Cole
Adrenaline was still surging through me. All Goodyear’s thugs were down. Some were still alive, but bleeding.
The man who’d touched Lili was on the floor, a hand to his chest, and blood oozing between his fingers.
“I warned you.” I kicked him in the face.
I heard a small sound and my head whipped around. Lili sat on the floor, her face sheet white, her eyes huge, and her breathing too fast.
Fuck.
My heart shriveled. She’d watch me mow through these assholes. Hell, I’d strangled one to death in front of her.
Now, she was afraid of me.
Then she scrambled off the floor and flew at me. I caught her and she wrapped her arms and legs around me. She buried her face in my neck.
Then, she ripped me apart when she started to cry. Her tears were like a knife to my gut.
I slid my hand up her back, my other one cupping the back of her head. “It’s over. You’re safe now.”
There were more sobs, but she nodded.
“You’re safe,” I whispered against her hair.
She lifted her head. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. Hell, she was even pretty when she cried.
“You got shot!” she said.
“It was just a graze.”
She wriggled down, then pulled at the sleeve of my shirt. I saw the bloody crease where the bullet had clipped me.
“This needs cleaning and a bandage—”
I let out a rough laugh. “I’ve had way worse than this, sunshine.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“I’m okay.” I stroked her jaw, then looked at the others. “Thanks for the assist.”
“You never need to thank us, Cole,” Bastian said. “You’re always there when we need you.”
I gave my friends a nod. Now, I just wanted Lili out of here.
“You’ll take care of clean up?”
Nash nodded. “I’ve got it.”
“Send the injured guys back to Goodyear. Bound and gagged.”
Nearby, Rafe grinned. “I like this plan. I think I’ll drop them on the doorstep of his fancy mansion for his wife to find.”
I slid my arms under Lili’s legs and lifted her against my chest.
“I can walk.”
“I’ve got you.” I headed out the door and down the stairs.
That’s when I heard the distant sound of an engine and tensed.
“What now?” Landon shouldered past me headed for the open roller door.
We stepped outside. The first thing I saw were three unfamiliar gray Yukons. There were two bodies face down in the dirt beside one, and in the second one, a man’s body was hunched over the steering wheel. I noted the single gunshot hole through the windshield. That would be Nash’s doing.
A red truck was approaching, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Lili sucked in a breath. “That’s my dad’s truck.”
I set her down and kept her close. My friends fanned out around me, their weapons in their hands.
The truck jerked to a stop, setting up another cloud of dust. Brock Armstrong slammed out, wearing jeans and a ballcap.
“Lili! Are you okay?”
He’d taken a beating recently. His face was bruised, and his lips split and swollen. He moved with a limp, holding himself gingerly.
“I’m fine, Dad. What are you doing here?”
He stopped a few feet away and swallowed. “I heard…I heard Goodyear sent a team out here.” He pulled the ballcap off his head. “I’d asked him to leave you alone.”
And clearly copped a beating for his trouble. My jaw worked. Armstrong might be showing like he did give a shit about his daughter, but it was too little too late in my book.
He stepped closer, and I moved forward to block him.
“Stay right there,” I clipped out.
Armstrong eyed me, then nodded. “Goodyear has lost his mind. He was ranting about being hunted, and dead mercs in Mexico, and women that were going to get him in trouble.”
I stiffened, and Lili leaned into me.
“Goodyear killed Bronco and Gloria, Dad. And he’s trafficking innocent women. He kidnapped my friend Ava-Jane. Bronco’s daughter. He’s forcing her to go to parties and do…things.”
“Fuck,” Armstrong breathed, before turning his head to look at the ground.
I watched his face carefully. “You know something.”
Lili’s dad released a breath. “Goodyear was yelling a lot. He mentioned cleaning up. I heard him plan to send his guys here, and he talked about getting rid of the women. So they can’t be used against him.”
Lili’s fingers dug into my arm. “No.”
“Shit,” Nash muttered.
“You know where he’s keeping them, Armstrong?” I demanded.
“No.” He swallowed. “But he said he was going to his ranch to deal with some business.”
“Ranch?” I asked.
“The ranch came up in our searches,” Nash said. “A horse ranch north of the city, near Kyle Canyon. Not much there, and we didn’t think he’d keep women there.”
“We need to go,” Lili said urgently. “Now!”
“You are not coming.” No way in hell was I letting her anywhere near Goodyear.
She lifted her chin. “There’s no time to drop me off, and I’m not staying here. I’ll stay in the vehicle.”
I cursed.
“Cole, we’re wasting time,” Nash murmured.
Time Ava-Jane and the other women might not have. I glanced at the others. “I have weapons here. Let’s gear up and move out.”
I climbed out of the Range Rover, a cool breeze cutting through my shirt.
The Canyon Valley Ranch was in the foothills north of the city, so the temperatures here were much cooler than in the city.
I opened the back door of the SUV. Lili sat there, watching me with a worried face.
I leaned in and kissed her. Hard. “Stay in the vehicle.”
She nodded and gripped my hand. “Be safe.” Her gaze lingered on my now bandaged arm. Landon had dealt with it on the ride here.
“I’ll bring Ava-Jane home.” I closed the door. The Range Rover was parked half a mile from Goodyear’s ranch house.
Here, the landscape was still brown desert, but the mountains were closer. Scrubby growth covered the sandy ground. The long, dusty driveaway led to where the main ranch buildings were located.
I glanced at the others. Bastian and Nash were talking quietly. Rafe and Alessio were checking their weapons. Landon was staring out towards the mountains.
He’d taken down several of Goodyear’s guards. For me and Lili. He made it a habit not to kill anymore, but when I’d needed him, he was there. No questions asked.
We were all geared up and ready to move. Damn, I hated leaving Lili here alone.
“Let’s end this.”
My friends all nodded.
We broke into a jog. We moved into an easy formation, matching each other’s paces. For a second, I felt like I was back with Delta Team—my brothers flanking me as we moved in on a mission.
I miss you guys.
Now, I’m finally going to avenge you.
We cleared a fence. My boots sank into the sandy soil. There was a harsh beauty to the area around here, the mountains sparse but stunning. It was a tough landscape, but it still had a certain beauty.
Not as beautiful as Lili, though.
I fought a smile, and thought of Brent, Austin, and Gus. Damn, they’d love her. They’d call me a lucky bastard for snagging her. They’d tell me that she was too good for me, but that I deserve something so sweet.
Shaking my head, I focused ahead. Right now, I needed to bring her friend home safely.
The ranch buildings came into view. There were several fenced in yards for the horses, a metal barn, several outbuildings. And a ramshackle, southwestern style house. It had dusty cream walls and a terracotta-tiled roof.
I only saw one vehicle. A late-model BMW parked by the house.
“No guards,” Nash murmured. “The BMW is one of Goodyear’s.”
“Let’s get to the main house and—” I smelled something and sniffed the air.
Smoke.
“Fuck, something’s burning,” Landon muttered.
I broke into a run. The others cursed and followed me.
Several horses in one of the yards spotted us and pranced closer to the fence. The ranch house was dead ahead.
Fuck.
It was on fire.
I saw the flames spearing into the air.
And that’s when I heard women screaming.