This part has me on edge as we reach the bottom. We’re wide open and anyone watching can pick us off one by one. We split apart at the bottom of the stairs. Xavier and Ashley follow me and Ashton and Christian go in the opposite direction. We hide in the shadows and quickly make our way across the warehouse. I spot Izzy curled up in the corner.
“Target located south end corner. Appears to be alone.” I relay to my team.
We quietly make our approach toward Izzy. Xavier tries to pass me and get to her, but Ashley stops him. She shakes her head and he glares at her, not understanding why we’re waiting. A shadow moves behind Xavier and Ashley pushes him against the wall, watching to see where the figure goes. It’s heading our way, right down the middle of the warehouse.
“Hostile at your six. He’s locked and loaded,” Harris chirps in my ear. I push my body against the wall and wait for them to pass. Ashley has a palm on Xavier’s chest and they’re both against the wall, out of whoever’s coming down sight. He passes us and walks toward Ashton and Christian. I can’t see them, but I know they’re there. Once his back is toward me, I sneak up behind him, channeling my rage and hate, letting the demon come out to play. I grab the guy’s neck and squeeze hard, dropping him to the ground and dragging him back to the shadows. I could have killed him instantly, but instead, I knocked his ass out cold and have him disarmed, hogtied and gagged behind a crate.
“Hostile clear,” I say into the mic, steadying my breathing and racing heart. Now’s not the time to lose my head.
“Two more heading your way,” Marks whispers.
I blend back into the shadows and watch as two more men strapped with AK 47’s come into view. They split off in opposite directions. One turns toward Christian and Ashton and the other heads right for Izzy in my direction. I wait until he’s right next to me and grab his neck. I squeeze with everything I have and he goes down silently. I drag him behind another crate, disarm, hogtie and gag him.
“Hostile two clear,” Ashton says into the mic.
“Hostile three down,” I return.
“All clear on our end,” Ramirez responds.
“Let’s get our package,” I whisper.
I nod to Xavier and he quickly reaches Izzy. He gently shakes her and her eyes flutter open. Surprise is etched on her face when she sees him and tears form in her eyes. He lifts her off the floor and cradles her into his chest. Her hands and feet are secured with a thick rope. Izzy sniffles and her eyes collide with mine. She cries harder and breaks eye contact with me, burying her face into Xavier’s chest. Ashton and Christian reach us and work on untying the ropes. Ashley is soothing Izzy hair and telling her everything will be all right.
“Wait,” Izzy’s voice croaks. “Redline is here too, but they separated us. I think he’s in one of the rooms down here.”
“On it,” Ashton says.
“I’ll go with you,” Ashley offers.
Before I can stop her, the three disappear into the darkness. “Let’s get you out of here,” I tell Izzy. She nods her head but won’t make eye contact with me, hiding her face in Xavier’s chest.
“Nolan, we have him.” Ashley’s voice fills my ears.
“Good, let’s move,” I respond. I take the lead and find the exit on the east side. “Rush, Ace, we’re coming out.”
“Clear out here,” Rush responds.
I open the door to Ace and Rush watching and waiting on opposite sides.
“Where’s Ashley?” Rush asks, concerned.
“They’re coming any second behind me,” I answer.
“Coming out,” Ashton grunts into the mic.
“Clear out here,” I respond. The door swings open and Christian walks out first. Ashley and Ashton have Redline propped between them. His head is down, and his feet are dragging behind him.
“He’s had the shit beat out of him,” Ashley growls. “He’s unconscious.” I quickly try to take Redline’s weight off Ashley, but she pushes me away. “I got it,” she snaps.
She’s pissed. I can feel her eyes burn into mine and vengeance is thrumming through her body. She’s ready to fuck someone up. We all meet at the cars and together Ashton and her gently lay Redline down in the back seat of Ashton’s car and she climbs in.
“What are you doing?” I ask, catching her arm.
She glares at me like I’ve lost my damn mind and I know I have. “I’m not leaving him, not now.” She snarls and sits in the back seat. She has Redline’s head in her lap and is staring straight ahead, avoiding eye contact with anyone. “We need to move now. Both Izzy and Redline need a fucking doctor. So, whatever your issue is, get over it and let’s go.” She tosses me the keys and sits back.
