44. Jace
The tracker in Kayla’s watch led me to an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city. Since the area is so conspicuously empty, I had to leave my car a short distance away and travel the final distance on foot.
Drawing myself up against a huge metal container, I glance around the edge and towards the building where Kayla’s signal is coming from.
There are three cars parked out front. One is the blue van that I’m assuming they used to abduct Kayla. The other two are an expensive Audi with tinted windows and a discreet black sedan.
Two men who look like common thugs stand close to the van. Two men who look like professional security guards flank the building’s front door.
I narrow my eyes. If you can afford that kind of Audi and that kind of hired security, there is no need to use common thugs for a kidnapping. Which means that there are two separate parties involved in this. That might complicate things.
I study the four people outside closely. The thugs don’t appear to be carrying guns. But based on the bulges beneath the other two men’s suit jackets, they most definitely are.
Pulling back from the container, I slip around it and approach the building from the back.
Since I have no idea what’s going on inside, I can’t just go in guns blazing. There is too much risk of Kayla being caught in the crossfire if this devolves into a straight up shoot-out. I have to be stealthy.
Red and purple streaks line the sky in the west as the sun slowly starts dipping below the horizon. I stick to the shadows as I run along the side of the building. My pulse thrums in my ears. Every second I spend out here is another second that Kayla is in there at the mercy of her kidnappers. I need to finish this quickly.
Reaching the edge of the building, I glance around the edge to check if the four men outside have moved. They haven’t. The two guys by the van are still standing there, talking quietly to each other, while the two professionals stand on either side of the front door.
I pull back.
A quick look behind me reveals a set of crates stacked against the metal wall of the building. I back towards them while adjusting my grip on the bat in my hand. After stepping in behind the crates, I reach towards the metal wall and start tapping my fingers against it.
At first, nothing happens.
Then a voice comes from the other side of the building.
“Do you hear that?”
I keep drumming on the wall.
“Yeah,” another man replies. “Go check it out.”
With my fingers still tapping, I remain behind the cover of the crates.
Footsteps sound from around the corner. They stop. Then they continue forwards. Towards me.
I flex my fingers on the bat, shifting it into a two-handed grip, while I wait for him to get closer.
Then I take one quick step out.
And slam the bat into the side of his head.
Shock pulses across his face.
But it’s already too late.
His hand drops away from the gun he was reaching for. Blood trickles down the side of his head where his skull caved in. He topples backwards, hitting the ground with a thud. His body spasms once. Then he goes limp, staring unseeing up at the sky. There is a stunned expression on his face, even in death.
“You find anything?” the other guy calls from around the corner.
The dead man remains dead on the ground, not answering his question. I step around the body while approaching the corner again. Blood slides down along the bat and drips on the ground.
Now, I just need to wait for the second professional to come and investigate why his partner isn’t replying. Then I can?—
A gunshot cracks through the air.
My heart stops.
The gunshot… It came from inside the building.
Ice spreads through my veins.
Kayla.
Throwing all caution to the wind, I yank out a gun and sprint around the corner.
The guard at the door spots me the moment I skid around the corner. He yanks up a gun, but I’m already holding mine. I squeeze the trigger.
A massive weight slams into me from the side.
My entire body jerks to the side, throwing off my aim. The bullet hits the guard in the shoulder. He screams in pain.
I slam shoulder first into the ground with one of the thugs on top of me. His arms are wrapped around my chest, but his grip is jostled when we hit the ground. I twist and fire again towards the guard, but he yanks open the door right on time. The bullet cracks into the metal door instead. And the guard is gone.
Ramming my elbow into my attacker’s stomach, I manage to get him to loosen his grip enough for me to twist towards him fully. I yank up the gun to shoot him in the face, but the second thug is barreling towards us. Shifting my aim at the last moment, I fire towards the second thug.
He throws himself sideways right before the bullet tears through the air.
