“What now?” I snap, eager to get going. I hate being back here, at the place that used to be my prison. I’m already on edge and just want to get this over with.
Liam hooks the back of my neck and wrenches me to him, and I’m taken by surprise by the possessive kiss I receive. The shock of his lips claiming mine disintegrates quickly into need. This man definitely knows how to kiss. It’s consuming, and deep, and triggers a rush of wetness between my thighs. I moan into his mouth, seeking more, then pull back when he nips my lower lip hard enough to break the skin. Touching the stinging area, I notice a small smear of blood on my finger.
“You did that on purpose.”
Liam’s response is to show me his twin dimples as he smiles. “Now you can go,” he replies, sitting back in the seat, a smug look on his face.
I swear, guys are so fucking territorial. Liam marked me with that kiss so Keane and Jax would see it.
“Two hours,” I remind him, and hastily climb out of the Rover before he tries anything else.
I know this property like the back of my hand. I know the areas where the security cameras have blind spots, and the times the guards patrol the grounds. So unless Keane has changed anything recently, this should be a piece of cake. Following the route I have memorized from when I was a teenager, I walk over to the corner of the south perimeter wall and dig my toe into a jagged corner of brick. Max thought concrete looked cheap, so he used limestone bricks instead. Luckily for me, raw-cut limestone is rough and uneven, and perfect for what I’m about to do, which is rock climb this twenty-foot wall.
My fingers aren’t used to free climbing anymore, and by the time I make it to the top of the wall, I’ve got a few scrapes, cuts, and blisters. If memory serves me correctly, there are two cameras situated along this section, but their visual spread isn’t wide enough to overlap here. The forty-foot maple tree greets me with its thick branches, and I leap the five feet needed to grab hold of one, then climb my way down the trunk until I can safely let go and land on the detritus-littered ground. Now, it’s only a short five-minute walk to the house.
I’m already sweating and sticky, the fog enveloping me, and microscopic water droplets cling to my clothes and skin. The beam of a flashlight swings my way, and I drop down to a crouch behind a pine tree. Fuck. Keane must’ve changed up the rotation schedule because the guards shouldn’t be patrolling here now. I listen to the crunch of dead leaves come closer and try not to make a sound. The guy stops at the tree I’m hiding behind and lights up a cigarette. The scent of burnt tobacco wafts around me as I wait him out. If he discovers me, I’ll have no choice but to take him out and knock him unconscious.
After a few minutes, he throws his cigarette butt on the ground, grinding it into the earth with the toe of his boot, then slowly walks off. I cock my head and listen for any other noises. Once I’m sure it’s safe to proceed, I sneak my way through the trees and circle around to the east side of the house where I know there’s another camera blind spot. Just as I’m about to climb the downspout that leads up to the roof where there’s a small door that accesses the attic, I hear the click of a gun being engaged.
“Stop right there,” a man says.
I was so close. My shoulders hunch as I sigh heavily, and I slowly turn around with my hands raised. With his gun trained on me, the man comes closer, his face full of disbelief when he recognizes me.
“Andie?” Dante says.
I relax my stance. I’ve known Dante since I was twelve before he joined the organization. He went to my school and was always nice to me.
“Hey, Dante. Could you do me a favor and lower your weapon, please.” Because if he doesn’t, I’m going to have to hurt him, and I really don’t want to do that.
Thankfully, he does, and I drop my arms to my sides.
“Do I even want to ask?” he says.
“It may be better if you don’t,” I earnestly reply. “Are they in?”
Dante touches the walkie-talkie on his belt, and I give him a silent warning with my eyes not to use it because when he does, my presence will be broadcast to every person here.
Dante finally eases his rigid stance. “Fuck, Andie. It’s been a shit night. Jax and Enzo were ambushed—”
“Hold on. What?” I ask in alarm.
“Julio,” he states, his lips thinned into a grim line. “Enzo and Jax were shot.”
My ears momentarily fill with white noise. Julio and his bastard of a son came after my guys tonight. In the blink of an eye, I could have lost both of them. I still could lose Rafe.
Dante’s next words bring me back. “Jax only got a graze, but Enzo took a bullet to the abdomen.”
I cut Dante off when I turn on my heel and stalk around to the front of the house.
“Andie, dammit, wait!” Dante calls after me.
I take out my phone and dial Keane’s personal number. When it rings with no answer, I try again, but hang up, dialing Jax’s phone instead.
As soon as I reach the front double doors to the house, Jax answers his phone just as a commotion erupts behind me. I don’t turn around to see who Dante is arguing with, choosing to let him handle it.
Putting the phone to my ear, I say, “Alejandro and Julio just made the biggest fucking mistakes of their lives. Alejandro came after me, and Rafe was… he may not…” I can’t finish. I refuse to say it out loud. “Now open the fucking door,” I finish and hang up.
The right double door swings open and profound relief crashes into me, almost buckling my legs, when I see Jax and Keane.
