by Jamie Begley
When he found where a tangled jungle growth had been beaten back, he took one of the guns out as he carefully moved forward until he came to small area that had been recently cleared.
Stopping, Reaper waited for another flash of light to show him which direction to go when he heard a small whistle that he recognized. Looking up, he watched as Shade lithely dropped down from a palm tree where he’d made a tree stand.
Reaper had to press his lips together in a thin line and squint his eyes closed to hold the emotions at bay at seeing the brother standing there. Opening his eyes, Reaper held his hand out to Shade. “Brother, you have no fucking clue how goddamn good you look to me right now.”
Shade smacked his hand down in his. “Brother, you have no fucking idea how good you looked to me when I saw your ass coming out of the water after those fuckers threw you in. If it hadn’t been for Viper, I would have broken cover to come fish your ass out.”
Their hands dropped to their sides as Reaper looked at him questioningly.
“How did he know …?”
The sound of footsteps coming toward him had Reaper raising the gun again. Shade forestalled him as Viper ran into the small clearing.
“How did …?” Reaper began, his eyes widening as Lucky, Knox, Cash, Rider, Train, Moon, Hammer, Jonas, and Jackal all came out, too. Each of the men were dressed in their military gear with their weapons ready.
“How long?” Reaper asked once he was able to control his voice as he started shaking the brothers’ hands. Taking Viper’s hand last, he pulled him into a bear hug while they smacked each other on the shoulders.
“Shade and Rider left the day after you. Knox and Train over a week ago. Shade sent me a transmission yesterday afternoon; the rest of us got here last night.”
The brothers broke apart, and Reaper took a step back to stare at the group of men. “Why didn’t you take those fuckers out before they dumped me over the side?”
Shade rested his weapon comfortably on his hip. “I wanted to, but Viper told me no. He said you had it under control. Viper was holding Rider back when I spotted you at the hull.”
Rider looked away uncomfortably as Shade recited what had been going on while he’d been underwater.
The fact that Viper commanded all the brothers to hold off, showed more about Viper’s confidence in him than words could. He didn’t have time to appreciate the fact or ask how they all had managed to slip onto the island. He needed to get to Ginny.
“We can talk on the boat. I have to get to Ginny.” Reaper turned back toward the dock. “Any of you got dry clothes to spare—”
“Wait ….” Viper stopped him. “Do you know which room they have her in? We’ve been working on a plan to get you two out, but we need her location.”
Reaper closed his eyes as a gust of wind sent a chill through him. “She’s in Allerton’s office,” Reaper told them, taking a pair of blue fatigues from Lucky.
Taking the guns out of the holsters and ammo out his pockets, he tore his clothes off, then started redressing.
“I can get her out. What I’m worried about is getting past the water patrols that Allerton has stationed to keep everyone from entering or leaving.” Reaper gave a grunt as he stomped his boot down on the ground to shove his foot farther inside.
“We’ve been working on a plan. You having the boat makes it a hell of a lot easier,” Viper stated as he and Rider lifted a brown tarp that was covering a hole. The men swiftly gathered the weapons and backpacks concealed underneath.
“We’ll drop Train, Lucky, and Jonas off at the back of the island, closest to the airport to get a plane ready while we go to the main dock. Allerton’s office is closer from there. Unfortunately, it’s also close to where he keeps his security headquarters.” Viper caught his impatient expression, yet he spared a quick glance to make sure all the men were geared up. “Shade, make the call.”
Shade took out a cell phone from the front pocket of his shirt.
“Viper … we need to go.”
“We’re not going in like a bulldozer, Reaper. We’re going in like a well-oiled machine. And to do that we need Shade to make that call.”
His sense of urgency multiplied the longer he stood there helpless while Ginny was left alone with Allerton.
Shade watched him dispassionately as he spoke into his cell phone. “Be waiting by the door in ten minutes.” Placing the phone back in his pocket, Shade nodded at Viper. “He’ll be there.”
“Move out,” Viper ordered to all the brothers. “Keep to the path where Shade took out the cameras.”
The men moved as one, with Viper going first and Jackal going last. Reaper had only met Shade’s brother-in-law a few times when he had accompanied Penni to visit Shade and Lily. While Reaper had never seen him in a fight, he didn’t have any concern Jackal was able to hold his own. The man had survived being married to Penni. That in itself earned his respect.
On the boat, Reaper gave Train the keys to unlock the handcuffs on Leif.
“Why’d you cuff him if he was dead?” Train asked, putting the key in the lock.
“My bad. I thought he was still alive.” Reaper knelt down next the guard then, without remorse, started removing the uniform from the dead guard. Viper and Rider were already switching out their uniforms from the other two guards, Viper giving Rider the wet one. Reaper gave Leif’s to Cash, who seemed close to the same size. The dark color of the uniform hid the blood stains, and the wet state of the one that Rider was wearing.
Viper took the captain’s seat to start the motor while the brothers placed the three dead guards on the dock. As soon as Jackal’s boots hit the deck, Viper pulled away from Clindale, heading toward the back of Sherguevil Island, which was closer to the airport.
