Chapter 25 Rosco
ROSCO
Fuck! The twins are gone, and Rachel is going to lose it. She scrambles off my lap, shoving Bo and Dalton out of her way as she goes.
“We have to find them! Where were they last seen?” Rachel demands, her fear so palpable I can taste it. “Don’t just stand there! Tell me something!”
Bo and Dalton look between them and back to Rachel. I can tell there’s more to this situation, but they don’t want to tell her. They’d rather tell me everything and let me handle what to tell her and what to keep back until we know more.
“Rachel calm down,” I begin in what I hope is a soothing tone. “Let’s get to Luke’s where it’ll be safer, then we can get all the details.” Her face morphs from fear to shock to rage in the blink of an eye.
“No!” she declares with venom in her voice. “You don’t know what that man is capable of. They aren’t your brothers, your family! I have to get them back. I won’t allow him to turn them into the monster he is. I won’t!”
I take a step toward her, but she turns away from me with a look of betrayal on her face. Bo and Enos are blocking her exit from my room, so she flees into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.
“Well, that went well,” Enos says from behind Bo’s left shoulder. I glare at him. I’m in no mood to deal with his shit today. I need to find the boys and get Rachel to a safe location.
“What do we know?” I ask the room at large. I’d been so focused on eradicating the threat to Rachel—and once it had been eliminated, I’d needed to see her, to assure myself she was unharmed—I hadn’t taken time to debrief with the others and find out details.
“Matthew just called and reported they were hit right after shit started happening here,” Kelvin reports. “Jason was shot, but it’s a minor injury. It was a through and through with no major organs involved. One of our medics is stitching him up right now.” I nod, thankful he wasn’t killed.
“Matt said armed men stormed the front and back of the house,” Kelvin continues.
“They went straight for the boys, who fought like hell by the way,” a hint of pride sounding in his voice.
“They bound them and dragged them out of the house. They fled the scene in a black Ford four door sedan, no plates.”
“Fuck!” I mutter. “Get on the traffic cameras in the area and see if you can track them.” Kelvin lowers his brows in a scowl.
“Already on it, asshole,” he responds. I should’ve known he would be, but I’m all out of sorts today. This is Rachel and her brothers. This is the most important mission of my life to date.
“Right, sorry,” I sigh. “It’s just…”
“Your head is all fucked up,” Bo ascertains easily. “I’ve been there, and it’s shit, but you’ve got to pull yourself together. She needs you.” He points to the closed bathroom door.
I nod and head over as I make a shooing motion with my hand. I need them to clear out so I can talk to Rachel without an audience. I rap softly on the bathroom door.
“Angel? May I come in?”
Silence is my answer. I knock again. “Please, let me in.” I’m considering how difficult it will be to kick in the door when I hear the click of the lock turning. A red-faced Rachel emerges, her eyes swollen from her tears. She doesn’t look at me, just attempts to push past me.
“Stop,” I murmur softly, pulling her into my arms. She’s stiff but doesn’t fight back. “I’m sorry about the safe room and for leaving you alone for so long, but I needed to know you were safe so I could focus on eliminating the threat. Please don’t be angry at me for protecting you.”
Her body begins to shake, and she relaxes into me. She wraps her arms tightly around me, and a sob leaves her hitting me square in the chest.
“Don’t cry, angel. I’m here.” My voice is rough with emotion.
Movement in my peripheral draws my attention. My nosey ass brothers are gawking at us from my bedroom door. Bo smirks knowingly. I send him a one finger, brotherly salute, while keeping Rachel in my arms. He grins, and with a nod, leaves us alone, closing the door behind him.
“He has them,” Rachel whispers like it’s a secret. “I have to find them, Rosco. I have to.”
“I know, angel, I know.”
“Help me?” she pleads not only with her voice but lifts her tear-streaked face to gaze at me. “I can’t lose them. They’re all I’ve got.”
“We will find them, Rachel,” I insist. “I will bring them home to you. I promise.” I just broke a hard and fast rule.
Never promise what you aren’t certain you can deliver.
I’ve never made such a promise before, but I need her to have faith, to hope, and to believe.
I will bring them home or die trying. There’s no other option.
Rachel stares at me, delving into my soul, looking for the truth. She must find it because she nods and lays her head back on my chest. Her body shaking gently as she cries. God, help me help her! I hate to see her tears, to feel her fear for her brothers.
