Page 145 of Trapped Truth

CHAPTER 24

EMBER

RUN NO MORE - KALEO

Deep in the Essex countryside, London’s smog is far out of reach. Sky-high apartment blocks and multimillion-pound businesses become sprawling, old-money estates with trimmed, green lawns and an array of lavish supercars to adorn their circular driveways.

Of all the places for Nolan Madden to hide, it seems unusual for him to immerse himself in the upper echelons of British society. I know enough about him to assume he has a God complex. But the stakes are higher out here, and no matter what lies he tells, I can safely say this is the one place he doesn’t belong.

Our convoy of armoured vans and a stealthy helicopter soaring overhead is hardly inconspicuous. For that reason, we’re forced to take a winding, indirect route to avoid Madden’s front door. The last thing we want is to tip him off after our sly exit from HQ under the cover of darkness.

“Ready for this?” I whisper to Axel.

Surrounded by an array of weapons lining the van walls, he checks his bulletproof vest. “More than I’ve ever been ready for anything.”

“Only you could be enthusiastic about getting our asses kicked.”

“Because we’ll be the ones doing the ass kicking, dimples.” He flashes me a confident grin. “I’m looking forward to tearing into Madden’s hide then feeding Blaine the scraps for dessert.”

“Something tells me there will be a long queue for that honour.”

“True. Maybe we should flip for it.”

“I have little interest in killing Madden.” I tuck a knife into my ankle slot. “All I want is to get Angela out alive and ensure all those women and girls are removed safely.”

“It’ll be okay.” Axel speaks with utter certainty. “We have a whole team on it.”

“That doesn’t make me feel any better. We can’t leave a single person behind, Ax. Nor can there be any casualties. Too many people have died because of these monsters.”

He shuffles to the edge of his built-in seat, stretching a tatted hand out to me. “We’ve got this.”

I accept his palm without hesitating. “You’ll be careful?”

“I already survived one bullet, babe. I’ve got no intention of taking another.”

“At least this time, Gunnar’s on our side of the fight.”

“God help those who get in his way today.” He laughs under his breath.

“It’s going to get ugly for them.”

When the van jostles from a bump in the road, I hear Warner curse from up front. He’s riding with Blaine while Hyland is in a chopper above with the Falcon Team and Hudson. Kade, additional muscle and medical evac are following in a second specialised vehicle, while the Intelligence Department retain a third for comms and surveillance.

Everyone permitted on today’s raid is the best of the best. We don’t have the luxury of any discord or mistrust between agents. Gunnar may be new to his posting, but the directors are trusting him to prove himself. If there’s any time to let his savagery roam freely, it’s now.

“We’re four minutes out from the rendezvous point.” Warner’s voice calls through the thin partition. “Received the green light from Azrael. Our path is clear.”

“Do we really trust this dude?” Axel mutters.

“We don’t have much of a choice. If it’s any consolation, he seemed to genuinely care about Angela and her wellbeing. There’s something between them.”

“I bet Blaine loved that.”

“Not quite.” I stifle a chuckle.

“Madden must trust the psycho if he has this level of security clearance on base. It takes some serious sway to stand down guards and clear a route inside for us to infiltrate.”

“I suppose that’s the problem with hired skins… Loyalty is fickle. He’s free to chase the next paycheck or go wherever his heart desires. In this case, that works in our favour.”