Merciless (Option Zero 1)

He’d woken on the floor of this musty-smelling basement with his hands tied behind him, a giant booted foot kicking the hell out of him, and an ugly visage hovering over him.

Things had gone from bad to real bad. If he wasn’t mistaken, the first kick had cracked a rib.

“You ready to talk?”

Liam blinked up at the snarling face of Malcolm Murray, or as he was known around the compound, Malcolm the Great. He seemed to enjoy the moniker, but Liam figured the “Great” part had more to do with his gargantuan nose than any greatness Malcolm might possess.

“I’ll be glad to talk to you.” Liam answered in what he thought was a reasonable tone, especially since the bastard had been beating the crap out of him for the last half hour. “Just ask me a question that I know the answer to.”

“Your mouth will get you killed, young man.”

“And here I thought it would be my wild ways with women that would finally do me in.”

Once again, Malcolm slammed a giant fist into Liam’s gut. Since he had nothing left to throw up this time, Liam rolled over and could only gag through the pain. Ragged breaths wheezed out of him as he glared over his shoulder at Malcolm. “I’m beginning to question that slogan you have at the front of the compound. You know, the one that says ‘we love you no matter what’? Not feeling the love here, Mal. Not at all.”

“Love is for those who follow the rules. You broke them when you allowed our sister to escape.”

“Your sister? Listen, you giant-nosed prick, she’s not your sister.”

“Of course she is. The moment she entered our gates, she became ours.”

Fury washed through him, easing the pain. This filthy creep and his so-called brothers were going to pay for every ounce of fear they’d put Elena through. If there was one comfort in all of this, it was that she had escaped. He hadn’t been sure they could pull it off, but by sheer determination and a little ass-kicking, she had gotten out.

Now he just needed to do the same.

The cavalry would be coming at some point. The plan was for Elena to find the car he’d hidden two miles up the road, drive into town, and alert the authorities. And while he knew that would happen, he also knew the OZ team was on their way. Of this, he had no doubt. Knowing Ash, Liam figured OZ would make it here long before anyone else. He was supposed to have checked in a couple of hours ago. Five minutes after his missed check-in, Ash would’ve sent out the alert, and they’d be on their way.

Liam didn’t have faith in a lot of things anymore, but Asher Drake and his OZ brothers had never let him down. They’d met in the midst of blood and bullets. No one should have come out of that hellhole alive.

A bond of brotherhood had been created that no one could break. When Ash had formed Option Zero and told Liam its purpose, a herd of rhinos couldn’t have kept him from joining.

Not a second had passed that he didn’t thank the good Lo

rd above that he’d accepted the offer. They’d done some good things…honorable things. He’d almost lost his way, but OZ brought him back home.

He wasn’t finished yet…not by a long shot. He had a lot more to accomplish and one very specific goal to achieve. The Brotherhood of Solace and most especially the big-nosed buffoon Malcolm the Great was not going to stop him.

So yeah, Ash and the team were probably only an hour or two away, but that wouldn’t keep him from trying to get out on his own. They hadn’t nicknamed him Magic Man for nothing.

Chapter Nineteen

The hidden opening to the Brotherhood of Solace compound was about as well hidden as the entrance to OZ. They could track Liam’s signal to inside the compound, but they might’ve passed by the entrance if Liam hadn’t described the location early on. Ash spotted at least five cameras in various areas around the entrance. Those had been taken care of by Jazz, who had jammed them. If anyone on the compound looked at the monitors, they’d see the image of what the cameras were filming the instant they were frozen. Unless someone kept an extremely close eye on them, no one should be able to detect a difference.

He had expected to hear from Liam by now. The man knew ways of escape few people thought of, or would consider, and a talent for getting out of impossible situations. Xavier had nicknamed him Magic Man. But now, Ash would admit concern for his friend. Because of his tracker, they could pinpoint Liam’s location. What they couldn’t detect was whether he was still breathing.

Ash prayed he was alive. Either way, they were going in to rescue their man.

Running along the perimeter, Ash headed toward the area where his team waited. Jazz would remain outside to monitor the comms. If Liam called in, she’d be the first to know.

“Okay. We ready?”

“Ready,” Xavier answered.

“Ready,” Jules echoed.

“Let’s go.” Glancing down at his phone display, Ash noted Liam’s tracker hadn’t moved. And thanks to the camera drone they’d launched when they first arrived, they knew the building where Liam was being held. Problem was, it happened to be in the middle of the compound, surrounded by buildings on every side. They’d spotted three guards roaming the grounds. It was going to be a challenge to get in without alerting someone.

Fortunately, they had a plan for that, too.