Page 49 of Guarding Grace (Hawk Security #2)

Grace

I raced around the corner of the building and ran right into a hard chest.

“I’ve got you now.” It was Goron.

Before I could react, he lifted me for the second time, this time shirtless.

He carried me back inside and down the same corridor, and once again, none of my struggling made any difference.

“Throw her back in the room,” Marku commanded. He pointed a finger at me. “I’d gut you right now if I didn’t need you.”

I spat in his direction, telling him just what I thought of him.

He looked at his feet. I’d only managed to nail his shoe. “I was going to spare you this, but I changed my mind.”

Goron shoved me back into the room with Marci, and I heard the lock snap shut. That was bad. I grabbed my shirt and slipped it on. Then, through the door, I heard something even worse. “Tell the men they each get ten minutes with her.”

Marci gasped.

“I go first,” Goron said.

“No,” Marku corrected. “I go first. You can start with the quiet one. But no marks.”

Goron’s laugh was creepy .

The room felt twenty degrees colder.

Marci moved to the corner, cowering.

I searched, but the Pain Pen had been removed. There was nothing to do but wait. I still had fingernails and the element of surprise. Marku didn’t know that Pete had given me some self-defense lessons—lessons I wished I’d practiced more.

Terry

I’d parked a block north of the building, Lucas and Winston a block south.

Constance was fastening her vest when Jordy came on the line again. “You’re clear to advance. They don’t have anybody on the roof, but they have three pairs guarding each of the entries to the building. Image coming your way.”

When it arrived, the drone image showed two men by the door we were closest to. I showed the image to Constance.

“Silence is golden here,” Lucas said over comms. “Don’t let them report to whoever is inside.”

“Copy that,” Constance said before I could.

We hurried to the corner nearest the men.

“Two down.” Lucas’s voice came in my ear before we even reached our guys. Of course the ex-Omega operative would be the first to get his guys down.

Constance glanced around the corner.

I followed. There was no cover at all in the alley—no way to sneak up on them.

Constance already had a coin out when I looked back. “Heads, drunk lovers. Tails, marital spat.”

I hoped for tails since the last time we’d done drunk lovers, I’d been in character and copped a feel, grabbing her boob. Totally out of character, she’d kneed me in the groin. It wasn’t an experience I wanted to repeat.

“Tails,” she called after catching the coin.

We both hid our weapons behind us before I dragged her around the corner.

“I’m never going to a wedding again with any of your family,” she yelled at me as we started toward the pair.

“Maybe they served a little too much champagne,” I conceded .

“I’ll slap you senseless if I catch you kissing your sister again.”

“She’s my half-sister,” I argued as we got closer to the pair.

“Are you still sleeping with her?”

“Uh… No.” I didn’t sound convincing. “I was only consoling her. She lost her pet turtle.”

“That’s no reason to put your tongue down her throat and grab her boob.”

“I lost my balance.”

“You disgust me.”

“You’re just jealous that her tits are real.”

We were getting close.

“I have no idea why I married you with that tiny dick of yours.”

“I’m not that small,” I argued. “Not after the surgery.”

We were almost there.

She pushed me away. “I used to think it was cute that your wedding ring fit on it.”

The second guard joined his friend in laughter as we passed.

I spun and jabbed my stun gun into the guard’s neck. After a very short burst of crackling electricity, he slumped to the ground.

Constance had gotten her guy as well and threw me a pair of zip ties.

“Two down here as well,” I said into comms. I held them down while Constance sedated each of them.

The door was unlocked, and after duct-taping their mouths, we dragged them inside and finished securing them with more zip ties.

A few seconds later, Winston’s voice came over comms. “Last two secure.”

“Jordy, update?” Lucas asked.

“No change,” he responded. “But five more went into the building on the south side before you arrived.”

“Copy. We’ve got the office along the south wall,” Lucas said. “Winston, you and Zane sweep the interior space. Terry, you and Constance take the rooms along the north wall. Execute in three, two, one, execute.”

I took the lead, and Constance followed as we hugged the wall, moving in the direction of the rooms on the plans Jordy had sent.

“No,” a woman screamed.

I froze in place for a second and listened.

“Fuck you.” The voice was heavy with an Eastern-European accent. “You want to play, do you?”

Constance tapped my shoulder and motioned that she would go right. She slid between the crap on the lower shelf .

“Contact,” Lucas whispered over comms. “Found two of the extra five.”

I crept quickly and quietly up to the corner, where I stopped and chanced a quick look.

A huge monster the size of Godzilla had Marci cornered. Two other goons looked on, laughing.

She waved a piece of wood in front of her. “Stay back.”

“Three tangos at the south rooms,” I whispered into comms. “Preparing to engage.”

“Just one more row,” Constance whispered in my earpiece.

“On the way,” Zane said.

“Go slow,” Lucas instructed. “We don’t want to miss any in the interior.”

“Roger,” Winston said.

Waiting like this was torture when Marci could be hurt any second.

“Ready,” Constance whispered. “You distract, and I’ll take him down.”

It should have been me, not tiny Constance, taking on Godzilla, but we didn’t have time to argue. I stepped out. “Hey, asshole.”

When Godzilla turned around, Constance leaped on his back and got him in a headlock. She was tiny but fearless.

Godzilla gurgled and swung around wildly.

I ran forward with my SIG trained on the two others before either could get his gun out. I fired a round above their heads. “Feel lucky?”

Godzilla spun again and with his eyes bulging out, rammed Constance against a rack.

She lost her grip enough that I heard Godzilla get a breath.

I motioned to the ground with my weapon. “Drop ’em.”

Constance almost got thrown when he spun again.

I aimed at one of the guys’ heads, and they both threw their guns away.

Once more Godzilla rammed Constance against a rack.

Just when I thought I’d have to get involved, Marci swung her bat and caught Godzilla in the crotch.

He stiffened and fell to his knees before Constance’s choke hold finally dropped him.

“Move.” I waved my weapon to motivate the two I had on my right. “Where’s Grace?” I yelled at Marci.

She pointed at a door. “He’s got her.”

I saw red, but I couldn’t take my eye off these other two until Constance finished with Godzilla.

She had her zip ties out, but he was struggling .

Zane burst into the open room and trained his weapon on the two I had disarmed.

A shot came from inside the closed room. I turned, ran, and kicked the door Marci had pointed to. It didn’t budge.

I drew my SIG and kicked harder.