Chapter 26
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
THORNE
As soon as my booted foot crossed the threshold, a sinister grin coated my features. It’d been far too long since I’d released my wrath with a blood bath. It was a soul-cleansing experience: an eradication with a gruesome mess that I intended to leave behind.
When dealing with sick, psychotic pieces of shit, I had no issue slipping on the mask of a murderer. If anything, it was a role I preferred—a vigilante, a man who acted without remorse.
It all stemmed from the corruption that had surrounded me for far too many years of my life, a tainted system that’d brainwashed thousands, myself included.
But my time serving as General Valens’ right-hand had taught me one thing: I was a vengeful bastard molded by military confinement and psychological warfare who would do anything to level the playing field.
Any motherfucker who was idiotic enough to test my decency while partaking in inhumane acts would meet my blade, and it all would start with Stefan.
We’d taken out his guards with ease; one hollow-point to the skull, and they were onto their next life.
Their bodies colliding with the ground had been the only sound to warn of our presence, and with each death, our orders to the children occupying the space they were in had momentarily filled the resounding silence.
The pace at which we moved through the compound hadn’t surprised me, considering how equipped we were, but it didn’t lessen my unease.
Hell, if anything, it made me suspicious—anxious even.
I’d done my research on Stefan. Thoroughly.
His capabilities were on par with mine, as he’d served in the Serbian Special Forces for twenty-three years, which meant he was more than capable of taking any of us down if he desired to.
And even after departing from the military, he’d continued to expand his lethality, working with countless other crime lords and deadly organizations to ensure he adapted to anyone who posed a threat.
He knew of me because of the danger I presented, and I came to know him because of his shared qualities. Which made me wonder: if I had allowed my darkened past to convolute my mind, would I have ended up as apathetic and vile as him?
Another body crashed into the ground, Matt wiping the hand holding his gun across his forehead. “It’s… almost too easy, right?”
“That’s what I was thinking,” Lev replied before I could, his olive green eyes darting between us. “Either this bastard has an entire group of highly trained men waiting for us somewhere else, or this isn’t one of his main compounds, so he hasn’t bothered implementing effective security measures.”
“Let’s hope for the latter.” Keeping my rifle raised, I rounded yet another corner, coming up empty-handed on men, but not on a discovery.
As if to mock Levander’s thought process, a large steel door greeted us, a biometric screening pad positioned on its right. Its frame was impenetrable, fixed to the cement wall with a dense metal casing and hinges that appeared to be built to withstand even the most intentional force.
My jaw feathered, and a lengthened exhale followed. “Fuck.”
“Fuck?” Simon exasperated through my earpiece. “Is everything okay?”
“Well, yes and no,” Lev answered for me. “We’re good, but now we have what appears to be a four-step biometric lock preventing us from moving deeper into the compound.”
“Well, fuck.” The clacking of keys followed Simon’s curse and the unmistakable slurp of a drink.
Seconds passed before his voice lit up our comms. “I’m pretty sure I can compromise the sensors and bypass using the software’s vulnerabilities to almost cheat the system, if you will, but it might trigger an alarm. ”
“Well, isn’t that fun.” Flipping my safety on, I lowered the rifle against my chest. “Get to work then, O’Neill. We don’t have all night. If you can tap into any cameras beyond this door, that would be appreciated, so we have a heads-up of what to expect.”
He scoffed. “It’s like you don’t know me. I’m just waiting for your approval, hot-cakes.”
Rolling my eyes, my lips curled slightly. “You don’t need my approval. I trust you to do your job, so do it.”
Matt snorted. “Hot-cakes is new.”
“Yes, sir. As far as the cameras, I managed to tap into one. It’s a shitty angle, though, so I’m kinda blind here. There doesn’t seem to be anyone, but it does lead to a hallway with multiple doors on each side.”
“Can you tell if there are access pads next to each door?” I asked, running a gloved hand through my hair. “With us still unaware of where he’s housing Liam, we may need you to crack into each room. I’m hoping the locks are electric and don’t require a physical key.”
“Mmm, zooming in, it looks like… Colors.” Simon paused, his tone shifting from overwhelming emotions. “Locks… Locks are electric.”
“Perfect. After you breach this door and trigger the alarm, work on the doors. We are getting all these kids out.”
“Yes, sir.”
