Two bullets fired at my command is all we need.
Just ahead, I spot a marker. It’s a long piece of fluorescent orange trail tape tied around a low hanging branch. It stands out like a sore thumb, highlighting the first of many path markers. A simple glance down reveals a world of information. Tire tracks, footprints left in the mud. Someone’s been through here recently.
Knox and Heath are quick to catch on. We’re getting close. From here on out, it’s hand signals only.
The markers take us all the way to a steep cliff face. A jagged river cuts across the land just below, severely limiting our options. It’s impossible to tell how deep or how fast the current is traveling, so it’d be unwise to march across without a second thought. There is a singular wooden bridge spanning the width of it, but it’s guarded on both sides by heavily armed men. At least we know we’re in the right spot.
On the other side of the river is the compound in question. It’s not as heavily fortified as the one in California, but I’m not about to complain. It’s obvious that Arturo and Esteban have nowhere else to retreat, and the lack of tall walls, barbed wire, and the skeleton crew they have patrolling the area makes me more confident than ever that this mission will be a success.
I signal to my brothers. Heath goes left, Knox goes right. I stay perched on the cliff ledge, reaching for my binoculars. Standing in clear view of one of the compounds front windows, I see Esteban out in the open. I have a clear shot, nothing but the glass and roughly fifty yards between us. I’ve put a bullet between a man’s eyes from almost quadruple that distance.
This is so easy.
Maybe a little too easy.
And when someone is dragged toward him, I suddenly realize how horribly wrong everything’s about to be. Struggling in the arms of one of Esteban’s personal bodyguards is a young woman, bound and gagged. She’s roughly Willow’s age, her brown hair frazzled and her green eyes bloodshot from crying. My heart almost bursts when I see her.
Anna.
“Fuck,” I hiss. Was this whole damn thing a setup? Would Esteban really stoop so low as to use my own daughter as a bargaining chip? The man’s depravity knows no bounds.
I can barely hear over the rush of blood past my ears. What the fuck are we going to do? It’s true that I could take him out from here, but there’s always a slight chance I could miss and kill my daughter instead. I wouldn’t be surprised if Esteban has given his men the express order to kill Anna should anything happen to him. I could always storm in there and save Anna myself, but what if they kill her before I get there? What if they kill me before I can make my rescue attempt.
A thousand different scenarios race through my mind, impossible to organize now that there’s a loud ringing in my ears. That bastard knew we were coming for him and took steps to increase his survival—at the cost of my daughter’s.
Behind me, the metallic click of a gun’s hammer pulling back. The hard tip of a pistol jabs itself against the base of my skull.
“Up,” the man orders.
Fuck. I was so distracted by my daughter’s appearance, they got the drop on me.
I slowly raise my hands in surrender. Out of the corner of my eye, I see that Knox and Heath have both been captured at gunpoint, too. Things are going downhill and fast. If any of us makes one wrong move, death is guaranteed.
“Walk,” the guard orders, flicking his gun in the direction he wants me to move. I have no choice but to obey.
Esteban waits at the front door of his compound, wearing a smug smile. He has Anna in his hold, one of his filthy hands gripping her bicep tightly. She cries out to me when she sees me and her uncles, tears streaking down her cheeks.
“How good of you to join us, Mr. Phillips.” Esteban greets us with a sneer.
“Let her go,” I snap.
He gives me an amused smile. “You’re in no position to be giving me orders.”
“She has nothing to do with this,” Knox says.
“Let our niece go,” Heath adds. “It’s us you want.”
Esteban pulls Anna a little closer, snaking one of his tattooed arms around her waist. She mumbles something against her gag, desperately trying to break away.
“She’s a real beauty,” Esteban says cruelly against her ear, going so far as to kiss her cheek.
My skin crawls, every fiber of my being screaming at me to lose control. “Get the fuck away from her!” I snarl.
“You seemed to have no problem playing with my fiancé,” he replies. “Why can’t I have a bit of fun in return?”
“Sick bastard,” Knox growls.
Heath sneers. “If you lay a finger on her…”