Ryker

Chapter Twelve

We searched the entire area for her and came up empty. If there is one thing that girl knows how to do, it’s run. But nobody can hide from me for very long. I will find her. I will hunt her for the rest of her life if I have to.

That smile. The way she laughed before she ran. I could see the desire in her eyes as I held her out of the window. My hand was right above her pulse, and it was steady. She witnessed the brutality my men and I can cause to someone we want to harm, yet she still wasn’t scared of me.

Even when Manzo hunted her in the motel, she still didn’t look terrified. She looked more pissed than anything else. I made a promise to myself at that moment. I will get a glimpse of the terror in those baby blues.

“Ryker.” I hear someone call my name and pull me out of my thoughts. I turn and glower at Marcus.

He is just about six foot, approximately five inches shorter than me, with brown hair that is starting to bald. He is one of the more promising men in Lincoln’s group. Lincoln found Marcus after he got out of prison for killing his child’s murderer, and since then he has been one evil motherfucker.

“What do you want us to do?” He asks as he scans the lot again.

“Leave it. Take care of these bodies. I’ll handle it. ”

He nods and heads back into the warehouse. I pull out my phone and call Lincoln.

“Yeah?” He answers on the second ring. “My place. Bring Ace.”

I hang up the phone, not waiting for an answer, and text Hawkins to tell him the same.

I get to my penthouse and find Hawkins in the lobby. I gesture for him to follow, and the security guard lets him through. When we get upstairs, I start pacing and running my hands through my already disheveled hair. Hawkins eyes me with caution as he takes a seat in my black armchair.

“What happened?” I shoot him a glare, but he doesn’t meet my eyes.

I glance down at where he is looking and see that my unbuttoned white polo is covered in blood. I groan as I sit down and run my hand down my face. The elevator dings and Lincoln and Ace walk in. Ace has never been here. His terrified expression is priceless.

“Sit.” I try to keep my tone as civil as possible, reining in the crazy as best I can.

“What happened?” Hawkins repeats, and I turn my attention to Ace.

“I asked you days ago to locate Bianca. Did I not?” He slowly nods and starts to fidget and adjust in his seat. “I told you I needed eyes on her, and yet, here we are with no fucking clue where she is.”

“She’s good at hiding… I looked into almost every single Motel in New York. You said that’s where she liked to hide out. I even asked Jeremy if he knew any of her go-to spots, but he said he didn’t know her as well as he thought, and I came up empty. At this point, she could be dead for all I know.”

I clench my jaw. “I can tell you where she was tonight,” I grumble, and he straightens. “Dock seven.” The room falls silent. I eye him, and he swallows, taking in my appearance. Lincoln perks up in the seat next to him and eyes me. “You have twenty-four hours to find her, or I’ll let Marcus train on you next.”

He nods and stands. “Understood.” He rushes towards the elevator and presses the call button. We all watch as the doors shut behind him.

I spend the next half hour explaining everything that happened in the warehouse and the conversation I had with Bianca at the motel before she got away. Lincoln, as usual, shows no emotion. Hawkins, on the other hand, has a mixture of horror and shock plastered on his face.

“What do you want to do with her when we get her? You’re not planning on killing her, are you?” Hawkins asks

“What’s the one thing Manzo wants the most?” I answer . “Her….” He pauses, and a look of surprise takes over his horrified expression. “What if we use her to not only get him to stop the war but we could get him to give up his territory?”

“He wouldn’t do that,” Lincoln finally says. “Not for a woman. The one thing he loves more than her is power. Nothing in the world would get him to give that up, especially if he thinks he can win over your territory. He would get Hawkins’s, too, and he practically already runs Marcello’s. He would rule over all of New York.”

“Why do you think she’s so important to him?” Hawkins asks. I shrug. “I doubt it’s because of love. Maybe lust?”

“No. There has to be a tactical reason. He doesn’t do anything based on feelings. We are missing something.” Lincoln inputs.

“One more reason to find her.”

I spent the rest of the day waiting by my phone for Ace’s call like a schoolboy waiting to hear back from his crush. Instead of spending the day locked in my apartment and going stir-crazy, I decide to head to the hospital to get some information out of Jeremy .

When I get there, he is sitting up, eating a Jell-o cup, and watching the news. When he sees me enter, he scowls but doesn’t say anything. I sit beside him and grab the second untouched Jell- O cup from the tray. I grab a spoon and lean back, watching the news with him.

