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Liam cocked his head. “You think I’m law enforcement, Barney?”
Eyes gleaming with malice, he smirked. “I know exactly what you are, Stryker. You’re the man that’s going to bleed.”
A noise behind him was his first alert that they’d missed one of Drury’s friends.
Before Liam could turn, a familiar voice said, “Put the gun down.”
Liam looked over his shoulder to see Xavier holding
a gun on another of Drury’s accomplices.
“I guess today’s not my day to bleed, Barney. You, on the other hand, I’m not so sure. Xavier and Gideon, would you take these gentlemen to a safe place for me? I’ll want to talk with them a little later.”
“Be glad to,” Gideon said. “I might just have a talk with them while we’re waiting.”
Liam threw Drury a feigned sympathetic smile. “Sorry, Barney. Guess that bleeding’s going to happen after all.”
Surprising him, Drury only sneered as Gideon and Xavier led the man and his cohorts toward the exit. Would’ve thought he’d put up more of a fight.
Shrugging, Liam took one last look at the melee winding down in the bar. The place was a mess. Chairs and tables were askew or turned over, and several men lay on the floor. More than a few of those who were still standing were bloodied. Only a couple of small fights remained and they looked halfhearted at best. It had been a good distraction. Get a bunch of drunken guys pissed at each other, and all sorts of things could happen.
The thought had barely entered his head when the entire bar went dark. For just an instant, the place was silent as if everyone was in shock. Then a roar of furious voices exploded. Seconds later, the lights from cellphones flickered on, and the scene became a surreal blur of images.
Liam pulled his flashlight from his belt and headed toward the exit, where Xavier and Gideon had taken Drury and his friends. The blackout had been a bit too convenient for his liking. The lights came on as quickly as they’d turned off. Returning his flashlight to its holder, Liam pulled his SIG. Something wasn’t right.
He pushed open the exit door and heard a groan. Turning to his left, he found both Xavier and Gideon lying in the alleyway. His heart in his throat, he ran toward them. “What the hell happened?”
Gideon sat up and leaned against the brick wall. “We got jumped. Bastard had goons waiting out here. The instant the lights went out, they tased us.”
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah.”
Xavier pulled himself to his feet and then stumbled. Liam grabbed hold of his shoulder. “Maybe you’d better sit down for a little longer.”
“I’m fine, just pissed. Haven’t been tased in a while. Forgot how much it hurts.”
Relieved that his friends were okay, Liam looked out at the empty alleyway. Score one for Drury. He had underestimated the man. Apparently the bastard had found a few new sleazeball friends.
Liam shrugged off the aggravation. Yeah, he’d wanted to have some one-on-one time with the slimeball. The man was into something new, and it wasn’t good. But right now, Liam had bigger fish to fry. The reason for being here was waiting in a safe house miles away. He and Drury would meet up again someday soon and he would make sure he was ready.
Getting the intel that Myron had for him was a priority. The man apparently had something good or Drury wouldn’t have been so prepared. He was just glad they’d managed to spirit Myron away before Drury got to him.
Even if the info didn’t lead him to his ultimate destination, if it saved someone from the hell of slavery, then he’d damn well follow through.
And one day, he would do what he’d promised himself over a decade ago. He would find Cat and bring her home.
Chapter Eight
Bakersfield, California
“Tell me what plans you had for your life, Brenda.”
“Well, it certainly wasn’t this!” The sharp, acidic retort came from a woman filled with so much pain, it had to spill out or she would implode.
Aubrey didn’t back away from the hostility and never blinked. Her expression of compassion and empathy was authentic. She was intimately familiar with such pain.
Brenda stared at the wall behind Aubrey for several long moments and then, after releasing a long, ragged sigh, she closed her eyes. A single, lone tear rolled down her lined face. The woman was in her early thirties but looked a decade older.
