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Brass grabs the doorknob and pulls it open just a crack as the noise quiets in the hall. He checks both ways before exiting the room with the rest of us on his tail. We span out on both sides as we make our way to the rest of the house.

Havoc signals and we halt our movement. He steps back and nods to Brass, who is next to me at the front. Just when we see a flash of blue and gray camo, Brass reaches out with an arm circling the guy and clamps a hand over his mouth. Brass sinks his blade into the man’s neck as blood spurts out of the wound while he struggles against our brother. Brass shifts the soldier down past me and I take the lead on this side of the hall.

Peeking around, we come to another hall that leads into two different directions, almost making a U shape. With a chin lift we break off into both halls and go down the two paths. When I get around the corner, I flatten myself to the wall. A camo guy comes rushing by, not looking up from his phone, and not paying any attention to the danger he just walked into. One of the brothers behind me grabs him and permanently silences him before he even realizes what happened. I hold up my hand as a flourish of activity rushes around the large open room. I feel a tap on my shoulder and see Brass tapping his watch, letting me know that we need to speed things up.

“Let’s do this.” I holster my blade and swing my AR around from my back.

Stepping out from the hall I aim and start firing my gun, my brothers all filling in the gaps. The sounds are deafening as the cartel men realize the house has been breached. They scatter like cockroaches trying to hide as we spread out to find cover. More Dead Road men come rushing in at the sound of gunfire and join the fight.

I drop six men before I crouch down on one knee behind a sofa. This place is like a fucking maze with two more halls on the other side of the room. The majority of cartel men are coming out of the left side closest to me, which has me thinking that Juan José is down there.

From the other side of the room, I catch Stone’s eye and nod toward the hall. He gives a chin lift in understanding. The noise in the room is still loud but as the bodies drop or scurry away, it quiets the ringing in my ears. Moving my extra clips closer to my reach for reloading, I keep an eye on my surroundings before swiftly popping up and stalking to the hall where I’m sure I’ll find one of my most precious possessions. Juan José signed his death certificate when he took what didn’t belong to him.

Clipped orders are given behind me and I feel a few brothers at my back. In my ear I hear the voice of Hawk giving updates over our coms.

“South and north of the main house are secure,” Hawk says. “Remi has been located and is safely off the property heading to the plane.”

I take a relieved breath hearing that my woman is away from all the immediate danger. Now I just need to get to my son before I can settle the fuck down and get us out of this shithole.

“We’ve got the house surrounded,” Stone says over my shoulder as I peek around the corner.

“Do we know if Juan José has an escape route out of his office?” Havoc asks and a rock hits the bottom of my stomach. I didn’t think about that.

“Hawk, get some men to check around…” Stone starts talking into his headset as an explosion shakes the windows and walls of the house.

It could’ve been somewhere in the house or outside but it gets my feet moving. We’re on a time crunch before this entire property goes up in flames. I need to get Ryder as far from here as possible. “Reaper, wait!” I hear from behind me but I don’t slow down.

A head comes into view as I make my way forward. Squeezing the trigger, the bullet blows through the man, snapping his head back as his body freezes up and drops to the ground. I barely notice.

There are only so many rooms down here and my son has to be in one of them. Across the hall, blue and gray camo flashes by but a whizzing sound shoots past me and the soldier drops. I hesitate before sprinting past the door and stop on the other side of the frame. I flatten myself out on the wall as our brothers fill every square foot of the wide area. Brass turns to the wall with his automatic gun and starts unloading the magazine, putting holes in his wake as Diesel does the same on the opposite side. A beat drops then brothers start to storm in the rooms shooting as they come into contact with our enemies.

Stone, Havoc, and Blade follow me down further and come to the last door in the hall. Windows next to the door show our brothers from different chapters standing their ground eliminating the soldiers as fast as they can.

I take a deep breath, steeling myself for what’s on the other side of the wooden door. Switching out my clip, I make sure I’m ready then remove my earpiece. The last thing I want is any distractions when it comes to Ryder and the situation waiting for me.

“Ride or Die, motherfuckers!” Brass yells a little too excited behind me.

Lifting my boot up, I kick out with the rush of adrenaline coursing through my body, sending the door swinging open and slamming against the opposite wall. We flood into the room and halt when Juan José comes in view. Eight soldiers circle him and my son with their weapons drawn. The bastard is using Ryder as a shield.

“Drop your guns,” Juan José demands as we pile into the room and take it all in.

“You first,” Stone utters and stands shoulder to shoulder with me.

“Ah, Mr. Stone,” Juan José starts, his accent thick and menacing. “It’s so good to finally meet you.”

“Can’t say the same,” Stone responds, never wavering the underlying threat behind his tone.

I look Ryder over as we make eye contact and I search him for any visible injuries. He has a slight tremble and looks like he’s been wrestling a bear but no other major harm. His skin is a little pale and I’m sure it’s going to take months, if not years, to sort this trauma out, but as long as he still has oxygen in his lungs, I can deal with everything else.

Ryder gives me a slight nod, as if reading my mind. It loosens the knot in my chest that’s been there since learning that he and Remi had been taken.

“I want my product back,” Juan José orders.

“Give us the boy and we might let you walk out of here alive,” Stone volleys.

Juan José scoffs. “You think I’m afraid to die?” he begins. “You killed my only heir. I have nothing to leave all this behind to. You owe me.”

“We don’t owe you shit,” Stone growls. “Your grandson was a piece of shit and I thoroughly enjoyed torturing the fuck outta him. He cried like the bitch he was.”