Page 61 of Her Defiant Warrior

“Mike, is everything going to plan?” a man with an English accent whispered loudly as he jumped out of the back of the truck.

“Stay right there,” Ryker said. “Hands up, or I shoot your friend here.”

The American killer sneered. “You won’t do shit. You’re after cash. You don’t care if these two pieces of shit die. You’re like me. You’re in it for a payoff. Now, the only way either of us will get paid is if these two cough up information. Can you make them do that?”

“I own them. They know I hold the power of life or death over them. They’ll talk.” Ryker sounded stone cold.

“So, if I kill you, then I’ll own them,” the American smiled.

“Do you know how to talk to them? Have you been working with them for years? I don’t think so. You need me. I’ll get you what you need. But only if you pay me. I want a big enough payoff so I can live big in Thailand. I want two wives and a big house. You got it?”

“You get us the information we need, we’ll pay you enough for four wives,” the British man said as he came into view. He was holding a pistol aimed at Ryker. “Now come with us.”

Jase, Gideon and Ryker had to step in the blood of the slain men to get to the truck.

“I’ll take this,” the American said as Ryker walked past him. Jase didn’t have to look back to know he’d just taken Ryker’s pistol.

All three of them were thrown into the back of a truck, and so began a long journey into the desert.

* * *

“Kind of stupid of them not to search us for any other weapons,” Jase said as he pulled out his cell phone. Unfortunately, it was a burner phone with few features. But he could send a group text explaining what was happening.

“Jase, give the team these coordinates,” Ryker said as he relayed them.

Of course, Ryker got the good phone.

“We need to make it seem like you have something to offer,” Gideon said to Jase.

“Good luck with that,” Ryker laughed.

Asshole

“They’re a million different places that light fixtures were put in the museum. I’ll figure out what they need, then I can say that I worked on it.” Gideon frowned. “The problem’s going to be that there is no way they’ll believe I worked on any of the circuitry or programming.” It was clear Gideon was thinking out loud.

“Me?” Jase asked.

“Maybe,” Gideon looked Jase up and down. “Maybe because you know Arabic, we can say that you listened in more so that you could be of help. Let me think,” Gideon said.

“Well, think fast,” Ryker said. “The truck is slowing down.”

“Jase, just follow my lead,” Gideon snapped.

“Don’t I always?”

* * *

“Isn’t this kind of far out to be building the suburbs?” Ryker asked as they were shoved into a three-car garage.

“You talk too much for someone who wants money.”

Jase got his first good look at the second man.

He was tall and thin, with a spider tattoo on his right cheek.

Yeah, he really blends in.

“So, I assume your name is Spider?” Ryker smirked. “Anybody stupid enough to get a tattoo on their face so they can be that easily identified can’t be the leader of this goat fuck, so who in the hell should I be talking to?”