“Or go in quietly.” I state.
“Yeah,” he nods his head. Turning towards everyone, he starts again. “Eli, Tatum, and I will go to her house and check.”
“And me.” Ella calls out.
“No.” Z shakes his head.
“Zane.”
“Marcella.” Z snaps his head, looking at her. “Calm down and let me finish.”
Axe nudges her to be quiet.
“As soon as we get her out, you get her and Tatum to the clubhouse. You don’t let anyone fucking near them.”
Nodding my head. That little voice in my head telling me I already know it’s going to be harder than that.
“Get them down to the panic room and stay there until we’re done.”
I nod my head again, understanding.
“I’ll let the rest of you know as soon as we get her. You guys go in.” He turns his head, looking in my direction. “Ace, you know the layout.”
“Of course.”
“Look it up, get ahold of Mace and see if he knows anything. Zeke,” he glances at his brother. “You and Axe figure out who goes in where; let me know where to meet up with you guys. It’s a 5-minute drive from Tatum’s to the asylum. I’ll be right behind you guys.” Turning back to the women. “If there are girls being held there, men grabbing them won’t go over well. Stay behind everyone. Get the girls out.”
I stand in awe, watching him command the group.
“Just like Ash,” Ace nods.
* * *
As we walk back out of the garage, my phone rings again.
“Yeah.”
“Um…” I can hear the fear is Collins’s hesitation.
“You didn’t find her, did you?” I snap out, panicked for a moment. I can see Z walking over as I speak into the phone. Not sure if he heard the fear in Collins’s voice or my reaction.
“What?” Z snaps back.
“No.” Collins snaps out. “Am I on speaker?”
“Yeah,” I mumble.
“I need you to meet me somewhere.”
“What?”
“Pick a place. I just don’t want to tell you this over the phone.”
“The gym,” Z says. “15 minutes.”
“Uh — ma — okay,” Collins says before he hangs up the phone.
“Come on.”
