by Amy McKinley
“Shh, it’s okay. You’re safe,” Hawk comforted me, his hand running up and down my back.
“I was so close to Max.” I hiccupped, working to regain control. “I wanted to end this.”
“I know, Red. It’ll all be over soon.” His forehead touched mine before he brushed a soft kiss over my lips. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared. I can’t lose you. I need you. I’m so sorry I’ve been pushing you away.”
I clung to him. I wanted that too, but fear clogged my throat. I wanted to leave that place. Hawk made me feel safe, but that place—what if they came back? “Please—I’m sorry.” I was a broken record. My brain didn’t want to work.
Someone handed me a water bottle. The painful tingles in my hands made it nearly impossible to hold. Hawk caught it in one hand and twisted the cap off with his teeth. His other arm held me tightly against him as he helped me take a few sips, cautioning me to take it slow.
“I don’t want to hear any apologies, Red.” His voice was low and intimate. He shifted me in his arms, and I rested my head against his chest. He wasn’t mad at me. Another worry slipped away. Soon, I would have to tell them about the men who’d taken me and find out if Max was still alive.
Chapter 30
Hawk
Harsh fluorescent light shone down on Red, who reclined on the cot we’d set up in the storage unit’s office section. She had barely let go of me since I’d first picked her up off that cold, dirty basement floor. I needed the connection too. It cooled the white-hot rage that threatened to consume me.
Her wrists and ankles were raw from the plastic zip ties. She’d struggled to get free—they’d cut into her skin. There was a bruise in a fat circle the size of a fucking gun on her temple. Small cuts ran across the corners of her lips, and bruises marred her hip and shoulder.
Fury popped and sizzled beneath the surface. My skin itched with anticipation to do damage to every person who’d hurt or scared her.
Until Mike had gotten what was needed to fix Red up, I’d curled around her body, both of us on the small cot, and held her tightly. After what had happened to her, I wasn’t going to take any chances. We were off the grid there, and I planned to keep her that way. Because it wouldn’t be long before Rex and Mole realized she was missing.
I tucked closer into her and whispered in her ear. There were a few things I had to confess. “Red.” I swallowed my previous terror back down. “When you were gone, when I knew they had you, everything became clear.”
She turned her head so we were staring into each other’s eyes. “What do you mean?”
“I want this.”
Her gaze flared.
“No. That’s not what I mean. Not this fucked-up situation.” I ran a hand over my face. I was messing it up. “You missing was horrifying. It brought what we have together into focus. I want you. Us. A relationship.”
Her hand fluttered to my face, cupping my cheek. “I do too.”
I brushed a kiss over her mouth then pulled back. I had to tell her all of it. She deserved to hear it. “I won’t hold back any longer and won’t keep you at a distance. If you give me a chance, I’ll put everything I’ve got into making our relationship work.”
She smiled widely, and tears spilled down her face, but they were the good kind. “Yes.”
The tightness in my chest loosened. Hannah motioned for me to get up. I pressed a kiss to her forehead. Red needed to rest.
We’d learned a lot in our extensive trauma training as SEALs. Mike hooked up a makeshift IV, and I reluctantly climbed off the cot. I moved by her side to clean her arm in preparation. Chris handed me the tape once I’d fed the needle into her vein. The IV was attached, and its steady drip gave me a measure of relief. I knew she would get the electrolytes and hydration she needed.
Hannah had gotten clothes from Red’s bags, and I helped her change into clean ones that we’d brought from the casino’s hotel. All of our stuff was with us. The only thing we were missing was a shower. Near the storage unit’s main office, there were restrooms that we used if needed, and they would be good enough for the time being. Red wouldn’t be going there alone. Hannah’s presence was a balm to our worries surrounding her.
After the showdown with Rex, we wouldn’t be there long.
I’d checked Stella over. She wasn’t in bad shape, aside from the bruising on her arms and right hip and the rawness around her ankles and wrists that we’d put salve on and bandaged. The dehydration was a problem, but the steady drip of the IV eased the worry that was gnawing at my insides. She was safe. She would be okay.
