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“The Vance property?” Bane asked.
“Obvious, huh?”
“Too obvious makes it too dangerous.” Bane quoted what one of his first law enforcement training officers had taught them. “You’re walking into a trap, Draegan.”
“We are.”
It wasn’t a question.
Draegan looked at Bane dead-on then and said, “You get me out of this alive, and I’ll throw you the best welcome party you’ve ever seen.” He studied Bane thoughtfully. “Hell, you can’t promise that.” He looked off in the distance and finally said, “Promise me one thing though. If I don’t make it out, you look out for her. You hear me?”
“You have my word on that, Draegan.”
“I know I do,” he said, nodding at Mac as he approached.
The two brothers never said another word. They just hopped in the vehicle as if they were just taking a ride to a neighboring town. Then, they pulled away from the curb and drove out of sight.
* * * *
“What’s our plan?” Draegan asked, knowing before he asked that they didn’t have one.
“I’m not sure,” Mac said, glancing over the seat.
About that time, Harley and Allister popped out from under the tarp.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Draegan studied his brothers in the rearview mirror.
“Covering your asses,” Harley replied, checking the rifles and handing Allister a few boxes of ammunition.
“You knew about this?” Draegan asked.
“Even though we should’ve kicked your asses for keeping us in the dark, one thing is clear. You were trying to protect us. Now, we’re returning the favor.” Allister pointed straight ahead. “When we get up here at the intersection, you’re going to go straight instead of left. You’ll take us to the first unmarked gravel road. There’s a new development going in at the back of the Vance property. They’ve already closed up any remaining wells leading through those woods and those warfare-like traps those heathens used are gone, too. We can get in there without being detected.”
“We can’t risk it. We don’t know how many men Vin has and—”
“Three.”
“What?” Draegan gripped the steering wheel. “You’re sure?”
“According to the intelligence we gathered, Vin doesn’t trust anyone. The two men he has as ‘bodyguards’ were hired for that purpose, to protect him. Vin has a habit of abandoning his mission if he can’t take out his intended target.”
“His mission?” Draegan asked.
“I was hung up on the intended target,” Harley said.
“The point is, he’s a paranoid son-of-a-bitch. Now, yeah, I’d like to kill the sorry motherfucker but our goal is to get Markie out and go home tonight. That’s why I’m here.” He locked and loaded a weapon, made a dramatic show out of gripping his weapon, and added, “I’m going to sleep in my bed tonight with my woman. That is, after I kick both your asses for keeping me and Harley in the dark. I mean, what the fuck?”
“We were sixteen and seventeen when we made the decision to keep you and Harley out of it.”
“And now what’s your excuse?”
Draegan glanced in the rearview mirror, proud of his brothers for being strong men, fiercely protective and loyal to those they loved. “Now, my only excuse is I love you. And I will always do whatever necessary to keep those I love safe.”
“You make that sort of promise to a woman, not to a man—a brother—who is your equal. Got it?”
“I hear ya.” Draegan pulled to a stop next to the huge sign announcing the new development. “Now, let’s go kick some ass.”
Chapter Seventeen
