AllFreeNovel
Share Us
CHAPTERTWENTY-SIX
PERSEPHONE
“I’m going to kill every single man who stands in my way of rescuing Persephone.” I crack my knuckles and stare out the window of our SUV. “I might need some backup, though.”
“I thought ye might feel that way.” Ares slides me a sly smile. “I had a team vetted and flown into a local airport, waiting on ye to say the word. They are ready to roll out and meet us at Constantine’s hideout.”
“Ye did what?” I ask, scrunching up my face. “Jaysus, Ares. Ye didn’t even know what I would say!”
He shoots me a small smile and dials a number on his phone. He looks at me with an unreadable expression as he waits for the line to be picked up.
“We are a go,” he says quietly. “I’m sending ye the address right now.” He listens for a moment, then nods. “Aye.”
I look at my window, shaking my head. My brother acted without my permission and likely deserves some kind of comeuppance. But I can’t even focus on that.
I’m practically vibrating with the need to see Persephone. To know she’s safe, yes. But honestly, I hate the fact that Constantine thought he could fuck with her when she was under my protection.
No one gets to touch what’s mine.
I clench and unclench my fists as we race down the mostly empty highways. There is an unexplored thought floating around — what does it mean for Persephone to be mine?
But I shove that down, trying to think of more practical things. The landscape gradually begins to shift as we leave the highway for a little two lane road that carries us to the address that Etienne gave us. The red clay lightens, big swathes of gray sandy soil taking over. The trees grow sparser, the ground on both sides of the SUV sprouting thick, green-beige grasses that grow high and wild.
When we come around a long curve, the ocean appears before me, spreading out across the horizon. It’s difficult to tell the light brown sand of the shore from the murky dark waters. Above it all, the sky is a sullen blue-gray, the clouds gathering ever so slowly.
“Jesus.” Ares shifts in his seat, cracking his neck. “How much further out can we even go?”
I check my phone, which has been counting down the miles and minutes until we reach our destination. “It says we will be there in fifteen minutes.”
Ares pulls his gun from his waistband and checks the clip. I’ve come to recognize this preparation as a sign of Ares’ fidgeting. Eyeing him, I drag in long breaths.
“Almost there, brother.”
Ares shrugs like he doesn’t care. “Aye.”
I can just make out a large gray beach house in the distance, a few scraggly trees growing around it. My heart rate increases as the driver begins winding his way up the narrow path toward the house.
“Pull over,” I direct him. “And stay vigilant.”
“Sir.” The dark-suited driver edges the SUV onto the shoulder of the road.
The second he stops, I’m out of the car like a lightning bolt. Ares follows me as I walk about a minute further, just until the beach house is fully in my line of sight. My brother seems pensive as he prowls around me, checking out the house and the lines of sight.
“It seems quiet at the house,” he says, jerking his head toward it. “How do we even know that they are there?”
I point to the side of the beach house, where several dark SUVs are parked. Right next to them is a silver Rolls Royce Phantom.
“I think we can safely guess that someone is in there.”
Ares nods slowly, fishing his phone out of his pocket. As soon as he starts to look at it, two black SUVs come into sight.
“Fuck.”
The last thing I need is having Constantine’s goons stumble upon us as we are gearing up to attack the house.
I start moving off the road, searching for some shelter. My heart races as I realize that the best defense is going to be getting low to the ground.
Ares catches my arm, jerking his head toward the approaching cars. “That’s security team.”
