50. Vuk

CHAPTER 50

Vuk

W e found it.

After three hours of searching, planning, and agonizing, we fucking found it—the warehouse where they’d taken Ayana.

My breath steamed in the chilly evening air as Sean, Bruce, Mav, and I observed the sprawling building from behind a low concrete wall. It was eerily similar to the one I’d bought in Brooklyn. It sat on a desolate lot of cracked concrete and spindly weeds, and there were no signs of life other than a rat that’d scuttled past our hiding place a minute earlier.

A black van was parked outside, and a weak golden light pierced the warehouse’s grimy windows.

There was a five percent chance this was the wrong spot, but Ayana was inside. I felt it. Her proximity was a magnet pulling me toward the light, and adrenaline packed my blood, sharpening my senses as we waited for the right moment to strike.

“I told you.” Roman’s cool drawl brought four glares his way. “You owe me.”

“We don’t owe you anything,” Sean growled. “We don’t know for sure that she’s in there.”

His reconnaissance confirmed the presence of the Brotherhood, but he couldn’t say for certain whether they had Ayana.

“She is. Once you rescue her, I’ll take care of the rest.” Roman’s gaze met mine. “So don’t fuck up.”

My eyes narrowed. My finger twitched on the trigger of my gun, and the temperature dropped another ten degrees as I tried to corral the fury that rushed through me every time I looked at his face.

We’d met earlier like he’d asked. He’d had a lot to say—about Ayana’s kidnapping, the other faction, and the truth behind some of the bullshit he’d fed me the past few months.

He was lucky I hadn’t killed him. I came close several times, but he had provided crucial intel, even if it was information he should’ve told me long ago.

I also needed Roman for cover tonight. I’d only brought three of my men because walking into a direct gunfight with the Brotherhood was different than an ambush. I had no illusions about overpowering them the way we had Shepherd; this was going to be a nasty battle, and I wasn’t going to lead my entire team to a slaughter.

Stealth also mattered more than manpower in this particular scenario. If I brought all twelve men, there was no way we could sneak in without alerting the Brothers. The more we caught them by surprise, the better.

Despite his faults, Roman was a valuable asset. He was a skilled shooter, and he operated well in the dark.

“It’s the top of the hour.” Sean’s quiet voice tore our gazes away from each other.

His words brought a noticeable shift in the air. Bruce and Mav tensed, their faces hardening beneath the pale moonlight. Roman’s smug amusement vanished, and lightning crackled along my skin. My previous surge of anger retreated in the face of cool, calm logic.

It was time.

Without another word, Sean, Roman, and I peeled away from the others and crept toward the warehouse. Bruce and Mav would stay behind as a cover force while we battled our way inside and rescued Ayana.

We stayed close to the shadows, our footsteps nearly silent. Fear, panic, worry—they all fell away as I locked in on the side exit. It loomed ahead, its rusted metal door beckoning like a siren’s song.

My heart slowed to a painful rhythm.

I was well aware this could be a trap. I didn’t believe for a second that Ayana’s abductor had left something as obvious as a fucking button behind by accident, especially when the button didn’t have fingerprints.

The new generation of Brothers was sloppier, but they weren’t that sloppy. The button was meant to lead us here.

Even so, I had no choice but to take the bait. If I didn’t, they’d resort to more extreme measures to get my attention—a severed finger, a video of Ayana being tortured. They might not kill her, but there were worse things than death.

The horror of those mental images hooked into my stomach and yanked. Ice spilled through my gut.

They haven’t touched her yet. It’s too soon. The chill spread into my chest. It’s too soon , I repeated silently.

But I couldn’t stop the images from replaying in my head. They were interspersed with memories from the past few months—Ayana laughing, Ayana teasing me about bingo, Ayana lighting up when she explained the science of smell.

She was the brightest part of my world. The thought of anyone or anything snuffing out her joy sent a streak of scarlet across my vision. My chest constricted.

I couldn’t lose her. Not now. Not ever.

We’ll find her. Even if I had to raze the city to the ground, I’d find her, and she’d be okay. She had to be.