Hannah reached around me and handed Red some lip balm and a small tube of lotion. Her hand dropped to my shoulder, and she squeezed it until I gave her my attention.
“Ask for what you need then back off and let her rest.”
I nodded my understanding. Red’s well-being had to come first. I would ask the tough questions later. “Do you need more pain meds?” I turned to survey the room to see if Keegan was back. He’d gone out to get her some soup.
“No. I’m okay.” Her voice sounded better, less scratchy. “The ibuprofen is working.”
Her eyelids were drooping. Hannah was right. We needed to hurry up and get answers—we could fill Keegan in with whatever he’d missed later.
“Did you find Max?” Her eyelids fluttered again, concern for her brother sharp in her voice.
Dammit. “No. Not yet, but we will. I need to ask you a few things, and then you can rest. Try not to worry about your brother. Right now, he’s the only bargaining chip Rex and Mole have with Malone.” Tridel Corp’s leader wouldn’t give Rex and Mole the position they wanted without a show of good faith.
What Malone didn’t know was that Rex had already struck a deal with Porch Guy, aka Stan, the head of Tridel’s northern branch. He wanted treasure and power too. “With you out of the picture, they can’t kill him for that fact alone.” Because Malone wanted money, they would need to bring Max to him. Rex would want to be the one to do that, to prove his worth to Tridel.
Alarm flashed across her features, and I took her hand in mine “What do you need to know?” she asked softly.
“We’re pretty sure we know who took you, but we need to know if there was anyone else there too.” Specifically, we needed to ascertain whether any of Porch Guy’s men or Malone himself had been there. “Where did they find you?”
She took a deep breath before she began. “I was so close to Max’s room at the hospital. I had the money from the necklace in my pocket.” A few tears rolled down her cheeks.
Keegan was taking care of retrieving the pawned necklace as we spoke. I’d given him my black Amex card to do so. It was important to her, and I wasn’t okay with her leaving behind any part of her history. He would bring back something for her to eat too.
“I’m assuming you don’t have the money anymore?”
“No. I think the one who grabbed me was Blaze. That’s Mole, right?”
“Yes.” I kept my emotions in check. We needed to hear everything. The guys were quiet behind me, and Hannah stood close to Red’s shoulder.
“I fought.” Fire flashed in her blue eyes. “I didn’t make it easy for them.”
I nodded. I couldn’t help but be proud of her for that. I was sure that was how she had gotten some of the bruising. It was my turn, and they would pay for what they did. “Describe who was there, who took you, and if anyone else came by the basement where you were held. Even if you only heard a voice, that could help.”
A cell phone rang. A glance told me it was Jack who’d picked up. I squeezed Red’s hand, which was cold in spite of the blankets Hannah had laid over her, and waited for her to tell me everything.
“So that Blaze guy grabbed me from the hospital before I saw Max. He blindfolded me and threw me in a trunk of a car. When we stopped, I heard another man’s voice.”
A shiver coursed through her, and my anger notched up another degree.
“I saw him in the basement when they took t
he blindfold off. I tried to fight and get free again, but the other man hit me in the face, and I was disoriented. They tied me up and gagged me. The other guy, Rex”—she squeezed my hand tightly, panic flashing in her expressive eyes—“was on something. Drugs. He seemed crazy. When I got a good look at him, I didn’t resist.”
“You’re safe now.” I brushed a tear that’d fallen down her cheek with the pad of my thumb. My palm cupped the side of her face.
“I know. It’s just that I thought he was going to kill me. He was so close to attacking me, but the Blaze guy distracted him. Rex was big with greasy brown hair and eyes. Mean.”
Rex will die. I didn’t think I could keep my promise to Jack—that he could take him out—and I caught his gaze over my shoulder. His mouth was set in a grim line, and he nodded. Rex would go down by whomever one of us got the chance. Jack understood.
