CHAPTER 31 - Bryan Trevor
Maybe I’ll never be your knight in shining armor
Maybe I’ll never be the one you take home to mother
And maybe I’ll never be the one who brings you flowers
But I can be the one, be the one tonight
Perfect – One Direction
“I’m approaching the location,” Darius says through the earpiece, and I see the dirt road and, further ahead, the warehouse. “Three cars parked.”
“Probably henchmen,” I say, observing every detail. “Be quick and don’t screw up—my wife’s life is on the line.”
“I never miss, Shadow,” he responds with a cocky edge.
He’s not lying.
That’s exactly why I put him in the line of fire.
Beyond his flawless track record, Darius is ex-Delta Force with an impressive ability to disarm people.
If anyone could handle ten men trying to kill him, it’s Darius.
“That’s why you work for me, so keep it that way,” I instruct, and he kills the engine in front of the location Gavin texted.
Darius gets out, adjusting his hat and sunglasses.
Two men approach as he rounds the car.
“Who are you?” they demand, pointing guns at my security guard’s head.
“Delivery driver from ‘Northern Horizon Logistics,’” he responds as instructed.
“And what the hell are you doing here?”
“I came to deliver a package,” he responds, and the view shifts to the car’s interior as he grabs the Pandora’s box I sent for that worm Gavin.
The box that will mark the beginning of his downfall!
The feed returns to the men ahead, and Dominic is already running facial recognition on both of them.
We’re going to find out who they are, what they do, their families, and most importantly, where they hang out.
If Gavin doesn’t lead me to Noah, his henchmen will.
While Dominic focuses on the laptop beside me and I keep my eyes on Darius, Travis stays silent in the back seat.
“I think you’d better get out of here,” one of them threatens, gun pointed at Darius’s chest.
“The delivery is for Gavin Black. Isn’t this where he is?”
“Who sent it?” the other asks suspiciously.
“I don’t know the name, but he’s a tall guy, light eyes, covered in tattoos,” he continues, playing his part. “Did they give me the wrong address? I had a feeling, since this place looks abandoned,” he says, feigning irritation.
“Wait…” one of the henchmen says. “Keep an eye on him while I go check if we’re supposed to receive the package.”
The guy walks away and I track him until he disappears through the warehouse’s iron door.
The camera we installed in Darius’s glasses was the perfect way to monitor everything without risking myself or putting Noah’s life in danger.
It captures audio too, and if everything goes as planned, I’ll soon have my girl’s exact location.
I’m just a few kilometers away, hidden in the woods, ready to intervene if necessary.
Andrew and Hunter are already positioned a few meters out.
Dylan stayed back at the house with Luke to protect Sadie.
The iron door opens and I grip the steering wheel hard when I see Gavin emerge.
He strides toward the van with a smug expression.
His footsteps seem to echo in my head, and it takes everything I have not to charge over there and rip his brains out.
With him are the guy who went to notify him and two more men.
“What’s in the box?” he asks as he approaches.
His eyes flash with rage, and I know exactly what’s fueling it.
He was expecting me, not a delivery driver.
Gavin thought I’d be stupid enough to walk right into his trap.
He believed he’d finish me off easily.
“I don’t know, sir. My job is just to make the delivery.”
“I don’t recognize this company,” he says with disdain, pointing to the logo on the van’s side. “Who hired you?”
“I just started and I’m trying to do my job,” Darius says, and I hear the feigned fear in his tone. “I only took the delivery because the guy paid a fortune.”
He narrows his eyes, still suspicious.
Come on, Gavin, open that shit!
I want to scream, but I just wait.
My knuckles are white and aching from gripping the steering wheel so hard.
“Open the box,” he orders, just like I knew he would.
He’s so predictable.
Such an idiot!
“Are you sure? If it’s something person—”
“Just open the damn box and get the hell out of here!” he hisses, cutting Darius off.
I lean back in my seat, eyes fixed on the iPad on the dashboard.
I hear paper tearing and wait for the show to begin.
“Are these real?” Darius shouts, and I hear the box hit the ground as the view through the glasses blurs when my friend jumps back.
Darius was right when he said he never fails.
The son of a bitch never misses, and if he weren’t such a badass security guard, he could easily have a career in acting.
“Let go of me, you asshole!” Gavin shouts. I get my view of him back when Darius backs away, releasing him. “You should be ashamed of being such a coward,” he snarls, crouching down. When he stands back up, he’s holding the box.
I smile, pleasure washing over me as I watch the reaction spread across his face.
First, he narrows his eyes to read the message.
