Ride Forever

by Amity Cross

  The more I thought about it, the more it made sense. We had no other leads, no way in, no allies, and next to no hope of pulling this off and getting out alive. I wasn’t meant to lead Fortitude because I was supposed to do what Chaser couldn’t all those years ago. I was meant to bring the Hollow Men to their knees.

  How? I wasn’t a CIA agent. I was just a woman in a whole heap of trouble.

  “Chaser…” I swallowed hard. “I can’t.”

  “Don’t lose your nerve now,” he murmured. “After all we’ve been through, I know you can do this.”

  “You want me to sell you out to infiltrate the Hollow Men?”

  “I see we think alike.”

  I felt my hands start to tremble, and I looked away. “I can’t… I promised you forever, Chaser. This isn’t forever.”

  “I don’t intend to die, Sloane.”

  “That’s good.”

  “We both know the stakes,” he said. “If we want forever, free and clear, we have to end this as soon as possible.”

  “Now or never?”

  “The deeper we get, the tougher it is to get out.”

  “You don’t have to tell me that. My whole life has been devoted to getting out.”

  “Sloane…” He took a deep breath and cupped my face in his big hands. “I don’t want you to get any deeper into this.”

  “Then why send me in at all?”

  “You’ll go in, ask for the deal, arrange the handover, and that’s when it’ll go down. King will be there in person to see the look on my face.”

  “It sounds like you’ve put a lot of thought into this. When did you get the time?” I rolled my eyes.

  Chaser’s expression darkened. “Do you want forever, Sloane? Or for now?”

  “Forever,” I snapped. “Always forever.”

  “Then this is the plan.”

  “I failed at Fortitude,” I murmured. “What if I fail at this?”

  “The time for what-if passed a long time ago. Either you believe or we go into hiding.”

  Anger pulsed through me, and I curled my lip in distaste. “Some ultimatum.”

  Chaser didn’t reply.

  After a moment, I knew my fear was talking. Yeah, I’d screwed up at Fortitude, but being a biker queen wasn’t my calling. This was. It had to be. One last gig before the happily ever after.

  “Wanna fuck before we go?”

  Chaser narrowed his eyes.

  “Just don’t mess up my hair, okay?”

  The Halcyon towered above me, glittering like a steaming turd rolled in glitz and glamour.

  This was it. This was my big moment.

  Walking through the crowd, I entered the casino, glancing up at the security cameras as I passed beneath them. I didn’t like going into the lion’s den unarmed, but there wasn’t exactly anywhere I could conceal a revolver in this dress.

  Behind me, I knew Chaser was tailing me, hidden in the stream of revelers out for a good night. He would follow me across the casino floor as far as he could go without being spotted. Knowing he was there gave me the courage to keep moving.

  This is for your forever, Sloane. Don’t forget it. Love like this…it’s worth fighting for. Freedom, love, forever…

  I walked across the gaming floor, passing blackjack tables and spinning roulette wheels, reciting my mantra over and over in my mind. Freedom, love, forever…

  Glamorous women were draped over the arms of various men, their dresses much more stripper-like than mine. Every so often, I spotted a plant—men with concealed guns and walkie-talkies and even the odd woman encouraging gamblers to put down more money—and gave them a wide birth. I wasn’t going to approach any old thug. I was going for the man at the top. That meant getting to the elevator and pressing the button for the penthouse.

  Passing a row of slot machines, I saw a man speaking into a walkie-talkie, his gaze following me. I’d been made. Increasing my stride, I spotted the entrance to the hotel. Man, they made it hard not to gamble in this place. Everywhere I turned, there were bright lights and flashing jackpot signs, all designed to keep impressionable people spending.

  “Stay right where you are.”

  I froze, almost toppling forward when my heel caught on the carpet. Turning, my eyes widened as I saw a man aiming a gun at me. Movement to my left caught my attention, and I glanced at another man who’d pulled another gun. The same happened on my right, and behind until six drawn weapons surrounded me…one woman in a slinky dress.

