Damien
We converged on the house in the rain. We had our plan, our backup, and we were ready. I put any and all thoughts and fears for Raven out of my mind and became the Damien of old. A man of Hidden Justice. I knew the target, the goal, and how to accomplish it. I would not fail. Egan would run us from here, and I would concentrate on getting Raven out and putting an end to Andy.
Egan spoke in a low voice as we gathered around him in the back of the van. We were parked a distance away from the rear of the property, which he had pinpointed as the least secure. The van was black and totally self-contained. No lights or sounds were visible from the outside. If Andy was scanning the area at all, we were untraceable.
“The house appears to have some sort of cellar for storage. No windows. Accessed only through the garage. I’m sure that is where she is. When I probed the place earlier, that was where the weak heat source was coming from. I’ve been tracking Andy since he got there, and when I overlay the two images, that is where he goes. I assume he’s checking on her.”
I nodded curtly, Marcus and Julian also remaining quiet.
“He’s not answering your calls, Damien, so we have to go in with him there.”
“Deb says she tried to call him as well, and he isn’t picking up,” I replied, my eyes stuck to the tiny mark on the screen. The one I knew was Raven.
“We can handle him. We’ll go in and separate. Damien—what do you want, to rescue Raven or kill Andy? You might not be able to do both.”
“I want both, but Raven comes first. Whoever gets the kill shot, take it.”
Julian’s hand was heavy on my shoulder. “You took out the man threatening Tally. Let me return the favor.”
“Fine.”
Egan spoke again, changing screens. “You’ll go in here.” He indicated the grainy image. “Stay low until you get to the back of the garage. There is a door, and once inside, you should find another door that leads you down the steps. What is down there, I have no idea.” He glanced up. “He’s not expecting us, and although he has the house monitored at the front, there is little out back. He isn’t anticipating anyone showing up.”
“He thinks he’s invisible. Undetectable.”
“We need to wait so I can tap into his security feed and create a loop. I’m hoping with the rain, he’ll assume it’s a little glitch.”
“How long?”
“As soon as I can, Damien. You know we have to do this right.”
I tightened my hands on my gun. I knew he was right, but my anxiety was high. I wanted to get to her as soon as possible.
Marcus met my eyes. “Patience, Damien.”
Egan kept talking as he typed. “I want to hack into his system and see what he’s got going on. Knowing how he likes to stalk her, I’m sure he has a camera trained on her.”
I let my head hang, rolling my shoulders. Outside, the rain picked up, the sound of the water hitting the roof loud. Thunder rolled, and Egan grinned. “Perfect.”
A few moments later, he grunted. “I’m in.”
I watched over his shoulder as his fingers flew and he set up the loop, fed it into the grid, and then moved on to hacking into Andy’s system.
His annoyance was evident as his fingers hit the keys in hard thumps. “Bastard is good. I’ll give him that,” he muttered. “But I’m better.” He glanced up. “We’re in.”
Then he sucked in his breath. “Jesus.”
I froze as I looked at the screen. Raven was visible, her body curled up into itself on the ground. The room flashed with lights. She had her ears covered, and the sight of the heavy chains and clamps around her wrists made me curse. Her eyes were shut against the lights. Her entire body trembled. Then the room went dark.
“He’s trying to break her. Sight and sound deprivation,” Julian muttered. “Then he’ll retrain her. That sick bastard.”
“He’s not going to have a chance. He’s a dead man walking, and his time is about to expire. We ready?” I snarled.
“Five minutes. Get her and get back. Sofia is on standby, and we’ll treat any injuries as best we can until we get her there.”
I checked my gun. “Let’s do this.”
* * *