Page 69 of Ripper
Wrench came over, his brows furrowed like he was deep in thought, and I watched his eyes widened suddenly.
“She didn’t just ride right on out of here. She couldn’t. Her injuries were far too severe. Thing is, there are no tracks, no footprints. I think she may have gotten out herself. She did this. If that’s the case, she’s getting out of here on foot. This happened last night. She could be anywhere right now.”
“Something tells me she ain’t meeting with any Freeway Fucks looking for help. The only person she ever trusted enough to do that was Ray,” I said.
“Then where the fuck could she be?” Tank asked, folding his arms across his chest.
“She can’t ride. She ain’t accepting help, and she’s probably trying to get her ass out of town. I know where she is. The damn bitch is trying to get out the same fucking way she came.”
“What does that mean?”
“We first met at the old train tracks when she got off the last one from Sedona. The thing still runs, but barely. I was on a run making a drop when I saw her for the first time. She always talked about that shit being her ticket out if something ever happened. Could be worth a shot to check it out.”
“She didn’t just leave empty-handed. She took all the fucking cash in my office. We need to find her and put an end to this, goddamnit, before shit goes down,” said Tank.
We all geared up to head out there, and I turned to Ronnie, who was waiting at the ready with that focused look on her face.
“You really think she’s still there?”
“The train runs once a day. It’s old, rickety, and usually overrun by druggies. We have exactly two hours before it’s gonna take off again. This may be our chance, and I’m hoping that the money she took is for Ray because if that’s the case, he’ll be there too.”
“Then let’s go. Now or never, right?”
“That’s right, sweet pea.”
Chapter Eighteen
Veronica
The heat was scorching when we arrived at the old train tracks. There was trash everywhere, scattered across the floor, and in piles that lined the entire place. The tracks were rusting, old, and I was surprised to learn that the train even ran anymore. Ripper and I hid behind one of the large pillars across from the tracks, waiting patiently. Wrench and Tank took their position on the other side, glancing around to ensure there wasn’t anyone coming.
“Are you sure the train stops here?” I asked Ripper.
“Oh, I’m sure. The freight train is only dangerous to board if you don’t know where it’s going or where it’s gonna stop. This is the spot that Anna stopped off at when we first met and I have a damn good feeling it’s where she’s gonna be hitching a ride out of here now.”
I nodded at him, hearing the sound of footsteps getting closer, and when I peeked out, I saw a pair of heeled leather boots. The rage rushed through me quickly, and I reached for my gun in its holster, taking it between my fingers, but Ripper lowered it, shaking his head.
I pressed my lips together, watching closely as Anna approached the tracks with her long blonde hair tied back in a low bun. I heard the sound of the freight train’s rail squeal followed by its whistle, getting closer by the minute.
“Anna! I’m glad to see you’re still standing, baby,” I heard a voice say.
I looked to my right, and there Ray was with his baggy jeans with a chain hanging from his pocket and a leather jacket that could barely hide the bulging muscles underneath. He had a lit cigarette in his mouth, smiling over at Anna, flashing that single gold tooth.
“I don’t do well in small spaces, Ray. I didn’t see you or anyone else showing up to save me. Like always, I had to rescue myself.”
“Baby, calm down. We were lookin’ for you, okay? We got trouble to deal with. Those fuckers took the only thing that we could hold over their heads. Now, what the fuck we supposed to do? If you didn’t get all weak around ole Ripper, it wouldn’t have cost me more men.”
“We have time to find others. We just need to get out of here for a little while,” she said, inching closer to him.
She looked like she was waiting for him to wrap his arms around her, but all he did was shake his head in frustration.
“You expect me to get on some freight train and run now? We gotta fight, baby. It’s what we’ve been preparing for.”
“It’s what you’ve been preparing for, Ray. Look, I got the money you needed. It ain’t smart to engage with them. If we hit hard now, we’ll lose,” she said, retrieving the envelope of cash from her pocket.
“I ain’t runnin’, baby. I’m gonna fight till we win. That’s all. If that don’t sound appealing to you anymore, you can take the first train outta here,” he spat.
“I just might.”
