Unknown:
The truck skids to a stop in the middle of the road. Horns blare around me, but I remainmotionless, my eyes glued to the screen.
Fuck!
The picture is Brooke, bloody, bruised and unconscious.
Her face is swollen, almost unrecognizable with all the blood. She’s limp, lying on a filthy concrete floor. Her shirt is pulled up, revealing bruises all over her stomach.
The pressure in my body implodes.
My fist connects with the dash, a crunching sound filling the cab of the truck as the material cracks. I punch the steering wheel over and over, the horn blaring around me. A loud roar bounces off the windows, deafening me with its agony and rage.
He’s going to die.
The world slowly comes back into focus, and I pull off the road, into a nearby parking lot, sending a response.
Me:How much, when and where?
Unknown:Twenty million. Two hours. The old Kensington factory off Route 16.
Me:I’ll be there.
Unknown:Don’t try anything brave, Gabriel. My nephew has quite a temper. His control is slipping in the company of his ex-wife.
My breath stutters, shocked to my fucking core.
Brian is his nephew?
There’s no way Brooke knew.
How the hell did our pasts come together likethis?
Fate brought us together, but I’ll be damned if I let the bitch rip us apart.
Dialing Eric, he answers immediately. “I’m looking through the footage now. I don’t have anything yet.”
“Johnson texted me. He sent a picture of Brooke. They beat the living fuck out of her. She’s in the Kensington factory on Route 16. Her ex-husband is his nephew. I need you with me now.”
“That’s why I couldn’t find Brian. Johnson kept him hidden. I’m with you. What does he want?” The clicking of a keyboard in the background intensifies as he sifts through the CCTV footage.
“Twenty million dollars in two hours.”
“How the hell are you supposed to come up with that?” He shouts, and the noise stops.
The solution is simple. “With a little more time, I could sell the company and make that easily. I wouldn’t think twice about it. That’s not going to happen, though. When they put their hands on her, they signed their fucking death warrants. They’re not getting paid, Eric. They’re going to die. You still with me?”
“Fuck yes. Kill them all.” I knew I could count on him. He cared about Trevor, and though he doesn’t know Brooke well, he knows what she means to me.
“Two hours. I’m going to get a bag and set it up as the pay off. Stay out of sight. Once I go inside, you come in. Shoot to kill.”
He sighs, making his disapproval known. “I don’t like you going in alone.”
“I’ll be armed. Stick to the plan.”
“Understood. Keep your cool until I get there.”
“Come prepared.” Ending the call, I drive home to get what I need.
