by Amy McKinley
“You have North?” she asked Keegan.
I was thankful because North was the man who had been there the night the people who raised me were killed, and even though I hated to see people get hurt, he deserved it.
A crooked grin transformed Keegan’s intense rage to a milder but more malicious one. “Yes. You can still tell?”
I repressed a shudder. The man was most likely difficult to recognize at that point. There was a puddle of blood around him, splatters across the floor, and more dripping at a steady pace to pool on the cement.
Hannah pursed her lips. “Make sure to find out what he knows about the girl.” She tossed him a roll of gauze from his tray of instruments. “Good work, but we can’t have him bleed out now, can we?”
Keegan’s dark laughter trailed behind her as she motioned for Jack and me to follow her into the makeshift office. Mike would keep an eye on our prisoners. Once inside the sectioned-off storage unit, Jack shut the door.
“Did you find Stella?” Please tell me you did.
Jack leaned against the desk Chris occupied. All attention was on Hannah, the air thick with expectancy.
“I think so. At least Mole if not Stella,” she replied. “There’s a run-down apartment complex a few steps from where most of Mole’s parking tickets came from. She could be in there. I went through the building but didn’t run into them. I can go back and break into each unit, but it will take some time. I wanted to see what we could pull from our prisoners before I did that.”
“Anyone learn anything yet?” Chris asked.
“Lando had a meeting with Malone two days ago. He doesn’t seem to know anything about Stella or Rex,” Jack supplied. “If I had to guess, I’d say he wasn’t the most trusted.”
It was my turn. “Anderson handles heavier drugs and gambling. A rougher crowd. He knows something about Rex. Maybe not where Stella is or even anything about her, but he might have some information we can use.”
“I’m wrapping Lando. He’ll be ready for transport. Just waiting on the others.” Jack put an end to South’s continued torture.
Chris shot Jack a wry look. “Wrap Keegan’s up too, before he’s dead.”
Keegan walked through, smirking, his eyes devoid of emotion. On closer inspection, a torturous sea churned beneath the flat facade.
“Most of the cuts are surface. He’ll be fine.” Keegan directed what he said next to Hannah. “How did you find out he might know where Stella was?”
“I grabbed a few of the henchmen you boys left behind the bar and found out which territory had the most recent dealings with Rex and Vince. Not surprisingly, it was the northern one.”
Jack’s grin grew. Hannah was a badass, and I was glad she was on our team.
Hannah hadn’t looked concerned when she’d relayed the info about the guys we’d left behind, and I couldn’t have cared less. They were men from the night when my parents died. I recognized Keegan’s guy from my nightmares. His associates were still out there, but Keegan took care of things in a way I didn’t think I could have. My rage would have taken over, and I would have sliced his throat. Interrogation wasn’t my forte.
“What are we waiting for?” I asked. Each moment that ticked by was another reminder of what Stella may be facing. I didn’t particularly care for her brother, as he was the one who’d brought this shit to her doorstep. She was innocent, and I wanted her returned unharmed.
“Hawk, wrap up our guys,” Jack commanded. “Hannah, do what you need to do and find out where Rex could’ve stashed Stella.”
Hannah stripped off her coat and rolled up her sleeves before she went into the large area that held the four men. I was close on her heels, and the sound of imaginary seconds and minutes ticked loudly in my ears. I helped Jack with Lando first.
Then, in one smooth motion, I hauled Lando to his feet, and he buckled under the pain radiating through his body. With the toe of my shoe, I stepped on the wood that held the group of exposed nails. He screamed as they withdrew from his heel.
Blood dripped from his foot. I shoved him into the metal chair, where he sagged, his entire body trembling from fatigue and pain. I grabbed the gauze then wrapped his foot and secured the end with tape. I didn’t give a shit about his shoes and socks. With practiced ease, I re-secured his legs and hands with plastic ties. He would remain there until transportation came to take them away.
