“That much I remember. I’m still a little fuzzy on why.”
So was Lauren. “I don’t think this has anything to do with the townhouse scam.”
“Then why are we here?”
Joe unlocked the door and stepped through. “You’re here to draw Staff Sergeant Ryder back to the scene of the crime.”
“What crime?”
“The murder of his wife.” Baby Face Joe sneered. His face wasn’t so babyish anymore. It bordered on insanity. “Your best friend is collateral damage.”
“No. She doesn’t know anything.”
“She knows more than you think.”
Lauren stood, her legs wobbly underneath her. Debi looked at her like she’d lost her ever-loving mind, which she probably had, but Lauren wasn’t lying down and letting Baby Face and his friends destroy her. The times they’d come into the bar had been a setup to get to Ryder. She knew without a shadow of a doubt that Ryder would come for her. She just needed to stay alive long enough for him to find her. “My husband’s going to kill you.”
“No, actually, he’s going to kill you. All the bumps and bruises from the last few days will only add to the proof against him. Add in the dead bodies and it’ll look like your husband has been very busy since he’s been home. Psychotic break.”
She wanted to say no one would believe it, but Beth could testify to the bruises on her face. “How did you get Beth to help you?” The college girl had to have known there were drugs in the tea. She’d been the only one there when Lauren got the first cup.
“She thinks she’s helping her favorite college professor escape an abusive husband. My buddies and I, we’re just staging an intervention. We stash you somewhere safe while we have a discussion with your husband, curing him of the abuse. Sadly, he escapes and takes you with him. Big fucking tragedy.”
Baby Face had planted the suggestion that Ryder was responsible. People would believe the story—look how many times she’d crossed campus wearing bruises—and her death would go down as one more PTSD catastrophe. “You suck.”
He grinned, showing the evil she hadn’t noticed before. He was cold, shallow, and lacking any human empathy. This was what their science experiment created.
“You’re one of them. Team Echo?” The team Ryder thought was dead.
“Your husband spilled his guts? I’m surprised.”
“They killed you.”
“Why would they kill their only successful experiment? We’re eliminating the remainders.”
Lauren’s pulse did that thing where she was pretty sure her heart was ready to stop. “You’ve got that wrong, cupcake. You will die by his hand.” Lauren tucked her head and rammed Joe’s midsection. He didn’t fold, but anger lit a fire in his eyes. Pure evil. She twisted her hands around his midsection and tried to slam him into the door. They struggled, and he pushed her off him.
Rage lit his face as he backhanded her across the room with his left hand.
Lauren’s head hit the wall and she dropped to the ground like a dead body. The room blurred for a moment, but she blinked it away, certain if she lost consciousness, her chances of survival were slim to none.
Debi helped her sit. “Shut. Up.” Her words hissed into Lauren’s ear.
Lauren wiped blood from the corner of her mouth and felt a new split in her swelling lip. “Putting bruises on me is a fatal mistake. You’ve never seen him angry.”
“He won’t know what’s real or which demon is hunting him.” Baby Face smiled. “I gave him a little dose of his old medicine. Added in some alcohol. You really shouldn’t mix the two.”
“But I’ve seen you drink. You and your buddies.”
“We don’t mind the side effects, especially when they let us out to play.”
Fear threatened to strangle her. “You’re sick.”
“That’s what they pay me for.” He slammed the door closed and locked it before Lauren could think of a reply.
Debi offered a hand to lift Lauren to her feet. “Quit antagonizing the crazy man.”
Lauren smiled, but pain turned it to a grimace. “Sorry. Being around Ryder makes me feel like a badass.”
“I’m sorry to break it to you, my friend, but he’s the one with the six-pack abs.”
“Whatever. He taught me a few things.” Lauren uncurled her fist to reveal the key she stole from Baby Face.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Excruciating pain stabbed Ryder in the temple, waking him from near death. Or was death the only way out of the fucking agony? Cramps twisted his gut and spasms twitched through his muscles. Sweat coated his skin. He hadn’t felt like this since they’d had to strap him down during detox. Rising to his hands and knees, he shook his head to clear the fuzz from his brain. A jolt of electricity snapped down his spine, bringing misery instead of relief.
