Seth stepped up beside me. “Bruh… you good?”
“I’m fine.”
He stared at me a long second. “That’s the problem. You too fine.”
Ajani swore under his breath. “Man, Seth, don’t start. We need him cold for this.”
Cold wasn’t the word. I felt like ice. Farrah was in that building. Anyone between me and her needed to die.
I checked my weapons—two Glocks, silencer, knife at my calf, spare clip tucked in my vest. Seth mirrored me. Braeden did too. Prime loaded a long gun. Ajani slid on night-vision goggles like he was born for this.
“Alright,” I said quietly. “We move in silence till we can’t. We hit the north entrance—Seth, Luca, and Brae with me. Prime, Cardo, and Ajani take the roof access. On my signal, we collapse inward.”
Seth nodded. “We get her out first.”
I clenched my jaw. “If she’s hurt…”
He put a hand on my shoulder. “Khi. We’ll handle it.”
I didn’t answer. Because there wasn’t going to be anything left to handle once I got to Trell. We moved, quick, dark figures slicing across the empty side lot in Emancipation’s starry light. The warehouse loomed above us, big, hollow, one of the ones the town was trying to save.
I could feel her inside it. I don’t know how, but I did. The north door was stuck shut until Seth put a shoulder into it. It groaned like a dying animal before giving way. We slipped in. It was dark and dusty. I spotted rows of old crates. The air smelled like mildew and gasoline. Somewhere above, I heard footsteps.
Seth whispered, “Two on the landing.”
I held up three fingers. Braeden nodded. On three, I swung around the corner, silent, fluid, gun raised. There were two guards. One of them was turning toward us.
He was too slow.
I fired two shots. Two bodies dropped.
Seth exhaled softly. “You ain’t lost your touch.”
I smirked at him. “Never.”
We moved again. And I heard a muffled sound, a voice I’d know anywhere.
Farrah.
The plan went out the window. I didn’t wait for a fucking signal. I didn’t wait for silence. I didn’t wait for anything. I just moved.
“This nigga?—”
Seth cursed under his breath and followed. Braeden, too. We cut through a hallway littered with debris, past rusted lockers and a busted vending machine. Finally, we saw a heavy steel door and heard a man’s voice behind it. It was arrogant, angry, agitated.
It had to be Trell’s.
“Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’ma make it good for you.”
Seth shook his head, mouthing, “Wait; the plan?—”
Fuck that plan. It didn’t exist. Not anymore. I lifted my foot and kicked the door in. It slammed against the wall so hard dust rained down from the ceiling. My world stopped. Farrah was tied to a chair, wrists bound, face bruised, eyes wild. Trell stood over her like he owned her.
When he saw me, something dark and satisfied twisted across his face.
“Well, here he go. The golden boy,” he said, smiling slow.
I didn’t hear anything after that. Not Seth yelling behind me. Not Trell’s men shouting. Not the gunfire erupting in the hall. All I saw was her. Her eyes locked onto mine.