Jack wouldn’t let anyone into our world. We would usher the four out, and Rich’s men would take it from there.
Gurgling filled the eerie silence as Hannah gripped Henry’s jaw and poured a steady stream of water into his mouth. Mike held the rope attached to the guy’s hands taut. His legs stretched from the secured hook on the wall.
She leaned back on her heels while Henry sputtered and coughed up water. Nothing changed in her expression or the tone of her voice. Over and over she repeated the same questions and process. When he failed to give her the answers, he received another round of water torture.
Five minutes passed, then ten, before he begged for her to wait, saying that he knew of a few places Vince frequented. She didn’t give him a chance to respond. Water filled West’s mouth until it went down his throat and spilled over his face. Small geysers of water pumped from his mouth as he fought.
When she stopped, Henry threw up force-fed water. “Think isn’t good enough. I’m aware you know what I’m asking,” she said. “Next time, you may not pull air into your lungs. Where is the girl?”
Henry’s speech was rushed, garbled, and filled with panic. I couldn’t hear everything he said except for the words “north side.” Hannah raised the water, and his hoarse voice rose.
“I know nothing about a girl! My sources told me Rex was planning to take power. They had a bargaining chip, but it wasn’t a girl.”
He was talking about Max. Fucking hell.
Hang in there, Red.
Chapter 29
Hawk
I blinked in the harsh light of our storage-unit-turned-interrogation-and-office space. My eyelids were strips of sandpaper, rubbing my eyes raw. In the early morning hours, I slumped against the doorframe and readied myself for what would come next. We were all crowded in a circle, waiting to see what information had been extracted from our four captives after the first meeting.
Please, let us have found out where Red is.
Chris stood and stretched, abandoning his position by the computer. He’d been instrumental during the mission with his hacking skills, but from the restlessness in how he moved, we could tell he wanted in on the action.
“You all know Landon Johnson was worthless. There wasn’t any information gained from him,” Jack reported.
I cleared my throat. “Anderson, or East, had only heard of another expansion to Tridel, which included some heavy hitters in drug trafficking. Nothing new there.”
Hannah was the spokesperson for her and Mike’s tag team for West, aka Henry Garcia. “West was also aware of the change in business, with narcotics added. He didn’t know the names of the people orchestrating the merger, only that Stan’s area would integrate the head of the new arm.” Porch Guy. “The two men would be demoted to muscle once the union was complete. My guess is that Rex and Mole didn’t know that little tidbit.”
Keegan snorted. “Not really, but they’d taken precautions. Porch Guy had a lot to say.” He finished wiping his hands. Keegan was in on my nickname for Stan.
“I bet he did, from the looks of him.” Keegan had worked him over within an inch of his life. We would have to wait and see if he survived.
“It was mostly superficial, shithead.” Keegan tossed a pen at me.
I ducked, just missing the pen striking my forehead. “Don’t keep us in suspense here.”
“I’m almost done. I’ll tell you what I’ve learned, then I’m back at it to make sure he talks.” Keegan notched his chin in my direction. “He had a few things to say about you once they realized who was helping Stella. They knew you had survived the night they torched yo
ur place. That’s when their plans turned urgent to take you out ASAP. News of that little slipup wasn’t to reach Malone.”
“It was his guys shooting at me, then, trying to sweep me under the rug.”
“Yep,” Keegan confirmed. “North was working directly with Rex and Mole, even behind Malone’s back. His directives were that Rex and Mole’s connections were to be obtained and incorporated, then the two would be demoted to muscle under North, as Hannah said earlier.”
“So we haven’t learned anything new?” Mike asked.
Keegan grinned. “Oh, we’ve learned a lot. North was a little too ambitious for his own good. He didn’t like Rex much and was playing him. When they found out from Max about the treasure, unfortunately, Mole was present and told Rex later that he’d formed a new plan. They would work together to get whatever Stella had and keep it for themselves. Max would be delivered to Malone as promised after the issue with Stella was completed.” He glanced at me. “You’re not going to like this part, man, but hold out until you hear everything.”
