25. Ember #2
From the intelligence team, Rayna clears her throat. “There’s another property outside the city registered to one of the subsidiaries tied to Madden’s warehouse. It’s likely owned by him too.”
All the reasons why he would want to take Gracie to his home and not hold her in their criminal HQ don’t quite bear thinking about. But I contemplate them regardless. The swarming rage that fills my gut will come in handy when I tear his fucking head off.
“This is a shitty idea.” Hyland shifts next to me, his torso brushing my shoulder. “We’re in unfamiliar territory and up against an unknown amount of force. Madden will be on high alert.”
“If she’s in there, I refuse to leave without her.” My voice catches in my spasming throat. “One way or another, Gracie comes home with us.”
“Agreed.” Warner nods.
“My father won’t surrender what he considers to be his property without a fight,” Blaine adds, bent over a survey of the building structure.
“Then we remove him.”
His head lifts, two midnight shards locking on me. “Why do you think I’m here?”
We exchange a silent confirmation. I get Gracie, and Blaine gets his piece of shit father. I’m not going to begrudge him the opportunity to kill the man who made his life so miserable.
“So what’s our play?” Axel motions towards the ammo boxes. “By force?”
“We have permission to be here, but let’s not push our luck.” Warner rubs a spot between his furrowed brows. “Infiltrate the building quickly and quietly. Locating Gracie is our top priority.”
“She may need medical attention,” Hyland grunts.
I clench his hand tighter, attempting to remain level-headed.
“Local hospital is on standby for medical evac with police posted at every entrance and exit.” Warner rattles off the information. “Courtesy of Kade’s diplomacy.”
“Shit.” Surprised, my eyebrows climb. “How does he do it?”
“Flirting with diplomats?” Axel suggests.
“Nah.” Hyland quickly shakes his head. “Brooklyn would stab him in the kidney for even thinking about it. He must have another party trick to get clearance on these international ops.”
“The Estonian authorities want the same thing that we do,” Warner clarifies. “They’re just glad that we’re here to remove Nolan Madden. It saves them from doing it.”
Releasing Hyland’s paw, I inch closer to the table to peer over Blaine’s shoulder. Rayna pulled detailed blueprint plans of Madden’s bolthole from the city hall’s offline backup system. We’ve got a decent idea of how the building is laid out.
“Here.” Blaine points at an emergency exit to the back street. “It’s logistically difficult to bring a large team through this road, but it will likely be less reinforced. My father will concentrate his men on the main floors to protect any wares.”
“Wares?” I repeat.
“Drugs, weapons, people.”
“Right.” My body recoils at the thought.
“I doubt he has enough people to cover the whole building.” He traces the route inside the building. “Our real concern is whether Antonio Gael has skipped across the continent to join his pal.”
“Got the video feeds!” Rayna announces.
Straightening up, I briefly touch Blaine’s arm. “Let’s find out, shall we?”
The tight smile he flashes me is all kinds of wrong. So unlike the confident crook I’ve come to both love and hate. Beneath his bravado, Blaine’s afraid of his father. Perhaps more than any of us.
Rayna carries her laptop over to the table, taking the far corner so we can all see the screen. It’s been split into six boxes, all showing grainy, black and white video feeds. Despite the shit quality, an average looking factory operation is clear.
“There.” I point towards a moving black dot.
“And more,” Warner adds grimly.
Across the different levels, multiple figures seem to operate patrols. They walk up and down, all packing guns. Clearly, they’re guards. It seems Madden has recruited a new crew. His money must pay well.
“I’m counting fourteen,” Hyland mutters.
“That we know of.” Warner studies the live feed. “If we split into two teams to penetrate each wing, we have an even dispersal of assailants to target. Lethal force is to be avoided.”
When Axel opens his mouth to object, Warner raises a hand to cut him off.
“This isn’t our country or laws, Ax. If local authorities want to prosecute, we will respect their wishes. Self-defence is permissible, but we don’t need to piss off the Estonian government today.”
“Understood.” Axel bobs his head.
“Good.”
Shifting between the different feeds to take a closer look, Rayna studies each frame. The quality really is terrible. Better than nothing but still a far cry from the clear picture we’d hoped for.
“I’m not seeing any signs of a prisoner.” She squints at the screen. “There are what look like multiple rooms which could be holding cells. Hard to say from here, though.”
“Bollocks.” Warner slams his palm onto the table.
“It was a long shot.” Hyland studies the laptop screen, his neck muscles twitching. “We can’t be sure that Gracie is being held here without infiltrating the building.”
