Chapter 4 #2
“What’s the plan? Want me to just pull in?” I meet his eyes across the console. “Because I know that sounds like fun, but I don’t want anyone to get hurt.” I can’t stop the smile that works onto my face. “Not until we say they do.”
“Find a place we can park and go in on foot.” Maddox turns in his seat as we pass, keeping his eyes on the building as long as he can. “Do we think it has cameras outside?”
“It’s possible, but I doubt it.” I take the next right, following a road that will take us in the general vicinity of the back of the building. “Honestly, I’m not even sure the place has electric. It’s been empty for years, and I can’t imagine those two have the funds to keep the lights on.”
As soon as we’re stopped, Maddox is out the door, stalking toward the patchy tree line blocking our view of the building. I catch up to him in a few long strides, crossing the crunchy grass as Owen and Luca fall into line
We reach the parking lot and Maddox unholsters his pistol. I follow suit, switching off the safety of my personal weapon. He turns to his teammates. “Butch and I will go in the back. Luca, you and Owen take the front.”
Luca and Owen acknowledge the order without hesitation, branching off to circle the building as Maddox and I make our way to the fucked-up metal door leading into the back of the structure.
We stand outside for just a second, listening for any indication we’re walking into a trap. When all that meets us is silence, Maddox carefully swings the door open, making a gap just big enough for us to fit through.
He goes in first, and I follow close behind, carefully closing us in so the sliver of light illuminating the darkened interior doesn’t give us away.
As soon the door is shut, we move in tandem, working our way through piles of trash and mountains of broken furniture.
It fucking stinks in here and is even dirtier than it looks outside.
I don’t like thinking about Becca being in this place.
I tried to spare her this sort of life, and it fucking chaps my ass that she ended up smack dab in the middle of it anyway.
Maddox’s steps move faster, and I have to reach out to grab him so he doesn’t give our location away. He stills the second I grip his arm, proving to be surprisingly easy to work with.
In front of us, dingy light filters out of an open doorway.
Voices float toward us, low enough it’s impossible to identify anything about them.
I tuck against the closest wall, leaning into the dark shadows to hide my location while Maddox activates the mic on his earpiece and quietly conveys what we found to Luca and Owen.
Then we’re moving again, steps silent as we close in on our target.
It’s not until we’re a few feet away that I can identify who’s speaking. And it gives me hope. Not just that I found Becca, but that I can find her sister. That this nightmare is about to come to a close and I can move on.
Whatever that might look like.
Trevor Hawthorne the third’s arrogant voice reaches my ears. Cocky bastard thinks he’s doing something here. Believes he’s got his hands on what will help him get where he wants to go.
“Unless you want to watch her die too, you’re going to tell me what the fuck you did with the files you copied off my computer.”
A little of my hope dims. I knew he wasn’t as far up the ladder as Maddox and Alaskan Security initially thought.
But if he’s stupid enough to believe collecting evidence that will incriminate the man running this human trafficking ring is a brilliant idea, then Trevor might be even lower than I thought.
Because no one in their right mind would give someone dumb enough to attempt that sort of shit any real power.
Not that it matters at this point. He’s going to be dead soon anyway. If not in the next five minutes, then as soon as the big players find out what he’s up to.
Either way, Trevor’s time has run out.
“I didn’t do anything with it.” Audrey sounds surprisingly calm. I give credit where credit is due, and she’s holding up remarkably well. Especially since she doesn’t know we’re waiting right outside.
“Bullshit. You’ve always been a lying bitch.
I have you on camera fucking around with my computer right before you walked out.
I know you copied everything you could onto that flash drive.
” A little of Trevor’s slick facade cracks, along with his voice.
“I’m going to give you one more chance to tell me where it is and who you gave it to, before I shoot her. ”
I don’t even realize I’ve stepped forward until Maddox’s hand slams against my chest, stopping me before I can storm in, murder everyone in the room, and take Becca with me.
Maddox keeps one hand on me while the other taps his earpiece. “Location?”
I can’t hear what the response is, but I like where Maddox’s next question has us headed.
“Can you take anyone out from there?” He’s divvying up the targets, and that means we’re about to make some shit happen.
Again, I don’t hear the reply, but when Maddox says, ‘do it’ and tips his head at me, I don’t hesitate to follow him to the edge of the doorway. Holding my breath, I wait, watching Maddox for a sign that it’s time to move.
But it’s not Maddox that gives me the sign. Silenced shots pierce the air a split second before someone starts yelling. A heartbeat later, Maddox steps inside the room with me at his back. My eyes find Becca instantly, the same way the barrel of my weapon finds the man reaching for her.
I don’t hesitate. I stayed away from Becca for nearly a decade to protect her, and I’m sure as hell not going to stop protecting her now. The shot is clean, piercing his temple and sending him straight to the filthy floor before he can get a single grubby hand on her.
I close the distance between us, focused only on getting to her so my body can serve as a barrier between Becca’s small frame and the hell breaking loose around us.
Just like I did the night we met, I tuck her against my back, holding her close with one arm as I take down everyone who would have hurt her.
Except Trevor. Maddox took that fucker out first thing.
As the dust settles, and Maddox pulls Audrey close, I turn to meet Becca’s wide eyes. “Are you okay?”
She shakes her head and my stomach clenches. I scan her, looking for the injury I missed.
But then—just like the woman I remember—Becca spits out a sentence that has me grinning.
“I have terrible freaking cramps.”