Texas chuckled as he walked up to my side. “Hell of a woman you got there.”
I groaned. “She’s gonna be the death of me one of these days.”
“Hey, at least you’ll die with a smile on your face.”
I grinned. “Damn straight, I will.”
“Wait,” Diego called out as we headed for our bikes, “she’s really coming with us?”
Stone didn’t hesitate. “A mother’s got a right to fight for her family. She comes with us.”
We had no time to waste, so I helped Lexi onto the back of my bike before throwing my leg over it myself. One by one, we mounted our leather seats, taking stock of the world around us before we eased on out to the highway. Someone had slipped Lexi into a helmet as well as bulletproof armor, just like the rest of us had. And after feeling her slip her arms around me, I took off, bringing up the rear of the entire crew. We soared toward the address that pinged on my phone, and I prayed with all my might that those idiots had been dumb enough to keep that phone on their person.
And about half a mile out from our location, we got off our bikes and started walking in order to conceal our position.
We crept in the shadows while I kept Lexi behind me just in case we were spotted. With our weapons drawn and the darkness cloaking our position, I listened out for any sound that could’ve been indicative of a treat. We gained ground on the looming abandoned building in the distance as its dark form etched itself into the horizon of the night sky. And as we finally stood across the street from the abandoned two-story building, we assessed the situation.
“The downstairs is dark,” Stone whispered.
I pointed. “A light just went on upstairs. Off in the corner.”
West nods. “I see it.”
Texas withdrew his weapon. “Got a clear shot from here.”
Stone nodded. “Good. Lexi, you know how to shoot a weapon?”
She withdrew the gun I had given her to conceal. “Not from that distance, but if those fuckers come out that back door I can ping ‘em.”
Stone chuckled. “That’s the spirit. Stay here with Texas. If anyone other than us comes out that back door with Natty, you shoot and you don’t stop.”
I fished out another magazine. “Take this in case you need it.”
Lexi took it and shoved it into her pocket. “Thanks, handsome.”
I grinned. “Anytime, sexy.”
“Ready?” West murmured.
I drew in a deep breath. “I was born ready.”
“Let’s go then,” Stone whispered.
Everyone fell in line behind me as I led the charge through the back door. We all kept our footsteps light and soft as we inched our way up the metal and concrete steps. We managed to get to the second-floor landing without so much as a cartel guard spotting us. But that was more because they had no one guarding the stairwell.
Which meant we had finally caught them off-guard.
“Easy,” I whispered.
The door creaked as I opened it and I watched as a couple of shadows rushed down the hallway. I slipped into the corridor along with Stone and together, we were able to choke the men out and pull them into an empty room. We had no idea how many men were in the building, so the last thing we needed was a panicked moment.
Then, we kept inching down the hallway toward the one room that had its light on.
“Clear all the rooms until we get there,” I whispered.
I craned my neck back and watched all of the guys nod their heads. One by one, we ducked into the empty, dark, dank rooms to make sure we weren’t walking into another trap because I knew damn good and well that if they got away with Natty again, we’d never find her.
Which meant we couldn’t fuck this shit up again.