“It’s a huge risk.”
“We’ve faced worse odds.” He grins at our team leader.
“One day, our luck will run out.” Warner fails to summon a matching response.
My gaze bounces between the two men. Neither are enthused by our odds. Fear coils around my insides, watching them internally debate. When Warner’s shoulders drop, I feel myself release a breath.
“Let’s hope that day isn’t today. This is our shot—we have to take it. If Gracie isn’t here, we clean house to weaken Madden’s operation then move to the secondary location.”
Hyland’s chin dips in solidarity. “Agreed.”
Dividing up our numbers takes a great deal of arguing. With our injured members evenly dispersed, I end up paired with Warner and Axel. Naturally, his asshole brother insists on accompanying us. God forbid he let his prize out of sight.
Blaine opts to accompany Hyland, Archer and Oscar on the Beta Team, leaving Kyle to hold the emergency exit from above for our quick getaway. The surly sniper manages to hold back a comment about the last time he watched chaos unfold below him.
“Alpha Team will approach from the west entrance, taking this fire escape.” Warner’s pointer finger trails over the plans. “Beta Team, secure the eastern exit then ascend from there. Any remaining targets will be boxed in between us.”
Everyone hums their understanding, the mood turning frosty with anxious anticipation. Tension fills the air, and suddenly, our surroundings feel a hell of a lot more threatening.
“This is fun and all.” Gunnar eyes us all disdainfully. “But I do have other places to be. Can we stop standing around with our dicks in our hands and get this done?”
“No dick here,” Rayna combats.
I roll my eyes. “Nor here.”
“Yes, hilarious.” Gunnar moves to rest a hand over the knife sheathed in his vest. “I can clear that whole building myself in three minutes. If you wish to be a part of it, let’s move out.”
Warner eyes him. “Get ready. We leave in ten.”
The team disperses to fasten Kevlar and distribute weapons, leaving me lingering at the table’s edge. I stare at the video feed of Madden’s lair, a sickening twinge curling in my stomach.
“Em?” Axel shifts to my side.
“Last time we did this, I lost myself.” My voice weakens to a croak. “I don’t want to become that person again. I want to let 768 go.”
“You’re not her, Em,” he whispers tenderly.
“Aren’t I?”
Placing his hands on my hips, he pushes me backwards to step into my direct line of sight. I peer up at Axel, the vivid flames that stain his honey-dewed eyes and all the love that fuels them.
“No. You’re my Em. Nothing more and nothing less.”
“You saw what happened in that dockyard,” I utter quietly. “Ax, I didn’t kill Carlos’s men because I had to. Some twisted, broken part of me wanted to tear them down. She enjoyed it.”
“What’s so wrong with that?” He shrugs.
“I don’t want to be the kind of person who enjoys killing people.”
“We all have a shadow.” He cups my cheek, a thumb stroking over healing scrapes and bruises. “That little voice whispering every last thought we pretend doesn’t belong to us. No one is all good, Ember. Not even the people we idolise.”
“I doubt everyone walks around thinking about killing their enemies.”
“You wanna bet?” He grins, resembling the old Axel for a heart-stopping flash. “You’re allowed to have rage. It’s what you do with all your anger that will define you. Not your shadow.”
“And if I choose to hurt people with it?”
Axel’s forehead touches mine. “Then I’ll be right behind you to pick up the pieces and ensure none of it ties back to you. I’m here for all of you. Not just the good parts.”
Noses nudging, I let my mouth ghost over his. It’s a wordless plea for some external comfort. Nothing can cure the niggling fear in the back of my mind, but Axel’s acceptance comes pretty damn close.
“Don’t let me lose myself again,” I plead into his lips.
“Never, babe. I’m here to catch you when you fall.”
His mouth secures itself onto mine more possessively. The kiss is everything I need. Affirming. Full of unconditional acceptance, regardless of my terror. Axel cradles me close, including all the awful parts that I can’t keep hidden.
“I love you, Ember.”
Lungs squeezing with equal parts surprise and jubilation, I run a hand over his silky faux hawk. My broken boy, hiding grief behind big smiles and bad jokes. My Axel. My home.
“I love you,” I return simply.
Our lips trade fast kisses, expressing all that words cannot say. Axel cups the back of my head to take what reassurance he needs, and I steal it all right back. His promises curl up into themselves in a small, protective corner of my heart, ensuring I can’t forget what he said.
He loves all of me. Not just the good parts.
Truthfully, I’m relieved.
Because I’ll need the bad parts to end this war tonight.