My jaw ached from how hard I clenched my teeth. “Just spit it out already.”
“After they recovered the loot, Stella was supposed to go to Porch Guy. And before you ask, no, I didn’t push to find out exactly why. That wasn’t the objective.”
“Does he have her stashed somewhere? Is she hurt?” I was going goddamn crazy waiting for him to finish.
“He doesn’t have her, but I’m sure he knows where she is.”
I exploded off the doorframe, every muscle strung tightly. “Where the fuck is she?”
Keegan shook his head, his mouth set in a grim line. “Give me a minute—I’ll finish up. He’s had enough time to think. I’ll extract the information from him.”
Dammit! I paced while the other guys tried to calm me down. It was pointless. They would have been in the same state if it had been Hannah or Mari in danger. The minutes ticked by. It didn’t take long until Keegan slammed back into the smaller room.
“You’re not going to believe this. You know that little place we used to play pool and eat?”
“Joe’s Eatery?” Chris asked.
“Yeah, that’s the one,” Keegan confirmed. “Stella is being held in the basement.”
Jack came into the room and gave us the hand signal to wrap up the cargo. Four men were tied with bags still over their heads to obscure their view and shuffled to the door. Someone called Rich, and their transport was waiting outside.
We’d delivered the men Rich had hired us to detain. In doing so, he had also agreed to help us in any way we needed when it came to the final showdown with Rex. Rich would coordinate apprehending Malone, Tridel’s boss, with our pending meeting with Rex, stripping him and Mole of additional power. Maybe we would even find Max.
Someone pounded on the door to the storage unit. It was time—we were finished with the men. Through an exit to the side of one of the garage doors, we passed the four territory heads into secure hands.
We had to get back to work. We needed to rescue Stella.
We used the drones to get a wide-eyed view of the buildings and surrounding area, checking to see who was guarding Joe’s Eatery. Rex planned the spot well, and I was shocked. He’d stashed her beneath our noses. I bet he pictured us eating there and never knowing she was below.
It had been one of our old haunts when we had extra cash, which wasn’t often back in the day, but we managed a time or two. Watters had cleaned up the area in terms of drug gangs, but it still wasn’t a great place to live—it was run-down and depressing.
Rex and Mole hadn’t stationed anyone on watch, probably to deter any unnecessary suspicion or alert us that the restaurant could have been a possibility. We wouldn’t have checked there otherwise.
Time passed faster than I would have liked. We had to get her back alive.
The morning was overcast, which helped us blend in. Jack spoke in my earpiece to move in on our target. I pushed off the brick building across the street from Joe’s Eatery I was leaning against. There was no movement. The restaurant was closed for two more hours. We didn’t think many people were inside getting ready for the eleven o’clock lunch. If there were, it would only be a few people—the place was small. On the side of the building was a single half window. That was our point of entrance.
With no scouts posted to watch for us, I had a good feeling. We would be able to get in and out with zero to little chance of ambush. Even so, I pulled the device Chris had handed me to sweep around the window for any electronic devices. If there were wires attached, potentially to a bomb, the handheld would detect them.
No beeps or lights went off, and I turned the knob to shut down Chris’s equipment before shoving it back in my pocket. With the glass cutter, I scored a circle and popped the suctioned piece out, slipped my hand in, and flipped the lock. It would be a tight fit to get in. I took the entire frame off to widen the space. My training was the only thing helping me to stay sane. I focused on my breathing and staying aware of our surroundings. We have to find Red in there.
Hannah covered me from the rooftop. Keegan was close by, as were the rest of the guys. Mike had stationed himself by the rear entrance. We were ready. In and out. That was the plan.
With a penlight, I searched the basement area directly in front of me. Boxes, broken chairs and tables, and several bags of flour crowded the floor. I whipped the light back to the bags. Are those toes peeking past the sack?
