Chapter 27
27
J ordan left the bathroom and padded to the bed. At some point Rhys had turned the television off. Only the candle on her side of the bed was lit. They had fallen asleep, and Jordan had woken to a cold mess on her thighs. She’d gone into the bathroom to clean herself off so she could sleep peacefully without feeling the proof of their lovemaking caked to her skin. Rhys’s light snore tore through the silence. She smiled softly and slid into bed. It was pointless for her to put anything on, she was sure they would be going for round two soon. She didn’t know what time it was and frankly didn’t care.
“Where were you?” Rhys murmured. He held his arm open to allow her to snuggle up next to him.
He brought the covers around them, and Jordan shivered. His warm, muscular frame fit with hers perfectly. She rested a hand on his chest and blew out a deep breath.
“The bathroom,” she murmured. She inhaled the scent of her man that she had already committed to memory. She would never forget what Rhys smelled like. She would be able to pick him out of a lineup of men blindfolded.
“Everything good?” His voice rumbled low.
“Yeah.” She laughed. “Someone left his mess all over me and didn’t even offer to clean it up.”
“The fucker,” he grumbled and brought her closer to him.
Jordan laughed again and shook her head. What was she going to do with him?
She ran her hand along his chest and down to his abdomen. The ridges of his stomach always captured her attention. His hand appeared on top of hers, halting her.
“Don’t start,” he chuckled.
“What?”
“You know what. Get some sleep, woman,” Rhys muttered. He kissed her forehead.
She nuzzled the crook of his neck, a wide grin spreading across her lips. She brought her leg up on his. Her hand slipped away from his and arrived at its destination. She wrapped her fingers around his semi-hard length that stiffened in her grasp.
“You sure you want me to go to sleep? I can help with this problem you seem to have.” Her voice grew husky as she sent her hand along the entire length of him.
Rhys moved with lightning speed and had her on her back.
Jordan’s heart raced, then paused.
Her phone rang.
Not only was it ringing, but it was the special tone she had set aside for SWAT.
“Son of a bitch,” Jordan swore. That sound was like taking a cold bucket of water to the face. She pushed Rhys off her and rolled to the side of the bed. She heard the phone ring but couldn’t see it. “Where the hell is it?”
She leaned over the bed, and somehow it had fallen on the floor and was peeking out from underneath. She snatched it up and swiped the screen.
“Knight,” she answered. The mattress shifted behind her. Jordan was already swinging out of the bed. Her feet landed on the floor and took her over to the dresser. She opened the drawer Rhys had cleared out for her and snatched a pair of undies and a sports bra.
“Wake up, sleeping beauty,” Declan’s voice came through the phone. “You said you were ready to be back at work, so get your ass down to the station. There’s a big fucking situation.”
The call went dead. Jordan cursed and hopped on one foot, trying to get her damn underwear on.
“I would ask if everything is good, but I highly doubt it,” Rhys said.
He came to her side of the bed and perched on the edge while she flew around the room and collected clothes. She went into the closet and put on her black fatigue pants and a long-sleeved black shirt to match.
“It didn’t sound like it,” she replied. She snagged her duffle bag she kept prepped and ready for this type of call. It held all of her gear in it. She tossed it over to the door and went back in the closet and grabbed her holster for her gun and strapped it on her hip. She even took out her thigh holster and placed it on.
Moments later, she had her weapons sheathed in their holsters and was jogging down the stairs with Rhys and Honor behind her. While she had finished getting ready, he’d thrown on a pair of cotton basketball shorts. Jordan arrived at the front door and saw Iker’s truck idling. Honor came to her side and waited as if she expected Jordan to place her work harness on.
Rhys held her arm and pulled her back around. She tilted her head back, immediately hit with emotions. This wasn’t the first time he’d watched her go on a call, but somehow this was different. She hadn’t just been in an accident where the bad guys had purposely tried to take her life before.
“Be careful out there,” Rhys murmured.
“I always am,” she replied. Her heart raced watching the emotions play on his face. She leaned up on her tiptoes and pressed a hard kiss on his lips. “I gotta go.”