He blinked until the darkness around him cleared. Lauren’s office. Why was he in her office? What time was it? Ryder leaned back on his haunches and waited for the room to stop spinning. When the world righted itself, he focused on the clock behind her desk. Two o’clock. Middle of the night based on the lack of light coming through the windows and the lack of noise in the hall.
Using the desk, Ryder pulled himself to his feet. Lauren. He had to find Lauren. So many nights he’d wondered where she was, who she was with, but that wasn’t it. This time, something in his brain struggled through the fog. Last thing he remembered, he’d been in the truck with Rose. A brain freeze pierced his skull as he rifled through his memories. What the hell? The last time he saw Rose was hours ago.
The text. He squinted to bring the memories into focus. A text had come through. Big trouble. Light from the clock was burning a fucking hole in his eyes. Stay frosty, Craft had told him, but Ryder hadn’t. Had he? If he’d been alert, he wouldn’t have woken up on the floor of Lauren’s office eight hours later with no fucking clue what had happened.
Just like Mad Dog.
Fear slammed through him, the adrenaline making his limbs quake. What had happened in his missing time? He lifted his hands, twisted them to get a better look. Torn skin along the knuckles, but no blood. The memory of Madigan, twisting his hands and staring like they weren’t attached to him, bloody as fuck. They’re my life.
Ryder closed his eyes. What had he done?
Debi found a phone on Smythe’s dead body. They’d had to unroll him from the plastic and his body was stiff, almost like a mannequin. When they finished, Lauren had made Debi look. Filing through the pockets of a dead man once today was plenty. It was Debi’s turn. Debi pushed the power button, but nothing happened. Dead freaking battery. Desperation brought tears to her eyes. They had the key, but they didn’t know who or what was outside the door. “Do you think we can sneak past Joe?”
“Depends. Who is with him?”
“There were four soldiers at the bar that night. Joe, some guy named Hedrick, and the other two. Same size.”
“So walking mountains. Great news.”
“There might be more than four.” If she was right, if Joe was from the supposedly defunct Team Echo, then there were twelve men in total. Some of the men might be after Fowler. Lauren wished she’d paid better attention, but all she’d been able to think about was Ryder leaving. “And where’s Ryder? Fowler was only a few hours out. They should be here by now.”
It felt like hours since they’d woken. Joe hadn’t come back to visit, which was probably a good thing.
“Ryder doesn’t have a way to find us.”
He’d put a tracker app on her phone and Debi’s, but the phones were nowhere to be found. “Joe is certain he’ll come here.” Disoriented. What had they done to Ryder? She glanced at the locked door. “We need to try, before they decide to kill us.”
The neighbor’s house was silent, but if they could sneak out and head next door, they could call the cops. Like it or not, they needed help. If they lived, Ryder could get mad at her for involving the police. She outlined a plan for Debi. They didn’t have much choice. Stayin
g was a death sentence.
They turned out the light to let their eyes adjust to the dark and a wave of panic washed over her. The dead bodies in the room were threatening in the dark. When her heart couldn’t take anymore delay, Lauren slid the key into the lock. All the upstairs doors were closed and Lauren was too terrified to look inside. Dead bodies were one thing, but what if they walked in on Joe and his crew?
Debi’s heavy breath panted behind her. Lauren slipped down the hallway like a shadow. At the landing, there were no lights shining from the open floor plan below. Was Joe asleep somewhere or waiting for them? Where was the rest of his group?
Debi dug her fingers into Lauren’s arm where Miranda’s nails had already left their mark. Together, they tiptoed down the dark stairs. They made it without tripping and Lauren peered around the corner. The light from the microwave lit the space, but there were no human inhabitants in the lab that used to be her living room and kitchen. She skirted past a table, half afraid Joe would grab her from underneath, but they made it to the front door without meeting another soul. Terrifying anticipation shook her body.
