Page 120 of Whispers in the Dark
Yes, I can.
“You can’t just rush in there,” Eli tells me. “We need to get the others. You’ll be outnumbered and—
There’s no time!My chest heaves with so much force.They took her. They took my goddamn wife! And I am not wasting another second coming up with a plan when I can take care of this myself.I know there’s only one set of eyes that can understand what I’m saying, but I don’t fucking care.
Not when every second is keeping me away from Alina.
“But you can’t,” Alex voices. “They will have guards with them. They will have a number of weapons and be prepared. We won’t be. We only have a few guns in our vehicle. Not enough to win a goddamn war. Not to mention the fact that we didn’t bring a single guard with us. And if you storm in there by yourself, you could fucking die!”
I don’t care.I shake my head.A life without Alina is not an option for me. I shake myself out of his grip and charge out of the restaurant, beelining for my truck. Just as I slide into my seat and press the start button, the passenger door opens, and Alex jumps inside.
I face him.You don’t have to come. I understand the danger and risk this poses to us, but I’m willing to take it. You have Clara to think about.
“I’ll always have my brother’s back,” he affirms, regarding me the way a big brother would. “And Clara will still have a father when we’re through with this shit tonight because I don’t plan on dying, which means you better have my back too.”
I nod.Always.
Facing forward, I step on the accelerator and peel out of the lot.
“We’re going to need backup, though.” He connects his phone to my truck, and his call echoes through the speakers.
“You’re late,” Vin says with annoyance. “I’ve been having to entertain Caine and Romeo while we wait for you.”
“You scared I’m going to beat your ass?” Caine asks.
“Shit. We forgot about cards.” Alex drags his fingers through his hair, looking at me. “I’m with Mauro and we…have a problem.”
“What kind of problem?”
“One that you’re not going to be too happy about.”
A moment of silence passes before Vin says, “Talk.”
Alex spends the next few minutes informing Vin of everything that has transpired, and when he’s finished, he says, “I’m sending you the location. How soon until you can be there?”
“In rush hour,” he starts, “probably a few hours.”
“Fuck.” Alex rubs his jaw.
“We can be there sooner,” Caine says.
“How?” Vin asks.
“I have my ways.”
The call goes dead as we race through traffic and eventually turn off an exit, getting closer to Alina’s location. When we come upon the dirt road leading to the private airport, I pull over, parking the car alongside a line of trees for cover.
“This place is going to be filled with guards. I hope you know what we’re in for.” Alex shakes his head, securing a silencer to one of his rifles. “With a lack of light, I might not be able to see your hands, so stay close.”
I nod and then reach behind me for my toys: one pair of brass knuckles and two handguns. Placing one gun into my holster, I look at Alex, who does the same.
He grasps my shoulder. “Let’s go get your wife.”
We step out of the car and make our way through the brush, relying on the moon and the stars as our only source of light, as we hide in the darkness, using it to our advantage.
“Ten o’clock,” Alex whispers as we approach the clearing. We both stop, crouching behind the bushes. We observe the guards rotating, circling as if waiting for an imminent attack. “I counted twelve, but I don’t have a good angle to see inside the hangar.” He looks to the right. “Follow me.”
We come upon a large tree, both of us utilizing it for coverage as we peer around, and when I do, my heart falters at what I see.
