“Nearly four,” Ralen replied.
Should he wake Addie and tell her that he was leaving? But it was early and he’d just scare her. Besides, this might not take that long.
“The girls?”
“I spoke to Butch and he’s got it covered until Stone gets here. Let’s go.”
Guilt filled him as he ran out the door with Ralen to his truck. He’d promised Addie he’d be here for her.
But Ortega was his friend. Not only that, he was the half-brother of his boss. And Dante wouldn’t be pleased if they ignored Ortega.
Nothing good happened when Dante was displeased.
This was why it was so hard to have a relationship when you’d signed your life over. Because the ‘job’ would always come first.
Not that she was his woman.
So why did he still feel so guilty?
He drove away from the house. “Where is he? Ortega?”
“Bismarck,” Ralen said.
“Bismarck? Wait, North Dakota?” Cash asked. “What the fuck is he doing there?”
That wasn’t anywhere close to Chicago. Although at least it would only take five hours instead of seventeen to get there.
“I don’t know. He wouldn’t tell me. He just said he needs our help and to let him know when we get there.”
Great.
When they stopped to get something to eat, he quickly sent a message to Addie, letting her know that he’d had to leave.
And that he’d hopefully be back soon.
God. He hoped she stayed safe.
Cash followedOrtega’s directions to what looked like an old storage warehouse along the river. It was just down from the petroleum refinery. It was now after ten in the morning and still the place looked creepy as fuck.
As they stepped into the dark warehouse and looked around, he felt a chill run up his back. This place had a weird feel. It was freezing cold and creaked in the wind as though warning them to turn around. The scent of piss, mold, and blood hit his nose.
Fresh blood.
Fuck. What the hell was Ortega up to? They hadn’t contacted Dante yet. They wanted to speak to Ortega first.
“Ahh, the two of you took your time,” Ortega said, walking toward them and wiping his hands on a rag.
“We drove as fast as we could,” Cash replied, feeling irritated. “What’s going on? Why can I smell blood?”
“Shit. What have you done?” Ralen asked.
Ortega sighed. “Come with me and I’ll just show you.”
They followed him to a hole in the floor. Why did he always end up in dark, creepy warehouses?
They followed Ortega into the basement area which was actually made of cinder block.
A good thing too, since it seemed it had become a torture chamber. The blocks would muffle the screams of the poor bastards tied up and lying on the floor.
