I need to loosen these ropes. He’s not paying a damn bit of attention. His fingers are all over my upper body, his tongue is shoved halfway down my throat. I twist and turn and feel them loosen while they dig and cut deeper into my flesh.
“If I hadn't done my research on you… I'd make the mistake of untying you, but I have. Quite an impressive background you have. You know, you really should tell that country of yours not to announce its Ranger graduates with credentials. It kind of ruins your element of surprise in these sort of situations.” He kicks me to the ground, and the chair lands on its side with my back next to the bed. I instantly continue to work my wrists free. I have never felt pain like this in my life. It’s raw. It’s agonizing, and yet, I hold my ground. The only noises I’m making are my exhales as I try to catch my breath.
I’m almost there. Wait and watch. He paces, checks his phone, and then glances at me one more time. I’m going to kill you, Ty. Watch me.
He moves out of sight when his phone rings, and this time, he starts talking in Spanish.
I twist and fight the ropes, but damn it, he knows how to properly restrain someone, and I can’t seem to slip my arms past whatever knots he’s tied me up in.
Please get here, guys. Please hurry.
I keep expecting Harris to come barreling through the door, because he has to be the closest.
The fact he's not has me scared he's not able to get to me. Something has to be wrong. He has to be safe. He has to be alive, because I can’t comprehend it any other way.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
KALEB
I'm going to kill that motherfucker with my bare hands. Hearing her voice has tipped me over the edge, and if we weren't already on the ground in Alabama, I’d be losing my fucking mind even more.
“Steele, stay ready,” I yell over my shoulder. “If he's hurt her, I'll want her flown to a hospital immediately.” We all rush to the truck that's waiting to take us, and I can't keep my mind from swarming with all the possibilities.
“Pierce, get to the ranch and check on Harris. He still hasn't moved, and he hasn't fucking answered any of my calls. It's not like him. He’d die before he'd let her be taken.”
Jumping in the truck with Kase, Jackson, and Vice, I welcome the speed of Jackson’s lead foot.
This is a nightmare. My worst fucking nightmare has come true. Even though I fought like hell to keep her safe, he found out she was my one and only weakness.
I wanted to draw him to me; instead, I left her vulnerable and he now has her.
The reality of how horrible this could be hits me when Jackson slams the truck into park. We all rush to grab our guns and move on the ground at an equal speed toward the hotel. We had our route planned before we landed. Pierce ran the briefing on the plane, detailing every aspect of the surrounding area of her location and the ranch. Everyone has a job and mine is to literally not fall the fuck apart, knowing he has her.
“Can we get a room number?” Kase whispers as we get closer.
Pierce comes back with a quick response. “No, it's on that end in that back wing.” He’s talking to us through the headgear. He’s moving to Harris, but we still keep everyone’s ears on the line in case we need to move in either direction.
“Fuck. There are three floors. Goddammit. If he hears us coming, he’ll kill her to spite me,” I speak into my headgear and wish like fuck I had her in my right ear like usual.
“Watch for signs. I'd guess bottom floor, because he probably had to drag her ass in there,” Jackson remarks, then crouches as we all survey the hotel, looking for a sign of which room he's in. My eyes target in on the Florida plates in front of the very end room. I take the heat-censored binoculars and confirm before I order them to move, with hand signals and a low voice.
I see two bodies on the floor, one slowly moving, before I take a quick glance to the next room, which shows nothing. A quick scan of the hotel, and I don’t see another body in this entire fucking dump. It would be like him to come to a cockroach castle like this. It’s a perfect place to hide the screams. I push that thought to the back of my mind, because I have to. If he fucking killed her, I don't know what I'll do. My mind can't grasp that right now; I need to switch into work mode. It’s the hardest damn thing I’ve ever done, trying to talk my mind into thinking this is a job when I know damn well it’s anything but. It’s personal. This is his way of dishing out a glorified payback.
“He's on the end. Jackson, come with me, you two take the room next to it just in case it's connected.” My voice is deep and low; my mind is set on this being personal. My entire life is inside of that room.