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“It needs to be taken care of and there’s no time like the present.” I ran my hand through my dark hair. “It’s my job to protect River.”
I took a step back, taking in our surroundings. It was a warm day, and the leaves rustled in the breeze. Zayne and I had hiked a few miles into the forest, and I had no fucking clue where we were. But I trusted Zayne with my life.
“I didn’t have a chance to congratulate you and River last night. Thanks for letting me help with the proposal.”
I patted Zayne on the back. “Thank you. I hadn’t even thought of having the band play. Brynn and River nearly passed out when they met Hendrix and Gemma. I was off to the side, watching it all.” I chuckled, appreciating the change in the conversation for a minute.
“Gemma and Hendrix are really good people. Those kinds of friends are hard to find, but you found some, too.”
I nodded and sucked in a breath. “Any word on Opal or Kassandra?”
“No. Pierce and Sutton are still searching for them. They’ll find them. I promise.”
“I sure as hell hope so. You’ll call me as soon as they hear something?”
“Yup. I told you I was in this when you asked, and I meant it.”
Through the nightmare of River’s kidnapping, Zayne had ended up a damn good friend.
I squinted at Zayne, blocking out the afternoon sun. “Swear to me that River will never know about this.”
“I’ll never repeat this to anyone. Not River, not her friends, not my boss. This is between you and me. I’ll take this to the grave.” Zayne patted his chest.
“All right, let’s do this.”
Zayne pulled on the handle. The steel door creaked and scraped the dead leaves on the ground as it opened. I stepped into the small building as he closed it and flipped on a light switch. The power and water for the small space were strictly solar operated. When Zayne mentioned his buddy had an abandoned bunker, I took him up on the offer. I had to agree to make the drive blindfolded and never attempt to figure out where this place was.
“Holy shit, it stinks in here.” I covered my nose as I took in all the details of the space. Finally, my attention landed on what I was looking for. “Thanks, man. I’ll only be a minute.”
“Take your time.” Zayne stepped back outside, leaving me in the room. I pulled up an old, rusty metal chair and sat down.
Terror twisted the man’s face in front of me. A dirty gag was shoved in his mouth, and it was clear that he’d lost weight. His eye was busted and swollen shut. His clothes were filthy, and he smelled of urine and shit.
“Hello, Tim.” I folded my hands in my lap. “How’s Zayne treating you?”
Tim violently trembled, just a shell of the man he used to be.
“Do you know why I’m here?” I crossed my legs and stared at him. Every fucking thing about him repulsed me.
Tim shook his head, attempting to talk behind his gag.
“I wanted to tell you that your months of living in a cell are over.”
His reply was muffled, but his gaze was full of hope.
“River is home and we’re getting married soon. I’ve rebuilt 4 Play, and we have a future ahead of us. But …” I pointed at him, “there’s something stopping me from moving forward.” I tapped the side of my head as if I were thinking hard. “My job as River’s fiancé and husband is to protect her. It also means that everyone that hurt her will be hunted down and killed. Normally, the thought of ending someone would bother me, but not this time. Anyone who would kidnap, beat, and sell children as sex slaves doesn’t deserve to live. That includes you, Tim.”
Tim’s muffled cries filled the room as he rocked back and forth in his chair. I assumed he was begging for his life, but I didn’t care. I’d begged for River’s life, too.
“I did want to let you know that Garrison is back.”
Tim’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head.
“He wasn’t dead. Opal or Kassandra had him kidnapped. He’s worked as a sex slave since he was ten. Ten.” I glared at the man who was supposed to keep his family safe. The man I had once adored had become nothing more than a sperm donor to me. “He’s been beaten, raped, and tortured by men and women. We suspect that Hannah got too close to the truth, and Kassandra or her piece of shit mother ordered a hit on her. Not to mention threatening Mallory, terrifying her for years.” I held up three fingers. “That’s three children you let down.” I stood, pacing the small space, wondering if this was how River and Reid had lived. In a small cell, dirty and terrified.
“Then you let me down when you didn’t come straight to me when you knew who had taken River. She was gone for three horrifying weeks. She lived in a hole underneath a house for the first several days with no light, no food, no water, and naked.” I clenched my teeth, the anger I’d buried until now burning a fire inside me, begging to be released. “For the record, I fucking hate you. You’re a pathetic piece of shit, and I’m going to make sure that you never hurt anyone again.”
My pulse kicked into high gear as I walked over to the bucket that was turned upside down. I lifted it up with the toe of my hiking boot and peeked beneath it. It was there like Zayne had said it would be. I owed him big time. Bending down, I clutched the handgun, the cold metal cool against my skin.
Tim’s cries became louder as tears streamed down his dirty face. He shook his head, his eyes pleading with me.
“A little too late to make things right, old man.” I wrapped my fingers around the handle of the gun and raised it, standing back like Zayne had taught me. I took in a deep breath and held it for a second.
“See you in hell,” I said, then squeezed the trigger.
*******
