Raising my middle finger to him and Simon, I use it to motion them to follow me.
We can’t draw this shit out any longer than we already have.
“Ready?” I ask Uriel as we walk toward the door directly in front of the SUV.
I figure that’s gotta be the room they’re holing up in.
“What’s the count?” Uriel asks.
“Don’t count. Just kick the fucker in and get out of my way,” I say.
Pulling my Glock from the hip holster I’ve changed into, I switch off the safety and cock back the lever for a smooth fire.
“Here we go,” Uriel says and jogs up to the door.
I hear the other guys, my brothers, shuffling around as they move in behind us.
I don’t have time for anything but this moment.
This singular action will either ruin us all or free Sophia.
Uriel lifts his foot up and slams it perfectly against the door, right where the lock would be for the handle.
The guys inside the room probably thought the security lock would protect them.
It doesn’t.
The door literally goes flying off its hinges and into the room.
I guess that’s what happens when you have someone the size of Uriel kicking a door.
Thank the fucking Devil himself that this place is falling apart.
Moving in one fluid motion, I ignore all the pain my body thinks it’s in and find that place in-between worlds. The one where things slow down in my mind just enough for me to become the calculated killer I’ve always been.
Rolling through the door to stop in a crouch, I lift my gun and have a split second to figure out who my main target is.
My first round goes through a nameless patrolman who’s taking aim at the sudden explosion of the door.
Looking to my left, I spot Dickers lining his pistol up on me and pulling the trigger back before I can get a bead on him.
There’s a buzzing sound near my head, like a bee passing by my ear, and I watch Dickers’s eyes widen before he moves to pull the trigger again.
He’ll be too late.
My gun fires and I don’t miss.
The bullet rips through the left side of his body, hitting his hip.
Fuck. I hate body armor.
But at least the fucker is neutralized for the moment.
Dropping his gun, Dickers reaches down and grabs at his wound.
Gabriel comes flying through the door with his big ass assault rifle raised up. “Everyone fucking freeze!”
I bet that fucker has been waiting his whole life to say that to a group of cops.
Catching my breath and looking around the room, I keep expecting to see Sophia popping out and running to me. Running and wrapping her body around me.
I don’t see her anywhere though…
“Where is my wife?” I demand.
Jacob Morrison jumps away from the bed.
And I know instantly the only reason I don’t see her is because of him.
Slowly walking toward the bed, I see her laying flat and motionless.
My heart reaches for the soles of my feet and tries to rip them out from underneath me.
Pushing past Gabriel, I can feel each step is slowly weakening my body’s will to exist.
If Sophia is gone, I’ll die here and now.
My heart won’t last an hour without her.
I won’t need to take my own life, my body will do it for me.
22
Sophia
The sound of James’s voice pulls me out of the darkness that completely swallowed me.
Tugging me back from… somewhere… with its force.
“Sophia!”
Lights, sounds, and pictures assault my brain in blurry chaos as I open my eyes, nothing making sense.
I suck in a shrill, gasping breath of air only to cough it out. My throat aching as if I gargled a mouthful of razorblades.
“Fuck! Oh fuck!” James shouts in alarm then his beautiful face is in front of me. Contorted with pain.
“Oh baby…” he groans as he carefully pulls me up into his arms, bringing me to my knees. “Oh fuck, baby…”
I lean into his chest, still coughing my head off, as his shaking hands roam over me.
“Andrew!” James roars, and I wince, pain slicing through my head.
Keeping one arm around me, James reaches down between us and yanks a knife from his belt. Then he quickly slices the cuffs off my wrists.
My arms fall to my sides and the sensation of pins and needles shooting up to my shoulders brings more tears to my burning eyes.
“Let me through,” someone snaps with authority.
I recognize Simon’s sharp voice as he protests, “We still need to secure the room…”
“I don’t fucking care. Get out of my way.”
As if he’s unsure what to do, James seems to hesitate before he lowers me back down to the bed, helping me sit on the edge.
Then he squats down in front of me.
“Sophia,” James groans again as his eyes sweep over me, taking stock of my various injuries.
My coughs dying down, I peer into his face. Just happy to see he’s still alive.