The Police Chief comes onto the screen. “We aren’t sure who the culprit is, but we think it’s related to a string of murders connected to mob hits. We think the individual is deranged, and the public should be cautious when they go out after dusk. Stay safe.”

It’s brief but more than I thought she would disclose. I had Marcus drop off one of the crates with one of Manzo’s men’s heads in it at the back of the precinct—a clear message to not only the Chief but to Manzo as well, a warning to back off.

“I’m guessing that was you.” Jeremy scoffs but doesn’t take his eyes off the screen as the following story pops up

I shrug and plop another spoonful of the Jell-o in my mouth. We sit in silence for about half an hour before he grows irritated enough to speak again.

“Why are you here?” He finally faces me.

I put the empty cup on his tray and lean back against the wall, eyeing him. He has a lot of patience for someone his age. I can tell I make him weary based on the sweat on his brow and the monitor starting to beep faster. I just smile.

“You haven’t been very helpful. I saved you so you could help us locate your girlfriend. She has become a pain in my ass and keeps putting her nose in shit she doesn’t need to be interfering with. So the faster we find her, all of this.” I wave my hand around. “Can end. Ace tells me you don’t know anything helpful, but I find that very hard to believe.” I cock an eyebrow. “You lived with her for four years, yet you don’t know her favorite place to eat or the gym she uses when she’s in hiding? Maybe she has another job she falls back onto for money when she doesn’t want to be found. ”

He lets out a heavy sigh and leans his head back. “Trust me. If I knew, I’d tell you, but she kept this part of her life a secret from me. I had no idea she was a princess of the Mafia. I had no idea who you were or Manzo. I only knew she was in trouble the day we first saw you at the bar. Other than that.” He shrugs. “I know nothing. She’s very secretive. Even if you do find her, I doubt she’ll help you.”

“Help me?” I pull my eyebrows together.

“With the war. I’m not stupid. I can put the pieces together. You need her as leverage over Manzo. The news has been going on and on about how the crime rate is going up due to a suspected war about to start.” He lets out a heavy sigh and turns to look at me. “I want nothing to do with that. You saved my life for information I don’t have.”

“I saved your life because I knew you were going to make a great soldier. The information was just a bonus. You’re one of us now, whether you like it or not. You serve me, and you will until you die.”

We had Jeremy checked in under a fake name, just in case Manzo knew who he might be. It’s better for us if he thinks he’s dead.

Jeremy scowls but doesn’t say anything. The room grows silent again, and we spend the next two hours watching the news about the beheading and the fact that more people have wound up dead or missing in the past few days than they have in the past few weeks.

“What do you want me to do for you? What exactly does a soldier do?”

I sit up straighter. “You do the leg work. You will get pulled into battle when needed, help the enforcers if necessary, and take care of anything I ask of you.”

“So… You’re my boss? ”

I laugh. “I’m everyone’s boss, but you will report to Lincoln after training.” I stand. “Now get dressed. I’m taking you to your new home.”

I take Jeremy to the Inn, where Lincoln is already waiting for me. He’s been here for about an hour looking into a few men to put on one of his teams. This is where we keep our recruits in training with one of the made men.

Ace and Lincoln find some of them, others are recruited because of debts, and the rest show up because they have nowhere else to go. Since I’ve taken control, we haven’t inducted any new men because none have been worthy. However, we are on the brink of a war, and we need more manpower. We have four main buildings around Manhattan, and this one is where we host our more promising recruits.

The two-floor building has been fully renovated to accommodate up to thirty people. The first floor is where the men train. When you first walk in, there is a desk that is always manned for security purposes. To the right is a kitchen, which is rarely ever used. Past the kitchen is one of the living spaces, the nicer of the two. The boys spend most of their time down here playing video games. An oversized black couch that can seat about eight guys if they squeeze, takes up most of the space. There are two black armchairs on either side of the glass coffee table. It would be nice if they cleaned. This place is a pigsty.

I head left towards the gym. During renovations, we knocked down all the walls we could on the first floor, making it an open floor plan. In the back are the two treadmills that rarely get used. On the right are boxing bags and a few lockers. In the center is a boxing ring, and the weights are located behind that.

I lead Jeremy to the second floor and watch each man stop in the hallway as I pass. I never come here, due to the stench alone. If you think one teenage boy is bad, try putting 15 together. We pass a few rooms, and the other living space located in the center of the floor, which is surrounded by rooms on both sides .

