Total pages in book: 40
Estimated words: 36214 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 181(@200wpm)___ 145(@250wpm)___ 121(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36214 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 181(@200wpm)___ 145(@250wpm)___ 121(@300wpm)
The compound gates come into view. They stand open. Wrong. Lights flicker inside. Smoke curls from one of the side buildings. We roar through the entrance. I kill the engine and drop the bike. It hits the ground hard. I run. Brothers spread out around me checking bodies and securing the perimeter. My boots pound across the lot. The air smells like gunpowder and fresh blood.
The hallway to the room where I left her looks like a slaughterhouse. Bullet holes pock the walls. Shell casings glitter on the floor. I see the prospect first. He lies crumpled near the doorway. Blood pools dark and sticky under his head. A single shot to the head. Methodical. Professional. Fuck.
I step over him. The door to the room hangs crooked on broken hinges. Inside the space feels violated. The bed sheets lie tangled. Kevin the plant sits knocked over on the floor. Dirt spills across the tile. Her backpack is gone. No sign of struggle on her part. They took her fast.
Rage explodes through me. I slam my fist into the wall. Plaster cracks. Pain flares across my knuckles but I welcome it. Blood trickles down my fingers. "They took her." My voice comes out raw. "They took my woman."
Mace appears in the doorway. His face looks grim. "Perimeter team says black SUV. Three men. They hit hard and fast. Knew exactly where to go."
Ghost kneels by the prospect. Checks for signs of life even though we all know there aren’t any. He stands slow. "They wanted her specifically. This was never about Gunny alone. She’s the target. But why?"
I turn. My lungs strain for air. "I want every camera feed. Every witness. Every fucking rat on the street. Find her."
My phone rings. I snatch it up. One of the scouts. "Prez. We got eyes on Finn. He’s holed up in a safe house off the river. Looks like he’s waiting for something. Or someone."
I grip the phone so tight the plastic creaks. "Send the location. We roll now."
I look around the room one last time. Kevin lies on his side. I pick him up and set him upright on the table. Dirt still spills from the pot. "I’m bringing her back," I say to the plant. God, I’m talking to a fucking plant. "And I’m burning everything that touched her."
We move out fast. Engines roar again. The night swallows us as we race toward the river. My blood sings with violence. Finn will talk. He’ll give me everything. Locations. Plans. Where they took my woman. Then I’ll fucking end him. Slowly. Piece by piece.
The safe house appears ahead. A rundown building backed up to the water. Lights glow in one window. We cut engines early and approach on foot. Shadows cling to us. Weapons ready. I signal the team to surround the place. No one escapes.
We hit the door like a hammer. Wood splinters. Shouts erupt inside. Gunfire cracks. I move through the chaos. A Cartel soldier appears in the hallway. I put two rounds in his chest. He drops. Another comes from the side. Ghost takes him down silent and fast.
We clear the house room by room. The air smells like fear sweat and cheap whiskey. I find Finn in the back bedroom. He tries to climb out the window. I grab him by the collar and slam him against the wall. My forearm presses against his throat.
"Where is she?" I growl. Blood roars in my ears. "Where the fuck did they take Tia?"
Finn’s eyes bulge. He claws at my arm. "Kraken... I didn’t know... they promised money... protection..."
I slam him again. His head cracks against the drywall. "You sold us out. You sold her out. Tell me where she is or I start cutting pieces off until you do."
Mace and Ghost watch from the doorway. They know better than to interfere when I get like this. Finn’s face turns purple. I ease the pressure just enough for him to speak.
"Small airfield... east side... they said she was the key... breached data... she knows things..."
I stare into his eyes. The man I once trusted. The brother who rode beside me. Now nothing but a traitor. I press the barrel of my gun under his chin. "You die for this."
He whimpers. Begs. I don’t care. I squeeze the trigger. The shot echoes loud. His body slumps. Blood sprays across the wall. I feel nothing but cold satisfaction.
"Burn this place," I order. "Then we hit the airfield. We find her tonight."
The team moves out. Flames lick up behind us as we ride away. The night burns orange in the mirrors. My hands grip the bars until my knuckles turn white. Tia’s out there. Scared. Taken because of me. Because I let my guard down. Because I thought the compound was safe.
I’ll find her. I’ll kill every last one of them. And when I bring her home I’ll never let her out of my sight again. She’s mine. And the world will learn what happens when someone tries to take what belongs to Kraken.