Ryker

Chapter Twenty-Five

Bianca glares at me as she stalks toward me, practically shoving Vivian out of the way. She rears her hand back and tries to slap me across the face. I grab her wrist and stand.

“How could you?” she hisses, ripping her arm from my grasp. “B…” Jeremy warns her, but she ignores him.

“If you had just told me that you saved his life, none of this would have happened.” She clenches her jaw as she waits for a response.

I know she’s right. Bianca needs one reason to trust me; saving her boyfriend's life would’ve been enough to earn her trust—at least some of it. But I couldn’t stand seeing them together. Watching her jump into his arms made my blood boil, but knowing she’s wearing my clothes, smelling like me…

My cock twitches at the thought, and I clear my throat. “Why don’t you join us?” I gesture to one of the empty chairs for her to take. Instead, she crosses her arms, and her glare intensifies.

Ignoring her I turn my attention back to Lincoln. “How are you planning on getting in and out undetected?”

“His guards aren’t well trained. It should be easy enough.”

“Don’t underestimate him.” Bianca steps forward. “I’m guessing you’re talking about Manzo?” She asks, looking between all of us .

“Bianca.” Nolan takes a step forward but she holds out her hand, stopping him.

“I know that place better than anyone. I know him better than any of you.” She turns to look down at me. “If you don’t want my help then fine, but they won’t make it out alive. Not without my help.”

“You’re not going back in there.” Jeremy hisses, taking a step closer.

“I didn’t ask you.” She spits back. “Who is it you’re going to rescue?”

“Maggie.” Lincoln and Nolan say at the same time.

Bianca stills, her face growing pale. “You…You’ve seen her?” She whirls around to face Lincoln.

He nods. “Manzo gave her to us as payment for helping track you down. Since we haven’t heard anything in a few weeks, we are going to collect.”

“You have to go get her. Now.” Her hands begin to shake, and she touches each of her fingers to her thumb.

Both Nolan and Jeremy notice and take a step towards her. “Don’t worry, we will get her out of there,” Nolan says, rubbing

gentle circles along her back.

Bianca shakes her head. “No, you don’t understand. She is the last escapee. She escaped with me and two other girls. I thought…” She glances over to Hawkins. “Your father kidnapped and killed my sisters. Maggie was the youngest. She was only sixteen when Manzo found her on the streets. When we escaped, we hid all over the city. Somehow Manzo kept finding us. It was harder to stay under the radar with the four of us. But when Mia an d Karmen were killed, I knew he was slowly picking us off. I watched as your father's men dragged Maggie into their car.” She takes a deep breath. “It’s been four years… I thought he killed her. He told me he did. He was working with Manzo and their slimy-ass business.”

“That’s why you killed my father?” Hawkins sighs, running his hand along his jaw.

She nods, “Leo Hawkins, Loren Manzo, Niko Marcello, and Alistar Domincio were all working together in a sex trafficking ring. I made it my mission to take them all down.”

Hawkins balls his hands into fists at his side as I slowly stand, towering over her. “You’re telling me my father is selling women?”

“Not only selling…breaking them.” “Breaking?” Vivian's voice is a whisper.

“Making them nothing more than a shell of a person. No brain function. No thoughts of your own. You are a sex doll at best and a punching bag at the worst.”

“He wouldn’t,” Vivian whispers.

Bianca lets out a long sigh. “I’m telling you this because Maggie was one of the most important people in my life, and I failed her. I have to make it right. If that means going by myself, then so be it. If it means she goes free, I’ll turn myself over to him.” Bianca’s voice cracks in desperation.

“No.” Lincoln, Jeremy, Nolan, and I say at the same time. She furrows her brows.

“Then let me help.”

I glance over to Lincoln, whose focus is completely on Bianca .

She follows my gaze and shifts on her feet.

“Look,” Bianca lets out a sigh and sits on the corner of my desk. “I will tell you what you want to know if you let me help get Maggie back. She’s my sister. Wouldn’t you do everything you could to get Lincoln or Vivian back?”

