DERMOT ROSS
“Two minutes out.”
Yates’s statement had me nodding as I adjusted my bulletproof vest and made sure my firearms were all loaded and in their correct places. I didn’t even consider if maybe I was going overboard because the only thing I could focus on was getting Dahlia out of my father’s hands, no matter the means or way.
I also knew that he had something up his sleeve, because the bastard may be a piece of shit, but he was smart—really smart—and I didn’t believe for a second this was going to be as easy as walking into the warehouse to get her.
“He is going to try something,” I warned Yates and the others, the phone between Stratton and me placed on speaker, making me know King and the twins were listening. “He wants us here. But I don’t know why, and I don’t know how we want to play this.”
“We get in there and find her, that is all that matters—”
I cut Yates off, trying to keep a clear head despite hating the situation we were in. Hating the danger Dahlia was in and all the goddamn unknowns. “It won’t be all that matters if he detonates an explosive and kills us before we even get in the door.”
If my father put Dahlia anywhere near an explosive, I would gut him. I would spill his internal organs and then slit his throat. If he actually hurt her, in any way, or broke her skin, I would…
I blinked that thought away. I couldn’t afford to go down that path right now. Any sensibility and logic would fly out the window.
Silence filled both our car and the other end of the line, but I didn’t try to comfort them, needing to stay focused for Dahlia’s sake and to keep my cousin from slaughtering everyone, including our team. I swallowed down my thoughts and continued, “Let’s go in, but I would highly suggest that we have teams come in from all sides to do sweeps for explosives.”
“Fuck,” Stratton murmured, his gaze much clearer than before, enough so that I felt comfortable bringing him in the building. Honestly, I was almost damn positive the bastard had a head injury, but he was keeping it together, and while I wouldn’t put a gun in his hand, I knew he would be helpful in getting Dahlia out.
As we pulled up to the warehouse, a cold calm ran over my skin as I gripped the steel of my favorite firearm. It was comfortable, and I knew without a doubt that this would be the easy part for me.Killing had always come easily to me. There was a lot I struggled with, but not that.
In that moment, everything became crystal clear as I realized that every bit of training had been for this, for the ability to protect Dahlia. To save her from the monsters that wanted to rip her away from us.
I threw open the door as the car came to a stop, our teams immediately surrounding the building on all sides. I didn’t bother waiting for a goddamn greeting party as I gave the signal for one of them to bust in the front door. I couldn’t help the smile that slipped onto my face as we were immediately met with the sound of gunfire. I stalked forward, the others following, as I swept my gaze over the massacre that was taking place, body after body jolting at the impact of bullets from our men. I didn’t stop to consider if they deserved it or not. They were here, so they deserved it.
We easily cleared out the first room. It wasn’t surprising, considering our numbers.
“Sweep the building and keep the perimeter in check,” I demanded sharply as I finally met Kingston’s gaze, his eyes narrowed on the two diverging hallways ahead. My cousin never went silent, and when he did, it wasn’t a good thing. “King, I need you fucking focused.”
The look he offered me was almost chilling. “I’m focused on what we need to do.”
Kill. He meant killing. That was about it.
No need to argue. “Let’s find her. Split up.”
Our men started sweeping through back hallways and stairs before going room to room, Yates and the twins going left as Stratton and Kingston followed me to the right down a long hall. Almost immediately, we were met with men coming out of the doors to our left and right.
I didn’t think, I just shot. I mowed down several lines of people, shells of bullets falling to the floor, as Stratton checked each room we passed, making sure they were actually empty. King walked ahead and busted into one of the doors, the sound of gunfire making me know he’d found men. When I got there, the gunfire silenced, and I found him standing over one of the bodies, splattered with blood.
“King, he’s dead.” My voice was even, because I don’t think he realized that he had just shot the man to the point that his face was disfigured.
King nodded towards the eye patch on the floor. “Remember when I said I would take his other eye for talking about her? I did.”
Because he had no face left.
Rather than responding, I simply nodded towards the hall. Kingston didn’t argue, stepping back into the hallway as Stratton offered us a signal that the final rooms to each side were empty. I strode ahead, knowing that there was only one room left to focus on.
When I used my shoulder to bust into the interrogation and torture room up ahead, silence greeted us…but more importantly, the smell of fresh blood. I tried to not let that red haze slip over me as more gunfire went off behind me. Instead, I walked fully into the room, turning on the lights to find it not only empty, completely fucking absent of our girl…but the floors covered in blood and chunks of body parts.
Everything went cold.That wasn’t her blood.I wouldn’t believe it.
Stratton cursed and slammed a fist against the wall, the concrete breaking as he strode ahead. My heart beat unevenly, not understanding how this was possible. When Stratton picked up a piece of paper on the table and read it, his face turned white. I growled and grabbed it, not processing exactly what I was seeing at first.
Dahlia was tied up, a bag over her head, as she laid in a truck bed with her entire body covered in a bloodied robe. I couldn’t see the extent of her injuries, and a growl built in my throat, knowing that this had been his plan all along.
“How the fuck is this possible?” I demanded of Yates as he strode in, faltering for a minute as he examined the room, a sliver of fear entering his gaze. I had never seen that before, and it concerned me to an extent I didn’t want to examine.