Relentless Night (New York Knights Book 4)

by S. M. West

  “What? You’re leaving? What the hell does that mean?” Frustrated and maybe even feeling powerless, his hand cuts a jagged path through his mussed hair.

  “I’ll be safe. He needs to think he's in control.” The elevator jumps, surging back to life, and we’re on the move.

  “You’ll never lose me. Never. I swear on my life. I love you.” My hand rests flat on his chest, right where his heart is. “I’ll always be here, but I have to go. It’s best.”

  My hand drops to my side, still tingling from the heat of him and I spin to face the door, hitting a button for a floor well before his. I’ll get off before it’s too late. Before I change my mind and give in to my selfish need. I won’t allow it. I can’t have Max. Not now anyway.

  “Fuck… how will I contact you? Know you are okay? And what about Van? Is he on board with this?”

  He tugs at my elbow and a tear slips onto my cheek. The elevator stops, doors beginning to slide open on the floor I’d chosen.

  “Goodbye, Max. Please don’t fight this. Don’t follow me.” I hate how erratic my pulse is, threatening to explode.

  “How can you ask that of me? I love you.” The pain in his voice slices through me.

  “If you love me, let me go.” I exit, not looking back, and start to jog toward the stairwell at the end of the hall.

  Hopefully our separation is temporary but nevertheless, it's breaking my heart. Ash is a formidable force. I've underestimated him before and while I won’t this time, the future is unknown. Until all is said and done, anything is possible.

  And even now, walking away from Max, Van and the others doesn’t guarantee they’re out of danger. Ash knows how much I care about him, all of them. They are my family. But at least this gives Max and the others a fighting chance.

  Now I must sever ties with Van. I don’t stand a chance if I go back to HC and do this face to face, so I go back to my place. It’s a risk but I don’t plan on staying there, just long enough to grab a few things, and I’m relieved to find the place empty. But I won’t kid myself into thinking it isn’t being watched.

  I throw a few things, more electronics than anything else, into a backpack. I don’t bother with my fancier clothing and opt for simple jeans and leggings. I’m going to be living on the street and need to dress the part.

  My cell buzzes on the couch and I snatch it up, fearing I’ve run out of time but not knowing if it’s Van or Ash.

  Unknown: Boo

  Unknown: Found you

  My body clenches. Shit. I type out a reply.

  Me: Zero or Ash?

  Unknown: Guess?

  Me: You’re not very original. And you’re slacking. It took you long enough to find me

  I hit send and cringe, curling my fingers into a fist of regret. Why am I taunting him?

  Because this is how we used to be together. Like it or not. At the time, I considered Zero to be my only friend. It didn’t matter that he was just as deranged as Ash. It didn’t matter that he could have helped me escape and didn’t.

  No matter how odd and twisted our friendship was, he kept me sane and helped me grow my computer skills. That in itself gave me a sense of strength. Control.

  Unknown: I was waiting. I thought you’d look for me. Kinda hurt you didn’t

  Me: Still full of yourself, I see

  Unknown: Did you miss me?

  Me: What do you want Zero?

  Unknown: I missed you and I’m excited to see you.

  An icy chill prickles down my spine and I shiver, rubbing my hands along my arms. I shouldn’t be surprised. Of course he’s expecting to see me. He works with Ash, knows his plan. Ash would need his help to capture me.

  Palms covering my face, I slump onto the couch and my phone buzzes again.

  Unknown: Don’t cry

  My head snaps up, highly alert and concerned. Springing to my feet, I whirl around my home in a circle, several times, as if expecting him to be physically in my home. He’s watching me. Where’s the camera?

  Running around the room, I pull back cushions and my fingers dance along the edges of surfaces looking for any signs of a listening device or camera. My phone continues to vibrate with incoming texts. Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.

  Eventually it rings and I freeze, in the middle of examining one of the few paintings I have of Anna’s. The frame and canvas are clean, no bugs. Carefully placing the art back on the wall, I grab my phone and answer.

