Page 9 of Ruger (Riders of Retribution #2)

Ruger

When Marigold doesn’t answer her phone the first time, panic surges through me. Then, when I’m sent to voicemail the second, I’m positive something is very wrong. And, when I’m on my way out the door, I try her phone again. This time, when I’m sent straight to voicemail, I become murderous.

I don’t know what’s happening, but I’m certain that Marigold wouldn’t send a text asking for help and then ignore me on purpose. There’s something going on. She’s in danger. And I’ll kill anyone that lays a fucking hand on her.

My bike roars as she eats up the pavement. I push her, breaking traffic laws without caring. Let someone from the Rio Lunas PD see me. They can be my backup if they really want to chastise me for reckless driving.

It doesn’t take long to get to Marigold’s place, but I know that every single second I take could be life or death for her.

And, when I see the black van and two of the Apex Runners standing around it, I curse myself for not getting up and leaving as soon as I saw the message.

Those were precious seconds that I wasted because I wanted an explanation.

I’ll make up for that now, though.

Before I fully reach the driveway where they’re standing around, they mount their bikes. One takes off immediately, and the other waits for the van to pull out before bringing up the rear. My stomach sinks as I watch them go. I’m sure that Marigold’s in the back of that van.

I’m too late, and now I can’t do anything rash or I’ll risk her safety.

My best option, as much as it pains me to admit it and makes me want to crawl out of my skin, is to follow them from a safe distance.

I highly doubt they’re going to try anything with her while she’s in the back of the van.

They’ll wait until they’re on solid ground.

I just have to trust that she wasn’t hurt when they grabbed her.

They’ll be sorry for what they’ve done regardless, but if I find even a scratch on her… scorched earth is going to be too nice of a term for what I’m going to do.

So, I force myself to a stop, letting them get a little distance. If I had to guess, they’re taking Marigold back to their clubhouse, so I don’t need to worry about losing sight of them, and I can afford to let them get far enough ahead of me that they don’t know they’re being tailed.

Once I deem the distance respectable, I take off after them.

At first, the route we follow is the one that I expected.

It seems like they’re heading toward their clubhouse, and they’re probably planning on using Marigold as some sort of collateral.

Or, they might try to extort us. I’m not sure, but I know that I won’t let that happen.

Then, they do something unexpected. Instead of heading deeper into town, they take a road that leads to the desert surrounding Rio Lunas.

I pick up my speed slightly, following them as close as I dare.

I have no idea if they realize that they’re being trailed, but I’m not stupid enough to rule out the possibility of them having a base somewhere out here.

The Riders of Retribution have safe houses and bases that we don’t publicly share. That’s just how things work with the MCs in Rio Lunas. The Apex Runners are no different.

It takes us almost half an hour before the caravan that I’m behind turns onto a dirt road. When I take the turn, I see our destination, a rundown, seemingly abandoned warehouse. Instantly, all of my senses are on high-alert.

Something about this doesn’t feel right. I don’t think that this is a standard hostage situation. Whatever they’re going to do to my girl… I don’t want to imagine it. Something heinous is going on.

As soon as they come to a stop, I speed up, hoping to take them by surprise. My bike squeals when I throw on the breaks about twenty feet away from the caravan. I’m on the ground with my gun in hand before the two riders have even turned to look at me.

Without a second of hesitation, I put a bullet through both of their brains. It only takes two shots, my aim deadly accurate. When each of their bodies collapses into the sand, puddles of bright red blood forming around their heads, I feel a sick sense of satisfaction.

Now that they’re out of the way, I turn my attention to the van. I approach quickly, but the driver jumps out before I get there, his own weapon raised. I drop to the ground just as he fires a bullet my way. Then, I fire a shot of my own as I get myself out of the dirt.

My quickness seems to disorient him, and I take advantage of that. I surge forward, closing the distance between us with ease. He aims his gun directly at my face, but before he can pull the trigger, I knock the weapon to the ground.