“Let’s go find out what we know.” I urge her to turn and start walking toward the door. “Once I have you secured, I’ll go hunting for them.” Rachel stiffens, and I prep for another fight, but she surprises me by agreeing.
We’d been damn lucky that Kelvin had noticed several blacked-out SUVs headed toward my street and had alerted Bo, Luke, Enos, and a couple of our off-duty employees that trouble was on its way. Thank God he’d been monitoring traffic cameras in a five-block radius of my street.
We’ve taken care of a lot of clients over the years, some who’d gotten into some intense situations, but only once have I seen this many of our staff on a scene before, that being last summer at the Stars and Stripes event when Marley and Shelby had been held hostage.
We’d had every available member of our organization, local police, homeland security, FBI, CIA, and the secret service in on that one, and while so far, I haven’t clocked any alphabet soupers here, yet, I’m sure they aren’t far away.
Det. Atwood, our local police department friend, is trying to run interference as best he can, but you can’t hide a large-scale attempted home invasion in a residential neighborhood.
It had been more like a motherfucking war zone there for a few minutes.
Bullets flying, bodies dropping, thankfully none of them on our side.
Dalton and Kelvin had been able to take cover before the assault began.
Fucking reporters are already here with at least two choppers circling overhead. I need to get Rachel out of here. While I don’t think the assholes who fled the scene will be back anytime soon, I’m not taking any chances with my angel’s safety.
Rachel stops when we’re halfway to the living room where everyone else is waiting. She turns, holding on to me.
“You said you’re going hunting.” She waits for me to agree. “You can’t just stroll up to Lawrence’s house and demand he hand the boys over. It’s the fucking mob, Rosco! They’ll kill you before you get past the gate!”
“No one is going to kill me,” I assure her. “One, I don’t plan on asking. Two, I’m a SEAL. The mob doesn’t have shit on me. Three, those boys? They’re my family, too, and we take care of family.”
“Who’s going to take care of you?” she asks with fear dancing in her gorgeous eyes.
“Rosco!” Luke bellows from the living room. “Atwood needs a word.”
Rachel lifts her head to look at me. I haven’t answered her question, and I can tell she’s still expecting a response.
“You don’t worry about me. I can take care of myself, angel.” I kiss her forehead. “Are you okay, now?” She nods. Her eyes are still damp, but thankfully, she’s no longer sobbing.
I can’t take her tears. My chest gets tight, and I feel like I can’t breathe. Yeah, I know. I sound like a fucking pussy, but this woman has some kind of damn spell on me. I’m breaking every rule I’ve ever had for myself when it comes to her.
“Good, I need to go talk with the police. Dalton will take you to Luke’s house.
I’ll be along as soon as I can.” Her lips pinch into a tight line.
She isn’t happy. We can’t do this right now.
There’ll be plenty of time for her to yell at me for all my sins later, after I’ve gotten her brothers back and eliminated her stepfather, this Nicolai asshole, and well, the entire fucking Italian mob if needed. Easy day.
I thank my lucky stars Luke had insisted I install a panic room when I bought the home. I never thought I’d need it, but it has been a lifesaver today. I’d never have been able to focus during the attack if Rachel hadn’t been in a safe location.
Those first few minutes, before I’d gotten her secured, had been the longest, worst minutes of my life. Which is saying something, after all the shit I’ve lived through in my thirty-three years.
Dalton steps closer to take charge of Rachel when she grips my biceps. Looking down at her, she rises onto her tiptoes and kisses me. I indulge her, needing her as much as she seems to need me after the hell we just went through.
Memories of the laser light on her center mass mere seconds before the window had shattered, flashes through my mind. I’d reacted on instinct, knocking her to the floor preventing the sniper from taking her from me.
Pulling her closer, my hands drop to her ass.
I devour her mouth, realizing how close I came to losing this.
I pour all of my feelings into the kiss.
My relief, my care for her, and my need to have her safe.
I can feel her emotions, too, fear, relief, anger, and a bit of sadness.
I ignore the fact we have an audience. Her arms come up around my neck, holding me to her.
A clearing throat ruins the moment. I move my hands from her ass to her waist. Rachel’s face is again flushed but not from anger or fear. There’s only desire in her eyes. Giving her another peck on the lips, I wrap my arm around her waist.