Sundown Series (Book 4): Torment

by Konstantin, Courtney

  "Change? Why?"

  "The Major needs access to the stores of supplies you have, not just the drugs. Without the government fully functioning, supplies haven't flowed the way we need. We know you have control of a lot in this area. We need access to it. We have a truck to fill," blond solider said.

  "A truck? You just want to fill a truck? Callahan has lost his mind. I don't have that much on hand," the Noble Lord said.

  "We know you do."

  "And what do I get in return?" The Noble Lord asked, not bothering to deny his supply situation.

  "Continued protection from any element that would choose to end your little kingdom status here," brown-headed soldier said.

  Alex couldn't believe the conversation. The Noble Lord didn't have the power on his own. He was supported by Major Callahan. The last few days seemed so laughable now. The Noble Lord tried to portray himself as the all-powerful king of Montana and lands surrounding. In the end, he was just a pawn of Callahan's. She could admit he seemed to have no problem getting his hands dirty to demand the respect he had from the people in the brothel. But he didn't win that on his own.

  "So, Callahan wants more, and I get less. This partnership isn't going the way I'd like to see it," the Noble Lord said.

  "Do you want us to take that back to the Major?" Blond soldier threatened.

  The Noble Lord turned and kicked at the wood stack next to the fireplace. He reminded Alex of a little boy that had been reprimanded by his parents. He was pouting, because he couldn't change what was happening. He turned back to the men with a smile plastered on his face.

  "Boys, no. Listen, I'm here to support Callahan as needed. Why don't we work out all these details in the morning? You two take your choice of whatever women you'd like tonight, on the house," the Noble Lord said. Both soldiers smiled at the prospect of not sleeping alone.

  The Noble Lord put a hand on each of their shoulders as they walked back toward the bedroom door. Once the soldiers left, the door shut solidly after them. The Noble Lord turned to look at Alex, sitting up in the bed, tense and waiting. A menacing smile slid across his face as he began to advance on Alex. She yanked at the handcuffs again, knowing it was futile.

  That was when the brothel exploded with the deafening sounds of gunfire and screams of terror.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Midday the vehicles that held those bound to rescue Alex pulled to a stop for lunch. Max argued that they could drive and eat. But, Rafe insisted they look at the maps one more time and try to make a plan of attack before venturing into the city that the Noble Lord resided in. Marcus was too tense to voice his agreement with either sibling. Delaying made him sick. However, the alternative was rushing in, unprepared and possibly all dying before being able to rescue Alex. The Vegas didn't have opinions as they ate their lunch in silence and unfolded the city map in the back of the truck. When they were planning on rescuing Sylvia on their own, they had started preparing with information on the city.

  A circled block on the map was their target. In the middle of the circle the words "Civic Center" were printed. Albert explained that they had never actually seen the city. They knew the building because Vera remembered seeing signs and an old plaque that had the establishment date. They had the description of the areas Vera had been allowed to see, including the back door that wasn't closely guarded. They knew there was an upstairs and possibly a working fire escape that Vera had seen during an assembly the Noble Lord called.

  "We're not far. Maybe fifteen miles," Mateo said.

  "We don't want to go in during the daylight hours. We need darkness to assist us in being hidden until we are attacking," Rafe commented as he rubbed his jaw.

  That statement brought a quiet to the group, as they realized they had to kill half the day on the side of the road. Marcus checked his weapons for the thirtieth time. Charlie went through her medical bag, unpacking it all and then repacking it again. The sound of a vehicle engine stopped them all in their tracks. Everyone with a gun took up positions behind their trucks, waiting for the vehicle to approach. Marcus felt his heart hammer in his chest. His thoughts went to the bus he and Alex had found. Did the Noble Lord have more pleasure vehicles like that?

  In the distance, Marcus could make out the front of the vehicle approaching. An itch started on his brain and he watched as the car got closer. Just as the black van passed their vehicles it began to slow, as if the driver caught sight off the trucks. At the same time, the itch in Marcus' brain became a thought and before he could explain to anyone he stepped out from behind the truck. He began by shooting out the back windows of the van and then started aiming at the tires. He wasn't the crack shot that Alex was but with the rifle he wasn't half bad.

