“I’ll call them. Set up a meeting immediately. We may need to fly out there so we can get the ball rolling sooner,” Ryker said grimly.
“You do that,” Eddie said. “I’m not losing Eden. Or you. Those bastards have taken enough from this family.”
The phone rang, interrupting the tense discussion. Eddie glanced down to see that it was Eden calling.
“Hey, baby girl,” he greeted, holding his hand to his sons.
“Daddy?”
At the tremble he heard in her voice, his blood went cold.
“Eden? What’s wrong? Are you all right? What’s happened?”
Raid and Ryker immediately came to attention, rushing over to stand closer so they could hear what was transpiring.
“There was a shooting,” she said, her voice wobbling precariously. “But I wanted you to know I was okay. I didn’t want you to hear about it on the news and worry.”
“What do you mean there was a shooting?” he roared.
“I don’t know anything yet, Daddy. The cops are coming to question me. David and Micah got me into the car and to the hotel. We’re staying in a different suite. Micah and David were concerned that this could be personal.”
Hell, Eddie knew it was personal. Son of a bitch, but he hadn’t expected it to start this soon. He’d only received the threat today. His blood chilled in his veins. But the timing was impeccable. Had the killer planned it this way? For Eddie to receive the threat just a short time before Eden was killed?
Helpless rage gripped his throat, squeezing until he could barely breathe. Raid wrenched the phone from his hand, ignoring his father’s immediate protest.
“Eden, this is Raid. Tell me where you are and we’ll catch the first flight out we can,” he said calmly.
There was a pause and then Raid said, “Okay, honey. Stay where David and Micah put you. We’ll be there as soon as we can.”
He ended the call and handed his father back the phone, his eyes nearly black with rage.
“So it’s begun, then.”
Eddie could only nod, fear and fury waging war in his mind.
“Then let’s get the f**k out of here,” Ryker said tightly. “I’ll call Nathan and Joe on the way and have them meet us there if they can make it.”
CHAPTER 4
DARYL “Swanny” Swanson picked his head up when the phone rang in the cabin he shared with Joe Kelly.
“Hey, can you get that?” Joe called from the bathroom.
Swanny hauled himself up from the couch where he was watching the baseball game and ambled over to pick up the cordless house phone. It was probably a damn telemarketer because no one ever called the landline. Everyone used cell phones.
“Hello?”
“Can I speak to Nathan or Joe Kelly? It’s urgent.”
The male voice sounded vaguely familiar, but Swanny couldn’t place it. But whoever it was obviously wasn’t someone who knew the brothers well or he would have known that Nathan lived in his own place with his wife, Shea.
“Can I tell him who’s calling?” Swanny asked as he started toward the bathroom.
“This is Ryker Sinclair. We served together. It’s important I speak to one of them immediately.”
“Sin?” Swanny exclaimed. “Hey, buddy, it’s Swanny. How the hell are you?”
There was a pause and then Ryker replied. “Swanny? I heard you were working with the Kellys, but I didn’t expect to get you on the phone. Man, am I glad to hear your voice. How are you doing? How is Nathan doing? I haven’t heard from y’all since we all got out.”
“We’re all doing fine. Nathan is married now. But hey, what’s going on? You said it was urgent. Anything I can do to help?”
Ryker breathed out heavily over the phone. “Yeah, I need your help. I need KGI’s help.”
“Hang on, let me get Joe and I’ll put you on speakerphone.”
Swanny beat on the bathroom door, holding the phone to his side. “Hey, Joe, get out here. It’s Sin. Ryker Sinclair. He needs to talk to us ASAP.”
The door swung open and Joe appeared, a frown on his face. “Sin?”
“Yeah, get in the kitchen so I can put him on speakerphone. He said it was urgent and he needed KGI’s help.”
“Fuck,” Joe muttered.
They strode back to the kitchen and Swanny punched the speaker button before replacing the phone on the receiver.
“Hey, man, we’re both here,” Joe said. “What’s up? How the hell are you?”
“Not good,” Ryker said grimly. “I have a problem. I need your help. KGI’s help.”
“You know we’ll do whatever we can. Give me the rundown.”
“I don’t have time to get into it on the phone and I don’t have all the details myself. We’re on our way to where Eden is. She’s in trouble. It’s a long goddamn story and I know I’m not giving you much to go on, but I need you for this. Can you come?”
Swanny’s eyebrows went up. Eden? She was Ryker’s sister. His very hot sister. Ryker used to share her letters—and photos—with the guys when they were freezing their asses off in the Afghani mountains. She’d fired more than one wet dream. She was f**king gorgeous. And not in a bought-and-paid-for way either. She was a natural beauty through and through and she just sparkled. She had a million-dollar smile and her letters were always filled with love and humor. Her letters had brightened many otherwise shitty days when they were hunkered down with only her pictures—and their fantasies—to keep them warm.