Chapter 24 Bit
BIT
Ifollowed Nancy as she raced out of the courthouse and into a vehicle waiting right outside. She made it down the same steps and into the car before I had the chance to see the driver. As it sped off, I took several photos, including a close-up of the license plate.
Knowing there was no way I could get to my truck in time to follow them, I returned inside.
“What the fuck?” I muttered when I entered the courtroom and found it was empty. I was about to call Eberly when the clerk returned from the back.
“Where is everyone?” I asked.
“The attorneys are still in with the judge.”
“What about the woman who was seated here earlier?” I motioned to where Eberly and I had been sitting.
“No idea. Maybe she left.”
I’d placed the call when the door opened again and Zin walked in, followed by the other attorney and the judge. His brow was furrowed when he approached me.
“Hang on,” I said as I listened to her cell ringing endlessly.
“Do these belong to someone?” asked the bailiff, walking through the same door and holding up two cell phones, one of which was ringing.
“Fuck,” I said loud enough that the judge raised his head and watched as I ran toward the door, where I was stopped by the same man who held the phones.
Zin rushed over to the bench. “The phones you have belong to my father and Ms. Warwick,” he hurriedly explained. While the attention was focused on him, I raced around the bailiff and through the door.
“Eberly? Michael?” I shouted as I continued running.
“Sir, you can’t be in here,” I heard someone shout from behind me.
“Where’s the exit?” I yelled just as another man jumped in front of me, blocking my way.
“Let him go!” I heard Zin yell, racing in my direction. “This way,” he motioned as he ran past me.
He opened a door leading to an underground parking structure, and we both went in opposite directions.
“I’ll call Vader, you call your brother,” Zin shouted behind him when he went to the right and I went left.
As I frantically searched for any sign of them, I called Snapper. “Eberly and Michael are gone,” I shouted into the phone. “We’re at the courthouse.”
“Nothing?” Zin asked when we met on the opposite side.
I shook my head.
“What the fuck happened?” he yelled, spinning in a circle.
“Tiernan,” I said.
He turned to face me. “He’s got them.”
Decker Ashford set up a command center in Zin’s office and started barking orders at everyone but me.
“Give me something to do,” I practically begged, stepping in front of him.
“Start canvassing businesses in the surrounding area for CCTV footage.” He turned to Snapper. “You go with him.”
We reached the elevator at the same time Kick stepped off with Cru. “Addy’s in labor. Brix is with her at the hospital. Ridge, Press, and Bones are on their way. What can we do?”
“Talk to Decker,” Snapper told him, motioning to Zin’s office as I pushed past them and repeatedly jabbed the elevator button once I was on it. He jumped on with me right before the door closed.
“How are you doin’, Bit?”
“How do you think?” I snarled.
“We’re gonna find her. Decker’s calling the cavalry in from all over.”
I didn’t know what that meant, and I didn’t care. I had no doubt Tiernan Burke—or whoever the fuck he was—was behind this, and God knew where he took her and Michael Oliver.
“I’ll kill him with my bare hands,” I seethed.
I was partway down the second block from the courthouse when I received an urgent group text from Decker, telling everyone to return to Zin’s office.
I ran back, arriving at the building at the same time a car pulled up and Tryst jumped out. When he followed me in and onto the elevator, I faced the wall and put my head in my hands as I tried to catch my breath more from an impending panic attack than the run.
Tryst grabbed my arms and spun me around to face him. “You cannot fall apart now, Trevino. Eberly needs you to remain in control. She needs you to find her.”
My eyes darted between his.
His fingers dug into my flesh. “You can do this. Eberly needs you to do this.”
I nodded. “Yes. She’s mine.”
He nodded too. “She’s yours to protect, Bit. It is your responsibility, your pledge to her.”
“Yes,” I repeated.
Tryst moved his hand to my neck. “Ready?”
The elevator door opened, and I squared my shoulders. “Ready.”
“Have a seat so we can get through this as fast as possible,” Decker said when we came inside.
“I’m good.”
He leveled a glare at me, and I sat, watching the screen as Burke’s photo appeared.
“Gentlemen, this is Liam Devaney, aka Tiernan Burke, grandson of Christopher Devaney, who is the founder of the gang of the same name. The Devaney organization is considered to be Ireland’s most powerful crime family.
Liam, it seems, was tapped to take over what the Killeens and FAIM left behind after last year’s raid.
Either that, or he took it upon himself to go after the combined territories, either with or without permission from his granddaddy.
I’ll wager it’s without, which is why he’s gotta build a stockpile of cash.
” Another photo appeared beside it. “As you can see, his appearance has been altered since the photo on the right was taken three years ago.”
I had to agree, while the man in the two images appeared to be the same height and weight, otherwise, they looked drastically different. The most remarkable thing about him, his eye color, wasn’t discernible, given the lighting of both photos.
“At the time the second image was taken, Liam landed on several countries’ most wanted lists, including the FBI’s and the NCA’s—the UK’s National Crime Agency.
The two agencies put up a reward money amounting to five million dollars each for his capture as well as the same for Christopher Devaney, Senior and Junior, Miranda and Patrick Boyle, and James Dunn. ”
Two more images appeared on the screen. There was enough of a resemblance for the woman to be Nancy Burke or someone related to her.
“Is Devaney connected to Grogan?” I asked.
“Affirmative,” Decker responded. “After we’ve located Eberly Warwick, her father, and Michael Oliver, we’ll do a complete briefing on how.”
Three more men dressed in tactical gear walked into the conference room where we were gathered.
“This is Sebastian Steel, Bronson Dunning, and Mick Reynolds. Each is among the world’s best in critical-incident response and hostage rescue.
What that means is their teams are gonna find the motherfuckers who have ’em and we’re gonna bring ’em home. ”
Decker’s eyes met mine, and I nodded.
“We’ve been able to bring in some extra firepower from one of our friends at the NRO. His code name is Grit. You got anything for us yet, buddy?”
“Affirmative, and it’s good news, boys. I’ve got a twenty for you,” said a guy Decker had on speakerphone.
“Bit, you’re with me. Tryst, you too. Everyone else was assigned before you got here.” Decker said when a satellite image appeared on the screen. “Let’s move out.”