✔Cupcakes to Kill For

31. A Dangerous Mission 🔪

Content Warning: Violence and mentions of sexual abuse

Deep in the belly of the Voiceless Rebels territory, Casey drove cautiously down the pothole-riddled streets. Emmett sat in the passenger seat with the window rolled down, smoking the rest of his cigarette. With each turn Emmett directed him down, Casey's stomach did somersaults. Could he really rely on Emmett?

Street lamps flickered on in the gathering dusk. Casey kept a close eye out for the vehicle used to kidnap his son, but he hadn't seen anything resembling it or the plates yet. Ramshackle houses came into view, beaten and battered over the weathered years. It broke Casey's heart to see how some people lived. They had no choice. As he kept driving, he wondered if his son and August were being held inside any of them.

The Black Vipers could be crafty with their locations. Casey knew all about that from Veronica. He wouldn't put it past them to be daring enough to hide them in their rival's territory.

"Right here," Emmett said, gesturing to a tumbledown auto shop that closed down years ago.

"You sure?" Casey frowned as he pulled into the gravel-paved driveway.

"Yeah, we'll need some ammo," Emmett replied, unfastening his safety belt.

"Ammo?" Casey frowned.

"You wanna get your son and boyfriend back, right?" Emmett asked. "Then we're gonna need as much manpower as we can. I'm gonna get my people updated on this. Come on, they won't bite ya."

Casey tensed up. "You're not expecting me to meet your gang? I've got ties to your rival."

"I know." Emmett smirked. "But you needed my help. Not theirs. You came to me. Not them."

Emmett trusted him enough to disclose their hideout's location? Something about the old autoshop sent chills down Casey's spine. Perhaps trusting the gang member had been a horrendous idea. What had he gotten himself into?

With a sharp inhale of air, Casey braced himself and steeled his nerves before propping his car door open. He followed Emmett around the back of the building, keeping close to the side of the bricks as Emmett retrieved a key from his overcoat pocket.

Somewhere around them, a dog barked and hollers from across the street yelled at them to shut their yipping bitch up. Chills bristled against Casey's nape as he gazed behind him. He almost expected to find people arguing right in the middle of the auto shop's yard.

"Just stick close to me," Emmett told him.

Curiosity urged Casey to step further inside, admiring the way they boarded their old shattered windows with wooden planks. It was clever. An aroma of chili embraced Casey as Emmett led them through the shop's old body, where a collection of classic cars lined the floors. Who did they belong to?

Once through the auto body shop, Emmett gestured for him to follow him into what appeared to be their recreational room. Several game machines lined the corners of the walls and off to the right, worn out loveseats gathered around a plasma television screen, blaring some raunchy film with topless women.

A paunchy man ogled the women on the screen as he nursed a can of Bud Lite. Before Casey could introduce himself, Emmett marched up behind the man and whacked him in the back of the head. He dropped his bag of chips and almost spilled his beer in his lap.

"What the fuck?" He turned, revealing a rather unkempt neckbeard with chip crumbs stuck in it and an atrocious tattoo across his forehead that read; Thug Life.

"Quit watching your nasty porn on our TV, Charlie," Emmett snapped.

Charlie's face heated up as he scowled. "I ain't. It's just a damn movie. No different from the gay shit you and Kaz be doing round here."