by Lia Ellison
“Oh fuck. Fuck. Fuck!”
“Is there anything you can do to help me find him? I don’t know what to do anymore. My friend is trying to find him too, but I just—”
“You should come to our safe house. It’s what boss would want. Then you can tell us everything you know and we can do what we can to find him.”
“Your safe house?” Could I trust him? “Are any of Zavarelli’s people going to be there?”
“What? No. Of course not. Why would you say that?”
“Because Ryker believes that someone from the Cobras is reporting to Zavarelli.” Maybe I shouldn’t have said it, but I needed to find Ryker and I had to make sure that Marcos wouldn’t betray me.
He let out a loud sigh. “Okay. Let me think. I’ll send most of the men away, but we need to look for Ryker. If there’s a mole, we’re going to find him. I’ll make sure you’re safe. Ryker would kill me if anything happened to you.”
He would. But only if he was alive.
No. No. No.
Don’t go there, brain.
“All right. I’ll come to you, but my friend is going to know exactly where I’m going, and if anything happens to me, the cops will be all over you. All of you.” I wasn’t going anywhere without Nia knowing about it.
Sure, it might not help me in the end, but they might think twice before trying anything.
“How much do you trust that friend of yours?” Marcos asked. “Safe houses are safe only because not too many people know about them.”
“I trust her way more than I trust you right now.”
“Okay. I’ll send you the address. We’ll be waiting for you. You have my word that you’ll be safe.”
“All right.” I ended the call, and the phone beeped a moment later. I took a good look at the address, and then I dialed Nia’s number.
“I don’t have any news,” she said as soon as she answered. “What about you?”
“I’m going to meet with the Cobras. Maybe they can help me. I’ll text you the address, just in case. And I’ll be checking in with you every hour, okay?”
“Are you sure you can trust those guys? Your boyfriend didn’t.”
“I know, but what choice do I have? Not all of them are traitors. I hope I’ll meet with the right guys. And the one who’s expecting me is Ryker’s second-in-command. I suppose Ryker trusts him enough for that. I don’t know why he didn’t trust him with all the info about Zavarelli, but maybe he was just being cautious.” Someone must’ve been searching for Zavarelli’s cousin.
Maybe it had been Marcos. Too bad Ryker hadn’t had the chance to tell me which one of his men he trusted most. Maybe I’d feel better about my decision right now.
He should’ve introduced me to at least some of his men. Now I’d just be his girl to them.
“Okay. Stay safe. I’ll be waiting for your call.”
“Thanks.” After I texted her all the info, I brought the engine to life.
If Nia couldn’t find Ryker for me, then maybe the Cobras would have better luck.
Hell, maybe some of them didn’t want Zavarelli dead, but since he’d taken their boss, they might change their minds about him. Maybe they wouldn’t see him as their friend anymore but as a threat.
My mind flew to Ryker.
Where the hell was he now? Was he still alive? Was he wondering if I was going to come for him? Or had he already given up hope that someone would find him?
No, Ryker didn’t give up. Ever.
He wouldn’t do it. I just knew it.
Hold on, Ryker.
I’ll come for you. I’ll come for you.
Chapter 29
I PACED UP AND DOWN the room.
The more time passed, the less likely it seemed that we’d find Ryker alive.
But I couldn’t abandon all hope. I had to believe that we were going to find him.
Marcos seemed like an okay guy, and the Cobras were doing everything in their power to locate Ryker, or at least it looked like they were doing it. Most of them seemed genuinely concerned about him, which was good.
Maybe they could figure out where he was. Since two days had gone by and his body hadn’t shown up anywhere, Marcos had told me that it was possible he was still alive. If Zavarelli had killed him, he would’ve wanted the whole world to know.
I hoped he was right, although I had no idea what that meant for Ryker.
What if Zavarelli was torturing him? What if he wanted Ryker to die as slowly as possible?
But I didn’t want to torment myself with those thoughts, especially when there might be something I might do to help, and I needed my mind as clear as possible for that.
But no matter how many traffic camera footage I went through and how many possible leads I checked out, nothing proved to be useful.
“You should take a break,” Marcos said, his dark eyes filled with compassion.
“You’re right.” I got to my feet. “I need some coffee.”
As I went to get some, I noticed one of the Cobras was looking around as if he was waiting for something.
I pretended I wasn’t looking at him, but then I noticed he’d moved toward the hallways exactly the moment no one in the room was looking in his direction.
What the hell? Maybe it was just my sleep deprived and overworked brain, but maybe something was up here.
The guy slipped down the hallway, and I went after him when I was sure he wouldn’t see me.
“Hey, man. Where are you going?” someone asked the guy, and I pressed myself against the wall so none of the men would see me.
“Going out for a smoke. Why? Do you need me?”
“No. Just checking.”
The other guy went through one of the doors, and the one that had been acting weird headed for the front door.
Maybe he was just jumpy because he needed a smoke. But why would he have to hide it? These guys were almost all heavy smokers, and they went out quite often, because if they didn’t, we wouldn’t be able to breathe in here from all the smoke.
