Page 66 of Ryder

I stand. I know I’m a loose cannon at the moment, but I can’t help myself. He said he left her breathing. I’m sure he would’ve bragged about it if he hadn’t. The fucker is trafficking her? Who the fuck does that to their girlfriend? Surely he cared about her at some stage?

“She’s alive.” Bronco squeezes my shoulder. “We’re gonna get her.”

I know he’s right. I feel it in my bones; she’s still alive. But with a psycho like Rifle on the loose, who fucking knows what he’s capable of. He sold her. He’s a fucking scumbag.

“How long?” I bark.

“A few minutes. Once I have it, I’ll text Cash and the others the location, too.”

“Let’s head out,” Harlem says.

I turn just before I leave the room. “Thanks, Jett. Appreciate it.”

“Anytime. Go get your girl.”

What we didn’t expect was what we fucking found.

The warehouse is on the outskirts of town, surrounded by industrial workshops, junkyards and storage units. Security is tight, but nothing we can’t handle.

Cash called in a few favors, and we have the compound surrounded.

“This has the Devils written all over it,” Bronco mutters.

“Looks like Jimmy dearest decided to undercut his Prez and get some scratch for himself,” Tag mutters. When our eyes meet, he adds, “When you’re done with him, I want a round, just for the fun of it.”

“There won’t be anythin’ left of him when I’m done,” I promise.

Harlem grunts next to me. He’s got a daughter; she’s only a teenager. I see the look of anger on his face; his nostrils flaring, jaw set. He’s ready to make Jimmy bleed.

“Razor’s got a lot to answer for if this is his doin’,” Cash mutters behind us. “And I wouldn’t mind remindin’ him what we do to traffickers around here.”

Riot — an ex-sniper — takes out the guard, then another on the other side of the gate. He’s so good, he makes it look easy.

We wait for Cash to give the signal because the compound will, no doubt, be well guarded from the inside. Even though it’s chaos all around us, all I can think about is my beautiful Crystal; blood on her face, curled up in a ball. That’s gonna be nothing compared to what I’m going to do to him.

Before I know it, we’re storming towards the gate, cutting through the lock with bolt cutters. JJ and Chains drag the two bodies away, just in case the cops happen to show up.

There are soldiers on each end of the building, but they’re not too sharp. They get taken down without any more bullets; the less carnage, the better. Cash doesn’t want this getting out.

With every step I take toward the door, a new panic sets in. So many emotions fly through my mind. I had to call Luca. He’s on his way here from California, and he’s beside himself. He said he’ll call their parents and break the news.

I couldn’t live with myself if he didn’t know until it was too late.

After taking down two more guards, and we finally get inside, I’m not expecting to see what lies ahead. Cages. Dozens and dozens of cages.

These sick bastards really are collecting women.

“Holy fuckin’ shit,” Cash cusses. “Gotta be fifty cages in here.”

We move toward the closer one. The girls behind the bars cower in fear, shriveling away as we approach. “We’re not gonna hurt you,” I tell them. “You’re gonna be okay. We’re the good guys.”

Hawk, Harlem and Tag meet us from the other entry, their faces grave. “Gonna have to call this in, Cash,” Harlem says. “There are too many girls here. Feds are gonna have a field day.”

He’s right. We all know he’s right. This is much bigger than anyone ever anticipated.

“Crystal?” I shout through the cage. It’s so dark in here that you can barely make anything out. “Anyone in here called Crystal?”

The girl closest to us shakes her head. “The newest girls got brought in today,” she whispers. “They go to processing?—”

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