  “Fucker. Where is it?” Holding up my middle finger, I twirl around the room, making sure he sees I’m giving him the universal offensive salute.

  I need to get out of here. Ash could be outside my door. I can’t stay here any longer contemplating what I might need.

  “Calm the fuck down,” he says dryly, and I’m hit with a wave of nausea and bend over. His voice brings all of it back as if it were now.

  Being watched.

  Afraid.

  Wave after wave of dark memories assault me.

  So cold. Shivering.

  Chains. My shoulder blades burn and wrists ache, bleeding.

  The dank smell of mold and the endless black.

  Trapped.

  Breathe. I make myself stand tall, forcing air into my lungs, bringing calm to my mind.

  It isn’t working.

  Short bursts pump through my lungs. Jagged in my chest.

  My mind struggles to make the distinction. I’m… I’m not back there. I’m okay. I need to run. Get out of here.

  Zero’s voice, concern lacing his words, finally begins to register and make sense. I’m enraged. I have no room for anything else.

  “Fuck you. Where’s the camera?” I spin around the room.

  “Thomasina, are you okay?” He may mean to be caring but I reject it.

  “Fuck you.” I end the call and toss the phone on the sofa, no longer willing to waste more time.

  For all I know, he is supposed to be stalling me so Ash can get here. I don’t care where the camera is. I am out of here. The ringing starts again.

  Frustrated and crazed, I run my fingers through my hair and take one last look at my place before leaving. I’m sure to leave the cell phone behind.

  At the corner bodega, I purchase a burner phone. Before heading out onto the street, I glance around, making sure no one is watching or following me. It’s fruitless.

  The city may be teeming with people, making getting lost rather easy, but I can’t move freely. Ash’s people likely know a lot about me. Zero would have made sure all of them would know what I look like, my hangouts, and while I’ve stayed clear of most of those places, they still have the advantage.

  I don’t know who his people are, and unlike some, he’s an equal-opportunity employer. Both men and women work for him, and his people aren’t the stereotypical thug nor do they fit into any other kind of box.

  At the corner, I wait for the streetlight to change and the old lady shuffling down the sidewalk with a cane catches my eye. She could very well be one of Ash’s. Or the teenage boy loitering by the subway entrance, he could also be one of his.

  His people are not bound by age, gender, race or religion, and their responsibilities are just as varied. They all work the streets and communities, looking for the next victim. Trafficking exploits human beings and sadly, it is a low-risk, profitable crime. Awareness and prosecution are growing, but far too slowly for my liking.

  I push in the numbers I know by heart and put the phone to my ear.

  “Hello.” Van’s voice is wary, and he should be, as he doesn’t know who is calling.

  “It’s me. Tommie.”

  “Fuck. You okay? Is Tripp with you?”

  “What? No. Why?”

  “Max called. He told me how you ended things and took off. Not cool.” He isn’t impressed. “Tripp is on his way to your place. He was closest when we picked up your phone signal.”

  I’m glad I ditched my phone. This is why.

  “I’m not with Tripp and I’m going off the grid. Leaving you guys.” The words
sting leaving my mouth.

  “Fuck, no. Tommie girl, listen to me, we can beat that piece of shit together. If you go it alone, he has a better chance of getting to you.”

  I hate it but I hear the fear in his tone and I’m not going to add to it by telling him about Zero’s texts and phone call. The camera in my apartment.

  “I know what I’m doing. You and I both know I’m right.”

  “Bullshit.” His voice is like controlled thunder. “Tell me where you are. I can meet you. Or come to HC, the bar or our place. That’s where I am right now.”

  “Van.” His name slips out like a muffled sob. I clear my throat and inhale, burying my tears. “I can’t. Ash knows how to get to me. Through you. Through Max. I can’t have your death, your blood, on my hands too. I just couldn’t bear it.”

  “Tommie, fuck, no. You’re making it easier for him like this. Don’t you see that?” His voice is deep and rough like gravel.