As Simon went dark, Matt cocked his head, bouncing lightly on his heels. He glanced at Lev, lips parting as if he wanted to say something, but the blaring success of our hacker bellowed throughout the compound. The biometric lock powered off, and an unmistakable click sounded from the door.
Nodding between Matt and Lev, I flicked my tongue against my teeth. “We move. Fast and quiet. Lev, I want you to usher these kids out to your men. Matt, you’re snagging Liam as soon as we find him and getting the fuck out of here. Understood?”
“Copy that.” Lev winked, adjusting his hold on his rifle.
“Got it,” Matt answered.
“I’ll get the blankets ready!” Oren shouted, barreling down the line. “God, I can barely hear shit over that alarm!”
Good. None of them caught on.
I chuckled, flipping on the light attached to my vest as we moved through the door. “Yeah? How do you think we feel?”
“Like trapped mice,” Oren rattled off. “Or maybe like sardines? I don’t know how packed it is there. Or maybe… maybe like your head is going to explode from the noise.”
“Christ, Valens!” Matt coughed, stepping to the side to allow me to get to the front of the line.
“Well, I don’t know. Just make sure you protect my baby. He’s overdue for a cock sucking, and I’m more than willing right after we all leave this damn place.”
Simon cut through, voice laden with heat. “Keypads are unlocked, so I would prefer to focus on getting my fucking boyfriend back, not what you plan to do after, Oren.”
“O’Neill,” I snarled in warning, continuing to move down the hallway as Lev began ushering children from the rooms toward the exit.
Either neglecting my tone or not finding it important to respond, he continued. “Green color is… is Liam.”
Coming to the door, my agitation built from his mounting disrespect. “Yeah? I’m fully fucking aware!”
Not spotting a keypad and instead an ordinary lock, I ground my teeth together before lifting my foot and driving it into the door. Ignoring the spike of pain that followed from the abrupt movement, I focused on the hinges squealing in protest before I kicked it again.
And again.
And again.
It slammed open beneath my wrath; I raised my gun immediately. With a quick sweep of the room, I turned to look at Matt, who mirrored my solemn expression, neither of us muttering our discovery down the line.
Liam is gone.
“Is… Is he alright?” Simon managed to speak, timbre riddled with anxiety and desperation.
I couldn’t bring myself to answer, not with the settling realization that we may have arrived too late. And that delay in our execution? It fucking fell on me.
I hadn’t woken up fast enough.
I hadn’t gotten out of that goddamn hospital bed quick enough.
I hadn’t—
“Thorne!” Lev’s voice tore me from my internalized spiral, his voice erupting through the line while also still audibly echoing down the hall. “One of the kids said there’s an underground cell block. End of the hall, take a left, you’ll find a stairwell!”
“What’s going on?”
Simon.
Matt twisted his gaze to mine, nodded, and repositioned his gun with a quick flick toward the location Lev stated. “My gun’s still pretty loaded, and I think I’ll enjoy a few more rounds.”
I swallowed once, gesturing for him to move before I responded to Simon. “Stefan moved him.”
Making light work of the distance, Matt’s boots slapped against the stairs, each one echoing with the finality of this location as we descended beneath this hellhole.
Light fractured to nothing, a pit of despair as the sound of our breathing heightened.
Foot touching solid ground, it was Matt who found the light source first, flicking it on with haste.
“M-Moved him? Is he—”
“Fuck. I got eyes on him!” Matt shouted, gaze narrowing on the prison bars as he closed the distance with the speed and precision I’d trained him with. “Liam, buddy, hey.”
A soft, barely audible rasped whimper came from the distance. “No… please… please…”
“Fuck…” I breathed out, rushing to follow Matt. “Simon. Simon. We found him.”
A shattered sob. “T-Thank you.”
“Thorne, I need to get in.”
Pressing a finger to his lips, Matt shook his head, and I knew instantly he didn’t want to freak Simon out. Liam was in rough condition, but it was the continued pleading from him that suggested Liam didn’t even know we were there. Matt took out his earpiece, tossing it to me.
My brows furrowed. “What?”
“Simon doesn’t need to hear what’s about to happen. You… You know how he’s going to respond.”
Without waiting for a reply, Matt picked the lock, the door swinging open as he stepped inside. Careful to approach Liam with caution, he halted a few inches from him.
His pause sent a wave of concern through me. “Matt. I need an update.”