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Faint, quivering breaths.
Turning the corner, I grab the body and smash them against the steel container.
“Please. Please don’t kill me.” The trembling of a female’s voice slaps me in the face as my eyes adjust to the dark.
“Jesus Christ.” She’s young. Too damn young.
“Please.” She starts to cry, and I cover her mouth.
“Shhh…I’m not going to hurt you. But you have to be quiet.” Fuck! “Can you tell me your name?” Her clothes are barely hanging on, and a horrid stench radiates off her filthy skin.
Her lips tremble as she replies. “Erin… Erin Campbell.”
“Erin, my name is Logan. I’m going to get you out of here safe, okay? But I need you to listen to me. Can you do that?” She nods, her head thrashing up and down, thick tears running down her dirtied face. “Good.” I pull out my phone and fire off Jake’s number.
“Broderick—”
“They’ve already been here. The containers have been emptied and moved.” I place my back against the container, staying alert. “I found a girl. She must have gotten away during the transition. I need backup now.”
“We’re a couple minutes out. Sit tight.”
“Couple minutes is too long. Where the fuck are you? You said twenty minutes!”
There’s a stall in the line, and my stomach drops. Everything I’ve spent the last two years working on falls to the wayside. “Where the fuck is Addy?” Drums beat in my ears with each passing second. “Jake, where the fuck is Addy?”
“We’re tracking her. Her location just pinged her at Vincent’s residence.”
“Goddammit. Why the fuck is she there? I need you to get her out of there.”
“We’re not sure. I have a unit on site. They’re waiting it out, but after what you just said—hold on…Valdez just entered the property.”
“Get her the fuck out of there!” I shout, becoming careless.
“Something’s off. They’re pulling the plug and going in.”
My heart pounds violently against my ribcage. “Jake, talk to me. What’s happening?”
“They’ve just disabled his security, and my men are making their way inside—” There’s static through the line, his two-way radio sputtering out. “Fuck, Broderick, your cover’s blown. Get the fuck out of there. Now!”
I hang up and grab the girl, pulling her behind me. “Stay close to me.” With my gun pointed toward where I left Emilio, I cautiously walk back. When I turn the corner, he’s on his phone. He looks up, and our eyes collide as he reaches for his gun.
“Fuckin’ drop it,” I growl, ready to blow his fucking brains out if I need to.
“Hey, whoa. What’s the problem?”
“You know what the problem is. Lower your weapon.”
We have a stare-off until he concedes. “Yeah, bro, chill. We’re good. Putting it—”
He tries to take a shot, but I fire first. Two bullets lodge into his chest.
A shrill scream explodes from the girl as I jump forward, kicking his gun out of his reach. Red and blue lights explode across the yard.
I reach for the girl, and she screams for me not to touch her. “I’m not going to hurt you. You’re safe now—”
“Broderick.”
I whip around at Jake’s voice. “What’s going on?” I spit out.
Jake puts his hand on my shoulder. “Logan—”
“Fucking tell me!”
He nods, his sullen eyes a punch to my gut. “The raid was unsuccessful. We found Renaldo Valdez and his second in command dead. By the time they entered the premises, Vincent had fled on his private helicopter. Addy wasn’t found. We believe he still has her.”
“Goddammit!”
“We’re working with air traffic control right now to locate the aircraft. Seems Leoni spares nothing when it comes to getting anyone and everyone on his payroll. The ATC has nothing on their radar of him leaving or where he’s going. As soon as we track them—”
“Wait.” The tracker. “Addy’s wearing a tracker.” I rip my phone from my back pocket and pull up the tracking app. The screen opens, and I zoom in on her location. “She’s at Iroquois Landing. I’m going there—”
“Broderick, that’s reckless. Wait for a unit.”
“No. I’m saving her life.”
“Logan, stand down! That’s a direct order.”
“I don’t work for the FBI. You ain’t stopping me.” I race off, then turn around. “The girl. Her name is Erin Campbell.”
“Logan!”
His words fade into the distance as I throw myself into my car and peel out. I race through the streets, breaking every traffic law. Dread stabs me in the chest. Vincent has had her for over two hours. A horrid reel of images, thoughts, sickening things he could have done in that time flashes through my mind. If he’s found me out, then he knows who she is too. I slam my fist against my steering wheel. I’m losing grip on my control. Why the fuck did I let her go? “Fuck!” Again and again, I slam my fists. If anything happens to her, it’s my fault. The thought of her not being okay, or worse… My mind spirals, and I step on the gas, flying through the streets at ungodly speeds.
