Chapter 32 #2
But not from the room. Kara made that apparent when she lifted her gaze to him, beyond the camera’s range, and delivered a look of pure, unadulterated hatred. If Juric was half as smart as he believed he was, he should be afraid.
“Kara,” L said, getting her sister’s attention back on her. “I love you. You do whatever you have to do to stay alive.”
A painful half-smile leaked out on L’s face, masking the true meaning of her next statement.
“You’re my favorite sister,” she said. “You remember when I told you that, at your graduation? It’s still true.”
I could see the thoughts tumbling in Kara’s brain, processing the strange statement, because L hadn’t said that. She’d claimed for months she couldn’t make it to Kara’s college graduation ceremony, only to appear minutes before, revealing it had been a planned surprise.
This was the way we would tell Kara we were coming for her. Her message from the butcher’s shop had made it to us. Would she understand what L was trying to say?
“I remember.” Kara’s voice was strong. She got it. There was a new light in her eyes that she quickly hid. “How is . . . he?”
I exhaled loudly, my body softening. Once again, her life was in danger, but she was worrying about me. I wanted to tell her I was here. That I was coming for her. Just hang on.
“He’s worried,” L said. “We’re all worried about what Juric’s doing to you. What he might be making you do.” Her lips mouthed the word “Trap?”
Kara shook her head and her gaze moved up to Juric, filled with fire. “He doesn’t have any control over me.”
“I don’t?” His voice rang through the speaker. “Say goodbye, liar.”
“Wait,” L said, frantic.
Kara’s face was anxious, but determined and strong. “Goodbye.”
The screen went black and a dialog box appeared, announcing the call had ended.
Jason closed the last Velcro strap of my bulletproof vest and tugged at the neck, making sure it was centered on my body. He gave me and the vest an evaluating look while muttering something about what a shitty idea this was.
“Show me you can move.” His attitude was cold and no-bullshit.
I turned my shoulders side to side. The vest was snug. “It fits,” I snapped. “Let’s go.”
“Do you remember how to load the mag?”
I clicked the release on the SIG Sauer and pulled the magazine out, then slapped it back in the pistol. He’d shown me the basics of personal firearms when he’d taken over as head of security and gave me the briefest refresher after the call ended.
Probably to keep us both distracted from thinking murderous thoughts.
“I did my mandatory six months in the military,” I reminded, a requirement for all male citizens when I’d been eighteen.
The rest of the men were already in their gear. Tony looked at me like I was a liability. There had been tense discussion about letting me drive one of the vehicles to the house, with Fletcher and Tony opposed.
I shut it down when I reminded everyone about the stack of euros I’d supplied.
Impatience had me jittery as I waited in the hall. Every second we remained here, a piece of me died, and time was one of the enemies we were battling.
“Let’s move,” I ordered.
L’s body was frozen in place as we went by, carrying bags filled with guns and other tools of death and suffering. Was she hoping Juric was going to die today, and that her husband would be the one to do it?
Jason wouldn’t get a chance to kill Juric.
Not if I got to him first.
Ethan, Tony, and Fletcher loaded into the Range Rover. I threw open the door to my Audi and was behind the wheel a half-second later, glaring at Jason. Hurry the fuck up.
My brother climbed into the passenger seat and had just closed the door when I put it in gear.
“You know where you’re going?” he asked.
“Yes.”
He buckled his seatbelt. “When we get there—”
“You just make sure your focus is in the right place,” I said, heavy with authority. “If you’ve got ideas of killing him, we’re getting her out first. Do you understand me?”
He grimaced. “I get you want to control an uncontrollable situation, but I know what the goal is here. You keep your ass in the car. You’re going to want to be there when we get to her, but you’ll get in our way, and someone could get hurt.
” He gave it weight, to make sure I heard him. “Including her.”
My gaze left the road for a moment, giving him a chance to see my pained expression. “I understand.”
The drive was short, not giving me much time to emotionally prepare for what was going to happen. Jason wrapped a comm link around his neck, hooked the earpiece in, and tested it against Fletcher’s in the following car.
The house was less than five kilometers from the butcher shop where Kara had appeared, and we passed it on the drive in.
Dense forest choked the summer sunlight from everything but the road, yet we knew the house was back there from the satellite photos.
A three-bedroom bungalow. Besides that, we knew little about the site.
Going in blind, Jason had said. It could be the death of any one of us.
“Pull over here,” he said.
We paused in the shadow of an enormous pine tree, just off the shoulder, our engines still running.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
“Yes.”
We’re coming, Kara.
He tugged his Glock free from its holster, holding it barrel-down and releasing the safety. He took a preparing breath, and his gaze was fixed on me as he pressed the comm button. “Let’s go.”