Chapter 52 Bring My Girl Home
Cole Ryder's POV
I looked at the information one more time. Pennsylvania; could be a layover or the final destination. Either way, it was a lead and all I had.
I walked toward the exit, my mind already calculating the travel time, weapons we'd need and how many men to bring.
Jeffery met me at the door.
"The team is mobilizing," he said. "What's the play, Boss?"
"We're going hunting," I said coldly. "And we're not coming back until I have her."
"What about collateral damage?"
I looked at him, my eyes empty of anything resembling mercy.
"There won't be any collateral damage," I said. "Because everyone who touched her is already dead. They just don't know it yet."
Jeffery nodded once. "I'll tell the men to get ready for blood."
"Good." I pushed past him. "Tell them to wear clothes they don't mind burning because we're going to paint that entire facility red."
The helicopter cut through the night sky like a blade. Below us, the lights of Pennsylvania spread out in patches of gold against the darkness. My jaw was clenched so tight I could feel my teeth grinding together.
Jeffery sat across from me, checking his weapons with the kind of calm efficiency that came from years of doing this. Bone was also beside him, silent as always while loading magazines with mechanical precision. Three other men filled the rest of the space, all of them were handpicked and all of them were lethal.
My phone was in my hand and the coordinates burned into my mind. We were already close, just remaining twenty minutes or maybe less.
Then my phone rang and I saw an Unknown number.
I answered immediately, putting it on speaker so everyone could hear.
"Cole Ryder," a voice said. It was that of a male. The voice sounded old and was dripping with satisfaction. "I've been waiting for your call or rather, I knew you'd answer mine."
"Who is this?" I kept my voice calm and controlled.
"You don't remember me? I'm hurt. Though I suppose it's been many years. You've destroyed so many lives so, how could you possibly remember them all?"
That was when I guessed that it was probably the people who took Celene and anger filled me more.
"You took her right? Where is she?"
The man laughed. "Straight to the point, I like that. No pleasantries or negotiation. That's the Paimon I've heard so much about."
"I'll ask one more time. WHERE IS SHE?"
"She's right here with me and she's safe and sound for now." There was a pause, then I heard Celene's voice. It was distant but unmistakable. "Don't touch me! Get your hands off me!"
Every muscle in my body went rigid and the phone creaked in my grip.
"She's quite spirited, your little kitten," the man said. " She's beautiful too with such soft skin."
"If you touch her..." I couldn't finish the sentence because rage was choking me.
I heard a sound of struggle through the phone. Then Celene screamed, a sharp cry of pain that went straight through my chest like a bullet.
"Stop!" she cried. "Please!"
"Did you hear that, Ryder?" the man's voice came back, slightly breathless. "That's the sound of your failure. You couldn't protect her. You couldn't keep her safe and now she's paying the price for your sins."
"I'm going to kill you, slowly" I said quietly. "I promise."
"Oh, I'm counting on you trying. In fact, I'm waiting for it so come get your baby doll, if you can." He laughed again. "That is, if you can find us in time."
The line went dead.
I looked at Jeffery. "Trace that call. Now!!"
He was already on it, fingers flying across his tablet. "Got a general location. Triangulating now." He paused, his screen lighting up his face. "Boss, it's a warehouse district at the East side of the city."
"Narrow it down."
"Working on it." More typing. "Okay, got it. It's a large warehouse, privately owned. Records show it's supposed to be abandoned, but there's recent electrical activity."
"That's it." I stood up as much as I could in the confined space. "How long?"
"Twelve minutes."
Twelve minutes. Celene had to survive twelve more minutes.
I addressed the team. "When we land, we go in hard and fast with no mercy. Anyone standing between us and her dies. Understood?"
They all nodded.
"Jeffery, you're with me. Bone, take two men and cover the east entrance. Kill anyone who tries to flee."
"Yes, Boss," Bone rumbled.
The helicopter began its descent. My heart was pounding, but my hands were steady. This was what I was made for. Violence, blood and vengeance.
We touched down in an empty lot three blocks from the warehouse. The moment the skids hit the ground, we were moving. I didn't wait for the blades to stop spinning.
The warehouse loomed ahead, a massive structure of rusted metal and broken windows. Trucks and shipping containers were scattered around it like a maze. Perfect place for an ambush but I didn't care.
We approached from the south. Two guards were stationed at a side entrance, smoking cigarettes and laughing about something. They didn't see us until it was too late.
I put a bullet through the first one's head before he could reach for his weapon. Jeffery took the second one with a silenced shot to the chest. They dropped without a sound.
We dragged their bodies into the shadows and moved to the door. It was locked, but Bone made short work of it with a small explosive charge. The door blew inward with a muffled thump.
Inside, the warehouse was a labyrinth. Shipping containers were stacked three high in some places, creating narrow corridors and blind corners. Trucks were parked at odd angles and the smell of oil and rust filled the air.
Then we saw so many guards and they came at us from everywhere.
I didn't think or hesitate. I just moved.
The first one rushed me with a knife. I caught his wrist, twisted until I heard bone snap, and shot him in the face. The second one fired at me from behind a container. I rolled, came up shooting, and dropped him with two rounds to the chest.
Jeffery was beside me, moving like a shadow, his weapon barking in short, controlled bursts. Bodies fell around us.
More guards poured in from the sides. I didn't count them because I didn't need to. I just kept moving, kept shooting and kept killing.
A man tried to tackle me. I drove my elbow into his throat, crushing his windpipe, and threw him into another guard. They both went down, and I put bullets in them before they could get up.
Blood was everywhere. On the floor, the containers and on my hands.
I didn't care.
All I cared about was finding her.
We pushed deeper into the warehouse, clearing each section methodically. But the place was massive. There were too many containers and too many hiding spots.
"Where is she?" I growled, grabbing a wounded guard by his collar. "Where are they keeping her?!!"