“I’ve vowed revenge on whoever took my brother’s life. Since I’m sure you know his—or her—identity, it behooves you to tell me. In return, I’ll grant you a swift death.”
“Gee, thanks,” she mumbled. If he thought she was spilling her secrets, he was seriously wrong. Besides, the longer she withheld intel, the longer she lived. Or, so she hoped. Because, God, she wanted to live. She wanted to find Jayson and tell him how she felt. How she hoped he wanted her as much as she wanted him.
Despite the bright light shining in her face, her eyes began to adjust. She must be in the underground room, bunker, whatever it was, because the air was cooler and smelled slightly musty. It was hard to tell how big the area might be, but she could make out the shadowy stairs leading above ground. Her exit point. But how would she break free and escape?
“I don’t think you’ll like the alternative. Either way, I will be getting a name from you. It’s up to you whether you’ll make it easy or hard on yourself.” He bent closer and her nostrils flared. That hideous cologne of his made her want to gag. Nothing at all like Jayson’s clean, soapy scent. This made her think of toxic chemicals. “Because I don’t mind getting my hands dirty. Or, in this case, bloody.” He smirked, stood straight and arched a brow. “So, what’ll it be, Agent Ross? The easy way or the hard way?”
“Fuck. You.” There’s no way she was telling this bastard that Chaz and Lottie had sent Donato soaring off the rooftop patio of his lakeside home. The vile kingpin had deserved it.
He made atsk tsksound then reached for something off to the side. A clink of metal. Her stomach twisted when he lifted a pair of dirty pliers. “Time to make you scream then,” he whisper-hissed.
Sabrina tightened her hands into fists and mentally turned inward, determined not to show fear. Refusing to give him a name. But how long could she hold out before breaking? Because hadn’t she always doubted her field agent abilities? Wondered if she only got the job because of her father?
For the first time in her career, she was about to be tested in the most terrifying way, and she prayed she could hold up under the duress Ferrante was about to inflict. Hoped with every fiber of her being that she was a stronger agent than she’d ever given herself credit for being.
Once again, theSpitfirewas on a flight path to Las Vegas. Mitch Evans spoke to the team from Wes’s laptop screen.
As Mitch and the team discussed potential plans, Jayson was ready to jump out of his skin. He couldn’t stop worrying about Sabrina. He had a terrible feeling Ferrante took her for reasons that had nothing to do with payback for them rescuing Emma. If Ferrante knew Sabrina was FBI—a part of the very group determined to bring his Vegas reign to an end—he wouldn’t hesitate to kill her. Probably after he tortured her for intel. Maybe she’d even been his end goal all along.
Drumming his fingers on the edge of his seat, he tried to focus on the good. Thanks to the mercenary they’d caught, they knew Sabrina was being held at Ferrante’s desert compound, which they already had schematics for. There’d be no reason for him to lie. Mercs worked for whoever paid them the most. They had no loyalties to anyone except themselves.
The bad news was the mansion would be highly-guarded and they had no idea where Sabrina was being kept. The place was huge, with endless rooms and potential spots she could be stashed.
“We’ll send my newest drone in,” Corey said. “It’s small enough to fly around undetected and it can pick up heat signatures. Don’t worry, Jay. We’ll find her.”
Jayson looked up and saw his team staring at him, their faces full of concern. “If Ferrante knows she’s FBI…” he gritted out, a muscle jerking in his cheek, “then we may already be too late.”
“No,” Lex insisted. “We’re not that far behind them. Plus, right now, he has questions and she has answers. He’s not going to do anything yet. We’ve got time.”
Jayson sure as hell hoped Lex was right. But the pit growing in his stomach suggested that if Sabrina were still alive, she was in trouble, and time was running out fast. He couldn’t let the negative thoughts take over, though. That would lead to a downward spiral. Forcing himself to stay positive, he pictured getting her back. Imagined her in his arms as he kissed her senseless.
“Let’s get a plan locked down,” Brand said, taking charge and getting them back on track. The former Delta Force operative was an excellent leader, and if anyone could safely lead a team into hell and back, it was Brandon Ward. Jayson trusted him—all of his brothers—with his life.
And having Mitch Evans on their side was like an ace in their pocket. The man might be on the edge of seventy, but he was cunning and had connections everywhere. He’d also alerted the FBI what was happening. Jayson assumed they’d send their own people, but who knew how long that would take? Unlike the FBI, the Motley Crew wasn’t hindered by a lot of red tape and a hierarchy of bosses who needed to give their approval before anyone could make a move.
Yeah, no. Fuck that.They’d gallop in to rescue Sabrina with guns blazing like it was the Wild West. Not roll in after all the correct paperwork was signed. No time for that bureaucratic bullshit.
Wes pulled up the compound schematics, and Jayson locked into operator mode as they all zeroed in on the weak spots and potential entry points. After tossing several ideas around, they settled on a stealth approach. Unlike when they’d aggressively busted into The Starlight to rescue Emma, this time around, they would sneak into the snake’s hole, locate Sabrina and make a quick exit.
And if that didn’t work? Well, there was always Plan B.
Blow shit sky-fucking high.
Jayson and his team studied the layout of the compound and decided to breach the western wall. Using the pool house and detached fitness center as cover, he, Brand, Chaz and Lex would make their way to the main house and slip in through a first-floor guest room. Meanwhile, Corey would fly his drone, keeping an eye in the sky, and Wes would attempt to tap into the security system from his laptop and get them access to interior cameras.
Time was of the essence, but Jayson had full confidence in his guys. If Sabrina was in there somewhere, they would find and extract her.
The late afternoon sun blazed against a blue sky as theSpitfirelanded at the small private airport again. The men gathered their gear, suited up and jumped into a waiting SUV, courtesy of Mitch. Since there weren’t a lot of places in the desert surrounding the walled compound, they had to search for the closest, safest spot to stash the vehicle. They chose anabandoned gas station less than one click away from Ferrante’s house, and Corey parked the SUV behind the neglected building.
While Corey prepared to deploy the drone ahead of them, Wes settled in the back seat and began typing away on the laptop. Thanks to working with one of Mitch’s guys at the CIA, Wes’s hacker skills had grown exponentially, and it wasn’t long before he had views of the inside of Ferrante’s mansion.
“Good job, Murph.” Brand studied the monitor.
Jayson leaned in closer, glancing from one cam to the next. A lot of hallways and entrance/exit points were monitored. Several outside, too. “We need to avoid this side of the gym.” He pointed to a camera hidden in a large Yucca tree. “Otherwise, that cam will pick us up.”
“I’m going to try to loop the footage.” Wes’s fingers tapped on the keyboard. “Gimme a sec.”
“I count four guards outside,” Chaz said.
