by Lia Ellison
“Maybe, but all we’re getting is weird noise and static of some kind.”
“It’s in his pocket. I know this part of the plan didn’t work out as we hoped it would, but—”
“I know. You did an amazing thing,” he said. “And I hope the feds or whoever catch those bastards. But as long as Zavarelli is out there, there’s danger for all of us. And now, there’s danger for you too. Zavarelli could figure out you did something, especially if he recognized you. There might be people coming for you.”
“I don’t think I was the only new person there. They might suspect me, but most of them will be arrested, so it won’t matter to them anymore. They’ll have more pressing issues to worry about.”
“And some will want revenge, especially those who don’t get caught but their business ends up suffering because of what happened.”
“I know, but my life is always going to be in danger, isn’t it? Because I’m now your girlfriend and everyone knows it.”
“Yes, but traffickers are very dangerous people.”
“So are your Cobras.”
“Fine. Fine. I can protect you, but I need you to be careful too.”
I was about to tell him that I would be extra careful after all this, but then I heard an odd sound coming from somewhere.
It sounded like muffled music.
“What’s that?” I asked.
Ryker’s brow furrowed, and then he pulled out his phone. “It’s coming from the bug you planted on Zavarelli.”
“Really?” I listened carefully. “Wait. Is he at a concert?”
Ryker’s eyes went wide. “Shit! Maybe.”
“It definitely sounds like live music. Do you know what song that is or who’s playing it?” I could barely understand the words, but it wasn’t anything familiar.
“If we can figure out who’s playing, we can figure where he is right now.” Ryker raced with his phone to another room.
I followed him and found him already connecting his phone to his laptop.
“I’ll upload a piece of it and see if it matches anything.”
“Can you send it to me too? I can forward it to Nia. Maybe she can figure it out.”
“Yeah.”
A few moments later, my phone vibrated. “Got it.” I quickly attached the file and typed a quick message for Nia.
She was probably busy, but this was urgent. We didn’t know how long Zavarelli would stay at that concert, but maybe we could narrow down the area where he was.
“It could be a trap,” Ryker said. “If he knows we’re listening, he might’ve done this on purpose. Why didn’t we hear anything else, but we hear this now?”
“Because the music is loud enough.” Or at least I hoped that was the case.
“Fuck! My system isn’t detecting anything. The quality is too low. I don’t know what song that is.” He raked his hand through his hair.
“Maybe we can listen to it together and try to figure out what it’s saying, then search for the lyrics online.” But then my phone vibrated. I quickly checked the text I’d gotten.
“No need,” I said. “Nia already managed to figure it out. It looks like she knows the band, and she knows exactly where they’re playing right now. I’ve got the address.”
Ryker’s face lit up almost instantly. “Let’s go,” he said, and then we were racing for his car.
Chapter 26
“DO YOU HAVE YOUR GUN?” Ryker asked.
“Yeah,” I said.
“Okay. Then put this on.” He handed me a baseball cap, and then he grabbed one for himself too. “There are too many people at the concert. We’ll have to split up.”
“Yeah, okay. If I find Zavarelli—”
“If you find him, you call me or you text me. Do you understand? Don’t try to do anything on your own. We don’t know how many of his men are with him or if this is a trap. If he spots you or if you think someone is looking at you weird, just get out of there. And make sure you stay in the crowd. That’s the easiest way for you to lose them. It might be a trap, so bear that in mind.”
I nodded. “What about you? What are you going to do if you find him?”
“I’m going to give you a call once it’s done, or if I’m about to follow him.”
“All right.” I got out of the car, and then we were both rushing through the parking lot so we could reach the crowd as soon as possible.
I tugged my baseball cap down so that no one could get a good look at my face. But as I made my way through the singing crowd, I wondered how the hell we were going to find Zavarelli here.
There were just so many people and so many faces. And it was too dark, even with colorful lights everywhere.
I elbowed my way toward the stage, wondering if Zavarelli was a fan of the band. Maybe he’d gotten himself a VIP pass, and he was sitting somewhere very close to the stage.
But as I made my way forward, I couldn’t see anyone who looked like him.
Oh hell.
This was like trying to find a needle in a haystack.
Near damn impossible.
But maybe Ryker was having better luck. He was better at spotting people like Zavarelli and his men just by looking at the way they moved.
I had no clue if I could figure them out, but at least I didn’t look like anyone was following me.
A woman cursed at me because I stepped on her foot while glancing around me. I quickly apologized and hurried past her. A man nearly spilled his beer all over me because he turned around quickly without looking if anyone was coming his way.
I kept moving, but the faces around me were like a blur. Zavarelli wasn’t here. Why would he even be?
Maybe he’d tossed the bug or given it to someone else to confuse us. Maybe we were chasing the wrong person.
Still, I kept looking right and left.
No Zavarelli.
No Ryker.
Not a single familiar face.
I pulled out my phone, but I had no new messages. That meant Ryker hadn’t found Zavarelli either, or maybe he hadn’t had the time to contact me about it just yet.
