Page 11 of Rough Road

“What can you do for me?”

God help her.

* * *

“Goddammit!” Grier tossed the table, the only piece of furniture in the room, on its side and yanked the baby’s stuffed bunny, the one Jez had bought and had London’s name stitched into the ear, off the wall where Sedotal had nailed it with a note. Too late!

His stomach rolled and fury vibrated through his guts. If that son of a bitch hurt Fiona or his baby, Grier was going to kill him so slowly. Kye had called in a few of his old Florida friends and a couple of guys walked in behind Sage. “She’s not here.”

The guy beside Sage nodded. “We’ve been watching the place since Kye called. They moved her last night before we got here. Or she wasn’t here.”

Grier growled and flung the bunny toward him. “She was here.” They’d probably passed her on the fucking road and didn’t know it. And now they’d lost her. He stared at Grier. “Call your woman and find out if Sedotal has anywhere else he uses.” Sage pulled his phone from his pocket and walked out. At least Grier knew she hadn’t led them on a wild goose chase.

One of Kye’s friends, a different one, walked out behind Sage and the first one stepped closer to Grier. “I’ll ask around. See if anybody knows these guys or where we can find them.”

Grier nodded because the words were caught in his throat. He couldn’t imagine the horrors Tyler would inflict on Fiona. And he couldn’t let himself think of them. Not now. Not if he wanted to survive.

“They took your old lady and your kid?” He handed the bunny back to Grier. “South Beach has your back.” Grier nodded and the guy, Tony Sonoma, gave his shoulder a squeeze. “We’ll help you find her.”

Sage walked back in and came to stand by Grier. “Mia doesn’t know of anywhere else they would take her, but…” Grier’s heart ached, felt as if it didn’t have the strength to keep beating. “Maybe we should fly back and be there for the meet with Ham.”

Grier shook his head. He needed to think. Think like Sedotal, a man he didn’t know well enough to figure out. Only one thing he knew for certain. “He won’t bring Fiona there. It would be too risky. If she managed to get away or hurt, he loses his leverage. He wouldn’t take that chance.” At least, not if he was smart, and this son of a bitch always seemed to manage to stay a step ahead.

Grier looked around the cabin. Sedotal had kept her here. In this shithole of a place. And no way she wasn’t ready to kill him for keeping her there, and Grier for letting Sedotal get to her and probably Sage and a handful of other people connected with this fiasco.

One of Sonoma’s guys walked in. “I got a line on your girl. Guy down the beach said a black Escalade pulled out of here in a hurry middle of the night last night escorted by a few bikes.”

Fuck. That meant they had a hell of a head start. They could’ve been anywhere by now. Grier’s world narrowed. His stomach clenched and his chest heaved. They’d never find her. If anything happened to Fiona and London.…

He looked at Sage. “We need one of their guys.”

Sage nodded. “And in about an hour we know where a bunch of them will be.” He filled Tony in then looked back at Grier. “I’ll call Hamilton.”

Hamilton would be busy. “Call Jim and tell him to have Carl wait back with his bow. I need one of those fuckers, preferably someone close to Sedotal. Somebody who rides in with him, not with the group.” As Sage walked out to make the call, Grier yelled after him. “And everybody makes sure Ham gets out alive.” If not, not only would Fiona kill him, but Sedotal would think he had won this battle.

Kye watched from the corner of the room, leaning with his shoulder in the corner. There was no one Grier trusted more than Kye, no one else he could count on, except maybe Fiona. “You know, Grier, I was thinking. Why would they keep a place like this, you think?”

The last thing Grier wanted to do was play a round of Jeopardy with Kye, but he also knew Kye was a man who didn’t waste words. He had a point to make. But Grier had too much going on in his head to make sense of someone else’s thoughts. “I don’t know. Storage? Kidnapping?”

“Probably both, but a place like this… on the water…” He shrugged. “I would bet he uses this place for deliveries. Drugs. Women. Guns. That’s why there isn’t furniture.” He stared. “And if history has taught us anything, these bastards like their tunnels. I’m not saying there are any, but… might be worth doing a little digging.” He chuckled. “See what I did there?”

“You’re a comic genius.” One with a big beautiful brain. “But you’re right.”

Kye walked out and Sonoma glanced at Grier. “Makes sense. There’s been movement on the streets I couldn’t pinpoint. Some of my girls went missing and a few shipments came up short.” He pulled out his cell and swiped through a few screens then sent a text. “I’ll keep a couple of guys out here, watching. If there’s somebody trying to take on South Beach territory, I’ll end ‘em.”

Thank God for Kye. Without him, Grier and Sage would be in this alone. Now, he had about thirty guys searching the property, offering to help him take care of his business. “I need my wife back first. And my kid.”

“You bet.” Sonoma stared down at his phone. “I have one of my guys checking black Escalades on the traffic cams and another checking tolls. I’ll get a direction, you can put money on that. And if we find anything, you’re the first call.”

Sage poked his head in the door. “Hey, Grier. Come have a look.”

Grier and Sonoma walked outside the cabin. The whole place reeked of fish and ocean and Grier just wanted to go home, with Fiona. There were no tunnels, but Kye had found a hatch. Crude. Just a few boards nailed together with a lock and a small metal ring on top.

His mind flashed back to the explosion, booby-trapped merchandise stolen from the Demons by Sedotal and his gang. They’d moved Fiona for a reason, and Grier had to believe they knew Mia had been turned to the Demon side and if they knew it, no way they would’ve left anything important behind. Not without making sure whoever found it met his maker. Or maybe they’d buried Fiona alive. Knew he would come. Left her there for him to find. Oh, God. He needed to throw up.

Sage had his gun pointed at the lock. Grier pushed his hand down. Enough lives had been lost because of him. And if anyone was going to die for Fiona, it should be him. “Wait. I’m gonna do it.” He pulled his Glock and aimed.

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