“Fucking hell. There’s a special place in hell for this son of a bitch,” Ghost announces to the room. “I think we should send him there to find it.”
“It took two days for him to give up and finally leave town, but he left a little something behind.” I hate that Kaylie came into existence because her father was a selfish, abusive asshole, but I wouldn’t trade that little girl for anything in the world. “Sharon knew who the father was, but she kept his information a secret from everyone for as long as she could. The only reason I know is because she told me when I was helping her get clean. When she went into rehab, we had to tell them she was pregnant and listed the father as unknown. Throughout her pregnancy care, we kept it all quiet. Torch had disappeared, onto bigger and better things.” I sigh. “That was until about two years ago.”
“What happened?” Caleb asks angrily.
“Foster care transition homes became their new supply chain. My guess is Torch was sent here to set them up since this was his original chapter’s territory.”
“They thought it was their territory. Oakridge is the King's. Always has been.” Caleb shakes his head.
“Torch stayed clear of town and away from Sharon until a couple of weeks before she died.”
“What brought him back do you think?” Ghost asks, scrubbing his bald head with his hand.
“Spider found Sky, and a princess came home,” I state matter-of-factly. “War came back to Oakridge, and with it, old demons.”
“Fuck,” Gabe grumbles. “All right. I’ve heard enough. Let’s go visit the asshole in the basement and find out what this Torch fucker is really doing here this time.”
We all stand and follow Pres down to the basement where we find Dragon, Torch’s friend, strung up wearing nothing but a pair of boxer briefs and a set of Mack’s cuffs. His eyes are swollen and his lip is busted open. His chest is so bruised he looks like he’s covered in leopard spots.
“What the hell did you do down here last night, Mack?” Hawk asks, laughing. “You and Lisa having issues or something? That’s a lot of pent-up aggression that needed an outlet, my man.”
“You better keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth, asshole.” Mack lashes out at Hawk, who shrugs.
“I was just voicing my concerns for you, brother. That’s some extensive rib work you did there. Looks like you broke two, maybe three, ribs?”
“He’s breathing.” Is Mack’s response. “Those were my only orders. Keep him breathing.” He shrugs.
Gabe approaches the barely breathing man hanging from the pulley above. His toes are barely scraping the ground.
Gabe whistles low. “He worked you over hard, didn’t he? I’m sorry about that, my friend. He was only supposed to detain you and keep you breathing. I guess he misunderstood.” The way he says it, I’d almost believe Gabe truly felt bad, but the snickering sounds filling the room tell a different story.
“Fuck you.” Dragon spits.
“Well, I was hoping we could be friends, you and me,” Gabe says, smirking. “After all, I’m the one who determines whether you make it out of here in one piece or ten.” His voice is lower now, and his nose a mere inch from Dragon’s face. “Your choice.” Gabe taps the guy’s shoulder, then before the prisoner has a chance to speak, Gabe’s fist connects with his jaw. “Why are you and Torch in my town? What business do you have here?”
Dragon’s head flies to the side, and spittle flies as it does.
“Simple retrieval job,” Dragon mumbles, spitting blood onto the ground at Gabe’s feet. “My job is to distract you.” He smiles. “Looks like I’m doing my job, huh?”
We all glance around at each other, wondering what this asshole is talking about, when he starts stammering.
“W-wait. N-no. I didn’t … this isn’t my fault. It was Torch’s idea!” he’s shouting now. We’re all looking at him in confusion. “Make it stop. Tell him! Tell him!” He screams at Gabe.
“What the fuck are you going on about?” We’re all genuinely at a loss as to what’s going on.
“Y-you don’t see him. You don’t see those silver eyes? I saw them in Florida right before he devoured my brothers.Please. Please don’t let him suck out my soul. I’ll tell you everything. Anything you want to know. Just please, don’t let me go out like that.” Dragon is trembling, his face has lost all color, and there’s a puddle beneath his feet.
“What is he going on about? Do any of you know?” Gabe asks the room. Dragon’s eyes are tracking something around the room. None of us see what he’s talking about, but Caleb and Ghost look like they have some idea.
Caleb steps forward. “You see the soul snatcher, don’t you? He’s here. He’s come to snatch your soul from your body and leave your body an empty shell on the floor.”
What the hell is he talking about? I’m so confused.
Pres looks unsure too, but he doesn’t intervene. Whatever this guy thinks he sees, it’s got him terrified. As long as it gets us what we need to know, I don’t give two shits.
“Torch wants the girls. Both of them. He made a deal with the courier. Five million for both the older and the younger sister. The courier has a buyer for both.” Dragon spills everything. The time and place of the pickup. The plan to kidnap my girls from their beds at night. Everything. Once he’s done singing like a fucking canary, Gabe pulls the trigger, putting a bullet between his eyes.
We all glance around the room at each other, still not sure exactly what just happened, but we all go perfectly still when a cold rush of air blows through the room and out the door in what sounds like a growl of approval.
