Chapter 39

Ranger sits in the passenger seat of the SUV with his ankles crossed in the floorboard and his seat reclined enough that his massive frame isn't scrunched up. He's taller than even I am, but he's a skinny fuck. It's always baffled me how he's able to move bodies so easily. He types away on his phone as Merrick directs my turns in my earpiece.

Grady's in the middle in the back seat, and he leans forward, resting his forearms on the middle console. "You know, I really wish we could just go in there and clean house without having to worry about Anni."

I exhale heavily, nodding my agreement. "Me too."

Ranger turns toward Grady, and I split my focus between the street and whatever he's about to say. "You double-crossed me after assuring me that wouldn't happen."

Grady sighs. "The woman I watched in Texas is not the woman you reunited with. She was so goddamn sad, it was disturbing to watch. I won't deny that you were trying to protect her, but you would have killed the tiny piece of light left in her to make it happen."

My stomach drops at his words.

As furious as I was when she shot me, I was more concerned about her than anything. She was out there completely alone, trying to process that she had just killed two men, while simultaneously grieving her parents and Edmond and Charles.

What I said to her that night in the hotel in Kansas rings in my mind because it's the truth. She's not like me, and she's absolutely not built like Ranger or Grady. She needs connection and support. It's hard to admit, but Ranger and I likely would have snuffed out any remaining happiness she had in the pursuit of keeping her alive and safe.

My head tilts, and I catch Grady's eyes in the mirror. "Thank you." I twist toward Ranger. "He's right. You didn't get to see her in Vegas. She was so confident, but more than that, she was truly happy. The time I was watching her, she smiled more than I had ever seen."

"In any situation, she comes first," Grady says, sounding deathly serious. "If you have feelings on the matter, then we can talk them out later, but I'm never going back in that motherfucking basement."

Ranger's head tilts as his eyes narrow, but I have to focus back on the road. "I won't apologize for teaching you a lesson that you desperately needed to learn." He twists farther toward me and says, "But I do feel I owe you an apology, Kane. I acted rashly, and for that, I'm sorry."

My mouth opens, but no words come out. It might be a good thing. I have no idea what I would say if I could form a coherent thought.

"Holy shit," Merrick says in my earpiece, startling the fuck out of me. "Did Ranger just apologize? Oh, shit. Don't miss your turn. It's an immediate right."

I hit the brakes and take the corner going twenty miles an hour too fast.

"I would like it if we could put all of that behind us," Ranger says as his phone beeps, and he grabs it. "I won't hold a grudge if you don't, but I have one last request of the two of you."

"What's that?" Grady asks, sounding amused.

"Don't warn the others." Ranger continues to type on his phone. "I've got Merrick sending them the long way around. If all goes to plan, we'll have Laken recovered safely and Lucien neutralized before they even arrive."

Grady curses under his breath. "You know this is important to her."

"That's her guilty conscience." Ranger glances at Grady. "Isn't it a blessing we aren't afflicted by those?"

I feel like a shitty alpha because all I feel is extreme relief. I'd rather her be slightly pissed than let her be involved while we likely walk into a trap.

Ranger may believe Andretti will keep to his word and complete the swap without violence, but that's a sentiment I don't share. I fully expect to pull up and have them attempt to execute us.

"No more turns. It's a straight shot from here," Merrick says in my earpiece.

"Thanks," I mutter, but I have no idea if he hears it.

The houses start to thin, and at the end of the paved road, a massive mansion behind a gate comes into view.

We're supposed to be heading for the warehouse district, down by the water, but I've been so distracted that I followed Merrick's instructions without a second thought.

"That's Andretti's compound," I growl, hitting the brakes.

"Indeed, it is," Ranger says. "As it turns out, the swap is actually set for three hours from now. Our teams have confirmed Lucien is still inside the compound, and the majority of his manpower is at the warehouse, waiting to massacre us on sight."

Grady laughs. "You sneaky bastard. I love it."

"He never intended to make the trade?" I ask, and as soon as the words are out of my mouth, I realize how ridiculous they sound.

"I truly believe he wants Kate back, but murdering us is his major directive. This way, we head in first, cull the herd a bit, and Sparrow can show up fashionably late and still participate. We'll just be lowering the risks. That's all."

Shit.

The last thing I want to do is keep secrets, but we're already here. "So, they are coming here eventually?"

"Once I give Merrick the signal, he'll begin giving them accurate directions," Ranger says. "But I need your word that you will uphold the facts. This is a last-minute change none of us could have seen coming. We found out en route that Lucien never left his compound, and as such, we redirected here."