Everything is worn. The brown leather couch is scratched, the carpet is covered in stains, and trash is littered all over the floor. I stop in front of door four and bang on it. The door swings open, and a shirtless man scowls. When Lincoln and I aren’t here, the Lead is usually here to keep the men in check.

“Julian, it’s so nice to see you.” He stiffens and looks at Lincoln, who is behind me with Jeremy.

“A new recruit?” He shifts his eyes back to me. “What’s so special about him to have the boss man drop him off?”

I ignore his taunt. “Do you have any open rooms?” I lean against the door frame and peer into his room. It’s neat, which isn’t surprising. He was dishonorably discharged from the Marines, and the only thing he gained from that experience was PTSD, the aim of a god, and OCD.

“Room eight.” he offers, and I nod, leading the men down the hallway to the room. I fling the door open and see a young boy smoking from a crack pipe. I scowl. “What the fuck are you doing?”

The boy lets out a breath of smoke and stands, dropping the pipe on the bed. The smell becomes overwhelming and I wave the smoke away, glaring at the soldier.

“It’s just weed.” He lifts his hands in surrender. I don’t care about them smoking as long as it doesn’t affect their job. If the men start doing any drug, other than marijuana, they end up in a body bag. I’d prefer it if they didn’t smoke anything, but I wouldn’t have any men if that were the case.

Jeremy walks into the room and looks around, frowning. Each room has two beds and a dresser on each side. The bathroom consists of a shower, sink, and toilet. He looks at the empty bed and then back at me. “You can’t be serious,” he says.

“Most men don’t stay here very long. Just do your job, get paid, and get out of here.” I shrug and cross my arms, leaning against the door frame. “Your job is a special one,” I smirk. “You’re Lincoln’s new lap dog. You will be with him every second of the day until he dismisses you. You come back here to sleep and train, and then when your pretty face wakes up, you’re right back to work.” He glances over my shoulder, and I follow his gaze to see that we have an audience. All the men on the floor have gathered in the hall. I look at Lincoln, who is scowling and has his arms crossed, glaring at Jeremy. “Now, lover boy.” He snaps his gaze back to mine and scowls at the nickname as I grip his shoulder in a tight squeeze. “I shouldn’t have to emphasize this, but if I catch wind of you doing anything off-book, such as contacting your pretty little friend or keeping her location to yourself, you won’t make it to your birthday.” He nods, and I give him a fake smile as I pat him on the back a little too hard. To his credit, he doesn’t react.

I feel my phone buzz in my pocket and sigh as I pull it out and scowl at the name. I lean against the door frame and scan the men as I answer.

“You better have a damn good reason for calling me Manzo.” The hallway falls silent, and I feel Lincoln step up beside me, trying to hear the conversation.

“Now, is that any way to talk to a friend?” he chuckles. “I’m calling because I could use your help. If you help me, I’ll give you something in return.”

I scoff, “I’m pretty sure you already owe me a woman.”

He’s silent for a moment before he clears his throat. “Yes, but I believe we could still be useful to each other.”

I let out an unamused chuckle. “You have nothing that I want. Any alliance we had ended the moment you sent spies into my territory. Quite frankly, that’s an act of war, so I don’t know what gave you the impression that I would help you.”

“I need to find Bianca again. I looked for four years and got nowhere, but you found her in a matter of hours. If you help me find her and hand her over to me, I’ll leave you alone. No war. I’m going to marry Bianca and get control over Marcello’s territory, and when Hawkins marries your sister, and you absorb his, we can live in peace.”

I stand straighter and push off the wall. Everything clicks into place, and my eyes meet Lincolns. Based on his expression, I can tell he didn’t hear Manzo’s confession. Manzo isn’t wrong. Once Marcello dies, everything he owns will be handed over to Bianca.

In our world, if there is no son, the daughter would be married off— most likely an arranged marriage. Most have been for alliance’s sake.

“You won’t be able to marry Bianca because you can’t find her. Even if you do, she won’t marry you. I saw how she ran from you. And Hawkins isn’t marrying Vivian.”

“That’s not what your father said.”

“My father abdicated. He has no say in what happens to her. I’m the boss now.”

“Ryker, you are testing my patience.” He hisses.

“I don’t give a fuck about your patience,” I say with a sinister laugh. “Nobody wants a war, Manzo, so this is your only warning.” I hang up the phone and turn to look at the other men whose expressions range from intrigued to fearful. I turn my attention back to Jeremy. “He’s going after her again?” He whispers.