Reaper lay on the deck of the boat with the others while Viper, Rider, and Cash were the only ones visible if any of security guards saw the boat approaching the island.
Staring at the men, his eyes met Shade’s. “I expected you on Clindale, I didn’t see Rider, Knox or Train.”
“Guess your mind must have been on something else. Rider practically fell out of the tree he was hiding in when Ginny took off flying from that waterfall.”
“Could have left me a sign they were there.” Reaper glared at the brothers surrounding him on the deck.
“We planned to when you were out of range of the cameras, but then you got a busy and we all decided Ginny wouldn’t be exactly happy to see us. By the way, you can thank Knox for jamming the transmission of the signal. Allerton wasn’t able to make out of anything.”
Reaper wouldn’t be able to tell Ginny that when they’d waited outside Allerton’s office yesterday, he’d been watching footage of them having sex.
Train responded his glare with a raised chin. “She might have earned enough votes to belong to the Last Riders, but my old lady isn’t going to be your backup.”
The thought of Killyama being his backup had him admitting the truth: he wasn’t man enough to handle that hellcat on wheels.
“Get ready to bail.” Viper alerted them they were getting closer to the drop off point.
Adjusting the speed to slow them down, Viper let the boat get as close to the beach as he dared.
“Go.”
At Viper’s barked order, Train, Lucky, and Jonas bailed out of the boat. Reaper raised his head enough for him to see them slogging through thigh-high water before he lay back down as Viper maneuvered the boat farther away from the beach.
“Get ready. I’m about to pull into the dock. What about the FBI agents who came with Ginny?” Viper asked as he idled the motor to bring it to the dock. “Where are they?”
“They’re in the two bungalows next to the one that Ginny and I were given. They’re three rookies, and I didn’t see them today. The only one I saw was Collins, the agent in charge, and I didn’t see him after he went into Allerton’s office this morning. Something’s not right about him. I can’t swear he’s dirty, but he didn’t fucking do shit to help either
. And Ginny kept pestering me to trust him. Something’s up with him.”
“We’ll figure it out. First, we get the rookies, then go to the main resort.”
Viper stopped the boat, and Rider and Cash jumped off first.
Waiting for their signal, Reaper put his hands on the deck, preparing to jump up. “Take the brothers, and I’ll meet you at the resort. I have to get to Ginny.”
Viper got off the boat to stand next to Rider. “There are three guards trying to move the jeep that Reaper stole the key. Other than that, we’re clear. We’ll go get the rookies, then Ginny. It’s closer. Once we take the three guards out, we have a clear path to the rookies.”
The remaining brothers agilely jumped off the boat, swiftly moving toward the Moke. As Reaper landed on the dock, he grabbed the strap of Viper’s backpack.
“Here’s the key to the Moke. Get the fucking rookies. You’ll be right behind me. I have to get to Ginny.”
“No, we—”
Viper jerked his hand off the strap while they watched Hammer, Rider, and Shade take the guards out while the others were on the lookout for anyone coming.
Reaper wrenched him back to make him listen. “I’m going to Ginny!” he yelled.
“We are just—”
“Now. We have to go fucking now! One of the guards bragged about what they were going to do to her. I swore I’d never disobey another order from you, but I have to put Ginny first. Viper …”
His brother sent an impatient glare over his shoulder, about to pull away again.
“Ginny doesn’t know she’s carrying my child.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
“Move.”
Ginny shrugged her shoulder away from a guard who impatiently shoved her through the doorway of Allerton’s office. The alarming sight of Agent Collins sitting in one of the chairs in front of Allerton’s desk with his hands cuffed behind his back and his mouth taped closed brought her to a shocking halt.
Glaring at the nameless guard, Ginny went to Agent Collins. The closer she got, the more horrified she became seeing the extent of his injuries. His head fell limply back on his neck, his eyes were swollen shut, and he had a myriad of blue and purple bruises covering his face. The sight of the damage inflicted on the agent had Ginny reaching out to touch him.
“Don’t concern yourself, my dear. He’s still alive.”
“He needs medical attention.” Ginny nervously crossed her arms over her chest, adjusting her bracelet so it lay on her wrist and would quit riding up her arm under the sleeve of her shirt.
Ginny glared at Allerton as he came into the office to sit unconcernedly behind his desk. “Any help for that buffoon will have to wait until after we talk.”
Ginny stroked a flower charm to give herself courage as Allerton unveiled the hatred he had been disguising from her. “Provide him medical attention, or I refuse to say anything to you.”
Allerton sighed, rising from behind his desk to walk toward her.
Refusing to show fear, Ginny stood her ground as Allerton drew closer. Then, like a striking snake, he backhanded her on the side of her cheek.
“Riz, kill him.”
The guard closest to her went to Agent Collins, removing his gun from a holster and preparing to kill the unconscious man right in front of her.
“Wait!” Ginny shouted at Allerton. “We can talk.”
Allerton shrugged, calling the guard off. “The next time, I won’t stop him. Now that I have your complete attention, I want my questions answered.”
Ginny raised her fingertips to her stinging cheek, then pulled them back when she felt the warm wetness of blood. Allerton crossed his arms, his large signet ring openly displayed.
“What did you see when you were on that boat?”