“No one else came by?” We needed to know if Malone, the head of Tridel Corp, was there, or Stan, aka Porch Guy.
Red yawned, her eyelids growing heavier with each passing second. “No. No one else.”
I kissed her on the forehead and tucked her hand under the blankets. “You did good. Try to get some sleep.”
Her eyes widened as I stepped back. “You’re not leaving, are you?”
“Not yet. I’ll be here for another hour or two. You won’t be left alone.”
She nodded, her lips pressing together until she lost the fight to stay conscious. With a heavy heart, I moved away from Stella to find out who’d called Jack.
A headache was forming behind my eyes. This goddamned light in here. Why we hadn’t changed the fluorescents out when we altered the lighting in the other section was seriously pissing me off. Everything was making me mad. We needed to move, not sit around. I wanted to end Rex and do serious damage to Mole.
“That was Rich,” Jack answered before I had to ask. “He wanted me to convey his gratitude, Chris.”
Chris smirked. “You can tell him I’ll keep the drones in exchange for his thanks.”
“Already did.” Jack grinned.
We all knew what that was about without needing to ask. Chris had found and filled in the government’s holes about Tridel Corp, including pictures. With that blueprint and any dirt he had been able to dig up, the CIA had a map to go after the corporation head on.
“We’re off the hook with Rich now, right?” Not that it mattered, but I wanted to make sure we could focus on taking down Rex and Mole, not having to go after Tridel until Malone was apprehended.
“We are,” Jack confirmed. “Rich is working with the FBI and local police to take them down as we speak. Malone should be picked up within the hour, along with Stan Jones’s men.”
Good. I wanted Porch Guy to pay for his part, even though I was better off without the people who’d raised me.
“Rich will need to focus on Stan’s branch and take out as many as he can,” Jack clarified.
If Rex continued to siphon manpower from Porch Guy, we would be severely outnumbered in our street fight. It was no secret that a slaughter was what Rex and Mole had in mind for our battle. “We’re already down Trev and Hayden. That’ll piss him off too, and it won’t help us in numbers.”
Mike dropped into a chair and checked his watch. “Rex did demand the original crew, but I doubt he has all the same guys so he’ll have to get over it. We need to be in position in an hour. Let’s head out and set up. Chris already has three drones in the air.”
“I can control them with this device.” Chris held up a small handheld electronic panel. “They’re in place and will send an alert if anyone crosses the perimeters I’ve set. That way, we’ll be warned if another group is sneaking up on us. It’s an extra precaution.”
“We’ll take whatever we can get.” It was an important addition to our defense, as we all had our sights set on taking down Rex and Mole.
“Hannah”—Jack motioned for her to come closer—“we need you to guard Stella so that Hawk’s head is in the game.”
“Already planned on it.” She squeezed his hand then leveled her cool gaze at the rest of us. “Get this cleaned up so we can get out of here.”
“On it.” Jack circled his hand, and we grabbed the additional ammo on the table and stuffed it into our pockets before we headed out.
With Red safe and off the grid, I let everything fall away from my mind to focus on the objective of the street fight we were facing. Rex was going down.
Chapter 31
Stella
I woke with a start. Dull pain throbbed through my body, though the medicine seemed to take the edge off. The discomfort didn’t matter. I wanted revenge against the men who had Max and who hurt me. With a sweep around the room, my gaze landed on Hannah. “Where’s Hawk? Where are the guys?”
Her lips twitched. “Good to see you’re feeling better. They left to take care of the men who abducted you.”
I shoved the blankets off and stood, only to stop when I realized I was still connected to the IV. “Can you get this out?”
Hannah was already up and moving toward me. She made quick work of the IV and covered the small puncture from the needle with a Band-Aid. Next, she gave me shoes and a hat, which I guessed was to cover my attention-grabbing hair. I would’ve put on a ski mask had she’d given it to me.
“Do you know how to shoot?” Hannah asked as she handed me a gun. A black stocking cap effectively hid her blond hair.