  When one back tire blew, the van began to shudder to one side. Marcus ran forward hoping to stop it before they tried to continue to limp down the road. Footsteps pounded behind him and in a distant place in his mind, he knew someone was yelling his name. The van screeched to a halt after Marcus paused long enough to aim and shoot out the second back tire. As the side door slid open, Albert was suddenly at Marcus' side. He realized that Albert knew what Marcus knew. It was the same black van that took Sylvia and Alex. Both men planted themselves and pointed their weapons at the vehicle.

  "Don't kill them, we need to know where they took Alex," Marcus said quietly as the rest of the group joined him.

  The first gunshots from the van scattered the Duncan group. Marcus didn't feel fear for his own life. Instead of running and taking cover, he ran directly up to the back of the van, using it as a shield from the gunfire. He watched as Rafe, Max, and Griffin dove behind trees on the side of the road. Albert moved toward Marcus, when his right leg suddenly buckled, and he cried out.

  "Tio!" Mateo cried from behind the truck Marcus drove.

  Bullets pinged off of the asphalt around Albert as he struggled to get out of harm’s way. He yelled at Mateo in Spanish. Marcus assumed he was giving him instructions to stay put with a number of curse words that Marcus did recognize. Marcus watched the man and knew if he didn't move soon, he would be dead. The men from the van didn't have great aim. Hitting Albert in the leg must have been a lucky shot, because now that they all fired at him, nothing was striking the man.

  "Marcus!" Rafe's voice came a split second before gunfire erupted from the tree line.

  Without question, Marcus knew this was a distraction to get Albert to safety. He ran straight for the wounded man. He grabbed him under the arms and decided the van was closer than the trucks. He grunted under pulling the weight of Albert, dragging him across the road. To his credit, Albert didn't cry out. He continued to hold his gun in both hands, waiting for any target to make itself known. Reaching the van before the gang members opened fire again, Marcus leaned Albert against the back bumper. Albert held his hand over the wound that had blood freely flowing.

  "Wait here," Marcus said.

  "Where am I going?" Albert replied sarcastically.

  Marcus circled the far side of the van, taking the chance that the gang members were all focused on the side where shots were flying. He crouched low when he came to the driver's side window and glanced cautiously in the mirror. He could see someone sitting in the passenger seat, bent down to escape the flurry of bullets that hit the side of the van. Marcus tested the driver's side door and found it to be unlocked. Opening it quickly, he pointed his gun at the man in the passenger seat. Marcus couldn't determine much about the man as he was covered in filth. His face didn't have much skin visible. The smell from the van was one of unwashed bodies that had been sweating and many other activities mixed together. It was all Marcus could do to not cover his mouth with his free hand.

  The passenger took a look at Marcus and his gun and seemed to weigh his options. Surprising Marcus, the man dropped the gun and showed his hands in a surrender motion. Marcus motioned for him to climb over the driver's seat and to exit the vehicle. The shots from the Duncans continued sporadically, but return fire was slow coming.
Once the man was out of the vehicle, Marcus grabbed him and pushed him against the van. He quickly checked to make sure there weren't additional guns hidden on the man. Satisfied that he didn't have anything to attack Marcus with, Marcus spun the man around.

  "How many more of you are there?" Marcus asked.

  "Two. There were three, but you killed one," the man replied.

  "Tell them to surrender, or they follow in your friend's footsteps."

  "Jackson! They're gonna kill us all. Just give up!" The man yelled when there was a lull in gunfire.

  "Marcus?" Max's voice came from the other side of the van.

  "Far side of the van. I have one of our new friends here. He's surrendered nice and quietly. The rest of his friends should too if they want to see one more morning!" Marcus called back.

  He heard the footsteps as Rafe and Max approached from the back of the van. Together as a team the two snuck around the van to the sliding door on the passenger side. Marcus led his captive the same way, with a gun pressed against his head. As they approached the door it slid open violently. Everyone froze and waited.

  "Fine. We give up!" A voice said from inside.

  "Throw out the weapons," Rafe called back.