“I’ve been telling you the truth. I don’t remember—”
She wasn’t able to finish her sentence before another stinging smack came her way. If her feet hadn’t been planted firmly apart, it would have sent her flying.
“Riz, get the machine.”
The guard gave her a smirk that made her skin crawl as he left the room.
Agent Collins groaned out, and Ginny attempted to go to him, but Allerton stepped forward, blocking her path. “You want to help him, stop lying to me.”
“I’m not lying!”
“You’ve been lying to me since you’ve stepped foot on my island. Ah … you’re back, Riz. Set it up.”
The guard set a machine on a circular table that near the open balcony door. The three chairs around the table matched the one that Agent Collins was handcuffed to.
As the guard plugged in the machine, Allerton went back to his desk to take out a black box. Ginny saw him stare at his computer screen before opening the box. She no longer felt the painful sting in her cheek seeing Allerton pull out a syringe.
“Have a seat, my dear.”
“What’s in the syringe?”
“Something to relax you while allowing you to answer my questions … shall I say … more truthfully?”
Ginny briefly closed her eyes, shutting out the evil intent of his gaze, then opened them, determined to show him no fear. Recognizing she had reached the end of the road and was out of recourse, Ginny dropped her arms to her sides.
“That won’t be necessary. I’ll tell you the truth about everything you want to know.”
Allerton looked her skeptically but lowered the syringe. “Tell me what you saw on the boat.”
“I don’t remember anything on the boat, other than climbing up, and that’s the God’s honest truth. Nothing else. The only thing I do remember about that day was sneaking away from Manny and falling asleep in the space underneath the bunk where he always hid me. I don’t remember taking anything from the boat.”
“You do remember being on the island?”
“Yes, I remember how pretty it was with all the umbrellas and the different stands that were set up to sell things that I wanted. Maybe if you show me a picture of what you think I stole, it would refresh my memory.”
“You can do better than that.” Allerton strode forward, removing the cap of the syringe.
Ginny took a step back. “I don’t understand why you don’t believe me.”
When he swung out this time, she was prepared, but it didn’t make it hurt any less. Her mouth exploded in pain. Blinking back watery tears, she stared back at him unwaveringly.
“Gavin is going to kill you for that.” Using the sleeve of her shirt, Ginny wiped the blood dribbling down her chin.
“Don’t put your faith in your husband; you’ll be sadly disappointed.” Allerton gave her a look of pure disgust. “The only thing your husband has ever been good at is dropping to his knees for an ounce of coke.”
“You’re not worthy enough to have my husband’s name uttered from your mouth.” Ginny refused to give him any outward reaction of shock at him being aware of what Gavin had gone through during his kidnapping. “He has honorably served his country, while you have done nothing but your best to lay a foundation to destroy it.”
“Save your sanctimonious lecture. Your association with Gavin and The Last Riders shows your serious lack of judgment. I’ve done more for the United States and other countries than you could ever wish to accomplish in a thousand years.”
“At what cost?” Ginny asked, lowering her hand away from her mouth.
“No cost. I didn’t have to pay a dime. They paid me.”
“There’s always a price to pay for taking a life.”
Allerton gave a small, mocking laugh. “Maybe for others.” He raised his free hand. “My hands are clean. I’m not responsible for the actions of others.”
“You don’t consider yourself responsible when they are following your orders?” Ginny stared at him in pity. “I wonder if you have ever cared about anyone but yourself? People trusted you with their money to make the world a better place, to help others. You have untold wealth to use any way you want. Instead, you use it to garner even more wealth. Just ho
w much money is enough for you? You have enough that you couldn’t spend it in five lifetimes. Do you have children to leave it to?”
“I don’t have any children,” he said stiffly.
“If you did, would it make a difference?”
“For what? You think having children would make me a better person?” Allerton looked at her as if she were three years old. “Or that I work so hard just to leave it to my progeny, as my parents did me? The answer is no. As I’ve said before, you’re too naïve. When you die, do you think it will make a difference in the world, other than within the small sphere of Treepoint?” He looked her over disdainfully. “When you die, that fake birth certificate with another name on it will be the only thing left of you to show you were ever born. When I die, I will be remembered for centuries to come.”
The man was a deranged lunatic flaunting his power.
“I seriously doubt that. Even if that were to come true, it won’t be for the good you pretend to accomplish.” Her nails bit into the palm of her hands at his smug smile.
“How will anyone find out? It certainly won’t be from you. Your little escape plan has failed, and shortly, you will be reunited with your husband. Neither of you will be in any condition to tarnish my legacy.”
Fear for Gavin tried to sideline her, anchoring her thoughts on the man in front of her and not on the man she loved. Gavin was her gladiator; he had survived much worse odds than he encountered today. He would survive, and she would too. Bravely, Ginny squared her shoulders at him, determined to show Allerton she wasn’t afraid of his threats.
“Sooner or later, one of your little minions will expose you,” Ginny contradicted him.
“Not without exposing their own secrets. The secrets I hold in my care aren’t easily explained away.”
“Unlike your own?”
“I find myself having to repeat myself. Like I said,” his voice condescending, “my hands are clean.”
