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Was this an opportunity she should take?
Gritting her teeth, Serena moved carefully so she could get a glimpse of the damage to her ankle. She already knew it was significant. The throbbing pain made that evident, but when she saw that it was already swollen almost twice its normal size, she knew the unlocked door made no difference. She wouldn’t be leaving here on two feet.
Telling herself to ignore the throbbing, she scooted back, leaned her head against the wall, and prayed that rescue was on the way.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Kingsley’s Compound
Salty ocean water dried on Sean’s face as he trudged down the beach toward the massive structure. Five of his OZ teammates followed. After dropping them off in the water, the helicopter with Gideon and Eve had flown a short distance away and now waited for the signal.
The plan was for the OZ team to go in with stealth from the ocean side of Kingsley’s compound. On the land side, all hell would soon break loose. A force of thirty-three men and women were infiltrating through the dense forest. One of the many good things about having a friend like Kate Walker was her ability to gather an army when one was needed.
Sean and his team had one mission—find Serena.
When Serena’s message had arrived yesterday, everyone had breathed a collective sigh of relief. While they’d prepared, the team had practiced every scenario a half-dozen times to ensure this went off without a hitch. And now, finally, they were here. With every step he took, he was that much closer to Serena.
The ground shook, and rumbles of what sounded like giant boulders dropping from the sky erupted. That was their signal to go. Everyone in the compound would be scrambling to meet the massive threat hitting the back of the mansion, clearing the way for Sean and the team to steal in from the front to grab Serena.
The OZ helicopter zoomed over them. Gideon and Eve would land safely and join them inside the mansion.
They ran as one to the rocky stairway that led from the beach to the main level of the compound. No one spoke—each knew the mission. Actually finding Serena might be their biggest challenge. In one of her first messages to them, she’d relayed the location of her room. The drone they’d flown over the compound earlier had shown numerous heat signatures of people. But the room she had indicated was hers had no heat.
At three o’clock in the morning, why wasn’t she in bed? Had she changed rooms and forgotten to tell them? Or was it something else? Something much worse?
His gut told him it was the latter. That’s why, while the rest of the team concentrated on searching the main compound, Sean would head to the basement, where he’d been tortured. His mind told him no, that Serena was too valuable to Kingsley for him to do something so stupid. But the man was rotten to the core. All too often, evil overcame rational thought. Kingsley liked to pretend he was a cool-headed, unflappable supervillain. Sean knew differently. The man had a quick temper and a mean streak that could spring up without notice.
Serena had had her own agenda. She might test limits, but deliberately setting the man off was not her way. But he knew his beautiful, courageous wife. She had no problem standing up for herself and especially others. Whatever the reason, he had a sick feeling she’d been ousted from her original room and put in a place of punishment. The very thought of her being down there, with Kingsley or some of his guards hurting her, sent hot waves of fury through him.
The instant they were on the main level of the compound, they dispersed. There were multiple victims here. Other than Kingsley and the soldiers, they didn’t know who was here voluntarily or had been brought here by force. They’d sort that out later. A holding facility in Arizona was ready and waiting to process each person to determine their history.
With a curt nod to his teammates, Sean headed in the opposite direction. Since they’d learned the compound’s location and gathered the blueprints, he’d literally spent weeks reviewing and memorizing the layout. He had no problem finding the door that led to the basement where he’d been tortured. Even as he descended the stairs, he prayed she wasn’t down here, that one of his OZ teammates would find her elsewhere. But his gut already told him what he would find.
Sean stepped down into darkness.
The faces of the WREN council stood before Colton. No longer hidden by their masks, their expressions were all filled with horror of what he would do to them. He, Colton Kingsley, the newly appointed Lazarus, would decide their fate. They had thought they could defeat him. Thought they could throw him away like garbage. They had been wrong. He had risen above the ashes and become what they most feared.
Taking the gun held out to him on a silver platter, Colton aimed first at Reina Solange. Watching her fall to her knees, begging him for her life, was such a joy. He stood still for several long moments, relishing the power. And then he pulled the trigger. The shot rang out so loud he jumped at the earsplitting boom.
Colton jerked awake, surprised that the dream had been so real this time. The deafening noise from the gun had actually woken him. Letting out a little laugh, he rolled over in bed and tried to return to the dream.
A second later, another loud blast sounded.
He bolted out of bed in a second. That sound hadn’t been a dream. The compound was under attack!
Grabbing his go bag from the chest at the foot of the bed with one hand, he answered his ringing telephone with the other.
“Sir, we’re under attack.”
“Are they inside yet?”
“No, sir. They’re coming up from behind us.”
“Send all but five soldiers to hold them off. Gather the guests into the holding room and lock the door. Kill anyone who tries to escape.”
“Yes, sir. Where—”
Colton ended the call. The whole time he’d been talking, he’d been getting dressed. Now outfitted in camo pants, a black T-shirt, and boots and armed with his Glock and favorite fighting knife, he strode to the bookcase across the room and pressed hard. On one side was a safe room where he could hide. A small elevator was on the other side, just large enough for him and his go bag. He wasn’t going to hide. He was getting out of here.