Debi pulled her back to whisper in her ear. “Do you think he’s sleeping upstairs?”
Lauren shrugged. She was confused, and the farther they got without running into people, the more her nerves stretched taut. The air in her lungs burned as fear flowed in and out with each breath closer to freedom. Debi stepped forward and turned the knob when Lauren hesitated. She held her breath, but no one was waiting outside the door. No guards? Did they really just think that Ryder would find her and kill her? Surely they weren’t that stupid.
They stood in the entryway, half in and half out of the townhouse. “Can we make it to help without waking the neighbor?” Maybe they didn’t have to call the cops.
Debi shook her head emphatically. “Help. Now.”
Holding hands, they ran through the shadows to the neighbor’s door. With a furtive glance back at her house and the dark parking lot, Lauren reached out to pound on the neighbor’s door. Within seconds, Callahan pulled open the door. He was wearing boxers and nothing else. His chest was cut muscle and wide as the door. He rubbed his eyes as if to wipe away the sleep. “This is a surprise.”
“Can we come in?” Debi pushed through without waiting for an answer. Lauren followed until Debi stopped. Lauren stumbled into her, and then looked past.
There sat Joe and his buddies playing poker. “Well, well, well. You’re more resourceful than I thought.”
Lauren backed away, but Callahan blocked the exit. He pulled a phone from the table in the entry. “Let’s head back to your place so you can call your husband, Mrs. Ryder. Let him know where you are.”
As Ryder hung up the phone, the beast roared, shattering the last tether to sanity. A voice he didn’t recognize had interrupted Lauren’s call. He heard her bark of pain before they’d taken the phone away.
Ryder’s vision swam with drugs and rage and fear. He jumped the steps leading away from the administration building and went straight for the truck. Someone was dying tonight.
“Why don’t you just kill us?”
Beside her, Debi smacked her arm. “Shut. Up.”
“What? I’m trying to figure out how these mental geniuses think.”
They were waiting in the living room of her former house, on the floor surrounded by five sociopaths. Or was it psychopaths? Either way, not a good place to be. At least they weren’t with the dead bodies, although that might be preferable to being surrounded by five bad guys the size of weightlifters. Why hadn’t she noticed their height? Their build? They’d seemed so innocuous when flirting with the college girls, but trapped between them, they gave off an air of menace that kept her head spinning. If Ryder didn’t show up soon, they wouldn’t have to kill her. She’d have a heart attack.
“We discussed it” Hedrick answered. Away from the bar and the music and the girls, he oozed crazy. A shiver flashed under her skin as she recalled his big hand gripped around her arm. “But we didn’t know how long he’d be out.”
“You drugged him?” Panic lifted her voice. Ryder had said it wasn’t safe to mix drugs or alcohol with the medical cocktail they’d already endured.
“Couldn’t have him thinking clearly.” Joe smirked. He’d stationed himself at the door as a glorified sentry.
“And we can’t have your time of death too far off from your husband’s apparent suicide. Makes people ask questions.”
“He’s not that easy to kill.”
Joe grinned, the evil coming off him like stink on a feedlot in the middle of the summer. He lifted a section of blind to glance out at the front walkway. “I wouldn’t be so sure.”
“What did you do?”
“We may not be mental geniuses,” Callahan answered. “But we have a solid plan. Your husband isn’t thinking clearly, and he’s got enough drugs in his system to fuck with his concentration. Don’t count on him for help.”
But she was, absolutely, counting on Ryder to make it back to her. The days of doubting him, of expecting him to abandon her were over. He’d protect her. Absolutely. “I’m going to enjoy watching him pull you limb from limb.”
“Got news for you.” Joe flipped the blinds back into place. “You don’t have to wait.”
Hedrick pulled out a handgun. “Time for the show.”
Debi pulled Lauren close to the wall nearest the stairs. Boy, did Lauren understand the need for a wall at your back. She’d never sit in the middle of any room again. Assuming she lived. When her butt hit the sheetrock, Lauren closed her eyes and whispered a prayer. Please don’t let him be alone.
