Chapter 23
Chapter Twenty-Three
Atlas hooked his thumb around his vest. With Rex gone and a lot of his men dead, he didn’t need to ambush the strip club with a rifle. His Glock was nestled in his waistband at his back if he needed it.
He and Viper approached the bouncer at the door. Music bumped from inside as if shit hadn’t just gone down hours before. Recognition flashed on the bouncer’s face. He reached for the mic clipped to his shirt pocket.
Atlas held up a hand. “I don’t want trouble. I need to speak with Jenna.”
The guy’s face contorted with anger. “You shouldn’t be here.”
“Yeah, well, your boss is gone and likely won’t be back. If I were you, I’d cooperate.”
The bouncer’s gaze swung around nervously. Atlas read the guy’s name tag: Del.
His temper spiked. “Listen, Del. A woman is missing, and if it turns out you or anyone else here has something to do with that—”
Viper placed a hand on his shoulder. “Bring out Jenna or I’m going in to get her. And it won’t be a good scene.”
Atlas clenched his jaw and reached for his Glock. He paused when his fingers touched the sleek handle.
“Five minutes,” Viper said.
Del dipped his head to his mic. “Send Jenna to the front.”
Atlas let his hand slide away from his weapon, and he and Viper stepped to the side to wait for the woman. A few people arrived, some clearly with drinks in their system. The bouncer let them pass, and a couple of minutes later, Jenna appeared at the door. Her eyes widened when she saw them.
“Jenna, can we speak with you?” Atlas kept his tone even, gentle. She might have fucked them over by tipping off Rex, but he didn’t care about that shit right now. All he wanted was Molly back.
She stepped toward them, staying near Del. Under the fluorescent lights, her makeup appeared bold and gaudy.
Fear clouded her face. She folded her fingers together over her middle.
Long, decorated false nails curled from her fingertips.
Her cheek was swollen and slightly discolored.
She’d clearly applied a pound of makeup, but the abuse was still visible.
“I know why you’re here. I-I’m sorry I told them you were coming. I—”
Atlas held up his hand. “That’s not what this is about. Is there somewhere we can talk?”
She swallowed and nodded, ushering them inside. He flicked his gaze to Del, waiting for him to challenge their entrance, but he reached for someone’s ID at the door, ignoring them.
Atlas followed her with Viper at his side. She led them through a kitchen and into a staff room at the back, then turned to face them, leaving the door open. She folded her arms across her chest.
“I need to get back to work. What do you want?” Sadness etched her face. Gone was the vivacious woman from last night.
But he couldn’t feel sorry for her. Not right now, anyway. He had one goal in mind. He pulled his phone from his pocket. “A woman is missing. Her name’s Molly.”
After bringing up the picture, he showed Jenna the screen. “We need to find her. She went missing after we captured Rex earlier, and we believe he has something to do with it.”
Jenna studied the image, then shook her head. “I’ve never seen her.”
“Ever?”
She sighed. “Rex brings a lot of girls through here.”
Atlas’s attention sharpened.
“Girls?” Viper asked, taking the word from Atlas’s mouth.
Her eyes shifted to Viper, but her expression didn’t change. “Girls. Young women. All of the above.”
Jesus Christ. He expelled a hot breath. “Think. Please. You might not have seen her, but did you hear any of his men talking about taking a woman? Moving her somewhere? Anything would be helpful at this point.”
Sympathy shone in her eyes. “I’m sorry, no. There’s been a lot of collateral damage around the club since we heard Rex was brought in.”
She swung her gaze over her shoulder, then moved to close the door before returning to her spot in front of him. “Certain people—customers of Rex’s—were pissed to find out he was gone. They know his establishment is going to come crashing down.”
“Not just the club,” Viper said.
She shook her head. “People are nervous. A couple guys even quit on the spot. I doubt there’s anyone in Rex’s circle who wanted to take your friend, and even if they did, they’d have no use for her with the business crumbling.”
“You mean stripping?” Viper asked. “Do they force women to work here?”
