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13

Brandon

Iheadedupstairs,adjustingmy uncomfortably hard cock on the way. The lap dance had gone fromzerotoholy fucking hellin no time. Not that I was complaining, but my brain was in a Sage fog. I needed to refocus before I screwed something up.

I’d found willpower I never knew I possessed in that curtained-off room. All I’d wanted was to take Sage in my arms and claim that sweet mouth of hers. And then claim more. A whole lot more. But with the way things were between us, she had to make the first move.

Sage might insist she didn’t want me, but the flush up her slender neck and the way her pupils had dilated while her hips had moved against mine told a different story.

I needed to quit thinking about having her thighs wrapped around me.

At the end of the corridor was the large room where I’d babysat McKenzie. Everything I needed was in there—the security server and the armory. I punched in the six-digit code I’d memorized while looking over Nicky’s shoulder. No sign of McKenzie inside, although his blood still dirtied the concrete floor.

At the security terminal, I found the camera pointed at Cameron and her guard. She was tied to a chair like her brother had been, and the guard sat on a sofa watching a video on his cell phone. I recorded three minutes of footage, then set it to repeat, so if anyone checked, they’d see nothing of interest.

I did the same for the camera in the basement. Shep sat cuffed to a chair, out cold after another beating. He was alone, although I couldn’t be sure for how much longer.

If Cameron could rouse Shep and free him from the cuffs, we were in business. And it had to be her because right now Shep was an unpredictable caged animal. If I went down there, he’d probably try to kill me, or at least make me suffer after the trouble I’d caused. Couldn’t really blame him.

My last task at the security server was to stop the system from recording and wipe the data from the past week. I didn’t want evidence of Sage working here, and I definitely didn’t want footage of whatever was about to happen. When Cameron freed Shep, he’d likely leave a trail of bodies on his way out of the building.

Which reminded me, I needed more firearms than the two pistols I was armed with. I used my lock-picking tool to open the solid metal door to the armory. Inside was an entire wall of firearms. There were enough weapons and ammunition here to start a war: shotguns, high-powered rifles, hand grenades, knives.

My search stopped when I came across an HK416. “Now that’s more like it.” That bad boy would come in handy, and I was right at home with the laser-sighted assault rifle since it had been my staple weapon during years of deployments in Afghanistan.

I filled my pockets with ammunition and a few fun extras before returning to the security console. On the screen, Sage and Cameron emerged from the office where the guard must be passed out. Cameron had changed into a waitress uniform. Sage must’ve brought it for her. Clever thinking.

The women made their way downstairs and headed to the basement door, where they parted ways. I continued watching Cameron as she descended the basement stairs and made it to Shep. She dumped a bucket of water over his head to wake him, then removed his handcuffs. My Zulu teammate would soon be on the move.

I flicked through the cameras looking for Sage, and with no sign of her anywhere, I figured she’d done as I’d asked and locked herself in the storeroom.

I readied my weapons and prepared for Shep and Cameron to emerge from the basement. I planned on positioning myself as a sniper so I could cover their escape if required.

Muted gunfire popped from below. Not from the club floor, from the basement. The military-style double shots meant it was Shep firing, but who was he shooting at? I didn’t have time to check the security cameras because those gunshots had just told every mafioso in the building that shit was going down in their house.

Using the doorframe as cover, I took in the scene unfolding below. Customers and strippers scattered, some tripping over themselves to get to the exit, others taking cover under tables. I gave those who wanted no part in this fight the opportunity to leave. I wouldn’t shoot unarmed civilians in the back.

No one emerged from the offices upstairs, so apart from Cameron’s sleeping guard a few doors away, this floor was clear.

Below, mobsters loaded their weapons and headed for the basement door. I couldn’t let them get there. Even Shep wouldn’t stand a chance against that many guys with guns.

Unleashing twin pistols, I fired and downed two targets. That drew their attention away from the basement. The gunmen took immediate cover rather than run across the room through a hailstorm of bullets.

Some retaliated with erratic gunfire, having no clue where I was. But they’d be onto me soon. I needed better cover.

I flipped a large filing cabinet on its side and pushed it against the balustrade. With the laser-sighted rifle, I picked off more mobsters.

I sensed movement from my right.What the fuck?Sage ran toward me fast, keeping her head low.

Her body slammed into mine as bullets pinged into the filing cabinet. Thank Christ she wasn’t hit.

“What are you doing here?” I yelled so she could hear me above the gunfire, but also because I was furious. Why hadn’t she gone to the storeroom where she’d be safe?

“I’m helping. Give me a pistol.” She held her hand out but flinched when a bullet shattered the two-way glass behind us.

I stared at her a moment too long, because her eyes bugged out and she shouted, “Just give me a damn weapon or I’ll take yours!”

She seemed determined to help, and my intuition told me this strong-willed woman wasn’t taking no for an answer.