AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Finn’s hand is a vise on my shoulder, holding me down.
Peering through a sliver of glass, heart beating a staccato rhythm, I see her.
Oh no. NO. GET AWAY FROM HER—
My Charlie, tied down on a large table, wrists and ankles bound. Crying, her sobs stabbing at me, this is the worst pain—
She’s in her underwear. Reddening bruises all over her body. Her face looks swollen—is it tears, pepper spray, did he hit her?—and her expression is pure terror.
I can’t breathe. My control is gone. I want to break down this window and kill him.
Finn tugs me away from the window and I almost clock him. “No,” he hisses, his mouth by my ear. “We need a plan. Do not just bust in there.”
Fuck. Shit. FUCK.
My Charlie, my love, what did he do to her?
“Listen.” Finn says, lower than a whisper. “Think. What did you see? Not just Charlie, but Peter. Did you see a weapon?”
Fuck. I’m desperate to see Charlie again. Peter is still yelling at her, she’s still crying, and I’m out here doing nothing.
Not nothing. I can do something. “I didn’t see a gun, but he could have one. If we all go in through the garage, he could hurt her, use her as a shield.”
“Right.” Finn gives a minute nod. “We need to take him out before he gets a chance to see us.”
How? There’s only one door into the basement, plus the tiny windows. No way to get in there without him seeing, no way to sneak up from behind.
Then again.
I can do it.
All the steps fall into place, blocks falling neatly toward their destination. I can take him out. I have all the tools.
“I’ll cut a hole in the window,” I tell Finn, trying not to focus on Charlie’s frantic pleas and sobs. “Then I can hit him. You signal Leo and Cole, they move in once he’s down.” My jaw clenches, remembering Cole’s instructions.
“I’ll use a rubber bullet first,” I add. “But if he’s still a threat to Charlie, I’m using real ones next.”
Finn stares at me for a second, then lifts his chin. He pulls out his phone and huddles over it, shielding the light. Quickly, he sends the message to Cole—a few seconds later, he nods again. “It’s a go.”
When I look through the window again, it takes everything in me not to punch it.
Peter slaps Charlie across the face, snarling, “You’re a fucking tease! You’re going to regret this!”
Motherfucker!
Rage has me shaking. Fury white hot and burning inside me.
No. I can’t get distracted now. Focus.
Charlie needs me.
I pull out my glass cutter and attach it to the corner of the window, hoping this isn’t the time Peter decides to look outside. It’s dark and Finn and I are in black clothing, but if he looks right at this spot…
I just have to hurry. And do it perfectly. All my missions, cases, nothing has been as important as this.
It feels like an eternity as I cut the small hole in the window. Carefully, I pull the circle of glass out, shifting to the side of the window to aim for the shot.
The shotgun isn’t like my sniper rifle, not even close. But as long as I can see my target, I can shoot anything. The rubber bullet isn’t what I want to use, but at this distance, the impact should send this asshole to the ground easily.
