We’re ready for the takedown and now that Ty and his men are here too, we have even more backup. Backup that we need because this one won’t be easy. I have no doubt that he’s been warned about all the takedowns by now, but it’s our only chance, and this meeting is a major deal for him so he has to be here.
Ty meets me in the middle of the lot with Luke and Kay beside him.
“Hey,” I say, exhaustion evident in my voice.
“Other takedowns go okay?” he asks, his face a mask of emptiness. He has the skill not to let people know how he’s feeling, at least almost all of the time, but that mask always drops when it comes to Kay.
“Yeah, you ready for this?” I ask, moving my gaze to Kay and Luke briefly.
“Yeah, let’s go.”
I lead the way with all the guys at my back, my officers scattering around the building and cutting off all the entry and exit points. No one will be getting in or out of here without one of us knowing.
I count down from three into the mic attached to me through my earpiece and then we all go in at the same time. I hear numerous clears before I get to the main room where several men including Fernando sit, drinking shots of tequila.
I hold my gun up, pointing it straight at Fernando as I shout, “Hands where I can see them!”
They all hold their hands up in the air and several officers cuff them, all except Fernando.
“I said... hands where I can see them,” I growl at him, hating the pleased look on his face.
His eyes slide to mine as a smirk kicks up the side of his face. “You won’t find anything here,” he says, his voice deep and rough.
“We’ll see about that,” I tell him, signaling Leroy to cuff him. He does and then my head turns to Sanchez and Derrick as they move toward me, both their hands empty. “Nothing,” they both say one after the other.
“Fuck,” I spit.
A small squeak draws my attention and I crouch down to see a woman holding herself tightly in a ball under the table.
“Kay?” I call, not bothering to look away from the woman, her scared, dark brown eyes watching me.
“Yes?” she breathes, coming to stand beside me.
“Down here.” I tilt my head and Kay comes to crouch beside me, a small gasp escaping her before she moves forward, holding her hand in the air in a gesture of peace.
The woman starts shaking her head the closer she gets and backing away, not hearing any of Kay’s softly spoken words. All she’s doing is causing her to become more and more upset so I lay my hand on Kay’s shoulder.
“Leave her a minute.”
She looks up at me, her eyes shining with sadness and understanding as she stands back up, finding Ty and walking straight to him.
“Get them all down to the station!” I shout, watching as the officers file them out of the building, leaving just me, Ty, Kay, and Luke… and the woman.
I run my hand over my face and hair, pulling my cell out of my pocket and pressing call on the number that I really didn’t want to have to call.
“May.” His gruff voice comes across the line and I crouch down so that I can see the woman again.
“It’s Mackenzie, the woman that you wanted back?”
“Yeah?” I hear the pitch in his voice and rustling over the line before I continue.
“She’s here, but she won’t come out, I think you failed to tell me what this woman has to do with Fernando.”
A long breath comes over the line before he says, “He took her, he was holding her as ransom.”
“Kidnap?” I smirk.
“Fuck! Yes, he kidnapped her right from under our noses, we haven’t seen or heard from her for five years.”