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Men exit the vehicles quickly and set up a perimeter. The front door is blown with a grenade that almost knocks me on my ass from the sound alone. Smoke fills the air, and we hear screaming from inside, then, a few barely dressed women run out of the house, and one of Diego’s men leads them away to a waiting van.
Diego wants everyone accounted for, either dead or confined to the extra vans we brought. He’s not risking Vincent Saint-Lambert getting away; after all, if he does manage to escape, Diego loses his prized wife. I don’t know which way to root for on that one.
Once the smoke dissipates enough, the men move inside the house, clearing room after room. We can hear commotion and movement from inside, then gunshots. Mateo is by my side, gun in his hand and eyes wide. If it comes down to shooting someone, I’m not sure he will be able to. It’s a good thing I know how to handle a weapon, that way; I can protect both our asses just in case.
Tom and the rest of our guys are surrounding me like some damn damsel in distress, which is pissing me right off. Hello, not made of glass, fuckers. Finn is by the front door, gun in his hand, looking hot as fuck with Diego, waiting for the all-clear to enter Theo’s house.
We hear another grenade go off in the woods, followed by two more loud bangs and the sound of heavy gunfire. I guess Manuel and his men have breached the other entrance. Manuel insisted on going in with his men on the hunt for Vincent Saint-Lambert. Guess he won’t risk the prize of Vincent’s head escaping either.
“Move, move!” Diego shouts, and we all start moving forward toward the interior of the house. We can hear gunshots echoing from within the house, but they’re muted now, most likely coming from the basement. One of Diego’s men comes forward with a gun to a man’s head and stops in front of Diego, Mateo, Finn, and me.
“Tell them what you just told me, cabrón” He pushes the guy to his knees.
“Mack Pemberton is dead, his son shot him in the chest, and he bled out over an hour ago. Vincent is down in the dungeon with his son and the other one.” He spits through clenched teeth, a large gash on his head bleeding down his neck.
Diego shoots me a questioning look with a raised eyebrow at the smile that crosses my face. Mateo and Finn’s gorgeous faces also break out in evil smirks.Good riddance Mack Pemberton; I hope you rot in hell, fucker.
“Saul, get him in one of the vans and make sure this rat can’t get away.” Diego nods and starts moving forward through Theo’s house.
The sound of wood cracking is loud in the confined hallway. We move towards the sound and watch as two of Diego’s men ram a door that must lead to the basement. After giving it a few hard kicks, it splinters, and the access to the stairs is revealed. Four of them move quickly down the stairs, guns drawn. We can hear more gunshots and shouts coming from down below.
My nerves are on edge, and my body is filled with adrenaline. I want to run down the stairs and find Theo and Carter. Tom moves to my side with a first aid bag thrown over his shoulder. “We’re going to find them, Mia.” I nod back; I know we are going to find them, but in what condition is what scares me. They have been in Vincent’s clutches for too many hours already. That demon psychopath enjoys inflicting pain and torture whenever he can.
Diego and Finn are the next to go down the dimly lit stairs, and I follow behind, with Tom and Mateo at my back. The stairs and walls leading down are made of rough stone with just a sconce here and there casting light but also casting deep shadows. My stomach tightens painfully with fear for Finn up ahead. Someone could be hiding in those shadows and attack him. Would Diego save him? He better if he doesn’t want to incur my wrath.
When we reach the bottom of the stairs, it’s pure chaos of smoke-filled spaces. Gunshots can be heard further into the area. Diego’s men, dressed in all black, are fighting what I can only assume are Vincent’s lackeys.
I look around with terror and disgust; we are in a large room with various alcoves branching off from the space. I can see beds and BDSM paraphernalia splattered everywhere. A large wooden cross with leather constraints stands in the middle of the room. There’s fresh blood stained below it on the hard concrete floor. Just the thought of whose blood that could be has my own blood pressure rising and red rage filling my eyes. Vincent will repay every fucking mark he left on my kings tenfold. I will make sure of it.
