something needs to be done, now."

"See," said Tank. "Even Raptor agrees. Fuck setting Mud up. Fuck sending him to prison. He doesn't deserve three hots and a cot. He deserves three shots and a hole in the ground."

"It's not that easy. We kill him and one of us is going to prison," said Slammer.

"We won't get caught. We'll get an alibi."

"It's a nice assumption but I'm not willing to risk the chance. Too many people watching us now as it is." He looked at his watch. "It's getting late. Let's go inside and I'll make a few phone calls. I'd like to see if we can set Mud up to take a fall."

"Make sure it's one that he can't get up from," mumbled Tank.

"That's the idea," he replied.

We followed Slammer to the entrance, all of us quiet. I knew exactly where Slammer was coming from Mud dies and we'd be the first suspects. The heat was definitely watching us; I'd even seen some unmarked squads circling my block a few days back.

"If it doesn't work out, this plan of yours, why don't we just hire The Judge again?" asked Tank, when we were back inside of the bar.

"He's expensive," he replied. "Let me think about things some more. I'll see if we can find a way to take care of that prick ourselves," he said, raising his voice.

I could barely hear him. It was after nine and the place was now packed. Two strippers were on stage, straddling a motorcycle together, while the speakers pounded out an old song, "Girls, Girls, Girls," by Motley Crew.

"Whose Harley is that?" I asked, staring at the bike.

"It's Hilary's," said Tank, nodding toward the strippers. "She wanted to use it for her act."

"How'd you get it up there?" I asked.

"We used the ramp in back," he replied.

The red-head, who was also the owner of the bike, noticed us staring and blew a kiss our way.

"She looks a little like Adriana, doesn't she?" asked Tank.

"Fuck no. Adriana is gorgeous," I said.

"So is Hilary," replied Tank.

"You actually looked at her face?" joked Slammer.

Tank chuckled. "It wasn't easy."

As we made our way to the bar, my cell phone began to ring. I pulled it out of my jacket and looked at the caller ID. It wasn't a number I recognized.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Trevor? Is that you?"

"Yes it is," I replied, recognizing Vanda's voice.

"Oh, thank God!" she cried, hysterical. "We need your help!"

A cloud of doom filled the skies above me. "What's wrong?"

"It's Adriana... she's been kidnapped!"

Chapter Seventeen.

"What in the hell is going on?" I asked Brandy, trembling. "Do you know why they've taken us?"

She took a while to answer. "Isn't it obvious? Retaliation."

I brushed the tears from my cheeks and then tucked my knees against my chest. "Retaliation. Again. Does it ever end?" I mumbled, thinking about Krystal again.

"I guess it will when they're all dead," she replied, now trying to sit up. Her face contorted with pain and I watched as she wrapped her arms around her stomach. As angry as I was at Brandy for screwing Trevor, even I couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy for her. Someone had obviously beaten the hell out of the girl.

"Someone already has, but obviously it wasn't enough." I sighed. "They did this to you?"

Brandy nodded and touched her cheek. She winced. "I called one of them an asshole and I guess he just had to prove I was right."

"Did they hurt your stomach at all?" I asked, wondering about the baby.

She touched her belly. "They were pretty rough with me. I don't think they harmed anything. Although," she closed her eyes, "at this point, it probably doesn't even matter."

"Of course it matters," I said, shocked. For someone so determined to have Trevor, she was giving up so easily on her life and the life of her baby.

Brandy opened her eyes. "Why, do you think they'll let us go?" she said, laughing coldly.

"If they don't, we can always try and escape."

"I doubt we'll have the chance."

"You never know."

"No, I guess you don't."

We were silent for a while, staring at each other.

"Do you have any idea why they've taken us?" I replied, breaking the silence. "Besides the retaliation? Did they say anything?"

She shook her head. "All I know is that they were looking for Raptor's Old Lady."

"So they took both of us?"

"I guess they didn't want to get the wrong girl."

"I just don't get it. Why us in particular? They must really hate Trevor."

"You think?" she muttered, sarcastically.

"Maybe they want something from him. God, I hope he cooperates. If that's the case," I said, talking more to myself, "we might actually walk out of this mess alive."

"Not before the Devil's Rangers fuck with us first."

The thought of being raped or beaten frightened me even more. I almost preferred a quick death. We needed to find a way out of there. Both of us. I looked down at her belly. "Did you tell them you were pregnant?"

"I didn't have much time for chit chat," she said dryly.

"Maybe if you would have told them "

"They don't fucking care," she snapped, looking at me like I was an idiot. "Look, you don't know how horrible these bastards are. The Devil's Rangers pride themselves on being as bad-assed as possible. It's their M.O. They certainly don't give a shit about anyone not associated with their club. Hell, from what I hear, they don't even treat their own Old Ladies very well."

I clenched my jaw. "Actually, I know more about what kind of pricks they are than you think. They killed my best friend."

She was silent for a few minutes. "That girl they killed, Krystal. She was your friend, wasn't she?"

I nodded.

She sighed. "I wonder if they'll take us all the way to their clubhouse. From what I've heard, they moved it Minnesota."

I was beginning to feel nauseous again. "I hope not, although, maybe it will give us more time to come up with an escape plan."

She snorted. "Give it up on the escape plan. We're both fucked."

I wanted to believe that she was being overly dramatic, but deep down, I had to agree.

Chapter Eighteen.

"What do you mean she's been kidnapped?" I asked, Vanda, shocked.

Tank's head whipped around. "Who's been kidnapped?"

"Adriana," I mouthed.

He turned to Slammer, who looked just as stunned.

"The neighbors called and said that two men, driving in a brown van, snatched her from the yard," she said.

"Did they get a description of the men or a license plate?"

"Not too much, because it was dark. The neighbor across the street said that it was hoodlums with biker emblems like..." she stopped.

"Like me?" I said dryly.

"That's what I was told."

"Did they see the patches?" I asked, although it was pretty obvious. The Devil's Rangers had taken her. It was the only thing that made sense.

"I don't know. Look, I've got to go. I'm heading home to meet with the police. You should talk to them too. I know you know something about this, Trevor."

"I have no idea who kidnapped her, Vanda," I lied, not wanting to waste my time talking to the police. "I've got nothing for them."

"You're lying," she said angrily. "Don't do this. You need to talk to them. If anything happens to Adriana, I'll just die."

"I'll check around and see if I can find out who might have taken her," I replied, ignoring her comment. She was right, after all. "I won't stop until I find out who has her, and then I'll talk to the cops, if it helps us get her back."

She began to cry again. "Okay. Find my baby. Please, Trevor. I'd do anything to have her back."

I felt the same way.

Chapter Nineteen.

Mud was sitting at his desk, getting a blow job, when his cell phone rang. He reached over and grabbed it. "Keep going," he said to the blonde, April, who was on her knees. "This shouldn't take long."

She smiled up at him.

"The shipment is on the way," said Skull.

"Good. Any problems?"