He turned the doorknob, but of course, it didn’t budge. He was about to try again when Viper and Widow came rushing up behind us. “You boys okay?”
“Yeah, we’re good,” Shotgun answered. “What about you guys?”
“We’re all feeling better now that we’ve found Kiersten—especially Country.” Viper shook his head. “He bolted the second he heard you found her.”
“So, he’s with them?” I asked.
“Yeah, he met them out back, and he and Menace made sure they got to your truck without any issues. And now, they’re on their way back to the clubhouse.”
“Perfect. That’s what I wanted to hear.”
“Yeah, now if we can just find DeLuca, we can end this thing.”
Shotgun sounded surprised as he asked, “You mean, y’all haven’t found him yet?”
“Fuck no,” Viper grumbled. “One of his guards mentioned something about some room he might be hiding in, but so far we haven’t been able to find it.”
“Then, you might wanna check this out.”
Hawk took a step to the side, so Viper could check out the mysterious door with a keypad lock. “I’m thinking it’s a safe room.”
“Certainly looks like one.” Viper took a step closer for a better look, then nodded. “Yeah, I’d bet money that asshole is hiding in there.”
“Only one way to find out.”
Shotgun took a step back, then aimed his double barrel at the door panel. He shot off a couple of rounds and it splintered the wood, but it did little to the hidden security door behind it. Shotgun looked dismayed as he muttered, “Damn. What are we gonna do now?”
Viper studied the thick metal door for a moment, then shook his head. “We aren’t getting through that without a code or some heavy artillery.”
As soon as he said code, I remembered the numbers Matteo called out to me. Hoping they might be the code we needed, I stepped up and entered them into the keypad. Seconds later, the lock disengaged. Eager to see if DeLuca was inside, I pushed the door open, then charged inside.
I took a quick glance around the room, and even though I didn’t see anyone, I had a strange feeling we weren’t alone. That feeling was confirmed when I spotted movement in the corner of the room.
My heart rate started to quicken as I aimed my weapon and prepared to take my shot. Just as I was about to pull the trigger, I realized the figure was a child. I immediately holstered my gun and went over to him. As I knelt down next to him, I spotted his mother cowered down next to him.
She was close to Kiersten’s age, and she was covered in bruises. One of her eyes was nearly swollen shut, and she was clutching a whimpering infant against her chest. The poor girl looked absolutely horrified as she pleaded, “Please don’t hurt us.”
“You don’t have to worry about that. We’re not here for you.” I did my best to keep my voice low and calm as I asked, “Can you tell us who you are?”
“I’m Angela DeLuca. I’m Antonio’s wife,” she answered in a whisper. “And these are my children.”
“Is he the one who did this to you?”
She nodded nervously but didn’t speak.
“Do you want to be here?”
Tears streamed down her bruised face as she shook her head.
“Any idea where he is?”
The words had barely left my mouth when her eyes skirted over to the closet. I didn’t hesitate. I immediately stood and rushed across the room. As soon as I opened the door, I was greeted with a hard punch to the gut, followed by a quick blow to the jaw. My head jerked to the side, but I quickly recovered and charged toward my assailant.
I rammed my shoulder into his gut and barreled forward, trying with all my might to get the guy to the ground, but the asshole barely budged. He lifted his elbow and slammed it into my shoulder, forcing me to release my grip around his waist. Noting my struggle, Viper asked, “You need a hand over there, brother?”
“No, I’ve got this.”
Viper didn’t have to say anything. I knew he and the others were behind me, watching the scene as it unfolded, and if need be, I had no doubt that they’d step in. But that wasn’t going to be necessary.