Jordan spun back on her heels and snatched open the door. She stalked across the porch and refused to look back. Honor whined as she followed Jordan, but the dog stopped at the stairs.
“Good morning, lovebirds,” Iker called out from the open window.
Jordan opened the passenger door and hopped in. She dropped her bag on the floor between her feet.
“Shut up,” Jordan replied.
She fought back the smile that threatened to come out. Now was not the time for joking. There was something in Declan’s voice that had hit a nerve with her. Rhys had his arms folded in front of his chest. He didn’t say a word. There was no need. He leaned against the pillar with Honor gazing up at him. Jordan gave a wave, and Iker peeled out down the long driveway.
It wasn’t until Iker made the turn at the main road that she faced him.
“What the hell is going on?” she asked. She reached for her safety belt and clipped it in place.
Iker was driving like a maniac. She had been too distracted with staring at Rhys that she hadn’t thought to put it on when she’d first hopped in. Iker’s truck was eating up the road as he sped along.
“Declan didn’t tell you?” Iker glanced over at her. He too was dressed in all black. All signs of joking had disappeared from his face. He gripped the steering wheel with one hand and focused on the road. “There’s riot at the prison. It looks like your boy may be trying to break his uncle out.”
A cold chill overtook her. They’d heard talk about a potential prison break where the Demon Lords would be trying to get Viktor out. Security had been tight at the prison. They had taken all threats seriously over the years.
But it seemed as if they had finally decided to act on it. Jordan settled back and could think of nothing else. A calmness settled in her chest. This was it. Her team was the best there was, and they would go into this together like they did every situation.
As a team.
Jordan glanced over at Iker who eyed her.
“Are you ready, Knight?”
“As I’ll ever be.”
The scene at the prison was utter madness. Jordan and the guys patiently waited for Mac and Declan to come back and report the plan for infiltrating the building. Jordan eyed the massive structure and tried to imagine the layout. They had already studied it and had to commit it to memory. It wasn’t a large facility, but it held enough offenders where the feds were there to offer backup. If Viktor truly had escaped, then the US Marshals would be taking over the manhunt.
“What’s taking them so long?” Zain muttered.
He came to stand next to Jordan. Mac and Declan were currently conversing with the head of the correctional officers, the US Marshals, CPD lieutenants in charge of maintaining the scene along with the FBI.
“Whatever it is, it can’t be good,” Jordan replied.
The guys were getting restless, as was she. They were all ready to go in and complete whatever mission was assigned to them. Jordan folded her arms and watched Mac nod to the US Marshals’ lead before he and Declan broke away from their small group.
“Here we go,” Myles murmured from behind Jordan.
“Listen up, team,” Mac began. He motioned over to the prison’s blueprint that was taped on the side of the BEAR.
Everyone gathered around so they could hear and see what the plan was.
“It would appear the Demon Lords have not only infiltrated the prison and overrun it, but they have also taken the warden, Louis Kovacs, as hostage. They are currently holed up in his office located here.” Mac circled the area where the administrative offices were located. He began giving instructions on how they could effectively enter the building and arrive to the fourth-floor office.
“Our main objective will be to retrieve Warden Kovacs. The correctional officers will maintain the rioting prisoners with the assistance of CPD and state police,” Declan announced.
This was one hell of a situation. How had the Demon Lords entered, initiated a riot, then overtaken the whole damn prison? This just didn’t happen. They had been in there much longer than when the call had come in.
“How long have they had the warden, and what’s the chances he’s still alive?” Jordan raised her hand and asked.
“According to the hostage negotiator, they have received proof of life as of an hour ago. They put him on the phone and confirmed it was him,” Mac said.
Jordan nodded and focused back on the blueprints. Their team would be going deep into what sounded like a war zone. Even if they made it up there, would the warden be alive? An hour was a long time when it came to situations such as this.
“Do we know who we are dealing with who has him? Who is in charge of all of this ruckus?” Ash asked.
Jordan tore her attention from the map. This was one hell of a question.