  Moments later, one handgun came flying through the door. Rafe looked and Max, who just rolled her eyes.

  "We know you have more in there. Toss it out, or we light the van up again," Rafe called, his voice sounding bored. Marcus didn't know how he kept himself so calm in order to intimidate the kidnappers in the van. Marcus' own heart was thundering in his throat.

  A mumbled argument could be heard and then three additional guns hit the pavement.

  "Now step out, one by one, with your hands in the air. Any sort of movements will be a bullet to the face," Rafe said. Rafe kept his voice flat, but the threat was clear to those inside the van.

  Two grim faces showed from the opening of the van's sliding door. Both had their hands out front, following Rafe's directions. Their eyes bounced around from Rafe, to Max, then to Marcus who still held a gun to their companion's head. A growl split the air and both men froze noticing Storm at Rafe's feet. Rafe noticed the men's reactions and he grinned coldly. He gave them a moment longer to worry before he snapped his fingers and pointed. His command brought Storm to attention, but his growling stopped.

  As the gang members' shoulders slumped, Marcus could see the moment they realized they had to give up. With Rafe watching her back, Max went to the guns and threw them all toward the back of the van. Marcus noticed then that Charlie was crouched at the back of the van, her medical bag open next to Albert. When the guns came her way, she shifted to pull them closer to them without hesitation. Cliff stood guard, gun at the ready over Charlie. The team moved fluidly, knowing what was needed from each of them.

  "Just don't take us back to him," one of the men said.

  "What's your name?" Marcus asked.

  "Jackson. That's Bo you have the gun on, and this is Trevor," Jackson said, pointing to the other man that had his hands up.

  "Jackson and Trevor, hands on the van. We're going to search you. One wrong move and again, the answer is a bullet," Rafe said.

  The men complied easily, and Marcus pushed Bo to the van as well. All three men were searched thoroughly, and Max produced zip ties for their wrists. Once they were bound to the Duncans' satisfaction, the three men were sat next to the van on the asphalt. A check with Charlie let Rafe know it was a grim situation with Albert. The bullet in his leg hadn't exited. She was going to have to dig it out. And then he wouldn't be able to walk on it. The man argued but Mateo was at his side speaking angrily in Spanish. Whatever the younger man said hit a nerve because Albert squeezed his lips shut.

  "We're too exposed here," Max said. Rafe and Marcus had joined her in a small huddle to decide on their next steps.

  "Agreed. We need to move off the road so Charlie can work on Albert. These men know something about the Noble Lord, so we need to question them," Rafe said.

  Rafe volunteered to drive the van with the three captives tied up inside. Marcus worked with Mateo to carefully load Albert into the bed of the pickup truck. Charlie rode with him, keeping pressure on his wound. Cliff sat shotgun with Marcus again, his gun still at the ready, as if he was expecting an ambush at anytime. Marcus guessed anything could happen at this point. He felt better just having his friend watching their back while he drove, following Rafe off the main road. Rafe turned the van on a small dirt road that seemed to lead to a hiking trailhead. There were no other vehicles nearby. Rafe, Marcus, and Max pulled their vehicles in a large circle, parking them all facing the exit.

  Once they were set up, Rafe climbed out of the van. He went to the side of the vehicle and ripped the sliding door open. He pulled each man out and dropped them on the dirt next to the van. None of them argued, just avoided looking at any of the Duncan group. Marcus decided he was done waiting to ask his questions. He pulled his 9mm and held it at his side as he walked toward the gang members. Rafe turned and stopped him just as he approached.

  "We aren't shooting them," Rafe said quietly.

  "I didn't say I was going to shoot them. Well, I won’t kill them at least," Marcus replied. He couldn't hide the fury he felt toward the men that had kidnapped Alex. They deserved anything coming their way.

  "That little gunfight is going to attract attention, living or dead. If you let off a shot here, you're revealing our position," Rafe said.

  "Ok. Well, if they answer my questions, I won't use the gun."

