Chapter Seventeen
Rex
Nine forty-five PM...G-Force Covert Task Force, Avionics warehouse...
“It’s time,” Camden said as his watch beeped.
“Is the boat ready?”Max asked and chucked down the last of his drink.
“It’s prepped and waiting at the marina,” Camden confirmed.“Low profile, all black, perfect for a night operation.”
“Well, what are we waiting for?”Axel checked his gear and led the way out to the Humvee.The trip to the marina was done in silence while each man contemplated the safety of their loved ones.
Once settled on the sleek boat, Camden steered it out of the marina.The hull cut through Lake Pontchartrain’s dark waters, running silently as they approached their target.Masters’ estate emerged from the gloom, a sprawling mansion set back from the private dock.Security lights cast pools of illumination across the manicured grounds, but the water approach remained shadowy and inviting.The five men stood at the bow, their tactical gear blending into the night as the clock edged past nine p.m.
“Something’s been nagging at me.”Axel broke the tense silence.His voice was barely above a whisper as he watched the approaching shoreline.“Don’t you find it strange that Dominic Drake showed up at CDS after twenty years of radio silence?Just like that, he appears without making contact with any of us prior to the opening night.We were best friends at varsity, so his action doesn’t sit right.”
Rex turned, interest piqued.“You’re thinking about that scene in the dungeon?”
“Yeah.The way he goaded you after that shit with Xia...”Axel shook his head.“That wasn’t the Dominic we knew.Hell, he used to practically worship the ground you walked on.”
“Now that you mention it,” Rex leaned against the railing, brow furrowed in thought, “I can't recall any incident that drove him away.He just...vanished.Although he always seemed envious, which never made sense.Kid came from old money and had every advantage.”
Dexter snorted, checking his weapon for the third time.“Remember how he called himself our younger tag-along?Like he was some kind of charity case?”
“For which I boxed his ears; he was only a couple of years our junior,” Max growled.“His confidence was shot to hell because his parents treated his achievements like they were nothing.Everything was measured against his peers’ success.”
Axel’s laugh held no humor.“Welcome to the club.We were all swimming in that same shitty pool of parental disappointment, but we didn’t let it define us.”
“Not everyone processes childhood trauma the same way,” Rex said quietly with a distant look in his eyes.“Some people let it fester.”
Jax, who had been unusually quiet, suddenly straightened.“Hold up.Are you guys suggesting DD might be connected to this whole Consortium mess?”
“Just speculating,” Axel replied, but his tone suggested otherwise.“I mean, did he even say hi to any of you when he arrived on board?He didn’t speak one word to me the entire weekend, and I don’t recall seeing him talking to any of you, except for Rex and Max during their altercation.”
“You’re right,” Max said thoughtfully.“Every time I tried to approach him, he disappeared.Thinking back, he definitely made a point of avoiding me.”
“I stood right there next to them in the dungeon, and I kept thinking about the look in his eyes when Rex chased him out of the dungeon...it wasn’t indignation or anger.”Axel shook his head as the memory twirled in his mind.“It was cold and calculating...fuck, I’d say it looked like pure hatred.”
The boat’s engine throttled down as they neared the private dock.Rex watched the mansion grow larger as his tactical mind was already mapping entry points even while he processed this new theory.“It might be worth digging into what he’s been up to all these years.Last I heard, he was running with a questionable crowd after graduation.”
“CDS membership doesn’t come cheap,” Max pointed out.“Annual fees alone would buy a house.Whatever he’s been doing, he’s made money at it.”