Ryder walked in alone. Black jeans, black shirt, black boots. He entered with his hands out in a manner only a fool would consider submissive. “Baby, you okay?”
A knot blocked her throat, so she had to force the words. “Sure, the usual. Dead bodies. Kidnapping.”
“What happened to your face?”
She dabbed at the tender spot on her cheek. The newest injury didn’t hurt too bad, considering. She glanced at Joe as he shut and bolted the door. At the movement of her gaze, Ryder flipped around. He was on Joe, pummeling his face. He got in three good shots before two soldiers pulled him off.
Ryder stumbled from their grasp. He shook his head like he was trying to clear it. Up close, she saw sweat on his forehead and damp spots under his arms and in a band around his neck. He looked liked he’d been sitting in a steam room. His eyes held a faraway look that didn’t bode well.
Joe wiped a streak of blood off his lip.
“Where are your buddies?” Callahan asked.
“You’re the one surprise here.” Ryder pointed his thumb at the house next door, but his arm shook at the slight movement. “You were in the house before we moved in here.”
“Recon. We planned to take you out the same week you pulled the disappearing act.”
“You watched me.” All the times the neighbor had checked on her, Lauren had thought he was just a nice guy.
“I knew your husband would be back. Just a matter of time.”
Yet Lauren had doubted Ryder every minute of every day. She’d written him off rather than trying to understand. She’d been too wrapped up in her own fears, so afraid of losing her husband, she didn’t see his absolute commitment to her. Lauren wanted to go to Ryder, to apologize before it was too late. He’d probably saved both of their lives by leaving when he had. They hadn’t had any clue the danger they were living in.
She grabbed Debi’s hand and pulled her close. They needed to be ready when the shit hit the fan, because no way did Ryder walk into an ambush without a plan. He didn’t mind dying, but he wouldn’t leave her hanging. The feeling was mutual. She couldn’t allow him to sacrifice himself. Ryder might not be afraid, but she was terrified of a life without him.
Joe shoved Ryder from the back, pushing him deeper into the room. “Answer the fucking question. Where are your teammates?”
Ryder stumbled and landed on his knees. He p
ut a hand to his temple. “They’re halfway to Tucson.”
They were alone? “Oh, Ryder.” She nearly cried. Maybe he wasn’t thinking straight.
“Sometimes you have to handle shit on your own, baby.” He moved closer, placing his body between Lauren and the soldiers. He frowned at Joe. “But you know my team isn’t around. This was a two-prong operation. You guys here and another team following Fowler, dividing my men.”
Joe and Hedrick did a quick fist bump, confirming Ryder’s supposition and destroying Lauren’s hope. Alone and unarmed. She inched closer, hoping—
Callahan shoved her against the wall. Ryder moved just as swiftly, tackling Callahan to the ground. “No one gets between me and my wife.” He struck Callahan in the sternum, the same move that had incapacitated Earl, but Callahan struck back. This time, it took three men to pull Ryder off, but they didn’t kill him. Why?
Lauren sidestepped away from the fight, closer to the stairs. The sixteen feet from windowsill to ground didn’t seem as insurmountable as their odds here in the house.
They lifted Ryder off and he shook his head as if he were trying to clear it. He let loose a sarcastic grin. “You five really think you can take me?” His words slurred.
Dear God, what had they done? He couldn’t even stand straight without one of the soldiers holding him upright. One of the soldiers she remembered from the bar blocked her path. He had the same dead eyes as the others, one shadowed with a bruise. “We don’t have to subdue you.” He put a gun to her head. “You fuck up again, and she takes the bullet that much sooner. She just has to die before you. The how is open for interpretation.”
Great. Lauren swallowed.
Ryder’s eyes filled with rage, the same look before he’d beaten Earl. When his eyes panned the room, there was no recognition in his eyes. No humanity. True fear filled her. Ryder wasn’t himself. She was no longer sure he could defend himself, let alone save her. “You have to wait for a confirmation call from the men following Fowler. You’re not the ones calling the shots.”
Live By The Team (Team Fear Book 1) Page 23
