Chapter 26 #2
Moving casually, I step out of the SUV, closing the door the way I normally would.
The daylight isn’t doing shit to hide me, so there’s no reason for stealth.
Coming out now was a risk we had to take.
It would’ve been better if we could have waited for nightfall, but there simply wasn’t an option.
I’d rather risk my own ass than the lives of the girls I hope are inside this place.
Looking like I know exactly where I’m going, I stride across the street and into the driveway, keeping my steps measured as I move between the collection of vehicles lined down the patchy gravel. I pass the first, resting my palm on the hood.
Cold.
Reaching out, I slide my hand onto the one beside it. Not exactly cold, but also not warm.
The last one in line isn’t relevant—the other two would have to move to let it in and out—so I ignore it, continuing to walk toward the side of the building. Turning around and doubling back would be more obvious than staying on the path I started.
I reach the back corner, and scan the overgrown yard behind it. It’s filled with garbage and debris. Definitely night and day different from the house Luca and Owen are currently at.
But while it’s different from the mansion, it does have one hell of a thing in common with the midcentury ranch Becca and I visited not long ago. At the back of the building sits a set of cellar doors identical to the ones I crept into the night Becca saved my life.
“I think we’re in the right place.” I keep my voice low as I cross the back of the building, scanning each covered window for any sign someone is watching me. I don’t feel the tell-tale prickle of awareness on my neck, so I keep going, listening for any indication of what’s happening inside.
“What do you see?” I hear Zeke shifting around through the earpiece connecting us, likely preparing to move in.
“There’s a set of double doors on the back of the house. They look just like the ones on the place Becca and I investigated where we found signs they’d been holding people in the basement.”
I reach the opposite corner, pausing before peering around to make sure the coast is clear. When I see nothing and no one blocking my path, I pick up the pace, moving into a jog as I head for the front of the house.
“The backyard is a fucking mess, so be careful coming in. I’m not sure what all’s back there, but it’s basically one big pile of garbage.”
The sound of an idling engine stalls my feet, bringing me to a stop just before I reach the edge of the house. Tucking in close to the chipping wood siding, I lean to peer past the corner.
An additional car is now in the driveway, and this one looks a hell of a lot different from the others. By about seventy-five thousand dollars.
The guy behind the wheel steps out, followed by the one in the passenger seat. They’re both big. Both remind me of the men Becca took out with a step ladder. Both look mean as hell.
But while I’m looking at them, they’re not looking at me. They aren’t even looking at the house.
They’re looking at my SUV.
And I can’t fucking let that happen.
I also can’t let these guys get into that house. There’s only one sure fire way to make sure nobody speaks out against them, and I’ll be damned if I let them kill a bunch of girls that have already been raped and tortured.
Stepping out into full view, I slap a smile on my face.
“Hey.” I say it loud enough so they won’t miss it.
“You the guys who own this place?” I thumb over one shoulder, knowing what I’m about to say next will be an obvious lie, but I don’t give a shit.
It’s going to occupy their brains long enough I can get close.
Close enough to murd—
Close enough to make them disappear.
“I’m with the gas company. Someone called in a leak, and I was trying to check the line in your backyard, but there is a lot of shit back there.”
There are a few flaws with my claim. Gas lines don’t generally cross backyards. They run from the street to the house. I’m also wearing full fucking tactical gear instead of a uniform identifying my supposed employer. There’s also not a gas company vehicle insight.
It still takes them a really fucking long time to figure out what the hell’s going on. So long, I’m practically on top of them when realization dawns. Close enough I can easily take at least one of them down on my own.
Except then Becca’s going to get out of that SUV and put herself in immediate danger.
Another thing I can’t allow to happen.
So when the closest one lunges for me, I don’t resist. I let him grab me, plant a few unblocked punches right into my gut, and throw me into the back seat of the car, allowing my abduction without lifting a fucking finger in my own defense.
It’s the only way to get these two away from this house so Zeke and the rest of the team can get inside to save the girls I’m almost positive are being held captive there.
It’s the only way to protect Becca from herself. The only way to keep her safe.
And I’d give up a lot for her to stay safe. Including myself.