“You motherfucker,” he spits, cocking his fist back and landing a blow against my jaw. “This doesn’t fucking concern you.”

“That’s my girl you’ve got in the back of your van, you bastard,” I say, pistol-whipping him so hard that he’s thrown to the ground. “This does concern me. And you messed with the wrong motherfucker.”

“Then fucking take her,” he spits, hands held with his palms open in front of his chest as if to show me he’s not a threat. “Take her and get the fuck out of here.”

I glance toward the doors of the warehouse, making sure that no one comes running out. From the looks of it, the place is empty aside from us.

“What the hell were you going to do with her all the way out here?” I demand.

This whole thing just doesn’t feel right. Why bring her to a warehouse in the middle of nowhere? Why aren’t there any members of the Apex Runners here?

“That’s none of your fuckin’ business,” the man on the ground says, sneering at me like he has any sort of power in this situation.

“Tell me and I won’t splatter your brains in the dirt, you bastard,” I snarl.

The motherfucker has the audacity to laugh. He’s damn near hysterical about it. I don’t know if it’s to throw me off or because he’s having a full-blown mental break in front of me. Either way, I keep my weapon trained right between his eyes, waiting for him to give me an answer.

“You’re going to blow my brains out anyway,” he says, a sour smile on his face. “You’ve got no fucking intention of letting me go.”

“At least you’re not completely stupid,” I note, taking a step forward.

“Just get it over with,” he spits. “See for your fucking self. There aren’t that many in there right now. We had a truck leave last week. We’re not losing that much money.”

I can’t stand his tone, the callous way he’s talking. So, I do it. I take the shot and put him out of his misery. He dies with a grunt and gurgle, blood pouring out of the back of his head.

“What the fuck kind of cryptic shit were you talking about?” I ask his corpse.

Without waiting for his lifeless body to answer I rush to the van.

There isn’t any noise coming from back there, and it’s making me nervous.

I know I’ve already killed these fuckers, but if anything, and I mean anything , is wrong with Marigold, I’ve got some creative ideas for desecrating a corpse.

I wrench the back doors open to reveal my girl, my gorgeous, perfect, sweet Marigold, with a her wrists and ankles bound. Her head is covered with a black sack, and she’s slumped against the side. She seems almost lifeless until I bark out her name, panic and desperation coloring my voice.

“Ruger?” she asks, sounding a lot like she’s been crying. “Ruger, is that you?”

“It’s me, sweetheart,” I say as I run to her, pulling the bag from her head.

She blinks hard. Her eyes are red and puffy, making the green of her irises even more striking in the dim light. The long, red hair that I adore is a mess. She still looks absolutely breathtaking. And, more importantly, she looks uninjured.

“I was worried it was too late,” she admits as I take her face between my hands. “They– They took me so fast. I thought–”

I cut her off with a kiss, pouring all the emotions I don’t know how to articulate into it. Then, when I pull away, I say the truest words I’ve ever uttered.

“I love you, Marigold. I love you so much. I will go to the ends of the earth to protect you.”

“Ruger,” she breathes, before inhaling sharply, the weight of my words settling over her. “Ruger, I love you, too. I love you more than anything.”

“Good,” I reply, kissing her again before leaning back and taking out my pocket knife. “Now, let’s get you out of those, okay?”

Marigold nods, allowing me to cut her free of her binds. When she’s loose, I check her over, ensuring there isn’t any damage. The only thing I find is some minor bruising around her wrists, and even though that breaks my heart, I’m glad she’s not hurt.

“Okay,” I say, pressing a kiss to the inside of her wrist, my mind going back to the warehouse we’re parked outside of. “There’s something I need to check out, and I need you to stay here.”

“Alright,” she says, trusting me implicitly.

It only makes me love her more.

“I’m serious. Don’t leave this van until I come back.”

“I won’t,” she promises. I take that as my cue to turn around and leave the vehicle. As my boots hit the ground, she says, “Be safe, Ruger.”

“For you, always,” I reply before steeling myself for whatever I’m about to find inside.