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Chapter 15
They had stolen hiswoman again, and damn if he was going to let anyone escape this time. It was time to finish this. There had been a crowd at the front exit, so the guys had chosen a side exit closest to where they’d parked and walked right into a trap. When they had stepped out of the side door, they were hit with pepper spray, and while nuclear, biological, and chemical warfare training was something the military men were familiar with, it still shocked them at first exposure. That’s all the kidnappers needed.
Callie’s keen eyes scanned the perimeter, ever watchful. “No signs of movement yet.” Her hand rested on the gun at her hip, ready to draw at a moment’s notice. “When do we move in?” She was always eager for a fight, fueled by a restless energy that Garrett often tried to corral.
“Settle down, or you are not going in at all,” said Garrett. Callie’s grumble made Garrett’s lip twitch.
Mark stood at the ready. His hands curled into fists, muscles tensed. He met Ryker’s gaze and gave a curt nod, waiting for the order to advance.
Ryker knew these friends were deadly. They were the best at what they did, brought together now for a single purpose: to stop Audra and save Oakley. Ryker’s heart ached at the thought of Oakley again trapped somewhere in that ruin of a building, at Audra’s mercy. He swallowed hard against the bile rising in his throat. He would not lose the woman that meant everything to him. Earlier this year, he’d wondered if there was a perfect woman for him in the world, and now that he had found her and claimed her, he’d be damned if anyone was going to take her from him.
Ryker steadied his nerves and looked at each member of this Kick-Ass team, seeing his determination reflected in their eyes. They would succeed today—they had to. Too much depended on it.
“Thank you for risking everything for my everything.”
“Man, I keep telling you we’re family, and family trumps everything,” Jac said.
“We move in together,” Carter said, voice hard with purpose. “Watch each other’s backs and stay alert. Audra won’t give up Oakley without a fight.”
Callie’s lips curved into a humorless smile, and she drew her gun, the metal glinting cold. “Wouldn’t want it any other way.”
They approached the warehouse with cautious steps, weapons at the ready. Ryker scanned the crumbling brick facade for any signs of movement, but it appeared abandoned. Too abandoned. Ryker clenched his jaw as the operatives he called friends approached the abandoned warehouse, their boots crunching on the gravel. According to Sharlee’s intel, this was where Audra’s followers were keeping Oakley captive.
The dilapidated warehouse loomed ominously against the darkened sky, its windows long shattered and the once-sturdy brick walls crumbling in places. An icy wind howled through the broken panes, carrying the faint scent of rust, decay, and danger. As Carter led his team towards the entrance, every nerve in his body screamed that this was a trap.
“Remember,” Jac whispered to his team, eyes scanning the area warily, “our priority is saving Oakley, but we can’t let Audra slip away again. She’s dangerous and needs to be stopped.”
The team nodded solemnly, their eyes hardening with determination. “We’ll get her, Ryker. Count on it,” said Levi.
Beside him, Mark clenched his fists, ready for action, while Callie cracked her knuckles, her eyes filled with deadly intent.
Carter motioned for his team to fan out, surveilling the perimeter. This group worked like a well-oiled machine, and Ryker knew he didn’t fit in with their world. Unfortunately, he had no choice, but he was hanging up his vest after this.
Ryker’s first goal was to secure his sweetheart’s safety, and the second was to put an end to this medication nightmare and stop Audra from hurting any more vulnerable people. The building looked empty, but he didn’t trust it. His instincts told him this was too easy.
Ryker gritted his teeth as he peered around the corner, surveilling the dilapidated warehouse. At least thirty people milled about the large open space inside, clearly on high alert. They were heavily armed, and judging by their fanatical expressions, they would not hesitate to use deadly force.
“There are too many of them,” Callie said. “We can’t take them all, not without risking civilian casualties. When are the police coming?”
Ryker nodded, his jaw clenched. “Not soon enough.” As much as he wanted to storm in there and rescue Oakley, Callie was right. They were outnumbered and outgunned. A direct assault would only end in loss of life.
His ear tingled as Sharlee’s voice came through. “I’ve hacked into their security cameras. It looks like most of them are congregating on the first floor, but according to Kaden’s drone, Oakley is being held on the second floor, in a small office toward the back of the building.”
“Can you disable their weapons or communications?” Ryker asked.
There was a pause. “I can try to disrupt their radios to create some confusion, but I don’t have access to their firearms. You’ll have to neutralize those threats manually.”
Ryker ran a hand over his beard, thinking fast. They needed a distraction, something to draw the followers away from Oakley so he could get her out of there.
Jac was thinking the same thing. “Tell Sharlee to set off a diversion like a bomb threat at the psychiatric hospital across town,” said Jac.
“Or, better yet,” said Carter, “is one at the facility Charles is about to discharge from. That should pull away some of their forces because Audra will want to protect her brother.” Ryker looked at Carter. “Jac and Levi head around to the back of the building and cover the exits. Ryker and Callie, I will sneak in through a side entrance and get Oakley out.”
Sharlee came across their communication devices. “How about a pseudo one that I only announce across their radios?”
“Try it, babe,” said Jac.
Sharlee announced through their radios as though there was a response to a reported bomb threat at the healing center. They all knew that Audra would be frantic with concern. Her brother’s needs created misinformed processing errors in Audra’s head. She would not ignore her brother’s additional needs.
