Page 55 of Blood Moon

“I’ve got something,” Eli said, drawing me out of my thoughts.

“What is it?” I asked as I closed the distance between us.

“So your guy gave me DMV access too, which was strange, because you didn’t ask him for it. I won’t question it, but it did allow me to find a car registered to Phantom Corp. But why would the Phantoms be working with the Vipers? They’re enemies.” Eli directed my attention to the screen so I could see for myself.

“I don’t know. They’ve always competed for drug sales in the area. I never thought they’d team up. Especially with the Phantoms being more hidden. The Vipers are known for selling drugs out in the open.” I was certain Eli already knew about it, but it helped to get everything out in the open.

“Yes, and most of the Vipers have been arrested on multiple occasions. But the Phantoms usually target upscale parties and private events. Do you think they’ve combined forces, or are the Phantoms using the Vipers so they have a fall guy?” Eli’s speculation made me think. Then I noticed something odd.

“Either way, this is bad. It looks like they own most of the east side of the city. How did we miss this?” I wondered aloud.

“We were so busy fighting each other that we didn’t stop to worry about who was controlling the other quadrants,” he replied.

“I think it would be a good idea to discover and seek out the head of the west quadrant to broker an alliance before they do.” I was even more worried for Delilah now that we had an idea of what we were up against. When something makes the two biggest rival gangs decide to team up, there’s a bigger problem than we realized.

“I’m on it,” Eli paused before continuing, “We’ll find her, Vik. If Jones is responsible, my guys will be able to give us a location soon. They’re following him now.”

So all I could do was sit and wait. “We should go back to where the fight was. Maybe there are some clues to find Delilah.” I insisted.

Eli nodded. “We need to check the traffic cams and see what we’re up against first. We need to know what kind of situation we’ll be walking into. I don’t want to walk into another trap.”

I wanted to argue that there was no time, but my phone rang. It was Jones. “It’s him. What should I do?” I asked Eli, turning the phone so he could see the display.

“Act like you don’t know he’s behind it. Just play along with whatever he says.” Eli suggested.

Nodding, I answered the call. “Jones. What’s going on?” I tried to keep the panic out of my voice and pretend everything was normal.

“If you want her back, you have to find her. It won’t be easy. If I find her first, she’s dead.” I knew Jones well enough to picture him running his hand through his sandy blond hair as he spoke. His dark brown eyes glinting with hate, as I had seen multiple times before. I had never been scared of him before, but that was when he was on my side.

I took a breath, my hands shaking at the thoughts going through my head. He wouldn’t hesitate to kill Delilah, especially if he thought it would hurt me.

“What are you talking about?” I tried to stall him and get more information, but he disconnected the call.

“Eli, we have to go. Now. They’ve hidden her somewhere in the city. If we don’t find her, he’s going to kill her.” We were both moving toward his car before the words left my mouth.

Chapter 53

Delilah

I watched carefully as I was carried inside a building. I couldn’t help but notice the giant snake that had been tagged on the side of it. I wondered if that meant I had been taken by one of the local gangs. It didn’t make sense. I had no money or power. Why would they want me?

Once I was inside, I saw the crates that had been stolen from Eli’s warehouse. There were crates with Viktor’s logo on them as well. I knew if my guys found me, they’d discover who’d been stealing from them too. I tried to hang as limply as I could from the asshole’s shoulder as he carried me through the large front room and into a smaller room behind a set of double doors.

I was dropped onto a thin cot inside a cage before the man kicked me and walked away. I didn’t make a sound, and I didn’t move. The pain in my stomach had tears running down my face, but I refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing me cry. I guess he knew I was awake the whole time.

I could hear talking but couldn’t tell where it was coming from. I strained to hear the conversation.

“Yeah, she’s in the cage.” The man who’d carried me from the truck spoke in a growl.

“What about Strain and Maxwell?” The voice was familiar, but I couldn’t quite place where I had heard it.

“They killed two of our best. I barely got away. They were seriously injured, though. I can send a team to recover the bodies.”

The familiar voice growled, “No. You will take care of it yourself. If Strain and Maxwell aren’t dead, it’s your head. I will not have them coming after me here. Go.”

I sat up a little and strained to look around. I was terrified to stand up. I knew that if I wanted any chance of escape, I needed to know where the exits were and how to get this lock open.

As I was studying the lock, I heard sounds of a struggle and imagined that the familiar voice had shoved asshole, making his shoes scrape on the concrete. His steps echoed as he jogged toward the door. I rubbed my hands over my face, wiping away the tears. I was terrified before. Learning how powerful these guys are made it worse.