Chapter 16
RYDER
We arrive at the decrepit motel, and I follow the boys inside. They don’t know I’m plotting my own mission without them. I stay just long enough to see them lay out floor plans of the residence, and when they start mapping their entrances and exits, I take that as my own cue to exit.
The house they’re keeping Kelsey in is eight minutes away. I can make it in one if I need to.
Pumping my fists at my sides, I pull out the key to the Escalade and remote start it, so it’s ready to go as soon as I’m inside.
I don’t have time to waste on anyone trying to stop me.
The summer heat has the air humid and sticky, making my breaths more labored as I take long strides to the escape car.
“Yo! Wait up!”
I sigh—aggravated—at the sound of Hayden’s voice calling from behind me. I keep walking to the car, speeding up just a little. “Don’t start with me, Hayden!” I growl.
I climb into the driver’s seat and slam the door shut, immediately shifting the gear into reverse, trying to get the hell out of here before he catches up to me. I back out of the parking spot, and as I go to shift into drive, the passenger door swings open, and in jumps a panting, sweaty Hayden.
“Fuck, man.” He snaps breathlessly.
“I don’t have time to argue with you, I’m saving Kelsey myself.”
“I’m not stopping you, I’m going with you.” He reasons and looks me dead in the eyes, seriousness etched into every fiber of his face. “It’s my fault all of this happened, and I will be there to make it right. The guilt is fucking eating me, man.”
My nostrils flare as I take it all in. He’s damn right, it’s all his fault. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little relieved to have him going with me. At the end of the day, he is my brother and always will be. We fist bump, and Hayden sighs a breath of relief, “Let’s get our girl back.”
We successfully breached their system thanks to Teegan, who called me like a pissed-off wet mama hen when he realized Hayden and I had set off on this mission alone.
He was able to bypass their system operations, and we took down their entrance guards, which was surprisingly easy.
We expected at least a little more of a fight from them, but now it’s safe to say there’ll be no more fights from them in the future.
“Ah man, they splattered their blood all over my new shirt,” Hayden whines jokingly.
“Dude, you’ve had that shirt for a decade,” I reply, cracking a smirk. Something I haven’t managed to do in damn near four days.
Walking side by side in all black to blend in with the shadows.
They don’t call me Shadow for nothing. We pull out our black Glock 9’s and attach the silencers we had specially crafted.
I wasn’t sure what we were up against, so I loaded ten mags to be sure I had plenty of bullets.
I’m not worried about missing my shot. I don’t miss.
I just don’t know how many people we are about to have on our hands.
“What’s it lookin’ like, T?” I ask through the earpiece. He has access to all indoor security cams, which benefits us drastically, because he can tell us what to expect and where to go.
“I’ve blocked the cams from their access, so you’re good as far as that goes.
” He clears his throat, and we wait idly behind a hedge of bushes across from the entrance doors.
“You have approximately two minutes to breach the doors, then you will take an immediate left down the first hall crossing you see. There appears to be a medical room, possibly an OR, on the right.”
Nodding my head towards the house, I stay slightly crouched with Hayden directly behind me.
We press our backs firmly against the siding of the house on either side of the door and listen for only a second, trusting Teegan would inform us if any threats were beyond it.
I silently count down from three on my fingers, and together we kick the steel door open.
It bounces off the wall, sending a plume of drywall dust into the stale air.
Alarms and flashing red lights immediately blare. It’s already too late for them. If anyone survives our wrath tonight, they’re only going to be lucky briefly.
“You’re about to be greeted by four guards from the security room straight down the hall.” Something tells me these guys won’t be as easy to kill as the others.
“You take the right hall, and I’ll take the left,” I whisper to Hayden. “Shoot as soon as they open that door.”
He nods in agreement, and we proceed to our stations, keeping our guns at the ready.
A few seconds feel like an eternity when you have little to no patience.
My clock is ticking, and waiting on these fuckers is wasting too much of my time.
I glance at Hayden to make sure he’s focused on our task.
Given the circumstances, it will take a while before I can fully trust him again, if that’s even possible.
Hushed voices beyond the basement door have us both shifting on our feet, preparing ourselves to take aim. Footsteps halt before the slams open, and all hell breaks loose. Hayden fires and shoots the first guy right between the eyes.
“Nice,” I say with a wicked smirk. “Next one’s mine.”