I clench my jaw. “You are on probation. One wrong move, and you’re back in the basement.”

“Yes, sir.” She says, thick with sarcasm as she salutes me.

I roll my eyes but have to suppress a smirk. “Smartass,” I mutter under my breath.

I hear her soft chuckle as we exit my office and I can’t help the way my heart lurches at the sound of it. “Lincoln, Hawkins, and Jeremy, you’re with me. Nolan, you stay here and watch the girls.”

“You said I could help,” Bianca argues as she chases us towards the door.

“When we begin working on how and when we are going to get her out, you will. For now, I have other business to attend to.”

“You can’t just leave her there!” Bianca’s voice raises an octave as her face begins to redden.

“What do you want me to do, Bianca? Run in there, guns blazing, taking out more of my men for a woman who might not even be alive? The moment he found out we had you, he attacked the docks. I wouldn’t put it past him to kill her to spite us.”

“Don’t.” She takes a step back, her eyes filled with hatred. “He knows how much she means to me. Keeping her alive and torturing her is more punishment to me than it would be to just kill her. ”

“We all want to save her, and we will.” Without another word, I shut the front door and climb into the passenger seat of my SUV.

Lincoln’s hands are gripped tight on the steering wheel as we zoom through the city toward the Inn where Jeremy has been staying the last couple of weeks.

“Do you think she could be lying about all of this?” Hawkins asks.

“Have you been trained in torture?” I ask Jeremy, ignoring Hawkins’s question.

Jeremy’s eyes widen, “No, and I’d rather not.”

“He’s been doing well in hand-to-hand combat and has progressed better than most. I could honestly see him as Lead one day.” Lincoln mutters under his breath.

Silence consumes the car as the minutes tick on. Tom's family has worked with ours for generations. My father recruited his father not long before Tom was born.

When one of my men has a child, that child is automatically a part of the Domincio family. When they turn sixteen, we start training them in the boxing ring, getting them prepared for the life they were born into. Tom was no exception. My mind starts running, turning over Hawkins’ question over and over again. Could she be lying? The fact that he could be the mole is one of the highest forms of betrayal.

We pull into the Inn’s parking lot, taking up two spots. The three men sitting on the back patio stand, blowing out a puff of smoke. I catch Jeremy nodding to them once before we head inside .

Just like outside, when the men notice Lincoln, Hawkins, and I, they all stand, and the whole bottom floor goes silent.

“Where the hell is Tom?” I ask Jeremy, who is walking in right behind me.

“He’s in room four.”

I make my way up to the resident's hall, pausing in front of room four. I kick in his door, breaking it off its hinges. “Get the fuck up!” I yell as I stalk to his bed, where he is lying down, scrolling through his phone. Ripping the phone out of his hands, I throw it to Hawkins. I pull Tom up by his collar and shove him into Lincoln.

Lincoln drags Tom down the stairs as he starts to plead and apologize. Confirming Bianca told the truth about everything. I look down the hallway to see every man staring and getting dressed, ready for action.

I find Julian walking towards me. “What’s going on?” Julian watches from the top of the stairs as Lincoln drags Tom out of the building, and places him in his trunk after tying up his wrists and ankles.

“Turns out you’ve been housing the mole. How could a Lead not notice one of his men was a rat?” I ask, tilting my head to the side.

“I don’t really work with him.” Julian looks at me with fear in his eyes as he shifts under my penetrating glare, “I focus on training the men in fighting. He was a runner.”

I punch Julian in the stomach and bring his face inches from mine. “If you don’t get a handle on your men and start doing your job properly, I will not hesitate to replace you. Do I make myself perfectly. Fucking. Clear?” I growl, and he coughs.

“Crystal.” Julian chokes.

Lincoln and Jeremy hooked Tom up to the chains, and Jeremy leans against the table that holds all the equipment. I watch as he scans every item, his face slowly losing color. He looks back up, scanning the man who has been hanging here since the dock attack.