But that move bought the first guy two seconds to lunge for my gun. His meaty hands close around my wrist, trying to pull the weapon away from me. I kick my knee up into his side. It makes him shift his weight enough for me to yank out the bat that was trapped between our bodies.
With a snap of my wrist, I slam the bat into his side.
A howl of pain rips from his throat, and he jerks sideways from the force of the blow.
But the second thug has already reached us now.
Pain shoots through my wrist as he kicks the gun out of my hand.
Twisting my whole body, I throw my weight up and to the side, shoving the first thug off me.
With his weight finally gone from my chest, I drag in a deep breath while spinning around and getting to my knees. The second thug swings his fist at my head.
I slam the bat into the side of his knee.
It breaks his kneecap with a sickening crack.
A scream of pure agony shatters the air.
I shoot to my feet right before the first thug can struggle up from the ground as well, and smack my bat down on his back.
Only a choked gasp rips from him when I break his spine.
Spinning quickly, I use my momentum to put even more force into the strike to the second thug’s head. He’s struggling to stay upright after I broke his kneecap, and he barely manages to look up before I crack my bat into the side of his head.
Blood splatters across my face as his skull shatters.
The guy on the ground is still screaming in agony, now unable to move with his spine broken. I slam my bat into the back of his skull, crushing bone. He falls silent at the same time as his companion hits the ground, dead.
These were the two people who hunted Kayla into a dead end. They were the reason why there was fear and panic in her voice when she called me. Why she almost sobbed when she realized that she was trapped. They made her feel scared and helpless.
They deserved to die brutally and painfully.
The front door is shoved open.
In one fluid motion, I drop my bat, straighten, and pull out two more guns while diving to the side.
A bullet tears through the air where I was just standing.
While rolling to my feet, I raise my right hand and fire right as the guard from before steps out of the door.
His head snaps back as the bullet hits him straight in the forehead.
“Shit,” someone swears from inside.
I sprint towards the outer wall and barely manage to skid to a halt next to it when another guard, this one with black hair, strides across the threshold, already squeezing off shots while he walks.
But I’m no longer standing where he’s aiming. I’m standing to his right, where the door is not shielding him.
The moment his head is fully out the door, I fire one bullet straight through his temple.
He slams into the door he was holding up on the other side, and then crumples to the ground. His body remains there, keeping the door open. I stay where I am, one gun trained on the doorway and the other one down by my side.
“Hold your fire or I’ll shoot the girl,” a gravelly voice suddenly bellows from inside.
My heart lurches.
Kayla.
This is going to turn into a negotiation. Fuck. If only I knew how many people were still in that building. There is no way to make sure we both walk out of here if I don’t know what I’m up against.
“Put your gun down and slowly walk over to stand right in front of the doorway,” the gravelly voice demands. “Or I will shoot her.”
Fuck. I need to know how?—
As if she could read my mind, Kayla suddenly shouts, “Two! One armed.”
My heart swells with pride.
But the incredible feeling is abruptly cut off as a thud sounds, follow by a cry of pain from Kayla.
Rage roars through me. It’s so fierce that it nearly blinds me.
“You lay a hand on her one more fucking time, and I will break every bone in your body twice before I finally bash your head in,” I growl.
“And why is that?” the gravelly voice calls back, now sounding wary and suspicious.
“Because Kayla Ashford is mine.”
“And who the fuck are you?”
“Jace Hunter.”
Silence descends on the deserted grounds.
Then I swear I can hear the man inside curse under his breath. No one wants the Hunter family as an enemy.
“Lionel fucking Henderson,” he growls. “I should’ve done more than just shoot him in the leg.”
Shock pulses through me. Lionel? Is he a part of this? Fuck, I knew it. I always had a bad feeling about him.
“Listen,” the man calls, his voice now a lot less threatening and a lot more pleading. “I got pulled into this not knowing the true scope of it. So how about this? I walk out this door with Kayla. Then when I reach my car, I release her and drive away.”
