Page 59 of Blood Money

CHAPTER TWENTY

CYRUS

Once my eyes land on him, my blood runs cold. Ghost doesn’t get out much. He’d rather send others to do his bidding, and Michael—the one who has his filthy hands on my woman right now—is his right hand. His face is nothing but a promise that Ghost is already involved and has the upper hand.

“Don’t stop chasing me!” she screams, her shoulders slumping, knowing she’s been caught but by the wrong predator.

“I’ll catch you. I’ll always catch you!” I yell back, knowing if I take one more step, it’ll be the end of her.

Once he disappears back into the trees with Carmen in his arms, gun pressed to her head, I fucking lose it. Turning around, I run back to the house. One leg in front of the other, I push myself harder than I ever have. I can’t lose her. Not to someone like Ghost.

I should have known he would be around. Not putting the blockers back in place was a stupid mistake on my part, but my mind was everywhere other than where it should have been. This is why I don’t get close to people. Not only does it weaken me, but it puts them in danger. Now Carmen is trapped in his clutches, and I’m not sure she’ll make it out.

I’ve seen what he does to loved ones of my fellow coworkers to keep them in line. It’s nothing but a power play—a sick, twisted power play—but he knows when you care about someone, you’ll stop at nothing to make sure they’re safe.

When I make it to the steps of the porch, I jump up them and throw up the door. I snag my gun from the couch. Making sure my shaky hand is holding it firmly, I look to Tiny. “Let’s go.” He perks up, then jumps from the love seat.

I step back and open the door, letting him out. “Go get her!” I shout, and he takes off.

I hate sending him alone, but he’s faster.

I follow behind, not able to catch up, but I don’t slow down. If Tiny can at least make it to them, he’ll slow them down enough till I can get there, but of course, I’m not that lucky. As Tiny disappears into the trees, I hear him howl.

I keep moving, with more determination than ever, but when I break through, it’s only him. No Michael, no Carmen. He’s smelling the ground with his ears pulled back before he sits. As I get closer, I realize he’s lost her scent. Tire marks trail through the dirt, following a small path throughout the trees.

She’s gone. She’s really fucking gone.

I pace the length of the small walkway in the living room, pretty sure the friction from my constant steps is burning a hole in the wood. It’s only been a couple of hours, and I’ve still heard nothing. I’ve kept the blockers down, hoping Ghost would try to make contact or negotiate, but it’s been silent. The creaking wooden floors, Tiny’s occasional huff, and the wind blowing outside are the only sounds I hear.

It doesn’t make sense. If he knew where I was, why didn’t he just get me himself? Why take Carmen?

I haven’t wanted to involve anyone else, but I’m out of options at this point. No new ideas have presented themselves. If I knew a good hacker, I could try and track her somehow, but even that’s doubtful since she has nothing on her. I could maybe go to her father, but that just brings more innocent players into this fucked-up game.

I run my hands up my face, willing my mind to work, and tug on my hair. All I can imagine is what he’s doing to her. Is she hurt? Is she even alive? I shake the questions away. I won’t accept either of those answers.

Grabbing my burner from the end table, I power it on and dial Hatcher’s number. At this point, I have nothing to lose, but I still can’t bring myself to drag another innocent life into this. Hatcher though, he’s far from innocent.

He speaks after a few rings. “Cyrus.”

“I need your help.”

He pauses for a beat. “What is it?”

I shake my head. “This line isn’t secured. I’ll send you an address.”

I hang up before he can say anything else. If I’m going to try and pull anything off, I need the element of surprise. I won’t have that if Ghost is tapping my line.

I type out my location and send it to Hatcher before powering the phone back off and plugging my signal blockers back in. Cleary, Ghost doesn’t want to make contact, so there is no need to further expose myself. He may know where I am, but he hasn’t come for me yet, so I have hope he won’t. At least until I can figure out a way to save Carmen.

I walk into the kitchen grab a glass from the cabinet and the whiskey. I pour until the liquid hits the brim, then gulp it all down. At this point, all I can do is wait.

After another drink, more contemplating on what the fuck to do, and trying my best not to explode with rage, Hatcher finally shows up. He taps lightly on the door, peering inside cautiously. I’m sure he thinks this is a setup, and I don’t blame him. Everything in our lives from the moment we graduated up until now has trained us to always be careful and smart. Something I should have done dragging Carmen into my life.

I silence my thoughts as I walk to the door and open it. “Hatcher,” I greet, sweeping my hand in front of me to invite him in.

“Cyrus.” He nods, making his way inside before sitting down.

Tiny leaps from the love seat and walks to where Hatcher sits. He smells his legs, then looks at me, almost like he’s asking if this is okay. “It’s fine, boy.”

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