Rogue (Riders of Apollo #6)

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Leo Chance

I sprint to my car.

I push through branches, jump over logs and almost fall over a root but I manage to get to the car in one piece. My neck is still bleeding and is leaking down into my white shirt. I would normally care about how much of a bitch that's gonna be to get out but the love of my life just got taken by a psychopathic torturer who she only just managed to escape.

Bear is gonna kill me and I'd deserve it but I want to see her home first. I break every speed limit to get back to the club, narrowly avoiding three accidents on the way, and I throw the car into some random space before flying into the building.

Everyone is having a good time, laughing, drinking and chatting about their days. Saviour spots me first, gasping at the blood on me and the scrapes and bruises collected from the branches.

"Leo!" She's over to me and pressing on my neck within seconds.

"Nova, he took Nova." I pant, gripping Saviour's wrist to anchor myself as my emotions go haywire.

I want to break everything but I also want to breakdown and cry. It's like my entire body is on edge and ready to just dissolve at any given moment and it can't be now. Not now.

"Who did, Rogue? Who took my daughter?" Bear's voice is furious, the same hurt growl appearing as he begins to panic about his only child.

We all know everything they went through to have a baby and now they have one and she's gone.

"Mr Red did, she was terrified. Some guy was gonna kill me if she didn't go with him. They got into a SUV. I only remember FI6 from the plate, I think it was a Chevrolet but I can't be sure." Romeo is already tapping away at his computer, avidly searching the area around us for the car Nova was forced into.

"I can't find him passed Seventh and Ford. It's like he just fell off the grid under the bridge."

"Fuck!" Bear shouts and punches a wall, leaving a fist size hole in the drywall. Lexie is ready to cry, her body shaking and her skin pale. I should've done more, fought back and died trying to save her if I had to. "Riley, call Johnson."

"I already did, he's on speaker."

"Hey Bear, Romeo's right. He disappears under that bridge, I'd say he swapped cars but the windows were tinted so I couldn't run any facial rec software on it. I have cameras on the look out for Nova in the tristate area, if her face appears on any of them, you'll know. As of right now, I'm putting together a list of potential Mr Reds but I don't actually know what he looks like."

"Saviour, did you ever meet him?" Lexie begs, grabbing her hands in desperation.

"All I remember about him was dark hair and a scarred face, Nova told me once that she hit him in the face with a glass bottle. He had a tattoo of a star on his right hand and he wasn't Russian, more likely European but I could never place him. I met him when I was young, I wish I could help more."

"Actually no that narrows it down quite a bit, did she ever give anyone a ball park for age?"

"He looks fifty or something, his hair was greying and he had gold teeth. He got fat too. Nova said something about him drinking and smoking so I figure he'll have to stop somewhere for that." I feel a little helpful giving that information, hoping that Johnson will be able to help us from his end.

"Okay, I've got some pre-lim guys. I'll put them up on your screen." Within seconds, eight pictures appear on the screen and I search them desperately, Saviour does as well.

"The one in the middle on the bottom row." Saviour says and I agree.

"His name is Vladimir Georgio, he's from Slovakia. Orphan. Priors for aggravated assault, rape and a few accusations of kidnapping but no one could ever prove it. He owns property in Russia, two bunkers built during the cold war, both of which are big enough to sustain the business he was running with the children."

"What name did he fly in under?" Bear is gripping the back of the couch with white knuckles while Lexie paces behind him.

"Lawrence Smith. His men are hired mercenaries from Ukraine, they all flew in under false names as well. There is no property in the area bought by this alias so I couldn't tell you what he might own. I've got his face out to all the cameras as well, I would alert the feds and the cops but I figure you'd rather handle this yourselves."

"You're not wrong. Keep running this at your end, Johnson, call me if you find anything."

"Course, Riles. Keep me in the loop." He hangs up and Bear collapses against the wall, rubbing his face in agitation.

It only gets worse from there when a notification comes through on Romeo's computer, a message from Nova's phone.

"Hello Riders!" I stand up straight to glare at the asshole on the screen. He looks so happy and excited as he dances around Nova, who is tied to a wooden chair, a gag in her mouth and everything. "So, I wanted to thank you for taking such good care of my sweetheart, I couldn't bear to see her harmed after all. But I am her everything so it's only fair that I bring her back with me."

I can see Nova rolling her eyes in the background, obviously fed up with his shit already. He spins around and smacks her across the face, she doesn't even flinch.

"She obviously is going to take a little bit to break in, loyalty and all that." He takes the gag out of her mouth and kisses her, I feel my entire body burn at that.

She is mine.

"Get your filthy hands off of me." She hisses, headbutting him hard enough to give him a nosebleed.

That's my girl.

"Aww, you won't think that for much longer, baby. I am all you have. Your father, your mother, your lover."

"You are a waste of space."

"You'll stop fighting me soon. What have they ever done for you, huh? I saved you! I gave you a home, gave you a family and taught you to protect yourself."

"You stole me! You tortured, beat and raped me. You hurt my babies while they couldn't even protect themselves. My parents - my family - love me, care for me and will find me. So, no, I will never stop fighting you, you are nothing but a bad dream." He punches her hard then, leaving her to spit her blood out on the concrete. "Beat me all you want, Red, I will never be yours again."

"Oh, I will break you, Nova. You are my daughter, my blood and you will stay with me."

"You're sick in the head. I don't care whose blood is in my veins. Bear is my father and always will be, no matter what you do to me, that will always be the truth."

He screams in anger and lashes out in kind. I find myself on the edge of tears as he hammers down on her, over and over again.

She makes no noise, no movement, just takes it with a stone face.

I feel like I'm going to pass out.