Run From Me (Barbed Wire Hearts #2)

29. Xander

TWENTY-NINE

xander

“I love you, Sparky. Stay put,” I said as I walked away from her. It was hard to turn away, but I followed Zeid knowing this place should be secure enough to leave Cali alone. Not to mention, no one truly knew who we were.

She’d changed her hair too. I missed the fucking rainbow, but I’d be hard pressed to deny the more subtle raven-blue color helped her hide a bit more.

“I never go far, my liege.”

I smirked to myself as I walked away. I doubt she meant for me to hear that, but I’d punish her later.

I turned around just to see her smirk at me. Rylee was right next to her as Cas caught up to us.

This place would run as it always did while we took care of other business. Business that had a lot less to do with legal money.

While Enigma catered to the powerful and rich, the club adjacent let them live out those darker fantasies. Right after they bought the art they romanticized, we got their money while they rode out that high. Stupid rich fucks.

The three of us left out the back of Enigma and headed to the hidden entrance of Paradox. I chuckled at how these elite assholes missed the irony of where they chose to hide their sins.

“Who do we have?” I asked now that the three of us were hidden behind closed doors, descending into the pit of someone’s hell. Not mine though. This was our heaven.

“Our boys caught three guys that somehow were of no interest to the police,” Zeid said before tapping on the door at the base of the nearly pitch-black staircase. The door was the only thing stopping us. He knocked a knuckle against the metal in a rap-rap-tap-tap that gained us entrance and no one else. No one would have gotten this far.

One of our guys opened the door from the inside.

“Boss, boss, and boss,” he said. He raised his hand, and we each took it in a silent show of respect.

Down here, no names. Down here you either were a Spector or you disappeared.

We headed down the short hall to one singular door. We wouldn’t hold anyone here for long. There were other locations for that. This was purely emergency. Cas opened the door, letting us pass.

“Brother, who are these three gentlemen?”

Two hung by their wrists and one was strapped to a chair.

“Boss, I’ll leave you three to it then,” said our guy from the corner just as I heard the click of his safety as he stored the weapon.

I caught his shoulder as he turned to leave.

“Tomorrow morning, coffee nine fifteen. Bring your boys.”

He nodded. “Thanks, boss.”

One of the pricks on the chains chuckled.

“I’m here dangling like some bitch and you’re making coffee dates?”

A thud and a pained groan were all that followed before I turned to the task. My boys knew what coffee was. There would be coffee at the Dove, but it would be followed by cash and Visa cards, all legit and all well worth their loyalty.

I strolled closer to the one with enough energy to talk.

“Hey, sweetie. You jealous you weren’t invited?”

Zeid hid his amusement well, but I knew enough to hear the snort as he handed me a knife.

“Fuck you. Who the fuck are you?”

Another thud from next to me, and a few choice swears from the victim as Cas got his rocks off using the shit for a punching bag.

“I’m your best or worst friend depending on how this all goes.”

The guy spit at me, and I bent down and stabbed his foot. He howled in pain.

“Good to know,” was all I said.

The guy next to him spoke a few octaves higher than his little counterpart.

“What the fuck? Why'd you stab him?”

The single bulb barely cast enough light to see the victims. The entire room was coated in black paint from floor to ceiling. But it was clear enough to see the knife dripping in a bit of blood as I held it up to my own victim.

“I guess we’ll just go with enemies. Spit at me again, and I’ll go for something a bit more vital next time.”

Words ceased.

“So compliant. Did your boss tell you the hazards of your job?”

No one spoke, so I brought my handy knife up to his ear and slowly dragged the blade over it. The edge was sharp enough to cut paper. Sharp enough for the pain to take a moment to register, and when it did, he whimpered.

“What? Fuck no. We were wired the money. Set up a venue. Invite all the garbage on the street. We didn’t even know who the fucking fighters were. We were just meant to get the cops there as soon as the fights started,” the guy said.

The one next to him chimed in.

“There was this other guy. Creepy smile dude, he bragged that he got the elite fighters. Big name gangs and shit. He was running his mouth about the money he’d gotten to hire some semi-pro fucks to make sure the gangs knew who was boss.”

I stepped away from the two guys hanging.

“This sucks. They’re already singing like fucking chorus girls.” I tossed the knife down and paced.

I needed to feel blood running down my hands. I needed to let out the demons pent up from too many nights without the release of a kill.

Cali’s fucking pussy probably needed me to kill something before I fucked her to death.

The thoughts of her calmed the rage and my pacing slowed. Zeid reached for my arm.

“You good?”

I thought for a second.

Shit.

I was.

“Yeah. I’m good.”

I smiled at Cas and Zeid.

“It doesn’t look like they have any other information, correct?”

Both of brothers nodded.

“Alright then. Let’s get back to the party.”

Each of us got one of the assholes. I stood in front of the guy who spit at me as my phone rang. Shit.

I picked it up and just listened.

“Boss. She’s gone.”

My heart dropped, and even as I ran the blade through the guy’s main artery, nothing registered. Nothing could calm the race in my damn heart.

“How?”

The guy on the other end spoke.

“She said she needed air so we were walking her out, and somehow there was a car waiting for her. She got in willingly.”

Fucking hell.

“Of course she did,” I said to no one and hung up.

With a quick click on an app, I had her position. I called her number and breathed a sigh of relief when she picked up.

“X—” her voice was cut off.

“Hello, Spector. It seems we have someone you want more than we do. If you want her alive, you’ll come ready to negotiate.” And the guy hung up.

“Zeid, get me eyes on the morgue parking lot.”

I sent out a quick SOS to anyone who was free, and that did not include anyone at Enigma.

“Cali’s in trouble and the Vipers want to play,” was all I said as we headed straight for the parking lot where my bike would be waiting for me along with plenty of my chosen family.