Free Ryder: #4 (Allen Securities) by Madison Stevens

the cave.
    “I have some Vicodin in here from a while back when Vic sprained her ankle.”
    “That’s better than aspirin,” Ryder said. He leaned toward Havoc.
    “Let’s do this quick,” he said.
    Havoc looked down at Victoria. “Is it bad?” His brow knitted.
    Ryder glanced back to Irene. “Yes.”
    As delicately as they could, the two men tried to keep the broken leg stable. When they sat her down, Irene came over with a blanket and a pair of pants. She bundled up the pants and placed them under Victoria’s head. She tore off a piece of her one of her shirts and poured a little water over it. Victoria moaned when Irene brushed the cloth against her head, and he was glad when she opened her eyes.
    “How you feeling?” Irene asked.
    Victoria blinked a few times before she seemed to register what was going on.
    “I fell,” she said.
    “You did fall.” Irene smoothed a hand over her forehead. That seemed to comfort her. “Let’s drink a little water and take some pills.”
    Victoria hissed when she sat up. “Something’s wrong with my leg,” she gritted out.
    “It’s broken, honey,” Irene said. “We’re going to give you some pills, and you’re going to get some rest. By the time morning comes, we’ll get the hell out of here.”
    A tear slid down Victoria’s face, and it ate at Ryder. “I just want to go home,” she said.
    Irene leaned down and hugged the young woman. “I know, honey. We’re going to get you home. Now, let’s take this medicine.”
    Ryder walked to the mouth of the cave and stared out into the darkness. The fire raged on the other side. They would have no way of knowing if it was coming close to them.
    He pulled out the walkie-talkie and turned the volume down.
    “Cage?”
    A voice came through the crackling static. “Where the fuck have you been?”
    It was Charlie, and not his brother, that came in over the speaker.
    “We had a situation,” Ryder said. “Where’s Cage?”
    “Yeah, so did we.”
    Ryder moved to the side of the cave.
    “Where’s my fucking brother?” Ryder growled into the line.
    “Being a big fucking hero with your other brother,” Charlie yelled into the line. “They won’t send in the chopper for a rescue unless they have the area cleared of the Los Malos.”
    “That’s bullshit.”
    “That’s what we’ve been arguing all night, but they say they’ve got their hands full with the fire and don’t have time to deal with gang issues.”
    “Damn it!” He hit the wall beside him.
    “They are hunting the last two down now,” Charlie said.
    “What do you mean by hunting?”
    Ryder stared at the black box in his hand and didn’t know if he wanted to hear what Charlie had to say.
    “I mean they are doing what they have to do, so you all don’t either burn to death or get shot on that fucking mountain.”
    The silence that fell was almost deafening.
    “Where are the fire lines?” Ryder asked quietly.
    “Mainly at the base, but it’s growing fast,” Charlie said. “Those fucking idiots didn’t think about any of this very well. Fire is about the worst thing to try and deal with.”
    Ryder scrubbed a hand down his face. “I don’t think they planned on being here this long.”
    “Yeah, well, rule number one, always have a plan B. Rule number two, have plan C and D on standby.”
    Ryder gave a sharp laugh. “Well, I’m fucked.”
    “I’ll radio when we can send in help. For now, get some rest. And Ryder,” Charlie came in over the line, “despite what you might think, I got your back on this.”
    “Roger that.”
    He stared at the walkie-talkie for a moment. For once, he hoped that he could actually trust someone. It was at a high cost to his brothers though, and the thought of what they might have to do tore into him. They weren’t like Liam and him. Cage and Reed could handle shit, but this just wasn’t them.
    Ryder turned and found Havoc standing behind him.
    “Would you do it for them?” Havoc plucked out the one