Chapter 40

The area of Boston that we drive to is shady as hell.

Ward turns at an abandoned gas station, and the road we end up on is so bumpy, I'm convinced no one has been down it in years.

"Well, this isn't shady or anything," Tanner says, like he can read my mind. He's in the front passenger seat, and I'm pretty sure Ranger purposely left him behind when he headed out with Kane and Grady. He chuckles darkly. "Are you sure they aren't leading us to slaughter? Exactly how expendable are you, Annika?"

"Shut the fuck up," Ward growls, studying the road. "I will pull over and toss your ass out."

"Just trying to lighten the mood." Beefcake shrugs. "You're all so uptight, it's making my elbows itch."

I snort, but truthfully, this doesn't feel a damn thing like the Boston I remember from when I was growing up.

It's dark, and the streetlights barely offer any glow. My heart races as my hands shake, but I cross my arms to hide the tell.

I'm stronger than this.

I'm supposed to be, anyway.

I'd like to think I am.

It's hard to settle my impulses.

They're trying to convince me to run. It's a little embarrassing because the guys have to be able to feel the spillover in the bond, and even Cas seems centered and confident.

I don't like that we're separated in two different vehicles, and it's making me paranoid.

Cas slides closer, pulling my hair to the side and kissing down my throat. "We've got this."

I nod, twisting to give him a quick kiss on the jaw. "Do you really think Lucien will show up? What incentive does he even have? This is probably a huge setup."

"That's a very real possibility," he agrees, moving down to clasp my fingers in his. "That's why we've got backup. I missed the opportunity to thank you for covering for me with Kane and Grady, but I need you to hear me when I say this. Do not put yourself in the line of fire to try to protect me. No matter what happens, you keep yourself safe. Swear it to me, Annika."

My chest tightens as I shake my head. I could give him my word, but I wouldn't keep it. When I saw him lying on the floor after Ezrah pistol-whipped him…

God, I can't do that all over again.

Certainly not with something more serious.

"I don't want to say I love you right before we go into a dangerous situation, especially because everything has moved so quickly." I swallow around the lump in my throat and force myself to be emotionally vulnerable. "I care about you. I mean, I have serious feelings for you. I need you to be okay."

"The same goes for you," Cas growls, wrapping his hand in my hair and yanking my mouth to his. He pours every ounce of affection he feels for me into the bond. It's a relief to know we're on the same page. That warm, fuzzy feeling is what grows into love.

It's not easy to tell specifics when one of my guys isn't close by. The farther the physical distance, the more muted the crossover becomes, but some kind of prickly confusion comes from Ward.

I pull back from the kiss with Cas, stretching around to study the side of Ward's face.

"What's wrong?" I ask as anxiety bubbles in my stomach.

"I believe we've been taken for a ride." He gestures to a billboard with a roller rink advertisement. "I thought we drove by that once before, but I'm now absolutely certain this is the third go-round."

"What the hell?" I whisper, but it clicks. "Fucking Ranger."

It's an additional ten minutes of proper instructions before we end up in a neighborhood I have no trouble believing the Andrettis would live in.

Ward drives us down the dead-end street until two black SUVs come into view. They're blocking the road, and my head tilts as it finally clicks how powerful the company is that Ranger works for.

Ward slows down and speaks to one of the men in all black. The man moves back and waves us forward.

"That feels weirdly official," Tanner mutters, twisting around in his seat to look at me. "Exactly how connected is your family?"

"Do they even need us here if this is handled?" Cas asks, ignoring Tanner.

"Probably not," I admit, grabbing his hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze. "I still would feel better seeing with my own eyes that Lucien is dead."

"That's understandable." Ward pulls up next to the SUV the guys left in earlier. It's easy enough to tell because I memorized the license plate as they drove away. "Masks on, princesses. I'm still seeing movement, and I don't think it's our guys. They're not masked."

"Don't forget Beefcake." I exhale heavily, trying to get myself together.

"At least someone remembered I'm here," Tanner says.

"We're masking up now." I yank the scratchy material over my face. It's porous and breathable, but the jacked-up feeling of too much adrenaline or anxiety makes me gasp for breath.

Cas leans close, and his warm breath fans through the material over my ear. "You're a badass. You've got this, beautiful."

