Page 44 of Birthright (Sinners of New Orleans #4)

FORTY-THREE

Sam

I pour a fresh glass of bourbon and sit down in my office chair, wiggling the computer mouse until the screen flashes to life. The cameras I had installed in Olivia's bar appear on the screen, each frame showing a different angle of her establishment.

In one quick moment, the glass I'm lifting to my lips falls from my fingers and crashes to the ground, amber liquid spilling across the wood floors, seeping between the planks.

"Fuck," I hiss, my heart suddenly hammering against my ribs.

My fingers reach for my phone, fumbling to hit John's contact, nearly dropping it in my haste.

" Cugino, " he greets, his voice casual, unaware of the nightmare unfolding before my eyes.

"The bar." The words are strangled. I'm mortified by the sight I'm witnessing, helpless to watch it through video, where I can't do a damned thing to stop it. "Olivia's at the bar. Serpents are there. Who do we have close enough?"

"Slow down. Olivia's at the house?—"

"I'm watching the fucking cameras!" I shout, my voice echoing off the walls. "She's at the bar, Roman too. There're Serpents there... They're fighting?—"

But before I can get another word out, I watch in horror as Olivia points a gun at Axel. Do it. I wish I was there to do it for her, to prevent her from having to take someone's life. But I'm not. I'm miles away, watching like some pathetic voyeur.

Do it.

And then I watch as her finger twitches and nothing happens. Axel laughs, a sound I can't hear but can imagine all too well, and then he drags the blade he's holding along Roman's throat, slow and deliberate.

"No!" I scream, but my words do nothing to prevent me from watching one of my most loyal men and friends bleed out right before my eyes.

I'm helpless. Completely fucking helpless.

My body is shaking as the sight unfolds. One of the serpents hits Olivia from behind, her body crumpling, and a wide smile grows on Axel's lips. The fucker looks right up at the camera and waves, as if he knows I've just watched the whole thing, as if this is all for my benefit.

Bile rises in my throat, hot and acidic.

I need to rescue Olivia.

And then I'm going to make that fucker pay.

"They took her." My voice feels weak, hollow, like it's coming from somewhere outside my body.

The world stops. I can't breathe, can't think. My vision tunnels as rage builds inside me like a volcano, pressure mounting until I might explode.

"Sam? You there? What's happening?"

I hurl the phone across the room. It shatters against the wall, pieces scattering like confetti. My desk flips with one violent push, papers and my laptop crashing to the floor. The bourbon decanter follows, glass exploding, amber liquid spreading across the hardwood like blood.

"FUCK!" I slam my fist through the drywall, again and again, until my knuckles bleed and splinter with white dust. Picture frames crash down. Books sweep off shelves. The room becomes a hurricane, with me at its center.

The door bursts open. Adrian rushes in, eyes wide with alarm.

"Sam, stop!" He grabs me, but I shove him away with enough force to make him stumble.

"They have her." My voice breaks, fracturing like everything else around me. "They fucking have her."

My legs give out. I sink to the floor amid the wreckage of my office, my chest heaving. Tears burn in my eyes. I haven't cried since my mother died, haven't allowed myself that weakness.

"They'll kill her. They'll hurt her first, then they'll kill her." My voice trembles, barely able to speak clearly.

Visions of my mother's death flash through my mind like a sick montage. I can see her lying there, bleeding out in that ugly shack, her eyes vacant, accusing. History’s repeating itself in the cruelest way.

"We'll get her back," Adrian says, but he spends his days behind a desk, using the law to protect us. He doesn't have the firsthand experience with the Serpents that I do. He hasn't seen what they're capable of.

"How?" I look up, my vision blurred through unshed tears. "Roman's dead. I sent him to protect her, and now he's dead, and they have her."

"We'll find her," he tries to reassure me, his voice steady when mine is anything but.

"It's my fault." The words taste like ash. "I did this. I brought her into this. I should have known better."

"Sam." Adrian cuts through my spiral. "Focus. Olivia needs you thinking clearly, not drowning in guilt."

He's right. I take a deep breath, wiping my face with the back of my bloodied hand.

"They want me to suffer," I say, clarity finally breaking through the fog of rage. "He won't kill her right away."

Adrian nods. "That gives us time."

I stand up, purpose replacing panic. "I know where they'll take her."

"The old warehouse?" he asks, eyebrows raised, already reaching for his phone.

"No. Somewhere more personal." I reach for my gun, checking the chamber with practiced ease. "Get the cars ready. Call everyone. They took what's mine. I'm taking her back."