“To work here, no. But to work . . . yes.”
Atlas’s stomach bunched. No wonder their mission had been to take Rex alive. Not only was the bastard selling drugs—it sounded as though he was selling women, too.
“What else do you know?” he asked, tucking his phone back in his pocket. “Where did he keep these women and girls?”
Jenna backed up an inch and shook her head. “I don’t know anything else. I told you everything.”
Goddammit. They’d come here for nothing. Wasted time. He should’ve stayed at the hotel. Should’ve done anything but—
“Think,” Viper said. “Please. How about any of Rex’s customers? Maybe someone got pissed off enough to go after our friend.”
No, that didn’t make sense. Even as Viper spoke the words, Atlas rejected them.
“I don’t see how there could be a connection. Maybe you need to look at who else would want to hurt your friend—or someone your friend made angry. I have to go. Please, don’t come back.” She opened the door and disappeared.
Atlas curled his hands into fists and wheeled on Viper. “This was a waste of fucking time,” he spat, his words swallowed by the blaring music beyond the room that only added to the pounding in his head.
Viper nudged him toward the door. “Let’s talk outside.”
They made their way through the club and received a few curious glances from patrons and servers. Exiting, they passed Del without him giving them a second glance.
Atlas kept his head on a swivel as they crossed the street to their SUV. He got in the passenger seat and slammed the door.
Viper got behind the wheel and turned on the engine. “Look, I know it doesn’t look good, but—”
“You think she’s telling the truth?” Skepticism lashed his voice.
Viper sighed. “I think what she said made sense. I’ve said from the beginning it doesn’t add up that Rex is behind her kidnapping this time.”
“Well who the hell else would—” The blood drained from his face.
Viper leaned closer, his gaze wide. “What?”
“Her boss.” Christ. He’d been so goddamn fixated on Rex that he hadn’t read the writing on the wall.
The whole reason Rex had taken Molly in the first place. Not because she was a random woman he could exploit, but because he believed she knew something about his rival.
Molly had said she’d suspected Willy was involved in some questionable business dealings, but it hadn’t crossed his mind that there’d be a reason for her boss to go after her.
“Go back to the hotel,” he ordered. “We’ve got a lead.”
Sand kicked up as Molly ran. Waves rushed toward her feet. She leapt further up onto the pebbly shore and away from the swells that would slow her down.
She neared the dock. The boat swayed as if waving her forward. Chris’s heavy breathing grew louder behind her.
Terror crackled the backs of her legs. Stones tore apart the soles of her feet, but she didn’t slow. Her hair whipped in front of her eyes, and her clothes stuck to her as she ran. A big wave crashed against her legs, nearly taking her out.
“There’s nowhere for you to run!” Chris’s maniacal laugh swirled around her with the storm. “Give up and I won’t beat your fucking ass!”
Yeah, right.
Her breath squeaked through her lips. She wouldn’t give up without a fight. She’d die on this beach or in the inky swells ahead before she’d let him catch her.
The dock was only feet away. She pushed harder and then leapt onto the rickety planks. Her feet slapped against the slick wood. She ran for the boat. Skidding to a stop, she unwound the rope securing it in place.
She threw a hasty glance toward the beach.
Chris hit the dock, his face twisted with fury, his hair plastered to his head. Blood trickled over his face.
A cry caught in her throat as she stepped into the boat. On the leather seat, she turned to reach over the side to push the vessel away from the dock. Her hands locked around the wooden planks. Chris was only feet away.
She pushed with all her strength, but her foot slipped off the seat. She careened forward, nearly toppling into the waves. His fingers plunged into her hair.
“No!” she screamed, twisting to fight him.
He held fast, dragging her over the edge of the boat.
“Let me go!” Clawing at his wrist, she pulled against his hold, not caring if every strand ripped from her scalp in the process.
Wham!
A fist smacked against her jaw, rattling her teeth. Her muscles went slack. Another blow threw her off-balance. She fell overboard and landed in the waves. Chris’s fingers stayed wrapped around her hair, jerking her head.
