All I can hear is the rush of blood pumping through my body. My focus is locked on making sure my trusted Glock is ready for war. I’ve already gathered more powerful weapons to take with me, but I don’t go anywhere without my baby. I concentrate only on the task at hand and force myself not to ponder on all the fucked-up shit that might be happening to Jenna right now. If I let my brain go there, I won’t be able to do what I need to in order to get her out of there. I’ll be too riddled with the need to carve and slice the flesh from every one of those Reapers and then put it all back together to do it again.
Torturing each and every one of those disgusting fucks when I finally get my Angel out of there will be the sweetest revenge. It becomes my mission to hand-deliver the most gruesome torture I can to each of them, starting with Jack and ending with Red so he can watch all the monsters he created cry and plead for their lives. The bell dings above the front door of the garage and we all point our guns in that direction.
“Woah! Woah! It’s us, assholes,” Falcon, Spider, and Knife walk in with their hands up. I walk around Blaze and step out of the office.
“What do you have?” I don’t have time for pleasantries, not when every moment away from her means she could be hurt, alone, and scared.
After the phone call from Jack, Ace managed to trace the call back to a small ranch outside of town. I’m familiar with the ranch, as many of us are. It used to belong to an old dairy farmer before he passed. He was never married and didn’t have children, so the bank bought the land and let it sit vacant for almost ten years now. Many of us know the layout—just a house and barn on the property. But with how much time has passed, Prince sent a few men out to scout the area and report back with whatever information they can.
We gather around the makeshift table in the center of the garage as the three men relay everything they’ve gathered. During the hour of surveillance, four men guard the perimeter of the house at all times. They count at least ten to fifteen men coming and going from the house, including Red, but they never saw Jenna. Just hearing them say her name in connection to the situation puts an extremely bad taste in my mouth.
When Falcon, Knife, and Spider finish giving us the details, Ace and Jax step up to take point. Prince stands with us, letting his men shine where they’re needed. Each of us carries special skills that provide knowledge in almost every facet imaginable. You need anything tech-related? Call Ace. Military-related? Call Jax or Blaze. Mechanical or torture-related? Me.
Ace hands each of us a small, clear earpiece that fits comfortably in the canal of my ear. Within seconds, I hear a low beep, and his voice comes in quickly before going silent again. He then hands me thick, almost goggle-like glasses that fit snugly against my face.
“When we first pull up, we will park on the road and walk in through the woods surrounding the house,” Jax says, mapping out the area and the best way to infiltrate. “These earpieces arehow we communicate with one another. They also allow us to move quickly and efficiently. The sooner we’re in and out, the less time we have for shit to go sideways. You got me?” He looks around to each of us as we nod in unison. “These are night vision goggles, and we’ll need them to get into and out of the area easily.” His lips thin as he makes eye contact with me.
“There are multiple places she might be, but the first places to check are the upper bedrooms. The first floor is too open, and they’re probably not stupid enough to have her out in the open.”
Prince moves to the corner and begins speaking. “This must be done with precision. She gets out alive, and we deal with these rats once and for all. If you can, I want Red alive.” He adjusts his cut over his white button-down and sneers, an evil filling his eyes. “He’s going to pay for thinking he can fuck with us, take one of our women and use her as a pawn.”
The room goes silent as Jax continues to lay out each and every detail of how we’ll approach and attack. One thing about the Hell Chasers is that we are meticulous, plan for anything, so no matter what, we always come out on top. It’s what makes us so deadly.
After Jax and Ace finish, each of us straps up and checks our weapons one last time. We walk out of the back entrance and don’t look back.
We take SUVs to be more discreet. The Chaser in me wants to be on the back of my bike, tearing into enemy territory without giving a shit if they know I’m coming. But I won’t leave anything to chance. This needs to go exactly as planned so we can get Jenna out safely.
I sit in the passenger seat, continuously checking the mirrors to make sure we aren’t being followed. We pass the last road in town and drive another two miles before pulling off onto a gravel access road that, to the untrained eye, looks like it leads nowhere. Halfway down, we park and get out, needing to go onfoot from here to avoid drawing attention to ourselves. No one speaks but moves as if we’ve choreographed this mission.
Rounding the car, I make eye contact with Blaze, my best friend and probably the man I trust more than anyone here. His eyes are lit with fire as he flashes a wicked grin. It’s as if the devil himself has been implanted into all of us, because right now, we are no longer men—we’re killers who can smell blood in the air.
We spread out and make our way to the edge of the tree line surrounding the house. We’re close enough to see what we need to but not close enough to be spotted.
I kneel down and stick the butt of my gun against my shoulder. I look through the scope and easily make out two men walking back and forth in front of the house, each strapped with automatic rifles. I look up onto the porch and see five men sitting and smoking, laughing as if they don’t have a care in the world. The top left bedroom window is the only one with the shades closed. My heart pounds in my chest, wondering if she’s in there. Cal’s voice breaks through my thoughts.
“I have eyes on two in back,” his voice comes in low, steady.
“I have two in front, ready when you are.” I take a deep breath, clicking the safety off my gun and wrapping my finger around the trigger, but I don’t squeeze yet.
“When Axel and Cal shoot, we move. Everyone in position?” Jax’s gravelly voice commands into my ear. Instantly, everyone fires back a quiet “yes.” I hear Cal take a deep breath.
“Take the shot.”
I line up my sight, so the crosshairs land directly between the eyes of one of the Reapers on guard. Steadying my body, I squeeze the trigger and watch as the back of his head explodes across the front of the house. I don’t have much time to admire my work before I turn and do the same to the other guard, who’s just watched what happened to the man next to him. I move quickly, keeping low as I make my way to the side of the house.A blood-curdling scream comes from inside, and I see red. That isn’t just anyone’s scream—it’s Jenna’s.
“Easy,” I hear through the earpiece. It’s Jax, and I’m halfway to the porch when he speaks again. “If you barrel in there now, you’re as good as dead and no good to her. Keep your shit together, and we’ll get her out.”
I grip my gun until my knuckles turn white but obey the command and slink down until I’m close enough to see the men on the porch. Moving almost invisibly, I reach up and slit the throat of the man who was leaning on the railing. Before I can exhale, Cal snipes the remaining two men on the porch in front of me. Blood splatters across my face, and I revel in the warm feeling.
I drop low again and continue moving as more shots ring out around me. The front window of the house shatters as another round of bullets tears through the glass. A Reaper jumps from the railing and lands directly in front of me, lunging forward with a switchblade. I dodge his movement, grabbing his wrist and shoulder, slamming the back of his elbow across my bent knee. His arm explodes in the wrong direction, and his scream is pure music to my ears. Gripping his blade, I slowly stab it into his neck, letting him suffer as he stares into the eyes of his killer.
Dropping low again, I round the house and head for the back screen door. A single shot echoes from inside the house, followed by another blood-curdling scream.
“Fuck this,” I growl under my breath.
I catch sight of Jax, Knife, and Prince making entry into the house from the back. More quick shots fire, and I hear my brothers taking down the Reapers like the rats they are. I pick up my pace, flinging open the front screen door and rushing inside the small kitchen. Knife’s voice cuts through my earpiece.
“Oh, fuck, Ax!”