  Confusion clouded my mind as I spun, glancing from one gun to the next, the neon lights dazzling. Who were they? Hollow Men or renegades? On a level of screwed to fucked, where was I?

  I looked for an escape route and stumbled toward an opening. They couldn’t fire in here, so the guns were just a bluff. I kicked off my heels, intending to bolt.

  “FBI!” someone shouted. “Hands in the air!”

  I whirled around, panic threatening to overcome me. Chaser… Where was Chaser?

  “Betty Marini, you are now under arrest on suspicion of first-degree murder.”

  “What?” My blood ran cold as I focused on the man in front of me.

  “You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defense if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence.”

  I blinked at him in shock as my arms were wrenched behind me. Someone patted me down as a pair of handcuffs were slapped around my wrists, the metal biting painfully into my skin.

  I thought Gasket had left some guys behind to deal with all that. Unless…oh, no. Unless they were crooked and set me up. Assholes! And now there was nothing I could do to warn them.

  The casino swarmed around us, the noise a dull roar to my shocked ears. I felt like I was going to hurl as I was dragged across the gaming floor, thousands of eyes watching my barefoot stripper dressed humiliation. It was over. I was going to rot in prison for life because I was guilty. I’d killed my father. There was no way out. I was powerless and adrift.

  Chaser… At least he was free. I hadn’t even gotten upstairs, let alone sold him out. Shit, I shouldn’t have let him talk me into coming here. I knew why he’d sprung it on me. I would’ve fought him on it. Using himself as bait? It was a terrible idea.

  Warm air kissed my skin as I was lead out into the humid desert night. FBI agents carved a path through the chaos of Las Vegas, and before I understood where we were going, I was forced into the back of a black van. Two armed agents joined me—one sitting beside me, and one opposite.

  The door slammed, causing me to jump, and the guy across from me smirked.

  I narrowed my eyes and glanced at the agent next to me, noting where he kept his sidearm. If I could ram the heel of my bare foot into smug face there—preferably in the balls—then I could headbutt the guy on my right, use the momentum to push myself forward and—

  “Don’t even think about it,” the agent said, his gaze dropping to my tits. “We don’t want to do something you’ll regret later.”

  I sank back against the side of the van, and my shoulders slumped. It was over. It was truly over.

  Hello, maximum security.

  Chapter 11

  Chaser

  My heart stopped beating.

  I saw the FBI agents surround Sloane with their guns drawn and knew there was nothing I could do. Her blind panic, her desperate search for escape… I stood there and didn’t even lift a finger. I couldn’t.

  I stood behind a bank of slot machines as people on the casino floor slowed to watch what was going on with morbid interest.

  I watched the agents put handcuffs around her wrists and drag her away, helpless to stop it while my heart tore apart.

  How the fuck did they get our scent?

  Gasket had left two guys behind to clear up the bodies, so the feds shouldn’t have been able to find any evidence at the cabin. Unless… Fortitude had a mole.

  My heart twisted, and a wave of nausea caused my skin to he
at. Sloane…

  I’d asked too much of her. She’d doubted, and I’d pushed her to come here.

  I kept my head down and left the Halcyon, knowing I’d have to get a message to Gasket and find a way to get Sloane out of custody. One of those was easier than the other.

  I was such a goddamned idiot.

  The last time I’d felt horror like this was when I’d learned Madison had been taken.

  Seeing her murdered in front of my eyes was a different kind of terror, but I knew I would feel it if the same thing happened to Sloane. If she were taken from me, the anguish would be so raw I didn’t think I’d be able to survive it a second time. The only reason I was here was that I’d shut everything off and focused on the one thing I could. Repaying my debt to Anthony Marini.

  I’d vowed to myself that things with Sloane would be different. I wouldn’t do things the same way. She wasn’t in the hands of the Hollow Men but knowing their reach, it would only be a matter of time before someone pulled some strings and everything we’d worked for would go up in smoke.

