“Honey, I’m home,” I holler as soon as I step foot in the hallway.
“I’m in the kitchen,” Ash shouts, and I walk in that direction.
My love is sitting beside Bree at the island unit, both of them hunched over a laptop.
Ash lifts her head, and there are tears in her eyes. “We know where Chad is.”
“Good.” I nod as I come up behind her. Wrapping my arms around her slender waist, I rest my chin on her shoulder.
“She keeps her depravity close to home,” Bree confirms, scrolling through the report she’s received from the team we assigned to locate Chad. Bree points at an aerial shot of a large building surrounded by woodland. “She had this structure built ten years ago for her charitable ‘work’ on the grounds of her home.”
“Heat signatures confirm she has built her dungeon underneath the building,” Ash says, holding on to my arms.
Warmth seeps into my skin as delicious tingles shoot up my arms. One touch from my love, and I’m like putty in her hands.
“Security is a big issue.” Bree frowns, reading part of the report. “Our guys tried hacking into her systems to see how easy it was to breach and couldn’t get past the firewall.”
“I bet Theo could.” Ash leans back into me.
“He probably could, but I don’t want to involve our friends unless we have absolutely no choice. They don’t deserve to get dragged into this mess.”
“That’s only part of the problem,” Bree adds, squinting as she speed-reads the words on the screen. “Armed guards man the exterior and interior twenty-four-seven. Even if we could disable the cameras and security system, we will still have them to deal with.”
“Run background checks on the guards,” I say, holding Ash closer. “Let’s find some dirt on one of them and use him as our way in.”
“We don’t have the time for that.” Ash peers up at me. “We need to get him out of there now, Jase.” Her voice cracks, and I know how hard this is for her. I know she is deliberately not thinking about Chad or her father so she holds it together. “I hate the thought of what that bitch is doing to him.”
“Our teams are the best in the world at this stuff.” I try to reassure her as Bree is already on her cell phone, barking out instructions. “We’ll have the intel soon.” I swivel her stool around and reel her into my chest. “We’ll get him out tomorrow night. The party is the perfect camouflage.”
“Her kids must know about it.” Ash rubs her hands up and down my chest. “How else would she explain the armed guards?”
“Not necessarily. The Carter property is vast, and they may not even know it exists,” I explain.
“She had it built at the very rear of their grounds in a secluded spot that is far away from the outdoor spaces the family uses,” Bree says after she ends her call. “Even if they are aware, I’m sure she has made it appear legit. She runs annual fundraisers for a few key charities, and she uses her contacts to exact large donations from benefactors. It’s not always cash. People donate priceless works of art, unique pieces of jewelry, and things like cars and boats. I am guessing she stores a lot of that shit in the main area of the building, and it’s how she explains the need for such high-level security.”
“What a hypocritical bitch. Working for charity and making herself look like an angel when she’s clearly the devil. I wonder what her charity contacts would think if they knew she has been kidnapping and abusing men for her own sick pleasure,” Ash hisses.
“She’s going to pay for it.” I wind my fingers through her long, wavy pink hair. “We are going to punish her and put a stop to it. I promise.”
Bree glances at Ash, drilling her with some silent command.
Ash clears her throat. “Bree and I have been talking, and we think we need to bring Baz fully in on this.”
My fingers stall in her hair. “No. Absolutely not. He can’t be trusted.”
“I don’t agree. Look what he did for us, and he has readily agreed to help with Lilianna and the Ruben meeting.”
I snarl under my breath, pulling away from Ash as I drag my hands through my hair. I do not want to think about my brother fucking my woman at a time when I’m planning our wedding. All it will do is put me in a foul mood. Forcing myself to calm down, I blow air out of my mouth before I reply. “Can we not do this today?” I thread my fingers in hers. “I want us to enjoy this afternoon, and that won’t happen if I’m thinking about Baz.”
Ash shares a fleeting look with my sister over my shoulder before nodding. “Okay.” She stands. “We can talk about it later.”
I’d prefer to never talk about it, but I can’t be stubborn either. I hate we might need him. But I won’t sacrifice Chad’s welfare or finding Ares’s sister for stupid pride or competitiveness or whatever this shit is that has always existed between us.
“PC2.” Bree claims my attention, and I look over at her. “Did things go according to plan this morning?”
The stupid smile is back on my face. “They did.” I waggle my brows at her, and she nods, her face lighting up with excitement.
“Then I know where I need to be. I’m out, peeps.” She mock salutes us before skipping out of the room.
