Blane grinned, his teeth flashing white. “Then quit bitching.”
The moment sealed itself in a kind of camaraderie that was deeper—the added element of heading into danger and relying on the other to help make it out unscathed turning the bond into something more than mere brothers. They’d gone into danger together before, he and Blane, and Kade never tired of the rush of adrenaline at having his big brother look at him as an equal.
“You wanna gossip some more or go get the chicks?” Kade asked, raising an eyebrow.
Blane thumbed the button on his walkie talkie. “Avenger in position,” he said. “Report, over.”
A moment later, the reply came back. “Vanguard in position. Mission is a go, over.”
“Radio silence, confirm. Over.”
“Radio silence. Over and out.”
Kade was busy getting his lockpicks out while Blane talked and had the lock open by the time he was done. Moving to the opposite side from Blane, he nodded. Blane made the motion they did to indicate he should go first and Kade bring up the rear, but Kade just shrugged and shook his head like he didn’t understand. Blane’s eyes narrowed, but Kade only winked as he slowly turned the knob and opened the door.
Waiting a beat, Kade had his weapon in front of him as he stepped into the space, feeling the same rush of terror and adrenaline he always felt when his next second could be his last.
Luckily, today wasn’t the day he’d been meeting his maker—or most likely the one a lot lower in altitude—at least, not yet.
The room was full of discarded equipment and boxes stacked shoulder-high. Kade didn’t spare much attention to examine the equipment, his eyes too preoccupied looking for a threat. He stepped forward carefully, catching the light on the wall that indicated there was an alarm system just as it started to beep.
“Fucking shit,” he muttered, rushing toward the panel on the wall. There was enough ambient light for him to see the seconds counting down until the full-scale alarm went off.
“Can you disarm it?” Blane asked, standing with his back to Kade.
“Gimme a minute.” Kade yanked the cover plate off the wall, exposing wires and the keypad buttons. Searching, his eyes finally lit on what he needed. Shoving his Sig into its holster, he pulled out his spare knife and flicked it open in one practiced motion.
It took approximately four seconds to strip the wires he needed and touch them together. A spark flew and he smelled a whiff of ozone, then the beeping stopped, the lights on the panel all going dark.
“Nice work,” Blane said.
Kade didn’t reply to the praise, but it was nice to hear.
They continued through the room, the spaces getting tighter and tighter between boxes and dusty machines that Kade had no name for. A dark, yawning emptiness ahead of them marked the path into the rest of the building.
A bad feeling ate at Kade’s gut. Never one to ignore that feeling, he reached into the backpack and pulled out two sets of night vision goggles. He handed one to Blane.
“We might need these,” he said.
Blane didn’t question it, but merely slipped them on, pushing the goggles on top of his head.
A television was mounted in the corner up by the ceiling and as they walked by, its screen flickered and came to life. The image that appeared made both men halt in their tracks.
Chapter Eight
The image on the screen was split into two—one side showing Brandy, the other, Liz.
“Well, shit,” Kade muttered. Blane didn’t say anything, but Kade could feel him stiffen.
Brandy was strung up somewhere by her arms and legs, ropes tight around her wrists and ankles. The ropes were attached to whatever was behind her, holding her body in place.
Her head lolled forward on her neck and for a moment, Kade thought she was dead, then she shifted slightly and he could see her face.
It looked like Péng hadn’t taken much care with her, as there were bruises on her face and she looked as though she’d been crying.
Liz looked the same, only she was tied sitting down somewhere cramped and dark, her arms behind her back. Every few moments she was illuminated by a swirl of color, as though lights were spinning around her.
Kade looked closer. “Yeah, you’re right. But I can’t tell where Liz is.”
“Péng obviously knows we’re here. This must be some kind of fucking game to him.” Blane’s voice was tight with anger.
“Then we’ll play the game, just change the rules,” Kade replied. “Whether he knows we’re here or not, we don’t have a choice. Let’s go.” Normally, he wouldn’t give a shit about some random woman being in the wrong place at the wrong time. But he’d been the one to cherry pick Liz and Brandy from the line last night. If he hadn’t, no doubt they’d be safely at home, tucked into their beds, and nursing hangovers.
Sometimes what little conscience he had picked the shittiest time to show up.