by Brook Wilder
Our eyes met briefly. There was no need for her to say who had taken Cassie. I knew she meant Ruiz.
I nodded.
“Get to the side door. The boys are all over the warehouse floor, so just book it.”
Liz scooted from the room.
I went out into the corridor and looked around. I saw a sign for the stairwell and checked the ammo in my gun.
“You want to play, Ruiz? Then let’s play,” I growled as I shoved the stairwell door open.
Chapter 25
Cassie
“Let me go, Ruiz,” I coaxed the man. “The Ghost Riders will be up here any moment. Where do you think you can go?”
I stared at him, baffled. Up there on the roof, he really didn’t seem that concerned about the gunfire and commotion under our feet.
He looked out over the desert and smiled. I would have rushed him had it not been for the gun he held on me.
He sighed regretfully.
“We could have been good friends, you and I.”
“I doubt that. I’m not a murdering psycho,” I told him with a shrug.
It was odd how calm I felt. I guess I’d just accepted that I wasn’t getting off the roof alive. And there was no way I was going to let that asshole get to me and see me cry. Fuck him!
“You’ve got such spunk,” Ruiz chuckled. “I love that in women. It’s so much fun to beat it out of them.”
Gunfire rang out again and I eased over to look off the edge of the building. We were up a couple of storeys and the height made me dizzy. I couldn’t see what was going on. If Ruiz was paying any heed to what was going on below, he didn’t let on.
I cleared my throat and eyed the man.
“I used to think you were just jaded because of your line of work, kind of like Mason.”
As I spoke, I walked to the side and eased my way around the roof. Ruiz’s eyes followed me and so did his gun. There really was nowhere for me to hide up on the roof. Some vents and turbines poked out here and there. But, other than the access door, the roof didn’t offer anything that could have provided any protection. I guess the builders had never foreseen this kind of situation.
“Yeah,” I continued. “I used to think that. But after getting to know you better, I think you’re just insane. I predict lots of white coats and therapy in your future. And jail, of course.”
Ruiz chuckled. He nodded his agreement.
“That would probably be the case if the cops were to catch up with me. But let’s be truthful. That isn’t going to happen.”
“Pretty cocky for a guy who’s trapped himself on the roof.”
I walked over to the side of the building and looked off of it. I could see motorcycles, men, and a knot of women on the highway that was growing larger all the time. They had made it out. I smiled.
Footsteps sounded behind me. I tensed, but Ruiz had only stepped up to see what I was looking at. He kept a few feet between us, well out of grabbing distance. I wondered if that was because of what had happened earlier? His cock must still have been smarting.
Ruiz laughed at the sight below.
“You probably think all this is for you and those women. But let me tell you how the world works, Cassie. See, the Ghost Riders merely want to corner the market. Without me, there’s no competition. They’ll have free rein to take as many women as they please.”
I stared at the man in disbelief.
“And you’re the good guy? Is that where this is going?”
He snorted.
“My, no. I despise women. So do all the men in this line of work. You’re just playthings. Money wrapped in prettily painted skin.”
I shook my head and looked away from the man in disgust.
“Someone must have hurt you very badly.”
“Everyone has a sad story. You want to hear mine?”
I looked around at him and Ruiz smiled.
“Or we could talk about yours?”
I took a deep breath.
“You can talk about whatever you want, but why don’t you just cut to the chase. You’re going to kill me. So why are we standing around, chatting, up here?”
“There’s that spunk,” Ruiz said.
He shook his gun at me as if it were a chastening finger.
“My dear Cassie, I’ve no intention of killing you. Not today, anyway.”
Turning to face him, I looked him in the eye.
“I’d rather jump off this building than stay with you.”
He shrugged.
“I’m aware of that,” Ruiz said.
A change came over his face and he raised the gun to me again. His voice was low and calm when he spoke.
“Get on the ledge,” he ordered.
I looked at the narrow ledge that lined the building’s roof.
“I…”
The height was dizzying. I’d never been especially fond of heights, and having a maniac pointing a gun at me didn’t help any.
I shook my head.
“Do it!”
He aimed the gun at my head.
I raised my hands defensively.
“Okay,” I whispered.
I shook with fear as I climbed up carefully onto the ledge. A breeze I hadn’t noticed before tugged at my clothing as I stood on the ledge. I wobbled and held my arms out to steady myself.
Ruiz started laughing. He laughed so hard that I hoped he might actually drop the gun and give me a chance to get away. But he got his laughter under control and straightened up. He smiled at me as he wiped his eyes to clear the tears his laughter had brought.
