AUGUST
“Seriously, I thought there’d be more than this,” I mumble. We’ve been at this for hours, and we’ve only decrypted ten names- all people we’ve known about.
“You can’t rush the process. The scraper we’ve created will decode each change in the encryption,” Coop says through the screen.
A notification sounds and I watch three more names populate.
Sighing, I turn back to my laptop and continue combing through the records I pulled for my dad’s law firm.
“They’re all already dead.” My gaze lifts at the sound of Sebastian’s disgruntled voice. He flips his computer, displaying all the names that were just revealed. “They were discovered in the last round-up the Council oversaw.”
I bring up the log from last week’s mission. Thirteen families betrayed us in their thirst for power. Elise promised them all something she never would give. We didn’t kill them all. Most are sitting in the cells under the Tombs until a decision can be made on what will happen next.
“Was the whole fucking town in on this?” Karl growls, throwing his blade at the wall.
It’s a fair question, given the situation. “Enough of them were,” I reply.
“The Fraternitas needs an overhaul. We can’t keep leading like this- Elise was only able to get where she is because of the arcane rules the Council refuses to see the need to change,” Rowan explains.
A ping sounds- another batch of names appear just as all our phones go off.
“Fuck,” Rowan shouts.
“I’m going to rip his balls off and feed them to him,” Karl snarls.
I watch as Antonio’s name pops on the screen, and I grab my phone to see my worst fears confirmed. I’m hitting call before I even register the action.
“Emma’s been taken. Shay and Erik have been rushed to the hospital, and we don’t know if either of them will make it,” my father explains.
“Where?” is my only question, but he understands what I want.
“The Tombs- we leave as soon as you all arrive and gear up,” he replies.
I disconnect the call. “We have to go. Colt, Coop, keep us posted. We have a cunt to murder.”
* * *
The fact that we’re outside another building to get our girl back isn’t lost on us- it just fuels us.
We don’t have time to process the guilt we all feel for leaving her- we’re focused on getting her back. We’ll beg for her forgiveness later. But bringing her home is priority number one.
“You all have your instructions. We know from surveillance and heat signatures there are twenty-four people inside- twenty-three are targets- one’s my daughter,” I watch the moment of anguish in Aaron Bradford’s eyes before it dissolves into determination. “All targets are shoot-to-kill unless you know they can be captured.” Aaron walks down the line of his team as we stand back by the truck, ready to go. Our fathers- also suited up, are like a looming presence behind the true leader of the Fraternitas. “I want to make this clear- we do not leave this building without my daughter, and
Elise Lockwood is mine!”
I want to say we all agree on this- all of us understanding why he wants this kill. But we all have reasons for wanting the walking human carcass eviscerated. I turn to Karl- his jaw is clenched. I’m not sure which girl he has strapped to his back. I just know it’s a Katana, and Thelma and Louise are in his hands.
“Let’s go,” Aaron’s voice booms.
We pull our skull balaclavas down. Then we breach- two men work in tandem to pick the locks and open the front doors. The first wave moves in.
“Where in the building is she?” I ask Liam, knowing he’s already got her chip location on the screen.
“Third floor, last room on the left,” he responds.
Our dads make their way to us, and Liam puts his phone away. “We’re going to go in before you boys. Get Emma and detain Elise. We need her alive- she has all the answers,” Rowan’s father instructs.
We nod and watch Mr. Bradford and Thomas lead our dads into the building.
“Antonio is mine,” Rowan seethes. We grunt our agreement and head inside.
Ignoring the fighting around us, we creep toward the stairwell.
“Gas masks on,” Sebastian directs, then kicks the door open, tossing in the smoke bomb.
With our masks in place, we pick off the choking men. Karl chops a gagging man in the head clear to the bone and leans over, dragging his blade across his jugular. Liam and Rowan shoot three men between the eyes with quick successive pops.
I ascend the first three steps, my rifle aimed and ready, clearing the path. “First floor cleared.”
We make it to the third floor with no hiccups or resistance.
“I’ll breach first,” Sebastian states, moving to the lead position.
We can’t use the gas on this floor because we know Emma’s here and won’t risk hurting her.
Before Sebastian’s gloved hand grabs the knob, gunfire rings out- bullets pepper the door.
“Shit,” I growl when a bullet zips past my face.
“How the fuck are we supposed to get inside?” Liam snaps.
Karl slides past us, heading for the stairs, “On it,” he says, running up the stairs.
“Crazy fuck,” Rowan groans, chasing after him.
Sebastian signals for us to move back down to the second-floor landing.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.