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16

Eleven minutes earlier…

“There’s the son of a bitch’s car.”

Cade followed Liam’s line of sight through the lenses of his binoculars. With a slight twist of his gloved forefinger and thumb, he tweaked the image into better focus and saw Vince Morales’s dark blue sedan.

The asshole’s car was parked in the shadows behind a small, abandoned warehouse. One they’d recently discovered was owned by the man they were after.

From behind the wheel of one of Delta Team’s company SUVs, Christian pulled the vehicle to a stop. They’d chosen to park across the street, under the cover of the shadows, to give them space to scope out the place before making their final move.

“I still can’t believe you guys found this place so fast,” Brody commented from the very back seat.

Liam kept his eyes on the schematics filling his tablet’s screen and shrugged. “Helps when you know who it is you’re looking for. Like I said, nine times out of ten, you follow the money. Morales’s led to an LLC he started a couple of years ago to purchase rental properties as a supposed side gig.”

“I don’t get it.” Rocky shook his strawberry blond head from the car’s center seat. “The guy’s smart enough to evade the cops through six murders, but he’s dumb enough not to cover his tracks with this?”

“It’s not because he’s dumb.” Cade shook his head, keeping his focus on the unlit building. “The exact opposite. Morales didn’t cover this up for the same reason he left the Omega symbol for us to find back at the morgue. It’s a challenge for him. The risk of getting caught is as exciting to him as the kills. And yeah, he thinks he’s so much smarter than us we’ll never be able to figure it out.”

But they had. They’d uncovered the identity of the Omega Killer. They’d found him, and Cade’s entire team had come running. Ready to risk their own lives to help him save the woman he loved.

“Let’s go.” He opened his door, tossing his binoculars into his seat before quietly shutting it door.

The other men followed, as did the two other select teams Hansen and Bowen had put together.

Addressing the two law enforcement officials, Cade said, “This place isn’t huge, but it’s big enough we need several eyes on the outside and in.”

“What are you thinking?” Hansen asked quietly.

“Your teams cover the perimeter, we go inside.”

“No.” Bowen shook his head. “No way we can send a group of civilians into a known hostage situation.”

“In case you forgot, Sergeant,” Christian spoke up from Cade’s side. “We’re not exactly civilians.” With a quick, sideways glance at Cade and a supportive dip of the man’s chin, Delta’s team leader added, “You want, I’ll give you our handler’s name and contact info. Something happens to us in there, I guarantee Homeland Security will cover your ass.”

Bowen nodded once before turning to Hansen. “You ready?”

“Let’s do this.” Hansen turned back to Christian. “We’ll have men on all four sides of the building, plus a couple at each end of the block. Anyone tries running, we’ll stop them. You guys just watch your back in there. And Ellis…” He slid his gaze to Cade’s. “You go get your girl.”

“Thanks, Tyler.” Cade slapped the man on the shoulder. “I owe you.”

“I know.” The other man smirked.

A beat later, the men of Delta were headed toward the rear door next to where Morales had parked. There hadn’t been time for them to change into their typical combat gear, but each member of the team was ready to roll.

As a rule, they kept the essentials in their personal vehicles at all times. Extra vest, at least two extra guns, plenty of ammo, gloves, NV goggles, and comms so they could keep in touch.

They were always ready. Always prepared. And Cade was thankful as fuck to have them by his side. Especially now, when the stakes were so high.

This had to work. They had to save her. If they didn’t…

I don’t know what I’ll do.

Christian’s fist went into the air, the signal to the rest of them to stop. Cade and the others followed their leader’s command, their soft footfalls coming to a sudden halt.

The team fell into place, their game faces on and their weapons held up and at the ready. It was a mission, like so many others before it. Only this time, it was personal.

As Delta’s demolitions expert, Rocky went to the door first. He studied it closely, checking for any possible explosives or trip wires Morales may have constructed. Seeing none, he gave the all-clear with a thumbs up, moving out of the way so they could get into position.

Christian remained tall while Brody crouched down just below. Their team leader gave his own thumbs up and a quick nod before reaching down and opening the door.

They breached the building in relative silence, working together to cover high and low. Once they were given the signal to enter, Cade and the others followed suit.

Moving as one, each man kept a hand on the shoulder of the teammate in front of them. They used the flashlights mounted on their guns to see, and within a few yards, they’d made it into the wide-open center of the warehouse.

There were pillars and doors. A few jutted side rooms and a set of metal stairs. Stacks of boxes, bins, old furniture, and other shit. All of it offering up too many possible places where someone like Morales could hide.

Positioned high, toward the ceiling, were several side-by-side windows. Most were broken, and some were missing altogether. Beneath them ran a long, metal walkway that looked down over the space below.

“It’ll take too much time to clear every room,” Christian whispered just loud enough for Cade and the others to hear. “We need to split up.”

“Copy that.” Cade didn’t waste time trying to argue against the man’s point.

Hunt was right. There were too many places for Morales to hide.

