I turn, making my way to the door, begging Willow to hang in there a little longer.
“Wait,” Bruce calls out behind me. “If you walk out that door, I’ll kill her.”
For a moment, I consider my options. Glancing back over my shoulder, I give a nonchalant look at her, barely withholding the flinch from my facial features.
She’s been beaten, blood pouring from her face. No wonder she spit before. Her mouth must be full of blood.
It’s risky, but I have to trust my gut and my gut is saying he won’t kill her right away.
I look back to Bruce. “Call me when you decide that you’re done with all the games and parlor tricks. This is the last time I’ll tell you. Return the product then disappear or else you won’t like the consequences.”
I force myself to leave the room, putting one foot in front of the other. I concentrate on my breathing, keeping myself as calm on the outside as possible, but inside? Inside, I’m a boiling pot of rage and fury, ready to take down each and every one of these guys until they are decimated.
He thought I would show my cards, seeing Willow strung up like cattle. He was almost right.
Almost.
What he didn’t know was that Willow was wearing a fitness tracker in her bra. I knew she was there, but I needed to buy time and get a better feel of the place before we went in.
It kills me to leave her behind, but I will get her back.
As soon as I’m outside and back in the car, I start to pull away, putting the phone to my ear.
“We need to move now. She doesn’t have much longer.”
“Got it.” Nate hangs up the phone.
I continue driving calmly until I meet at the rendezvous point.
“You ready?” Nate asks.
I nod, pulling my gun out from my waistband. His incompetent soldiers never even bothered to search me.
“Let’s go get your girl then.”
I concentrate on my breathing and attempt to clear my head.
Willow and I will be having a long talk after this. I’m done with the games. Willow’s mine. She should have never put herself in this position. She should’ve trusted I could handle it.
“George’s crew will go first. Hey. Wait,” Nate calls at my back.
I slide back into my car, revving the engine. On the way back, I don’t hesitate. I push my car as fast as I can, the five-minute drive turning into two.
Slamming on my brakes, I let George, my head security guy, take lead, watching as he slams his SUV built like a tank, right through the front door. When he backs away, I can see the two dead guards he ran over on his way.
I jump out, running up to the side of their vehicle, crouching behind the now open passenger door.
Bullets fly, peppering the vehicle all around us.
“Get me in that building,” I yell to the soldier next to me.
He nods once, leaning out to take his own shot. When he falls back to reload, I take my turn, leaning out to take a shot. I hit three of them before I run out of bullets.
It takes several minutes of back and forth, but eventually the shooting stops. I rush up to the opening that was once a door.
Placing my back up to the metal next to the opening, I take a deep breath before I turn. I see several dead bodies littering the floor, but no movement.
I step over the bodies, moving farther into the building, George and his crew behind me. I come up to the first door, motioning to one of the guys to keep an eye out. I try the handle, smiling that it’s unlocked.
