Chapter 46
Forty-Six
Axel
We walked quickly but quietly through the field outside the warehouse, sticking as close to the tree line as possible.
Everyone had spread out in teams of two so we could protect our group as best we could.
Jo was with me, but I hated that Ashley and Lainy were off on their own.
While I knew they could handle themselves, given what they’d been through in life, I hated that they were putting themselves at risk, and I couldn’t do anything to protect them.
Jo knew enough about the warehouse's layout from her time there years ago to give us a general sense of direction. While we knew some things might have changed, she was our best chance of finding Charlie quickly.
I followed her to a side door and stood back as she tried the handle. Of course it was locked, but Jo wasted no time firing a single shot to open it. I knew the sound would send people rushing toward us, but thankfully, we had the Packson brothers ready to create a distraction.
Just as we stepped inside, a loud explosion rocked the building.
“My uncle is going to love that,” Jo muttered quietly with a smirk on her face.
“You had them blow up your uncle’s car?”
She shrugged as if it were nothing.
“I spotted it the second we got here and might have pointed it out when telling them which one to blow up.”
“He’s going to be pissed.”
“He’ll get over it when he’s dead.”
An icy chill spread through me as she said it because I knew Jo didn’t make idle threats. There was no way we would be walking out of there with her uncle alive and breathing. She would make sure he paid for everything he ever did to her and those she loved.
We started heading down the long, dark hallway as we heard yelling and running as everyone headed outside to see what the commotion was about. Or at least, almost everyone.
“You’ve always been sloppy,” a man said as he stepped out of the shadows in the hallway and stood in front of Jo with his arms crossed over his chest. “Your uncle would be disappointed with how easy it was to catch you.”
“Catch me?” Jo balked, tucking her gun at her waist after noticing the man in front of her wasn’t armed. “Who said anything about catching me?” She held her hands in front of her as if she wasn’t the biggest threat he had ever faced.
I tipped my head back and fought a groan because we didn’t have time for Jo to play with her victims like this. I cleared my throat, hoping to motivate her to keep this party going so we could get to what we came here for: finding Charlie and Molly.
Before the man could say anything, Jo reached behind her and pulled out the knife her father had given her before he died.
She reached forward, slashing his throat as his eyes widened in horror and blood sprayed everywhere.
Jo stepped back, making sure to avoid getting dirty as she watched him stumble backward.
“I think what you meant to say was how disappointed my uncle would be that you let me get away.”
He fell to the floor as the life drained out of him.
Jo stepped over his body and kept walking down the hallway as I followed behind her.
Thankfully, the place was relatively quiet with everyone outside, but it wouldn’t be long until they were swarming the inside of the warehouse to find the intruder.
“Do you have any idea where they might be?” I asked, the panic rising at the thought of not finding Charlie and Molly in time.
“My guess is one of the rooms in the back. Down that hall and to the right,” she said, nodding her head as she pulled her gun again.
“You’re not coming with me?”
“I need to find my uncle before he finds me,” she replied before rushing off in the opposite direction.
I shook my head in frustration because I wanted to keep her safe, but also needed to get to Charlie. Trusting that Jo would handle herself, I went down the hall she told me to go down and began opening doors, praying to find Charlie.