  I shook my head and tightened my grip on the steering wheel. The Las Vegas Strip glowed in the mirror, and in the trunk were all our belongings. The moment I’d left the Halcyon, I’d cleaned out our hotel room across the street and made my way into the suburbs.

  If I broke Sloane out, she would be a fugitive and slapped on the FBI’s most wanted list. If I did nothing, she would likely go to trial and be found guilty. Both were life sentences. The honest thing to do would be to plead her case as self-defense. She’d never told me exactly what had happened out in the desert that night at the cabin, but knowing Sloane, it was something she’d had to do. Cold blood wasn’t her.

  Those scenarios would mean nothing if the Hollow Men had their fingers in the FBI’s pie. They knew we’d come for King, so they’d been watching.

  I’d thought I was better than them. I thought I was going to be the fucking hero, but I turned out to be a tadpole in a tank full of sharks.

  I stopped the car in front of a nice hose on a nice street. All I knew was this had to stop. The Hollow Men were a cancer that had destroyed more lives than just Sloane’s and mine. I had to finish what I’d started all those years ago, and I couldn’t do it without resources…or Sloane. She’d gone into all this for me. She had her own revenge, but mostly, it was mine she was fighting for.

  That night we’d first driven toward Los Angeles, I should’ve made her turn around.

  Staring up at the dark house, I narrowed my eyes. To think, my old life might have led me to a cookie-cutter three-bedroom, two baths, double garage slice of a suburban nightmare. Maybe I would’ve loved it…once.

  Josh Holden was an FBI agent. Yeah, turning up at the house of a fed wasn’t exactly the smartest move, but I knew the guy. We’d trained together, served together, and he’d been my partner for five years before everything fell apart. I knew him, but I also understood that a lot could’ve changed. I was relying on a bond we’d shared in another life.

  Glancing at the clock on my burner phone, I saw it was barely midnight. He’d always been a night owl, staying up late when he wasn’t on shift. I hoped it was still the case.

  A few doors down, the sound of wheels rolling across concrete drew my gaze. I watched as a man appeared, rolling a green garbage bin down a driveway. He was tall, heavyset, and balding. He’d had a lot more hair the last time I’d seen him, but even with the new hairstyle, I would recognize Holden anywhere. Thanks for making this easy for me, I thought.

  Sliding out of the car, I melted into the shadows and approached the front lawn. Holden wrested with the trash, setting it on the curb, making enough noise to wake the dead.

  I edged into the light, knowing it wasn’t the best idea to sneak up on an FBI agent. I coughed softly, drawing his attention away from the garbage.

  Immediately, he pulled his sidearm, aiming directly at my chest. Packing heat on trash night? I quirked an eyebrow.

  “Don’t shoot,” I said, holding up my hands. “I’m unarmed.”

  Holden squinted, lowering his gun slightly. “Mason? Is that you?”

  “Holden. Long time.”

  “Long time? It’s been like eight years.”

  I looked him over and decided he’d gotten a little fat. Someone had been on the doughnuts.

  “We need to talk,” I said.

  “Really? Do I need to shoot you? I’d rather not deal with the paperwork. You’ve been out a long time, so you don’t know how much red tape there are these days.”

  “I’m back in the game, Holden,” I said. “I’m finishing what I started.”

  He straightened up and sighed. After a moment of silent deliberation, he lowered his gun. “Don’t make me fucking regret this. I’ve got a wife and a kid asleep in that house, Mason. I will blow your brains out if you try anything, got it?”

  “You’ve got a kid?”

  “Don’t sound surprised. Life goes on.”

  I nodded toward my car, and we got inside, making sure the interior lights were off.

  “So, what’s this about?” Holden asked. “You’ve got five minutes to explain yourself, or I’m calling it in.”

  “It’s nice to know that after all these years, I’m still on the FBI’s watch list.”

  “Only because you disappeared. I can only imagine the shit you’ve done since you went dark.”

  I held my tongue. The way I saw it, the FBI went dark on me. They didn’t care about justice for Madison when they’d left me high and dry. Though it boosted my ego to know all the shit I’d done in the name of Fortitude had gone under the radar. If it hadn’t, Holden would’ve arrested me on the spot. I’d never known a more patriotic guy than him.

