The Revenge by Tijan

I looked up. Kash was staring at one of the cameras, scowling. “Bailey!”

He had a headset and was connected into the system. I raced for the laptop and hit the sound button. “Yeah? I’m here.”

He nodded to the screen and pointed ahead of him. “We need to know how many men are in that room.”

I looked. “Four.”

“Guns?”

My heart sank, then shriveled up. “Yes. But they aren’t aimed at the door.” I gave him their locations using the clock system. Noon. Three. Six. And ten.

He gave me one more nod and turned back to Chase.

Both went together.

Noon and Ten were shot at the same time.

Three got off a shot, but then he was clipped and went down.

Six was last, turning to run.

Chase tackled him, and rearing back up, he brought his fists down. He just kept punching. I heard Kash cursing as he went and yanked his brother off the guy.

The guy was unconscious.

“Rein it in,” Kash snapped at his brother, moving ahead of him for the next room.

They kept going until I told them who was in what room. In the last room, they found Josh and Scott. Drake and Fitz were there, too.

Kash went over, checking Josh’s pulse. “He’s alive.” The rest were alive, too.

I breathed easier after that.

“Shit!”

I jumped, my head jerking to where Chase was standing.

His hands were on his hips and he was looking around the room. “Shit! He’s not here. He’s not here!”

There was a buzzing and I clicked through the screens.

My finger was fumbling when I hit the button, and I couldn’t speak, not at first. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

“Kash!” I screamed, but Chase was still yelling.

“Kash!”

“Shut up,” he snarled at Chase, then lifted his head. “Bailey?”

He was there, hurrying down the stairs, through the parking garage door. He was alone.

“He’s here.” I could not speak. What the crap? Now? Seriously. “Your gran—Calhoun is here!”

Both went still.

Then they leaped at the same time, rushing out of the room and down the hall.

Kash yelled out, “Where, Bailey? We need direction.”

“Downstairs. He’s in the garage.” My mouth was so dry. “He’s alone, you guys.”

I couldn’t believe it, but at my words, they shared one look before they were both sprinting even faster. Chase went down one set of exit stairs, but there was another set on the other side of the floor.

I looked back to the garage, seeing Calhoun was hurrying to that other side.

“Kash! Take the other stairs.”

He veered away, around the door, and was gone in a flash.

I was holding my breath. I was there, with them, soaring down the stairs alongside them.

But wait. I wasn’t.

I was still in this damn closet.

I needed to get down there. I had to.

I looked around. The panel of buttons. Kash said I could get out that way.

I started hitting every button there was.





SIXTY

Kash


Bailey said to use these stairs for a reason.

Because of that, I hit the door hard, slamming it open, and I was through it just as he was moving past me.

All this buildup, all the years, all the fears and worries and tears and threats, every fucking minute I spent in the gym making myself into this weapon, and it was here. Finally. I reached for him at the same time Chase came hurtling in.

“Don’t!” Chase yelled.

I turned, not seeing the flash as Calhoun had whirled around to me.

I felt a searing burn on my side, but fuck … I couldn’t think what that meant. I saw the gun at the same time he was raising it back up, but Chase was there. Chase swung in, hitting Calhoun on the side. The gun went wide, clattering over the floor, but after that, the fight was almost done.

Almost.

Calhoun had nothing left, that was obvious.

Chase growled, shoving him back against the vehicle.

Laughter.

I paused.

It was spilling from Calhoun.

I barely recognized him from the old surveillance pictures that Harden had given me, before I pulled the team to help get Chase free. He’d had a healthy weight the last time I saw him in person, but this man was old, haggard. His skin hung from his bones, sagging, and he was so skinny. Gaunt. His hair had been salt and pepper before. It was all gray now, some ends of pure white. He hadn’t shaved, I was guessing, in months. His stench said he hadn’t showered, either.

This was it.

This was the end, but fuck … I felt the pain slicing through me and I reached for my side. Blood coated my fingers, and I was feeling the burn now.

That shit had shot me.

Chase had him against the vehicle, slamming him into it over and over again. “You think this is goddamn funny?”

A savage growl ripped from me and I surged in, grabbing Calhoun from Chase. I tossed him to the concrete floor. He was rolling, trying to get free, but that laugh. It sounded like an evil character’s laugh, and it was making me grind my teeth even more.

“Shut the fuck up!”

He kept rolling, and I grabbed him by the ankle. I twisted him over and bent his leg back until he couldn’t move anywhere. Then I kept on bending until I heard him scream instead. A little more. Pop. I felt it. Only then did I let it go, stepping back and standing over him. He had one good leg now, but I was looking him over. He’d had one gun. There could be more.