Finished (Auctioned)

Alfred’s gaze shifted to the viewing window. He couldn’t see through it, but he undoubtedly knew someone was watching.

“Hey!” he called. “You want to free more slaves? I’m ready to talk. I have hundreds of addresses.”

Gray swallowed. He had no way of knowing if Alfred spoke the truth, but he did know it was possible. If someone knew where slaves ended up after auctions, where they were held before being sold off, it was Alfred Lange. And Gray would never forget the dozens of places he’d been taken to before reaching Florida. It was a global network, with countless locations in the US alone.

Gray’s mind began spinning. He tried to think like Darius. There was an opening here somewhere, a card to play, and he’d risk losing the hand if he didn’t make the right move. Alfred couldn’t possibly believe they’d let him go. He wasn’t that stupid.

AJ was different, however. And he’d already sold out his father once…

Before he knew it, Gray opened the door to the room and positioned himself in the doorway. Both men looked his way.

“It’s gonna cost you a metric fuck-ton to get Alicia out of here,” Gray told AJ. “But if you give me everything you have on your pop, I’ll let you walk. Everything—addresses, contacts, warehouse locations, names, all of it.”

While AJ’s skepticism was immediate, Alfred took it seriously, and the rage and worry that AJ might actually do that gave him away. Gray read the signs right there on Alfred’s face. AJ had the option. If he hadn’t, Alfred would’ve had no reason to worry.

AJ narrowed his eyes. “Who was shot?”

“Huh? Oh. Your friend—Friedrich?” Gray shrugged. “He had nothing to offer me.”

AJ grew silent. He was in pain; that much was clear. His right eye was almost swollen shut, and he seemed to be as still as possible, as if someone had kicked him in the balls and the ribs. Alfred shifted every now and then, like people did when their leg fell asleep or a certain position became uncomfortable.

While Gray waited for a response, his earpiece gave away a crackling sound before Willow’s voice filtered through.

“Gray, are you there? Niko and Dante need backup—ASAP. No hostiles, but it’s more work than they can manage.”

Gray stepped out of the room again and looked to Reese, who’d heard her too.

He nodded. “Go. I can take it from here. Bring someone who can actually drive a truck.”

It was too soon to laugh. But yeah, it was possible Niko and Gray had felt a bit paralyzed earlier when it was time to head to their waiting spot. They’d never freaking driven big trucks before; hell, Niko didn’t even have a license for a regular car.

“Stick to the same strategy,” Gray urged, speaking under his breath. “Pit them against each other. Record their answers—put them in different rooms and tell them to give up whatever they have. We have nothing to lose.”

Seconds later, he was running. Through the dark hall, while Willow gave him instructions and an address, he darted for the exit. He checked his watch too. Fucking hell. They didn’t have that much time left. The sun would start to rise within an hour or so.

He ran up the steps two at a time and was out of breath when he emerged mere feet away from Elliott, Ryan, Darius, and Tariq.

“Is he okay?” he asked Tariq. Darius was still on the floor, flat on his back, with a hoodie for a pillow. Eyes closed.

“He’s fine,” Tariq responded. “I got him to eat half an energy bar, which made it a lot easier to trick him into taking one of the pills the doc left him.”

Gray mustered a quick grin, relieved. “The only way that works. Thanks, man.” Next, he sought out Ryan, who was standing in the doorway smoking a cigarette. “You can drive a semi, right? Dante and Niko need our help.”

“Yeah, just bring me up to speed. I’ve recovered enough,” he replied.

Nobody had truly recovered enough, but they were out of options.

“We can talk on the way,” Gray said. “Keys are in the truck. I’ll take the pickup you drove on the way here.”

Three

They were pushing it. Gray drummed his fingers against the wheel incessantly and glanced at the horizon. Soon, Vegas would wake up to a new day. The remote location of the underground compound had spoiled them. They hadn’t been forced to be too careful, even with two semitrucks and AJ’s fancy car parked outside. According to Ryan and Tariq, they’d only heard two cars passing.

The industrial neighborhoods in Vegas and Henderson were another story. Warehouse workers started early.

“How are you feeling, Willow?” Gray asked and made a turn. He felt entirely too exposed here. Back in civilization, driving past residential areas, car dealerships, shops, and schools.

“We can save that question for later,” she replied tightly. “Okay, you’re two minutes out. The gate’s open, and the surveillance is down. Just drive through and follow Dante’s lead.”