Page 96 of Riordan's Revenge

He twisted his lips and looked away.

My intuition spiked for a second time today. “Manny, what’s going on?”

“On Shade’s orders, I can’t tell you, and you’re not to leave the building.” He indicated to the end of the hall where one of his burly bouncers stood with his arms folded. At the other end of the corridor, Mick leaned on the wall, his arms folded and one casual boot kicked back, but his intention plain. I wasn’t getting past any of them.

My blood ran hot. “I swear to God, if they do anything to Riordan.”

“He’ll be back in one piece in time for the party. That’s all I can tell you, other than it’s for his own good.”

I exchanged a furious look with a sympathetic Dixie and snatched up my phone, angry-typing a message to Shade.

Cassie: Hurt a single hair on his head and I’ll slit your throat in your sleep.

Chapter 30

Riordan

The car Shade had kidnapped me in came to a rumbling halt, off-road by the sound of the gravel under the wheels. Unlike my previous experience, courtesy of Cassie, this time I was wide awake and able to move, though my hands were still constrained and my face covered.

Nor was I afraid. I knew who had me and what his intentions were.

I’d spent the car ride going from anger to something settled.

I couldn’t judge the skeleton crew wanting proof of my loyalty. I’d been a member for five short weeks yet had been on the rooftop when Arran made the call to Red. I had access the other members could only dream of. They’d be fools to trust me.

Didn’t mean I had to like it.

My door popped, and a cool breeze brought in the scent of autumn leaves plus something earthier. The river. The rushing water was loud enough to be heard however far back we were, which meant it was high tide.

My recurring nightmare came to the forefront of my mind. Being hunted through the city. Ending up with my back to the river, a bullet to the chest taking me down under its surface.

Mixed in with that was Tyler’s musings on gang initiation rites, and Cassie’s information about how Shade and Arran handled the worst of the city’s offenders by ending their lives.

My thoughts were cut off by a strong arm pulling me from the car then guiding me to walk ahead of him. Two people, possibly more as I’d heard a second engine cut out.

We closed in on the sound of the river, and my shoulders stiffened. If I strayed too close to the bank and fell in, I’d die. With my hands tied up, I had no way of freeing myself.

At least in that I had a solution. Sinclair had showed me how to free myself from being taped up. I’d take a risk on zip ties breaking the same way.

Sucking in a breath, I raised my hands above my head and brought them down in a sharp motion to my raised knee.

The zip tie broke. I was free.

I wrestled with the bag over my head, holding still for fear of falling in the water and dying after all.

“For fuck’s sake,” one of my captors griped.

Arran.So he was here.

A hand circled my wrist, stilling me. “Hold up. I’ll do it. Ye have to climb the steps anyway. I’ll save your shins.”

Shade, this time. He shoved my head down and undid the cord on the bag, lightly slapping my head for good measure as I came back up. I reared back, blinking in the darkness.

Arran and Shade regarded me, both wearing the same determined expression and tensed as if I was going to make a break for it.

I dragged an unimpressed look from one to the other. Fuck them, I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction.

Behind me was a dilapidated wooden building. Not the riverbank after all, but obviously our destination. I jerked my head at it.