“One million,” Sarah said, as if she thought we would disagree.
“Done,” I said with easy finality. “Give us the girl, and we will wire it to daddy dearest’s account.”
I knew the team would be pissed at me for taking over the mission, but I couldn’t just sit here waiting as they went back and forth. Time was of the essence.
“How do I know that you aren’t bluffing?” Sarah asked.
“Because you know of Ghost’s reputation. And I am his second. We don’t fuck around with business matters.” I knew I would get an earful from Kade, but in that moment, I didn’t care. I just wanted Lily and the team safe.
Sarah looked down at her watch and her eyes widened, realizing time was almost out, before looking back at me. “You have until midnight, or else I will make sure that the brat is dead.”
“You have my word,” I said with as much affirmation as I could muster.
Sarah looked at me pensively for a moment before turning to the guard holding Lily and nodding. The guard pushed Lily so hard that she fell to the floor, but she quickly got up and ran to me. I took it as a sign that she believed that I was here to save her. We all were, but maybe because I had spoken up, she came to me for safety.
“Oh, and this is so you know I’m not fucking around,” Sarah said.
She shot Bohdi and then Chief in the shoulder, making them both cry out in pain, then casually glanced at her watch.
“One minute and ten seconds before the place blows.Ciaofor now. I’ll be looking forward to that money.” Sarah waved before her and her guards turned and ran for the door.
Before they made it out the door, Phantom spoke up. “Sarah!”
Sarah halted and turned around. A shot rang through the air, and she dropped to the ground. In the dimly lit room, I could tell that Phantom had shot her in the stomach.
“Tell Daddy I say hello when you see him in Hell!” Phantom called.
Sarah clenched her stomach as her guards left her in the doorway, scrambling to get out before the explosion.
Monte and Chief stemmed their wounds with their free hands as we all ran to the entryway. Lily stumbled, unable to keep up with my strides. I picked her up, running at full speed with her small, delicate frame in my arms. She clung to me as tightly as she could.
We had just gotten out and were almost to the van when a loud boom shook the air and the building erupted in flames. Kade wrapped his arms around Evelyn just as the explosion blasted us from behind, sending us falling to the ground. I tucked Lily into me as I fell on my side and shielded her from the blast. A scream ripped from her chest and she began to cry.
When the explosions finally ceased, I sat up with Lily still clinging to me and looked around. Everyone was accounted for and was moving, at least to some degree. Relief flooded me as I realized I wouldn’t have to relive the pain of losing my team again. I looked down at the young girl. Her bright-green eyes, circled by bruises, bore into mine as fright and a swarm of other emotions crossed her face.
“Who are you?” she asked in a small, frail voice.
“Someone who is making sure that you get to your sister,” I said. “You’re safe now.”
Lily looked at the devastation around us, then at the people who were with me.
“Where is my sister?” Concern spread on her face.
“That’s what I’m about to find out.”
FORTY-FIVE
BADGER
My eyes felt weighted down as I tried to open them. My limbs felt heavy before I noticed rope cutting into my ankles and wrists.
“She’s awake,” I heard a gruff male voice say.
“I’ll let my boss know,” another man said.
My heart rate spiked. I closed my eyes and focused on my breathing. After a few breaths, my pulse began to steady and I could assess the situation. The last thing I remembered was a group of men catching me off guard on my way home. The stench of cheap cologne, decay, and rot overwhelmed my nostrils.
I appeared to be in an abandoned warehouse. I was tied to an old wooden chair in the center of an empty room. A dark figure walked toward me with a gun in his hand. As he came closer, I was able to make out his features in the dim light. He wore black slacks that looked too big for his slender frame, accompanied by a black dress shirt that was wrinkled to hell, but I still couldn’t see his face.
