Chapter Nine
Ella opened her eyes when a single drop of water hit the center of her forehead. Her first thought was that she wasn’t dead. Her second thought was that she felt like dying. She groaned as she tried to move. Her hands were still cuffed behind her back, and she’d been lying on them for God only knew how long. She tried to sit up and realized she was in a puddle of water. She frowned and took in her surroundings.
Nothing looked familiar. She was in some dank warehouse handcuffed to a stake in the concrete. Her clothes were wet. Her stomach ached, and she really wanted to go home.
“Hello?”
A man came around the corner with a mask covering his face. “It’s about time you woke up. I thought about drowning your ass in the water to save us all the trouble.”
She frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“Never mind.”
“Look, I’m sick. I have a stomach bug, and it’s very contagious. Just being around me means you can get it too.”
The guy’s eyes widened. “Are you fucking with me?”
“No.” Ella groaned. “My stomach hurts. Will you please take these cuffs off?”
He rushed toward her, and Ella waited while he undid the cuffs. “I told him that you needed to be in the bathroom.”
Ella gave him a pained face. “Where is the bathroom?”
He pointed.
Ella went to the small room and closed the door. She didn’t have much left in her stomach. After cleaning herself up, she stared at herself in the mirror. If she didn’t get her wet clothes off, then she’d get even sicker. Her skin was clammy though that could have been from the water. She felt warm which meant that she probably had a fever.
She stood at the sink a moment before her stomach lurched and she vomited again. Yeah, if they didn’t kill her, the damn bug would. She’d had to admit three patients due to dehydration with it. Two more had asked her for something to kill the cramping. She wanted to huddle up in a ball on the floor. Of all the fucking times in her life to get kidnapped, she also had to get sick too.
Ella washed her hands and flushed the toilet. When she stepped out of the room, she didn’t see the man that had greeted her before. There was a set of dark gray overalls to the right, and she took the liberty of changing into them. She didn’t care if there was anyone hanging around to watch. She wanted something warm to wear and something that didn’t smell.
Afterward, she glanced to each side of the large room, looking for anyone lurking in the shadows. There was a security camera hanging up above her, and she supposed that that was how they kept an eye on her. She didn’t like the idea of trying to make a run for it if she didn’t know where she was running.
At the moment, she wasn’t in any immediate danger. She needed water though. Her throat burned and she felt dehydrated. She took in her surroundings. The warehouse had been abandoned for a while. There was no indication of where she might be. The windows were blacked out, and she assumed that if she made a run for the door, there would be hell to pay. So she didn’t try.
Not yet.
Her stomach ached painfully enough to cause her to double over. The cramping was the worst part. She’d gotten a good look at the man’s face: He was skinny. Shaved head with deep blue eyes. He had stubble on his chin like he didn’t have time to shave properly. He wore a black t-shirt and jeans. She didn’t know his name, but she assumed he was the boss. Or at least the one in charge.
A high-pitched scream came from across the warehouse, and Ella sucked in a shallow breath. She glanced around the room for anything she could use as a weapon. A discarded chain sat off to the side, and she picked it up. She didn’t have much strength. With her stomach aching to the point she wanted to rip out her intestines, she wasn’t sure how much she could really defend herself.
The door opened, and Ella watched as five men entered the warehouse. Her previous assumption of the main kidnapper being the boss proved to be wrong. Another man, one dressed in an impeccable suit with a black hat, appeared to be the one in control. Men followed behind him like an army. He stopped nearly a hundred feet away from her and stared at the chain in her hands. “He told me you were a fighter.”
She didn’t say anything. Who the hell was he talking about?
“I told him that you weren’t anything we couldn’t handle, but you sure gave my crew a mess to clean up.”
She blinked. “Mess?”
“Surely you remember. You woke up in a puddle of water because of it.”
She snorted. “Yeah, well, I’ve been dealing with patients all day. It’s part of the job to catch a virus now and then. Maybe next time you’ll go after someone that isn’t sick.”
“I’m not worried about you being sick. That doesn’t matter to me.” He reached for the gun in the man’s hand beside him. “Anything you want to say?”
“Who are you?”
He cocked the gun. “Who I am doesn’t matter either.”