“Fine,” I bark out and walk toward the car she was driving. Christian follows me. Xavier and Izzy are already at the car and I unlock the doors. We get in and I squeal the tires, peeling out of the parking spot. My grip on the wheel is so tight, I’m surprised it doesn’t bend under my hands. Jealousy floods my body and sets my skin on fire.
“Relax man,” Christian says.
“Relax? How in the fuck can I relax?” I shout. “This is such bullshit.” I slam my hand onto the steering wheel hard.
“Bro,” Xavier speaks up from the backseat. “Someone in her family is hurt really bad. How’d you expect her to act?”
“Fuck!” I hit the steering wheel again, ashamed of my actions. Taking a deep breath, I will myself to calm my racing heart down and get control. “You’re right and I acted like a complete asshole. Fuck.”
“She knows you’re a jackass at heart man and she knows you love her. That’s why this is hard on both of you.” Xavier soothes from the backseat.
I peer into the rearview mirror and Ashton is right on my ass. I can feel his glare burning into me. Yeah, I fucked up going all caveman on Ashley. I don’t know where my head was back there. I can barely make out her silhouette in the darkness. I catch Xavier’s blue eyes in the mirror. He smirks before dropping his gaze and focusing back on Izzy. She’s been quiet the whole ride and I’m concerned for her state of mind.
Now that we have her and Redline back, I need to figure out a way to get them up to the hotel room without suspicion. I swallow hard when a thought crosses my mind. “Fuck, the whole damn team knows what an asshole I am.”
“We already know boss,” Marks chirps in my ear, laughing. Fucker. I can hear the others laughing too.
“Fuck off, Marks,” I reply. “Listen we need to get these two up to the room without raising suspicion. Anyone want to chime in without the comments on me being an asshole?”
“There’s a service elevator that housekeeping uses to stay out of the site of hotel guests. We can use that,” Ace responds quickly.
“That’ll work. Do you have someone working there?” I ask.
“Asshole, I have someone everywhere,” Ace snickers.
Of course, he has to throw the asshole part in. “Thanks, fucker.”
“It’s better than being a dick,” Ramirez comments with a laugh.
“Seriously, guys and Ashley if you’re listening, excellent work in there tonight. I mean that. If you all didn’t do your part that could have been a lot worse. I want to thank each of you for stepping up and helping me get Izzy and Redline back. Ace, can you relay my thanks to your guys?”
“Already done,” Ace answers. I can tell he wants to call me an asshole again by the teasing in his voice.
“That’s what we’re here for boss,” Ramirez quips. Everyone but Ashley and Ashton respond, and my stomach drops into the seat at the thought. They must be pissed at me.
“I’ll take the lead and get us to the service entrance of the hotel,” Ace comes back on the line. I slow my speed down and Ace passes us quickly. Rush gives me the one finger salute with a smirk as they drive by. At least he isn’t pissed at me. Ace turns on his right blinker and turns down an alley at the back of the hotel. His brake lights brighten up when he rolls to a stop. The door to the hotel flies open quickly and I’m out of the ca
r fast, gun drawn. I can sense the others right behind me.
“Hey, calm down. Lower your fucking weapons asshole,” Ace demands as he stands at the driver side door.
I glare at Ace and he stares right back, quirking an eyebrow. I turn my attention to the wide-open door and see a tiny woman quivering with fear, holding it open. Her brown eyes are wide with fright when she takes in the site of my massive frame crowding the space and my team surrounding her. Relaxing my stance and holstering my weapon I offer her a smile, but it feels more like a grimace. Man am I fucking up big time tonight.
“It’s OK, Sarah,” Ace soothes the woman. She relaxes when she hears Ace’s voice behind me and I step back. Her eyes connect with his and something passes between their shared looks. I’ve seen that before. I don’t want or need to interfere with that mess.
“Can someone help us,” Ashley yells from behind me. I turn and walk quickly to the car she’s in and lean in the back seat. Her jaw is set tight and she still won’t look at me.
