He inhaled sharply and let his breath out in a rush. “Fuck me. Something about this isn’t right. Maybe one of the guards doubled crossed us. Took the money to turn and then turned back and told Nico what was going to happen. Tipped the bastard off.”
“No way. They’d be too scared to do that. Nico would dispose of them on the fucking spot. They know it would only earn them a bullet in their head for their troubles. If he knew they’d even met with the Servant’s, he wouldn’t hesitate.”
“Then why the fuck hasn’t she called?”
Shawn shrugged. “Maybe the burner didn’t work. Sometimes that shit is faulty.”
“She would have called the shelter.”
“Maybe not. She wouldn’t have wanted your brother or the shelter involved in any of this. Everything’s fine. I haven’t got a call yet.”
Right on fucking cue, Shawn’s phone went off. It was on silent, since they were supposed to be hiding out in that damn alley. Though it was in Servant’s territory, they weren’t supposed to blow their damn cover. Not that they really needed it. It was something Ryder insisted on, having Shawn there as fucking insurance against anything going wrong. He hadn’t told the guy when he’d made him promise to stay there with him throughout the whole thing, until Nico was dispatched to hell, but if things went south and the Servant’s betrayed him, he was going to pop Shawn as retribution.
Ryder closed his eyes as Shawn palmed his phone and brought it to his ear. “Yeah.” He waited while the seconds ticked on, long and interminable. Shawn refused to look at him and finally he spoke again. “He’s here with me. I’m on it. I’ll call if we need backup.”
Ryder’s head shot up. Those guns are going to see some action after all. The noise they made in his head was practically deafening. He imagined the set of Glocks singing to him softly, their warrior’s cry of retribution and rage. He’d light the fucking Cannelli house up and put Nico into the ground himself if they’d harmed a hair on Laura’s head.
“Nico never showed,” Shawn said quickly as he tucked his phone away.
“I fucking knew it,” Ryder swore. His hands balled into fists. Hell, he’d put a few bullets into Laura’s piece of shit brother just for fun, but he’d use his bare hands to send him off. He’d strangle the life out of the fucker with more pleasure than a man deserved to feel when he committed murder.
“We don’t know if he was tipped off. Something’s up though.”
“Laura never called. She would have called. I know she would have called no matter what.” Ryder’s head spun. His body was so tense that he actually felt like he’d fucking snap at any second. He didn’t hesitate before he went for his bike.
Shawn stopped him with a firm hand on the arm. Ryder tried to shake him off, but he held firm. “Don’t do anything stupid. Going in there would be suicide.”
“You said we’d call for backup. That means you already know I’m going and you’re coming with.”
“I thought we could go scope it out. I never meant that I’d go in there with you, guns blazing. We’d be dead before we even crossed the street.” Shawn muttered a string of curses to the wind that gusted through the alley. It carried the stench of rot.
Ryder finally realized the horrible smell wasn’t in the alley at all. It was in his mind, inside of him, turning him inside out, a warning. Blood. He could already smell it. Rich and coppery. He closed his eyes for a minute. “I don’t have any other choice,” he ground out. “I have to save her. If Nico didn’t show, he was probably tipped off. He’d know by now that Laura was involved. He’ll kill her. And Drake. I can’t let that happen. He’ll be coming for Jimmy next, since he’ll trace it back to me. He won’t rest until we’re all dead and you can bet that if he finds out the Servants were lying in wait for him that he’ll be coming for you all.”
“I’d like to see him try.”
“That’s the thing. He will try. He’ll bring hell down on all of you. He’ll have alliances, people that you know nothing about. People that you have no idea what they’re capable of.”
“You don’t know what the Servants are capable of.”
“I have a pretty good idea.”
“We could take Nico. It would be perfect if he broke the truce and engaged us in open warfare. We’d take him out then.”
“Not without losing quite a few of your own men and I’m willing to bet that your Prez is a little smarter than Bone and knows that bodies in the ground isn’t a great way to maintain an MC.”