"Thanks."

"That was so romantic." Tanner chuckles. "I can't wait until I find a mafia heir to sweet-talk me. It's actually part of my ongoing life goals."

Ward scoffs, shoving open his door. I follow, doing the same.

Gunshots fill the air.

The majority are silenced, but a few aren't, and that makes me very nervous.

Hopefully, the Andrettis picked good neighbors, like Grady did in Las Vegas.

"Annika," Ward growls, stomping after me. "I'm not fucking around here, lass. Slow down, or I'll find a nice secluded area and put your arse over my knee." His accent is so thick that it would normally make me smile. "We've already lost Tanner. The three of us need to stick close together."

We didn't lose Tanner in a death sense. He jogged off in the opposite direction a few minutes ago, like he didn't understand the importance of staying close to the team.

I do.

Unfortunately, something is pulling me toward the back of the property. There's a shed about twenty feet ahead on the right and up, and to the left appears to be the back of the house where the garage is.

"I'm sorry." I clutch my aching stomach. This pain isn't mine. I don't even understand what's happening, but I do know that someone needs our help in this direction. The fear pulsing in my chest leads me to believe it's not one of Andretti's men. "Hurry. I'm not trying to leave you behind, but it feels important." I get to the shed and spin to the left to scan for any dangers.

Only, a strong hand rips off my mask, and as soon as that's out of the way, it clamps over my mouth.

I fight, trying to aim the dagger in my right hand at my assailant, but he's too strong. He bends my wrist to the point I have to drop it or risk my bones being snapped.

"Lucien." Cassian's voice comes from immediately behind me. "I've been looking everywhere for you."

I'm lifted off the ground and spun around by Lucien as Cas rips off his mask.

Lucien tilts his head down to study my face. "Sparrow. How intriguing. I thought I was making a trade for Fallon." He references Kate's real name.

God, I don't know why it gets under my skin so much, but it really does. Another woman forced to give up her name, to run and hide if she wanted some semblance of a life. It's not fucking right.

I fight like hell, tossing my head back into his jaw as my heels slam into his shins.

"Your father reached out, asking for mine and my brother's help when you were kidnapped by Ranger Cavanaugh to honor your marker," Lucien growls at Cas. "Yet, here you are, raiding my home with the enemy hours before that transaction was set to take place."

"No. Not raiding." Cas is closer than I realized. He raises his palms, taking a step forward. "Ward and I were dragged into this mess, but we want no part of it. We're leaving. Come with us, or try your chances on your own. Either way, we intend to be gone before Ranger notices we're missing."

My eyes narrow, but I don't have a single doubt that he's playing Lucien.

"They've got all communications blocked," Lucien says, shaking his head.

My entire body pulses with pain, and it's still not mine.

Someone is in bad shape.

I'm also really fucking confused why Canton Forbes would have made contact with Lucien and Ezrah.

My heart pulses erratically as I wonder how Ezrah knew where to find us in Kentucky.

He also purposely didn't kill Cassian when he had the chance.

Holy fuck.

Did Cas's dad turn on us? Is that why Tanner disappeared?

"We have to move now if you want to live through this clusterfuck." Ward stands a few feet behind Cas, with his thumbs looped through his suspenders, like he doesn't have a care in the world. He's also got his mask off. "Otherwise, best of luck to ya. We're taking our chances and heading back to Vegas to escape that one's lunatic brother."

I'm not sure what the hell is going on, but I do know one thing—this isn't my guys betraying me.

"Fine, but Sparrow comes with me. She's my human shield." Lucien steps past Cas with his eyes on Ward. "I have doubts they ever had Fallon to begin with."

My entire body jolts as the sound of a silenced gun goes off. I fall to my knees, covered in blood and possibly brain matter. My chest heaves as I try to suck in air and twist to see Cas still holding his arm extended.

Ward hits his knees in front of me a half second later. "Jesus Christ, are you okay?"

I nod because words seem like a lot of work. My system is overloaded with adrenaline.

"We have Lucien. He's down," Ward says, clicking a button on his earpiece.

"No one gave me one of those," I say as my entire body shakes.

Something truly vile slides down the back of my neck. It's gooey and icky, and I ache to climb out of my skin to get away from the sensation.

