Inferno

by Harley McRide

  “No worries,” Ricco said smoothly and winked at Georgie. “My men will take you to our hotel, there is a room ready for you, they will remain with you until we come back. Please, feel free to order a meal, and whatever else you need. They will take care of it.”

  She smiled at him and nodded then stood when the men came to her side and helped her up. She stood and said to them, “Thank you.”

  Everyone got very serious when Fling yelled, “The other SUV is moving closer to the door, get her out of here, now!”

  She watched as Boomer moved, he took one last look at her and then moved to his leader. Bear and the others who were on the ground grabbed their guns and pushed themselves up and braced in the middle of the room.

  Both men had to pull her as she moved to go back to Boomer, she didn’t want to leave him to this, she was pissed, but still. Ricco turned and yelled, “Leave now.”

  The men pulled her harder out the door and flung her against the wall as bullets began to fly again on this side of the building. The man named Marco yelled to someone. “Cover us.”

  “Got it,” someone said from above us.

  Raphael put an arm around her waist and practically lifted her off the ground and ran with her in his arms. She screamed a little when she saw Marco flinch and blood appear on his arm.

  They rounded one of the warehouses and a car was there running. Weird, she thought as she was thrown in the back of the car. “Get down on the floor,” Marco yelled from the passenger seat and she complied, rolling onto the floor, and Georgie put her arms over her head and she felt the car moving.

  When one of the windows exploded over her head, she began to pray. Please, let them all get out of here safe.

  Chapter Thirteen

  As soon as Georgie was out of the room, Fling yelled for everyone to pull back and wait. Those fuckers wanted in here, then let them come, Boomer thought and saw the look in his leader’s eyes when he swung his gaze to Boomer. Hell yeah, this place was gonna go.

  He moved and Fling yelled instructions, “Ricco, tell your men to get the fuck off the roof and get out of here. We mow whoever comes through that door down, and then Boomer will take care of it. Ortiz is still mine.”

  Ricco nodded and moved to the door and whistled loudly. “Out,” he yelled and he turned around. Boomer snorted, apparently when he ordered someone to do something they did it. He wondered who the hell he really was, but he didn’t have time to ask. Georgie was gone, and that was all that matter, now he had to get everyone the fuck out of here and safe. Especially himself, him and Little Miss Sassy Pants were going to have a discussion on being pissed and how they were going to handle shit. They were new, and yes he was an ass, that didn’t mean they were done.

  One of the things they hadn’t talked about, which was surprising since they had talked about a lot of shit, was how they handled being pissed. Boomer knew he had a bit of a temper, he knew he could be an asshole, and apparently Georgie could be a bitch, which didn’t bode well for either of them.

  He unlocked the secured room and opened the door, there was only a small amount of C4 in there, he knew because he didn’t like to store explosives unless he was regularly at the place, mostly because it could explode for a variety of reasons. So the good part was, they had enough to blow the warehouse and wipe out any evidence of the Furies here, well except for one thing, but there was nothing in here but a few papers with a Mexican Cartel’s name on it. He hit the computer in the corner, thank God they had turned it on, he hit some keys, and then moved quickly.

  He grabbed his stuff, went to the door, looked out at one of the bastards who yelled into the warehouse. “Come out, we don’t want to hurt you.” All of them laughed, the man had been watching too many cop shows.

  Out to the main room he already knew where the weak points to the warehouse was, mostly because he had planned in case they ever needed to do it. His brothers were waiting, when he put up the first charge he heard the guns beginning to fire, they were coming. He moved faster, Fling yelling at everyone, making sure they were seeing where he was. He neared the window that faced the back of the warehouse where Georgie had exited and saw a bunch of SUVs pull up with men dressed in the same attire as Ricco, he wanted to roll his eyes, but he was too busy and didn’t have time.

  Another charge planted and he moved on. He ignored Fling’s call to move Monster who had been shot again, fuck. He wanted them all to make it out of here. Then he heard Ricco yell, another Fury had gone down, he didn’t have a chance to look. Another charge, one more and they were done.

