Chapter 17
CHAPTER 17
B oone and Sev ran in separate directions when the asshole standing next to Vinnie started firing. Vinnie had knocked the man’s hand, so the bullet hit the windshield instead of the tire he’d been aiming for, but the gunshot triggered the men who came with Vinnie, and they fired again.
Then all hell had broken loose. How in the hell had these morons made it to such a high position in Nico’s organization? Then it hit him. They weren’t important. They were expendable. They were keeping Boone busy and Sev out in the open.
With Sev to the right of the SUV and Boone to the left, they were able to keep the men firing in their direction instead of targeting the Lexus. Whatever it took to keep his Little girl and his sister safe.
One of the men from the back truck had tried to make a run for the SUV, but Boone shot him in the leg as soon as he cleared the end of the truck. Stupid shit.
He was about to tell Sev to make his way back to the SUV when the back door of the Lexus swung open. The hair stood up on the back of Boone’s neck.
Why in the hell was the back door swinging open? The one on Tildi’s side. Had one of Nico’s goons made it all the way to his SUV? How in the fuck had he let that happen? And where the fuck were his brothers?
But that wasn’t it. He had a sixth sense about these things, and he knew this had nothing to do with Sev’s situation. Whatever this was, it was way worse than that.
Tildi stepped out of the back, and Boone’s world went cold. Cold and dark. He called her name. She’d heard him. He knew because she’d flinched. But she hadn’t looked at him. His Little bluebell had ignored him. A fact they would be discussing at great length when he got her back to the ranch.
When she finally had turned to him, that suited gorilla Nico had sent grabbed her. The man had put his hands on Boone’s Little girl. Boone had not lied to that man. There was nothing that man could do that would keep Boone from taking him out, mafia connections or not.
His brothers would be there any minute, but he couldn’t wait for them. He had to get to his babygirl.
“Sev, let’s go!” He raced toward his car as both trucks sped back toward Wilder. One of the departing vehicles screeched to a stop. Shots rang out again and Boone ducked, but this time they weren’t shooting at him. They took out both back tires, rocking the SUV as the air escaped.
Muffled screams filled the air. Fuck! With all his attention on Tildi, Boone had forgotten his sister was still in the car. How could he have forgotten about Kenzie, even for a second? Before he could force his limbs to function, Sev was throwing open Kenzie’s door and pulling her into his arms.
Boone raced to Kenzie’s side, pulling her away from Sev and into his arms. He thought for the briefest second Sev wasn’t going to let her go, but before he could process the feeling she was sobbing in his arms.
Nico’s men shooting at the Lexus was a distraction. All they wanted was time to get away. Even knowing that, he ran toward his sister. Boone had only taken two steps in Kenzie’s direction when the shooting stopped. Snow and loose stone pelted the backs of Boones calves and thighs as the shooter’s car sped away.
In that moment everything went silent in his mind. He had no use for hot headed rage that would only get someone killed. He needed the skills and knowledge his experience as a commando had given him to rescue Tildi. In order to bring his babygirl back unharmed, he needed that.
He forced himself back into the mindset he’d left behind three years ago. Right now, he needed the ice cold mind of a warrior. Emotions would get in the way. Emotions would send him to his knees. But the combat soldier, the one they sent in when no one else could get the job done? That man would save Tildi.
Was that a car door slamming? Grif, Dutch, and Chance reached him first, with Kai, Tanner, Trace, and Grant following at their heels. Grif opened a laptop and set it on the hood of the SUV. “Status?”
Boone had to fight to keep his fury locked down. “The status is four of Sev’s men took off with my Little girl. And I couldn’t go after her because they shot out the tires of my vehicle with Kenzie inside.”
Dutch was on a tablet looking at their location program. “The signal on her tracker says she’s here.” He snapped his tablet closed.
“Th-th-they took T-Tildi.” Kenzie voice tremble, but she kept speaking. “She got out of the car. Why would she do that? Sh-she just got out of the car and they gr-grabbed her.”
“Those fuckers!” Tanner looked like he was ready to punch someone. His gaze landed on Sev. Stalking over to him, Tanner got in his face. “Is that why you came here today? So you could kidnap Tildi for your old man?”
Boone didn’t have time for this shit. He needed to be headed out after his girl, not putting out playground squabbles. “Back off, Tanner. We’re all upset, but it wasn’t Sev’s men who took Tildi. Nico has been setting this up for days.
Chance pulled his weeping sister from Boone’s arms. Holding her close, he led her to Tanner and Trace. “Okay, tiger. You’re okay. It’s going to be fine.”
Trace wiped the tears from Kenzie’s cheeks. “We’ll find her, Kenz. We’ll find her and get her back.”
They damn sure would. But the snow, which had stopped falling about an hour before, was threatening to start back up, covering any tracks they might be able to spot. He had a tracker on the Lexus. But it sat parked in the snow beside him. He had a tracker in her purse, but evidently, she’d left it in the car.
When he got her back home, he was going to put one on her body so she couldn’t leave it behind.
“Oh!” Kenzie gasped and stared at Boone. “Her phone. She said to tell you she had her phone.”
Dutch responded, “Fuck. Hold on.” Opening his tablet, he checked again but shook his head. “Someone turned the location setting off.”
Desperation clawed his chest for freedom. He owned a fucking private security company, and they couldn’t even track Tildi’s phone?
“They can’t turn off mine.” All eyes turned to Sev as he held up his phone. “I know where she’s headed. At least, I know where she is.”
“Then tell me!” Boone roared.
Sev held up his phone as he took the three steps necessary for him to stand by Dutch at the car. The software on this screen was clearly marked for FBI use only under penalty of law. How Sev came to have it, he didn’t know and he didn’t care. The only thing he cared about was the little dot moving across the map of the local area displayed on the screen.
Moving away from him. Damn it! She slipped further and further away from him with every blink of that little dot.
Reaching across the car, Boone snatched the phone from Sev’s hand. He pinpointed his own location and then looked at the point representing his Tildi.
His babygirl.
His.
As soon as he saw the road Nico’s men had turned onto, he tossed the phone back to Sev. “Trace, I need you to take Kenzie home then get your office set up in case we have anyone hurt. The rest of you, load up. I know where they’re taking her.”