“He’s missing.” Taz reported. “Last night armed men broke into the place—shot Laura in the back. She was running away, and the shot her in the back.”
“Fucking cowards.” Kujo muttered. “Who shoots a woman in the back?”
“Ellie?” I asked. There was no reason to ask about Laura. If they clocked her in the back, they didn’t go there to leave anyone alive.
“She’s fine.” Swede replied. “They got the mother and the puppy.”
“For fuck’s sakes.” I grunted. “They had to kill the dog too? I mean, what’s he going to say?”
No one replied.
I rubbed my eyes wondering why I hadn’t just stayed in bed. “Give me the information you have. I’ll go take a look at the house then speak with Ellie.”
Taz tossed me a set of keys. “We figured you probably shouldn’t drive your own vehicle around right now. So, to kinda make up for stepping into your vacation, we’ve gotten you a toy.”
“You were sure I’d say yes, weren’t you?” I mused.
“More like hoping. We didn’t know you and Ellie had some dangerous history.” Kujo replied. “You’re a good man, Cobra.”
“Let me get changed.” I eyed him.
“Need directions?” Swede asked.
“Did they move in the last few years?” I wanted to know.
“Nope.” Taz told me. “Same place as always.”
“Then, I’m good.” I gathered the file Swede handed me and without another word, I left the group. By the time I went through all the information given to me, and headed back down to the others, Swede and Kujo were gone. Taz was having leftover stew.
“This is delicious.” Taz mused. “I think Hannah is in love.”
I smirked. “Sorry, brother.”
Taz chewed. “For real though, watch your back. You carrying?”
I eased a side of my coat out of the way to show him the gun and badge strapped to my hip. I grabbed his coffee and took a healthy sip. “I’ll see you.”
When I exited the house, I was greeted by a black Dodge Charger. It sat in the driveway, one of the sexiest cars I’d ever seen.
“Try keeping it in one piece?” Taz asked. “Reaper’s fiancée gave it to him as an engagement present and he will strangle you if you scratch it.”
“Reaper?”
“Yeah.” Taz sipped from his mug. “One of our new guys.”
I tossed myself into the driver’s seat and slammed the door. With a twist of my wrist, the car roared, and it was as sexy as I imagined it would be. I honked at Taz and made a quick turn, then sped along the dirt road leading me to the main road. My mind switched to what I read in the scant file. Most of it I already knew. The Sargents had money and wielded it like a kid who’d found his father’s loaded gun.
Their behaviour only grew worse over the years. The moment Ellie had her license, she became a certified nuisance. From driving through the neighbours’ fields, to tearing through town at breakneck speed. Who was going to stop her? The law seemed to have been afraid of anything to do with them.
All those years and she was still a spoiled little bitch with no regard for anyone around her. I frowned, pulled to a stop in front of the house. After turning off the engine, I sat back to look the place over. As a kid, this place gave me the creeps—nothing had changed.
“What a waste.” I muttered.
It took everything in me to find a pair of gloves in my pocket, climb from the vehicle and lumbered up the stairs. For a moment, I stared at the door as if it was the cause of all my horrors in life.
No matter how long I stood there, I knew what had to be done. I had come this far and there was no turning back. The urge to strangle Taz and every single one of the Protectors filled my brain as I ducked under the police tape. Out of habit, I pushed at the door with the tow of my shoes. To my surprise, it opened easily. Being a crime scene, the door should have been locked. I frowned and pulled my gun.
I had to step over blood drops on the floor in the foyer then proceeded to clear each room one by one. When I found no one, I returned to the front door, closed it by pushing it closed with the tow of my shoe, then turned my attention to the blood drops.
