Chapter Twenty-Four
C orey and Xander charged straight across the rear lawn, heading for the back door, while Brand and Chaz moved left, and Lex and Jayson went right. The others would surround and clear the ground floor, while Corey and Xander would head straight upstairs to search for Sera.
The minute they got the door open, a cloud of black smoke poured out.
Pulling his gaiter higher, Corey plowed into the thick soot and dust, racing forward.
The open layout of the house encouraged the smoke and flames to spread fast. He glanced toward what used to be the entranceway and saw a big hole in the wall where the RPG had breached.
It most likely detonated on contact, and fragments and debris covered the floor.
Nearby flames ignited anything flammable.
The explosion had compromised the integrity and structure of the house. They needed to find Sera as soon as possible and get her to safety.
“Incoming,” Xander said, nodding to the skull-faced crew charging through the gaping hole and busting into the mansion.
“Up!” Corey and Xander took the steps two at a time, their boots pounding up the grand staircase. It branched halfway up, and they stuck to the left, staying close to the wall. Moments later, several of Barrera’s soldiers appeared.
Corey lifted his Glock, aimed and fired three shots.
Chest. Chest. Head. Down. He wasn’t fucking around.
Beside him, Xander eliminated another one.
They dropped the last man standing, reached the top of the staircase and paused.
Below them, all hell broke loose as the first floor flooded with warring cartel members.
“This is turning into a shit show,” Brand said through their comms. “Initiate Plan C!”
Grabbing the flash bang off his belt, Corey heard another explosion downstairs.
One of the Motley Crew had tossed a grenade.
If they were blowing shit up already, it wasn’t a good sign.
Normally that was the last resort. But he didn’t want to start tossing grenades yet because his gut told him Sera was nearby.
The last thing he wanted was for her to get caught in the crossfire.
“We should split up,” Xander suggested as the hallway diverged. “Cover more ground. We’re running out of time.”
Although he didn’t like the idea, the other man was right. Getting pinned down between the Lazaro and Villarreal cartels would not end well. Escaping as quickly as possible and not drawing attention to themselves was key. Let the narco enemies duke it out and kill each other.
“Roger that,” Corey responded.
Before they could separate, Xander grabbed his arm and squeezed. “Good luck finding your woman.”
Corey frowned, and a strange, almost resigned look passed over Xander’s face. Almost like he knew something bad was about to happen—and he wasn’t going to do anything to stop it. Like he’d had a premonition, and the ax was about to drop.
“Maybe I’ll see you in another life.” With a sad half smirk, Xander plucked the comms out of his ear. Sheer determination and the wrath of God distorted his features before he turned and charged down the hallway.
“Hawke!”
But he didn’t stop. Xander Hawke was a man on a mission. What the fuck?
But Corey didn’t have time to figure it out. He had to find Sera.
And time was running out fast.
◆◆◆
What in God’s name is that? An explosion?
After dropping the vase and losing her only weapon, Sera hesitated, her attention landing on Barrera. Would he still come after her?
For the first time, she saw fear flash over his face.
Without a word, he spun around and raced over to the large, gilded mirror hanging on the wall.
Its edges were decorated with elaborately carved angels and scrollwork.
His fingers slid down the side, and Sera gasped when the mirror swung open to reveal a dark, hidden passageway.
Without a word, he slipped inside and shut the door behind him.
He’s running, she realized, which meant one very important thing: he felt threatened enough to evacuate the premises.
“Bastard,” she hissed, racing over to the mirror. She dragged her fingers along the edgework, searching for a button or lever. But it was so well-concealed that she struggled.
Gunfire popped somewhere, sounding far too close for comfort, and she squeezed her eyes shut, forcing herself to breathe.
She had no idea who’d boldly invaded Barrera’s domain, but the most likely choice seemed to be the Villarreals.
She remembered the Motley Crew talking about the warring cartels and how the Villarreal clan had recently achieved power, breaking the powerhold the Lazaros had over the drug trade.
Shit. She was in the middle of a brutal drug war where both sides were killing each other. Wasn’t that just her luck?
A part of her hoped Corey had found her and come to her rescue, but that seemed too good to be true. Sera was on her own, caught in another nightmare. But this time, she refused to hide and shake and pray the bad guy didn’t find her.
No. This time she was taking action. And she’d fucking go down swinging.
New determination flowed through her, reigniting her fight.
Sliding her index finger along the mirror again, she slowed down and focused on the feel of the intricate designs carved along its edge.
Something would feel different. A hidden mechanism that would open the secret door and allow her to escape.
Frustration built when she couldn’t find anything, but she refused to give up. More explosions rocked the house, and when she smelled smoke, she redoubled her efforts.