“Or I can just shoot you the moment you step outside.”
“If you do that, I will take Kayla down with me.”
“Choose your next words very carefully.”
He is silent for a few seconds. “I walk out with Kayla, we go to my car, I release her, and then I leave. No one will hurt her.”
Watching the doorway, I consider my options. I could try to take him out. But Kayla has already confirmed that he has a gun. And despite the fact that I am an excellent fucking shot, there is still a risk that he has time to squeeze the trigger before he dies.
And I can’t take that risk.
“Alright,” I reply. “Agreed.”
Two seconds pass. Then a man with a shaved head walks out the door. He is unarmed and is holding his hands raised where I can see them. I frown.
His gaze darts across the area, then he notices me. Wariness is written in every line of his face, but all he does is to turn so that he is facing me while he slowly starts moving away from the door. He is wearing a black suit like the others, which means that he is likely a bodyguard to this man as well.
Then fiery red hair comes into view in the doorway.
My heart clenches as I stare at the side of Kayla’s face.
Her gaze darts towards me where I’m standing directly on her right, but she doesn’t turn her head because there is a gun pressed against the back of her skull. And a man’s hand on her shoulder.
Fury burns through me.
I flex my fingers on the gun by my side and raise that as well. I keep one weapon trained on the unarmed bodyguard and the other on the man who is now stepping out of the building.
Red light from the setting sun falls across his face as he becomes visible.
Surprise flickers through me.
It’s Gregor Doyle.
Rico has been talking about him several times in the past few months. Apparently, he has started to get a little too greedy. A little too sure of his power. A little too inclined to forget that no one operates an underworld business in this state without the Morelli family’s blessing. And that blessing can be taken away just as easily as it was given. Which is what Rico has been talking about doing.
Doyle’s brown eyes flick back and forth. Then he spots me to his right, and immediately shifts so that Kayla is facing me. His hand remains on her shoulder and his gun at the back of her head as he uses her like a human shield.
I’m going to fucking bury this guy.
He moves slowly as he starts backing towards his Audi with his bodyguard next to him. I follow, keeping my guns trained on them.
Kayla watches me with an expression I can’t read.
My gaze slips down to her face for a second.
There is a bruise forming on her cheekbone.
Rage cracks into me like a lightning bolt, and my voice drops low and lethal as I ask, “Which one of them hit you?”
Since she can’t move her head, she uses her eyes to look pointedly to her left. Doyle’s bodyguard, who can’t see that she has already answered my question, just continues backing towards the car with his hands raised.
I shoot him in the head.
“Fuck!” Doyle blurts out, jerking to a stop and ducking farther behind Kayla.
The bodyguard collapses to the ground in a thudding of limbs. Blood runs down his forehead from the small hole there.
I shift both guns to Doyle. But he is still hidden behind Kayla, and I can’t risk him shooting her, so I let him start towards the car again. He is moving faster now, backing as quickly as he can without tripping on his own feet.
Kayla remains standing with her spine straight as he yanks open the driver’s side door.
Then he leaps inside, slams the door shut, and floors it.
The tires screech against the road as he speeds away.
I’m just about to shoot at his car when Kayla’s knees buckle.
Darting forward, I ram my guns back into the holsters across my chest and grab her.
Her body crashes into mine as she sways.
Then she wraps her arms around me. Tightly. A small sob escapes her lips as she buries her face in my shirt.
My heart almost breaks.
Holding her tightly, I feel her body shake slightly in my arms as she sucks in rapid breaths.
“I love you,” she gasps out. “I didn’t know if I would ever get the chance to tell you. But I love you.”
The air is knocked right out of my lungs. My heart forgets how to beat normally and just flutters around inside my ribcage instead.
Drawing in a shuddering breath, I tighten my arms around Kayla and hug her back fiercely. “I love you too, little demon. I love you so much that I can barely breathe.”
