77
STRIKER
“I’m with Terzo. He wants you to come to this address.”
“What? Baby, what do you mean you’re with Terzo.” My heart nearly stopped hearing she was with Terzo. Why in the fucking hell was Terzo doing with my wife?
“Just come to the address. I’m sending the location to you now.”
“Baby? Vanderford?” She hung up, and I stared at the phone screen, frightened.
“You okay?” Linden nudged me. He was calling my name, but his voice felt like a buzz.
I drew a deep breath and got up. “Let’s go.”
“Where?” He followed me even if I hadn’t answered his question.
“Son of a fucking bitch.” My blood boiled. My rage made me shake.
“Man, what’s going on?” He held me in my arm. “You look like you are about to murder someone. If we will commit a crime at least, let’s be prepared. Breathe, man. Tell me what happened?”
“Are you both leaving?” Dad came.
“Yes, Dad. I’ll see you later.” I inwardly groaned.
“I thought we would have dinner together.”
“I’m sorry. Something came up.” I couldn’t look at him anymore. He knew well if something was troubling me. This time, I already smelled trouble from a mile away.
“Striker, what is it?”
I fisted and unfisted my hands. My jaw locked hard to the point my teeth almost broke. “I’m going to kill that motherfucker if he ever lays his filthy hand on my wife.”
“What’s going on?” Fuck. Moses just came. And it pissed me more that I was wasting time every second I stayed here, answering their questions.
“I have to go with Linden.”
“Not until you tell us.” Dad sounded irritated. “Who are you talking about?”
“That fucker Terzo has my wife.”
“What do you mean?” Moses looked alarmed.
“God!” I screamed. “The longer I stay here, the danger she will be. Can we talk about this later?”
“Terzo would never hurt London, or his father will shoot him in the head.” I trusted my father but couldn’t guarantee Terzo would keep his word. He was a criminal, after all. “Believe me, son.”
“That’s very helpful, Pa. I need to take my wife as far away from that motherfucker.”
My father sighed. “Very well. But don’t do anything stupid. Do you hear me? We just got through the mess with the Conti. You don’t wanna kill Terzo unless you have proof he hurts your wife.”
“The moment he took my wife, he already got his ticket punched.”
“We’ll get to the bottom of this. Be careful, son. Don’t let your rage control you, or this could end up in bloodshed, and a crime family like theirs never plays by the rule when it comes to protecting their family. They play messy, ugly, and bloody.”
Briggs joined and prepared himself. He was carrying a firearm.
“I need a gun,” I told Linden. It was not a suggestion. He knew it.
“Oh, no,” Dad reacted. “Striker.”
“Don’t worry. Striker knows what he’s doing,” my father told Dad. “Stay here, Tate.”
“The hell. I’m coming with you.”
“This is dangerous, Dad.” I narrowed my eyes at him.
“He is going, and I’m not?” he questioned me.
“He knows Terzo.”
“I’m going. The longer we talk here, the more we risk London.” He was already walking out of the house. “Let’s go.”
“I’ll drive,” Linden requested.
I didn’t argue. I couldn’t think straight. I needed to focus, but my mind was jumbled. I used to keep people safe, and I’d never lost focus. This time was different.
Your emotions greatly influenced your rational thinking when your loved ones were in danger. Linden drove us out of the estate, leaving nothing but dust behind— he was driving like a maniac. In moments like this, time was the most crucial part.
“Where’s the address?”
I gave him my phone. My hand was shaking. It didn’t miss in his keen eye.
“Breathe, brother. We’ve done this many times. I know this is London, but we will get through this.” He checked the location shared with me. “I think I know this place. An old warehouse.”
I looked out of the window. “I should have come with her. I just trusted her when she begged to drive alone.”
“Don’t blame yourself.”
“I know the first time I saw that motherfucker. He’s bad news. The way he looked at my wife, and I warned him. I did warn him, but he didn’t take it seriously.” I dialed London’s number. It just rang, but she didn’t pick up anymore. “Fuck!”
“Calm down.”
“Jesus,” I grunted, rubbing my face with my palm. “Why does it have to happen to her? She’s been through enough.”
“I wish I could tell you something to calm you down, man. I care about London deeply, and I’m also terrified of her. My only question is, why would Terzo cross this line? Gaetano has a blood pact with your father. He’s playing in dangerous water, man. Siciliano might be one of the powerful and feared mafia bosses, but your father has connections all over the globe.”
“Because he’s an asshole. How far are we?” I looked in the side mirror. At least three cars were tailing us. Dad’s, my father’s, and his men.”
“Less than fifteen.”
I checked my phone again. I found nothing. “I swear I will kill them all if he hurts my wife.” I looked up as my eyes stung.
“Don’t make any move. Just follow my lead. Do you trust me, brother?”
“Yes.” I couldn’t shake the thought of that look in Terzo’s eyes as he looked at my wife. All the red flags were there. I shouldn’t have taken it lightly.
“Why did Reed is not on duty?”
“Your job, and you don’t know?” I let go of a shaky breath. “Look, I know you’re trying to divert my attention, Linden, but I don’t wanna talk right now. I don’t need pep-talk too. I need a moment of silence. Can you do that?”
