He scrubbed his hand down his face. His hand shook. “You scared the holy hell out of me, Azelie. Don’t like the feeling.”
She pressed her lips together and brought her knees up, tucking her feet onto the cushion of the chair. Protecting herself. She thought he was going to yank her across his lap. Strangely, he’d lost all desire to punish her. That look she had on her face was testament to him that she knew she’d fucked up and she detested that she’d disappointed him, just as she’d told him would happen. He had no idea what to do or say.
“I’m sorry, Andrii. Really, really sorry. My temper got the best of me. Temper and fear for my friends. My brain short-circuited for a few minutes, and by the time I could think straight, it was too late.”
“Has Billows reached out to you?” His tone was harsher than he intended, and she winced, but she didn’t look away.
She shook her head. “I texted him at the time, demanding to know what some of the things McGrady said to me meant. He didn’t answer me.” She rubbed the pad of her finger across one eyebrow. “I’m terrified to see him. He knows I spoke with the cops. I really made a mess of things.”
Maestro made up his mind. The team had decided they were going to raid Billows’ building and look for any signs of abducted women. At the same time, they intended to interrogate Billows.
“You’re going to stay home tonight and tomorrow. Not leave this apartment. And you’re going to tell me where you keep the key to the underground rooms,” Andrii declared. “I know you have one. You keep it in a charm that looks like an envelope. It’s nowhere in this apartment.”
There was silence. She remained huddled in the chair, knees drawn up protectively, her eyes large, watching his every move. He couldn’t imagine what was going through her mind. Doubtless nothing good. He’d just made his demands and hadn’t given her an explanation. His anger was still roiling in his belly, and he didn’t know where to put it.
“Don’t you fucking look at me like that. We’re a team. You signed up for this shit when you took me on. Clearly, I signed up for a rough ride when you lose it and don’t think about your safety. I need to know where the key is.”
He didn’t take his gaze from hers. He needed to see every expression crossing her face. Everything. Did she trust him? Was she going to give him what he needed even though she had to have a million legitimate questions?
She pressed her lips together and then they parted. He found himself holding his breath, waiting for condemnation.
“When I exit the club, there’s a small knot that’s hollow in the hall panel just as you reach the door. I place it there. I don’t want any reminders on me anywhere.”
Her voice was very soft, but she didn’t falter. She just gave him the information, no questions asked.
“You’re to stay in this apartment for the rest of the night and all day tomorrow. Wait for me to come to you. I don’t care if you have important classes. We’ll find a way to make them up. Just be safe. Lock yourself in.”
She nodded.
“I have to go, but I’ll be coming back to you.”
She nodded again.
Maestro stood, towering over her where she sat, knees drawn up, her blue eyes fixed on his face. “I’m coming back,” he said again and leaned down to brush a kiss along her temple. He didn’t dare do anything else. She looked forlorn. Abandoned. Frightened. He didn’t have the time to reassure her. His team was going in for a rescue mission and to take Billows alive in order to interrogate him. It was extremely important for them to get the names of those higher up in the ring.
“Don’t forget there are bombs under the floor,” she murmured.
“I’m aware. I’ll be safe. You don’t forget that I’m in love with you. Stay safe.”
He turned and left her there. His heart ached, but he did it. Time was a huge factor, and his brothers and sisters were waiting to make their raid.
EIGHTEEN
“We need to find McGrady,” Maestro announced to the Torpedo Ink members gathered around the large table where they had carefully planned their mission. Steele was team leader, and he never left anything to chance. Not the slightest detail. They had plans for anything that could go wrong and then more plans just in case those steps went awry as well.
Code looked up from one of the seven screens set up in the room. “Billows had him picked up. The men who took him from his garage weren’t very gentle either. I had his place wired, complete with cameras, and I could see very plainly he was in fear for his life. He stepped over a line, and Billows must have decided to take him out.”
“Did you follow up on the car’s route through traffic intersection cameras?” Steele asked. “I need to know McGrady’s not going to be breathing down our necks.”
“The car took him to the location I’ve indicated on this map.” Code brought up the map on the largest screen hanging in the room. “We all agreed there had to be a way to bring the women to the training area that we were certain was located beneath the two clubs. Billows would never have been able to get away with trafficking for so long if he brought women in through the club. Someone would notice eventually.”
Maestro could easily see the large red X Code had placed on the map. The road was narrow and unpaved, looking as if it was a part of a park or land reserved for a park.
“You believe there’s another entrance to the underground rooms?” Steele asked Code.
“There would have to be. How could Azelie work for Billows for seven years and never see evidence of women coming and going if her boss moved them through the club?” Code said.
Maestro nodded. “I suspected as much when she told me about hearing the woman scream. Her boss wasn’t in an office, she was certain of it, yet he appeared out of nowhere. How did he get down there without her being aware?”
“When Maestro told us Azelie’s story, he mentioned then that there would have to be another entrance,” Code explained. “Beneath the city, there’s a maze of underground tunnels. It didn’t surprise me to see Billows’ men taking McGrady to a different location to enter his underground rooms. Suffice it to say, McGrady, if he’s still alive, is in a holding room below the Adventure Club.”
“Thanks, Code,” Steele said. “We’re going to run this mission by the numbers. Always be aware of the clock; time’s moving fast on us. Billows normally shows up in the underground office around three-thirty or four A.M. Code, do you have eyes on him?”
Code nodded. “At the moment, he’s at home with a very accommodating blonde. They never spend the night with him. He doesn’t sleep with them. He has very rough sex with them and then sends them home.”
“Let us know when he’s on the move,” Steele said. “We’re on the clock. Let’s move out.”
* * *
The team was made up of eight members, plus Steele at the lead. Lana, Preacher, Keys, Maestro, Master, Player, Ink and Code trained consistently together. In this case, Savage and Destroyer from team one had joined them because they were the best at interrogation. It was imperative to get names from Billows to continue the quest to find those higher up in the trafficking ring.
They left their transportation a good block away, and, like wolves, the pack circled around the huge building to come at the entrances from several sides. They couldn’t take the chance of guards getting behind them.
Cameras weren’t normally a problem. Code identified each security camera’s location, and he took over the cameras remotely. Code and his information were essential to both teams. He’d never let them down, not once, and Maestro knew the responsibility for the lives of his brothers and sisters weighed on him.
Each had a role to fulfill, and the lives of the others depended on them getting their job done. Lana was a marksman, rarely missing a shot. Maestro had never known her to fail in bringing down a target or protecting them from a distance. She was their eyes on scene, going high and establishing the best place to protect them from any hidden dangers.