“Now Tilden Black is keeping his father company in the devil’s lap, but I decided to send you a little souvenir of him. Not that you’ll be able to appreciate it for long—after all, soon it’ll be pieces of your body that end up mutilated.”
Then his face starts turning red with hatred.
There’s no remorse or pain.
Just pure hatred!
It’s fascinating to watch him realize I’m not a kid anymore, that now he’s dealing with someone who can be just as cruel as he is.
The difference is I destroy despicable vermin, and he destroys innocent women.
When he stares at Darius, I see how much he wants to kill me.
In your dreams. That’s the only way you’ll ever destroy me.
“C-can I leave, sir?” Darius stammers, still pretending to be shaken as he stares at the two bloody hands.
“If you’re not out of here in two seconds, I’ll show you how to be a real man,” he threatens, and Darius runs to the van.
I hear the ignition turn over.
The tires squealing as he accelerates.
“Your idea was genius,” Dominic says, turning the screen toward me. “Look at that little dot moving!”
My eyes light up as I stare at the screen.
A sick satisfaction fills my body.
I look at the red dot.
At Gavin.
This dumbass set a trap but ended up falling into it himself. When Darius pretended to be scared while opening the box, he lunged toward Gavin, and his hand found the bastard’s back.
Lucky for us, Gavin’s clothes are dark, just like the tracking sticker my security guard slapped on him.
“We’re on our way to meet you,” Darius announces through the earpiece, and I know he’s already met up with Andrew and Hunter.
“And now we wait, right?” Travis asks, and I glance in the rearview mirror.
I understand his need to know where his sister is.
I get it, because I’m one step away from killing people to get to Noah.
But now more than ever, we need to be careful, because any damn mistake could cost them their lives.
“In a few minutes, he’ll leave the warehouse and lead us to Noah and Brittany. Soon they’ll both be with us,” I say, feeling like I’m getting closer to finding my butterfly.
To pulling her from the cocoon.
To making her fly.
And to Gavin Black facing the full weight of my fury.
“The dot started moving faster,” Dominic warns, getting my attention. “He’s probably in the car.”
“Come on, Gavin, show me just how stupid you are,” I say out loud.
“Are we going to follow?” Travis asks, and I shake my head, looking in the rearview mirror.
“He might see our car. We’ll wait for him to stop somewhere, and then we’ll head there so we don’t risk being seen.” He nods, and I lean back in my seat.
I grab my phone and dial Luke’s number.
Even though all my security guards were handpicked, I trust my brother most when it comes to taking care of Sadie.
He stayed at the house to reinforce security with Dylan and Atlas.
“Tell me it worked,” his voice comes through the line, and I smile.
“Better than we expected,” I respond and hear a “hell yeah.” “Darius managed to get out without showing his skills or raising suspicions, and we’re tracking Gavin now.”
“I wish I was with you, damn it!” he curses. “I only cursed because she’s in the room with Greta,” he adds, knowing I was going to call him out.
“Take care of your niece and I’ll handle the rest,” I say out loud, forgetting that Dom and Travis are beside me.
Damn it!
I feel both of them staring at me, but I just pretend nothing came out of my mouth.
It’s not that I want to hide Sadie.
Never.
I want to shout from the rooftops that she’s my daughter.
But I can only do that when Noah allows it.
“Give me updates or I’ll hack your phone and find out,” he threatens.
“Try it and I’ll rip your head off,” I respond, and hear him laugh.
“You seem to have a fascination with mutilating bodies,” he shoots back, still smiling.
Idiot!
“Just like you love burning people alive, right?” I provoke.
“What can I do if the desperate screams of people I hate fascinate me?” he mocks, and I let out a proud laugh. “Can’t deny we’re brothers.”
“That’s true. So burn anyone who gets close to Sadie to hurt her, no matter who it is,” I order and hang up.
I keep my eyes fixed on the screen, and for almost half an hour, the dot keeps moving.
When it stops, I’m certain that’s where they are.
The map already shows it’s an isolated area.
The perfect place to set up this atrocity he and Elias created.
“Travis, where did you get the gas cans?” I ask suddenly, remembering the conversation with my brother.
“A friend…” he responds briefly.
“And what’s the price for this friend to bring some cans here?” I place my finger on the stopped dot.
His mouth curves into a knowing smile.
“Nothing we can’t afford,” he responds, and through the rearview mirror I see him bring his phone to his ear.
Hell begins now.
And this time, Gavin and all his cronies will be the ones burning in it!
Point of view change to Noah Black
“You need to calm down,” Brittany says, holding my arm. “He knows you well, doesn’t he?” I nod, unable to say anything. “Then he understood your signal.”
“What if…”