“I have this Charlie wanker.” Anna’s voice was far too pleasant and maniacal considering what was happening. “He tripped over a fucking sprinkler. Package secured.”
“Can someone secure Keith at the west wall, I’m going after Fred.” I had no doubt Nick would lecture me at the end of the night. I left a target unsecured. But Fred was going after Maggie and I needed to stop him.
With two of his brothers in custody, I had no doubt Fred would do the only thing left to do. Get his hands on Maggie then run. And neither of those things was an option.
I wasn’t sure what his intent for the evening was, but I had to guess that taking Maggie at some point had to be part of the plan. He thought she was his prize or his property or something. He would use her to get to those kids. Her kids. DNA was the only thing he’d contributed. He’d squash the goodness out of them.
I entered the north hallway just as Fred had taken the corner. He knew where the panic room was. Fuck. That meant he’d done his research and had found a member of the hotel staff willing to talk.
Monday morning I would be having a word with the hotel management. I’d paid a fortune for that room and the safety it was meant to provide. And now they risked the most important person in my life.
By the time I took the corner, I could see Fred outside the panic room. He stood facing the steel door, while scrolling through his phone. It took me a moment to figure out what he was doing. Someone had sent him instructions on how to access the room.
Once again I didn’t announce myself as I launched down that corridor.
Fred sensed me at the last second. He braced, fists raised, as he prepared for impact. And boy was there an impact. I hit him at a dead run.
We collided with enough force to knock the wind out of me. I drove him backward, slamming his lean body against the steel door of the panic room with a deafening THUD. The sound reverberated through my own bones. There was no way the sounds of violence did not echo into the room behind those pieces of steel.
Fred let out a grunt. The wheezing sound sent a jolt of satisfaction through me. His phone dropped to the floor, the device echoing on the hard concrete floor, shattering as it landed.
“You think you can touch her?” My words were nothing more than a snarl. I pressed my forearm against his throat, pinning him to the cold metal. “You shouldn’t even be allowed to breathe the same air as her.”
Fred’s eyes bulged, his face turning a splotchy red as his fingers clawed at my arm. He was strong, no doubt prison had kept him fit, but he was desperate and angry. That made him wild, allowing me to take the upperhand.
His other hand fumbled at his belt, and a slice of metal winked in the minimal light we had. The man came armed. He pulled a serrated hunting knife from his belt. He swung it wildly, aiming for my ribs, but I caught his wrist just in time, twisting it with more force than was necessary. He refused to drop it though, and mustered enough force to slice my thigh. Not deep, it barely stung, but enough to cause a distraction.
With a grunt of exertion, he dragged the blade down the face of the steel door. The tip bit into the metal, creating a screeching, high pitched scrape that set my teeth on edge. I could only imagine what it must’ve sounded from the other side.
“Drop it.” My voice was steel and gravel as I slammed his wrist against the steel again.
The knife clattered to the floor but Fred did not stop. He used the distraction to jam his knee into my gut. Hiding my flinch was not an option. No matter the adrenaline, a knee was still a knee, especially when it connected to all that testosterone flowing through Fred.
I tightened my grip around his throat, lifting just enough to leave his feet dangling and his heels knocking against the door. A flicker of something sparked in his panic. His eyes narrowedas he scanned my face. Probably bruised and definitely furious. The hold I had on him was designed to kill, not restrain. One of the first things Nick Salinger taught me. In his own words, he couldn’t send me into the lion’s den unprepared and without training. Not once had I had a reason to use the maneuver. Not once had I felt the need to kill someone with my bare hands. Fred Ripper could change all that.
Fred’s face turned from panic to disgust. “You’re one of them. A thug in a suit. You’re no better than me. You’re the fucking nark who set me up and now you have my children living in your house.”
“Not your children.” The growl that escaped my mouth was unrecognisable. “Cannot take anything that wasn’t yours to begin with.”
Desperation gave him another surge of energy. He shoved a knee to my gut once more and quickly twisted out of my grip and dropped and rolled, scrambling away from me.
He didn’t try to fight, instead he stumbled toward the exit. I followed him, determined to have all three Ripper brothers in custody before the night was over. I chased him down the hallway and as I approached, Fred pulled the red fire extinguisher off the wall. I lunged for him but I was just too late.
Fred pulled the pin and squeezed the trigger as he aimed the spray at me. The chemical retardant hit my face, effectively suffocating and blinding me. I coughed, and stumbled back. I wasn’t sure what was worse, the burning in my eyes or my lungs. I swung blindly, my fists connecting with nothing but air and the taste of the powder was bitter on my tongue.
“Nick.” I remembered that I still had the comms unit in my ear. The other guys had been getting everyone out and handling the police. “North service hallway. He’s running.”
Shiloh’s voice crackled in my ear. “I’ll go around back and see if I can cut him off.”
“He’s got a head start.” Every instinct I had screamed for me to give chase. I could make all of this stop. I needed to go after him.
Then I stopped. I could chase him, end all of this before the night was over. Have Maggie and the kids safe. Maggie. She was what mattered. My thoughts raced back to that panic room and the steel door that was now compromised. Fred knew where she was and how to get to her. I couldn’t risk leaving her alone, not after everything we’d shared. My place was with her.
“Asshole sprayed me with the fire extinguisher.” I grumbled into my mic. “I’m going to secure the women and Ryder.”
“Copy that.” Nick’s voice was clear and full of authority. “Police are here too. If he can be caught we’ll get him. Shiloh and Anna if you cannot get Fred, join us back here. Front lobby. Let's get everyone home.”
I leaned my head against the steel door and banged twice. “Ryder.” My throat was still raw and scratchy from the chemicals I had inhaled. “It's me. Open the door.”