“If you’re going to throw up, do it in the toilet.” I point to the bucket that sits in the corner of the room.

Jeremy shoots me a “fuck you” look, and I smirk.

“Please,” Tom whispers. “I- I don’t know what I did. I didn’t do anything!” He screams, and I take my seat next to Jeremy. Watching as Lincoln does his thing.

“Pay attention, Lover Boy, your turn is next, and this is my favorite fucking part.”

Jeremy swallows but nods.

Lincoln punches Tom in the stomach. He huffs out a breath and I can’t help the sinister laugh that escapes me. “Careful now, you don’t want to break him. We need to get a couple of things out of him before you kill him.” I grab a chair, swing it around, and straddle the seat. Tom starts to cry, and I smile. “Why don’t you tell me who you are working for? ”

“You.” He whimpers, and without needing instructions, Lincoln slices into his back with a heated blade. He screams. I put my pinky in my ear and wiggle it.

I let Lincoln have his fun, and even let Hawkins take a few swings. Since we found out why Bianca has a vigilante agenda against our fathers, he’s been doing nothing but seething. For now, Tom can be his outlet.

“Damn, you have a set of pipes on you.” I say once the screaming has subsided, a smirk tugging at the corner of my lips. Standing, I gesture to Jeremy. “Grab the small pieces of wood and come here.”

Once he’s standing in front of Tom, I loosen the chains, dropping him to the floor. Tom stands on shaky legs.

“I haven’t done anything!”

I chuckle, shoving him down into a chair. Lincoln zip-ties his hands to the arms of the chair before tying a rope around his torso to help keep him in place.

“Now, take one and place it under his pointer fingernail.” Jeremy looks at me for a second before grabbing the wood and doing as he’s told. He stiffens when the wood pierces the flesh, and when Tom starts screaming, he stops. “Come on now, Lover Boy. Remember who you are doing this for. You want to take down Manzo? This is how we do it. I want to see so much blood I could fucking drown in it.”

He swallows and pushes the wood all the way in. Tom starts to rock in his seat and shakes his head. “Please!”

I look at Jeremy and gesture for him to take over. “Tell us who you are working for.”

“RYKER!” He screams, and Jeremy shakes his head. He grabs another piece and sticks it in the middle finger .

Noticing the man hanging next to Tom begin moving, Lincoln walks over to the table, cuts a piece of duct tape off of the roll, and slaps the tape over his mouth. The man’s eyes shoot open, and terror enters his features as he takes in the scene. The moment his eyes land on Tom, they grow wider, and he begins to shake, trying to get his attention. Tom doesn’t seem to notice because just then, Jeremy starts plunging another woodchip under the fingernail on his ring finger.

This goes on until all ten fingers have two pieces of wood sticking out of them.

Jeremy looks at me for the next move so I hand him the pliers off of the table. “Pull them out.” I look back at Tom. “Very slowly.”

Jeremy takes the pliers with shaky hands. Lincoln comes up beside me and whispers in my ear. “He hasn’t taken a life yet.”

I nod.

Taking your first life is never easy. Especially if you come from a sheltered background. If you grew up with it around you every day like Lincoln and I did, then it makes it a bit easier. With that said, I still threw up after I killed my first man. Granted, I was only thirteen, but Jeremy still hasn’t had it easy. He watched as Bianca was brutally raped and beaten before almost dying himself. I’m sure he can handle this.

Jeremy gets to the last finger, and Tom starts sobbing. “Okay, okay.” He sniffles, and I can’t help but chuckle. Bianca endured far more than this prick, and I can’t help the pride that swells inside me.

Tom looks up at me with a tear-streaked face. “Once Manzo started looking for that girl, he sought me out and convinced me to keep an eye on you and report back to him.” He lets out a sigh and shakes his head. “He’s obsessed with her.” He mumbles. “He knew when you saw her, you wouldn’t be able to keep your hands off of her. He said she was irresistible to men, that she was a siren.”

“What was his plan with you?” I ask.