"I'm sorry." Cas steps to my side. "I had the shot, and I took it."

"I don't blame you," I tell him truthfully. "Did your father sell us out? Is that how Ezrah found us in Kentucky?"

"He better not have," Ward growls. "Or I'll kill him myself."

"I truly hope not," Cas says solemnly.

Two massive German Shepherds run in our direction, followed by two masked men. I'm almost positive the men are Maverick and Gunner. Gunner arrived at the hotel earlier today with their dogs.

"They finally fucking hit on a scent," Maverick growls. He's still wearing a mask, but I recognize his voice as they jog by us.

"There's someone that way," I say with certainty. "It's where I was headed. Like my instincts could pick up on someone else's pain. Or I don't know."

Ward nods, working the buttons on his shirt. Without bothering to pull off his suspenders or holsters, he slips it off while leaving on his undershirt.

"Here." Cas grabs the bottom of my dress and helps yank it off over my hair. There are a few disgusting seconds where I can feel him trying to pull the chunks out of my hair, but eventually, it comes off.

Ward helps me into his button-down as my arms shake before starting at the top and working his way down, fastening me into the shirt. Cas does the same from the bottom.

"Can we check now? Aren't they supposed to be finding Laken?" I ask, spinning toward the back of the property.

"Let's go." Ward wraps his arm around my lower back, and the three of us move as a group. Things seem to be settling down, and I no longer hear the explosions of gunshots or even the silenced version.

Grady and Kane don't have masks on as they jog toward us.

"Last we knew, Lucien was locked in his safe room," Kane growls, stopping right in front of me. "Are you okay, princess?"

"Cas saved me," I whisper, staring up into his green eyes.

"How the fuck did he get out?" Grady asks.

"He came from that shed." Ward points. "I wouldn't be shocked if there was a back exit or possibly a tunnel that can be found in that building."

Kane bends down, pecking a kiss on my lips. "I love you. I have for a long fucking time. It's done. The Andrettis are no longer a threat to anyone."

"Thank God," Ward mutters.

"I love you too," I tell Kane, studying his handsome face. "Is Ranger okay?"

"He's around here somewhere. He's fine." Grady winks. "I'm digging that look, Anni Girl. Feel free to borrow Granddad's shirts any time."

"We need to check the shed," Kane growls, stepping back.

The sound of a trunk being forcibly pried open fills the air, and my eyes fly to the noise.

Maverick, or possibly Gunner, bends over and scoops a woman out of the trunk.

My heart stalls as she screams.

"Oh, shit," I whisper, taking off to comfort her. It would be scary to be plucked out of a trunk by two masked men. I'm not sure my current state will help her feel more at ease, but I'm another woman. I feel like that automatically makes me seem like less of a threat.

I'm still twenty or thirty feet away when the man places her on her feet.

The dogs whine with their tails wagging, like they want recognition for doing their jobs.

The poor woman falls to her knees.

One of the men offers support, helping her up, but she slams her head back into his face.

He drops her, she spins between the two men for a few seconds, and she takes off.

Well, shit.

She turns the corner on the other side of the garage, but her screams fill the air again.

Dammit.

This is the worst rescue in the history of all rescues.

That poor woman is probably traumatized for life.

I jog toward her without looking back.

My entire body feels disgusting and sticky with drying blood, but I move as fast as I can. The fingers of my left hand wrap around the two blades strapped to my thigh as I come around the corner.

I'm going to need to grab the one Lucien took from me. I bet it ended up in the grass somewhere by the shed.

My jaw falls as I spot Laken wrapped around Ranger. I mean, I assume that's who she is. I can only see the back of her head, but my brother palms her hair with wide eyes.

"You made it." Tanner stands behind Ranger, but I have no idea where he got that assault rifle. "I found your brother." He nods to Ranger, like maybe I missed him. "I thought we should stick together. You know, like, the buddy system."

I can see Ranger roll his eyes from here. It would normally make me smile, but there are three dead men slumped on the ground, and they've all been shot, execution style.

Ranger still has his gun in his hand as he cradles Laken"s skull.

Huh.

I didn't see that coming.

She ran from the two mostly sane guys trying to save her…straight to my brother. Maybe the chaos has her senses malfunctioning.