Page 8 of Her Angel: Elias

Vaughn’s voice came through the speakers of one of the monitors, clear and steady. “Their location is ten miles east. Completely secluded. All their outside cameras have an auto feed that I’ve recorded and have on a loop, so they won’t see anyone coming. Park one mile south—here.” The location popped up on the biggest screen. “From there, everyone is on foot. None of the Obsidians currently has their phones in their hands because I can’t get a clear picture of anything. Just the insides of pockets or the ceiling. Audio is a different story.”

I heard an unusual hesitancy in my brother’s voice that caused my hands to clench into fists at my sides.

“To summarize what I’ve heard so far, Max is currently the one being questioned. It is not going well for the Obsidians. They want details on how MC businesses are run in Creswell Springs. They plan to take over the town and force Ryan to work with them. While they are all military-trained in some capacity, none of them actually has any interrogation experience. I suspect they were all in some kind of grunt position within their fields before being discharged. From the chatter I’ve picked up, other than the one called Bronco, they have no leadership skills.”

“Do you have a body count?” I asked.

“Heat signals inside the building show twenty, including the Angel’s Halo men.” On another screen, I saw the thermal readings. Red, orange, and yellow glows spread around the inside of the building, all of them confined to a specific location within.

“How did you get this intel?” one of Ryan’s men asked.

“Drones,” Vaughn answered, his tone suggesting no one should question him further. “There is no clear way for me to tell who is who, but from body positioning, I can tell you that there is one man lying here.” He zoomed in on one of the signals that was surrounded by at least four others. “My educated guess would be that this is Max, given that he is currently being questioned.”

Zooming out, he adjusted the view. “There is one off to the side who hasn’t moved much in the last ten minutes. And then four more here.” Another adjustment. One lying face up, the other three looking more like balls of heat, suggesting they were sitting. “As soon as you’re positioned outside the building, I’ll kill the power. Make sure your night vision is on. I will also feed you information as it comes to me via the drone, so keep your comms open at all times.”

“Ready?” Maverick looked at me when he asked the question.

“Let’s go.”

Five vans waited for us outside, all of them full of the artillery that we’d double-checked and then packed ourselves. Kane and Vega rode with Maverick, three other Angel’s Halo brothers, and me. Everyone else split into the four other vans.

The ten-mile drive seemed more like a hundred. Each passing minute felt excruciatingly long. I sat in the back, checking and rechecking each of my weapons, as well as my extra ammunition.

Maverick stopped the van, and I blinked to clear my vision.

Slow breath in. Count to ten. Exhale.

Kane opened the door, and everyone poured out, Vega waiting to come out last. He was supposed to stay back with her, out of the line of fire. She was the most valuable person on our team because of her medical skills. I prayed she wouldn’t be required, but I knew in my gut I had a reason I’d need her specifically.

Night had fallen hours ago. A bank of clouds hid the moon. Positioning the night vision goggles over my eyes, I adjusted the communication device in my ear. “Full silence from now until we get the signal the power is out,” I said quietly. “And remember. If anyone fucks this up, I will kill you myself.”

Samara

Standing outside what looked like an abandoned butcher’s shop, I kept my automatic rifle in position and waited. Before the power cut, I heard a cacophony of phones ringing from somewhere in the distance.

“That’s me.” Vaughn’s voice rasped in my ear. “I want to see who moves first on the thermal reading.”

I closed my eyes.

Slow inhale. Count to ten. Exhale.

“Bronco is going to be the one center of the back room,” Vaughn advised. “Power out in three, two, one.”

Eyes snapping open, I moved on autopilot. Someone used a battering ram to break in the back door. My vision was full of nothing but green. Each time I pulled the trigger, I did it without hesitation. Gunfire echoed all around me. Blood splattered over my face, warm liquid soaking into my black top. I felt the sting of something graze my arm, but it barely registered as I kept shooting. All while looking for the familiar figure of my husband.

Vaughn’s voice was clear as he barked orders.

And then the gunfire stopped, the lights came on, and I was tearing off my goggles.

Rapidly, I searched the room, only to stop dead in my tracks when my gaze landed on Elias. He hung from a hook by the chain around his wrists, wearing nothing but his boxer briefs and a wicked grin.

“Oh God,” I breathed, clocking his injuries. His entire body was bruised to some degree. Open wounds from what I knew was barbed wire, because I’d seen the kind of damage that caused up close and personal. But the worst part, what had tears burning my eyes and the noise going dangerously quiet, was the burn on his chest.

Someone had branded him, with the same symbol the Obsidian Souls had on the back of their cuts. Right over the bouquet of flowers Elias had on his chest.

“Hey, Sammy baby,” Elias greeted, his voice laced with pain and exhaustion. And so much love. His blue eyes danced over me. “Knew you’d come for me, princess.”

“Daddy,” I whispered, afraid to move.