Total pages in book: 50
Estimated words: 45996 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 230(@200wpm)___ 184(@250wpm)___ 153(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45996 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 230(@200wpm)___ 184(@250wpm)___ 153(@300wpm)
The relief hits me hard, but it’s mixed with something sharper. Minimal resistance. That doesn’t sound right. These are the same people who’ve been hunting my family for years, who forced my father into hiding and grabbed two of my brothers without a trace. Now they take Sadie in the middle of a crowded concert and hole up in a place with almost no security? It feels off. Too easy. Like they wanted us to find them.
"Copy that," I say, my voice steady even as my mind races. "We’re on our way. Do not engage until we get there. I want to be the one to bring her out."
Sloane pauses for a beat. "Understood. But move fast. The longer we wait, the more time they’ve got to prepare."
I end the call and look at my brothers. "They found the van. Abandoned house on the outskirts. Sloane's team is moving in. Minimal resistance. Nash, Sin, and Sadie are inside. We’re going now."
Crewe nods once, already moving. "Let's go. We take the back roads. No lights. We don’t want to tip them off if they’re watching."
We pile into two black SUVs that Sloane's guys brought. I ride with Crewe and Billy, the engine humming low as we pull away from the pavilion. The concert lights fade behind us, replaced by the dark stretch of coastal road. The ocean’s a dark line on our left, waves rolling in a steady rhythm that I can almost feel through the tires. My hands grip the seat in front of me, knuckles white. Sadie’s out there. Last night at the safe house she rode me as if she owned me, her body moving with that playful confidence, her voice breathless as she told me how good it felt. I kissed her before we left for the concert. Now she’s in danger because of me. Because of this family mess that keeps pulling people in.
Billy sits beside me in the back, his presence solid and familiar in a way that still shocks me. We found him. After all these years. And now we’re racing to rescue the woman who’s become more important to me than I ever planned. He glances over, his voice low. "We’ll get her back. And your brothers. This ends tonight if we play it right."
I nod, but my mind’s already on the why. Why take Sadie at the concert? Why make it so easy to find them? It feels as if it’s a trap. Like they took her specifically to draw us in. But why? What do they gain by pulling the whole family together in one place?
The SUVs slow as we approach the abandoned house. It sits back from the road, dark and sagging, windows broken or boarded. Sloane's team’s already surrounded it, their dark figures moving in shadows. Crewe kills the lights on our vehicle and we roll to a stop. My heart thrashes wildly in my chest, but I force myself to stay focused. We move as one, slipping through the tall grass toward the back of the house.
Sloane meets us at the side door, his voice a whisper. "They didn’t put up much of a fight. Two guys inside. We took them down quick. The three hostages are chained in the main room. No other threats detected. It was almost too clean."
Too clean. The words echo in my head as we breach the door. The interior is dim, lit by a single lantern on a table. And there, chained to the far wall, are Nash and Sin. Both look bruised but alive, their heads lifting as we enter. And next to them, chained the same way, is Sadie. Her pink dress is rumpled, her hair falling loose around her face, but her eyes are open and alert. Relief crashes through me so hard I almost stagger.
We move fast. Crewe and Colt work on freeing Nash and Sin while I go straight to Sadie. My hands shake as I unlock the chains around her wrists. The metal’s cold and heavy, biting into her skin where it’s rubbed raw. She looks up at me as the last chain falls away, and the fear in her eyes mixes with something warmer when she sees me.
"Jace," she whispers, her voice hoarse. "You found us."
I pull her into my arms the second she’s free, holding her tight against my chest. She feels solid and real, her body trembling slightly from the adrenaline or the cold or both. "I’ve got you," I murmur against her hair. "We’re getting out of here. All of us."
Nash and Sin are freed quickly, both of them standing on shaky legs but grinning despite everything. The reunion is brief but intense. Hugs and claps on the back, low words of relief. Billy steps forward last, his eyes sweeping over his two missing sons like he can’t quite believe they’re here. The shock on their faces when they see him is raw and real. They thought he was gone. We all did. And now he’s standing in an abandoned house on the outskirts of town, helping rescue them from the same people who forced him away years ago.