Hunter frowned at me. “This is a fucking tank. You haven’t yet installed the super-speed mode.”
The tension in the car was at an all time high, and I knew I was allowing emotion to cloud my judgement. Still, I gave Hunter another look. He’d never complained about the speed of the tank before. I took another moment and stared out the window. Nothing I could do would get us there faster. But I’d make sure I was ready when I got there. I took several deep breaths as I watched the green hills start morphing into the outskirts of our small town. We drove past the busy Main Street with all the shop fronts, all the way past those manicured lawns. The lane for the school was quiet. Just before the turn off for the farm where Salinger Security had its headquarters, Hunter made a right and headed in the direction of the drive-in.
My comms unit crackled once more and Nick began barking orders. “Spence-Snow-Bauman, drive around to the south end, there should be a fence there, but all three of you should be able to scale it easily. God knows, I’m getting too old for that shit. Mason, Bex and I will take the east, there’s a side gate. Oliver and Noah are already approaching from the west.”
I frowned and looked around at Hunter and Shiloh. “Nick. What about the North.”
Nick took a moment before he answered. “The North is providing the distraction.”
“Motherfucker.” Maggie, Tiffany, and Ryder were the distraction. “Nick I?—”
“We don’t have a choice.” Nick didn’t give me a chance to protest. “This is the hand they dealt us. I have no doubt all three of them have a stern lecture in their future. But the truth is, they’re going in no matter what we say. Which means we use that to the best of our advantage and give them the cover they need.”
As per Nick’s instructions, we pulled into the parking lot next to the south side of the field. The big screen had been destroyed years ago. Not even the huge stand for the screen was around anymore. We scaled the fence, and crouched low. The shrubs and tall grass didn’t provide a lot of cover, but we made it work. We moved in with our weapons drawn. Voices were becoming more distinct and I could see Tiffany’s hatchback on the other end of the field.
“There.” Shiloh’s voice was low, but hard.
I looked in the direction she had pointed, and sure enough. There was the asshole getting in my woman’s face. I couldn’t see Hayden or Zoe. But I had to imagine he wasn’t there alone. Who knew where the fuck his brothers were.
Hunter cleared that up almost immediately. “There at that post. I see Keith and Charlie.”
He pointed in the direction where the concession stand used to be. The rotten wood and flimsy tin roof did not look safe. And those two idiots were taking shelter there.
“Nick. Hunter’s headed over to the concession stand. Keith and Charlie are there. I don’t see Hayden but I think Zoe’s laying on the ground. He needs backup.”
Shiloh stepped up behind me. “Come. Let’s go get the loves of our lives. I am going to throw this in his face for the rest of his life.”
I couldn’t say I blamed her. Ryder was the voice of reason. A free spirit, yes. But never reckless. I could see how Shiloh could milk the situation.
The comms unit crackled. “Keith and Charlie apprehended. Zoe’s unconscious but breathing.”
I let out a breath. My sister was alive. I didn’t know what her injuries were, but I could deal with that later.
And then all hell broke loose. Charlie had come running out of the concession stand shouting. “Fred. The bitch brought everyone.”
Fred turned around and spotted me. In the blink of an eye, he had pulled Maggie against him, and held a gun to her head.
“Hold steady.” Nick’s voice was cold and calm in my ear. “I know you feel like he should be yours, but Mason is trained for this. You focus on your woman and child.”
I held my gun pointed at Fred. Actually, since the fucker was a coward, it was mostly pointed at Maggie. Ryder looked as if he was trying to reason with him, while Tiffany took hold of Hayden. Keeping my gun on Fred, and my eyes on my friends, I walked in the direction of my son.
“Mason. Give me time to shield Hayden.”
“Make it quick.” Mason wasn’t as cold as his brother, but the man was a sniper. Nothing ruffled him. “This fucker is making me nervous.”
I knew what he meant. Fred was unpredictable. The only reason Maggie was still alive was because he considered her a trophy. I got as close as I could without Fred feeling threatened. He’d already demanded I stop several times. I caught sight of Maggie’s face. Yeah, she was scared. But layered over all that fear was her fury. If it wasn’t for the fact that she saw me and hadto know that there were others around she would’ve laid into him. But, my woman was smart. She wasn’t about to do anything more to antagonize him.
Ryder was still talking to Fred, and I was impressed, he’d managed to get within six feet of the psychopath.
As soon as I was close enough, I nodded at Tiffany. She bent down to say something to Hayden. He looked in my direction, and without thinking my little boy ran straight for me. Fred spotted where Hayden was going and aimed his gun at me, allowing Maggie to drop down. The move gave Mason a clear shot just as I grabbed my son, ensuring he never saw the way the man who gave him life went down.
A single bullet flew from Fred’s gun, but fortunately it didn’t hit anyone.
“It’s okay, buddy.” I held Hayden close. “We’re all safe, now.”
Maggie ran up to me, her hands going around both me and Hayden. She held on tight, as if she wanted to make sure we were okay.
But there was something I needed to say, and it couldn’t wait a moment longer.