  “Ortiz!” Fling yelled loudly and yeah, he looked. The man who had started this whole clusterfuck was laughing in the window. He pointed his gun at Fling and pulled the trigger at the same time Fling did. Fling went down, as did Ortiz, and Boomer swore and then saw Bear grab their leader and pull him out from the front line. He didn’t have time to check.

  He set the last of the charges and yelled, “Clear out!”

  Fling was moving, Bear had lifted him up and was helping him to the door. Boomer met his eyes and he knew. Fuck, he turned, too many men between him and Ortiz, but he pulled his gun and knew he was going to do it anyway. Sunny deserved it, Fling deserved it, the rest of the club deserved it. Closure. And he was going to get it for them, come hell or high water.

  Ricco saw what he was doing and damned if the man didn’t cover him. “Leave now,” Ricco yelled and Boomer heard the cars peeling out. They needed to get clear of the building or they were all dead.

  Ortiz’s men ran into the room with a smile, like they had won something. Some of them moved through the room to the door. Boomer nodded to Ricco and they turned and ran to the secured door, Boomer punched in the code and threw open the door while Ricco covered him. They were in the room, panting, when Ricco said, “Well, hoss, it could get ugly.”

  Boomer went to the monitor that was in the corner and hit it, the screen turned on and he saw Ortiz himself enter the warehouse, he was smiling. Ricco stood next to him, and said, “Hope this place is solid.”

  “Yeah,” Boomer said and looked at the man whose hair was barely ruffled even after all that. “Count or Blow.”

  “Come on,” Ricco said. “I am from Vegas, never bluff unless you are ready for the consequences.”

  Boomer grinned. “This was not a bluff; my hand is stacked!” he said and then hit a button on the key board and the world around them shook.

  Georgie was escorted right through the lobby of a posh hotel by the two men, she looked like hell and she knew it. When they went to the elevators, she saw herself in the reflection of the doors and groaned, please don’t let someone get on the elevator with us, she thought when the doors opened.

  Both of the men chuckled but the one named Marco said, “You do realize you have been talking no stop since we told you to get up off the floor, I mean you were before, but we couldn’t understand you, it was muffled.”

  Georgie nodded. “Yeah, it is a thing, I mean, like a tick or something, I have been doing it since I was little, but I usually have a little bit of a handle on it except when I am stressed, then it’s like Niagara Falls, sorry, you had better get used to it, because until Bear and Boomer are back here all safe and sound, I’m pretty much not going to stop, I can’t.”

  Raphael laughed and said, “We figured, but I can tell you right now, Ricco was right, it is cute, and if your man, Boomer, was it?” when she nodded he continued as her mouth hung open in shock, “Well, if Boomer doesn’t take care of you, let me know. I can solve that.”

  Oh my God, he was hitting on her, this gorgeous man, who looked like an Italian hottie, was totally hitting on her while she looked like shit and had to smell. In fact, she knew she did because when she was on the floor she could smell herself and it was gross. Something she never wanted to do again.

  “I don’t usually stink,” she blurted out and had no idea why, but it made both of the men laugh and shake their heads.

  Marco said, “Oh yeah, if Raphael, Boomer,
and Ricco fail, I will be in line as well.”

  She looked at the other man and her eyes widened again and then her head snapped to the front and she just stared. What on earth? she thought and when they exited the elevator she saw there were literally only four doors on the floor. They walked to the one closest and Marco pulled out a key from his pocket and opened the door. When she walked in a breath caught in her chest, they were in the penthouse, the room was a suite and was flipping huge. She moved without thinking to the windows and looked out. They hadn’t gone that far when they were in the SUV, she should be able to see the warehouse district.

  Raphael came to her side as did Marco on the other side. Raphael was the one who said quietly, “It is over there.”

  She looked and nodded, taking in a deep breath, but when she let it out, she saw the explosion and her hand instantly went to the window and she pressed herself to it and stared in horror as the plume of smoke rose.