Icy seawater rushed into her nose and mouth. He pulled her to the surface. Her head burned, and her cheek pulsed.
She gasped. Saltwater scratched her eyes and throat.
Chris seized her under her arm and hauled her onto the dock. He pinned her to the planks, her face on the wood, his cruel hands heavy on her spine.
“You stupid . . . piece of shit,” he spat breathlessly.
Grabbing her shoulders, he rolled her onto her back. He hovered over her. Blood ran off his chin with the rain, hitting her lips and cheek.
“You’re going to wish you died in that cave.”
Footsteps on the dock solidified her doom. The guy she’d hit with the log approached. He stopped inches from her face. She stared up at the two men through a dizzying vortex of rain.
Chris sneered. “She almost got away. As slow as she is stupid.”
Whack!
Chris’s foot slammed into the side of her head. Her vision waned and her ears rang. Pain exploded across her skull. She covered her face, but the next blow was to the stomach. All the air was forced from her lungs.
Another kick. Then another to her head.
All went dark.
Atlas stormed into the hotel room after Viper and slammed the door shut. He didn’t give a damn if they woke the whole fucking building.
Rogue got to his feet from the kitchen table, his eyes bleary and his hair mussed. Havoc glanced up from his laptop, a cup of coffee steaming next to him. Some of the tension in Atlas’s neck unwound.
He might be walking through hell, but he wasn’t alone.
Appreciation expanded his chest and emotion burned his sinuses. When all this was over, he’d find a way to thank them. To tell them how much their friendship and devotion meant. But right now, he couldn’t put the words together.
Neither Havoc nor Rogue knew Molly like he did. And if she didn’t mean as much to him as she did, they might not be working as hard as they were to find her. But he knew they sensed how important she was to him, and they had his fucking back.
“We need to look at Willy,” Atlas said, coming to stand next to Rogue near Havoc’s side.
Havoc smirked. “One step ahead of you.”
Atlas hiked up his eyebrows. “What do you know?”
“Jack shit right now,” Rogue grumbled. “But while Havoc traced the license plate, I did some digging into Dunne International Exportation.”
“And?”
“The place was under investigation a few years ago for falsified weights. A load was seized but no drugs were found. There’s no evidence of illegal dealings, but clearly they had something to go on.”
Atlas grunted. “Molly said Rex questioned her about Willy’s dealings, asking about meeting points and shit. She also said some shipment weights didn’t add up and when she brought it to Willy’s attention, he did nothing about it.”
“Still, why would that be a motive for him to take her?” Havoc mused aloud.
Rogue shrugged. “It’s all we’ve got to go on.”
“If he thinks she gave information to Rex or that she was snooping around, he might want to just remove the loose end,” Atlas said.
Havoc nodded. “She was taken by his rival and kept for weeks. There’s a possibility you’re right.”
“Then we pay Willy a visit,” Atlas said. “Right fucking now.”
Havoc’s mouth firmed. “I hacked into his office system. Looks like he didn’t go into work today.”
“Well goddamn.” Atlas massaged his temple with the heel of his hand. “What are the odds? He’s got her.”
Rogue nodded. “I agree. We can check his house, but we’re not going to find him there. We need to figure out where else he would’ve gone.”
“How the hell do we do that?” Atlas snapped, fatigue and frustration eroding his patience and ability to think clearly.
Any other mission, any other situation and he’d be able to figure this out. Right now, shit was as clear as mud. Every second that passed could mean death for Molly. They needed to be efficient.
“His workplace,” Rogue said, without missing a beat.
“What do you think we’re going to find at his office?” Atlas asked, bracing his hands on his hips.
“He took her somewhere,” Rogue said. “There’s gotta be a paper trail. An address, a contact. Fuck, I dunno, but I think it’s our best bet.”
“I agree,” Havoc said. “And if we don’t find any leads, we’ll pay visits to his staff. Someone has to know where the hell he would’ve taken her.”
It might be a dead end. But they had to try. Had to keep searching. At some point, something had to give.
Before it was too late.