Page 20

CHAPTER 19

E than's heartbeat thundered in his ears, the weight of his Glock solid and ready in his grip. Lycos advanced beside him. The cold steel of his weapon reflected the glow of flickering sparks coming from the live wires. The night reeked of burned ozone, the tang of smoke lingering from the exploded transformer Star had somehow taken out.

In front of them, pacing in front of the shed, was the man who thought he’d gotten away with taking Star.

Lycos’s gun was jabbed into the man’s back before he realized they were there. Lutz froze and spread his hands, palms open. “Boys, let’s not do anything rash. I’m a cop trying to do my job.” His voice was smooth, a snake-oil salesman in a uniform. Lycos patted down the bastard.

Ethan sneered, his gun leveled on him. “Save it. We know who you are. What you’ve done.” His fingers flexed over the grip of his gun, but his mind was laser-focused on one thing.

He cupped his hand to his mouth and yelled, “Star!”

“Ethan! Ethan, I’m in the shed! There are live wires, but I’m standing on a plastic bucket!” She was in the shed and surrounded by live power lines. It didn’t surprise him.

“Don’t move!”

“I’m trying not to!”

Every second wasted was another second she could make a move, misstep, and— No. Don’t think about that. Just work it.

Ethan’s eyes flicked to his father, who had the killer facing him and held at gunpoint.

Lycos smiled. It was the kind of smile that made men sweat—made battle-hardened warriors rethink their choices in life. It wasn’t a smile of mercy. It was the smile of a predator who had cornered his prey. Ethan had never seen that look before, but he knew many had, and they hadn’t lived.

“Seriously, I’m a cop. See the uniform?” He tried to lower his arms, but the silencer jabbed him in the gut. The man flinched and then tried again. “You’re going to be in real trouble.”

“You should worry less about us,” Lycos said, his voice pure gravel, “and more about your own sins.”

Lutz swallowed. Just barely. But Ethan saw it. The shift. The micro-expression of a man realizing the shadow of his death was standing right before him.

That was good enough. Ethan sprinted toward the shed. He activated his comms as he ran. “Max, kill the power grid now. ”

Max’s response was immediate. “Done. You’re clear in three … two … one— power is down .”

The world around them fell into eerie silence. The buzzing, the electric hum that had filled the air moments before, stopped .

Ethan didn’t wait.

He sprinted for the shed, his boots kicking up dirt and debris. The metal walls shimmered in the residual heat of the downed transformer and sparks still smoldered in the tangled mess of wires. A closed padlock hung from the door.

“Star, cover your ears. I’m going to shoot the lock off the door.”

“Okay.” Her voice was strained.

Ethan aimed and fired. The lock’s shank released and he yanked the fucker out of the handle. He slammed the door open. The bucket Star was standing on wobbled as she twisted to see him, her wide, frantic eyes locking to his.

“Oh my God, finally! I swear, if I have to stand on this stupid thing for another?—”

Ethan saw the jagged edges of the rusted metal surrounding her. “Star, don’t move!” His command was sharp, slicing through the panic rising in her throat.

She stilled immediately, hands half-lifted in exasperation. “I wasn’t trying to move. I may be cursed, but I’m not an idiot!”

Ethan huffed out a breath—half frustration, half relief. Jesus, she was going to kill him some day.

He glanced at her white shirt tied around her leg. The lacy bra she was wearing would be sexy at any other time. Ethan carefully stepped forward. “You’re bleeding. Shit. That fucker is going to pay.” Rage pounded through his veins.

“Can we worry about my cut later? I don’t want to get pierced or toasted.”

Yeah, that would be a problem. Ethan saw the metal laid in a twisted, snarled mess. The ends of the wires outside weren’t touching the metal walls, but it was a disaster waiting to happen. They were a hazard, even powered down, especially for someone like Star. One wrong step, and she could be skewered and flamed.

He assessed the structure, the way the metal had caved, the weak points in the debris.

“Hang tight. I’m coming to you.”

“Yeah? Could you hurry? My bucket and I are having serious trust issues right now.”

Ethan climbed onto the wreckage, boots crunching over jagged metal. Sweat slicked his back. His pulse was a drum in his ears. Every muscle in his body was coiled as he stepped over the tangled mess of debris.

Star wobbled slightly. “Ethan?—”

“I’m here. You’re going to be okay,” he promised, closing the distance between them.

She swallowed hard. “I know.”

He reached her, one steadying hand wrapping around her waist as he braced them both, his footing precarious on the slanted metal roof. “Okay. I’m going to lift you. When I say go, jump to me.”

Her hands fisted in his shirt, feet still precariously perched on the small bottom of the overturned plastic pail. “If you drop me, I will haunt you. ”

He grinned. “Noted.” Then … “ Go! ”

She launched forward, and he caught her against his chest, his arms locking around her with a crushing force. Her legs twisted around his waist, and she hissed.

“What is it?”

“My leg and shoulder.”

“We’ll get you to a doctor.” Her breath hitched. He could feel her heart hammering against his.

