Chapter 21

21

RIVER

I had a splitting headache and desperately needed sleep. I walked into Kat’s bedroom and sat on her bed. I looked around the room, and that’s when I spotted the little recorder on the floor in the corner. With a groan, I had to push myself off the bed. My leg fucking hurt, but I ignored the pain.

I picked it up and returned to her bed; I lay back on her pillow, her scent still lingering.

Then I looked at the digital recorder and turned it on. I was about to turn it off when I heard a gunshot followed by the sound of men speaking in a foreign language. My heart raced. I immediately called Cyclone, it seemed to take forever before he answered. “Tell me what they are saying,” I demanded.

“What?” he replied, confused.

“Just listen!” I shouted, playing the recording—first the gunshot, then those bastards' voices. I could hear the dogs barking in the background. “What are they saying?”

Cyclone paused, listening intently. “It says, ‘Stuff her in the bag and let's get the fuck out of here before the boss wants us as damaged as she does this woman. Where did you get the recorder?”

“It was in the corner of Kat’s room. What language is that?”

“It’s Arabic, but it could be from several countries. We need to think about who you’ve pissed off.”

“Wait, did they say her? It’s a woman they’re talking about?”

“Yes, they said she. Think—did a woman come after you when someone in her family died?” Cyclone asked.

I hung up the phone and lay back, my mind racing. Then I shot upright and called Cyclone back.

“Where are you?”

“I’m in Turkey guarding two ten-year-old princesses,” he replied.

“For how long?”

“Until tomorrow.”

“I think I know who might be behind this. Remember when we were in that small country near Egypt, trying to stop the mutilation that was happening there? I killed the leader of that criminal gang, and his wife screamed at me, told me not to turn my back because she always wins.”

“God, that was four years ago. Do you think they’ve taken Kat to Egypt or somewhere nearby?”

“I don’t know, but I’ll find out. Call me when you finish your job. I’ll call Raven and Gage to join me.”

“There are so many criminals who want to become leaders. I think she took over her husband’s spot. She must be dangerous. Their men usually don’t let women lead. They believe women aren’t worth as much as a slimy slug,” I said.

“Yeah, I hope that’s not the case,” Cyclone said.

I called Gage and Raven and told them I would meet them at the airport. I took the recorder with me, hoping we might recognize the voice if we heard it again. After packing my bag, I headed out.

We met at the airport, and I explained to them what was happening.

“I remember that woman. Raven said. “She came at you with a knife, planning to kill you right then and there. It’s hard to believe those bastards would let her take charge.”

“Let me see the recorder,” Gage said as we boarded the plane. He turned it on and listened closely.

“Do you think they shot her?” Raven asked.

“I think she tried to shoot them, but something stopped her from hitting her target,” I replied.

“Something like a knife. One of them might have thrown a knife at her and hit her hand or something,” Gage speculated. “Fuck, what the hell is going on. I thought we could go to the border and take her from the cartel. This is damn right insane. How could they get an American woman from here to Egypt?”

“If they put her on a freight ship, it’s possible,” Raven said.

“That’s it,” I said. “They could’ve used a freight ship. We need to check the nearest shipping ports and see if anyone’s sticking close to a particular vessel.”

“We’ll need to blend in,” Gage added.

I pulled out my laptop and searched for the nearest port. “This is where we will go,” I said, pointing to the location on the map. I looked around. “Who’s flying the plane? ”

“Oliver is. He joined us a few days ago. You were busy, or I would have called you,” Gage said.

“I’m glad he’s with us,” I noticed him glance at my leg, and I looked down. “Damn, why does this leg have to slow me down now? It’s holding me back from what I need to do.”

“You’ve been doing everything you can,” Gage reassured me. Even if your leg were fine, there’s nothing more you could do. Do you want me to wrap it for you?” he offered.

“No, I can handle it,” I replied, heading to the back of the plane to rewrap my leg. I felt like I was losing. I didn’t want anything to happen to Kat, and I couldn’t imagine what she was going through, and it was tearing me apart.

I made my way to the cockpit and sat next to Oliver.

“Hey, I’m glad you joined us. I’m sorry about your Dad and the hell your family has been going through,” I said.

“Thanks,” Oliver replied. Do you want to fill me in on the situation?”

Oliver had always been a great listener—larger than any of us, with a heart of gold. He had a way of making you feel comfortable like you could talk to him about anything.

His entire being made you relax and keep talking.

“So you’re in love with the beautiful Kat Mellows,” Oliver said. “We’ll get the bastards who took her. If the message said ‘damage’ her, not ‘kill her,’ then she’s still alive. So we will focus on that. If we don’t find her at the docks, we’ll rent a helicopter and track them down.”

“I hadn’t thought of that,” I said, taking a deep breath. “So she’s alive. We’ll find her. Thanks for the reminder.” I paused. “Damn, I still say you should have been a psychiatrist. You could get a mob boss to spill his guts.” Oliver chuckled.

“How’s your leg? ”

“It’s a pain in the ass. I lost three days—three valuable days I could’ve spent hunting for her. I could’ve found her before they put her on a damn ship.”

“You don’t know that,” Oliver said. The team was searching for her while you were unconscious. You are lucky to be alive. From what I heard, it’s a good thing the Navy SEAL was there since it was his friend who saved your life. Cyclone said there was no way you would have lived until they reached the hospital.”

“Yeah, I was fortunate; he was a doctor. He’s moving his family to America,” I said.

“That’s a smart move,” Oliver said.