Fuck. They are. Not only that, but I recognized the copper toenail polish. Red. She was there.
Please be alive.
I kicked the frame away. I shoved my fingers into the crevices between the brick over the window and hung on while I dropped myself down through the opening. I landed on my feet with a soft thud. Even though I wanted to rush right to where she lay, I swept the area for any guards or trip wires.
What the hell? There were none. It was too easy. My gut tightened painfully. Either Rex and Mole didn’t have the men to spare, or she was dead.
Stella
No! Something crashed on the other side of the room. They were coming back for me. I knew it. My heart beat faster and faster. My stomach churned and cramped as my ears strained to hear where he was. It had to be the guy who’d scared the hell out of me. His pupils had been dilated, and I couldn’t predict what he would do. He said he would be back for me. The thud caused my body to shake uncontrollably.
What is going to happen to me this time? The guy who’d grabbed me before I entered my brother’s hospital room was called Vince. I think? Or was it Blaze? My mind spun at a dizzying speed. He’d hurt me, but he didn’t petrify me, as the other man had.
I sucked air through my nose way too quickly, but I couldn’t stop the panic. Dark spots swam in front of my vision. A shadow fell over me, and my body started to convulse. I hadn’t even heard him approach. He loomed over me. It took a second for what I saw to register. Oh God. Tears pooled then rolled over my lower lashes. Hawk. I’d never been so happy to see someone in my life.
“Red.” Emotion infused his voice.
The rush of relief caused my body to go limp, as much as it was able. My hands and feet were bound, with the disgusting bandana stuffed into my mouth and another tied around to hold it in place. He would fix everything. With him there, I could relax.
“I’ll get you free in a sec.” Hawk pulled a knife and cut my feet and hands loose from the plastic zip ties. He helped me stand, but I fell back against the concrete. My extremities didn’t have a lot of feeling, and I couldn’t break my fall.
I just wanted him to hold me. His arm slipped around me and gave me the support I needed.
“I’m so sorry, Red.” He cut the bandana away and helped remove the other one out of my mouth. “Are you hurt?”
I shook my head. I couldn’t speak past the lump in my throat. I wasn’t even sure I had a voice. They hadn’t fed me. There was no water. I didn’t think I’d been there too long, but I was weak and so incredibly thirsty. My body convu
lsed again, and I sobbed as his arms went around me. He cradled me against his chest. I let it all go and gave into the avalanche of emotions I’d barely kept in check.
He brushed his lips over my forehead and murmured over and over again that everything would be okay. I was safe, and he would never let anyone hurt me again. I believed him.
Those men who’d abducted me would pay. Fire kindled in my gut at the thought of what Hawk would do to them. I wanted to help. I wanted them to suffer slowly for the fear they’d caused me. And if they were the ones who’d also hurt my brother, I would make them scream.
I gasped, gaining control as Hawk lifted me high and passed me through the window to Keegan. I wasn’t even scared, even though Keegan was the only one I was wary around. He handled me like I would break, and as soon as Hawk was out and standing next to us, he handed me back.
Keegan leaned down. We were eye level. “Don’t you worry for a second, Stella. We’ll take care of them so they never come near you again.”
I gave him a closed-lipped smile. It was all I was capable of. But I was grateful, and I felt protected. I tried to convey that through my eyes. I think he understood because he winked before moving out of the way. We were leaving. Hawk sprinted with me in his arms, and I closed my eyes, hoping we would get to wherever we were going soon.
Hawk climbed into the back of the Range Rover without letting go of me. The rest of the guys piled in after him. It was a tight fit, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way. Being surrounded by those guys guaranteed I would be safe.
“I’m sorry.” I croaked. My throat was parched, and the dull throb in my head told me I was dehydrated. I tried to hold it in but couldn’t, and sobs wracked my body. “I should have listened. I just thought—”