It might sound strange, but the minutes it takes to scale the fence of the Lombardi compound and get to the edge of the building are the calmest I’ve felt since I realized Clara was gone. Because finally, I’m doing something to bring my woman home.
The humidity is stifling even in the middle of the night, and I tug at the long-sleeve shirt Storm insisted I wear. It’s hot and itchy, and I can’t wait to tear it away from my already restless body.
Ace, Rayne and Elijah are spread out around the complex, with Storm and Everett running point. The former wanted to come in with us, but he was quickly reminded his number two had a baby a week ago and we can’t afford anything happening to him right now.
“The cameras are down,” Everett says into the earpieces.
Although it would be easier to take their whole system down at once, it wasn’t possible with the fail-safes they have in place, so we’re doing this in waves. The perimeter went down first. Now the cameras on the outside of the building, and once we’re in, they’ll shut down the inside cameras.
The public records of this place are lacking, to say the least, and already I can see several buildings on the property that weren’t sanctioned. Not a surprise, but definitely annoying. There’s no guarantee Clara’s in the main house, but I have to assume she is.
“Disengaging the lock on the sunroom door now,” Storm adds.
I take a deep breath and wait for the click. Ace and I are going in on our own to begin with, while Rayne and Elijah monitor the situation outside and make sure no one can sneak up on us.
The click is quiet, but I don’t miss it as I draw my gun and check over my shoulder at Ace. He’s not trained for the field like I am, but I suspect he can hold his own in a gunfight. His own pistol is drawn, and he gives me a small nod.
Let’s fucking do this.
I push the door open quietly and do a quick sweep in the corners I couldn’t see from outside. Part of the reason we decided to come in this way was to give us a good vantage point before we went in. Obviously, there could be a hundred men in the hallway waiting for us, but at least we got in the door before being discovered.
We advance toward the main house, each of us surveying the steps ahead as we go. That’s when the alarm starts.
I’m surprised it’s taken this long for us to trip the system, to be honest, but it’s annoying, nonetheless. “Keep moving,” I tell Ace.
We take a few steps forward before we hear shouting and duck into an open doorway. They know they’ve got company, but with any luck, we’ll be out of here with my woman before they can locate us.
For long minutes we wait for the voices to move away from us, and then we step back into the hallway and come face to face with two small figures, both of which scream before I can slap my hand over their mouths.
“Tommy?” Clara cries, flinging her arms around me, and I don’t even think about pulling her hands off me because I need them. The demons beneath my skin spring to life, but it’s not uncomfortable, not when it’s her.
“Fuck, fawn.” I shove my gun into my waistband and hold her tight against me. We don’t have time for this, but fuck, I need it. I need to have her in my arms to settle the part of me that wondered if I would ever see my woman again.
“Mia?” Ace’s voice drags my attention from Clara for just enough time to look at the other woman, and my stomach drops.
“Ace? Tommy?” Her voice is so small it breaks my heart and I can’t help but stare at her. Her hair is still the same blonde I remember it being, but her blue eyes are missing the spark they once held. Even in the hell we lived in, she found happiness, but it’s not there now, and that thought makes my chest hurt.
“You know each other?” Clara asks.
“Mia’s our foster sister,” I tell her.
Ace hasn’t moved. He’s staring at her like he’s seen a ghost, and hell, he kind of has. Neither of us ever said it, but we thought she was dead, and yet here she is, standing before us.
I wish I could let them have more time, but the longer we stand here, the more chance there is one of the guards is going to find us and then we’re all fucked. “We need to go. Now.”
Before anyone can reply, I gather Clara under my arm and steer us back the way we came. I touch the earpiece to turn the microphone on. “We’ve got her and one other.”
“Another girl?” Storm asks.
I look over my shoulder at Ace, who is guiding Mia toward the exit. “Yeah, someone from mine and Ace’s past.”
“Get them out of there,” Storm orders.
I stop just inside the door leading outside and turn to Clara and Mia.
“When we get out there, I want you to run. Rayne and Elijah will help you over the fence.”
“What about you?” Clara whispers, her eyes darting between me and Ace.
“We’ll be right behind you, but we need you both safe before we can extract ourselves, okay?”
They both nod, but their eyes are filled with terror. I hate seeing that look in Clara’s eyes, but seeing it in the woman I’ve spent the last seven years thinking was dead is fucking with me.
I tug Clara against me, allowing myself to relish in her warmth for just a few seconds. “Run, little fawn. I’m right behind you.”
And she does as she’s told without hesitation.
