Page 110 of Like An Animal

Xavi blanches. “You want to come with us?”

Nikolai nods. “I’m gonna finish the job my son started. He wanted to get the girl home safely. It’s what he would’ve wanted me to do.”

He’s not wrong. Even after she tried to frame me for murder, Massimo was constantly worried about her and how she was doing. It almost got to the point where it was annoying. Little did we know, she was going through the worst torment of her life.

“Okay. Let’s go.”

Xavi,Nikolai, and I walk into the pool room to find the nearly hundred men standing around, talking amongst themselves like this is a social call.

Bringing my fingers to my lips, I let out a loud whistle to get their attention and like that, the room falls dead silent. All eyes fall on me.

“We have a rescue mission under way,” I announce, my eyes narrowing on every individual face. “We need as many men as we can possibly gather to travel to Texas and completely decimate a sex trafficking ring dressed up like a cult. They’re called The Fathers of Jephthah. One of their members, a man by the name of Isaac, murdered Massimo Aronin in cold blood and captured my wife. That’s all the information you’re going to get.Who’s on board?” I ask and I notice one man take a step back as if to say “fuck no”.

Instead of letting it go, I pull the gun out of my holster under my blazer and shoot the fucker in his kneecaps. He drops while screaming, grabbing his legs.

“Any takers?”

Everyone looks at their fallen comrade and immediately throws their hand in the air, volunteering.

“That’s what I fucking thought,” I grumble under my breath. Turning my head, I mutter to Xavi, “Pick ten to stay behind to protect Charlotte. Keep them stationed around the house. We don’t want anyone who could come looking for her to realize where the panic room is.”

Xavi nods. “Got it.”

I let out a deep breath before muttering, “We might also need your jet to transport all of these people.” I turn my head to look at Nikolai and he nods.

“Whatever you need.”

We’re coming, baby. We’ll be there before you know it.

CHAPTER 45

THE GHOST

Idrag Cheryl over to the door that was probably locked when we came in, but the explosion must’ve knocked something loose because it opens right up.

“Where are we going?” she asks, her voice full of panic.

“We need to find Jeremy.”

“And, that’s your husband?” Her eyes flare with recognition. She remembers his name from that phone call I made to her five years ago.

“Yeah.”

“What does he look like?” she asks, pressing for more.

“Five-eight, muscles, tattoos, short black hair, brown eyes…constantly looks like he wants to kill everyone.” That about sums up Jeremy Borza.

“Bu-but what if they catch us?”

My eyes widen as I look at Cheryl. She’s been here so long that they’ve beaten her down. She’s so scared of what they could do. It would stop her from doing what’s necessary to survive.

Taking her face in my hands, I force her to look at me. “I’m not going to let anyone hurt you ever again. Do you trust me?”

After a minute, she nods her head as I hear another explosion on the east end of the compound.

“Come on.” I take her hand in mine as we slip out of the cell. People run up and down the halls, but no one seems to notice us.

“Hide! We’re under attack!” Someone screams and a devious smirk pulls at my lips.