Chapter 14
We hurt our own feelings thinking we meant more to people than we do.
— Brecken to Shasha
SHASHA
I’d spent the last twelve hours looking for Cayden, and the more I searched, the more that alarmed me.
His people—the ones that were able to be found—didn’t know where he was.
His family didn’t know where he was, and the only reason I’d gotten any information from them at all was because I’d let myself into Cayden’s home, and they’d been there looking terrified.
I was on the criminal underground part of asking questions, and so far, no one would talk.
I’d had to use my fists on three men so far before one had finally broken.
This coward.
The rest of his brethren that ran this storefront as a business to funnel money and make it look legit were in the freezer cooling off.
But this one, I knew I could break this one.
I’d been working him over when I’d heard the bell indicating a customer.
I’d been surprised that someone had actually come in.
I mean, the only people that came in were tourists, and it was too early to be eating anything.
Plus, I’d locked it as I’d come inside.
I’d ignored the bell, thinking maybe it was a figment of my imagination.
I’d just loosened my hand from the man’s throat when I heard it.
The gasp.
I whipped my head around, my gun automatically coming out to aim at the intruder, when I realized just who I was aiming my gun at.
I dropped my gun just as fast as it’d appeared and said, “What are you doing here?”
She opened her mouth and closed it before saying, “I wanted an egg sammie.”
I frowned. “No, what are you doing in Houston?”
I’d tracked her car to her house just a few hours ago.
If she was here, she hadn’t driven.
“I…I have a conference across the street,” she said. “I rode with another teacher.”
That explained that.
But how did she find me?
“Are you following me?” I asked.
Her back stiffened. “Are you seriously asking me if I followed you down here when you have a man pinned to the back wall looking alarmingly purple?”
I let the man drop. He hit his feet, collapsed, and fell straight to his ass.
And since I already had my gun out, I pointed it at his head and said, “You have a brother.”
“Yes,” he croaked. “In that freezer.”
“If you care about him at all, you’ll tell me what I want to know. Where’s Cayden?” I repeated my earlier question.
He licked his lips, his breaths still coming in gasps, and said, “Someone took him. Out. Not dead. Just out of the city.”
“On what?” I asked.
“A shipping container,” he answered.
“How do you know he’s on this shipping container?” I questioned.
I sensed movement behind me, but I didn’t pull my gaze away from the imbecile in front of me.
She was probably freaking out, but I had more important questions on my brain than whether or not she was calling the cops or not. If she did, I’d deal.
But for now…
“Chatter,” he whispered. “Couple of boys at the docks saw him get taken, put in a dog kennel, and loaded onto the ship unconscious.”
There was a small gasp from beside me.
“When was this?” I asked.
“Yesterday. Around one in the morning,” he said.
“What was the ship’s name?” I pushed.
He laughed hoarsely. “Do you actually think I got the ship’s name?”
I used my boot to step on his finger, and he gasped, his eyes widening.
“The ship’s name,” I ordered.
He swallowed hard. “It’s a retiring Carnival cruise ship. They’d already stripped the name and all identifying markers off of the hull.”
There weren’t going to be many of those.
“Anything else you would like to add?” I asked. “Do you have any more information about what’s going on?”
The guy’s eyes went wide, his mouth opened and closed, and I knew he was contemplating what to tell me.
“Just tell him already, Jesus.” Brecken threw her hands up. “You’re gonna get a whole lot less dead if you do.”
I looked at her, my foot digging into the man’s finger as I did, and stared.
She didn’t look scared at all. In fact, she looked impatient and exasperated, but not scared.
“I…I…” the man stuttered.
I bore down on his finger once again, and he gasped.
“The man that took him.” he drew in a deep breath. “He looked military. He had a shit ton of men that looked military with him, too. Everything that’s happening down here looks like a whole team of black ops is running it. The one that marched McCloud up the ship ramp, though. He looked like a cop.”
There was no way this was government funded. And the man that’d taken Cayden wasn’t a cop.
At least, not anymore.
I pulled my foot off the man’s finger and said, “Head to the freezer.”
The man scrambled to his feet and ran.
I followed behind when he got the freezer door open.
He started to let the men out that’d already been in there for over ten minutes, but I said, “All of you in. Don’t come out for twenty minutes.”
They all stared at me with wide eyes, but they wisely stepped inside, proving they had a modicum of intelligence.
They knew who I was and what I was capable of. My reputation preceded me.
I’d worked my ass off to get to the point where even hearing my name sparked terror in the eyes of lesser men.
I’d had to practically bathe in blood to get to this point.
The door shut behind the men that cleaned money for Cayden—men that hadn’t even tried to help him as he was taken hostage for something I wasn’t sure yet—and I was tempted to barricade them all in there.
But then a movement at my back had me turning and reminding me of the anger I’d felt earlier upon seeing her there.
Once again, absolutely no thought for her own safety.
Could she not get the fucking hint?
I was dangerous.
My life was dangerous.
Nothing good could ever come out of her knowing me.
Yet, there she was.
Insinuating herself into my life.
Danger was everywhere.
How could I protect her from herself?
I marched back into the room, and there she was, waiting for me.
She smiled, and it was at that moment that I lost control.
In two strides, I had her in my arms.
In another two, I had her pinned against the wall.
Seconds after that, I was ripping her panties off and shoving her skirt up.