Hopefully, they weren’t in the middle of a fight. But if someone had fired a gun around here, I was sure people would be panicking and rushing away from here.
When my feet were already starting to hurt, I moved toward the end of the crowd.
Maybe it was less safe for me here, but I was tired of being pushed around and worrying if someone was going to spill something on me.
No matter how many times I checked my phone, I didn’t have any texts or missed calls.
Where the hell was Ryker? Was he still looking for Zavarelli?
Probably.
The crowd was huge.
But maybe Zavarelli had been just passing by for some reason, or he’d tricked us and the bug was now in the pocket of a random person around here.
Too bad the bug didn’t have a tracker in it too, but Nia had said it would’ve been discovered too easily. I didn’t understand enough about how that whole thing worked, but I knew she wouldn’t be lying to me about it.
When the band stopped playing and people started to leave, anxiety gripped my insides. Why hadn’t Ryker contacted me already?
Surely, he had to know that I’d be worried about him, and when I was worried, I couldn’t think clearly and I might get myself in trouble.
I made my way through the thinning crowd again, but I couldn’t see Ryker anywhere. What the fuck?
Finally, I lost my patience.
Hoping he wasn’t in the middle of something important, I dialed his number.
Come on, Ryker. Answer. Answer.
But he didn’t.
His phone just kept ringing and ringing.
Oh shit.
I typed him a quick text, telling him to call me as soon as possible because I had no idea what was going on.
The minutes ticked by.
No answer.
No call.
No text.
I chewed on the inside on my che
ek as I tried to call him again.
And again. And again.
My chest constricted, my throat tightening. What if something had happened to him? What if that was why he wasn’t answering?
I broke into a run, trying to find him as I kept calling his number.
But he just wasn’t there, and he wasn’t answering his phone.
I stood there in the middle of the field, my heart thudding like crazy in my chest.
What now?
Where the hell was he?
What if Zavarelli had gotten to his first? What if Ryker was lying somewhere bleeding out in the field?
I raced toward our car, hoping that maybe he’d dropped his phone and lost it. He had to know I’d go back to the car, didn’t he? Maybe he was waiting for me there.
But when I reached the car, I couldn’t see anyone there.
No. No. No.
Ryker, no!
I dialed his number again, trying to push back the tears that were forming in the corners of my eyes.
But he didn’t answer.
I kept walking, looking around me. And then I heard something.
A faint sound coming from somewhere in front of me. I inched forward. It was dark here, and the grass was tall. Still, I advanced, trying to find the source of the sound.
And then I saw something a dim light.
I dashed across the field toward it.
A phone.
It was a phone.
I thought I was going to choke.
It was Ryker’s phone, and next to it were his car keys.
Oh no.
Something had happened to him.
“Ryker!” I yelled at the top of my lungs, not caring who heard me.
But there was no answer. He wasn’t here anymore, was he? At least I couldn’t see any blood anywhere, but that wasn’t much of a relief.
Ryker, where are you?
I dropped to my knees in the middle of the field and burst into tears.
Chapter 27
I WIPED AWAY MY TEARS with my sleeve and got to my feet. Crying wasn’t going to help me right now.
I had to act quickly. There had to be something that I could do figure out what had happened to Ryker and where he was.
But a part of me already knew what had happened.
He’d been taken.
Zavarelli and his men had taken him somewhere, and I had no clue as to where.
I grabbed his phone and the car keys, and then I made my way farther down the field. But then I noticed something in the grass. It looked like a car had been parked somewhere around here.
With my shaky fingers, I managed to dial Nia’s number.
“Nia, oh god. I need your help!” I choked out.
“What’s going?” Worry filled her voice.
“It’s Ryker! They took him. Zavarelli has him, and I don’t know where he is! Can you help me find him?”
Nia swore under her breath. “I’ll see what I can do. You were at that concert looking for him, right?”
“Yeah, but we had to split up because there were so many people, and he didn’t trust his men, so he didn’t bring anyone else with us.” Maybe that had been a mistaken.
We should’ve stayed together. Then I might’ve been able to do something. I might’ve been able to save him.
But now, I didn’t even know where to look or in which direction to go. The car that had been here could’ve gone anywhere.
“Does he have his phone with him?” Nia asked.
“No. He dropped it.”
Had he left the phone and his car keys for me to find? Had he known they were going to take him?
A thousand thoughts flew through my head, and I didn’t like any of them.
What if Zavarelli had taken him with him just so he could kill him in some more private place where no one could hear the shots or witness what happened?
No. I couldn’t think like that.
Ryker was alive.
He had to be.
Nothing else was an acceptable option.
“Okay. I know it’s hard, but please stay calm. Is there anything else that I might be able to use to track him down? A smart watch? A tracker? I don’t know. Anything.”
“No, I don’t think so. But it looks like there was a car here. Something big. I’m guessing an SUV.”
“All right. I’ll check the traffic cameras. Maybe it pops up. But it’s going to be hard. The area you’re in is—”
“Yeah, I know.” Ryker had been right. Zavarelli had prepared a trap for him. This place was in the middle of nowhere, with no cameras around. “Please try something.”
