“You think he’s a cop?”

“More like I think he was listening to the police scanner. We’ll know more once we interrogate him.”

“Right.” He sighed. “Your sister. What’s your plan there?”

“There’s a network I know about. They hide people. I’d like to make contact, see if they’ll hide Verónica.”

“What network?”

I ignored that, saying, “That’s the point. They typically hide people from people like us. I’m hoping they’ll make an exception considering who my sister is hiding from.”

“You’re on a leash, Raize. Albeit, it’s a long leash, but it’s still a leash.”

Meaning, he would tug on it eventually and if I didn’t go back, he would send men after me as well. Probably Downer.

“I know.”

“Use your woman to help interrogate him. She works for me as well now. I want to utilize her skill. When your sister is gone, report back here.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Immediately, Raize.”

“Yes, sir.”

“When you report to me in person, you’re bringing your entire team. If you don’t, you know what I’ll do. You got me?”

“I got you.”

The line disconnected after that, and I knew Jake was waiting inside the door.

He, Cavers, and Abram were all there, all waiting.

I gave them a nod.

At once, they walked outside, grabbed the guy and carried him to the garage.

I went inside and found Ash helping my sister make some food. “I’m going to need you.”

Verónica froze, but Ash didn’t.

She already knew and nodded. “Okay.”

I said to Verónica, “You stay here.”

Her eyes were big, taking in Ash and me.

I motioned to Gus, who came forward, his tail wagging. “You guard her.”

He let his mouth open in a smile, that tail just got faster.

I left. Ash went with me.

Gus took position at the door.

Ash was quiet, following me to the garage and then inside, but I knew she was in turmoil. She wouldn’t like seeing this anymore than I’d enjoy her seeing it. Still. This was the world we lived in.

The guys had him tied to a chair. He was awake, his mouth still duct-taped.

I gave the nod.

Abram ripped the tape off.

I started with my first question, “How’d you find us on the highway?”

He cursed in Spanish, spitting at me.

Okay, then.

Cavers had a bat in hand and I gave yet another nod.

The shit work was about to start.

59

Ash

The sounds of screaming, grunts, and sobbing filled the air.

The smell of blood, sweat, piss, and I didn’t want to know what else filled the room.

And in me, I was nauseated but also annoyed.

Raize would ask a question. The guy wouldn’t answer.

One of the guys would hurt him. Then the guy would answer.

I’d be asked if he was telling the truth, and after the tenth time of his lies being found out, the guy directed his threats and glares toward me.

Bad move.

That only pissed off Raize more. But also Jake and Cavers didn’t take kindly to that so when the guy refused to answer, the guys got harsher in their punishment.

It was an hour into it, twenty minutes after I stopped watching what the guys did to him when he finally gave up. He confessed everything.

He’d been notified by someone in Marco’s command to watch the highway on a small chance we got through. ‘We’ consisted of whoever had kidnapped Marco Estrada’s sister. She was known as the Golden Goose to them, which Abram didn’t like when the guy started to explain the reason she was called the Golden Goose. I didn’t know what Abram did. This was at the time when I’d stopped watching, but I heard a tearing sound and then an animalistic scream ripped from the guy. It sounded especially worse than the other screams, which said a lot.

The guy went on to explain he hadn’t known it was The Scooper who’d kidnapped her. He babbled on saying, “If I’d known, I never would’ve taken the job. No one wants to tangle with The Scoope—”

“Shut up,” Raize growled.

A pause.

Then, from Jake, “How’d you know where to find us?”

He’d heard our location on the police scanner. “They were talking about a missing girl and they were on the lookout for your truck. I thought it was Estrada’s hermana, but it wasn’t. Wrong girl.”

Jesus. Lucky break for him. Or not, considering his circumstances.

“What were your instructions if you found us?”

“I was supposed to call it in.”

“Did you?”

He didn’t answer, which was a wrong answer.

Thud!

I tensed. Please stop lying.

He started moaning, but choked out, “I did, but man, we’re long gone. Estrada will never send men this far north.”

There was silence after that. A long silence.

The guy asked, “What are you going to do with me?”

Raize came over and touched my arm. “You can go inside.”

I nodded, suddenly exhausted. He brushed some of my hair back from my forehead and leaned in. I felt him give me a soft kiss to the forehead. “I’m sorry.”

I didn’t respond. I knew what he was apologizing for, and without responding, I left the garage.

It was dark when I stepped outside.

I realized I didn’t know when we’d arrived here, what time it was now, or even what day it was anymore.

Then, I stopped wondering. It didn’t matter in this life.

Going back into the house, the aroma of food was like culture shock after what I just left.

“I didn’t know how long everyone would be out there.”

More culture shock.

Raize’s sister was standing in the kitchen, an apron tied around her waist, her hair pulled up into a bun, and she was looking normal. She was speaking normal, too. No sobs. No hysterics. No nothing. Her eyes were so big, so dark. They were Raize’s eyes.

I blinked, jerking myself out of what dazed spell I was in and walked farther inside.

I stilled.

The table was set for six people.

Gus was laying on the floor, on his back, and his tail going back and forth. His tummy was exposed, his feet in the air.

I was guessing Verónica had just been rubbing his belly.

She smoothed a hand over her apron. “I—uh—I found some food in the cupboards. And that other man had brought some food from a gas station.” She waved to the coffee machine. “And that, too. I noticed you all enjoy drinking your coffee, or most of you. The big guy doesn’t as much. Clay doesn’t either, not that much.”

“Clay?”

She frowned at me. “Raize. You guys call him Raize.”

In the span of an hour, I knew of two other names Raize went by. His first name and The Scooper.

I didn’t know what to do with that information.

“Do you want to sit? I put it all together in a soup. There were crackers in the cupboard.”

Soup?

I couldn’t remember the last time I had soup, but I sat and she poured me a bowl, bringing it over to me. There were already crackers set out.