“I know. You’ll bring me back and kill me yourself,” I tell him. “This isn’t the first time I’ve led a mission. Yeah, I’m usually on the talking side of things and it’s been a while, but I know what I’m doing, Brother.” My hands ball into fists. “I’m going to rip their throats out for laying a finger on him.”
Soren who is standing nearby steps over and places a hand on Carmine’s shoulder. “I think he should do this.”
“We,” Rosalie reminds them. “I’m part of this too. No more keeping me out of the loop for protection. If Alessio is kicking ass, I am too.”
“Are you sure—” Carmine starts but Soren is the one to stop him this time.
“My sister can handle her own, believe me,” he assures.
Rosalie smirks at Soren. “Damn right I can. Now, are we going to just stand around here talking about it, or are we going to grabs some guards and get going?”
Carmine waves a hand. “Fine. Take the guards you need, brief them on the mission, but if things get too slippery, you head back here.”
“I’m going to do whatever I have to,” I tell him. “The others can bail if they want but I’m not coming back unless it’s with him.”
Everyone in the room stares at me like I’m crazy, but I don’t care. Carmine glances at Soren after a moment, and I see a familiar look there.
“I didn’t realize you felt so strongly,” he says while still looking at Soren.
I know in this moment that he understands how I feel, but I didn’t even realize I felt this way until this very moment.
“I didn’t either,” I admit.
Rosalie clicks her tongue. “Alright enough with the fluff, let’s get going.”
I nod my head and give one last glance to the room before I walk out with her. Prepared to grab some guards, call some more in if needed, and get on the path to find out where Damian is.
“He’s not here,” Kellen, one of the guards assigned to this mission, tells me. We’ve just finished trashing a third building on the list that Damian gave me.
“I’ll be the one to decide that,” I snap at him.
I’m growing impatient. It’s been five hours. Who knows what they’ve done to Damian by now. Cut him, bruised him, burned him…killed him.
I shake my head, trying not to think about that last one. No. Damian is alive. He has to be.
“There’s an old factory compound that they own about ten miles from here,” I tell the group. Six guards stand around me and Rosalie. All armed to the teeth with multiple guns and knives. A couple of them even have brass knuckles.
“We don’t have time to check every building on the list,” Rosalie reminds me. “Do you think they’d have him there or not?”
I think for a moment, looking at the other options. A townhouse, a villa…a church. It could be possible that they’d have him in the basement of the church, but something is pulling me toward the factory compound.
“I think so. If he’s not here, we’ll rethink our strategy, but I think it’s a good bet.”
“Alright then. Let’s go.” Rosalie turns and heads back to the cars a few feet away. I follow after her, feeling both irritated that she’s ordering me around as though she’s the one in charge and grateful that she’s here.
I adjust my bulletproof vest as I swing open the driver’s side door and hop in.
If there’s one thing I know, it’s that we won’t be stopping until we find him.
Chapter Sixteen
Damian
“You think you’re something special.” The guard that’s been working me over for hours says. I know exactly how long it’s been, because I’ve been counting the entire time.
Every single time they strike me, whether with their fist or the butt of their guns, I don’t say a single word. I know that anything I say will be used against me. They’ll just try to find a way to pry the information out of me.
They won’t succeed. No matter how badly they beat me.
