Fate’s Unseen Shadow (Cager #1)

Chapter 26

26

D amon’s heart stopped for a moment as he read the text.

Damon: How’s Ella? FBI and Jeff are still here. Let her stay there for the night if that’s okay.

Ryker: What are you talking about? She’s not here.

Damon shot toward the door, but Detective Moore stepped in his way. “Move, Jeff.”

Jeff held up his hands. “I’m afraid that we need to figure this out before you’re allowed to leave.”

“The fuck we do.” His phone rang. It was Ryker. “I need to take this.”

“Then take it in here.”

“Some things aren’t privy to the FBI or you, no matter your history with Slater.” He answered the phone, changing direction and heading to his bedroom. He slammed the door for privacy. “What the fuck do you mean she’s not there?”

“She’s not here. Why should she be?”

“Jeff showed up here with the FBI. I told her to go to your house before they saw her.”

He heard a door open and close on Ryker’s end. “How long ago did she leave?” His bike cranked, and the audio switched to Ryker’s helmet. “I’ve been at home this entire time. I heard sirens earlier but didn’t pay any attention. But they were close in the neighborhood.”

“I sent her your way about an hour ago. Check it out. I’m going to track her.” He pulled up the app in his phone.

It showed her on the highway to Atlanta.

Ryker called back. “Your car. It’s wrecked against a light pole. The air bags didn’t deploy so it wasn’t high speed. There are tire tracks leading out of the neighborhood. Wide-set, thick tires. Truck or van, maybe.” Ryker’s breathless voice finally pushed Damon out of the haze of anger and worry. “Shit. I think she got in another vehicle. Excuse me,” Ryker said, a few voices behind him. “Was there anything in the car when you got here?”

A man in the background answered, “A purse and wallet were left behind. We heard a woman scream. Those people said they saw two men dragging her to a van. They were too scared to do anything.”

Ryker’s voice came back on the line. “Damon, I was only two streets away.” His bike rumbled in the background. “What do you want me to do?”

Damon left the bedroom, not knowing what to do. He stopped in the living room, the world spinning behind his eyes. “She has her phone. She’s headed up I-26.”

“Back to Atlanta. Do you think he found her? How?”

Damon stared hard at the detective. “Either he did, or someone else took her. Come here. Call the others to come here and pick you up. I’ll take your bike.”

He stalked toward Jeff, his eyes barely registering the FBI agent beside him pulling a gun. “Do you have anything to do with this? Where the fuck is she going?” Hell, in police custody was a hell of a lot better than the alternative.

Jeff stumbled back. “Whoa, Damon! I didn’t take her anywhere.”

He swung around at the FBI agent. The woman raised her weapon. Her partner forced it down to the ground. “We don’t have anything to do with it either,” Agent Diggs said. “No other agencies are working on this. We weren’t even sure this was a viable lead.”

“Maybe she ran.” Jeff held his hands up in defense. “Damon. Think about it. She saw us. She could’ve run.”

“My car was wrecked into a light pole.”

“Maybe she lost control?—”

“On the way to Ryker’s? She was two streets over from him, wrecked. Tire tracks led out of the neighborhood. Witnesses saw her taken by two men.”

“She’s smart. She could have set it all up.”

“She’s not a fucking killer!” Damon shouted. “Stop thinking that and start using whatever brain cells you have to figure out how to get her back. Because if Davies found her…” His stomach lurched.

Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath. Get your shit together and think.

Going after her was the only option.

Damon stormed into the bedroom and to his closet. He punched the code to the gun safe, drawing out the same model of gun he’d used last time. He didn’t like guns, but it didn’t mean he didn’t have one available.

After checking the clip and grabbing a spare, he threw the gun holster around his waist. He bent down, pulled up his jeans leg, and strapped on a knife.

“What do you plan to do, Damon?” Jeff asked from the edge of the closet. “Go kill whoever took her?” Jeff shook his head. “I’ll arrest you if you fire that weapon.”

“Then you better come watch to make sure you have a solid case. I’m going to Atlanta. Call Slater if you want the details. I’ll lose you on the bike, though.”

The roar of Ryker’s motorcycle caused Damon to rush to the front door.

“Fuck,” Jeff muttered behind him.

Yeah. Fuck was right. He was about to push that 1,000 cc bike to its limit. If the police wanted to arrest him, they’d have to keep up.

Ryker already had his helmet off, holding it out for Damon. “We’re right behind you.”

Damon clipped the helmet and swung his leg over the bike. He pulled on the gloves Ryker passed him, the only gear he’d worry about wearing.

“Glad to see something made you dig that thing out of the safe,” Ryker said, patting the gun sitting on Damon’s waist. “Don’t do anything stupid before we get there.” He reached down and flipped up the license plate. “You won’t be needing that.”

With the engine hot under him, Damon flicked the clutch down to First and pulled out of the parking lot. The tedious drive to the interstate lasted five minutes before he merged onto Highway 17 and finally onto I-26.

Visor down, he tucked low as he shot up the interstate. In the past, when he’d ridden Ryker’s bike, he’d been the slowest one of the group. Motorcycles weren’t his thing. But right then, he easily hit 130, aiming straight for Atlanta. He had a reason to risk it all.

His sole focus stayed on Ella.