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His words penetrate my anger and fear, and I look up. “Show me.”
Ace gives a curt nod. He walks to the side of the house and unlatches the ornate metal gate. Right in the middle of the house is the open window. There’s no screen, but when I peek inside, I see the soap dispenser moved to the back of the toilet.
“Shit. She left. No one came for her here,” I sigh and shake my head. “Even if they wanted to, they wouldn’t attempt anything with Jordi out front.”
“Where would she go, Shades? That’s all that matters now.”
I nod and immediately know the answer. “Her folks are in New York, and there’s only one other person who could get her out of this house when I told her to stay. Frank fucking Braden.”
My fists bunch and flex in anger, and I know that tonight, I’m going to fucking end that asshole.
Ace frowns. “Why?”
“Religious bullshit,” I spit. “She trusts the man like he’s her own goddamn father. He’s the only person who could get her to leave when she knows it’s the wrong thing to do. Goddamn, that asshole. We need to get to the church. Now.”
“Let’s go.” Ace leads the way out of the backyard, and I’m close on his heels. “Come on, Jordi. We’re heading to Destiny of Life.”
“We don’t need him,” I growl angrily.
“The fuck we don’t. If Braden lured her out at the command of Santos and his crew, we’ll need all the bodies and guns we can use. Jordi. Bike.”
Ace motions for the prospect to follow, which he does obediently.
“Don’t be an asshole. He’s one of us.”
They were Ace’s last words until we arrive at the far end of the church parking lot. Nearly a dozen bikes take up spots in front, probably more in the back lot.
“Looks like a party we weren’t invited to,” Jordi muses, shaking his head as three Kings step outside and light up cigarettes.
“We’re gonna need more men,” Ace says and pulls out his phone.
“Coop, it’s me. Round up everyone we can spare—armed—and get to Destiny of Life ASAP. Iron Kings have Letty and possibly the pastor too. As soon as you fucking can.”
I stare at the building, wondering if Letty is all right. She must be so fucking terrified right now, thinking that she’s all alone. Probably praying that she doesn’t die tonight.
“I need to get inside,” I bark, my heart beating like a drum.
“Yeah, but you need to wait. We have no fucking clue what’s waiting for us in there, Shades.”
“Letty’s in there,” I insist.
“Yeah, and it won’t do us any good if we have to save your sorry ass, too. Stay here until backup arrives.”
I nod, but I don’t fucking like it. Ace has never led me astray, not in all the years we worked side by side for the government and not in the years since as Reckless Souls. But goddamn, it’s like a physical ache not rushing the church to save her.
“They get three minutes.”
Hector appears at the front door of the church. He claps Nogales on the back and nods to a few of the men lingering on their bikes.
A van pulls up, and four Iron Kings go to it, each man pulling out old-school red gas cans. Fuck that, each of them have two gas cans, and they split up. Two heading left, and two heading right, and then I watch in horror as they methodically pour both cans around the perimeter of the church.
“Fuck. You seein’ this, Ace?”
Ace nods, his expression grave. “I guess you’re gonna get your death wish,” he growls.
Hector nods proudly as his men rush back to the van and toss the empty cans inside. He walks slowly down the cement steps and lights a cigarette with a match, inhales deeply, and lets it out slowly while the rest of his men walk out of the church and down the steps.
I have a bad feeling, and my feet tingle with the desire to move as the cigarette hangs out of one corner of Hector’s mouth, and he pulls out a lighter and uses it to light a full book of matches. With a careless wave of his hand, he tosses the burning book of matches to the bush just beside the church entrance.
A loud whoosh sounds as the ground around the church bursts into tall, angry flames.
“Letty!” My feet take off, running in the direction of the church. It feels like a fucking eternity passes as I cross the parking lot, the sound of Iron Kings’ laughter making me pump my legs and arms harder and faster.
I need to get to Letty before the smoke makes it difficult to see and even more difficult for her to breathe. I’m almost there, close enough that I can feel the heat of the flames as they lick up the sides of the building. The smoke is getting thick, and my heart races knowing that Letty doesn’t have much time.
“Looking for someone, asshole?” One of Hector’s men steps in front of me, stops my momentum, preventing me from saving Letty.
I don’t have time for this shit, so I grab my piece from my waistband and fire two rounds in him before my feet are on the move again with only one thing on my mind.
Letty.
