Page 77 of Merciless Obsession (The Bloodline #2)

He and Inaya were watching the house using one of his drones. He had broken into the foreclosed house across the street.

“There are two guys sitting in the kitchen at a table talking. I don’t see Ziora anywhere.”

“If they have her here, they’re more than likely hiding her in one of the bedrooms or the basement.”

Emmet pulled up the housing plan. There were two bedrooms, a basement, kitchen, dining room, and living room. The house was small, two levels including the basement.

“She’s here. Her tracker is still here.”

“One of the guys just left the kitchen and out of view,” Emmet mentioned.

“I’m done waiting. I don’t care who’s in there but every second I’m not Ziora could be hurt.”

I slid my black gloves on. Grabbing my baseball cap, I put it on my head and lifted my hood over it. I checked the bullets in my gun, making sure the safety was off as I placed it on my lap. Next I grabbed Wilma out of my bag and stuck her in my hoodie pocket.

Nazai turned to face me. He must have seen my seriousness on my face because he nodded.

“Lucas, River. We’re going in,” he said into the earpiece. “You ready?”

“Ready,” they both said from the truck they were in.

“E, you got us?”

“Yeah, you’re clear.”

Pushing the door open, I didn’t wait as I rushed across the street with my brothers behind me. “We’ll go around back!” Lucas called out.

I lifted my foot and thrust it forward. My booted foot slammed into the door, sending it flying.

“What the fuck!” I heard someone yell then a shot.

“Fuck, Ezra!” Nazai called out. His back pressed against the side of the door.

I heard something shattering and a loud boom and flash of light went off.

“What the fuck!”

The flash grenade River more than likely used gave us leverage. Nazai and I rushed in with our guns out. River was already on Handly. They fought over the gun in his hand.

“River!” Nazai called.

A grunt sounded.

“I got him. Lucas went that way!” He nodded toward the open door before cocking back and sending his fist into Handly’s face.

“Fuck!” Handly cried.

“Lucas!” Nazai called into the earpiece.

“In the basement,” he responded. “Ziora’s down here and…”

I didn’t hear anything else. I rushed to the door and down the steps.

My feet stuttered to a stop seeing Ziora crying, chained, lip busted, nose bloody, with a gun pointed at her head. Her face pale and breathing heavy. My blood boiled and the grip on my gun tightened.

“Get that gun away from her!” I uttered, my voice low.

“One step and I’ll end her life here.”

Ziora’s body shook. She made eye contact with me and seeing the fear in her irises made my rage escalate.

“I won’t let anything happen to you, Bumblebee,” I assured her.

She whimpered and her head yanked backwards. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

“You’re surrounded. Either way you’re not making it out of here,” Lucas said. A few seconds later Nazai came downstairs with his hand now pointed toward the man with the gun as well.

The guy’s eyes bulged wildly and bounced between us. Sweat beaded on his forehead. He licked his lips and shifted his eyes to Ziora. His hand shook.

I stepped forward.

“I said stay back!” he shouted, focused on me. The light sound of a gun going off bounced off the walls and the guy grunted and cried out. The gun fell from his hand. I rushed him, tackling him to the ground.

All I saw was red as my hand slammed into his face over and over. My pulse raced through me. I could feel his bones crushing under my fist each time it slammed into his face but it wasn’t enough.

“Ezra!” Someone shouted my name in the distance. The air in the room felt stale and burning. “Enough, Ezra! Enough!” I was finally pulled back and fought against it. I wasn’t satisfied. He had hurt Ziora, and for that, he needed to pay.

“Ezra.” Ziora crying out caused the red haze over me to slowly lift. My head whipped to her. She was crying with snot and blood dripping from her nose. Her body shook violently.

“Bumblebee,” I mumbled.

She sniffled and looked over. I followed her vision and saw the man was unrecognizable. His face was a bloody mess. Glancing down, I saw my gloves full of his blood.

Snatching away from whoever was holding me, I stalked toward Ziora.

“I’m here, baby,” I assured her, snatching the gloves off and tossing them to the side. Pulling her into me, I held her tightly as her face dug into my hoodie and she cried harder.

Anger began to build inside me again.

“We need to get out of here,” Nazai claimed. “Emmet, the scanner clean?”

“You’re good for now.”

It was a good thing the neighborhood we were in was abandoned.

“We need to get these chains off.”

“On it.” River came down.

“Where’s Handly?”

“Tied up, upstairs. He’s not going anywhere.”

River approached us and used the keys in his hand to unlock Ziora. As soon as she was free, I wasted no time snatching her up and cradling her close. She didn’t protest. I stormed past my brothers up the stairs.