“Yes. My Opa taught me when I was younger. We used to go to the shooting ranges together.”
Hannah flashed a small grin and handed me a weapon. “Good. This is a Glock. It’ll be easy to aim and fire, especially since you already know how to handle a gun.”
I held it in my hand, getting comfortable with its weight. She moved behind me and repositioned my stance. Then she lined up my arm and showed me how to look through the sight. I was a little shaky, but I had just woken up.
“We’re supposed to stay here, but I’m worried about Jack. I’d feel better if I could cover him and the rest of the guys. If you remain in the car and I shoot near it, I’m still guarding you. Are you okay with us going to where they’ll be?”
“Yes.” I wanted to make them tell me where Max was. Not only that, but I was concerned about Hawk. And if they learned where Max was, I wanted to go with them to be there for him when he was found.
“You’ll be safe.”
Maybe, but maybe not. I had an agenda. My heart thudded with the weight of the weapon in my hand. I would make it work to my advantage. I figured if I could get close enough, I could jam the end into Rex’s body, force him to tell me where Max was, and then shoot. I wanted him gone. That was one nightmare I didn’t want to relive.
“Let’s go. I promised to guard you, but I gave no guarantees where that would be.” Hannah winked then led the way out, and we got in one of the vehicles. As she pulled away, she picked up her cell phone and spoke into it. “We’re coming in from the south. Don’t shoot us.”
“Who was that?” The guys trusted her, so I would as well—she was one of them, after all. Even so, I wanted to know who she’d called. My heart pumped, but I could have sworn it was pushing ice through my veins. I liked it, though. I didn’t want to feel.
“Jack.” She shot me a quick look. “If I had called Hawk, he would’ve been adamant that we go back. Not that we would.”
“No way. Besides, we need to even the odds for them.”
We drove in silence for a while until Hannah turned to me again. “For as long as we can, you’ll stay in the car, and I’ll shoot from the roof. If the situation changes and we need to jump into battle, you do what you need to do. I’ll cover you and shadow you every step of the way. You don’t need to worry about watching your back or anyone getting the drop on you.”
With what I had planned, all hell would break loose. I only hoped Hawk would be okay.
Hawk
We were in position, and as usual, I was on the rooftop. Jack, Keegan, Chris, and Mike were on the pave
ment below. Even though Mole and Rex had demanded a rematch on our street, we’d moved it a few blocks over. Our old warehouse housed teens in the shelter whom Jack had spearheaded, and there was no way we would put them at risk any more than what they’d already faced in their young lives.
It was quiet except for the wind that howled and moaned as it raced down the roads and through alleyways. Heavy clouds rolled overhead with the threat of rain, but that didn’t bother any of us in the least. Bring it on. The impending storm matched the ones that raged in our hearts. It was time to close that chapter from our past so it never came back to haunt us in the future.
“I’ve got fifteen heading our way. Two snipers broke off and are moving into position,” I spoke into my mic, warning my team below. They stood, fanned out, and readied for the first wave.
“Old school, my ass,” Keegan said, snorting.
“What’d you expect? A verbal fight first then a few punches thrown?” Chris’s sarcasm was a deadly spark to Keegan’s short fuse. “Of course they’re playing dirty.”
I waited for it then heard a smack to the back of Chris’s head, or maybe a shoulder bump. When no retaliation came, a vicious grin curved my lips. I knew what Chris was doing—he was poking the bear. Keegan was always a live wire, but his barely checked fury and deadly fighting instinct only benefited our team.
“Got ’em in sight.” The slightest movement caught my attention. On a roof less than a mile away, a shadow slipped from the doorway. He molded against the wall by the door. Then he inched forward with his body hunched. He was getting into position near the edge. Easy pickings. I aligned my sight, making allowances to the target within the small lines in the scope to account for the slight breeze. My finger squeezed the trigger, and I took the shot.
Across the street from sniper one, I caught movement. Sniper two had moved faster, already in position, rifle at the ready.