She lets out something between a sob and a small noise of happiness. Then a tremor racks her frame again. Aftershocks from the adrenaline that must have been coursing through her body like electricity ever since she first spotted that van.
All I want to do is to kiss her and tell her that I love her again and ask her if she’s okay, but I know that that’s not what she needs. Right now, she just needs a moment to process. To feel. To sort through her emotions. To let her brain come to the conclusion that she is here and she is safe and alive.
So I just stand there. And hold her.
It takes almost five minutes for her breathing to even out. And then once she is breathing normally again, she curls her fingers into the back of my shirt and grips the fabric tightly. As if she needs to feel that I’m here. I stroke a hand over her hair and down her back.
At last, she draws in a deep, shuddering breath and relaxes her grip on my shirt.
“You came,” she says, her cheek resting against my chest.
I smile. “Of course I came, little demon. I thought you knew by now. I will always find you.”
I can feel her smile. “How?”
“I put a tracker in your watch the first week we met.”
At this, she snaps her head up and stares up at me with such absolute bafflement that I actually chuckle. Light returns to her eyes, and she swats at my chest while taking a step out of my arms. I don’t want to let her go. I never want to let her go ever again. But I force myself to let my arms drop back down to my sides and take a step back.
“You put a tracker in my watch,” Kayla echoes. Her beautiful blue eyes are pulsing with something halfway between amusement and disbelief. “So that’s why you were always able to find me when I snuck away. Not because you were actually some super talented bodyguard.”
“Hey!” I put a hand to my chest in a dramatic show of mock affront. “I am super talented. And super hot. And super funny. And?—”
“Yeah, yeah.” She laughs. And the sound of it heals the cracks that had formed in my heart this past hour. “I’m starting to think that I was right. It really is going to get difficult for your ego to fit through the door soon.”
“Oh, but I’ve already showed you, remember? All I need to do is turn sideways and?—”
I stop as something moves in the corner of my eye.
Yanking out a gun, I spin towards the door to the building just in time to see Lionel drag himself across the threshold, past the dead bodyguard who is still holding the door open, and out onto the asphalt. His left leg isn’t moving, and it leaves a red smear on the ground.
He stops when he sees us.
Fear slams into his features, draining his face of color.
“Please,” he calls, his voice breaking with desperation.
I turn back to Kayla and arch an eyebrow. “Do you want to shoot him or should I?”
“He has already been shot,” she points out.
“Yeah, how did that happen?”
“Doyle wanted to leave him with a reminder of what would happen if he ever were to owe him money again.”
“That’s why he did this? Because he owed Doyle money?”
“Yeah.”
“Now I’m definitely going to shoot him.” I hold out my gun to her. “Unless you want to?”
A vicious scheming glint creeps into her eyes, and she gently pushes my gun down. “No. I’m not going to kil him. I’m going to send him to jail.”
My eyebrows shoot up. Jail? I want to torture that fucking bastard to death. Why would she just want to send him to jail? But ultimately, it’s her decision. So I block out my thoughts of painful and murderous revenge, and instead give her a nod.
“And then I’m going to put a bounty on his head,” she continues. The smile on her face is downright villainous now as she stares at where Lionel is still crawling across the ground. “The inmate who torments him the most each week, without killing him, will get paid. Every week. For the rest of Lionel’s sentence.”
Surprise crackles through me. It’s followed by a massive wave of approval. A wicked grin spreads across my mouth as I look Kayla up and down. “Damn, you really are a ruthless little demon, aren’t you?”
She flicks her long red hair behind her shoulder. “He should’ve known better than to mess with the rich and powerful.”
A dark laugh rumbles from my throat. Wrapping one arm around her waist, I pull her towards me and claim those wicked lips of hers. “He should’ve known better than to mess with you.”
Burying her fists in my collar, she holds me tightly as she kisses me back with such fiery passion that I swear my heart stops beating. Then she chuckles against my lips, the sound pure devil, before she corrects the final two words of my statement.
“With us.”