“I’m sorry, man.” Linden made a hard right as we got closer. “We should park a little far from the warehouse. He could have planted booby traps. Prepare yourself that he’s not alone.”
Linden parked the car a few yards from the warehouse, making sure not to create a disturbance. We need an element of surprise.
“We should not involve the authority,” my father said. “Not until I figure out what is going on?”
“What’s going on is he took my wife, Papa,” I replied harshly as I checked what was on Linden’s trunk. I picked the 9mm and checked the mag—it was loaded. I grabbed another mag and slipped into my back. “I should carry one, even if I’m going to work.”
“No. I’m giving you your own bodyguard.”
I shot an angry stare at Moses. “I can take care of myself.”
“Then you should have gotten a temporary bodyguard for your wife.” He was right, but when London gave that puppy-eyed look, telling me she missed driving, I had to trust her.
“You, all of you, should stay here.”
“I’m coming,” Briggs said.
“Okay. Just follow my lead.”
I ignored Linden and went alone. I couldn’t wait for more chit-chat when my wife was in danger. With my senses on full alert, I checked for any hostiles, but the area was silent.
“What did I just say?” Linden whispered in a hiss as he came at my six. “This is one of those pauses and take-a-deep breath situations where you can’t go full rage against your enemy. This is where people get killed when they let their feelings rule their brains.”
“How about this? I don’t give a shit when the love of my life is in the hands of a murderer.”
“At least your mind still works. You just admitted that you love your wife.” Linden was amused while my body was fueling with rage.
We reached the main door. It was ajar. I signaled Linden that I was going first. After taking a deep breath, I peeped through the ajar door. That was when I saw movement. I gestured that I saw someone.
“What took you so long, Cade?” My breathing hitched. It was Terzo’s voice. Our element of surprise was over. Fuck.
I pushed the door wide as I pointed my gun at him. “Where’s my wife, Terzo?”
He looked relaxed for someone who had a gun pointing at him. “Is that how—”
“Shut the fuck up. Where’s my wife?”
“Okay.” He raised his hands. I knew he had a gun. A man like him never got out of bed without a firearm.
“Did you forget what I told that if—”
“You’re gonna gouge my eyes out—”
“You just sign—”
“Cade!” my wife called my name, which diverted my attention, losing all my focus.
I watched her run in my direction, launch into me, and hug me tightly. “Oh, God. Thank God.”
“Are you okay? Are you hurt?” I wrapped my free hand around her. “Did he touch you?”
“Nice reunion,” Terzo said in amusement.
“No,” London answered.
“Are you sure?” I looked her in the eye. She looked a little bit scared, but she was also happy to see me.
“Yes. Put the gun down, Cade,” my wife that I was supposed to rescue just ordered me to put my gun down.
“Not until he gets what he deserves.”
“This is not what it looks like,” she said.
I scowled at her. I just busted into this door, and she seemed okay that this asshole kidnapped her.
“Tell her, signora.”
“Not a word, Terzo,” my wife scolded him. “Just trust me, okay?” she said to me. Then she looked behind me. “Will you stop pointing the guns at us? I’m already beyond terrified.”
“Will you please explain?” Great, my father just joined the party.
“Segnor Braddson, good to see you, sir.”
“Terzo saved me.”
“Great. Now he’s suddenly your fucking hero?” I scoffed at my wife.
“Your attitude is getting in my skin, Striker. If you don’t wanna believe me, ask the man behind that crate,” said my wife as she walked in Terzo’s direction. “I’m still pretty shaken. If not for this cocky bastard, I could be held hostage again, and I’m sick of being used as a tool, bait, pawn, and trap for something that doesn’t even belong to me.”
I put my hand down, but my finger was still pressed at the side of the trigger. I followed her.
“Ta-da.” I still wanted to punch Terzo for involving my wife.
When I saw Magnus tied to a chair, it changed my perspective. He looked extremely horrified the moment he recognized me. He just blanched, eyes wide and filled with horror.
Terzo must not have punched him. I didn’t see bruises or bloodstains. “He held your wife at gunpoint for two hundred thousand bucks. Your wife is worth billions of dollars, and he sets her at 99.9 percent off. Can you believe that? He’s so cheap.”
“What do you mean?”
“He wants two-hundred thousand from my father.”
“This asshole?” I pointed at Magnus. He was awake but with a gag tied around his mouth.
Terzo threw water at his face, jolting him, and his chest heaved.
I pulled the gag out. “Look at me, dickhead. The first time I saw you, I knew you were bad news, an arrogant son of a bitch, an asswipe. Did you just point a gun at my wife and threaten her?”
“I just—” I didn’t let him finish. My hand had been shaking to punch Terzo, but I didn’t realize it was intended for Magnus. I hit hard, I mean, the most brutal blow I could give to someone. I heard a crack. It didn’t matter if I broke my fingers, but hearing him shriek in pain and agony as I watched his chair stumble to the floor was satisfying.
He didn’t have any idea the pain he caused me, the dread he gave knowing that my wife could get hurt in a dangerous man’s hands. He had no fucking idea.
