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Chapter Thirty-Six

Connor

A low hum of running equipment filled the basement of the Gendry home as Connor checked his gear for the third time. His hands moved with sharp, practiced efficiency, tightening the straps on his tactical vest, chambering a round into his Glock, and then slipping a combat knife into its sheath at his thigh. Across the room, Liam and Leon did the same. Their typical antics and comic relief were nowhere to be found. Liam checked their exit strategy as Leon double-checked their firepower. The air smelled of gun oil and sweat, filled with a tension so thick it reminded him of a loaded trigger just waiting to be pulled. This wasn't a sanctioned mission. There were no approvals, no oversight, just the three of them. None of the specifics mattered to Connor. This was a personal mission. He had a name. That was all he needed. Davis Lang. The high-ranking intelligence officer was deep in bed with the CIA traitors. He was the one directly responsible for falsifying the evidence that had turned Theo into a fugitive. He was the bastard who had signed the orders that would have seen Connor’s fiancé locked away for treason. Locked away or something worse. Connor’s jaw clenched. Tonight, he would end it.

Liam glanced up from his tablet, his voice low and fire. “Lang’s at his safe house outside DC. No official detail, just a personal security team. Three men, all private contractors.”

“So we’re fighting our own people. Fun times.” Leon smirked and clapped a clip into place before holstering his pistol.

“Not our people. Just a bunch of mercs who got bought out. Reckon that makes’em collateral damage if they get in our way.” Connor craned his head side to side to release some of the tension mounting in his neck muscles.

Liam gave a nod before switching the tablet screen off. “Route’s set. We go in fast and take him alive.”

“Alive?” Leon arched a dubious eyebrow.

“Yep. Fucker doesn't get to take the easy way out.”

The twins exchanged a glance before sharing a wicked grin. Liam held up a hand and Leon clapped it with his before whooping, “Let’s fuck’em up.”

The SUV rolled to a stop a quarter mile from the target. The hike through the sparsely forested area was easy enough and brought them to a nondescript cabin with quaint landscaping. It was exactly the kind of place a man like Lang would run to when it all went to shit. A security drone buzzed overhead, silhouetted against the navy blue night sky, but Liam had already disabled the surveillance feeds with Theo’s help. Lang would think he was perfectly safe until it was too late. It was exactly how Connor wanted him. Completely unaware and taken by surprise, just like Theo had been. Karmic justice was so very fulfilling.

They moved in formation with Connor taking point and Leon covering their six. Liam was tasked with controlling the breach point from a remote access pad. Around them, the forest was eerily quiet, the cold air biting through Connor’s gloves as they crept toward the back door of the cabin. The only sounds were the crunch of dirt and sticks beneath their boots and the forlorn, distant hoot of an owl. Connor’s heart beat a staccato against his ribcage, but his hands remained steady. Eventually, Liam’s voice crackled over the comms.

“Alarm’s disabled. You're in the clear.”

Wasting no time at all, Connor pressed forward and signaled to Leon before taking his position at the back door. A quick glance through the pane of glass had him clocking the other two mercs. He knew one was patrolling the front driveway. Inside, he found the other two—one stationed in the living room and another at the base of the stairwell. They waited with held breaths.

A scurry of footsteps on gravel from the front of the house disturbed the quiet. Liam was quiet as a ghost and a few seconds later, Connor heard the distinct, tell-tale thud of a body hitting hard ground. No gunshot. No struggle. Just a single, quiet thud. A moment later, the comms delivered the news.

“Go.”

They moved fast. Connor pressed his shoulder into the door and it swung open. The first merc barely had time to react before a silencer whumped, sending a round straight between the man’s ribs. His weapon clattered to the ground as his body dropped. Leon gave a clipped nod as they moved deeper into the cabin.

The second man was quicker. He fired off a shot before spinning toward the stairwell, but Connor was faster. Two bullets found a home in the man’s chest before he hit the floor with a thud. Liam met them at the base of the stairs as Connor surged forward, taking the steps two at a time. Lang was running. But he wouldn't get away.

His pulse pounded in his ears and fury fueled every step. He reached the landing just in time to see Lang fumble with a drawer. He knew the target was going for a weapon and reacted with pure bloodlust driven by decades of training. The butt of Connor’s gun slammed into Lang’s wrist and sent the man's pistol skidding across the wooden floorboards. Lang stumbled backwards, his eyes wide with fear.

“Don’t,” Connor warned, his voice low and full of ice.

“Wait… wait!” Lang slowly raised his quivering hands. “I can make you a deal!”

“A deal?” Connor was dangerously calm as he grabbed the man by the collar and shoved him hard against the wall. “Like the deal you made to frame Theo?”

“I was following orders.” Lang gulped, his Adam’s apple bobbing.

Connor leaned in closer, reveling in the pure terror that blew the man's pupils wide. “Reckon I don't give a fuck about that minor detail, bud.”

Liam reappeared, calling up the stairwell. “Car’s ready. Let’s go!”

“Hold up, you can't just take me! That’s illegal!” Lang clutched at Connor’s wrist with clammy hands.

“You know what else was illegal?” Connor’s lips twisted into a wicked grin filled with sick satisfaction. “Framing my fiancé.”

With that, he shoved Lang aside. The bastard stumbled. He squealed. The fabric of his flannel pajama pants grew dark between his thighs as the air filled with the stench of piss and terror. Leon hauled him back to his feet and Connor moved in to secure his wrists behind his back with a zip tie just this side of too tight. Before long, they were exiting through the back door before anyone else could detect the break-in. Lang still stammered protests as they dumped him in the hatchback of the SUV with every intention of dumping the man right outside the FBI headquarters, a neatly wrapped gift all ready to go.

Connor sank into the passenger seat and called over the roar of the engine as the vehicle peeled away. “You're gonna answer for what you did, Lang. And this time, there’s no one left to cover for you.”

The weight in Connor’s chest remained, albeit not nearly as suffocating. The job wasn't done, not yet. But at least Theo’s name was one step closer to being cleared. He was one step closer to coming home, and that… that was exactly what Connor needed.