26. Jared

26

JARED

" A rgh! That's fucking disgusting!" Diesel groaned, stepping around the rat carcass that was slowly floating by him, missing an eye.

Jared nudged him in the shoulder, giving him a shut the fuck up glare of his eye.

"What did you think you were going to be stepping into trudging around through a sewer?" Elijah asked from the head of the pack.

The man was leading the team through a complex network of sewers and underground tunnels that expanded all across Amsterdam—another one of Ares's secret passages used to smuggle guns and other highly sensitive… items.

Ares was a purveyor of many things. His primary business was weapons, having conquered most of the illegal gun trade market across Europe, the UK, Mexico, and the United States. He claimed he didn't do business in Canada, but everyone knew those Canadians were just pretending that they didn't love their guns as well. Anti-gun, my ass .

Other than weapons, it was rumored that Ares moved military-grade technology and machinery—which no one could ever prove—as well as precious gems, including rare art pieces, when a favor was called in. None of these Ares would cop to.

Ares was a master of discretion and keeper of secrets. No doubt one of the reasons he was so good at what he did.

"I don't know. Brown water and empty beer cans?" Diesel responded, still disgusted by the four-legged corpse on its way to join whatever other horrors lay at the end of the dark tunnel.

"Like brown water is any better?" Chase asked, glancing over his shoulder and looking at Diesel like he was an idiot.

"I'm going to get typhoid or cholera or something down here," Diesel huffed, following close behind Jared, who smirked.

"I'm surprised you know what those are," Jared whispered.

"If it makes you feel better, Matteo just ruined a five-hundred-dollar pair of shoes," Ares added from the back of the group.

Matteo looked over his shoulder at the man who was following right behind him.

"Eight hundred, and just because I'm handsome and like nice things doesn't mean I won't pound your face in and cut your balls off with a dull razor," Matteo noted, turning back toward the army of men quietly moving through the darkness.

"Oh, Matty, I love the way you flirt with me."

Ares was relentless.

It was times like these when Jared missed being in the army. The undercover missions, the excitement, the danger, the joking around with friends… but then he remembered the other side. The death, the destruction, the fallen brothers…

He couldn't think of such things while on a mission. He needed a clear head, and he needed to focus. Isaac's life depended on it.

"We're here," Elijah announced, holding up his arm at a ninety-degree angle and staring up at the circular concrete barrier above them.

According to floor plans, this was supposed to open up to a men's locker room once Ares's team breached the surface. The challenge was to break through the barrier without making noise and alerting the bad men two floors above.

This intel was also six years old, and they were all hoping that the previous owners didn't make changes to the structure and not report it to the city.

Elijah stepped aside as two men holding blow torches stepped in front and began working on the latches. The rest of Ares's crew began lowering their masks, loading their weapons, and preparing to breach the facility.

Jared's pulse raced. The adrenaline shooting through his veins in anticipation of the fight they were about to step into was intoxicating. He could feel his muscles bulging as fresh blood woke every muscle, every organ, making sure that everything was ready for battle.

They were about to rain hellfire down on Isaac's brother and his crew.

Fire from the torches crackled as the flames danced on the surface of the water around them. No one made a sound or dared move a muscle as the two men worked quickly to melt away the metal bars holding the sealed cover in place.

Darkness returned to the tunnel as the two men passed their torches to their comrades. They lifted their crowbars, then used them to pop what remained of the seal out of place.

Once that was completed, one of the fire-wielders lifted himself slowly into the opening and carefully looked around. It was only after he was confident that the area was clear that he pulled the rest of his body through the hole and disappeared into the darkness above.

Within two minutes, the entire crew had climbed through the tiny entrance, then made their way silently through the small broken-down shower area that once removed the dirt off sweaty, honest, hardworking men. Those days were long gone, and so was the innocence that once roamed the hallways of this facility.

Now, this place was a den of fear.

A factory of horror.

Cruel men did unspeakable things to women before taking away the innocence of a child's past. No child should ever learn of the atrocities committed that led to their conception.

This place was where nightmares were made.

Elijah led his team down a long hallway, assault rifle poised and ready to fire. Three other trained mercenaries followed closely, checking every dark corner for danger as they passed.

Behind them, Diesel followed, then Jared, Matteo, and Ares, with five other mercenaries pulling up the back.

Jared gripped his assault rifle, holding it firmly in place as his muscle memory took over. He stared down the scope, waiting for something to move.

Holding this weapon was second nature. While it had been years since his callused hands held the sleek metal object—ready to inflict death on any unfortunate person who happened to cross their path—his muscles remembered everything. Every movement, every reaction, every… instinct.

Up ahead, Elijah stopped, raising his hand to warn the others.

They stood silently in the hallway, waiting for their commander to give them the "all clear."

Just when Jared was about to ask why they had stopped, Elijah reached around the corner with lightning-fast reflexes and grabbed a guard by the neck. The guard flew over Elijah's shoulder, then landed on his back with a horrible crunching sound.