“Yes,” I respond. “If you want her alive, you better hope we find her first.” I turn back to the rest of the men and make eye contact with Julian. “Listen up!” I shout, and all of their eyes land on me. “You will be training twice as hard from now on. Manzo is planning a war, and we need to be prepared. If any of you are slacking, not only will you get a pay cut, but you will also get a visit from me. If I have to drag my ass down here, none of you will be happy.” I start walking past the men, and they part in the hallway. I gesture to the living room as I walk by. “And clean this shit up. I should be able to eat my dinner off the floor, and quite frankly, I don’t even want to sit on your damn couch.” I stop in front of Julian and lean down so only he can hear me. “Look for better recruits to send to me. Let me know if any here seem like good candidates to be in Lincoln’s circle.”

“What are you looking for?”

“Everything. Train some snipers. And when it comes to Jeremy, make sure he is well-trained in everything. I want him at the top of the class.” He nods, and I pat him on the back as I head back to my car.

The day is almost over by the time I get to the office. I need to sign off some papers for Hawkins so he can start hiring a contractor, but when I step off the elevator onto my floor, I hear two women arguing. I pause next to my receptionist’s desk as Lincoln stops beside me. When he sees her, I can see the tension pouring off of him.

“I can’t help you,” my receptionist says to the woman facing away from me.

I see blonde hair, and my pulse quickens. The woman is wearing a pink wool sweater, blue jeans, and black boots.

“I need to talk to him. He is expecting me.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” I smirk when the blonde stiffens. She slowly turns around, and I’m shocked at my reaction when I realize it’s not Bianca. “But Miss Ava, I’m sure I can find time for you. Come into my office.”

I walk past the woman and hold the door open for her as she passes and takes a seat on one of the chairs. Lincoln leans against the wall, not taking his eyes off of her.

“What can I help you with?” I ask as I pour Lincoln and me a drink and then sit down in my chair.

“There is a woman who works for him because she stole drugs from one of his men. I don’t know her name, but I know she works in Queens.” She keeps her eyes locked on me, watching my every move.

“Queens is a big place.” I can feel my anger rising with every word this woman says.

“I know, but…”

I slam my drink down, and she jumps. “I asked for a fucking name. I didn’t ask for half-assed information.” I stand and lean onto my hands, making sure I keep eye contact with her .

“I don’t know how to find her… She is one of the only women allowed to leave the house… M-Manzo…” She stutters

I stalk towards her and bend down so we are face to face. She tries to lean back, and I feel the heat in my body rise. I have every urge to break her neck for wasting my time. I reach up and grab her by the throat, starting to squeeze, and she claws at my hands.

“The next time you bring me information, it better be what I fucking asked for, or the next time this happens, I won’t give a second thought to slitting your throat. Do I make myself clear!” She nods, and I release her. She gasps for air, and I head for the door.

“Her name is Jessica,” she huffs out in between breaths. “She works at his lowest club. I don’t know the name,” she whispers.

“Why didn’t you say that to begin with?” I hiss.

“Women aren’t a means to an end. You don’t just get to use them however you see fit.” she hisses back. “You said I wouldn’t be free until I gave you her name. Now you have it, and I never want to see you again.” Her eyes grow wide as the realization sets in. Nobody is allowed to speak to me that way.

I turn to face her fully, then take a few steps toward her and bend down to whisper in her ear. “When I call you, be there. If you run, I’ll find you and kill you myself. You still owe me two years of work.”

“You said I could be free.” Her face drops.

“No,” I say in a mocking, sweet tone as I tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “I said you wouldn’t have to work at the strip club. You’re the one who assumed I would set you free.”

“You’re an asshole.” She whispers, and I smirk.

“I know.” I take a step back, making a mock pouty face when I see tears in her eyes .

I can’t stand crying. I roll my eyes and open the door to let Lincoln out first. When we get into the elevator and the doors shut, he turns to look at me. He eyes me for a moment, trying to gauge my current mood.

“What the fuck was that?” He finally asks, but all I can do is clench my jaw.

I don’t want to admit to him or myself that the only reason I snapped was because I was picturing Ava as Bianca the entire time. Every time I looked into her big brown eyes, it reminded me how it wasn’t Bianca, how Bianca taunted me and got away from me twice. There will not be a third.