Chapter 28
Chapter Twenty-Eight
JASON
I’d spent the entire rescue wondering what I’d find down here. The scenarios running through my head weren’t pretty. But there she was, alive, alert, and fighting against Colter.
Aside from looking disheveled, Cora appeared to be unhurt. That was good, but inconsequential to the dead man holding her. Colter had seen his last sunrise. He was going to die.
By my hand.
But if something happened to me, there were several of Kane’s guys upstairs hoping for the chance to take a few of Colter’s teeth as souvenirs before finishing the job.
I held my weapon on him. “I am going to kill you. How quickly—” I stopped short. “I was going to say, ‘depends on you.’ But it doesn’t.”
Movement caught my eye. Kane’s head lifted slightly, and for a split second, our eyes met. He was alive. Barely, but conscious.
I kept my weapon trained on Colter. “You took my woman and my son. I am going to kill you. And when I get my hands on Daisy, I’ll bury her next to you.”
Colter kept the gun pressed under Cora’s chin. “You don’t have it in you to kill a woman.”
Kane shifted his weight, testing the chains. The mounting bolts creaked.
“He’s my son. I’m his father,” Colter said, keeping Cora positioned in front of him.
“No, you’re not. A father doesn’t sell his kid to the highest bidder.”
That’s when Kane made his move. He planted his feet, roared, and yanked hard. The chain mounts ripped from the concrete wall with a grinding crack.
It was more than enough to catch Colter off guard.
Cora bit down hard on Colter’s arm and dropped to her knees.
Colter’s grip loosened for a fraction of a second. I didn’t hesitate. The shot echoed through the basement.
Colter jerked backward, the gun falling from his hand as he hit the concrete floor. Dead before he stopped moving.
Kane staggered forward, chains still hanging from his wrists, and looked down at Colter’s body. It was obvious the man had endured hours of abuse. How he was still able to stay upright was beyond my ability to comprehend.
Kane quietly knelt next to him. I wasn’t sure what the guy was thinking—saying goodbye or making sure he was really dead.
As far as I was concerned, the man had lived long past his expiration date.
Holstering my weapon, I rushed to Cora and gathered her in my arms.
“Hey, I’m here.”
I took her face in my hands and lifted her head. “Cora.”
Her eyes blinked open. “Is it over?”
She went to look in Colter’s direction and I bear hugged her. “Don't” I wouldn’t let anymore evil touch her.
“Where’s Elias?”
I hesitated.
She pulled back, wiping her eyes. “Jason, where is Elias?”
My jaw tightened. “We’ll find him. I promise you that.”
“What if something happens to him—?”
“We will find him.” I pulled her to me again, running my hand up and down her back, trying to soothe her. “And anyone who touched him is going to regret it.”
Tears began to stream down her cheeks, but she nodded.
“Come on, let’s get you out of here.” I lifted her into my arms. As we reached the stairs, I paused. “Kane, if you ever need anything, you have my number.”
Kane kept his gaze on Colter, but he gave a small nod. “You can have Daisy. Beau and his organization are mine.” He swung his head until our eyes met. “Everyone in this town involved, is mine.”
“Understood.”
My phone rang. “Tighten your grip around my neck.” She locked her arms around me, and I adjusted her in my arms, freeing one hand to pull my phone out, smiling at the screen.
“What?” Cora asked.
“Someone’s waiting for us.”
She began wiggling enough that I was forced to set her on her feet.
Cora nearly tripped over herself getting up the stairs. When we reached the door, Thomas was waiting for us with Elias in his arms.
“Where was he?” she asked as she took him and began kissing him.
“Daisy didn’t make it far. Ranger found out and he followed her.” Thomas glanced over his shoulder at Ranger.
The man gave a small salute and smiled.
Tears ran down Cora’s cheeks. “Thank you.”
I ran my hand over Elias’s head, my jaw clenching. “Where is Daisy?”
Thomas leveled his gaze at me. “Dead.”
Normally, I might have been a little perturbed at having that pleasure stripped of me, but I was so happy to have Cora and Elias back to take offense. “You?”
“She took my best friend’s child. I made it quicker than it should have been.” Thomas lowered his gaze. “And I thought you’d want to stay with Cora and Elias. Are we good?”
I nodded. “Yeah. Kane wants Beau.”
Thomas nodded. “Noted. We should probably get going. Shade said they’d made arrangements to keep the cops at bay for only so long.”
“Yeah,” I replied and turned to Cora. “Let’s get him home. He’s probably hungry.”
She nodded and grinned. “Yeah, let’s go home.”