Using hand motions once again, Christian divided the team and gave them their assignments. They each went their separate ways, knowing their main goal was to find Kerrigan before it was too late.

The urge to holler out to her was strong, but Cade held back knowing a dumbass move like that would almost certainly get her killed.

We’re here, sweetheart. We’re here, and we are going to find you. Just keep fighting the bastard. Just keep that gigantic heart of yours beating.

He scanned the area Christian had instructed him to clear, which was the far right section of the warehouse’s open space. Making quick time, he used his training to silence his steps as he traversed through the dark, decrepit scene.

Cade cleared one closet, and then a room that had been an office at one time. He ran his flashlight up the stairs and around, but there was nothing. No sign of Kerrigan or their killer anywhere his flashlight could see.

A crushing sense of disappointment fell over him, and tears threatened to fill his eyes. She had to be here. She had to be. And if they didn’t find her fucking soon?—

He swung his head to the left, toward a hallway he hadn’t noticed before now. Cade shut off his light and put a hand to his ear.

“Cut the lights,” he whispered low. “I may have something. Hallway, south end of the building. Checking it now.”

The soft glow from each of his teammates’ lights vanished, and he knew his friends had heard and understood the call.

Cade crept slowly toward the hallway’s entrance, using his backup night vision goggles to see his way through the darkness. He cleared one room, then another, and then a disgusting bathroom that hadn’t been used in years.

He started to turn, to head back to his team when he spotted it.

It wasn’t obvious to someone doing a quick check and go, but rather hidden away in the corner of a room he’d already cleared. A door he hadn’t noticed was in the back corner, jutted back a bit further than the rest of the room.

An old desk was sitting catty-corner in front of it, the three rusted and ripped chairs balanced on its top acting as a sort of camouflage to prevent it from being seen.

But Cade saw it. He knew it was there. And given the door’s position in regard to the structure of the wall, his first instinct was?—

Basement.

He touched the tiny mic at his ear again and whispered, “Down the hall, third room on the left. There’s a door. Possible basement. Going in now.”

“Copy that,” Christian acknowledged he’d heard. “This section is clear, but we’ll have to make a few stops on the way. Be there as soon as we can.”

“Copy,” Cade’s response was so low it was damn near silent. He then let his team know he was, “Going dark.”

No light. No comms. Just him, his night vision, and his gun.

He made his way to the partially hidden door and reached for the knob. It opened with the slightest of creaks, but he kept going.

The old, wooden staircase before him appeared eerily gray and green. An unfortunate effect of the NV goggles, but necessary if he wanted to see.

Cade tested the first step, making sure the wood could withstand the pressure of his weight. After determining the staircase was safe to use, he used slow, careful steps the entire way down. His booted foot had just hit the concrete floor below when he heard the words he knew would forever haunt his dreams…

“If you’re going to kill me, just do it. No more cuts. No more questions. No more games. If you want me dead, then just…fucking…do it.”

His heart flew into his throat as his goggled gaze shot around the staircase’s frame. She was there. She was alive, and…

Dear God.

“Kerrigan?”

Cade slid his goggles back to the top of his head before turning the mounted flashlight back on. He swiftly cleared the small space to keep from making a rookie mistake, and then he turned the beam back in her direction.

“C-Cade?” Her head lolled as she barely managed to lift it up from between her shoulders.

Kerrigan was sitting on the floor, her arms bound behind her back, securing her to a long, metal pole. Her left cheek and eye were swollen and bruised, and she’d been stripped down to her panties and bra.

And her poor body…

Dear God.

Rage unlike any he’d ever known filled him from the inside out when he saw what that bastard had done. But he pushed it away and ran straight to her. He could be pissed later. For now, his only focus was getting her the hell out of this building and away from any danger.

“Yeah, baby.” He ran straight to her and dropped down to his knees. “It’s me. You’re safe now. I’m here, and you’re going to be okay.”

He shoved his pistol into the concealed holster at his hip, pulling a knife from his front pocket and flipping the blade open with a sharp sounding snick .

“Cade?” She said his name again, her eyes blinking to seemingly clear her pain-filled vision. “Oh, God.” Her tears began falling in waves. “You’re really here. You’re really?—”

“It’s okay, Doc.” His own tears of relief formed as Cade worked to free her bloodied wrists from the bindings. “I’ve got you.”

“M-Morales,” she told him, her voice thick with fear and emotion. “It’s D-Detective…Morales.”

“I know. We’re going to find him. I promise. But first, we need to get you the hell out of here.”

The ropes fell into pieces, and he eased her arms back to her sides. Kerrigan whimpered, and he knew it was from the pain in her strained muscles and the circulation coming back to life.

“I’ve got her.” He quickly relayed the incredible update to the rest of the team. “She’s tied up in the basement, and she’s hurt, but she’s?—”

“Mine.”

Cade froze for only half a second before pulling his gun and swinging it up and around. But Morales was prepared for the move.

