“You can’t be too fucking careful.” He smirks. “Now, he’s really not going anywhere.”
We rush toward the house where Dalton has Sophie, and I’m relieved to see there isn’t a fence even though I’d scale it in a heartbeat if I had to. As we stand in the shadows of the tall bushes, I notice all the curtains are drawn, but it’s more than obvious the lights are on inside.
“You’re sure she’s in there?” Hunter asks, keeping his voice low.
“There’s no doubt about it. Never seen a dick like that in my life,” Liam replies.
“So what are we doing? We can’t just rush inside. He could kill her as soon as he hears us,” I say.
As if he heard me, Dalton sends a picture of all the weapons he has. Knives of all different sizes are on the countertop along with a gun, duct tape, and rope.
Fucking hell. He’s even worse than Weston.
Dalton: Maybe I’ll alternate fingers and toes until they’re all gone. But I’m wondering how she should die. Should I let her just bleed out…slow and painful?
Dalton: Oh wait, I know. Gunshot. The same way you killed my brother. But it’s sure been fun using all my little toys on her. Should I send you a video?
The next incoming text is a picture of a gag in Sophie’s mouth with tears running down her cheeks.
“Oh my God,” I hiss quietly.
A rush of second-guessing soars through me, wondering if we’re going about this all wrong and should call for help and let SWAT take his ass out instead, but then I hear an ear-piercing scream come from inside.
“Goddammit. We should call the police for backup.” I’m jumpy and unsure. I can’t believe this is happening right now.
“Keep it together, Holt. We’re doing this. No backing down now,” Liam tells me, then jerks his head at me as if he needs confirmation I’m good to go.
I take several deep breaths before nodding in return. Whatever happens, I’ll know we did what we had to in order to get her out safely.
“By the photo, it looks like they’re in the kitchen, so I think if we go in through the side door in the garage, he won’t notice. Kilan mentioned that door doesn’t lock, and not too long ago, the garage door was stuck up so asked me to watch the place,” Liam explains. “He was supposed to get someone out here to fix it, but apparently didn’t.”
I glare. “That’s exactly how that bastard got in.”
As if he already figured it out, he frowns. “I know. I think that’s where we should enter, though,” Liam suggests, and I agree.
“We have the element of surprise on our side, so when we barge in, you two need to take him down right away. I’ll grab Sophie and get her the fuck out of there,” I tell Liam and Hunter.
Hunter speaks up. “If Liam goes in first with his gun, I can go in behind and throw something across the room to distract him. Then you come in after and grab her.” We nod in agreement. There are three of us and only one of him. He might be armed, but Liam is just as dangerous with his weapon. “Be careful, okay? Lennon will murder us if we get hurt,” Hunter adds.
Liam smirks. “We’ll let you handle her since you’re good at it.”
“Shut the hell up,” Hunter snaps.
“Alright, so you two go in first, and I’ll focus on getting Sophie,” I confirm. We cross the yard toward the garage and keep to the side of the house. I can hear Sophie’s cries from inside, and I’m tempted to say fuck it all and rush in there by myself, but I know how life-threatening this whole plan is. One wrong move could mean it ends badly for us.
Liam slips inside the garage, and Hunter and I follow him. He grabs the doorknob and turns and looks at me.
“You love her.” It’s not a question.
There’s not a doubtful bone in my body when I answer. “Yeah, I do.”
He grins. “Then all you need to worry about is getting her out of here. Let Hunter and me handle him. Got it?”
I swallow and nod. Liam holds his gun out in front of him after giving his backup one to Hunter, then they both enter. My adrenaline spikes as realization hits—this is about to end, and I’ll get my sweet Sophie back.
Once inside the entry, I can hear Dalton’s laughter as he threatens to kill her and then kill me. No fucking way in hell is that happening.
Liam quietly walks down the hall that leads to the kitchen and living room with Hunter behind him. I trust them both with my life, but right now, I’m anxious as fuck that something is going to go horribly wrong.
As we walk farther into the house, I make sure to stay behind them, and the discussion in the kitchen becomes louder.