  Fling and the others had cleared the warehouse area and then turned down the road that would lead them back to the hotel. No one was talking, well, Bear was but he didn’t count since the large man was cussing at MDog who was cleaning his wound up. Normally Fling would have laughed, but right now, he felt like he had let not only the club down but his men. He hadn’t killed Ortiz. Fucker.

  The driver slowed down and he looked around his shoulder and saw the line of cop cars blockading the street in front of them. Fuck, he thought as they slowed to a stop. One of the cops looked at the driver and began to walk their way, if he hadn’t been looking he wouldn’t have seen the slight movement of the driver’s head and then cop stop. Then he did something that surprised him.

  The cop nodded and moved and waved to the others who were standing guard as well and the cars moved. Well shit, he thought, they had made a good choice in people they asked for help from apparently.

  As they cleared the cop cars, the ground shook and Fling closed his eyes, sending up a prayer for Boomer and Ricco. He hoped they had gotten out.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Boomer rolled to the side and sucked in a breath, fuck that hurt. He opened one of his eyes as he forced himself to remember, shit, Ortiz. He tried to move but he couldn’t, opening both eyes finally, he tried to focus, but it was hard. His ears were ringing still.

  The explosion. Ricco.

  He coughed and then tried to talk. “Ricco?” he said and his voice was raspy but at least he heard it, even though it was muffled, he knew he hadn’t blown his eardrums at least, that was something.

  He could see the smoke still rising around him, some of the fires were still burning. He could feel the heat, debris was floating around, and he closed his arms. Where the hell was Ricco.

  “Ricco?” he said, his voice a little stronger. He heard someone moving and he turned his head and looked. Fuck, he was a sitting duck, who was moving? He couldn’t see, but when he heard Ricco, he wanted to laugh.

  “Man, what the fuck?” he groaned.

  “Dude, we need to get the fuck out of here before the cops get here,” Boomer said. “Can you get up, I can’t, something is on me.”

  He heard scuffling and finally Ricco came into view and Boomer laughed, yeah it was dumb, but really he couldn’t help himself. The man frowned and said, “What?”

  “Your hair is completely fucked up; I think some of it singed off,” Boomer said and Ricco coughed.

  “That is not funny,” the man said seriously and then Boomer laughed louder.

  “Fuck yeah it is,” Boomer said. “What the fuck is on me?”

  Ricco looked down and he frowned and said, “Shit, part of the roof, hang on.” Ricco staggered up and tried to find something he could use to wedge under it and get Boomer out.

  He finally looked down and all he could see was the edge of something. He was laying at a weird fucking angle and it prevented him from being able to help much. Ricco finally found a bar, and he came back to where Boomer was laying and Ricco said, “Cover your face, there is shit all over it, just in case it falls back.” Boomer nodded and then used his arm covered his face.

  “When I say move, roll,” Ricco said and Boomer nodded.

  Boomer felt him move the bar close to his hip, he got what the man was doing and so when he felt the pressure rise off his legs he moved his arm knowing the shit was falling away from him. “Now!” Ricco said, obviously straining and he moved his large body out of the way. When he was clear, Ricco dropped the bar and the rubble fell back down.

  “Come on,” Boomer said, pulling himself up and checking himself for injuries, he knew he had some cuts, one of them on his leg was bleeding and he grimaced and looked at Ricco to see how bad he was. They both looked rough, and would stick out like a sore thumb once they left this area. “You have a phone?” he asked and Ricco nodded and pulled a phone out of his back pocket and then grimaced.

  Ricco said, “Well, not anymore apparently.”

  Boomer snorted and said, “Come on, we will figure it out as we go.”

  Ricco nodded and they picked their way through the rubble until they were in the main room of the warehouse and Boomer held up a hand and looked around. That fucker had been here somewhere, he thought and looked at Ricco who was following him, but looking down as well. There was blood, men had died here, and he didn’t give two shits’, they were fucking animals, men who had killed children.

  Then Boomer saw it, a man’s hand sticking from beneath a pile of rubble but was moving. Ricco followed him as he stumbled to where he saw the hand and then lifted the piece of building which had fallen on him. When he revealed the man’s head and saw Ortiz, Boomer actually smiled and looked at Ricco who was also staring at the man intently.