For a moment, they just breathed .

Ethan closed his eyes against the overwhelming relief threatening to pull his knees out from under him. He held her tighter, as if he could physically anchor her to him. “Jesus, Star. I was so fucking worried.” He breathed her in, then looked up to the sky. “Thank you.” He was shaking he was so fucking relieved. He’d gotten to her in time. He squeezed her tighter just to make sure she was real and it wasn’t a dream.

Her fingers curled into his shirt. “Ethan … I was so scared.”

His hand slid into her tangled hair, cradling the back of her head as he exhaled into the crook of her neck. “I’ve got you, babe. I’ve got you . I always will.”

“I knew you’d come.” Her breath shuddered.

His chest clenched. His grip tightened. “Always.”

He turned, keeping her wrapped against him, and carefully stepped out the wreckage. The second his boots hit solid ground, her arms fully wrapped around his neck, and she held on .

“Take her to the truck and wait for me there.” His father’s calm voice in his ear pushed his feet in motion. When she lifted her head, Ethan pushed it back into his chest and kept his hand there, not letting her look around. He knew what his father would do, and he didn’t care, but Star didn’t need to see it or know what would happen.

“Just keep your eyes closed. I’m taking you to the SUV.”

“It was the police officer, Ethan. The one who drove me to the precinct when I found the body.”

“We know.”

She stiffened. “Is he here?”

“Shhh … Don’t worry about it. The right people are here to take care of everything.”

“The police?”

“Better. Guardian.”

“Federal police? That’s weird.” Her body sagged against his. “Good God.” A shiver ran through her body. “What about the men who took me? I saw one of them. I didn’t know them.”

“Max, turn the power on.” Lycos’s voice grated through the comms. Ethan heard Lutz pleading through his father’s comms.

“They aren’t a concern anymore,” Ethan assured her. The two who took her, he’d find and handle. The driver didn’t stand a chance.

Max counted down, “Three … two … one … The grid is hot.”

A high-pitched, strangled wailing made Star jump in his arms. “What was that?”

Ethan boosted her up as he opened the back door of the SUV and helped her sit down. “The power coming back on, I would imagine.” It wasn’t a lie. “It probably made contact with something.” Or someone.

“Oh.” She pulled back just enough to look up at him. Her face was streaked with dirt, rust, and … purple paint? He wiped at her cheek and showed her. She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “I know. It sprayed me when I was spinning the bucket.”

“What?”

“Well, I had to get out, and a million razor blade edges were along the top of the shed. I found a rope. I threw it to the power pole. I was hoping I could get it over the lower arm. I used the bucket as a weight and launched it. The transformer blew up . When I saw the downed lines, I knew I had to find some plastic to stand on, or I could be toasted if they touched the shed.”

“And you thought that plastic bucket was enough to save you?”

“It worked, didn’t it?” Her eyes were bright despite everything when she told him what she’d done to escape. “You look terrible,” she muttered. “Tired.” She cupped his cheek with her hand.

Ethan kissed her palm and smirked. “You’re one to talk.”

Her lips twitched. “Do you think this will finally break my streak of near-death experiences?”

He huffed a soft laugh, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face. “No. But I swear to God, Star, if you don’t stop tempting fate?—”

She sighed. “But then you’d have no reason to play hero.”

Ethan’s heart clenched, but he smirked anyway. “Yeah, well … I could do without that for a month or two.”

“You need a break from me, don’t you?” Her eyes fell to her hands, and her shoulders drooped. She winced and adjusted her position.

When he took both of her hands in his, she looked up at him. With all the truth in his heart, he stared at her and told her, “No. Never. You’re stuck with me.”

Tears filled her eyes. “Promise?”

His voice was rough, filled with everything he felt . “Yeah, Star. I promise.” He took off his shirt and wrapped it around her. And then, finally, he kissed her.

“Time to go, Ethan.” His father’s voice from beside him broke them apart. He nodded.

“We need to have her checked out by a doctor.” Ethan motioned to her leg. “Her shoulder is hurt, too.”

Star lifted her hand to stop them. “I’ll be okay.”

“No,” both men said at once.

Star’s eyes popped open. “Man, you can tell he raised you.” She pointed at Lycos and then Ethan. “You’re his dad, right?”

Lycos smiled. “I am and fucking proud of it.” Ethan tucked her into the back seat with him while his father took over driving.

“Power company has dispatched a repair crew,” Max said in their comm devices. “What are they going to find?”

Lycos looked at him in the rearview mirror. “Accidents happen all the time. Right?”

Star snorted. “They happen to me all the time.”

She didn’t know he was talking to Max, which was fine. Max chuckled. “Ethan, I’ll dispatch a doctor to your house. We have two Mercy teams in New York for training. Neither of you needs to answer. I know she wouldn’t understand and doesn’t need to know about our comms.”

Ethan put his arm over her shoulder, and she leaned into him gently. She asked him, “What will we do about a police report?”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Doctor first.”