Would it be Bravon himself? He’d be a fool to be here since he was recently released from jail. Jordan bit her lip at the thought of facing him. The pit of her stomach grew queasy. She shook it off. He would send his most trusted men into the prison to grab his uncle. She was sure of it. He wouldn’t want to get his hands this dirty.
Or would he?
“Sergio Cabal,” Mac announced.
The SWAT team fell silent until it was broken by Brodie’s cursing.
“You have got to be shitting me,” he snapped.
Sergio had been Viktor’s second-in-command. He had been the one running the gang when Viktor had been sent to prison. He had tried to overtake the city before and the SWAT team had dealt with him.
Jordan shook her head in disbelief. How the hell did those two men get sent to the same prison? Something like this riot was bound to happen.
“Apparently, Sergio was housed here at the prison as well as Viktor. They had kept them separated, but it would seem they were still able to communicate and orchestrate this crazy shit,” Declan said.
“Well, let’s just say Sergio and I have a score to finish,” Brodie growled.
“He’s not worth it,” Myles said. He rested a hand on Brodie’s shoulder.
Jordan had just joined SWAT when they had gone on a mission to save Ronnie, Brodie’s wife. The gangster had kidnapped her and had plans to destroy SWAT.
A chill went through Jordan. She eyed the structure again. A sense of calmness spread through her. Tonight, this all finished. The Demon Lords needed to be stopped, and this war would end tonight.
Jordan felt it in her bones. The gang had long been a thorn in SWAT’s side. Going after each of the SWAT member’s loved ones and making attempts on all of their lives.
“We have our mission,” Mac said.
Jordan blinked and returned to the conversation at hand. The strap of her MP5 rested on her shoulder. She pulled it around and took the weapon in her hand. It comforted her to hold it.
“There is no going rogue tonight. This is a dangerous assignment. There are a shit ton of prisoners in this jail who were probably put here by all of us. Watch your six at all times.”
“You know what to do. Let your training guide you. Stay in formation and stay in contact with each other,” Declan interjected.
The air was tense as they continued to listen to the sergeants.
They were at war. No one was going to say it out loud, but it was what it was. This night had been coming for a long time, and Jordan was ready for it. She eyed her fellow SWAT officers and found intense concentration in all of their eyes and forms. Each of them had been affected by this gang. Jordan may not have been around long, but she’d heard the stories.
“Knight, I want you on my six,” Mac announced.
Jordan’s eyebrows rose high. Normally she was in the middle to back of the formation. She wasn’t going to argue with Mac. If he wanted her up front with him, then that’s where she’d be.
“Yes, sir,” she replied, giving a nod.
“I’ll follow up in the back with Zain and Iker,” Declan said. “If we get separated, stay with your group. We are going into a hot situation. These prisoners are angry, and most don’t have anything to lose.”
Jordan swallowed hard. She moved over to Mac who had his eyes on her. She couldn’t read his expression, but she understood why he was doing what he was. If by chance Bravon was the mastermind behind this, he would know she and the SWAT team would be answering the call. For all they knew this could be a trap.
“I don’t have a good feeling about this.” Jordan turned to Mac and lowered her voice.
Declan was giving more instructions, and the team was focused on him.
“Same. That’s why I want you with me at all times,” he replied.
Jordan gave another nod and turned back to Declan. Iker caught her eye and raised an eyebrow. She didn’t need him to voice his silent question.
Are you good?
Jordan gave him a nod as well. She wasn’t going to worry. Her team was the best, and they always stuck together.
She would be fine.
They would deal with whatever was thrown their way—together.
“All right, team,” Mac said.
The sounds of the scene around them faded off in the distance. Jordan already knew what Mac’s next words were. It was his infamous saying that did something to the whole team. Jordan tightened her hands on her weapon and stood taller. Iker brought his helmet down onto his head. Zain’s features disappeared behind his mask. Each of them were preparing for this battle they were entering.
Tension grew.
Jordan slipped on her mask to hide her identity. There was nothing she couldn’t do with her team at her side. They would make it through this prison and obtain the warden and bring him to safety. She turned and faced Mac.
“SWAT, let’s hunt,” he growled.