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Caden jumped out before Blake even had a chance to throw the gear in park, and Garrett and Tanner were only a second behind him. “Wait,” Blake said, just loud enough to be heard. “Believe me, I want to get in there as bad as all of you.”
“I doubt that,” Caden spat out.
Blake swallowed. Hard. “Don’t. Now does everyone have a weapon? Let’s not forget what Orly said. They’re all heavily armed.”
“I’m good,” Tanner said.
“Ditto,” Garrett said.“I’m ready.”
“Vivian is mine,” Blake said, his tone broaching no argument.
“Unless I get there first.” Caden was already moving. Not that Blake could blame him. He felt the exact same way about Skyla. But he wouldn’t lose his shit. He wouldn’t give in to the gnawing panic clawing its way to the surface. No. Caden had been there for him. Caden had saved his job. No matter what happened here tonight, his friend was leaving here with his fiancée.
He raced after Caden, catching up with just a few long strides. Tanner and Garrett stayed behind them, providing cover.
They jogged through the dry brush on silent feet until they were about fifty yards from the old, abandoned motel Blake had seen on the computer screen. “What do you think?” Garrett asked from behind Caden. Blake stood next to Caden, and Tanner stood behind him.
“There are a few lights on, probably being powered by a generator. We’ve also got that street lamp over there,” Blake said, pointing to the corner on the east end of the otherwise vacant property.
“No vehicles. They probably moved them off the street, same as we did,” Caden said. “Okay, let’s go. Be ready for anything, but watch who you’re shooting. I don’t want the women hurt because one of us got trigger happy.”
Blake nodded his agreement, and the men continued their trek up to the building. As they got closer, the shadow of three people caught their eye. Muffled voices trailed through the air, and Caden took off at a dead run, forgetting all his warnings, and whatever was left of his common sense. Blake didn’t try to stop him. He ate up the distance as fast as he could, quickly gaining speed as they approached the ugly, falling apart structure with a big sign of the state of Texas posted out front. The thing looked like it was about to come crashing down any second.
Caden reached the side of the building first and took position behind a thick column. Blake crouched nearby behind an overgrown thorny shrub that probably hadn’t been trimmed or cared for since before he was born.
He’d lost track of Garrett and Tanner, but Blake was sure they were close, ready to back them up as soon as Caden made a move. Caden shouldn’t be leading right now, but Blake wasn’t about to take away the last semblance of control the man still had. Blake would just take the heat of the consequences on himself, whatever they might be.
Caden held up his hand, indicating for him to wait. The night was quiet. Too quiet. No birds. No sounds of traffic. Just the hum of a generator and the pounding of his heart against his ribs.
Blake groaned inwardly. Waiting was worse than running. At least then they were moving. Now he felt like a helpless, sitting duck. It reminded him of all those nights he’d spent sitting at Madigan’s, waiting to see what Skyla did, what her role was in the Deathly Hollow Motorcycle Club. Could he have been any more wrong about her? Shaking his head, his gaze met with Caden’s. The man looked ready to kill, but he stood still as a statue until he jerked his head to the right.
Blake turned to see two men exiting one of the rooms, the shadow of a feminine form following them out. “We'll transport her in the morning.” That was Vivian. He’d known she was behind all this, but hearing her voice made it all the more real. Her betrayal slid down deep, twisting his gut like poison. She was supposed to be one of them. An FBI Agent. An ally.
“What about her friend?” One of the men asked, twirling his gun like it was a neon-colored squirt gun, and he was out to have some good old fun in the sun.
“As soon as Skyla is shipped off, we’ll kill her, and get rid of the body. No need for any witnesses or evidence to be left behind.”
Blake glanced at Caden, a silent request for him to stay calm. If Caden moved too soon, he’d be putting everyone they cared about in danger. No one was going to transport or kill anyone with them here. But Caden wasn’t looking at Blake anymore. His eyes were squarely on the men, and he had murder written all over them.
Before giving so much as a warning, Caden moved, his weapon drawn. Shit. Blake tried to get his attention, but it was no use. If Blake didn’t back him right now, he would be faced with a dead friend in mere seconds, and that just wasn’t an option.
“FBI!” Caden shouted. “Drop your weapons and let me see those hands!”
One of the men aimed his gun at Caden. Big mistake. Blake dropped him with one round to the chest. The other guy started to run, but Blake spotted Tanner hot on his heels. That just left Vivian. She stood with a smirk on her face, her hands on her hips like she was some damn beauty queen in a pageant.
“Gentleman, thank goodness you’re here. I got an anonymous tip that some men were holding two women against their will. I came out here to check it out. They overpowered me and -” She stopped talking abruptly, clearly realizing her fake alligator tears weren’t working. She reached to the small of her back, pulling out an FBI issued weapon. Not waiting for her to pull the trigger, Blake fired, hitting her in the shoulder.
She gasped, her gun tumbling to the ground at her feet. Caden took off toward her, and disappeared into the room she’d just come from. Hallie and Skyla had to be in there. He couldn’t imagine the condition they were in. He wanted to get to Skyla. He needed to lay eyes on her. Make sure she was still alive. But he stayed put, his weapon drawn on Vivian. A bullet wound to the shoulder wasn’t going to stop this woman, and there was no way in hell he’d risk Caden’s life, or any of his friends' lives.
Besides, he was the only cover Caden had at the moment. Vivian glared at him, a mixture of confusion and contempt, like she couldn’t decide how best to play the situation. “In case it wasn’t obvious,” Blake said, wanting to be perfectly clear, “you’re under arrest.”
Garrett came up beside him, his weapon also drawn and aimed at Vivian. “Go ahead. Go check on your woman. I’ve got this.”
Blake shot him a quick questioning glance. How did Garrett know… but Garrett just gave him a knowing nod and moved toward Vivian, reaching behind him for his cuffs. In that instant, Vivian reached around her waistband with her good arm, and pulled another gun on them. She fired, aiming at Garrett. He dodged out of the way just in time, and Blake rolled, cursing under his breath, and double tapped his weapon, going for a kill shot.
Vivian’s mouth opened in a gasp. Two more blood spots bloomed on her blouse as blood foamed on her lips. She fell to her knees, the smug look never leaving her face, until her body pitched forward, her eyes lifeless as they stared into nothingness.
Blake sighed, still on the ground. Garrett filled his vision, extending a hand to him. “Shit. You okay?”