Shawn sighed. “I don’t know what you want me to do. I’m not going to let you leave here and sacrifice yourself in one stupid, less than heroic act. We can’t just go up there and ring the fucking doorbell.”
Ryder thought for a moment. Shawn’s logic should have been sound, but sometimes the obvious idea really was the best. “Of course we can,” he said. He finally shook Shawn’s hand off his arm. “The whole house is going to be in chaos if Nico knows that his guards were turned. He’ll be fucking busy executing them. They won’t expect the Servants or anyone else to bring the attack to him. That’s suicide. He’s too confident that he has a stronghold.”
“Or his guards could have tipped him off and he could have let the fucker live. Or just executed him and the other guys could have denied involvement. It would take Nico a little digging to find out who is telling him the truth and who isn’t.”
“Still. He’s busy. He’s not expecting an attack.”
Shawn shook his head, his blue eyes growing even colder than normal. “This is fucking nuts.”
“Have I ever been known to make sane, logical decisions? Last time I checked, I’m still the fucker that killed his own father when he was twelve years old.”
Those eyes widened and shock replaced the anger and coldness. “What the fuck?”
“Oh. You didn’t know that?”
“No. I didn’t fucking know that.” Shawn’s mouth opened, but Ryder cut him off.
“Look. We don’t have time for this. We’ve wasted enough time already. You got my back or no?”
Shawn hesitated. He glanced around anxiously, the shitty brick buildings bordering the alley could somehow save him. “Yeah.” He finally nodded. “I’m in. You know that you’re probably going to be too late, don’t you? She would have been one of the firsts gone if Nico really is going full on executioner.”
Ryder couldn’t think about that. He had to believe Laura was alive or he’d go into executioner mode himself. He’d see red when he needed to keep his head on straight. He couldn’t afford to let blood paint his vision and let his emotions rule him. He had to keep it together for just a little while longer.
Just until Nico was dead.
“I know,” he said slowly. “But you’re wrong. She’s still alive and she’s going to stay that way. I promised I’d set her free and I meant it.” He went for his bike and didn’t feel right until he’d thrown his leg over and sat his ass down on the seat. The low growl when he started it up reassured him that everything was going to be fucking fine. The day would end with Nico’s death. He’d save Laura. She was still alive. He fucking knew it. Sensed it like he sensed something was wrong in the first place.
“Well then…” Shawn shrugged. He mounted up on his bike. He knew he wasn’t going to be able to talk Ryder out of it. “Let’s go fuck some shit up.”
Chapter 18
RYDER
The Cannelli house was huge. Located almost on the edge of the city, away from prying eyes, it was built like a damn fortress. A huge stone wall surrounded the place, which was obviously old, but had been well kept over the years. The exterior had obviously been redone recently, with some kind of white stone. It could only be properly termed a mansion. The wall extended around the huge yard and a metal gate pierced the front.
The place looked nice. Almost… inviting. Everyone knew who lived there and skirted the area, but hell, if a person didn’t know, some poor out of towner who got lost and ventured along, looking for directions or some shit… if they didn�
�t know better, they’d just think it was a nice estate, owned by a doctor or lawyer or someone rich enough to own a house that size, so much land, and had the means to maintain it all.
Ryder expected a proper greeting when he rolled right up the gate. He’d planned, on the long fucking drive over, that he was going to go in, guns blazing. He’d carve a path in like he was going into some thick jungle with a fucking machete.
He glanced over at Shawn, who looked at the gate in distaste. His top lip curled back and even over the roar of their bikes, Ryder could hear his words.
“Something isn’t right about this shit. The gate’s not locked.”
It wasn’t. That was the real puzzle. Like Nico expected them and had left the front open in invitation just so they could be ambushed right when they drove through it, closer to the house. Maybe he was standing there with some low range antique pea shooter that he’d been dying to try out. Maybe he wanted to take them alive so that he could spend days torturing them.
“Not going to fucking happen,” Ryder ground out.