Diego, Finn, and two of Manuel’s men move from alcove to alcove, checking for inhabitants and finding nothing. Another grenade goes off further down the passageway; the stone walls vibrate, smoke and dust fill the air, and the lights flicker. Shit, those fuckers better be careful otherwise, the ceiling could cave in, and we will all be trapped down here.
Manuel’s loud voice can be heard shouting commands in Spanish further down the pathway, as intermittent gunshots are still ringing out. A shout comes from the left side, and I turn my gaze in that direction. It’s Finn, and he’s shouting for Tom to come quickly.
I race in that direction behind Tom and come to a sudden jarring halt. Holy shit, Carter is on the ground, beaten and bruised, clothes torn, face and mouth bleeding, and his arm hanging awkwardly at his side. In his lap is Theo’s head. I can’t even register what I’m seeing on Theo’s body. He’s almost completely naked except for a torn pair of dirty, bloody gray boxers. His body is so battered, bruised, and bloody that it’s virtually impossible to tell where one injury begins, and another ends.
Theo’s out cold, his head angled and cradled gently in Carter’s lap, Carter’s hand covering his ear to protect him from all the loud grenades going off. I can’t tell from where I’m rooted at the alcove’s entrance if he’s breathing. He’s lying flat on his chest and so very still.Jesus, please be alive.
My legs tremble and give out on me, and I have to grab the stone wall while Mateo grabs my arm to steady me. A sharp cry leaves my lips at the condition of my two missing kings. They look barely alive. At my cry, Carter raises his eyes and looks in my direction. His terrified gaze meeting and locking on mine.
“Mia!” he shouts in a loud cry; his body trembles, and fear skates across his features.
“Carter, let me take him from you, bro. Please let me help him.” Finn’s on his knees in front of Theo and Carter, trying to turn an unconscious Theo over, but Carter’s grip on him won’t allow them to move Theo.
Carter breaks the connection between us and stares at Finn like he’s just now seeing him. “Finn?” His voice comes out husky, and he releases his hold on Theo.
Tom and Finn immediately and gently turn Theo over, and Tom starts assessing his injuries. On shaking legs, I move closer to Carter and Theo’s battered bodies. Mateo’s hold on my arm, still helping to hold me up. Once I’ve reached them, I fall to my knees in front of Carter, wrapping my shaking arms around his battered body and kissing his forehead.
“You stupid, reckless idiot. I’m so glad you’re alive, so I can kill you myself for running off like that.” I breathe in his scent of sweat, blood, grime, resting my lips against his hot skin. A shallow breath fills my lungs.He’s alive, Mia, they are both alive, I tell myself to try to calm my racing heart.
“Mia? You...you came for us? You’re in so much danger. Why did you come for us?” Tears trail down Carter’s bruised face, and I use my thumbs to catch each one. His husky blue-gray eyes are filled with fear and emotion. His whole body trembles with the sobs he’s trying to hold back.
I pull back and stare at him, “I will always come for you, Carter. I will always come for all four of you. You are mine.” Leaning forward, I brush my lips gently across his swollen and bleeding lips.
Turning in Theo’s direction, I watch in horror as Tom starts chest compression and Finn breathes into his mouth. Holy shit, Theo is not breathing. Moving away from Carter, I grasp onto Theo’s bloodied hand. His fingers are bent and mangled, broken for sure. There is no part of him that I can see that isn’t bleeding, bruised, or damaged. How could his own father have done this to him?
I look up and catch Diego’s gaze. He’s looking down at Carter and Theo, his body quivering with anger, rage, and pity on his features. He knows their demented fathers did this to them. “Find Vincent, Diego. I want his fucking head.”
He nods, lips set in a hard line, then turns away from the alcove and moves out of sight. We can hear his voice issuing rapid commands in Spanish to his men, and then his footsteps echo off the stone floor as he moves further away.
