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Chapter 18

Addie

Ronan all but dragged us back into the room - one hand clasped firmly around my upper arm and the other grabbing Nik’s hand. Nik grabbed Tommy’s hand, and Tommy reached for Jared’s.

The sight before me was...gruesome.

I had known it was going to be, and in some ways, I had prepared myself for it.

But the amount of carnage done in such a short period?

Bile rose instinctively in my throat as I stared at Garrett’s already puffy and red face, the color before it bruised, with long and hideous gashes curving down his neck. His blond-haired partner hadn’t fared any better, cuts on his face and a finger bent at an unnatural angle.

Just as quickly as the pity and guilt came, I dismissed it in a hurricane of anger. These men would’ve killed my men and kidnapped me, that I had no doubt. They didn’t deserve any emotion from me except for rage.

Asher glanced up from where he was hovering his knife inches from the meaty flesh of Garrett’s cheek. Trails of tears smeared the older man’s face, a shocking feat in itself. This man had laughed only minutes earlier. Now, he looked as if he was unraveling at the seams.

Fallon’s face went stark white when he caught sight of me, and he threw Ronan an accusatory glare.

“I thought you were-”

“We have a problem,” Ronan interrupted, voice terse.

Declan moved to stand beside me, interlocking his fingers with my own. There was comfort in that simple, eloquent gesture. I knew I wasn’t alone.

“Ragers,” Jared explained briskly. His terrified eyes flickered once more to the door, and I couldn’t tell if he wanted to charge into the melee headfirst, guns - knives - blazing or run in the opposite direction. Which reminded me…

“Jared, where is Tonya? And Davis?”

When he didn’t answer, his desperation suddenly made more sense.

“They wanted some alone time,” Tommy offered, voice uncharacteristically subdued. He was squeezing Nik’s hand until they were both white, veins bulging.

“We’ll find them,” I reassured, but I was beginning to question if I was giving the boys false hope.

As always, Fallon was quick to put on his metaphorical leader cap.

“Okay, Tamson and Declan, you will take Hopper. Keep him in his cuffs.” He nodded towards the blond. Hopper. Hmm. Another fake name, I presumed. “Ronan and Ryder, take Garrett. We’ll head straight to the van. No stopping. No detours.”

“What about Tonya and Davis?” I asked immediately. I didn’t know the two that well, but what I did know was that they both cared for Nik and Tommy something fierce and vise versa. As such, they were family.

And I protected my family.

“Our priority is getting everyone to safety,” Fallon said solemnly, but his eyes flickered with guilt. “Tonya and Davis know to head straight to the van. They wouldn’t want us to search for them.” He nodded towards Tommy and Nik, the barest tilt of his head, but I knew he was right. If the situation was reversed and I was the one away from the group, I would want them to continue on without me. Get the boys to safety. And I knew Tonya would want the same.

“We need to go after them,” Tommy protested when I grabbed his hand. It was smaller than I remembered, thinner. When I tugged, he tugged right back, breaking free. Tears shone in his eyes, and his lower lip quivered. Still, he was a fighter, a survivor, and he refused to let even a drop slip free.

“Tommy, we can’t.”

Ahead of me, Jared and Fallon had opened the door to the room, knives extended as they checked the halls. The prisoners were still tied up, still cuffed, and they rested heavily on my men’s shoulders.

“Then I’ll go by myself,” he said immediately. Stubbornly. He made a move to do just that, but I grabbed his shoulder and dragged him to a halting stop. He flashed a scathing, white-hot glare over his shoulder. Hatred seeped from his eyes. My throat closed, breath stuttering, before I closed my eyes.

When I reopened them, the hate-fueled glare hadn’t left his face.

“Think of Nik,” I said softly, hands raised as if to show him I meant no harm. I loved him. He had to know that I would do whatever it took to protect him.

Even sacrifice Tonya and Davis.