She glanced between him and his crew. She didn’t recognize any of them. “Okay. Who told you that I was a fighter?”
“Not important.”
“Oh, come on. If you’re going to kill me, the least you can do is have enough balls to tell me who ordered the hit.”
The man pointed the gun at her head. “Razor.”
It should have surprised her, but it didn’t. A million thoughts flooded her mind though none of them made any sense. She was right. She’d told Ryker her opinion and he’d dismissed it. Ryker should have killed him when he’d had the chance.
“And the other women? He killed them too?”
“No. Those were mine. We had a deal. He gave us the guns. He gets to kill you.”
“Wow.” She felt like puking again, only this time it wasn’t due to the virus. She gagged, and what little was left in her stomach came spewing out, all over the guy’s shoes.
“What the fuck?” He moved back along with his crew. “Get her.”
Two men came at her, and Ella grabbed the chain and swung, knocking them to their knees. She’d never realized that bodily functions could be used as a weapon, but she’d take whatever she could. Her forehead dotted with perspiration as two more men came at her. She swung and made contact with the guy’s crotch, causing him to howl in pain.
A gunshot sounded, and Ella jumped. The guy in the suit motioned for his goons to get her, and two men grabbed her arms before she could defend herself.
“I don’t care if you vomit or shit on them. You’re not getting out of this alive.”
Ella’s eyes closed as they dragged her out of the warehouse. Her stomach ached and she groaned in pain. The goons tossed her to the concrete ground in a different room, and she curled up in a ball. Maybe death wasn’t so bad. With the way she felt, it couldn’t get much worse.
****
“I’m not running guns in Atlanta. I don’t know where you got your info, but it’s not me they saw at that club.”
Ryker frowned with the phone pressed to his ear. “Who the fuck is doing this?”
“I don’t know, man, but it wasn’t me and my crew.”
Ryker glanced up as Superman came in the room. “All right. I’m sorry to bother you with this. If you hear anything, let me know.” He hung up. “Fuck!”
Superman sat in the seat beside him. “I know you’re not going to want to hear this, but your father was dabbling in the gun business before you exiled him. Is there any way he could be in Atlanta again?”
“I don’t think so. Not without me knowing.”
“Razor has connections. He can slide under the radar if he wanted to. He sure as hell wouldn’t give anyone the common courtesy of a head’s up. It would explain why club members were seen at the shady joint.”
Ella had thought the same thing and he’d blown her off about it. An overwhelming amount of guilt washed over him as he considered the possibility. What if his father really was behind this? What if he had just listened to her and dealt with the situation before it got this far?
“So you’re suggesting I give him a call.”
“If you want Ella back, yes.”
Ryker didn’t even think about it. He scrolled through his phone for his father’s number and hit send. Waiting, he decided to put him on speakerphone.
“Yeah?”
“I’m only going to ask you this once. Where is Ella?”
“Now, why would you think that I’d know? I don’t keep track of your little girlfriend.”
“Don’t fuck with me, old man.”
“I don’t know where she is.”
Ryker sat back in his seat. “Let’s start with an easier question then. Where are you?”
“I’m where you left me, minding my own business.”
Ryker snorted. “I highly doubt that. If you’re in the city, I’m giving you one opportunity to come to the clubhouse on your own. If I find you, you’re dead.”
“All you’ve done in this minute-long conversation is threaten me. Is the pressure of the position getting to you, son?”
“Not even a little bit, old man.”
“Well, that’s good to hear. Now if you don’t mind, there is a beautiful Brazilian that wants to blow me and I’m really not in the mood to say no.”
Superman snorted when Ryker hung up. “He hasn’t changed.”
“Yeah. That’s the problem.” Ryker rubbed his forehead. “He had a gun deal with the Young Bloods, right?”
“Yeah.” Superman folded his arms over his thick chest. “Cramer and crew.”
“Let’s go talk to them.” Ryker stood and sauntered out into the main area of the club. A few of the guys were gathered around talking and he nodded, motioning toward the door. Cramer was the least of his worries. He didn’t know what kind of bullshit his father was dabbling in, but he didn’t believe him when he’d said he stayed where Ryker had left him. Razor did what Razor wanted.