The blade of the bastard’s knife sliced into Cade’s forearm, causing him to lose his grip on the gun. He grunted as the gun fell to the floor with a clatter and then skidded a few feet away.

Fuck!

He turned and swung, his fist catching Morales at the side of his jaw. The man’s head snapped sideways giving Cade the chance to lift up a foot and drive it square in the center of the man’s chest.

Morales stumbled back as Cade turned and dove for his weapon. His hand reached, and he was almost there. But Morales, the bastard, jumped onto Cade’s back. The two men rolled to the side together in a fight to the literal death.

“Cade!” Kerrigan screamed his name, her desperation and fear breaking his racing heart.

But he remained focused on the enemy, not the woman he loved. Because if he lost this fight, they were both as good as dead.

Cade struggled to gain control of the knife, the murderous fury consuming him pushing him on. This man had hurt her. He’d cut her with that fucking blade. And the second he got that fucking knife away, he was going to?—

Morales’s fist slammed into the side of Cade’s head, the unexpected move leaving him momentarily stunned. Kerrigan cried out again, but he couldn’t see where she was.

He could only see the sharp silver point of the knife coming down directly over his heart.

A deafening bang filled the air, and Morales’s body jerked from the bullet’s impact. He cried out in pain and fell over onto his back, the knife clattering to the floor inches from his outstretched hand.

Cade looked up to see Kerrigan standing feet away and holding his gun. She had it pointed right at Morales’s head, looking like she was ready to pull the trigger again.

“Don’t move!” she yelled at the man grimacing in pain on the floor.

Morales ignored her warning and reached for the knife. But rather than shoot him in the head, Kerrigan moved the barrel lower, aiming for the man’s left knee.

He screamed as the bullet shattered his kneecap and whatever else it had hit. Cade grabbed the knife, tossing it behind him and well out of Morales’s reach. Then he looked to Kerrigan with a questioning glance, wondering why she’d let the man live.

“He told me everything.” She swayed a touch on her bare feet. “Confessed to killing them all. Crystal DeWalt. Julie Mays.” Kerrigan swallowed hard. “Brayden.” Her eyes skittered to his. “I know why. How. He bragged about it all in such detail…”

“You weren’t supposed to make it out of here alive,” Morales spoke between grunts. “Y-You are supposed to b-be d-dead.”

“But I’m not.” Kerrigan stepped closer, still keeping that gun trained on the man who’d so easily tortured and killed. “And neither are you.”

“W-what are you…waiting…for?” the pathetic killer begged her to be the one to end it all. “Do it. Just do it! ”

But Kerrigan lowered the gun to her side with a slow shake of her head. “Death is too easy for someone like you.” She turned that incredible stare Cade’s way. “Prison…solitude…a life in a cell much like this one without anyone giving him the attention he so desperately needs… That’s the punishment this man should suffer. That would be the justice his victims deserve.”

“I couldn’t agree more.”

Cade took the gun from her hand, quickly securing it back into its holster before carefully taking her into his arms. As the rest of the team stormed down the basement steps, he held on to what was most precious and dear.

Kerrigan practically fell into his protective embrace, her face crumbling with sobs that he’d hear for the rest of his days. But it was over. All the fear and terror and uncertainty was over.

The woman he loved was alive, and she was going to be okay. It would take time for her body and mind to heal, but he would be there. Every fucking step of the way.

“I love you, Kerrigan,” Cade whispered softly, praying she could feel the truth behind his words. “I love you so fucking much. I was so scared we wouldn’t find you in time, and I would never be able to tell you how I felt, but I do. I love you.” He pulled back just enough so he could look her in the eyes. “And it’s okay if you’re not there yet. I know it’s fast, and?—”

“I love you, too.”

He blinked, not trusting his emotional state to correctly process what he was hearing. But when the amazing woman repeated those words again, there was no denying it.

She loves me, too.

“I thought I was going to die tonight, and my biggest regret was not letting you know my true feelings.”

“Ah, Doc…”

“After what happened with Brayden, and then Mexico, I guess I just had a hard time trusting?—”

“Men?” He assumed, not blaming her one bit if that were the case.

“I was going to say myself. I’ve been so afraid to make the wrong choice and get hurt again, that I haven’t let myself live. But I’m done with that.” She leaned up and kissed his lips gently. “I’m done being afraid. I love you, Cade.” Another kiss. “And I can’t imagine not having you in my life.”

Cade felt it when her legs weakened beneath her, and he was there to hold her steady. Bending down at the waist, he scooped her carefully into his arms, and without a word to anyone else, he carried her up the stairs.

Once outside, he filled in Bowen and Hansen, directing them on where to find the killer they’d been hunting. Minutes later, an ambulance arrived on the scene, and Cade remained by Kerrigan’s side the entire rest of the night.

On the way to the hospital. While the doctors and nurses got her cleaned and stitched. He held her hand through the worst of it and held her later when she cried. But through it all, he refused to be anywhere else.

She was his to watch over. His to protect. And though Cade had no idea how he’d gotten so damn lucky, Kerrigan was his to love.