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I shrug when he doesn’t speak and push to my feet. Grabbing his chained hands, I pull him to his feet. He sways, his body off center from the beatings he’s taken and the chain around his ankles.
Ryder jams his shoulder into Ginger’s gut and hauls him easily over his shoulder. Ginger grunts out a breath, but no one really gives a shit. I take my time as I grab a hook, pulling it from the ceiling and attaching it to the chain around his ankles.
Running to the wall, I crank the lever and watch the hook slowly retract back into the ceiling. It’s not until Bash and Reid slide the barrel full of water toward him that he begins to panic.
“Oh, now you have something to say.” I lean against the wall, folding arms over my chest. His feet press flat against the ceiling, his eyes wide as he stares down at the water below him.
“We learned a few things,” Bash says, crouching so they can be face to face. “One, we learned you lied to us.” He tilts his head to the side, grinning as Ginger’s eyes go wide. “You said your father wasn’t involved, but one of our guys just saw him meet with Montgomery.”
“I don’t know,” Ginger says frantically. “The last I spoke to him, he wasn’t involved—” Bash slams his fist into Ginger’s ruined face. He groans as blood drips from his face into the water.
“One of our guys says Montgomery gave him a girl,” Bash says darkly. Taz called us earlier to let us know what he saw. He’s close, so we’re planning on going to L.A. soon to finish this. “Now, why don’t you tell us the truth?”
I press the lever, letting Ginger lower a notch toward the water. He screams and thrashes as he realizes what’s about to happen.
“Okay! Okay,” he screams. “Wait!” Bash pushes to his feet with a small groan and rests his hands on his hips as he glares down at him. “Where did they meet?” I let out an irritated breath.
“Does it matter?” I ask. His face is a disgusting shade of red, and Ryder shifts on his feet.
“We need to hurry before he passes out,” he mutters, his arms folded tightly over his chest.
“Was it downtown?” Ginger asks, his voice nasally and slurred. “If it was, then it’s legit. Dad bought the girl. If it was at any of the other warehouses, it was a test.”
“A test?” Reid asks, taking a step forward.
“Of loyalty,” Ginger explains. We glance at each other. It wasn’t downtown.
“Why would he need to test him?” Ryder asks. “I thought he was vetted?”
“He was,” Ginger says. I let out another impatient breath and lower him another notch.
“Can you hurry the fuck up?” I snarl. He sounds like he’s about to hyperventilate and it gives me a sick amount of satisfaction.
“Dad said something about thinking some of his guys were going to turn on him,” he says quickly. “He thought they were going to bring the whole thing down so he’s probably testing everyone who works for him and getting rid of the ones who aren’t loyal.” We glance at each other again. “Can I get down now, please?” He looks at the water, but we ignore him.
“Do you think Montgomery is playing him?” Ryder asks. Bash’s brows are furrowed tightly together, his lips pursed into a thin line as he thinks.
“I don’t know,” he breathes. “How can we get close to him?” Ginger shakes his head.
“You can’t,” he says. “No one gets close unless he knows you personally.”
“He doesn’t work with anyone he’s never met? Maybe a buyer in a different country?” Reid asks. Ginger’s eyes flit around the room, and I lower him another notch for encouragement. The top of his head touches the water and he squeezes his eyes shut.
They snap open, wild, as he searches the room. “Australia!” he shouts. “He has a partner in Australia. I don’t know if they’ve met yet, but they’ve traded girls for years.” Bash nods a few times.
“Someone can pretend to be him,” Reid says quietly. I nod, a plan already forming.
“He’ll know!” Ginger says frantically. I lower him another notch, making him scream out a sob, and Bash shoots me a look. I give a small, unapologetic shrug. “Fuck! I—I don’t know! You have to know everything they’ve done. My father will know if you’re faking it.”
“Good thing we have you to tell us everything we need to know, right?” I ask, and he shakes his head.
“I don’t know everything!” he shouts, and I shrug again.
“Give us enough information to get close,” I say. Bash nods a few times and takes a step back toward the door.
“That could work,” he mutters. “If we cut the head off, the rest will die.” I nod in agreement. “We could save a lot more girls like that. Instead of going for his grunts, we go for him.”
“Yep,” I say. Ginger’s body swings with his violent sobs and I roll my eyes.