Ryker pulled out his phone and dialed Pat. The cop answered on the second ring. “I need something from you.”
“What? Did you find Ella?”
“No.” Ryker turned his back to his crew. “I need you to tell me about the gun deals you had against my father.”
“I can’t and won’t give you that information. Besides, don’t you already know it?”
“If I did, I wouldn’t ask. I think he’s linked to Ella’s disappearance. Just tell me what you know.”
Pat hesitated. A criminal and a cop working together probably wasn’t the ideal situation for either of them. He knew Pat wanted Ella home safely. Both of them would do anything necessary for her. It was the only way they would ever become allies.
“Razor was making deals with Young Bloods.” Pat huffed. “The vein of distribution stopped nearly a month ago when you took over. We assumed you’d killed him and waited for the Roaming Devils to pop back on our radar, but nothing happened for a while. Then the murders started. The guns were left behind as a statement, so homicide called Guns and Gangs in to help. We couldn’t trace them. We couldn’t link them to anything we had. Not until my guy spotted a few Roaming Devils club members at the bar. Your club was all we had to take these murderers down.”
Ryker straddled his bike. “The guns were a statement for me. And it wasn’t even my guys.”
“Someone set you up? Is this some kind of fucking turf war between motorcycle gangs?”
“Yes and no.” Ryker licked his lips. “I have to take care of some business. I’ll be in touch.”
He hung up and started the engine. His bike roared to life, vibrating between his legs. He didn’t know what the fuck his father was doing, but if he was trying to retaliate against Ryker for stealing his position, then he sure as hell had better hide. Because once Ryker found him, he’d kill him. No hesitation this time.
The Young Bloods’ main dope house was where they’d caught a lucky break and found Cramer. Ryker sat back on his bike, waiting, while his brothers brought the scumbag out.
“Have you had any contact with Razor?”
“No.”
“I don’t believe you, Cramer. I have several people telling me that you and him were making deals behind my back.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Ryker flexed his hand inside the leather glove. Then he swung, making contact with Cramer’s face. The man shrieked like a banshee as blood spewed from his nose.
“I’m going to ask you again. Have you had any contact with Razor?”
Cramer blinked a few times, holding his nose. The guy really wasn’t made for leading a crime organization. He did his drug running, but he paid others to be the muscle.
Ryker dished out a few more punches on the man’s body before he took a break and waited for him to talk.
“Razor contacted me a week ago. Said he would put me out of business. He offered me a deal if I did the distribution.”
“Have you met with him in town?”
“No.” Ryker pulled his fist back, and Cramer held up his hands. “Wait! Wait!”
Ryker arched an eyebrow.
“He met with one of my guys. Gave us ten Gs and told us that he’d be in contact. He wants us to distribute M15s and M25s. Said there was a big client that was in need around here. Bought like a hundred of those motherfuckers.”
Ryker stared at the slimy man. “So you met with him? Where?”
“Old abandoned warehouse in Marietta.”
“I need an address.”
Cramer lifted his phone from his pocket and found the text. He showed it to Ryker.
Ryker nodded. “Is he still in town?”
“Yeah. I don’t think he ever left.”
Ryker clenched his fists again. Why hadn’t he seen that coming? He’d actually thought his father would stay put in Nevada with a Nomad group. He didn’t fucking think about his evil, sadistic ways. Nothing would keep him away from doing what the fuck he wanted. Ryker should have known that.
“Stay in touch, Cramer. We may need more info.”
Ryker straddled his bike and glanced over at Vampire. “Looks like we’re going to Marietta.”
“Do you think Razor’s been here the whole time?”
“I don’t know. He’s not dumb enough to fuck up and draw attention to himself, but he is a slimy bastard who likes to get his way.”
Vampire mounted his bike. “How do you want to play this?”
“We find Ella first. Then I’ll deal with Razor.”
Ryker didn’t like the feeling he got when he thought about Ella being kidnapped under Razor’s demand. He would hurt her and not think twice. He blamed her for a lot and most of it was because of her effect on Ryker. He just hoped and prayed that Razor didn’t hurt her. And that they could find her before anything happened.