River had Handly handcuffed to one of the cabinets. Approaching him I lifted my foot and sent it flying into his face then walked out the kitchen.

“Ziora!” Inaya was waiting for us outside the house but Ziora didn’t respond. I shot her a look and continued toward the car. No one was going to take her away from me again. Pulling the back door of the truck open, I climbed inside. Ziora clung tighter to me.

“I’m not letting you go again.” I nuzzled my face into her hair. The roaring inside me was still loud and clawing to get free. Ziora was in my arms but I wasn’t satisfied. The thirst for blood slammed into me.

“I knew you would come for me,” Ziora whispered, lifting her head and staring at me. She had stopped crying, her face and eyes red and swollen.

I leaned down and kissed her forehead then her nose and lips. “Even being kidnapped won’t keep you away from me. I’ll always find you.”

A shaky smile formed on her bloody lips. My eyes bounced around her face. I bit down on my back molars seeing the forming bruise on her cheek. She reached up and swiped my chin. I looked and saw blood. Blinking, I didn’t realize I had it on my face.

“I’ll make them pay, baby. Don’t worry.”

She sniffled and nodded before tucking her head back into my chest. My hold on her tightened. My nerves buzzed with adrenaline. The only thing on my mind was murder and how I was going to make those two pay for touching my masterpiece .

____

“Detective Handly’s real name is Tommy Brown. He was put on administrative leave a month ago for getting his second DUI. He’s stationed in The Sticks and was ordered to do mandatory AA along with his suspension,” Emmet reported, reading off what he found on Handly.

“And the other guy?” Nazai asked.

“His previous partner. Been on the force for about six months.”

I tapped the steel head of Wilma against my palm while a sharp ache shot through my clenched jaw.

Ziora hissing caused my eyes to narrow on where Lucas was stitching her up. The stitches from her spleen removal were busted open and above her lip needed stitches as well from being hit with a gun, according to her.

“Watch it,” I gritted.

Lucas never took his eyes off where he had just stuck a needle into her side to numb the area.

“Unless you want to do it, I advise you to let me work.”

Ziora reached out to touch my arm. Shifting my eyes up, I gripped Wilma’s handle tighter upon seeing the new bruises and wounds against her light skin.

“Soon as you heal we’re going somewhere with a beach, sun, clear blue water, and a lot of mixed drinks,” Inaya mentioned from where she sat at Emmet’s side.

“She’s not going anywhere without me ever again,” I told her. The thought of Ziora leaving my sight made my chest grow taut and my lungs struggle to function properly.

“Ooooh, put your foot down then, protective daddy.”

“Inaya!” Ziora winced.

“Can we focus!” Nazai snapped. “We need to handle those two out there ASAP so I can get home to my pregnant wife before she realizes I’m gone.”

“Scared of your wife, Nazai? I never thought I’d see the day,” River joked.

He flicked River off and turned back to where Emmet was typing on his laptop.

We were at the farmhouse and Handly and his partner were detained back in The Barn. It was a little after one in the morning. I was running on anger and adrenaline with no hint of sleepiness in sight.

“Wait, what’s Handly’s real name again?” Ziora asked Emmet.

“Tommy Brown.”

“Oh fuck.” She closed her eyes.

“It looks like your wound might be infected,” Lucas mentioned, running his gloved hand over it lightly. I bit the inside of my jaw to stop myself from lashing out at him and smacking his hands off her.

“I know that name,” Ziora stated, ignoring Lucas.

“How?”

Nazai faced her with a raised brow.

“On the police reports. He was always listed as the first on scene.”

“Are you sure?”

She nodded with a twisted face. “I might not have a photographic memory like your brother, but I studied everything that has to do with The Veil and these kidnappings a million times. Tommy was always listed as the first cop on scene with the dead girls.”

Nazai stroked his beard. “Makes sense. It’s clear he’s working with The Veil. Emmet, how long has he been a cop?”

Emmet’s hands moved across his keyboard. “Three years. Looking deeper, it looks like most of his money went to liquor and child support. He’s got six kids with four different women.”

“Shit. No wonder he needed the extra income,” River mumbled.

“And the partner?”

“Douglas Mitchell. Comes from a line of cops. Lives paycheck to paycheck. Nothing stands out.”

“More than likely he agreed to work with Brown to help make a name for himself,” Nazai said. “Either way they’re just the middlemen. We need to find out who gave the orders to take Ziora out.”

“And I plan to do just that,” I said, heading for the steps.

I was growing antsy just sitting around talking. My hands were itching to make the two men in The Barn pay and hurt. I ignored the call for me as I stomped upstairs and out of the side door. I headed back to The Barn.