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I stare at the screen, at my girl’s beautiful face, waiting for something to happen.
Seconds pass like minutes before her eyes widen and a scream rips from her lips.
My heart jumps into my throat as the camera wobbles on its stand.
But everything is forgotten when Dad looks at me and places his hand on my shoulder.
"Conner, go."
I don't have time to think about those two words. The door to my side opens and I fly out of the SUV, the injuries I've been suffering from long forgotten as I run full speed toward the warehouse doors that another guy holds open for me. The smell hits me the second I'm inside, but I don't let it stop me. Instead, I run until the space at the end of the long corridor opens up into a huge room.
The first thing I see is a pool of blood, and my heart jumps into my throat that Warren might have got to K first. That what I thought I saw on that screen was wrong. My vision blurs as my panic begins to get the better of me.
Ripping my eyes from the pool of blood, I find a body beside it that thankfully doesn't belong to Kenny. "Kennedy," I scream, seeing her limp body tied to the chair.
Shallow gargled breaths come from the body on the floor as Warren loses his fight against the bullet lodged in his chest.
I want to stand over him and ensure my face is the last one he sees before he takes his final breath, but the need to go to my girl is stronger.
I stumble, my legs not moving as quickly as I need them to, and I drop to the cold concrete floor in front of her. "K, I'm here. It's okay. I'm here," I say, frantically looking for serious injuries.
I find nothing, and after another second, I hear the most incredible noise.
"Conner," she sobs.
"I'm here, babe. I'm right here."
Footsteps fill the silent space around us, but I don't look up to see who they belong to.
"Here, cut her free."
Some guy dressed in all black passes me a knife, and I set to work slicing through the bindings that have her unable to move.
The second she's free, I drop to my ass and pull her into my lap, cradling her to my chest as she sobs against me.
My heart aches in a way I've never experienced before. It's like New Year’s Eve multiplied by a million.
"I've got you, K. It's over. I've got you. You're safe."
There are more footsteps and guys start talking, but none of the words register as they move around us. That is, until I hear a familiar voice.
"Is this all of it?" Dad asks, walking into the room and looking around.
"Yes," someone confirms as I watch him walk toward a wall that's covered in images.
I squint, trying to make out some of it. There are photos of everyone pinned to the wall along with people and places I've never seen before, all connected with string—just like you see in crime shows on the TV.
"Is... is that Warren and C-Charlie?" I ask, zeroing in on one of the images.
"Yes," James states through thinned lips. "Warren was Charlie's son."
"What?" I bark, my head spinning.
"Look after Kennedy, Conner. I'll talk to you about all of this later.” With that, he reaches out and begins ripping all of Warren's hard work from the wall.
Kenny continues to tremble in my arms as two people crouch down beside me.
"Here, wrap this around her," Cole says, holding out a blanket before both him and Ace help me to stand and carry Kenny from the warehouse.