“You missed your calling. You should have been one of those tight-rope walkers in the circus.”
“Yeah, I’m not real fond of heights,” I admitted as I tried to keep from looking at the ground.
He put his foot up on the ledge in front of me and rested his gun hand on it.
“Well, this must be most disconcerting for you, then.”
He rubbed his chin with his free hand as he reflected on something.
“Most therapists say you need to face your fears head-on. I think I can help you overcome yours.”
“Nah, I’m good,” I assured him, as my arms wobbled back and forth to keep my balance in the wind.
Ruiz tutted his disapproval.
“Cassie, you have to meet your fear on the battlefield. Now walk forward, my little tight-rope walker.”
I looked at the man, trying to gauge just how crazy he was. The expression on his face was one of pure delight.
“Go get your sadistic jollies somewhere else, Ruiz.”
“I’m trying to help you. There’s no need to be rude.”
Ruiz lowered the gun and fired a shot at the ledge in front of me.
I screamed and almost tumbled off the ledge. I’d just about regained my balance when Ruiz shot at my feet again.
My foot slipped off the ledge. I knew I was going to fall. My hands grasped for something – anything – to stop me and caught the concrete ledge. My body swung and slammed into the side of the building. It was like being thrown against a wall of sandpaper. The breezeblock scraped my arms, stomach, and the side of my face.
Ruiz’s face appeared above the ledge as he leaned over to peer at me.
“That was foolish. You could have died.”
“It isn’t as if I did it on purpose, you sick bastard!”
I had very little to lose and, frankly, I’d had enough of the son of a bitch. I couldn’t keep from cursing him. If anything, Ruiz looked amused.
He sat down casually on the ledge to the side of where I was hanging.
“I told you to move forward. It’s your own stubbornness that got you into this situation.”
“Your parents really fucked you up, didn’t they?”
I was trying my best to find a hold of any kind that I could get my feet onto. The strain on my arms was growing, and I needed to alleviate it or I knew I was going to fall.
Ruiz snarled at my question.
“Shut your mouth, Bitch.”<
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“I’m not scared of you. I’ve been called a bitch by better men than you.”
I hoped that keeping him talking would buy me some time. But I knew I was going to fall. He would either hit my hands and make me fall, or I’d simply lose my grip. Either way, I wouldn’t be taking the stairs down off this roof.
He laughed. “You think Mason Bartell is a better man than me?”
“Never said that.” I panted. “You must think it though if that’s where your mind went first.”
Ruiz looked away from me. I couldn’t see what he was looking at from my position. I groaned as I tried to adjust my hold on the concrete. The toes of my shoes pressed against the wall, trying to take some of the weight off my arms.
Ruiz stood up and walked out of sight. Where the hell was he going? Fuck, where was he going? I tried to pull myself up. My upper arm strength wasn’t the greatest in the world.
“I promise to go to the gym every day if I just get off this damn roof,” I muttered between gritted teeth.
My hands slipped.
“Not that way though. I wanna walk down the stairs.”
As I struggled to haul myself up, I heard another voice.
“Where’s Cassie?”
My breath caught in my throat. Was that…?
“Mason,” I tried to yell, but I was so winded the word just came out as a sob.
I clung to the side of the building and tried again.
“Mason!”
There was the sound of fighting. I couldn’t see anything. Hands reached down and grabbed me. I breathed out in relief.
My relief vanished when I realized that it was Ruiz who was pulling me back onto the roof.
I scrambled over the ledge and lay there panting until Ruiz hauled me to my feet.
Mason wiped blood off his lip.
“There’s your hero now, Cassie,” Ruiz told me happily. “I was afraid he might miss all the fun, but here we are.”
Mason’s deep voice held anger.
“Let her go, Ruiz. You want me. Not her.”
“Wait,” Ruiz said as he tapped his gun to his chin. “This seems really familiar. Haven’t we done this before? Ah, yes, I remember now. We were with Dana.”
A shadow of sadness went over Mason’s face. “If you think this will end the same way, then you’re mistaken, Ruiz.”
“I don’t make mistakes, Bartell. I plan. I admit that I had hoped your little crew would wait a few more months before causing me headaches. But, if I’m going to kill you, then it might as well be now. Oh…” Ruiz hit his forehead. “How forgetful of me. I’ve got plans for you and Cassie. Plans for your whole little club.”
Mason laughed. “I don’t think your plans are going to happen, as you won’t be getting off this roof alive.”