“What?” Shawn frowned. He stared at Ryder like he’d finally lost his mind. Maybe he was crazy. He certainly doubted his sanity at the moment. His ability to think rational went right out the window right about the same time the blood lust started flowing through his veins. His murderous intent rang through his head, drowning everything else out.
“If it’s an ambush, I’m not going down. Not until I get to Nico. They can kill me after that.” He glared at Shawn. “I need you to have my back. I’ve got Nico, but once we’re inside, fucking find Laura. She’s still alive. I know it.”
“We’re going in blind here on a hunch.”
“That’s all I have to go on. It’s all I’ve ever had and it’s never failed me.” Ryder was done talking. He put down his head and gunned his bike through the unlocked gate. He’d been riding into hell his whole life. Now it was just official.
There was something definitely off about the house. Every single nerve ending he had felt like it was firing double time. He knew he was riding into danger, but hell, he wasn’t about to stop. Ryder knew he was built wrong. He knew that other people didn’t like riding into a fight. The thing was, he wasn’t other people. He enjoyed that rush of adrenaline. The way his body tensed and honed in for the kill. He liked using his limbs as weapons, his weapons as an extension of his limbs. He’d never craved killing, but he did what he had to do. He hadn’t dispatched anyone since his good old dad and he couldn’t think of a more deserving target than Nico Cannelli. The guy probably deserved it more than his pa had. Though the hair on the back of Ryder’s neck and arms stood on end, he knew he was going to fucking enjoy what he had to do.
Something was definitely not right. There wasn’t a soul in sight. No one charged out the door, guns blazing, ready to light the yard up and riddle him with bullets. His heart kicked in his chest, the adrenaline banging through his veins. He was ready for the fight, but apparently it wasn’t ready for him.
Ryder shut his bike off and kicked off it. Shawn was at his back immediately. He cast a sidelong look at Ryder, but Ryder ignored it. He squared his shoulders and charged forward up the flight of stone steps, right up to the front door.
When he tried the handle, surprisingly enough, it turned.
“What the fuck?” Shawn breathed, as he pushed open the door.
The first thing that hit him was the stench. Thick and coppery, it coated the air. The scent of death. He’d first scented it when he was twelve years old. He’d recognize it anywhere. That scent stayed with a person for life like their damn DNA.
The first guard was slumped just inside the door. Blood oozed from the bullet wounds in his chest. He’d fallen face up and his eyes stared sightlessly at the ceiling.
Ryder glanced around. The house was quiet. So fucking quiet. Impossibly quiet. He almost wanted to announce his presence by firing off his gun, but he resisted the urge. He palmed both his Glocks, the weight of them perfectly balanced in his hands.
“What the fuck?” Shawn whispered beside him. He frowned. “There isn’t anyone here. We should have been gunned the fuck down by now.”
“Nico wouldn’t have left. He isn’t the type to run. This is his house. It was his stronghold. He wouldn’t just take off and leave it behind. He’d stand here, make his last fucking stand in this place if that’s what it took.”
“What if that’s what it took?”
Ryder hedged. “You think someone got to him before us?”
“It looks that way.”
“He could just be luring us in to take us alive. The bastard’s the type of guy who would definitely get far more enjoyment out of a few days of torture than he would out of just killing us outright.”
“Right.” Ryder glanced around the house. It was ridiculously overdone with oil paintings in heavily gilded frames on the wall, chandeliers hanging from the ceilings that came complete with crown molding. The wainscoting on the walls spoke of another era.
If Nico was still alive, he was probably going to be pissed about the bloodstains on the floor. That is, if he was going to live long enough to care, which he sure as hell wasn’t.
“I’ll take the stairs.” Ryder pointed to a huge staircase that spiraled up to the second and third floors of the house.
“I’ve got your back,” Shawn promised. A shit-eating grin split his face. “But I’m happy to let you go first and take a bullet for me.”
“So fucking generous.” Ryder rolled his eyes when Shawn kept right on grinning.