There! She felt the subtlest curve and something sticking out, tucked beneath the underside of an angel’s wing. It was rougher, not quite as smooth as the rest of the design. She gently pulled and the mirror opened with a soft whoosh.
Triumphant exhilaration poured through her until she looked beyond the mirror, straight into pitch blackness.
“Fuck,” she hissed. She’d have to face the dark with gunfire in her ears. And this time, there were explosions, too. Oh, and also a completely psychopathic drug lord.
She had to keep a light on at night or she couldn’t sleep. How would she manage to traverse a narrow tunnel that led to God-knows-where in inky darkness? Coughing at the acrid scent of smoke quickly accumulating in the room, she glanced over her shoulder and saw it was now pouring beneath the door.
You don’t have a choice, Sera, she told herself. Now fucking go!
Heart thundering, breaking out in a cold sweat, she stepped into what looked like an endless black hole.
Placing a hand against the wall, she blinked against the darkness, taking it slow and easy.
A slight musty smell enveloped her, and she trailed her hand along the smooth wall as she ventured forward, taking baby steps.
Barrera went this way, she reminded herself. That meant it would be safe.
She had no idea how far the passageway went and she knew she had to pick up the pace. Out of nowhere, a familiar voice echoed down from the bedroom.
“Sera!”
Oh, my God. She abruptly halted, jerking around.
“Corey!”
Her voice cracked and she stumbled forward, searching for him. Boots pounded, echoing through the tunnel, and then she saw an eerie green glow approaching her fast.
“Sera, it’s me,” he said, and she realized the strange light was from his night vision goggles.
Their bodies collided, arms wrapping tightly around each other, and relief poured through her. “You’re here,” she whispered, voice cracking. He wore so much gear and her chest pressed against his tactical vest. “How did you find me?”
“I’ll always find you, sweetheart. I made a promise to protect you.” He kissed her hard and fast, then grabbed her hand. “Any idea where this leads?”
“No, but Barrera opened it and ran inside, so I figured it was some kind of escape route and followed him.”
“Good girl,” Corey murmured as they began moving along the corridor much faster together than she had on her own. But Corey could see, so she grabbed hold of his vest and rushed forward blindly, doing her best to keep up and trusting in him completely.
The cave-like tunnel curved, climbing higher, and then Corey abruptly stopped.
“What do you see?” she whispered, squinting through the inky darkness.
“A door handle,” he murmured. “Get behind me.”
She ducked behind him, fingers tightening on his tactical vest. He lifted his arm which she assumed held a gun, and he pushed the door open.
Light flooded the edge of the tunnel and she blinked against the sudden brightness.
When Corey stepped forward, she followed, and saw they were in a large room made of glass walls.
Plants and flowers grew everywhere, and the smell of dirt and blooms filled her nose.
It was a conservatory. And just outside its doors, a helicopter lifted up, its rotors spinning as it no doubt carried José Barrera away.
Corey lowered his gun, turned and pulled her back into his arms. Now that they stood in the light, she saw the way his gaze scanned her face and then moved downward. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”
She shook her head. “I’m okay. But Barrera just got away.”
“I don’t care about him. Only you.”
Her heart swelled. God, she was so in love with this amazing man. But this wasn’t the time to tell him. “I think the house is on fire,” she murmured, and he choked out a laugh.
“Yeah, there was an RPG, or two, involved. And some grenades.” He touched his ear, and said, “I’ve got Sera. We’re on the roof, in a conservatory.”
“Roger. Is she okay?”
“Yeah, she’s good. But Barrera hopped on a bird and took off. And Hawke went AWOL.”
“AWOL?” Brand echoed. “Where the hell did he go?”
“No idea,” Corey said.
Brand made an aggravated sound. “Murph, check the cams for Hawke. Knight and Battle, report.”
“It looks like the Villarreals might be pulling back, but there’s a lot of damn fighting still happening over here,” Jayson reported.
Wes cut in, “I’ve got eyes on two more RPGs! You guys need to evac now !”
“Roger that,” Corey said sharply then grabbed Sera’s hand. “RPGs inbound!”
She held on tightly, his words making her run faster than she thought possible, and they burst through the doors. “Where are we going?” she cried.
They were stuck on the roof with a raging fire nipping at their heels. Going back into the house wasn’t an option. If they didn’t die of smoke inhalation or run into cartel members, the fire would get them. But more RPG hits in the right structural spots might be enough to trigger a full collapse.
Their feet hit the large concrete deck and, as they ran across the helipad, they scanned the area for escape options.
And quickly realized there weren’t fucking any.