Her job was to keep their exit clear so they could get back to the freight elevator and make their escape. With that thought firmly embedded in her mind, she spun around, aimed her gun down the stairs and fired at the armed men racing up.
Chapter nine
Diving for cover behind a couch, Jayson fired off another shot at one of Ferrante’s men. While charging through the door, he’d clocked four armed tangoes, and he and Corey had each neutralized one so far. Counting the fucker who answered the door, that meant three down, two left. At least, until more bad guys showed up. Because they always fucking did. He and Corey needed to haul ass.
Sabrina’s father said two men had been seen taking Emma up to the penthouse. Quite possibly one of these assholes, so he didn’t want them all dead. Crouched down behind the couch, he looked around the edge and spotted one of the thugs sitting on his ass, leaning against the wall and clutching his bleeding arm.
Staying low, Jayson aimed his gun at the injured man as he sprinted forward, dropped to his knees and slid across the floor in an epic move that brought him directly in front of his prey. He shoved the pistol’s barrel up under the guy’s chin and growled, “Where’s my daughter?”
“Fuck…you,” the thug gritted, grimacing in pain.
Jayson pulled the trigger. Zero hesitation from a desperate father.
“Jay!” Corey called.
Standing up, Jayson swiveled around to see Corey dragging the final thug over. He was zip tied and seemed willing to cooperate. In fact, he wouldn’t shut up. “She’s in there! Third door on the right. Just let me go. Please.”
Jayson lifted his gun and slammed the butt down hard against the base of the man’s skull. He dropped to the floor with a thud. Then he and Corey hurried over to the door, and Jayson hoped to Christ this wasn’t a trap.
“Emma!” He twisted the knob. Locked.
“Dad?” Her frightened voice consumed his heart with relief, but also with absolute rage that these men had taken her. The most precious thing in his fucking world.
“Stand back, honey,” he ordered, lifting his gun and firing off a shot. No time for picking the lock. The wood splintered and he finished it off with a kick. The door crashed inward, and he saw his daughter, standing in the middle of the room, hugging herself tightly, green eyes full of fear.
“Dad!” She ran straight over, throwing her arms around him.
“Are you okay?” She nodded, and he pressed a quick kiss to her head. “Don’t worry. We’re getting you out of here.”
“Hey, Uncle Corey,” she said, voice shaky, clutching onto Jayson’s vest. “You look good in black. You’re still baking my wedding cake, right?”
“You know it.” Corey sent her a wink.
“Stay between us, Emma,” Jayson ordered, and together they turned as he led them forward.
Moving fast, they were halfway through the living room when they heard a hail of gunfire split the air outside in the hall. His heart fell.
Sabrina.
Her voice came through the comms, loud and clear. Not a trace of panic. “I’ve got six gunmen trying to reach the sixtieth floor, but I’m holding them off in the stairwell,” she reported.
“Fuck,” Jayson ground out.
A second later, Brand’s voice crackled in his earpiece, “We’re on our way up! Keep them in the stairwell, Sabrina, and we’ll attack from behind.”
“Copy,” she responded. Damn, she sounded cool as a cucumber, like she’d done this a hundred times before, and Jayson couldn’t help but be impressed.
“Emma is secure,” Jayson said. “We’re coming, Sabrina. Hang on!”
The staccato sound of gunfire echoed all around them as they raced toward the exit stairwell. “Stay right here and get down,” Jayson told his daughter, needing her to be as small a target as possible and keeping a wall between her and any flying bullets. Then he shoved through the door with Corey.
They moved up on either side of Sabrina and began firing down at the level directly below them. Side by side, he and Sabrina fired off consecutive shots. Even in the midst of the fight, he could see she’d been well-trained. Her stance, her grip on the gun, her aim—all perfect technique. But what struck him most was her absolute bravery and fearlessness. She’d willingly accompanied him into the den of a vicious, murderous monster to help rescue his daughter. And he would never forget that.
The firefight raged on until Brand, Wes and Chaz snuck up behind the unsuspecting thugs and attacked. It was over in less than a minute.
“Emma!” Jayson called, and she ran into the stairwell. He tucked her under his arm and gave a grateful look to Sabrina and Corey.
They made their way down to the sixtieth floor and everyone hustled into the freight elevator, stowing their weapons andlowering their gaiters. As the cab zoomed downward, Jayson looked at the men who’d become like brothers to him. He owed them, and Sabrina, for helping him rescue Emma.