  Ortiz had blood coming out of his mouth, and when he smiled at Boomer, he teeth were bloody, and Boomer knew he wouldn’t leave him here, fucker didn’t deserve to have a chance to survive. But he wasn’t going to go out peacefully, this motherfucker was going to feel every fucking bit of torture they had planned. He looked at Ricco and he said, “I can’t leave him.”

  Ricco nodded and said, “Tell me what you need.”

  “We need a car and we need to get him back to the hotel, into a room no one will hear him when he dies,” Boomer said and Ricco nodded.

  “Let’s get him up.”

  The men worked together to get Ortiz to his feet, the man tried unsuccessfully to pull away from them but they found it easy to keep him in line. They took either side of him and they moved, holding him up between them.

  Boomer didn’t give a care how hurt he was, how much pain he felt, this fucker was going to be delivered right to Fling, he deserved the kill. They walked down slowly, but both men seemed to get stronger as they got out of the area where the smoke was so thick it made it all that much worse to breathe, but when the smoke cleared and Boomer paused for a moment, sucking in a deep breath and he heard Ricco do the same.

  He looked up, and saw the police cars who were holding back, he cussed under his breath and the fucker they were carrying started to chuckle. He thought he was going to get out of it, and he may.

  Ricco looked at Boomer and shook his head and then looked at Ortiz and said, “What the fuck are you laughing at.”

  “All of this posturing, all of this drama, so I can be turned over to the other authorities. What will they do to me? Slap my wrist and send me home? That is what your leaders will do. I have too many connections to ever be held for long, I would even bet your president sends me a fruit basket while I am recuperating.” Ortiz laughed and then Ricco smiled.

  Boomer looked at him, holy fuck, that smile wasn’t the flirting one he had given to Georgie, no, his lips were thin and twisted, and if he was on the receiving end of that smile, Boomer would be a little worried at that point. The man was dangerous, there was no doubt about it. And when the words left his mouth next, Boomer wanted to laugh.

  “See that is where you are wrong,” Ricco said and then with his free arm he pointed to the cop, the one of whose car was moving to
ward them.

  Ortiz laughed and spit blood on the ground in front of them and said, “Please, enlighten me.”

  Ricco waited for a second and when the car pulled up close to them and Ricco motioned the officer with his head. “Well, you see. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but this police officer happens to be related to someone very dear to me. In fact, he is the son-in-law to my boss’s brother. Now that may not mean a lot to you right now. But I would suggest you think real hard about the name Acciai.”

  Boomer felt Ortiz stiffen, he knew the name, well fuck a duck. “Ah, I see you know him already. So anyway, he is here to pick us up, he will deliver us to the hotel where the other members of the Fury will be waiting. And when I turn you over to them, I will do so in order to make sure that when they are done with you, I have made arrangements for your body to never be discovered.”

  The officer got out of the vehicle and he narrowed his eyes at Ortiz, reached out and grabbed his arm and pulled him to the back of the car and basically threw him in. Boomer chuckled and said, “Ricco, you are my hero.”

  The man shook his head and then took a deep breath and said to the officer who was standing there. “Please, Ernesto, please for the love of God, call a car and have them pick us up immediately. We also need a cellphone; arrangements need to be made.”

  The man reached in the car and handed Ricco a phone, who handed it off to him. Ricco then moved to the officer and turned him away from Boomer so he could have privacy while he called Fling. He watched as the two walked to the car and he saw the man calling for the car Ricco had requested. He didn’t wait, he pushed in Fling’s number and waited.

  “Boomer?” Fling snapped into the phone and he chuckled quietly.

  “Wow, man, you sound worried. Where you worried I was actually dead?” Boomer said and he heard a sigh come from his president.

  “Fuck no,” Fling said. “I wasn’t worried about you at all, fuck, I was worried about that bastard with you, his boss’s brother is a little bit upset we left him there with you. Plus, add on to that, the woman, she is running rampant through the floor banging on doors and demanding to go back to the warehouse and find you.”