“He wanted me to work up the ranks and build your trust so he could take you down from the inside out. I knew he sent in one other man, but I never found out who. It’s not like I could ask anyone.”

“What do you know about him?”

He stiffens, and I look at Jeremy, who pulls the last wooden piece from his pinky.

“Fuck!” Tom yells and throws his head back. He glares at Jeremy, but he doesn’t react.

“He asked a question,” Jeremy mumbles, throwing the pliers onto the table behind him.

“I know he’s a lead. I don’t know which one. He’s been a rat for years. Manzo has been planning this for a long time.”

I turn and whisper to Lincoln. “Who?” He shrugs, and I nod “Let’s…”

“I told him he should’ve just killed her. She’s more trouble than she’s worth.” Tom mumbles, interrupting me.

In a flash, Jeremy is punching him in the face over and over again until Tom’s mouth is drooling with blood. I grab Jeremy’s wrist, shooting him a warning look. He breathing is heavy, his chest heaving.

“Don’t you fucking dare speak about her!” Jeremy hisses, and Tom starts to laugh .

“She got to you? Not surprising.” He spits blood onto the floor, aiming for Jeremy’s shoes.

“She didn’t get to me, you fucking asshole. She is like family to me.”

Tom smirks, “You fuck your family? Gross.”

Jeremy grabs the heated knife out of Lincoln’s hands and stabs it into his thigh. Tom lets out a bone-chilling scream, and Jeremy rips it out of his leg. “You don’t know what you’re fucking talking about.” He slams the knife back into his leg. “Say one more thing about her and this is going through your neck.” Jeremy pushes off of him, and he groans.

“She fucking used you!” Tom taunts. “She uses pretty boys like you to get what she wants. All she wants is Manzo. She was trying to make him jealous, to make him see her with you. He found you guys pretty quickly in that motel. She knew it too, strutted you around shirtless for months to rile up Manzo. When he found her, he fucked her nice and rough. Just the way she likes it.”

Jeremy loses all the restraint he has and grabs one of the bigger knives off of the table and flattens Tom’s hand onto the arm of the chair. He slams the knife down, cutting off his pointer and middle finger. Tom screams before it turns into a sinister laugh.

“He played you!” He says in a sing-song voice. “He wanted a reason to start a war with you. He knew what she was planning. He knew about the escape and he let it play out, and used your alliance with Hawkins to take you both down. You taking her in was all part of the plan, pretty boy. He knew you were soft.” He smirks. “You stole his girl. Now he’s taking everything from you.”

I take three steps forward and whip his neck back. He winces at the tight hold I have on his hair. I pull the knife out of his leg and slowly trail it up to his stomach. I twirl the tip of the blade lightly against his skin, just enough to where it pierces his skin, but not enough to go all the way in.

“If you know all about Manzo, I’d love to know what the rest of his plan is.”

Tom smirks. “All I know is that he’s going to kill all of you, and when he’s done, Bianca is going to get what she has coming. That whore is going to pay for what she did. He has a whole plan for her, you know. Down to every. Last. Detail.” He leans in and whispers. “And he is so excited to get his hands on her again.” He whistles. “I wouldn’t want to be her. I have a feeling she won’t survive him this time. He said it will be the worst he’s ever done, and man.” He laughs. “He’s done some fucked up shit.”

I plunge the knife into him as slowly as I can. Letting the serrated blade work its magic. Once it’s in, I twist it in a full circle three times. His screaming echoes off the walls, but every time I pause to readjust my hand, he continues to talk. “She is a fucking slut who deserves what she’s going to get.

I grab the metal molt mouth retractor and force his mouth open. “You should learn when to keep your mouth shut.”

While I am placing the retractor in his mouth, Lincoln reheats one of the knives with the handheld blow torch he keeps in his kill bag.

I take the knife from Lincoln and pull out Tom’s tongue as far as it will go. Inch by inch I slowly cut out his tongue, the smell of burning flesh filling the room. He screams and shakes, trying to break free. Lincoln holds his shoulders down, helping to still him.