My head shakes. "I'm not about to lie to my omega. We have a fucking bond, Ranger."

Grady's hand flies up, slapping the shit out of my chest as I idle the vehicle in the middle of the road. "I'm so fucking proud of you. I wish Anni could have heard you just now. It's fine. We tell her the truth. We had no idea what was happening until we were already here."

I nod.

She might still be pissed, but she can direct that anger where it belongs.

Right at her brother.

"The snipers have taken their first shots," Ranger says, dropping his phone in the cup holder. "Unless we plan to wait here for Lucien to try to run, I suggest we get moving."

"I'm switching the three of you to the response team channel," Merrick says in my earpiece. "Good luck."

"My omega better not blame me for your scheming," I growl, hitting the gas.

Ranger chuckles. "This should be fun."

The gate opens as I barrel toward it, but I'm not shocked.

Merrick can hack anything with an internet connection. The main problem is that we're on the outskirts of Boston. It's not going to be easy getting in and out without being noticed.

We're all in tactical gear, but I yank my mask down over my face as I slam the SUV into park. It's another method for us to tell who's on our team.

"I'm guessing everything you told us to expect at the warehouse is actually the plan for here?" I ask, tightening the straps on my gloves.

"Yes." Ranger tosses open the passenger door. "Don't die. It would be agony for my sister." He climbs out, and the door slams behind him.

Grady chuckles. "You can really feel the sibling love sometimes."

Well, at least I know there are two teams of snipers watching our asses right now. And if we came in from the south, then there's a team breaching the back of the property from the north. The same is true if we came in from the west. Eventually, we'll meet in the middle, hence the need for a way to tell friend from foe.

We're all in full stealth mode, with silencers on every weapon, but the same will likely not be true for the bad guys. The faster we slaughter them, the quieter this will be.

I toss open my door and prepare to wipe away any remnants of the Andretti family empire.

"Jesus fucking Christ," I hiss, flattening my back against the wall as two ninety-pound German Shepherds growl and snarl, sprinting past us.

"Yeah." Grady laughs, watching them take two of Andretti's guys to the ground. "Maybe we should get Anni a puppy or two. They're a formidable team."

"Thanks," Maverick says, jogging past as he follows the dogs.

"They're so overstimulated, they haven't hit on the omega's scent." Maverick's partner, Gunner, strides toward the screaming men pinned under the massive canines. He grabs his gun from the holster around his thigh and puts a bullet in the brain of one of the men. Neither animal misses a beat.

My head tilts. "I like dogs."

Grady laughs. "Yeah, me too. At least, the kind that can subdue a full-grown man."

Maverick kneels down next to the still-living asshole. "Where is the omega?"

Gunner squats, patting the other dog. "Scent." He offers the dog the T-shirt Lyra brought that belongs to her sister.

The dog buries its nose in the material and whines. I have no idea what that sound means, but its powerful haunches flex, and the beast bounds off down the hallway.

"How the hell do they know who is an enemy and who's on our side?" I ask, absently watching Maverick interrogate the suspect for information on Laken.

"It's clearly the masks," Grady jokes, slapping me in the stomach. "Come on, we need to clear the second floor."

I nod and follow him as he jogs toward the stairs.

My head peeks around the doorframe, and I toss up a hand to tell Grady to hold. I can hear something, but I'm not sure who or what is making those sounds.

"I'm going to need explosives," Ranger says, but he's not talking to the two of us.

I pull my hand down, waving for Grady to follow as I push off the wall, aiming for Ranger. We make it into the room, and Ranger aims his Smith Wesson at my head. He lowers the barrel as he spots us.

"Lucien hunkered down." He nods to a door that clearly leads to a safe room.

"I'm pretty sure these things are supposed to be explosive proof." Grady frowns, raising a hand and flipping off the camera.

"I've got Merrick looking into the manufacturer," Ranger says, shaking his head. "What a shit show."

Now, that's the truth.

"On the plus side, every police officer in Boston should be responding to the warehouse district." Ranger smiles at the camera a little ferally. "And all communications on and off the property have been blocked, except for ours. Good luck trying to call for help." He turns back and glances between us. "I'll have Merrick send the others our actual location. Why don't the two of you go clean up any stragglers? I'll wait here to see how this plays out."

My eyes fly to Grady, and he nods.

If Annika is on the way, then we need to be there to meet her.