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Guilt flickered in my gut. I’d led my men here knowing there was a strong chance we would get ambushed. They’d understood the risks, but at the end of the day, this was my fight.

“Go!” Sean shouted again. Roman was still busy exchanging fire with the attackers in the van.

A bullet whizzed past us and grazed Sean’s ear. He hissed and returned the favor. Another thud sounded in the distance, but the shots were coming from closer. The shooters were advancing.

His steely order snapped me out of my daze. It’d lasted less than two seconds, but every second counted.

Sean and Roman could take care of themselves. My number one priority was finding Ayana.

Sean covered me while I slipped inside the warehouse. He was trying to prevent the shooters from swarming me as long as he could.

The fact that they were attacking from outside wasn’t good. It meant they had a trap waiting inside.

Eerie silence descended as I crept through the aisles. The deeper I went, the fainter the sounds from the fight outside became. The warehouse was enormous, and shipping containers towered all around me, providing ample ambush spots for the Brotherhood.

My caution meant I made painfully slow progress. I didn’t know where Ayana was held, and there were over a dozen aisles in here. Eventually, however, I spotted a glimmer of light ahead. It was bright white, like the glow cast from a cell phone or a flashlight.

I highly doubt her abductors would’ve given her either of those things, which meant a Brother was nearby. If I quietly captured them, I could make them tell me where she was or at least what I was up against…unlessthiswas the trap.

Practicality and desperation warred for dominance. If my old self could see me now, he’d berate me for my impulsiveness and idiocy. I was throwing the playbook out tonight, and I wasn’t thinking as strategically as I should. Every rational decision was overshadowed by my need to get to Ayana as soon as possible.

That was what the Brotherhood was banking on, but I didn’t have a choice. Thankfully, I had an ace up my sleeve. If that didn’t work out…well, I was fucked.

I edged toward the light. I’d silenced my weapon before we left my house, but hopefully, I wouldn’t have to use it at all. A knife was quicker and quieter, but a Glock made for better intimidation.

I almost reached the end of the aisle when the click of a gun sounded behind me. Before I could react, cold metal pressed against the side of my temple.

I stilled.

“Drop your gun.”

Hot, angry flames blazed through me. I gritted my teeth, but I did as they asked. The gun clattered to the ground.

“Kick it away.”

The flames swelled into a murderous inferno. I kicked the weapon aside. It skittered across the floor and came within centimeters of hitting a nearby shipping container.

A moment later, a familiar face came into view. Blood trickled from his forehead, but his eyes were cool and clear.

“So sorry about this,” Roman said calmly. “But you’ll have to come with me.”

CHAPTER51

Ayana

After what felt like hours, I successfully got enough wiggle room around my right ankle to kick off my heel. It was a tiny achievement, but I felt like I’d successfully climbed Mount Everest.

My shirt and pants stuck to my skin with sweat. My lungs burned, and my arms and shoulders ached after countless hours of being bound.

But I wasn’t done yet, and I had a new problem to solve. How was I going to reach my heel when my hands were tied?

I bit my lip. The stench of the dead body had worsened as the hours passed, but I’d grown numb to it. It was just another shitty aspect of an already shitty situation.

Thankfully, Wentworth hadn’t returned yet, and none of my other abductors had shown their faces. After a minute of thinking, I held my breath and scooted as close to the shoe as possible. The scrape of chair legs against the floor was deafening in the silence, but no one came running to investigate the noise.

After I situated myself where I wanted, I eyed the shoe and mentally calculated the angles. They weren’t perfect, but they would have to do.

I braced myself and, instead of wiggling again, rocked my body from side to side. I threw as much of my weight toward the right side of my chair as possible, paused for breath, and did it all over again. It took half a dozen tries before gravity finally took hold and the chair tipped over.