“I’ll have a Guardian team come to your residence and take her statement,” Max said. “They can handle informing NYPD about the connections and Lutz’s past. That’ll keep you off anyone’s scope. Lycos can act as the Guardian liaison and keep your name out of everything. NYPD will need to annotate the cases and give some sense of closure to the victims’ families. Oh, and, Ethan, Thor is out of the woods. It was touch and go, but he’ll make it. I hope you don’t mind. I called and told them I was you so I could get the updates.”

He closed his eyes and said, “Thank you.”

She looked over at him. “Yeah, I just thanked the big guy, too.”

Ethan smiled but didn’t open his eyes. She was right. He was tired but so damn relieved. When Star fell asleep not long afterward, Ethan whispered, “The two men at the hospital?”

“I have identities,” Max said.

He looked at his father. Lycos nodded. Ethan shook his head. “I want to deliver them to Guardian. You can look after Star while I do it.”

“Promise she won’t set me on fire or break one of my bones while you’re gone?”

Ethan chuckled. “Sorry, can’t make anything close to a promise about that.”

* * *

Later that night, Ethan crouched low, his back pressed against the cold brick wall as he scanned the shadowed entrance of the ancient apartment building. A streetlight flickered at the far end of the road, casting erratic bursts of light over the damp concrete. The stench of rot, old garbage, and something worse curled in the back of his throat.

He had tracked them there.

The two men who’d snatched Star from the coffee shop, who’d manhandled her, stuffed her into the van, and thought they’d gotten away with it. Ethan had followed their digital footprints—phone pings, security cameras, transactions from a nearby gas station. He’d been relentless. And now, they were right in front of him.

Only …

Something was wrong.

The door to the first-floor apartment was slightly ajar, creaking softly as Ethan approached. He didn’t like it. He didn’t like the stillness, the way his gut twisted with warning.

Ethan slipped inside, silent as death, the Glock he’d liberated steady in his grip.

The interior was dark, but his eyes adjusted quickly. The place was a flop house—dust and grime coated every surface, and a puddle of water dripped steadily from a leaking pipe.

He moved forward, scanning the shadows.

That was when he saw them.

Sprawled in the middle of the apartment’s kitchen floor, limp and utterly lifeless .

Ethan approached cautiously and nudged one of them with his boot, but there was no reaction. He knew there wouldn’t be. The man was long past caring.

The first victim, a burly guy with a tattoo creeping up his neck, lay twisted at an odd angle. That one had a broken jaw. His work. He hadn’t sought out medical attention for the jaw. A myriad of reasons, no insurance, wanted by the law, illegally in the country, afraid of the person who paid him to abduct Star … the reasons were endless. The last time he’d seen the man, he was alive. The other had blood-soaked gauze covering his arms. Thor’s work. Sometime between then and now, Jaws was shot through the back of the head. Thor’s target, smaller but wiry, had taken two bullets to the chest—close range.

Execution-style.

Ethan exhaled sharply, his mind racing. “Max, pull up the street cameras. See if Lutz showed up here before his shift.”

“On it.”

It wasn’t a botched robbery. It wasn’t some random street killing.

It was cleanup .

“What do you have?” his father asked.

“You still alive?” Ethan asked as he ghosted out of the building.

“Yep. She’s been asleep since Guardian teams left,” Lycos replied. “What did you find?”

“They're dead. Execution style.”

“And there’s the bastard’s car pulling down the street. There’s nothing on the block where you are. Everything is abandoned. He pulls back out onto the street six minutes later.”

“Tell Guardian to run the slugs on the bullets that killed these guys. It’ll probably match the gun NYPD found in his car.”

“Already typing the email to alert them of the situation.”

Ethan got back into his SUV and pulled away from the curb.

“That cleans up all loose ends,” his father said.

“How bad did Archangel grill you?” Ethan asked as he drove down the nearly deserted street.

“Why would he grill me?” Lycos asked. The innocence in his voice was hilarious.

“Accidents happen,” Max chimed in. “It was really good your dad showed up tonight to stay with Star so you could do some cleanup. Convenient you’re not around and Lycos took Star’s statements.”

A smile spread across Ethan’s face. “Damn good thing. I’m coming home.”

“Wish you would. Don’t like this city life for you,” Lycos said.

“There would be a lot to move and set up.” But honestly, he’d go back to Colorado and take Star with him. Maybe he’d wrap her in bubble wrap, too. Or foam. Maybe both.

“If you want to move, just let me know. I’ll help. I’d miss my sparring partner, but I’d find another victim.”

“Thanks.” Ethan snorted.

“Never afraid of hard work,” his father said. His voice was muffled.

Ethan narrowed his eyes. “What are you eating?”

“Meatballs and sauce. Freaking amazing.”

“Star made it. Save me some.” Ethan’s stomach rumbled. He’d only had a bottle of water all day, and his stomach just remembered that fact.

“Should’ve said something sooner,” his dad taunted him. “Stop and get yourself something before you come back.”

Ethan shook his head and chuckled. What a fucking day.