I inched closer to the door, and when I was sure no one was around to see me, I pressed my ear to it. There was only silence for a few moments, but then I heard something else.
“Yeah. They’re looking for him.”
Silence.
“They won’t.”
Silence.
“Got it.”
He didn’t say anything else. What the hell?
Was it possible that the guy had been talking to someone who was working for Zavarelli, or maybe even to Zavarelli himself? What if he was reporting on our progress? Or maybe he was just talking to one of the Cobras.
Maybe it was someone else who wanted to know what was going on.
A family member.
A friend.
I didn’t know. I couldn’t be sure.
But if I told Marcos about my suspicions, I didn’t think he’d believe me. I was a stranger here. Or as he’d said, Ryker’s girl. That wasn’t going to earn me any credibility here.
Hell, they might as well accuse me of working for Zavarelli since Ryker had disappeared when we’d been together, and now I might be trying to tear the Cobras apart by pitting them against one another.
No, if I wanted to accuse the guy or anyone else here of anything, I had to have solid proof.
And I wasn’t even sure if the guy was the enemy here, but I had to do something to find out the truth. If he knew where Zavarelli held Ryker or if he knew how to get to him, then he could be very useful to us.
A plan formed in my mind in an instant.
“Hey, Marcos,” I said when I found him.
“Yeah?” He didn’t even look up from the computer.
There were dark circles under his eyes. He hadn’t slept much either, and I was sure he was really trying to find Ryker. I could trust him.
Well, at least a bit.
“I need to go out. My friend needs me for something.” Actually, I needed Nia so she could give me one of her bugs.
If I could get
my hands on that guy’s phone, then maybe I could listen in on everything he said. Then I’d know for sure if he knew anything or not, and I’d have all the proof I needed if he was really a traitor.
“Um, okay. Do you want me to send a few guys with you? For your protection?”
“No. I’ll be fine.” I didn’t need any suspicious Cobras breathing down my neck.
And then I realized something. Marcos might be a good guy, but he was definitely way too trustworthy. He trusted me and didn’t even think I might be working with the enemy, so maybe that was why Ryker didn’t tell him everything.
Marcos would’ve probably just babbled it all out to the wrong person. Still, I supposed he was a good second and quite capable at what he was doing.
He just gave me a small nod, and then I hurried out. I had to get to Nia as soon as possible.
I doubted it would be easy to bug that guy’s phone, so it was better if I started working on it immediately.
Who knew how much time Ryker had? I didn’t want to think about that. He had to be alive, and we were going to find him in time.
I just had to figure out who the mole was, because I was sure there had to be one.
And then, the traitor was going to help us get to Ryker, whether he wanted it or not.
Chapter 30
I LEANED AGAINST THE wall, trying to find the perfect moment to bug the suspicious guy’s phone, but I had no idea when I was going to get it.
The guy had his phone with him all the time, and I was starting to wonder if I should try a different approach. But I doubted I’d be able to catch the guy saying anything incriminating.
No, I had to be able to hear what the person on the other side of the line was saying. But how could I do that unless I got my hands on his phone?
Nia had given me a special bug that would allow me to do that, but I had to plant it into his phone, right under the battery cover. If I failed, I was screwed.
And Ryker...
I didn’t even want to think about that.
We were running out of time, and we weren’t any closer to finding him or figuring out where Zavarelli might’ve taken him. Every hour that passed was like torture, and I was getting more and more restless.
Actually, everyone in this room was agitated. Except for the suspicious guy.
He kept his face serious and guarded, but he didn’t look tired or overly worried. Maybe he was just the type of a person who didn’t show his emotions or any tiredness until he was completely exhausted, but I had my doubts.
If someone asked me to point out a potential mole, I’d definitely pick him.
As he headed into the kitchen, I went after him. He looked up at me when I entered the room, placing his phone back down on the counter. Then he started making himself a sandwich.
“Hey, would you mind making me one of those?” I asked, nodding toward his sandwich. “It’s just that I’m so damn tired and I can barely keep my eyes open—”
“Sure.”
“Thanks.” I moved closer to the counter and his phone.
He eyed me for a moment, but then he turned his back to me so he could open the fridge.
This was my chance.
My pulse was racing, but I knew that I had to stay as calm as possible. If my fingers shook too much, I could drop the bug or mess up something. I grabbed his phone from the counter, turning my back to him.
He was still rummaging around the fridge for something.
Good.
I managed to slide the back cover of his phone open, and then I pulled the bug out of my pocket.
“Can’t find the cheese,” he said, making me jump.
The bug slipped from my fingers, but it fell somewhere inside the phone.
There was no time for me to look for it and adjust it, so I just slid the cover back on. I returned the phone to the spot where it had originally been just as he appeared next to me.
“Take mine,” he said, picking up the sandwich and offering it to me.
“Thank you so much.” I flashed him a wide smile, taking the sandwich, and then I hurried out of there.
Now all I had to do was find a quiet room and wait for the guy to make a call. If I was wrong about him, then I had no idea what I was going to do.