“Cocky self-righteous bullshit is what got Dana killed, and it doesn’t look like you’ve learned your lesson, Mr. Bartell.”
Ruiz raised the gun to my head and I held my breath. I was so tired from hanging from the building that I offered little resistance when the man grabbed my hair and jerked my head back.
“Don’t even say her name,” Mason growled.
“He was helpless then,” Ruiz said in my ear. “He’s helpless now.”
Mason stalked forward and Ruiz pressed the gun to my temple. Mason stopped. He glared at Ruiz.
“You had me bound in a room full of your men last time. Things won’t end well for you here.”
“Big words, when you consider that all I have to do is pull the trigger. She’ll be dead before you ever take a step.”
Ruiz was smiling as he taunted Mason.
Mason shook his head.
“That’s not your style,” he said confidently. “You don’t want to kill her. You want to torture me. When she’s dead, the fun’s all gone.”
Ruiz seemed to give that some thought. I felt the gun lift as he moved it away from my head. Mason moved as soon as the gun was clear of me.
I saw Ruiz’s arm come up. He was going to shoot Mason. With all my strength I shoved myself into Ruiz’s gun arm and knocked the man off balance. The shot rang out, but it hit concrete instead of Mason.
Mason was on Ruiz in a moment. Ruiz’s grip on me slipped, and I tumbled to the ground. I crawled out of the way as the men wrestled with each other. The gun spun free and I saw it skid across the roof. I crawled after it, desperate to keep it from Ruiz.
Mason hit Ruiz square on the chin. The shorter man stumbled backward, but Mason grabbed him by the shirt.
“Don’t you ever touch her again,” Mason growled as Ruiz’s head lolled from side to side. “Do you hear me?”
“Y-yes,” Ruiz stammered. “I-I’m sorry.”
Mason slammed his fist into Ruiz’s face.
“That’s not good enough.”
Mason’s fist connected with the man’s midsection and I heard a dull crack. I winced and hid my face. I’d gotten to Ruiz’s gun and held it to me for safekeeping.
“She’s just a bitch,” Ruiz mumbled through the blood in his mouth. “Think of the money.”
Mason’s fist hit the man in the mouth.
“Fuck the money, Ruiz. Not everything is about the damn money.”
Mason hauled Ruiz upright as his knees gave way.
“You think this is all over one or two women? The GRMC didn’t turn everyone against you, Ruiz. You did. This would have come with or without Cassie. So, if you want to blame someone, blame yourself – and your sickness.”
Ruiz nodded.
“Yeah. Careful of that one though,” Ruiz mumbled as he pointed an unsteady hand at me. “She gets a bit saucy when she gives blowjobs.”
Ruiz cackled with delight. Mason’s next punch sent him sprawling backward on the concrete, where he lay still.
Mason turned and came over to me.
“Are you okay?”
He bent over me and there was concern on his face.
“I didn’t know, Cassie. I didn’t know he had you.”
I looked up at him through my tears. I nodded but could get no words to come out.
Mason pulled me to my feet and I wrapped my arms around him as if he might disappear. He was real. I was safe. I repeated those words over and over in my head until I finally started to believe them.
Mason just held me as I shook with all the tears I’d been holding back.
“Come on, let’s get out of here,” Mason said.
He made to move but suddenly lurched forward.
“Son of a bitch!”
Ruiz had come up behind us and hit Mason across the back of the neck with a length pipe.
Fear surged through me as the stocky man grabbed my wrist. Without any thought, I raised the gun and fired.
Ruiz shrieked in pain and stumbled backward. I stood there watching as he staggered away before collapsing to the ground.
A touch on my hand made me jump.
Mason wrapped his hand around mine and gently took the gun from me.
“It’s okay,” he said. “Leave him. Let’s go.”
“I hate this place,” I mumbled as I followed Mason stiffly toward the stairs.
Chapter 26
Mason
Cassie leaned on me heavily. I didn’t mind one bit. She was alive and that was all that mattered. If I thought too much about what might have happened to her at Ruiz’s hands, I’d just get angry again. I’d had enough of anger for the time being. I just wanted out of this hell hole.
As we went by the room where I’d found Liz earlier, Cassie grabbed my arm.
“Where’s Liz?” she whispered desperately.
“I sent her to meet up with the guys outside. She’s alright,” I assured her.
Cassie relaxed visibly and I guided her through the hallway toward the warehouse floor.
She cringed away from the trash can that was still very much on fire, and I turned her toward the side door.
Cassie, however, had other ideas. She pulled away and headed toward a cage behind the fire.