Chapter 4
Ryker
“Just smash his shit if there’s nothing to take,” Ezra said flippantly.
Ryker looked around the sorry space, not knowing exactly what he should do. The couch reeked of cigarette smoke and weed. He also wasn’t quite convinced it had been brown when Charlie bought it. Maybe it had come with the place. Either way he wasn’t there to ask.
The night the tracker had gone off they had followed the trail to a dead end. He must have seen Ezra slap it on his car because it had been removed and stuck to some poor sap’s bike.
Then, he went missing for a few days. A guy like him wouldn’t get far, though. They had eyes all over and just as they suspected, he came crawling back to his hovel.
Ryker sifted through the drawers in Charlie’s dresser. Only clothes. Not a single valuable to take.
Well, he said to start breaking shit.
He yanked the drawers out and slammed them against the floor. The particleboard shattered on impact, sending faux-wooden debris across the stained carpet. How the fuck did he get it so dirty?
Ezra piped up from the other room. “He has neighbors, you know.”
He groaned. “You told me to break shit. I break it, and now you’re still bitching.”
“Just saying, you don’t have to go full psycho.”
“Whatever,” Ryker muttered.
He dismantled their target’s belongings as quietly as possible. After a few minutes, Ezra came to find him.
“All right, I think we’ve done all we can. He didn’t have much. Let’s go see if we can catch him on his way home.”
Charlie had thought he could escape them if he didn’t drive his pathetically recognizable car around. But they found it anyway, stashed at some cousin’s house. It didn’t take long to get that cousin to give away that Charlie was only hiding out for a couple of days.
They left the apartment and lingered in an alley just outside. The stench of piss and old trash coated the insides of his nose and he couldn’t wait to get away from this shit side of town.
Leaning against the brick, he toyed with his lighter. His fingers twitched, feeling that familiar click as he resisted the urge to reach for the non-existent pack in his pocket. He had quit two months ago and the worst cravings came when his hands were idle.
So, he’d taken to being an annoying fuck by fidgeting with the lighter.
It was a nice one that his dad had given him before he’d gotten Ryker stuck working for one of the most ruthless sharks in the city.
Gambling. Always fucking gambling. Many would get so deep, they could never hope to see the surface.
That was his dad. At least, until Ryker had stepped in.
Only a few more years of smashing shit and roughing people up. Then, they’d all be free from this.
As long as his mom kept his dad on a tight leash. That was the hardest part. His dad hated being bossed around by her, but it was necessary.
Click. Click. Click.
It was cold and the rain had left the air feeling even more damp. Fuck, he wanted to go back inside, but they needed to do this out here.
He glanced at Ezra who was swiping through profiles on some dating app.
“What was wrong with that one?” Ryker asked. He’d only lingered for a couple seconds, but she looked hot enough.
“I don’t know.” He sighed. “I’m five seconds away from deleting this fucking thing.”
That girl who smacked into him outside K-Shop came to mind.
At first he thought nothing of her, but her icy blue eyes had caught him.
He couldn’t help getting a better look. A cute little thing, with black hair that barely reached her shoulders and a piercing in each nostril.
She tried to avoid his gaze when he called her pretty.
“You get a good look at that girl we saw?” Ryker said, chewing his lip. Fuck, he could kill for a smoke.
Ezra chuckled. “Yeah, she went into that fuckin’ noodle joint you love so much. Should’ve known you would want to snatch her up.”
Ryker snorted. He wasn’t wrong. It had been a while since he’d hooked up with someone who had anything remotely in common with him.
Lazy footsteps shuffled at the end of the alley.
Ezra pushed himself away from the wall and pocketed his phone. They had only interacted with Charlie a few times, but that footfall was unmistakable.
They rushed out of the alley. Charlie staggered back with his mouth hanging open in shock. His bleary eyes were unfocused as he took in his two assailants.
“N-no!” he objected.
Ezra grabbed him by his greasy hair and dragged him into the alley. He pressed their target’s face against the wall and Ryker started his part, punching and elbowing.
He hated doing this.
Charlie gasped as the punches stole his air. Ezra leaned in. “Xan is done asking nicely,” he seethed. “So you better figure out something quick.”
A sob escaped his throat. “I c-can’t pay it… p-please don’t take my fingers.”
Ryker withdrew his knife. Ezra pressed Charlie’s hand against the brick wall, trying to pry his fingers open. He wasn’t budging so Ryker kicked him in the Achilles.
“Ahh!” Charlie shrieked. “Don’t do it! I’ll do anything!”
Ryker clenched his teeth and lowered the knife to Charlie’s index finger. His stomach clenched as he got closer.
“Oh my God!”
They all jumped at the sudden voice that came from the end of the alley. A woman turned and ran.
“Shit!” Ezra yelled, dropping Charlie. He slumped to the ground as they took off after her. Xan wouldn’t tolerate witnesses, they had to catch her.
She darted to the side, her dark hair swishing in the low light of the streetlamps.
Ezra was close. With a final burst of energy he barely caught her elbow. She twisted away and took off in a new direction. Something fell out of her bag, but he couldn’t make out what it was. Ezra scooped it up while Ryker kept chasing.
He turned down a street, but there were people all over. Smart of her to find a busy area.
He scanned the crowd.
Fuck!
She was gone.
Defeated, he trekked back to find his friend. He was sitting on a stoop and catching his breath.
“She’s gone,” he admitted.
“Figured considering you’re standing here by yourself.” He held up an envelope. “Looks like we’ve got her address.”
Ryker’s stomach twisted. She hadn’t done anything wrong except be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Ezra brought his phone up to his ear. “Yeah… there was an extra set of eyes. We, uh, have an address.”
He stared off absently as he listened. Ryker couldn’t make out any of it.
His jaw clenched. “Okay. Got it…”
Eyes glued to the ground, he said, “We have to track her down.”