Sean, Roman, and I reached the door without incident. As expected, it was locked, but a mini blowtorch quickly took care of the problem.

My hand hesitated on the handle. The hairs on my nape prickled. I envisioned a firing squad of assassins waiting on the other side, ready to riddle us with bullets.

No, that wasn’t right. They wouldn’t kill me so quickly. The same went for Roman when they found out he’d betrayed them. Sean was the only one who might be afforded a quick death.

Might, but wouldn’t, because none of us were going to die.

Roman and Sean pressed themselves against the wall on either side of the door. I opened it, expertly maneuvering myself behind the door in case anyone lunged out of the darkness.

Silence.

Nevertheless, I kept my guard up as I inched inside and?—

A volley of gunshots exploded in the night. A bullet hit the door by my ear. Metal pinged, and curses flew out as we scrambled to return fire.

Fuck! We’d mentally prepared for this, but that didn’t stop my pulse from spiking to dangerous levels. Our Kevlar vests wouldn’t stop us from getting shot in the head, and now that I’d opened the door, I had to monitor two fronts in case someone attacked from inside.

So far, nothing. All the shooters were outside, but that would change soon. I’d bet money on it.

“We’ll take care of this!” Sean shouted. “ Go .”

Another bullet embedded itself in the wall above his head. Roman swung around and fired at someone inside the van.

Glass shattered. Cries of pain and the thuds of falling bodies echoed around us. It was impossible to pinpoint where all the shooters were, and I heard the distinctive sound of Mav’s yell in the distance. He was hurt.

Guilt flickered in my gut. I’d led my men here knowing there was a strong chance we would get ambushed. They’d understood the risks, but at the end of the day, this was my fight.

“Go!” Sean shouted again. Roman was still busy exchanging fire with the attackers in the van.

A bullet whizzed past us and grazed Sean’s ear. He hissed and returned the favor. Another thud sounded in the distance, but the shots were coming from closer. The shooters were advancing.

His steely order snapped me out of my daze. It’d lasted less than two seconds, but every second counted.

Sean and Roman could take care of themselves. My number one priority was finding Ayana.

Sean covered me while I slipped inside the warehouse. He was trying to prevent the shooters from swarming me as long as he could.

The fact that they were attacking from outside wasn’t good. It meant they had a trap waiting inside.

Eerie silence descended as I crept through the aisles. The deeper I went, the fainter the sounds from the fight outside became. The warehouse was enormous, and shipping containers towered all around me, providing ample ambush spots for the Brotherhood.

My caution meant I made painfully slow progress. I didn’t know where Ayana was held, and there were over a dozen aisles in here. Eventually, however, I spotted a glimmer of light ahead. It was bright white, like the glow cast from a cell phone or a flashlight.

I highly doubt her abductors would’ve given her either of those things, which meant a Brother was nearby. If I quietly captured them, I could make them tell me where she was or at least what I was up against…unless this was the trap.

Practicality and desperation warred for dominance. If my old self could see me now, he’d berate me for my impulsiveness and idiocy. I was throwing the playbook out tonight, and I wasn’t thinking as strategically as I should. Every rational decision was overshadowed by my need to get to Ayana as soon as possible.

That was what the Brotherhood was banking on, but I didn’t have a choice. Thankfully, I had an ace up my sleeve. If that didn’t work out…well, I was fucked.

I edged toward the light. I’d silenced my weapon before we left my house, but hopefully, I wouldn’t have to use it at all. A knife was quicker and quieter, but a Glock made for better intimidation.

I almost reached the end of the aisle when the click of a gun sounded behind me. Before I could react, cold metal pressed against the side of my temple.

I stilled.

“Drop your gun.”

Hot, angry flames blazed through me. I gritted my teeth, but I did as they asked. The gun clattered to the ground.

“Kick it away.”

The flames swelled into a murderous inferno. I kicked the weapon aside. It skittered across the floor and came within centimeters of hitting a nearby shipping container.

A moment later, a familiar face came into view. Blood trickled from his forehead, but his eyes were cool and clear.

“So sorry about this,” Roman said calmly. “But you’ll have to come with me.”

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