  I can just imagine his hard glare and tight features, not liking or accepting what I’m saying. To make sure he is really hearing me, understanding fully why I must do what I’m doing, I deliver the hardest truth of all.

  “Van, he’s threatened Carys and the kids. He won’t hesitate to kill them. Any of you. I can’t let you put all that’s important to you at risk for me. I won’t. I love you. Bye.”

  I end the call, anger and melancholy clogging my throat, and dump the phone in the nearest trash can. With another glance over my shoulder, spotting no familiar faces, I pick up the pace to an easy jog despite there being nothing easy or simple about fleeing my life and friends.

  Max

  No one has seen or heard from Tommie in the past seventy-two hours. I’d hoped calling Van the second she stepped off that elevator would have changed things, but she managed to slip past him too.

  Her place is like it always is, empty. Her clothes are still there but that means nothing, she’d want to travel light. Van is beside himself and I’m not much better. I miss her. I’m worried sick and wonder if Ash has her.

  From what I’ve been able to get from Taya, nothing is different. Even with our run-in, she doesn’t know the truth about Ash and Tommie. She thinks they had a love affair, and even if she had illusions of more with Ash, it appears to be only business now. I don’t tell her we can’t find Tommie, although she likely knows Tommie hasn’t been around in days.

  Van was the last one to speak to her and he thinks she’s going to do something on her own. We’re desperate to find her. The auction is tonight, only hours away, and I don’t like doing this without her.

  Tripp strolls into the kitchen having just completed his third sweep of my apartment in as many hours. He snuck into the building early this morning, unnoticed, or at least that’s what he says.

  “You okay?”

  I nod, turning to do another lap around the room. Ry wanted me in a bulletproof vest but both Van and Tripp shut it down. There’s no way I’d get into the auction with that thing on.

  At most, I’ll have an undetectable tracker on me and that’s it. No wire because even if I am Taya Conrad’s son, I will be checked before entry.

  The auction location is unknown but all three of the guys—Ry, Van and Tripp—guarantee it won’t be any location I’ve been to before. There are a couple of options based on the surveillance of Taya’s men and the rare sightings of some of Ash’s men. Even still they haven’t been able to infiltrate any of those locations.

  Damn, I wish Tommie were here. She would know how to calm my nerves. She’d say just the right thing in her way to put me at ease. And most importantly, she’d be safe.

  “Remember, keep a low profile. Only speak when someone talks to you.” He gets directly in my path and I stare into his determined gaze.

  “Yes, understood.” I inhale deeply, trying to lessen the pressure bearing down on my chest.

  “Be cool and don’t take any risks. You just being there is enough.”

  I nod, swallowing with difficulty thanks to my suddenly dry throat. What the tracking device is found on me?

  Shit, I’m a dead man.

  “I’ll be close by. We’ve got Tommie’s team... fuck.” He clamps his mouth shut, his jaw tensing at the mention of our missing friend.

  No matter what Tripp says about pulling me out if things go sideways, he won’t get to me in time. We all know it. Tonight could be a suicide mission. But if I bring down Ash and Taya. Stop them and save those women. Grant Tommie her freedom forever, then my death will not be in vain.

  “I get it. The guys will be tracking me from HC and you’ll be on my tail. Right?”

  Now it’s his turn to nod curtly, a shaky hand raking through his already unruly hair. “Fuck. Why’d she have to pull this shit now? She better not go all vigilante or superhero on us.”

  I chuckle, and briefly, the pinch lessens in my chest. “She’s smarter than that.”

  He cocks his head to the side, staring at me with a curious gaze. “Yeah, she is.”

  The truth is we don’t know what she’s up to. But whatever it is, she wouldn’t set out to hurt or mess up our operation. I only wish she knew what we have planned. Unknowingly, she could hijack the entire thing.

  He shoves his hands into his pockets and starts pacing the room. I’ve got orders from Taya to wait for her text with the location. Fortunately, we don’t have long to wait.

  The address comes in fifteen minutes later and Tripp shares the location with the team and ends with, “Alpha team, the prince is on the move.”

