“What line?” Kendrick asked.
“Killing him without hesitation.” I glanced in his direction just as the automatic headlights popped off.
“And will you?” Chase asked the question, although I had a feeling he already knew the answer.
“Fuck, yes.”
Another blip. Another text.
This time a video.
Her beautiful face. There was terror in her eyes and rage in my system.
Then her voice, a cry for help. A cry for the man who she’d considered a hero.
“Maverick. Help me.”
“Fuck,” Chase said as he looked over my shoulder. “Can you tell where it was taken?”
“No.” I studied the short clip again. And again.
And again.
The others formed an arc around me, the men remaining quiet. They knew what was at stake. We all had varied backgrounds. Military. The DEA. Police. Private security. The courtroom.
We were the same yet different, utilizing our skills in a way we never would have thought of doing before. We were only five men, our other associates never in the field. Yet it felt like we had an army.
Maybe because we relied on each other. Maybe because we could trust each other.
I knew without a shadow of a doubt they’d have my back.
There was no indication of where she was being kept. We could be on a wild goose chase for all I knew, but I had nothing to lose at this point. He was holding the chess pieces.
Images of her face popped into my mind as they had a hundred times. Only I felt such a sense of urgency I couldn’t breathe. “I can’t lose her. I just can’t.”
Another bolt of lightning, a deep rumble of the terrain and the first drops of rain on my face. I glared at the sky, saying a silent prayer that she would be alright. I didn’t give a shit about my life. I’d lived and enjoyed myself. She deserved to be free of the monster lurking in the shadows. That much I would provide.
The men crowded around me and this time Hudson was the one who spoke.
“And you won’t. Come on, brother. Let’s go hunting.”
Alexia
Drip. Drip. Drip.
I lifted my head, studying the roof. Maybe I was imagining what I’d heard. I’d seen lightning even before being dragged into the building.
Another rumble of thunder and the ground beneath my feet vibrated. I glanced around the enclosure, trying to remain calm.
My captor had left a light on, blinding enough I winced. I could sense him lurking in the shadows, watching me as he’d done for hours at a time. Never saying anything. Just watching.
Steven. But he’d disguised himself as Timothy, the bastard playing a horrible game. Why? Why the fuck did he want to ruin my life?
“What do you want from me?” My voice even echoed in the darkness. I struggled with the rope shackling my wrists as I tried to understand what I was tied against. Wherever I was had a dirt floor. This had to be a shed of some kind, which meant he’d brought me to a house.
This time, he’d blindfolded me after dragging me from the building.
He’d disguised himself including wearing contacts, but after I’d accepted the award, pictures were taken. For some reason, I’d finally sensed there was something off about him. And why? Because of the way he’d been standing off to the side, watching me.