The men following behind haven’t realized their buddy is down yet, thanks to our specially made silencers.
“Fuck!” One of them shouts, and it sends joy through my bones.
Yeah, that’s right. Shadow’s here, bitches.
I like to play with my prey a little, so I let him scope out his surroundings, fearing the unknown that lurks around the corner.
As soon as he reaches for the rifle on his back, I blow out his kneecaps in quick succession.
He lands on his knees before twisting to land on his side, and an agonizing scream tears from his throat.
“Such a pussy.” I mock, making Hayden chuckle. “Don’t kill him. He’ll be giving us information later.”
“Yes, sir,”
Two more men trail behind him, and honestly, I’ve grown bored with them. This is the absolute worst security I’ve ever seen. Did they hire mall cops or some shit? What the fuck even is this place?
Hayden and I fire simultaneously. My shot lands right in the jugular, and Hayden’s shot hits their temple.
“Good shit!” T, exclaims in my ear. “Alright, go to that medical room on Ry’s right. All their locks are old school, so you’ll have to kick it in too.”
“How much time do we have?” I query as we rush to the door, trying the handle in case it happens to be unlocked. No luck, of course.
We take several steps back before charging towards the door, jamming our shoulders into the steel. The force sends tingles down my arm, but I shake it off. Scanning the room, I notice it is ancient. Everything looks like it came out of the Flintstones era.
Picking up a scalpel from the instrument tray, I examine it, noticing how rusted it is.
“I will personally cut their dicks off with this tetanus-infested bullshit if they used this on Kelsey.”
Hayden follows suit, inspecting the instruments. “What the actual fuck?”
“An old man, who is dressed in a doctor’s coat, is crossing the hall now. You have less than thirty seconds.” T warns.
“Ah fuck. What’s the plan?” Hayden asks.
I purse my lips in thought. It’d be wise to keep him and torture answers from him. But the question is, where would he keep him? Then an idea hits me.
“What’s in that fridge? Any sedatives?”
Hayden opens the fridge, rummaging through all the vials of drugs. His hand lands on a vial, and he slowly lifts it with wide eyes.
“What is it?” I snap, losing all patience.
“Fucking horse tranquilizer,” He responds, lip peeling back in disgust. “This place is fucked.”
I agree, something’s wrong with this place, but I don’t have time to figure it out right now. Not until I get Kelsey settled back at home. My heart pounds a bit faster at that thought. She has a home, but how can I be certain she’ll be safe there? All these thoughts will have to wait.
“It’ll work. Find a syringe and draw it up. I can hold him off until you’re ready with it.”
“How much do I give?”
“A whole damn syringe for all I care. Give Gramps a real good nap. He’ll need it for where he’s going.”
He full-body laughs, and fuck if I haven’t missed that. After Kelsey got involved, our brotherhood took some impact. This is exactly why I didn’t want her getting mixed up in our shit. She wasn’t ready, and now she’s probably so traumatized, she’ll never be the same.
I wait for the doctor by the door, but on the side where I’ll be hidden behind it when he inevitably opens it. After Hayden had drawn up the serum, I pointed behind the bed and motioned my finger down, telling him to hide behind the bed. Now that we’re in position, we wait.
“Where is he, T?” It’s been longer than thirty seconds, or so it feels.
“Dumbfuck made a pit stop for a cup of coffee. Are you ready?” T asks.
“10-4,” I answer.
I roll my shoulders back, getting in a better stance, and rock my head side to side.
Heavy footsteps walk down the hall, getting louder as they get closer—keys jingle, before the handle wiggles. Hurry, the fuck up old bastard.
The door swings open, and I immediately jump into action.
“Damn it!” He exclaims as his hot coffee scalds his wrinkled skin through the white coat.
I kick his legs out from under him, and he hits the tile—belly first—with a thud.
A winded grunt is knocked out of his chest, giving me plenty of time to restrain him for the tranquilizer.
I dig my knee into his spine, adding extra pressure for the hell of it until I hear a satisfying crack.
A pained, shrill bellows from the old bastard, making a slight smile curve my lips. I can’t wait to inflict more pain and suffering on this fucker, I hope he tries withholding information from us, so that I can do more damage. Who am I kidding? I’ll do it regardless of what he unfolds or doesn’t.
I twist his wrists unnaturally, dislocating the joints.