“Damn, I miss my bed,” Titus grumbles from his lookout spot.
It’s been six days since the team left Texas on a high-profile retrieval. We rarely leave the country, but we made a trip down south for a billionaire’s brother and his family.
“You mean you miss Ashley’s bed.” I tease Hudson in a hushed voice, not wanting William to hear. Titus still hasn’t come clean, and I sure as fuck don’t want to break the news during a sensitive mission.
Austin Crown, our client’s brother, was vacationing with his wife and kids when they were abducted by a notorious cartel, but nothing about this scenario screams of your typical ransom case.
As if in acknowledgment, the sky crackles above us, a light drizzle coating the ground.
We’re currently stationed outside a small Spanish-style villa where the family is being held, but it’s been twenty-four hours since their last proof of life and with the way this particular cartel operates, we’d be lucky if any of them are still alive.
“Tomayto, Tomahto.” Titus gives me side-eye before resuming his lookout. “Hey, we have action.”
Sure enough, a substantial number of guards are loading into black SUVs and heading out. Good. Our distraction is working.
We have a second crew at another location stirring up trouble. It was our hope that it would drive some of the muscle away from here and give us better odds with our mission.
Aiden commando crawls toward us. “Moving out in three. You ladies ready?”
“Yes, sir.” Titus and I respond in unison. I’m ready. Ready to be home with my girl.
As soon as the cars have cleared and we’re sure they aren’t coming back, we make our move.
The Villa is dark as the sun sets behind the mountain range, but we’re aware of the few men the cartel has left behind. Our team splits up, bringing down their assets simultaneously so that none of them alert their friends.
Though we’re good at what we do, they have numbers on their side and that doesn’t bode well for our odds.
Titus and I are tasked with the actual retrieval, leaving us to take down two known guards on the west wing.
Titus is up first, clearing the one in the hallway which leads to the bedrooms. He comes up behind a stocky man, disabling him with a blow to the temple and rendering him unconscious. While he’s zip tying the guy up like a roast turkey, I move on to the next who’s around the corner.
Unfortunately for me, this guy won’t be that easy. He’s posted right outside the victims’ door.
We don’t kill if we can avoid it, and given the reputation of retaliation from this blood thirsty cartel, the fewer casualties the better.
I take out my tranq gun. Based on the floor plan, he should be about fifteen feet away.
Taking in a silent breath, I move, shoot, and roll.
Bingo. Oh, hell, no.
Somehow this herculean motherfucker is still walking. He’s dazed, but still walking, and he’s coming right for me, reaching for his gun.
Taking out my Beretta with its silencer, I point and shoot. With a hard thud, the man falls. Damnit. This isn’t good.
What’s done is done. I’ll worry about this shit later. Making haste, I head toward the door and quietly swing it open. Within seconds, any and all regret I had over shooting the asshole outside vanishes.
In one corner, two decapitated bodies lay in a pool of their own blood. Based on their clothing and stature, I presume they’re the client’s brother and his wife.
A soft whimper draws my attention back to the other corner where a teenager and two kids crouch. Damn, I need to get them out of here, STAT.
What kind of sick fuckers would do this in front of children?! Rage pours through me, heat crawling up my chest and undoubtedly making my face red.
I need to calm down if I want these kids to come with me. After everything they’ve witnessed, they sure as hell won’t be trusting of another man on the verge of violence.
Approaching the eldest is my safest bet. She’s got long brown hair and deep brown eyes. Those eyes, they hold pain, but they also have fire. Good. Hopefully, this hasn’t ruined her for life.
“Hey,” I whisper, not wanting to frighten them more than they already are. “My name is Hudson. I’ve come to take you home.”
She doesn’t budge; her hold on the two kids tightening.
“I know this has been really hard for you, but we need to get you out of here before more bad guys come back. You don’t know me, but your uncle asked me and my friends to bring you home. Everything is going to be okay now.”
The girl rears her head back as if to say, ‘are you fucking delusional?’
No. I’m not delusional. But what the hell am I supposed to say? ‘Um, sorry. You’re scarred for life. No sense in enacting self preservation now.’
“Look, the longer we stay here, the more dangerous it becomes for you. The men who did this…,” I pause, tilting my head behind me. “They’ll be coming back any minute and we need to not be here when they do.”
That seems to get through to her. She looks at the two kids clutched in her embrace and she gives me a nod. Brave. This girl is brave.
Despite everything she’s been through, she’s still putting her siblings’ safety before her own trauma.
As soon as they’re up, I signal Titus and we’re on the move. I step to their right, trying to shield them from the scene they’ve already had to bear for God knows how long.
Even though we weren’t able to save their parents, I’m still counting this as a success. There were no guarantees that any of them were left alive, and the fact that these kids are going back home to family is a damn blessing.
As soon as we’re back in our vans, I say a silent prayer of thanks that our team made it out in one piece. It’s situations like these that make me value and treasure those I hold dear.
Life isn’t guaranteed, and every second is a precious gift—a gift I want to spend right next to my woman.
No hiding.
No shame.
No fucks to give.