“Ash,” I wipe a tear trailing down her cheek. “I’m…”
“Don’t,” she interrupts me, still staring straight ahead. “Not now Nolan. I don’t need your apologies. I need to get Redline inside to see the doc. That’s my main focus, not whatever’s rolling through your head. We’ll deal with this later.” Her bottom lip quivers slightly.
“I get it and I acted like an ass. Don’t shut me out, please,” I beg.
She finally looks at me and the tears filling her eyes breaks my heart. “I’m not,” she wipes away her tears and looks down at Redline’s unconscious form. “He’s really bad and I’m scared and extremely pissed.”
“OK, let’s bring him out and get him up to the hotel room. Ashton, Marks, and Harris get your asses over here and help. We need to lift him carefully so if there’s any internal damage, we don’t create any more harm.” Ashton is at the driver side back door, lifting Redline’s legs. I step inside the door and lift his shoulders. His head rolls to the side from the movement. “Someone steady his head.” I bark out. Another set of hands reach beside me and hold his head still.
“On the count of three, Ashton you and Ashley push him my way. The rest of us, be ready to support his body and keep his head still. One, two, three.” We all grunt at Redline’s dead weight and get him out of the car. He’s a lot heavier than he looks. Once we have him out of the car, we quickly walk into the service door and down a long corridor where Ace, Sarah, Xavier, and Izzy are waiting for us, holding open the stainless-steel elevator doors. We all pile inside trying to keep Redline’s body steady. Izzy is tucked into Xavier’s side and her face is buried in his chest. She’s not talking or looking at anyone and I hope she isn’t traumatized.
The elevator dings and the doors quietly whoosh open. Sarah steps out first with Ace right behind her. His massive body is protecting her without touching her as she turns and holds the doors open for us. He’s watching her watch us, and I can see the pain in his eyes from having her so close, but not being able to do anything about it.
We carry Redline inside the suite and carefully lay him down onto the plush couch. I look at him for the first time since Ashley found him. His face is swelling and bruised badly, it’s almost unrecognizable. Dried blood covers his hand and arms.
“Move please,” I hear a soft female voice behind me. Spinning around, I come face to face with the doctor that patched Rush up after their kidnapping. Her long brown hair is up in a tight bun and she has a black doctor’s bag in her hand and a no-bullshit attitude on her face. I step to the side so she can evaluate Redline. Her slender fingers open her bag and she pulls out her stethoscope and a blood pressure cuff. Ashley stays next to her, holding Redline’s hand.
I let her do her thing and find Xavier and Izzy huddled in the corner with Mia and Christian. She’s sobbing against Mia as Mia clings to her. Xavier has a look of rage that passes through his eyes when the connect with mine. I nod my head in agreement and approach Izzy.
“Izzy,” I say softly. She picks her head up and cries harder. I pull her into my arms and run my hand through her dirty hair. “It’s going to be OK. I promise.” Her tiny body shakes under my grip and I do everything I can to hold my own tears back. My best friends and the only people who’ve treated me like family are hurt because of me. Revenge will be the only option for those who did this to us. Standing here holding onto the one woman who helped rebuild my broken soul I vow justice will be served to them all. Switch and Wrath are up for trial and I’m their executioner.
Chapter 29
Ashley
My eyes are ping-ponging between all the activity happening around me. Xavier, Mia, Nolan, and my best friend Izzy are huddling in the corner. Nolan’s team is whispering to each other near the windows, Ace, King and the woman they call Sarah are in a different room. I didn’t see where they went to. Rush is next to me watching Doc Amber take care of Redline out cold. I follow Nolan with my eyes and watch as he wraps Izzy in a comforting hug and her body shakes even harder.
“He’ll be out for a while. I need to stitch up the cuts on his chest and arms and I gave him a shot for the pain. His nose is broken and his jaw is dislocated. I will have to reset them both, but I’d rather do it where he’ll be staying for a few days instead of doing it now and then moving him and causing more pain. I’ll let him rest for now. Was there someone else I had to look at?” Amber says.