He started up the stairs. The house was unnaturally quiet. The wooden treads didn’t even squeak or groan under his boots. The guard’s sightless eyes and the look of surprise frozen on his face all hinted at an inside job. The guy was riddled with bullets, at close range. He’d stumbled backwards, like he’d turned right into it, shocked at meeting his end that very second. He’d fallen onto his back, sightless eyes fixed in place.
Ryder reached the top of the stairs and indicted silently to the right. He inclined his head and walked slowly forward, guns outstretched. Shawn had his back. He walked backwards, facing the opposite direction, right behind him.
There was still no one in sight. The house was beginning to feel more like a shell, like a ghost, with every passing second.
A sharp whistle pierced the silence. Ryder’s skin prickled and his finger itched on the trigger. He barely managed to hold himself back from spraying the wall in front of him.
He turned to find Shawn’s face white. His lips were pulled into a thing, hard line. “What the fuck?” he whispered.
“I don’t fucking know.” Ryder shrugged. “Someone’s down there and he wants us to know he’s there.”
“Probably fucking Nico, waiting to grab us for his torture chamber.”
“He’ll likely video it and wank off to it later. That is, if he wasn’t dead.”
“I’m ready. We going down?”
Shawn paused. Before he could answer, a familiar voice drifted up from below.
“If you’re looking for Nico, you’re too late. He’s already been… dispatched. The guards you paid off are long gone. They wanted to save their own hides, of course. The ones left, I took care of myself. Come down and we can talk.”
Drake. Of course it was fucking Drake. Ryder’s skin prickled. There had been something off about the guy right from the start, but at the moment, he didn’t exactly have a choice.
Ryder took a steadying breath. “Alright, we’re coming down. Make the wrong move and I won’t hesitate to put a bullet in your head.”
Drake actually laughed. It was a little… off. “That might actually scare me if my piece of shit brother hadn’t threatened me with that my entire life. Don’t worry. I didn’t have a problem putting a bullet in his head or his other piece of shit men. It wasn’t a problem. They never saw me coming. Literally, because my brother had just beaten the shit out of my sister and given the okay for her to be raped. So yeah… they were busy with that.”
Rage choked Ryder’s throat. The red was back, swimming in front of his vision, blinding him. He found himself wishing that Drake was lying. That it was all a trick and Nico was still alive, waiting down there to take him with his men. Fuck, he wished, for the first time, that he had the power to reanimate a corpse. He wished he could bring Nico back to life just so he could have the pleasure of torturing and killing the prick.
“Should we go down? Do you think it’s a trick?” Shawn asked quietly.
“We don’t have any other choice. It’s not like we can stay up here.”
Shawn shrugged. “Your call. I’m good with doing whatever you want. You think whoever that is down there is telling the truth?”
“It’s hard to say. I didn’t trust him from the first. Something was off about the guy.”
“Like he was clearly hiding mass amounts of weapons that he used to murder half his household with?”
“Yeah. That kind of vibe.”
“Well, then I guess we can trust him. If he was shady as shit right from the start then I guess…”
“He did it to save Laura. That I am sure of. So for the time being, I guess we trust him.” Ryder turned. He moved slowly back towards the stairs, but never lowered his guns. He wasn’t a complete fucking idiot.
Drake stood at the base of the stairs. He raised his hands, palms up. They were spattered with blood, though the stains had faded to a rusty red. Since he was dressed all in black, his clothes hid the rest of it. “My fight was with Nico, not with you. I couldn’t wait for him to get out of the house. I heard him arguing with my sister. I know what he did to her. How he abused her and beat her. The fucker did the same thing to me when I was younger. I’ve been waiting, biding my fucking time. With almost all the guards out of the house, it was the perfect opportunity. All I had to do was walk right into his office and shoot one fucking man in the back as he was busy trying to rip Laura’s clothes off. Nico was easier. He didn’t even have time to pull his gun or look shocked before I popped him in the face.” Drake took a deep breath and a slow grin lit up his face. “Fuck, it was satisfying as hell, I must say.”
Lonely Rider - The Box Set: A Motorcycle Club Romance - The Complete Series Page 75