  Lightning quick, Rafe held up one of his many knives. He held the handle out to Marcus, and his other hand was out waiting for the gun. Marcus considered his options for a moment. He knew that Rafe was right, but he wanted to make the men hurt. He wasn't as good with knives as Rafe was. Shooting was more his thing. However, he wasn't going to win with Rafe. Setting his 9mm in Rafe's open hand, Marcus wrapped his free hand around the knife handle. Rafe nodded to him once and stepped aside.

  Marcus stopped just in front of the men. None of them looked up to acknowledge his presence. They all seemed folded in on themselves, resigned to whatever was going to happen to them next.

  "Who were you talking about before? Who don't you want us to take you to? Marcus asked.

  "You aren't working for him? The Noble Lord?" Jackson asked, only his eyes coming up to meet Marcus' glare.

  "You wouldn't know me. But I was in town that day. The day you made a woman believe you were in danger of being eaten by a horde. I was there, helping to distract the dead, so she could pick you up," Marcus said, his voice quiet and menacing. He was getting their attention, as all of their eyes were now on his face.

  "I was there. Close enough to hear her screams as you abducted her into this piece of shit van of yours. You drove away before I could follow. But I would never give up on her. We don't leave our family behind," Marcus said.

  "The dark-haired woman? You're talking about that Alex woman," Bo said, his voice shaken.

  Max came flying past Marcus, her fist striking out in a quick jab that struck Bo square in the nose. Blood began to flow freely from his nostrils, and he cried out as his head hit the van when Max grabbed him by the hair. She crouched down, putting herself nose to nose with Bo.

  "That Alex woman, she's my sister. I will kill you if you harmed her," Max said in a growl.

  "We didn't...I didn't...I didn't hurt her," Bo stammered. Marcus was impressed with Max's skills of intimidation.

  "Then where is she?" Marcus asked.

  "He has her," Jackson spoke up. When Max's murderous gaze flew to him, he physically flinched. Marcus was sure he had every reason to be scared.

  "He? You took her to the Noble Lord?" Marcus asked. When no one answered immediately, Max bounced Bo's head off the van again.

  "Answer him," she said.

  "Lewis took her. We were sent to find the Noble Lord's pet that ran away. We had her and Alex was just icing on the cake. She should have gotten us paid real well. But she let th
e other pet go. We never got paid. We had to run." The words vomited out of Bo's mouth. His face screwed up in pain as Max's knuckles turned white in his hair.

  "You had to run? And you left my sister there? Where's this Lewis?" Max asked.

  "Lewis is dead," Jackson said evenly.

  "Your sister killed him," Bo added.

  "Why did Alex kill him? What did he do to her?" Marcus asked, anger beginning to raise his voice.

  "We're trying to survive out here, just like you," Jackson said, avoiding the question. He lifted his chin in defiance and Marcus knew it was the wrong move.

  Max didn't give any warning as she released her hold on Bo and stood to punch Jackson in the jaw. The man's head snapped back and again she succeeded in bouncing a head off the vehicle. Marcus wondered if she kept count. He had her at three so far. Jackson turned to look at her and the sneer on his face was all it took for Max to punch him again. At the thunk sound, Marcus counted four in his head. Jackson didn't get the chance to aggravate Max any further, as his head slumped to one side and his eyes rolled back into his head.

  "Well now he's super useful," Rafe said as he approached.

  "He deserved it," Max replied, shrugging her shoulders at her brother. Rafe just shook his head.

  "So you aren't the Noble Lord's men. But you do disgusting things to be in his favor. Why is Lewis dead?" Marcus asked, picking up the questioning again. If someone didn't stay on track, they would never gather the information they needed.

  "He broke the Noble Lord's rules. He got a guard to take your sister to him in a private room. The Noble Lord said no one was to touch her. Lewis paid for it. Your sister strangled him with his own belt, at least that's what I heard," Bo said. The smaller man was very willing to answer questions now that he saw the damage Max could inflict.

  Max looked at Rafe and Marcus, her eyes wide. Marcus knew where her mind was. His own was running to the worst possible scenario. For Alex to do something so drastic, she had to have been in serious danger. It wasn't like Alex to take someone's life in her hands unless she felt threatened. Marcus tried to not think about what Lewis had done to her before she got the chance to kill him.