Chapter 29

29

Gordy made the call.

Riddle wasn't at one with the plan, Chip had ranted his disapproval, but Mereno, Sunny, and Watson agreed.

Triple Canopy would take the lead.

Fewer procedures and rules.

My team was three blocks away with the ACP at a staging area. Hayden was with my team. I was with Luke with strict instructions from my captain not to fire my weapon unless I was in mortal danger. I must've agreed though at the time I wasn't paying enough attention to know exactly what I was agreeing to.

I was going in with TC even if it cost me my job.

During Phoenix's search of Khloe's house he found an electric bill that was not for the Maple Street house. Brady ran it and it was an art studio Khloe rented. Phoenix did a drive-by. Khloe's car was parked out front but he had no visual inside the building. When we arrived I understood why; all the windows ran along the top of the building a few feet down from the eaves. You'd need a ladder to see in. Two doors in. The back door was steel with a metal security door in front of it. Without the ACP to pull that bitch off the hinges, we weren't getting through.

That left the front door, which would cause every door kicker's ass to clench. A fatal funnel of potential death with no windows to see where the subjects were inside. The point man couldn't go in guns a-blazing with no visual on the hostage.

We were working on the assumption Khloe was working alone. That could prove to be a deadly mistake within seconds of entering if we were wrong.

"You straight?" Luke asked as we approached the A-side corner of the building.

Tucker, Liberty, and Logan were on the opposite A-side corner. Drake and Brady were covering the back door. Trey and Matt were the entry team. Liberty would follow Matt in and subdue Khloe. Luke and I would be right behind Liberty.

"Valentine?"

"I'm straight. Just feel naked with my M4."

I eyed his MP5 and adjusted my grip on my Sig.

"This is over in three minutes."

He wasn't wrong.

It would be.

One way or another, in three minutes the world beneath my feet was going to shift .

I'd either come out of the building breathing or my life would be over.

"Setting charge," Trey said through the comms.

"Copy," Drake returned for the team in the back.

I took a breath.

We know this drill.

I exhaled.

"Standby," Trey announced, and Liberty made her way into position.

We live this drill.

"In three…two…"

We run it, train for it, we fucking own this.

The explosive detonated. Trey shouldered through. Matt rushed in, Liberty on his ass.

Luke took off in a sprint with me less than a step behind him. We hit the door, my left hand went to his shoulder, and as one we entered.

"Down!" Liberty shouted.

I cleared the right side of the room, sweeping to the middle, and my breath wheezed out of my body in one agonizing exhale.

"Get your ass down ," Matt demanded.

I holstered my Sig and took off in a dead sprint.

There was blood everywhere.

Too much fucking blood.

"Take her!" Trey shouted as Khloe raised her knife.

Without thought I jumped the last two feet.

"No shot," Matt called.

I hit Sophie. The wheelchair she was in pitched to the side and went down with us. I kicked it out of the way and folded myself over her.

Two shots rang out as I tucked her close.

"Down," Liberty announced. "Clear."

"Drake, medic," Trey called in. "Critical."

Critical.

"Get Logan in here," Luke demanded. "Roll off. We gotta check her."

Luke didn't wait for me to comply before he yanked me to the side.

Logan dropped to the other side of Sophie and tore her shirt open from neck to hem.

"Move, Valentine." Luke muscled his way in.

I moved to give the men room to move. Impotence like I'd never felt crashed over me.

Stab wounds.

At least three I could count under all the blood.

Jesus fuck .

I tore my glove off and wrapped my hand around her throat searching for her pulse.

Please, baby .

Be alive.

Be alive.

Nothing.

I heard the screeching of tires. Pounding of feet. All of it in a distant haze.

The thread that had been holding me together snapped.

I dropped my forehead to Sophie's .

"I love you, Soph."

"Ambo, one minute out," Drake called in.

One minute, Sophie.

Please come back to me .

I watched in horror as Logan and Luke put pressure on her wounds.

But the blood just kept on flowing.

And with it, my soul bled out.