  I bite back my grin—the prince, really?—and head for the elevator. Alpha team will follow me, as will Tripp, and there will also be a beta team close by.

  Tommie

  It’s been three days since I left Max and I’ve spent this time lying low. It feels longer and lonelier than I thought it would be. I use the time to learn more about Ash and his plans, the old-fashioned way, without the use of computers and technology, and rely on my CIs.

  A few of them are less than savory characters but they can dig for the dirt in places I can’t. They are also my eyes and ears across the city since I can’t be in many places at once.

  I also check in on Max. Last night, I followed him when he exited his apartment with Gunnar on their way to the park. The urge to join them, and screw my conviction, was a greedy beast, hungering for them. Ravenous for Max.

  But Ash’s threat isn’t idle or empty. Unless behind bars or better yet, gone for good, I’ll never really be free of him and Max’s life will be in danger.

  Now, on the third day of my self-imposed exile, I go back to Max.

  Let’s face it, I’ll always go back to Max.

  The auction is tonight. Do or die. If we can’t bring Ash to his knees, I might have to leave New York City. There’s a lot riding on tonight and I so wish I could be a part of it, but I can’t so I’ll settle for second best.

  I’m going to follow Max to the auction and to do so, I hide out in an alley down the street from his apartment building. It provides a good vantage point, although I’d prefer to be closer. I can’t though, or else I risk being spotted. HC are all over the place and I’m fully aware of their positions. It’s one of the benefits of being one of the crew.

  The waiting is agonizing. It always is with adrenaline pumping through your veins and the desire to go, go, go constantly nipping at your heels. I feel like a sprinter, body poised to burst from the blocks when that starter gun goes off.

  At dusk, Max exits his building and gets into an Uber idling at the entrance, which I’m sure is driven by one of our guys. I slink into the shadows of the alley as the car drives by so as not to be seen.

  It’s time to move but I’m heavy with melancholy. Let’s face it, I wanted to help Max get ready for tonight. I wanted to make sure he understood what to look for, what not to do and most of all, when to bail, if needed.

  The goal is Taya and Ash behind bars, but my greatest wish is for Max to get out alive. Even if it means we come home empty-handed.

>   I inch toward the edge of the wall for another peek, to make sure all is clear, before I grab a cab or Uber. Instead, a man stands at the opening to the alley. His posture is imposing, and his expression screams just how enraged he is.

  “Fuck, I thought it was you.” He marches toward me, invading my personal space. “What the fuck, Tommie?”

  “Tripp.” My back sags against the wall with my palm still flush against my chest. “You scared the shit out of me.”

  “You’re pissing me off.” Blue eyes narrow into shards of ice. “You’ve got Van and Max tied up in knots. And what for? You aren’t stupid and you don’t play games, so what the hell is going on?”

  If I wasn’t already torn up about leaving the guys in the lurch, his bitterness cuts into me. He isn’t cruel, and we get along well, but he doesn’t stand for bullshit. Even if I have my reasons, he only sees it one way.

  “I’m sorry. I needed to take myself out of the equation.” I’m appealing to his logic. Tripp doesn’t let his emotions come into play when doing a job.

  “How do you figure running does that? You are the equation. Shit, you’re most probably even the answer.” He exhales a harsh breath and rakes his fingers through his already tousled blond hair. “Fuck, why are we talking about math?”

  His lips twitch upward at the corners and I catch his almost smile before it’s gone. He isn’t upset with me, more concerned with what I’ve gotten myself into. I’ve worried him, worried them all, and I might as well add that to my list of things I’m messing up.

  I smile. “Because we’re both good at mathematics?”

  “A word of advice.” His glare pins me in place, all joking aside. “Don’t fuck with tonight’s operation. You chose to leave. I don’t want to see you anywhere near the auction.”

  Ouch. I can’t fault him for the truth or for looking out for all of us.

  “Well, I don’t know where it is, so you won’t.” I sound like a brat and he smirks despite himself.