Chapter 4
Carnage
“Got the tracker installed.”
Whisper nods, typing on his laptop in the back of the van. “Connection made.”
Something inside me settles. I’ve been taking a chance coming back here every night since I saw him, and it paid off.
It took three days, but it worked. Leon, it seems, is a creature of habit.
He frequents a lot of the same places. The problem is he’s erratic.
He’ll go weeks showing up at the same places, then there’ll be long stretches where he doesn’t show up at all.
This is all according to his former parole officer, who we have a relationship with.
He’s managed to keep himself off the radar of law enforcement, but no one believes he’s turned over a new leaf.
From the little bit we’ve been able to learn about him since last night, he’s got his fingers in a few pies, but mostly drug dealing. He’s a low-level criminal trying to level up, which is good for us and bad for him. His increased visibility will help me get closer to Rue.
For a hot minute tonight, I considered just kidnapping Rue, but there were too many eyes on him and too many innocent people who could get caught in the fallout.
Now that I have the tracking in place, I’ll be able to find Rue.
There’s gotta be some time when he’s alone, and that’s when I’ll make my move.
What I’ll do once I’ve got him is anyone’s guess.
“How did he look tonight?” Whisper asks. “Safe enough?”
“He was dancing with some women. Thank fuck. I thought I’d never get him away from that table of goons.”
“Guess your instinct to case this place was right on.”
“Luckily, yeah.”
My phone buzzes and I pull it out as Whisper does the same with his. Our Murder Buddies chat is popping.
Nimble: Who’s up for some mayhem?
Stealth: I’m down. What’s going on?
Nimble: Tracking my target and stumbled on some bad news. Looks like a bunch of young girls being held in a house. I’m on Broadway and 93rd in Danbury.
“Danbury,” I repeat. “How far is that from here?”
“Maybe ten, fifteen minutes. I’m in if you are.”
“Hell yeah.”
Me: We’re in. Whisper and I will be there in fifteen or less.
Stealth: Give me ten.
Wraith: I’m there. Twelve minutes out.
Nimble: Thanks, guys. I’m under the bridge right past the Broadway exit.
Shadow: Be safe, boys.
Nimble: Always.
Whisper moves to the front seat and starts the van while I keep monitoring the tracking software.
A little green dot moves across the screen.
At least I’ll have a shot at finding out where they go after this.
Leon has no known address. According to motor vehicle records, the address he has on file there belongs to his mother, but a quick visit to her place made it clear he’s not staying there. It’s a nursing home.
I shake away thoughts of Rue for now and focus on the upcoming task. There’s nothing I can do until I know where he’s at later.
Whisper takes the Broadway exit in Danbury and turns left towards the bridge. We spot Nimble’s car parked beside a thick concrete column, and seconds later, Stealth arrives. Only a few moments later, Wraith pulls up.
Nimble gets out of his car, his youthful face set with determination. “Hey, guys. Thanks for coming. From what I’ve been able to see, there are four girls inside.”
“Girls?” Stealth asks. “Or women?”
Nimble frowns. “Girls. They look like teenagers. I suspect they’ve been drugged. This isn’t any kind of ring. Crime of opportunity, I think.”
“Fucking monsters,” Whisper grumbles.
“Let’s do this.” Wraith cracks his knuckles.
“Me and Stealth will focus on getting the girls to safety,” Whisper offers.
Nimble nods. “I need to get to my target before he can get away. Dude in a green hoodie. That one’s mine.”
“We’ll get the rest,” I say, glancing at Wraith.
“Perfect,” Nimble says. “I counted six guys including my target.”
“Storm the door?” I ask.
“Works for me,” Nimble says.
Then we descend on the house. Stealth kicks the door open, and on the other side, a bunch of dudes shout and scatter. Whisper and Stealth move fast, getting the girls out of the way while Nimble homes in on his target.
As for me, I’m more than happy to make a few rapists bleed tonight.
And I do. The first one is a short guy with greasy brown hair and a crooked nose.
He tries to face off with me, lifting his fists in defense.
I simply laugh, closing in on him before wrapping my hand around his neck, tight enough that he coughs.
He kicks his legs as I lift him off the floor and toss him into the wall behind him. He scrambles to get up, but I’m back before he can do more than get to his knees. I kick him in the stomach then pick him up again, pummeling his face and slamming his body into the wall.
Another guy tries to run past me to the front door, but I’m on him before he can get the door open, grabbing him by the sweatshirt and yanking him to the ground.
I pull my knife from its holster and do what I do best, delivering a precision cut in all the right places to cause the man to bleed out slowly and painfully.
For fun, I give both of them some kicks to the ribs, letting out all my pent-up frustration and rage that we continually find situations like this. I don’t give a fuck about most things, but taking advantage of innocent people or fucking with animals infuriates me.
My eyes blur and I absolutely lose my shit on the two men at my feet, kicking, stomping, and growling with fury until I feel a calming hand on my shoulder.
“It’s done, bror. You got them.”
I back into Wraith, letting him wrap his arms around me to calm me even more. I’m breathing hard, sweating from exertion, but I feel better knowing there are two less rapists in this world thanks to me.
“You good?” Wraith asks, rubbing my arm as he releases me.
Nodding, I drag a hand through my hair. “I am now. Thanks for pulling me back.”
“Anytime.”
As my head clears, I glance around the room. Bodies are strewn about and Nimble is calmly taking pictures of his very dead target.
“Where are the girls?”
“Gone. Stealth and Whisper took them to the shelter. You can ride home with me.”
“Were they hurt?”
Wraith shakes his head. “Don’t think so. It looks like we got here before the party started.”
“Good.”
“Yeah.” He pats my arm. “Ready to get out of here?”
I turn and look at the bloody heap on the floor that I created, then nod. “Let’s go.”
I exit the house, taking a deep breath of the night air and clearing the scent of blood and violence from my nostrils. That felt good after feeling so impotent earlier with Rue.
Now all I need is a shower and a plan for how I’m going to find and rescue him from his captor. Maybe a little weed too. That always helps.
“Wanna smoke when we get home?”
Wraith nods. “Hell yeah. I’ve got some good shit too.”
“Does Pax get mad when you smoke?”
“Nah. He occasionally joins me. Helps with his shoulder pain.”
“Is he staying over tonight?”
“No. He and Boone are on a camping trip. Something they used to do as kids, I guess.”
“And you didn’t go?”
“I was invited, but that’s not my scene. I don’t understand sleeping outside when you don’t have to.”
Chuckling, I squeeze his shoulder. “On that, we agree.”
By the time we pull up to Crestvale House, I’m ready to have that shower and chill out. Tomorrow morning, I’ll check in with Whisper and see if I can figure out where Rue is, then I’ll make a plan.
And when I find him, Leon is a dead man.