“I will.”
I headed for the car.
Now I had the keys. I could get out of here.
Maybe that was exactly what Ryker had wanted. But what did it matter that I was safe when I had no clue where he was?
Or if he was even alive?
Oh hell.
Tears stung my eyes, but I pushed them back. “Nia?”
“Yeah, I’m still here. What do you need?”
“If there’s any news about a shootout or about a dead body—” My voice cracked. “Just tell me, okay? I need to know.”
“I’ll do that, but if they took him, then he’s probably still alive. They might need him for something.”
I could only hope that was true.
Please be okay. Please be okay.
I got in the car, gripping the steering wheel.
Where should I go? Should I try driving around and see if there was anything suspicious? Maybe Zavarelli hadn’t taken Ryker far. Maybe they were still around here somewhere, in some safe house.
“Nia?”
“Yeah?”
“Are there any abandoned properties around here? Maybe a house with a suspicious owner? Someone who doesn’t normally live here.”
“Um, give me a sec. But please don’t tell me you’re going to face a bunch of criminals on your own. You won’t be able to help Ryker if you’re both dead.”
“I’m not going to do anything stupid.” Although, I couldn’t exactly promise that.
But if I figured out where Ryker was, I could come up with a plan, or maybe even call the cops for help. I didn’t know if that would work, but I hard to try something.
“There’s just one house that might be a good hideout for a bad guy like Zavarelli. I’m sending you the address right now, but please don’t do anything stupid.”
“Thanks.” As soon as I figured out where the house was located, I brought the engine to life.
But as I passed by the house in question, I realized it was in darkness. It didn’t look like anyone was there. Still, I parked in the driveway.
Drawing out my gun, I slowly made my way forward, listening carefully. Nothing stirred. I peeked through the windows as I directed my phone’s light toward them.
Nothing.
Just a bunch of cobwebs and dust.
Fuck.
They weren’t here.
Ryker wasn’t here.
I rushed back to the car, swallowing hard past the lump in my throat.
“Lexi?” I heard Nia’s voice.
“Yeah, I’m right here, and I’m fine. I checked that house, but it’s empty.”
“Shit. Nothing’s coming up. I have no clue where Zavarelli might’ve taken him. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. Just keep looking.”
“I will.”
I leaned my head against the seat, letting tears fall down my face. What could I do now? How was I going to find Ryker before Zavarelli killed him?
It seemed so damn impossible, and I hadn’t even told him that I loved him.
I didn’t know how long I’d been like that, waiting for Nia to call me and tell me she had something. But when something rang, I grabbed my phone so quickly I nearly dropped it.
Except, it wasn’t my phone that was ringing.
It was Ryker’s.
And there was an unfamiliar number on the screen. I stared at the phone, wonder
ing if I’d be able to answer it, or if the phone only unlocked for Ryker.
As I reached for the phone, I supposed I was going to find out.
Chapter 28
“HELLO?” I SAID WHEN I answered. Either the phone wasn’t locked or it unlocked for me too. Not that it mattered right now.
There was silence on the other end of the line.
“Hello?” I repeated.
“Who is this?” a male voice asked.
“Um, Lexi. And who are you?” Maybe I shouldn’t be talking to this person.
Who knew why they’d called Ryker’s phone? But I supposed it couldn’t hurt to check. Maybe there was something Zavarelli wanted in exchange for Ryker, although I doubted that.
“Marcos. Are you the boss’ girl?” he asked, surprise evident in his voice.
“If by that you mean if I’m Ryker’s girlfriend, then yeah, that’s me. Who are you, again?”
“I’m Ryker’s second-in-command,” he said as if he wanted to make himself sound more important. “Why are you answering his phone? Where is he? I need to talk to him.”
I debated what to do. Ryker didn’t trust his men because he thought one or more of them could be friends with Zavarelli, since Zavarelli had spent so much time with the Scarlet Cobras. But did that mean all of them were against Ryker? I didn’t think so.
He wasn’t a bad boss, and if they had any complaints, they would’ve already stepped forward. Surely, not all the Cobras were cowards.
But what about Marcos? He might be Ryker’s second, but could I trust him? What if this was a trap and Zavarelli had made him call so he’d trick me?
Maybe Zavarelli wanted both Ryker and me. I pushed those thoughts away. The Cobras had their resources too. They might be able to help me find Ryker. He was their boss after all, and they knew all the gang stuff.
Nia was good, but she couldn’t do everything. The more people looked for Ryker, the better.
“Hello? Are you still there?” Marcos asked.
“Yeah, I am. I need to tell you something.” I supposed that if Marcos was in on everything, then he wouldn’t sound overly surprised when I told him about Ryker. “Zavarelli took Ryker.”
“What?!” Marcos gasped out. “Are you sure? How? When?”
Well, his shock definitely sounded genuine. Maybe he could help me after all. “He and I were trying to track Zavarelli down. We were at some concert. We split up, and then I found Ryker’s phone in the middle of a field. I’ve looked everywhere for him, and I’m sure Zavarelli has him.”