Once it’s completely severed, I toss it onto the table with the tools and pick up the two fingers Jeremy had just cut off .

I lean down so I’m eye level with him and whisper so only he and I can hear, “You would think, knowing how I do business, you wouldn’t talk about my woman like that.”

Without another word, I shove the fingers down his throat. One by one. Tom gags, trying to force the invasion back up, but I quickly take out the retractor and slam his mouth shut. Lincoln comes in quickly, slapping duct tape over his mouth.

I pull the knife out still buried in Tom’s torso and toss it to Jeremy. “Finish him.”

Without hesitation, Jeremy thrusts the knife into his carotid. When he pulls it out, he does so at an angle, splashing him in the face with his blood.

“Grab the chains,” Lincoln says, quickly attaching the chains to Tom’s feet.

Tom gurgles as Jeremy pulls him up, hanging him upside down.

I slide one of the large metal wash tub buckets under his head.

“Well, that was easy,” Lincoln chuckles as Tom finally stops moving.

Lincoln grabs his clean up bag and throws the body bag to Jeremy.

“Since you are the one that killed him, you get to dispose of the body.”

Jeremy’s eyes grow wide. “I don’t know how to do that.”

Lincoln laughs. “I’ll show you.” Lincoln pauses for a minute, looking up at the man still hanging feet away. “He’s a witness.” Lincoln nods toward the man and I sigh .

“Ace..”

“I got it boss.” He sighs and a few minutes later he walks in with a chainsaw in his hands.

“Ahh” I say, stroking my hands over its body. “This is going to be better than sex.”

Jeremy lets out a nervous laugh and his wide eyes give away that he’s petrified. If I’m honest, that makes this even more worth it.

“Watch the master at work, Lover Boy .” I draw out his name, lacing it with sarcasm. I smirk, “This is going to be messy.”

I pull the cord on the chainsaw and the engine roars to life. The chain rattles along with my beating heart. My pulse is running wild, and my adrenaline is through the roof.

The man's eyes widen, and his muffled cries under the duct tape fall on deaf ears as he witnesses the wicked gleam in my eyes. As I take a step forward, all of my men take a step back, trying to get out of the splash zone.

“Hi, sweetheart. I hate to cut this rendezvous short, but unfortunately, Daddy has important business to attend to.” I rip the tape off his mouth, “I want to hear you scream for me.” I let my smirk grow into a sinister smile as I raise the chainsaw.

I bring the chain up next to his face, inches away from cutting into his skull; at the last second, I pull away, and his ear falls to the floor.

“I’m sorry. Did you hear that? Oh, wait.” I pick the ear up off the floor and wiggle it in front of his face. “I guess not.”

I hear vomiting behind me. Ace really needs to get a stronger fucking stomach. I shove the ear into his hand, closing his fist around it, “Hold that for me. ”

He gags and releases the wet appendage. It slaps on the ground. I grab hold of the chainsaw with both hands and lose all of the restraint I have. My arms fly wildly, and I lose track of all the areas I’ve sliced through until his hand falls to my feet. I slowly bend down, picking it up and examine it.

“How many rounds have you had with Rosey Palmer? I can’t imagine she enjoyed it, but you know what they say, little hands make everything feel big.” I begin to laugh, as I walk up to him. He squirms, using his remaining energy in a fleeting attempt to get away. I use his hand to slap him across the face. Other than a tear rolling down his cheek and a slight muttered curse, I don’t get much reaction.

I turn off the chainsaw before setting it on the table behind me. Tossing the man's hand down at his feet, I start for the door. I hear a squish, and I slide an inch, having to catch my footing. When I lift my boot, I internally cringe at the site of the man’s ear smooshed between my boot and the concrete.

“Wrap this shit up and clean up this fucking mess,” I say to the men still plastered against the far wall, all wide-eyed and splattered with blood. I scape my boot against the concrete, trying to get the remaining blood off of the bottom before I leave.