Come on. Come on.
Call them. Call Zavarelli or whoever.
I chewed on the inside of my cheek, tapping my feet.
But of course, my impatience didn’t help speed things up.
What if the guy didn’t call again? What if he’d already said everything he had to say and the next call was only going to confirm Ryker’s death?
I covered my face with my hands, trying to take deep breaths. Ryker was going to be fine. It was only going to take me a few more hours, and then we’d find him. I had to believe it, or I was going to go crazy.
But then a sound coming from my phone made me look at it. The guy was calling someone.
I waited until he ended it, which seemed like an eternity, but then I pressed the play button on the recording and lifted my phone to my ear.
“Hey, man,” the guy said. “Anything?”
“Yeah. The boss will take care of him tomorrow night. Any updates on your end?”
“Nope. They still got nothing.”
“Let’s make sure it stays that way.”
“It will. Only a few more hours, and then we’ll all be free.”
“Ha! Yes, you’ll be free. Boss will meet with you next week.”
“Good. Thanks.”
The call ended.
My heart was drumming in my chest. They were planning to kill Ryker tomorrow night, didn’t they? That was what the guy was saying.
There was no way for him to deny it now.
He was the traitor.
I had no idea who he’d been talking to, but it had to be one of Zavarelli’s men. Did the traitor know where Ryker was being held? Could he lead us straight to him? I sure as hell hoped that he could.
Clutching the phone in my hand, I raced outside, to the room where everyone was.
“What’s going on?” Marcos asked as he looked up at me.
I pointed across the room at the guy. “He’s a traitor! He’s been talking to the Zavarelli’s men. They’re going to kill Ryker tomorrow.”
Surprise and shock flashed through the traitor’s eyes for a fraction of a second, but then he raised an eyebrow at me. “Bitch is crazy. I’m no traitor.”
“What are you talking about?” Marcos asked me, and I could see it in his eyes that he was confused about the whole thing. He was looking between the traitor and me, unsure who to believe.
“It’s true. It’s all true. He’s the traitor. He knows where Ryker is.” I shot him an angry glare as I pointed at him.
“Someone get her out of here,” the traitor said. “She’s mad. She doesn’t know what she’s talking about.”
“Are you sure about that?” I pressed the play button for the recording on my phone before any of the men who’d started toward me could reach me.
Silence filled the room, and the traitor’s perfectly calm stance changed in an instant. He rushed for the door, but one of the men grabbed him and tackled him to the floor.
Then there was chaos as everyone rushed the traitor, trying to subdue him. Marcos was staring at me with wide eyes, and I was looking carefully at everyone to make sure no one else was working for Zavarelli too.
“Take him downstairs,” Marcos said once the men had the traitor in a tight grip. “He’s going to tell us everything he knows.”
Chapter 31
“SO THERE’S NO WAY TO trace the call?” I asked Nia as I paced up and down in front of the dungeon.
Marcos and the rest of the men had taken the traitor into a room or a cell of some kind, and of course they’d left me in front of the door. They’d been in there for more than two hours, and I still had no idea what was going on.
The room was soundproof, or so it seemed.
“No, I’m afraid not. The call was too short
, and it would take me ages to figure out whose phone number that is. It’s possible they’re using burners,” she said. “Your best bet is that guy tells you something or calls those guys. If he can keep them on the phone, then I can track them.”
“Yeah, I don’t think he’s going to cooperate.” Actually, it was more likely that he’d yell out a warning to his friend.
I had no idea what was taking the guys in there so long, but I doubted they were having a friendly chat. They all probably felt betrayed, especially Marcos. He’d thought he could trust all the men in here.
Hell, maybe they were now all doubting one another. What if the traitor had managed to turn them against one another? What if they were all fighting in there?
“Well, then I don’t know what to tell you. Get him to talk.”
“Yeah, okay. Thanks.” I ended the call and pocketed my phone.
What the hell was going on?
When I finally lost my patience, I banged on the door.
Marcos opened it a few moments later.
“What’s going on?” I asked. “You can’t just leave me out here forever!”
“He’s refusing to talk,” Marcos said, and I glanced past him into the room.
The traitor was hanging by his wrists, his face bloody, some of the blood dripping down his shirt, but he was grinning at the men who were glaring at him.
Oh, for fuck’s sake.
We weren’t going to get anywhere like this.
But I could understand the men’s confusion and reluctance. The traitor had pretended that he was one of them, and just a few hours ago, they’d all be joking together and acting like friends. Hell, I had no idea how long they’d known him. All of that might be a problem.
They might not be willing to hurt him or believe that he’d really betrayed them. What if he convinced them to join his side? What if they thought someone was forcing him to lie and that he hadn’t betrayed them of his own free will?
Ah, what the hell did it even matter?
“Let me in,” I said to Marcos, daring him to refuse.
“This isn’t a place for you,” he said. “We’re handling the situation. I know this is frustrating for you, but I promise I’ll tell you everything as soon as I have news.”