Diesel, Chase, and Jared all groaned as Elijah placed the man's body seated against the wall, with his neck dangling at an unnatural angle.

"Did he just snap that guy's neck?" Diesel asked, leaning into Jared's side.

"Yeah, looks like it," Jared responded, stepping around the deceased man as he followed the rest of the group down the dark hallway.

One by one, Ares's elite death squad took out each guard and bad guy they happened to catch roaming the halls. There was only one uncertain moment, when they encountered two guards at the same time, but Elijah and his comrade managed to snap the guys' necks before they were able to reach for their guns.

Total badasses.

Movement caught Jared's eye as they crossed along an intersecting hallway. A body ducked into a room before vanishing from sight.

"Got one," Jared growled, taking off down the hallway and charging at a speed he had not run in ages.

His muscles moved on memory; his mind moved on thoughts. He feared that if he didn't catch this man in time, the man might give away their position and ruin his chances of getting Isaac back alive and unharmed. His heart couldn't allow that, so he ran like everything depended on it. Because it did.

"Jared, wait!" Matteo shouted, untrained and not realizing that his voice would carry. He took off running after Jared.

Once Jared reached the door, he threw his back against the cold surface of the wall and listened.

Silence.

Whoever had run into this room was hiding. Hoping to remain hidden… and alive.

Not on Jared's watch .

Matteo finally caught up to Jared, red-faced and furious that he had separated from the team.

Jared shot a look over at his boss, raising a finger to his lips, signaling for him to be quiet. The last thing he needed was for Matteo to give away their location and get them both killed.

Angry, Matteo nodded and pressed his back against the wall next to Jared's.

The guy looked like a badass Italian James Bond, all dressed up in his fancy-ass suit and holding an assault rifle against his chest. Now, that was a movie he would definitely check out.

They both jumped when Ares appeared next to them; his eyes blazed with the fury of a thousand suns.

"You're both fucking idiots," he snarled, keeping his voice low and barely audible.

Two of his A-team death squad members materialized beside them as well. Given the masks they wore, Jared had no idea which members they were.

Taking a breath to reset his mind, Jared peeked around the corner.

From this vantage point, he really couldn't see much—only a few counters covered with linens and medical supplies.

The man could be hiding anywhere. Did he take his time and risk the man getting away? How much longer before their presence was discovered and Isaac's life was put at risk?

They didn't have time to waste.

Fuck this.

Jared whipped around the corner, angry and ready to kill anything that moved. He needed to find Isaac and make sure he was safe. So what if he got nicked in the arm by a stray bullet? He was one of the best shooters the army had back in his day. He knew how to dodge bullets and crazy-ass knife-wielding women. Yes, in war, both men and women tried to kill you. Even sweet-faced children. They were the worst. It broke his heart to see a child's innocence taken away from them and replaced with hatred, propaganda, and lies. A gun should never be in the hands of a child.

His mouth dropped when he saw what was on the other side of the door. Bed after bed of pregnant women, hands tied to the sides of their beds.

Each of their heads popped up, glancing in their direction, startled by the sudden intruders invading their space.

"Oh my God," Jared whispered under his breath.

They knew what Isaac's brother was up to, but seeing the reality of the act was much more horrifying. Nothing could have prepared him for this.

They all looked so… terrified. Helpless. Weak. Like all the hope had been drained from their faces and replaced with fear and desperation.

Jared stood there for a moment, frozen by the horrifying scene on display.

This was yet another example of human degradation. The things people are willing to do to one another, all in the name of money, power, and influence.

People are disgusting.

As Jared tried to process the nightmare before him, he noticed one of the women glance to his left.

Instincts kicked in, and Jared whipped around, firing his weapon at the man standing behind a filing cabinet.

Blood exploded from the man's head as Jared's kill shot penetrated his forehead. He had found his man.

Beside him, Matteo jumped. " Fuck. Where did he come from?"

"Don't care. He's dead now," Jared said through gritted teeth.

It had been ages since he killed a man, but the end result still felt the same. A rush of adrenaline followed by a crash of remorse. He was someone's son, perhaps someone's father. Because of Jared, this man would not be returning home tonight.

Yes, this man was a monster and didn't deserve to live, but that didn't mean that Jared shouldn't still feel guilty, knowing that he was the one who ended the man's life.

With that thought in mind, Jared walked over to the bed closest to him and stared down at the terrified young woman. Her hair was damp and clung to the side of her face. She shivered as she looked up at him with big brown eyes.

"Don't be afraid. We're here to rescue you," Jared said, his voice cracking as he tried to swallow down the emotions he was feeling. These poor women would never be the same. "These men will untie you."

Jared motioned over his shoulder for the death squad to begin freeing the women.

Shots rang out down the hallway.

It appeared that their presence had finally been detected.

Shouts, screams, bangs.

The world around them erupted in chaos.

"Isaac…" Jared whispered. His need to find Isaac skyrocketed. Things were getting heated now.

Tightening his grip on his weapon, he charged out of the room and ran toward the sound of gunfire and death.

There was only one thing on his mind.

Isaac .