CHAPTER EIGHT
When there was a pounding at Joey’s door again, the three men stood, weapons ready, and flung the door open.
Gator’s body filled the doorway, the others creating a black backdrop of massiveness.
He looked at the weapons, then slowly looked up at the faces of the three young Rangers. He didn’t even flinch.
“Who the fuck are you and where is my son?” growled Gator.
“Oh, shit,” muttered Red. “Sorry, sir. Are you Chief Dougall?”
“Retired. But, yes.”
“We’re his teammates. I’m Red, that’s Bullett and the other one is Bo. Sorry, sir, we didn’t expect you so fast.”
“We’ve got our ways,” said Gator.
Red backed up, allowing the men to enter the room. Joey’s apartment was small for one man but all of these men, it was miniscule.
“Where is Marissa? Where are they?” asked Christopher.
“You must be her father,” said Bullett. Christopher nodded. “The men who were blackmailing her, using her, found out where Joey lived by tracing his plates. They showed up here but not before he took my truck and Marissa and left. He said he was going to find a place for them to hide.”
“I’ll call him,” said Gator. He disappeared into the bedroom as the men made themselves at home. Christopher stared at the three men, watching as they squirmed beneath his gaze.
“Thanks for helping Joey,” he said.
“We’re teammates, sir. It’s what we do. Besides, what they did to Marissa is horrible. We think they want something else from her. They sent seven guys to get one girl.”
“Who are these men?” asked Wes.
“Um, we’re not sure. They run the club and apparently run this gambling ring where they suck people in, let them win a bit, then hold them for ransom, pretty much.” Bullett stared at the men. “Um, sorry sirs. But who exactly are all of you?”
“Guess that would help, wouldn’t it?” smirked Wes. “I’m Wes Jordan, Marissa’s grandfather. That’s Christopher, her father. In the bedroom is Gator, or Ian. That’s Ham McDonald, her uncle and Patrick Jordan, also her uncle.”
“Fuck, I was about to ask why you only brought five men but I guess that explains it,” smirked Bullett. Gator walked out of the bedroom and nodded at them.
“They’re safe. They stopped and got her some clothes and something to eat. They’re going to find a place to lay low until we can figure out what the fuck is happening.”
“We could go to them,” said Bo.
“No, son. Not you. Those men saw you and will probably be watching for you.” Bullett’s phone rang and he stared at the number.
“It’s the colonel. We’re supposed to be on leave.”
“Put it on speaker,” said Christopher.
“Good morning, sir.”
“Bullett, I need the team back here now. I have some questions for you regarding an incident at a club.”
“I’m not sure I understand, sir. What club?”
“You know damn well what club. Where’s the girl?”
“Sir, I’m sorry but I really don’t know what you’re talking about,” said the young man.
“Get your sorry asses in here. You’re going to tell me what you know or we’re going to have a conversation you won’t like.” The phone went dead and he stared at the men in the room.
“We have to go in,” he said.
“You’re not going alone,” said Ham. “I was a Ranger. I still know a few folks that can help us if we need it.”
“Sir, that might cause trouble for you,” said Bo. Ham laughed, shaking his head at the young man.
“Didn’t you hear, son? Trouble is what we enjoy the most.”
“That was my dad,” said Joey. “They’re at the apartment and will try to find some information about these people. We’re going to find a place to lay low for a while.”
“Where? We’re in the middle of nowhere.”
“The team back home is working on it for us. We should be able to rent a vacation home so we’re not walking through lobbies with cameras in them.”
“I would have never even thought of that,” she frowned staring down at the plate of pancakes, bacon, and eggs. Or at least what was left of it.
“You were hungry. When was the last time you ate?” he asked.
“Yesterday morning,” she said. “I live in a horrible little studio apartment near the club. We’re watched all day, every day.”
“Are there other girls that live there?” asked Joey.
“Yes. Some don’t want to be there. They were forced, just like me. Others seem to like the life or at least have resigned themselves to the life. How did I make such a mess, Joey? I mean, I know who we are, who our parents are. Why wouldn’t I have swallowed my pride and called them?”
“I can’t answer that, babe. We are all young and stupid at some point in our lives. Some of us just did it earlier than you,” he smirked.
“I don’t remember you doing anything stupid,” she said taking a bite of bacon.
“That’s because I wasn’t home when it happened. I was in Ranger school and finished the first two phases. We went to a bar and this girl came onto me. I was drunk and lonely and, well, I went home with her.”
“You were single, Joey. I get it.”
“That’s not all. A few weeks later she said she was pregnant and I was the father. I was so afraid of what mom and dad would say, I was prepared to marry her and just announce it to the family.”
“What happened?”
“I called great-grandpa. He and Trak came right away. Told the girl she had to take a paternity test. She refused and they said she had to at least do a sonogram. Turns out, she was three weeks further along than the date we met. The guy that got her pregnant deployed and she didn’t know his last name. ”
“Geez, I’m so sorry,” she said genuinely emotional about the situation. “But it proves what a good man you are, Joey. You were ready to throw your life away for a woman you didn’t know.”
“Maybe,” he said shaking his head. “I don’t know if I could have gone through with it. It’s hard to pretend to love someone when you know you’re in love with someone else.”
“Joey,” she whispered. “Why couldn’t we have told one another what we were feeling, what was happening? I should have called you, gone to you when I first got worried.”
“None of it matters now. We’re going to fix this and we’re going to help those other women.”