Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 115964 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 580(@200wpm)___ 464(@250wpm)___ 387(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115964 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 580(@200wpm)___ 464(@250wpm)___ 387(@300wpm)
“Because Marco is going to send men after me. He already sent one and I want my sister to have disappeared before his next crew gets to me.”
I was throwing a lot at him and I knew he was upset.
I got it. I did.
I was a soldier, but I was taking my own orders and I was explaining after the fact. Any other soldier, I’d be dead by morning.
I was banking on a whole lot that Roman wouldn’t do that to me.
“He sent one after you already?”
I told him about the highway, what happened and added, “We have the guy with us, but we’ve not questioned him. He has no ID, but his phone has an outgoing Mexican phone number. He had a police radio on him, too.”
“You think he’s a cop?”
“More like I think he was listening to the police scanner. We’ll know more once we interrogate him.”
“Right.” He sighed. “Your sister. What’s your plan there?”
“There’s a network I know about. They hide people. I’d like to make contact, see if they’ll hide Verónica.”
“What network?”
I ignored that, saying, “That’s the point. They typically hide people from people like us. I’m hoping they’ll make an exception considering who my sister is hiding from.”
“You’re on a leash, Raize. Albeit, it’s a long leash, but it’s still a leash.”
Meaning, he would tug on it eventually and if I didn’t go back, he would send men after me as well. Probably Downer.
“I know.”
“Use your woman to help interrogate him. She works for me as well now. I want to utilize her skill. When your sister is gone, report back here.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Immediately, Raize.”
“Yes, sir.”
“When you report to me in person, you’re bringing your entire team. If you don’t, you know what I’ll do. You got me?”
“I got you.”
The line disconnected after that, and I knew Jake was waiting inside the door.
He, Cavers, and Abram were all there, all waiting.
I gave them a nod.
At once, they walked outside, grabbed the guy and carried him to the garage.
I went inside and found Ash helping my sister make some food. “I’m going to need you.”
Verónica froze, but Ash didn’t.
She already knew and nodded. “Okay.”
I said to Verónica, “You stay here.”
Her eyes were big, taking in Ash and me.
I motioned to Gus, who came forward, his tail wagging. “You guard her.”
He let his mouth open in a smile, that tail just got faster.
I left. Ash went with me.
Gus took position at the door.
Ash was quiet, following me to the garage and then inside, but I knew she was in turmoil. She wouldn’t like seeing this anymore than I’d enjoy her seeing it. Still. This was the world we lived in.
The guys had him tied to a chair. He was awake, his mouth still duct-taped.
I gave the nod.
Abram ripped the tape off.
I started with my first question, “How’d you find us on the highway?”
He cursed in Spanish, spitting at me.
Okay, then.
Cavers had a bat in hand and I gave yet another nod.
The shit work was about to start.
59
Ash
The sounds of screaming, grunts, and sobbing filled the air.
The smell of blood, sweat, piss, and I didn’t want to know what else filled the room.
And in me, I was nauseated but also annoyed.
Raize would ask a question. The guy wouldn’t answer.
One of the guys would hurt him. Then the guy would answer.
I’d be asked if he was telling the truth, and after the tenth time of his lies being found out, the guy directed his threats and glares toward me.
Bad move.
That only pissed off Raize more. But also Jake and Cavers didn’t take kindly to that so when the guy refused to answer, the guys got harsher in their punishment.
It was an hour into it, twenty minutes after I stopped watching what the guys did to him when he finally gave up. He confessed everything.
He’d been notified by someone in Marco’s command to watch the highway on a small chance we got through. ‘We’ consisted of whoever had kidnapped Marco Estrada’s sister. She was known as the Golden Goose to them, which Abram didn’t like when the guy started to explain the reason she was called the Golden Goose. I didn’t know what Abram did. This was at the time when I’d stopped watching, but I heard a tearing sound and then an animalistic scream ripped from the guy. It sounded especially worse than the other screams, which said a lot.
The guy went on to explain he hadn’t known it was The Scooper who’d kidnapped her. He babbled on saying, “If I’d known, I never would’ve taken the job. No one wants to tangle with The Scoope—”
“Shut up,” Raize growled.
A pause.
Then, from Jake, “How’d you know where to find us?”
He’d heard our location on the police scanner. “They were talking about a missing girl and they were on the lookout for your truck. I thought it was Estrada’s hermana, but it wasn’t. Wrong girl.”