Fuck.
“Keep going,” Sebastian snaps.
Moving through the hallway, we enter room after room and still nothing. Frustration mounts every time we turn up nothing— no Ariah, no Sam, and no people.
We’re at the last room on this floor, and Lev kicks it open, breaking formation.
I see Thomas gritting his teeth as the giant tries to reign in his temper. He wants Ariah back just as much as we do, but he doesn’t want any of us getting killed in the process. Our dads would have his head.
“Can you please follow orders? If not, I’ll send you back to the truck,” his tone placating but firm.
“She’s not in here either,” Lev grumbles, holding one hand up to indicate his apology for his error. “Sorry, T, it won’t happen again.”
Huffing, Thomas delivers his next command, “The next level is the basement, and since Beta and Delta are tied up here, it means we’ll have to clear the floor before we search. Have your guns ready and your eyes and ears open.”
We reach the basement with no initial resistance. It’s looking like they didn’t expect us to make it this far down.Stupid on their part.Our movements slow as we travel down the dark corridor, only the emergency lights guiding the way.
Thomas gives the signal for us to break out into smaller teams. Wyatt and I are in step, moving together to form a unit without a second thought. The minute we enter the first room, someone drops from the ceiling, landing on both of us, sending our guns scattering.
Wyatt rears his elbow back, smashing the man in the face. I’m about to grab Lola when I’m kicked in the side.
Grunting, I grab his foot before the next hit can land, knocking him off balance. As he falls to the ground, I jump on top of him, balling my fist, and take aim.
Punch after punch. His face whipping left then right with each blow. I don’t stop until I hear the crack of bone.
“You picked the wrong day to show up to work,” I snarl, grabbing his neck with my left hand, my thumb pushing down on his throat. I watch his light blue eyes blow wide as his mind struggles to figure out why it’s not breathing freely anymore.
As he fights to breathe, I pull Lola from her sheath, releasing his throat long enough for him to gasp in one lung full of air before I plunge the blade through his Adam’s apple.
Wasting no time, I don’t bother to enjoy watching the light leave his pathetic eyes. I retrieve my blade, wiping his blood on his now dead face.Can’t leave it dirty. She has more blood to collect.
Standing, I turn to see if Wyatt needs help only to discover he’s currently stomping his attacker’s face in, or what’s left of it.
“Wy, I think you missed a spot,” I joke, pointing to the part of the man’s eye, which is the only distinguishable thing left on his face.
Wyatt turns his maskless blood spattered face to me but doesn’t stop, moving from the dead man’s head and slamming his boot on his nuts.
“He died too quickly. He’s lucky my rage won out, or I would’ve saved him.”
Wyatt’s gaze looks crazed, his auburn curls wild as he speaks again, “He said he was going to take his turn with the fat blue-haired slut like he did with the mouthy bitch he had the other night.”
My body locks as his words register in my brain. I’m going to burn this whole fucking place to the ground.
I don’t allow myself to go back— blocking my mind from the memories that consistently linger right on the edge of my psyche. Instead, I channel my rage. Pulling my machete from my hip, I pick my gun up off the floor, and without looking back, I growl, “Let’s fucking go.”
Every room we enter and Ariah’s not inside, the more my anger grows. I shoot and slice through bodies on autopilot. I don’t speak. I just move. Every person we encounter, Wyatt and I move like we’re one person. We move like we share a brain with a singular focus—bring our girl home.I hear voices when we reach the last room on our side of the floor.
Turning to Wyatt, I put my gloved pointer finger to my lips and then to my ear, signaling for him to be quiet because I heard something.
My knee-jerk reaction is to rush the door and exterminate anything that stands between me and my angel, but something in my gut tells me it’s not her inside, and even if it was, rushing the door could get her killed.
I send a signal through our earpiece to get everyone to our area. I’m going to play it smart. Ariah’s life could very well depend on it.
While we wait for the guys and Thomas to arrive, I keep listening to the muffled sounds through the door. It sounds like arguing, but I can’t be sure.
Just as my patience is about to run out, I see Lev and Sebastian creep down the hall. Before they make it to us, Wes, Thomas, and Erik follow quietly behind.
Thomas takes point, signaling his instruction for breaching. Once we’re all in position, he kicks the door open and jumps to the side as shots ring. Erik quickly returns fire, and someone inside curses before a crash is heard.
