“What about cops?”
Both men laughed. No humor in it. “Half are on his payroll,” Shade said. “Other half are scared of him.”
Tank shot a look at Shade. “But that might work for us. Colter thinks he’s untouchable right now.”
Thomas looked up from his tablet. “What about weapons?”
Shade nodded toward a back room. “Kane said to let you have whatever you needed.”
At least that was something. “How well do you know the gym’s layout?”
“Well enough,” Tank said. “We helped with some of the work, but then the thing between Colter and Kane went down.”
“Yeah,” Shade said. “I’ll kill a man with a smile on my face and zero remorse, but I ain’t selling no babies.”
“Or women,” Tank added.
I looked at Thomas then back at them. “We lost quite a few men when Colter hit the house. We could use the help, if you’re willing.”
“Kane’s in there. We’re in.” Shade crossed his arms over his chest and lifted his chin. “We need a plan first.”
“Then let’s make a plan.”
Kane’s guys nodded. “We’ll see if we can get a few more to help. Some of them don’t know about the baby selling.”
Thomas looked at them. “Don’t tell them we made it out of the fire. It’s better if Colter thinks we’re dead.”
I felt that familiar surge before any operation. But this wasn’t about territory or money. This was about Cora and Elias. About family. My woman and child were being touched by evil.
“Then let’s go get them back.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
CORA
I’d vomited twicebefore the television stopped playing. Physically, I’d be okay. Mentally, I wasn’t sure I’d ever recover. Not without some serious therapy.
How did law enforcement stomach things like that? Even with my fingers in my ears, I’d still heard screams. It was a nightmare.
“So, you ready to sign?” Colter’s voice came from behind me.
Once the TV had shut off, I’d curled up in a ball on the floor and wept. I didn’t know what else to do.
Kane was still unresponsive. Several times I’d called his name only to be met with silence. I was beginning to wonder if the last round of beatings had killed him.
I didn’t even bother looking at Colter’s direction. “You’re asking me to make a choice, and both lead to losing my son. Hard pass, you narcissistic loser.”
A growl came from behind me. “You’re pushing your luck you little…”
My body was moving before my mind even knew what I had decided on doing. It was like I was on autopilot. I was almost nose to nose with the loser. “Pushing what? My luck? Maya pushed hers too, didn’t she?”
Kane said Colter had killed her, and I’d had hours to think about things. Maya’s accident. The fact that she’d been trying to get her life back together and then Colter’s sudden desire to be a father.
And Jason keeping something from me. I’d been so wrapped up in Elias, court, custody, and the upcoming wedding, I’d basically turned into an emotional volcano. All steam and no brain.
His face morphed into something more than just a lunatic. A smile spreading on his lips. “Maya tried to play the hero. Stuck her nose in places it didn’t belong, and I cut it off.” He slowly walked forward until he was up against the cage. “Literally. Oh, you should have heard her. The screams… when I was finally done with her there was no light left. Just a blank stare before I put a bullet between her eyes.”
My lungs felt like they were being vacuum sealed. “You tortured her?” I choked out as tears blurred my vision.
