Page 123 of Lethal Threat

He looks bad. Bryan’s face is covered with a ratty beard. The hollows in his cheeks age him by ten years. But the eyes are unmistakable.

I snarl in his face, my voice low and lethal. “Where is she, you bastard?”

“Inside. She’s alive. Battered, but okay.”

My knees sag with relief. “You’re sure?”

He nods and turns to look at the building. His eyes hold a sheen of tears.

I fight the urge to destroy the man. “I ought to break your neck right here, like I should have that night.”

“Think this through, Cole.” Warns Simona from my right side. She’s got Bryan in her pistol sights. Her hands are steady, her eyes locked on him.

His voice is rough, like he hasn’t used it in a long time. “We’re on the same side. Sierra’s in danger and we need to get her fast.”

Same side? Not fucking hardly.

My anger nearly annihilates my control. The bastard’s lucky he’s not already sporting a new hole in his face or a weird angle to his neck.

I go off. If I wouldn’t draw attention, I’d be yelling. Instead, I hiss at him in a low voice. “She’s in there, thanks to you.”

“You think I don’t know, man? You have no idea what it’s like to see someone carrying your sister, her arms and legs bound, into that warehouse. And I’ll be sorry for what’s happened for the rest of my life. I need you to know they were drugging me and got me addicted. I was out of my head.”

Simona shifts. Her eyes slice to me before they land on Bryan again. “Cuff him. We’ve got a ticking clock. I need to get moving.”

Bryan shakes his head. “Let me help.”

I growl and get in his strung-out looking face. “You? Are you serious? You’ll never get near Sierra again if I have anything to do with it.”

“I understand. But I can get you in that building. And she is my sister. So listen to what I’ve got to say.”

The air crackles around us.

His dark eyes flicker in the dim light. When he continues, his voice is determined. “I escaped a few minutes ago and was going for help. I am in no shape to take down four men on my own, right now.”

Simona steps closer. “How did you get free and get out?”

“I think one of the guys is a plant.” He looks between us. “The last couple of days, I’ve been getting clearer andclearer, mentally.” He scrubs a hand over his eyes. “It’s like I’m not being drugged as much or something has changed with what they are using. Then, a few minutes ago, I discovered my cage was left unlocked.”

I choke on the word. “Cage?”

Bryan’s eyes burn with hate. “Sierra’s in a dog cage, a big kennel. Her hands are bound to her ankles with zip ties, and I couldn’t get her out without tools, so I did the only thing I could do, I got out so I could get help.”

My hands are shaking with my anger. I force my finger off the trigger. “If you make one wrong move, you’re done. Do you understand that?”

His eyes hold mine. “Understood.”

Simona summons the team. “Did you guys hear all of that? Over.”

Marshall replies, “Roger. Proceed with caution. Give us the updated plan. Over.”

Bryan points to the open window he used to escape. “That one.”

It’s far up, high on the exterior wall of the building. Quickly, he details the distance inside the building between the window and the cages. Then explains where the men are in the building. The three of us make a quick plan.

Simona’s already unpacking something from her cargo pocket. “Boost me up to that window. I’ll put a micro-camera in.”

She and I double-time it to the window. She’s light as a damned grasshopper when I hoist her onto my shoulder. Seconds later, she climbs down my back and lands lightly on the ground. “Camera 2 deployed. Bull, can you get a visual? Over.”