  “Someone I care about was arrested. I suspect it was with the influence of the Hollow Men.”

  “The Hollow Men?” he scoffed. “You think they’ve infiltrated the Bureau? No, I don’t believe it.”

  “The things I’ve seen since…” I shook my head. “Their influence has spread like fucking cancer. Give them enough time, and they’ll burrow right into the White House.”

  “After all the work we did trying to bring them to justice, I don’t see how they could’ve…”

  “Open your fucking eyes. They’re everywhere. We’re trying to stop them, not just for our sakes but for everyone’s.”

  “What’s this about Mason? Getting someone out of holding?”

  I nodded. “Suspected of murder.”

  “No fucking way.” Holden shook his head. “You want me to help you break out a murder suspect from a field office, for what? Because they’re important to you? It doesn’t work that way, Mason. What you’re asking me to do amounts to treason. Fuck, just meeting with you could get me arrested. I should be taking you in.”

  “But you won’t.”

  “I don’t even know who you are anymore.”

  I curled my lip and looked away. He was right. I was a fool for coming here. They’d screwed me over once, after all. I didn’t know why I was expecting anything different.

  “I can’t help you, Mason,” he went on. “It would be unsanctioned. I could lose my head over this. I can’t help you. I’m just a desk jockey pushing papers. Any clout I had at the Bureau is long gone.”

  “What happened?”

  “I got shot on a case a few years ago. Blew out my kneecap. I’m one step away from cashing on disability.”

  “Luckily, I don’t need a fucking action hero,” I drawled. “I need information.”

  Holden scoffed and ran his hand through his nonexistent hair.

  From all the excuses he was feeding me, I knew he didn’t have the balls, but what did that make me? I was a desperate man, who had no other recourse than to beg. Holden had resources, and I had nothing…and a man with nothing to lose was the most dangerous son of a bitch out there.

  “This person is important. I need them. Either way, I will be taking out King,” I said, glaring at him. “The Hollow Men will pay with or without your
help. I won’t let them destroy anyone else. He murdered my wife in front of my eyes. I won’t let him do it a second time.”

  “Shit, Mason.”

  Holden stared at me like I was insane. Maybe I was. Was this what love did to people? Sent them wild with despair?

  All I knew was if I couldn’t get Sloane out of this...if I lost her…

  Holden sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose “I can find out where your contact is being held, but that’s it.”

  “Fine,” I declared, a minuscule dot of hope sparking inside me. “It’s enough…for now.”

  Chapter 12

  Sloane

  They’d handcuffed me to a bar set into the metal table—the chair and the table were bolted to the floor—and left me in silence for what felt like hours. A mirror was on the opposite wall, reflecting my pathetic appearance. It was definitely two-way, and I wasn’t naive enough to think I was totally alone. Someone was watching on the other side of that thing.

  I shivered, my wrists aching from where the handcuffs were chafing against my skin. My shoes were lost someplace back at the Halcyon, so my bare feet were numb. Fuck, it was cold in here. After the heat of the Nevada desert, it was like I’d been transported to Siberia…or a refrigerator. This is all part of their game, Sloane, I thought to myself. They’re trying to make you crack.

  I didn’t know how much time had passed when the door finally opened. I guessed that was the point. Leave me alone with my thoughts so I could stew over what I’d done. Be more pliable to confess. Etcetera, etcetera.

  I studied the man as he walked in. He was tall, had dark features—maybe Italian descent—bushy eyebrows, chocolate eyes, and was heavyset. A complete tough guy. It was the same agent who’d done the honors back to the Halcyon, minus the gun pointing at my face.

  “Betty Marini,” the man said. “I’m Agent Sloss.”

  I hated him already. Don’t fucking call me Betty.

  Sloss slid into the chair across the table and leaned back, regarding me with a closed expression. His eyes gave nothing away, but he made it crystal clear he was the one with the power, and I had nothing.