“Yes, Izzy. Let me get her for you,” I reply. Standing up from the floor, I walk over to Izzy. My feet are dragging with every step and it’s taking everything I have not to break down and cry. My family’s hurt and who knows what else.
“Izzy,” I whisper, swallowing past the lump in my throat. She pulls her head from Nolan’s chest and her green eyes are bloodshot from crying. More tears threaten to escape when she sees me. “Doc…,” I clear my throat and try again, “The doc wants to look you over.” I offer her a small smile and she nods her head.
“Do you want me to come with you?” Xavier asks. His voice is full of pain and anguish and his blue eyes are reflecting what he’s feeling. Izzy shakes her head no and Xavier’s face falls into a frown. Between Mia and I, we help Izzy up the stairs with the Doc in tow. I sneak a peek at the guys when we reach the top of the stairs. Xavier’s fists are balled up and he punches the wall before collapsing against it. Nolan and Christian are surrounding him, stopping him from inflicting any more pain to himself. There’s so much pain, heartbreak and anguish surrounding us all, I know we won’t be the same after this. Izzy carefully sits on the bed and Amber evaluates her. Mia is next to her with her arm around her shoulders. I stay next to the door, protecting her from anyone coming into the room.,
“Where are you hurt?” Doc asks gently. Izzy points to her head, wrists, and stomach, still not saying a word. “Ok, lay back and I’ll look you over.”
Izzy does what she asks, kicking her dirty shoes off and laying on the bed. Tears are in her eyes when she closes them. Amber checks her heart beat and lungs. Then moves to her wrists, which are raw from the ropes tied around them. She puts ointment on them and wraps them up with a white bandage. Then she shines a light in Izzy’s eyes.
“No sign of a concussion and your lungs are clear. You’re undernourished and I’m going to start an IV to rehydrate your body. Do you want a shower before I put your IV in?” Izzy nods her head and a smile graces her lips as she holds her belly protectively. “Ok, hun. Let’s get you showered and cleaned up. I’m going to go and check on Redline and be back in a few minutes. Deal?”
Izzy nods her head and sits up. A squeak passes her lips, and she cradles her stomach, bending over. I run over to her and drop on my knees onto the carpet in front of her. “Izzy, what is it? What’s wrong?” I run my hands over her back in a soothing motion.
“Cramping,” she whispers. That’s the first words she’s spoken since we found her.
“Cramping? Like period cramps?”
“No,” she answers quietly while holding onto her stomach tight. My
eyes grow wide with realization.
“You’re pregnant,” I state. She nods her head and tears fall onto her jeans. I’m trying to hold back my own tears.
Amber is next to me quickly. “How far along are you?”
“Three months,” she sobs.
“Any bleeding?”
“No. I just started cramping the night they took me from the apartment and threw me into the warehouse.”
“Does Xavier know?” I ask. Izzy nods her head.
“I’ll go and get X,” Mia says through a lump in her throat.
“No, not yet,” Izzy whispers. “He doesn’t know I’ve been having cramps and I don’t want him to know yet.”
“It could be from lack of food and dehydration.” Amber states. “Mia, can you run her a warm bath? That’ll be easier than trying to stand.”
“Yes,” Mia replies and walks quickly into the bathroom. I hear the water turn on and there’s a knock on the door. Izzy’s eyes widen in fright and I move quickly to the door. Cracking it open, I’m face to face with Xavier and Nolan.
“How is she?” Xavier asks.
“She’s OK. We’re going to give her a bath and Doc is going to start an IV to rehydrate her.”
“Can I see her?”
“Not yet. Let us get her cleaned up and settled in, then you can come in.” Xavier swallows hard and drops his head in shame. “Hey, this isn’t your fault. I know what you’re thinking. So, stop it. There are no signs of a concussion or any other injuries. She needs to rest. We’ll get her cleaned up and settled in.”
“I should be in there taking care of her.” The anguish in his voice breaks my heart.
“X trust us, please. She’s going to be fine but wants us to help her. It’s a woman and best friend thing. I promise as soon as Doc is done, you can be with her for as long as she needs you. Right now, she needs us.”
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