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“We found the first-floor guards. Two of them.” There was a soft grunt and the sounds of a struggle. An unknown voice cried out in pain followed by more painful thuds of flesh hitting flesh.
Jude’s heart picked up more than from just a little running up the stairs. The silly hope that Snow would be found alone died in his chest. He didn’t want to put the lives of his friends and family at risk. He didn’t want anyone he loved and cared for hurt trying to rescue Snow.
“They’re fine. Don’t slow down,” Lucas said. His voice was softer, and Jude knew that he was speaking to him and not the rest of the team.
Jude picked up his pace, clinging to Lucas’s reassurance. The man knew what he was talking about. He’d participated in plenty of missions with Snow and Rowe while they were in the Army and then more than a few after they left the Army but continued with their own personal shenanigans outside the law. If anyone could handle themselves in a dangerous situation, it was Rowe and Noah.
By the time they reached the landing for the fourth floor, Jude was starting to get a little winded. He and Snow regularly went jogging, but apparently he needed to spend a little more time climbing stairs. A burning sensation was starting in his thighs and calves. He glanced over his shoulder to see Lucas grinning at him. Lovely. He was never going to let Jude live it down if he didn’t finish strong. Digging deep into his reservoir of energy, Jude ran up the last flight of stairs while trying to make it seem like he wasn’t panting.
Lucas placed a hand on his shoulder as he stepped around Jude. “Don’t beat yourself up. You were in a car wreck earlier today.”
Today?
Jude could only shake his head. That already seemed so far away. He’d rolled out of bed at five a.m. that day and put in a full shift with Rebecca before the car accident. And now he was on an insane rescue mission with Snow’s family to save him from a madman. No wonder he was so damn tired. He was running on pure adrenaline.
Lucas grabbed the door handle but didn’t open the door. “Gomez and Morticia? What’s the good word?”
“That Morticia forgot to bring my rainbow duct tape,” Noah complained.
“Next time,” Rowe said, his voice serious. “First floor is quiet, but I’m not sure if they got off a warning. Be careful.”
“Security is down on the other floors. You’re in the clear.”
“Cousin Itt and Lurch hitting the fifth floor. Start your timer now.”
Lucas had barely finished speaking when he pulled open the door and flowed smoothly into the hallway. Jude had caught his breath and followed directly behind him, once again making sure the door didn’t bang. But there wasn’t much reason for it.
Snow wasn’t on the fifth floor. There wasn’t much at all on the fifth floor. The builder hadn’t completed construction yet. The walls were a mix of bare two-by-fours and drywall. The mud hadn’t even been applied to the seams yet. There were spools of wire, white buckets of mud, and other supplies strewn a bit haphazardly around the place. They were still building out the various offices that would fill the space before the new occupants claimed it.
“Search everything. We’ve got two minutes,” Lucas said as he rushed over to the left.
Jude moved in the opposite direction, eyes skimming over random notes and other pieces of paperwork that had been left behind. A small radio was balanced at the end of a makeshift table and a crumpled bag from someone’s lunch was nearby. There was no sign of anything happening on that floor other than construction work.
If Snow was being held in the building and other nefarious things were happening there, Jude was willing to bet that the construction workers on that floor had no clue it was occurring below them.
Less than two minutes later, Jude met Lucas back in the center of the massive open space and shook his head. “I got nothing.”
“Me too. We’re heading for the fourth floor,” Lucas agreed.
“Gomez and Morticia are on the second,” Rowe answered.
Two floors down and three to go, Jude counted down in his head. In a matter of minutes, he’d have his general back. That was all that mattered.
He and Lucas moved quickly down the stairs to the fourth floor, repeating their silent entrance into the hallway. Except this floor looked finished.
“Fester,” Lucas growled. “I’m seeing lights that look like security.”
“I see you, Lurch,” Cole came back without an ounce of amusement in his voice. Jude was surprised by his tone. It seemed like all the men that Rowe hired had a strong sense of humor, but he’d seen very little evidence of a lighter side when it came to Cole. The man was all business, but then, at that moment, he held the lives of seven men in his hands. The seriousness made sense. “I’m the only one viewing the live feed. Nothing is being recorded.”
