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“He’s going to rape her, isn’t he?” Liam choked out the question…but he already knew the answer. He and Hammer had been thinking the same thing, but speaking his fear aloud made it more real. His guts churned.
“Yeah, but she’s a survivor. I’m more afraid of what else he’ll do.” Hammer’s jaw clenched. “That drunk asshole has a violent streak. If he’s been hitting the booze this morning, he may do more than violate her. No telling what.”
The fear of never holding or touching Raine again made Liam feel as if he’d been swept up in a tornado and slammed to the ground. To have her loving, compassionate soul ripped away would be his worst nightmare. Dread, thick and scalding, filled him. The weight of the terror staggered him. Liam didn’t want to simply kill her sire; he wanted to make the bastard suffer interminably.
“Fuck the stoplights, Hammer. Go faster,” Liam growled.
“I can’t risk getting pulled over for a speeding ticket when we’re so damn close.”
Liam knew that, but the logic chafed. “I don’t understand why he had to use the fucking stun gun on her. She’s just a wisp of a girl.”
“Bill knew Raine wouldn’t go willingly. She fought him once and won. The scar she gave him is a daily reminder.” Hammer cursed. “I can’t stop thinking about the way she dropped like a stone into that son of a bitch’s arms.”
As they rounded the corner onto Kendall’s street, Liam tried to hold himself together because panic didn’t do her any good.
Beck handed both men a pair of latex gloves, then donned his own. Hammer drove slowly past the house as Liam craned his neck. He didn’t see a single light on, inside or out.
Pulling to the curb near the middle of the block, Hammer cut the engine. After slipping on their gloves, the three men exited the vehicle, carefully closing the doors with nothing more than a snick of sound. As they made their way down the sidewalk, a dog barked from somewhere behind them. Another followed suit, but neither animal was close enough to attract unwanted attention.
Hammer darted down the driveway, drawing out his gun when he stepped into the shadow between Bill’s house and the neighbor’s. Liam and Beck followed, both stopping to peer through the dirty windows. Liam couldn’t see a thing except darkness. Not one sound came from inside. The place felt dead. An icy ripple slithered down his spine.
Pulling a penlight out of his pocket, Liam made his way to the attached garage. Shining the tiny beam of light through one of the grimy windows along the face of the door, he saw no sign of Raine. Even Bill’s truck was gone.
“Anything?” Hammer whispered.
“No,” Liam responded in the same furtive tone.
Quiet as a cat, Beck crept to the back door. Gripping the doorknob with a steady hand, he twisted it slowly. Giving a short, low whistle to get his and Hammer’s attention, Beck flashed a triumphant smile and opened the door.
It hadn’t been locked. They’d just been handed a gift—or walked into a trap.
Hammer hurried inside first, gun drawn. Liam followed in close behind as Beck quietly closed the door, then trailed them.
The stench of rotting garbage, sour gin, and stale cigarettes hit Liam’s senses like a prizefighter’s right hook.
“Jesus,” Beck muttered under his breath, then pressed a palm over his nose.
Liam wanted to retch but forced himself to breathe through his mouth instead. Shielding the beam from the penlight, Macen raised his hand, and the three men froze like statues, straining to listen for the slightest sound.
Silence.
As Hammer moved through the room again, he looked both furious and frustrated.
“Fuck this. I’m not afraid of that cocksucker.” Macen flipped on the kitchen light. “Kendall, you motherfucking coward, come out and face me!”
Cockroaches scattered in every direction. Stacks of moldy food stuck to mismatched dishes that littered the counters. Liam stared at the black streaks of grime on the yellowed linoleum floor as his eyes adjusted to the harsh light.
Beck cursed again. Repugnance crawled all over his face.
“Raine!” Liam called out, then cocked his head to listen intently.
Hammer and Beck paused, too. No answer.
“C’mon, you miserable piece of shit,” Hammer provoked. “You want your money? I’ve got it right here.”
Quiet enveloped them once again.
“Give Raine to us, and you can live out the rest of your days in style,” Liam offered. “All five fucking seconds of it,” he murmured, his voice low and deadly.
“Raine!” Hammer screamed again. “Make a noise for us. Kick. Scream. Anything.”
Not even a creak stirred from the miserable house. The oppressive silence wrapped around them. Hammer’s expression fell desolate.
Beck opened a drawer near the sink and withdrew two long knives, then handed one to Liam. “Let’s check out the rest of the house, just to be sure.”
“If you find Bill first, cut off his balls and shove them down his throat for me, will you?” Liam sneered.
