The Payback (Team Zulu 2)

11

Brandon

“Oof!”Stuckinachair with hands cuffed behind his back, Justin McKenzie took another punch to the gut from Franky’s goon, Nicky. He retched and spat a glob of blood onto the concrete floor. I imagined he’d be pissing red, too.

Had to hand it to the druggie. He was tougher than he looked. He was also an absolute moron. Fourteen hours in a car was long enough to determine that, even though McKenzie had only been awake for three because I’d slipped a sedative into his coffee. I had my limits for listening to bullshit.

The dumbass had stolen drugs and cash from the Mafia, and now, despite being caught, he still refused to tell them where he’d hidden it.

Blood seeped from a cut on his cheek. “You’ll never find it. It’s gone. All of it. Gone, gone, gone.” His madman cackle cut off when Nicky delivered another stomach blow. McKenzie grunted, doubling over. I suspected he had a broken rib or five by now.

I felt bad for bringing McKenzie here for this. Although I figured he’d made his own bed, and if I hadn’t dragged him here, someone else would’ve. Besides, if the choice was between him and getting Sage out of here, it was a simple decision.

It had taken all my willpower not to go straight to her on the club floor. She’d been easy to spot. Sage’s natural beauty stood out in this seedy shithole, which only made me more desperate to help her before some lowlife took what wasn’t on offer.

I worried about Sage’s mental state, too. The exhaustion in her brown eyes told me carrying the weight of this problem was destroying her.

She’d also looked pissed to see me.Shocker.

Nicky was tiring of McKenzie’s unhelpfulness. It didn’t matter how many hits he took, he refused to give a straight answer. He didn’t know where the stuff was, someone had stolen it from him, he’d tossed it into the Delaware.

In a moment of frustration, Nicky snapped two of McKenzie’s fingers, leaving them twisted at an odd angle. My stomach churned as he screamed in pain. I’d seen much worse during my military career, but mangled fingers always made bile rise in my throat.

Nicky sneered at McKenzie before turning to me. “I’m gonna report this bullshit to the boss. You stay here and watch him.”

I nodded, surprised he’d leave me unsupervised in a room with important equipment. I supposed the armory was locked behind a solid steel door, and he couldn’t know my hacking skills would give me unrestricted access to the club’s main security terminal in the corner. Maybe he believed no one would be ballsy enough to try anything foolish while surrounded by mobsters.

Clearly, he didn’t know me.

I headed for the security terminal and, without much hassle, overrode the system.

Bam. I was in.

I found the image for the camera outside this room so I’d know when Nicky returned. Then I flicked through the remaining screens, searching for Sage. I found her carrying a tray of drinks toward the booths. A man passed her, dragging a woman along with him. The pretty blonde looked a little beat-up.

“That’s Cammy! That’s my sister!” shouted McKenzie. His handcuffs rattled as he strained to rise from the bolted-down chair. “Thank God, she’s alive.”

The blonde was McKenzie’s sister?

“Are you sure that’s her?” Why would she be here?

He nodded. “I thought they’d killed her. They said they’d put a hit on her if I didn’t give their stuff back.”

“A hit on your sister? Did she help you steal the cash and drugs?”

“She had nothing to do with it. She doesn’t deserve any of this. Please, she’s innocent. You have to help her.”

McKenzie and I weren’t exactly on friendly terms, so I wasn’t sure why he thought I’d help him out. But if his sister was innocent, I didn’t like the idea of leaving her behind.

“Her name’s Cameron. She went missing a week ago. It’s been all over the news. Haven’t you seen it?”

I hadn’t, although I supposed I’d been preoccupied with helping Sage and then going after McKenzie.

Back on the screen, more people entered the club.

Fuck!

Two huge guys dragged an unconscious Shep between them. Despite their strength, they struggled because Shep was a big guy. They took my Team Zulu teammate to the basement door and disappeared down the stairs.

Franky had all but confirmed he’d go after Shep. The final condition for Sage’s release was that I give him Shep’s location. He hadn’t been easy to find, and I felt like pure scum for handing over the intel, but Shep could defend himself in any situation. How the hell had Franky’s men gotten their hands on him?

Pieces of the puzzle started coming together. Shep and McKenzie’s sister—Cameron—were brought in at the same time. Franky had put a hit out on Cameron a week ago, and Shep was Franky’s preferred hitman, so it made sense he’d get her contract. But Shep never screwed up. Nor did he kill innocent women. And since Cameron was very much alive…was it possible Shep had helped her instead of carrying out the hit?

If my thinking was right, Cameron must’ve been with Shep at his mountain cabin, because that was the location I’d given Franky.

As much as I wanted to get Sage out of here, I wouldn’t abandon Shep and Cameron to Franky’s punishment. If we made it out alive and Shep still had a beef with me, well…I deserved it.

Time for a new plan.

This could get messy.