EIGHT
Lust for revenge is as poisonous as a venomous strike from a hidden cobra.
~ Styx Fuller
Grayson arrives at the checkpoint exactly at the right time the fucker demanded. Radar and Doc are back at the command center tracking his every move, while Animal and I shadow him on the ground to begin with. We know the drill. Drop back and remain out of sight—outta mind.
I hear his phone ping, alerting us of a new set of coordinates to follow. I glance down at my phone. The picture embedded in the message causes me to lose my shit. I’m gonna cut somebody. Rain down pain with every fiber of my being. It’s another picture of Savannah. She’s in worse condition than before. Multiple cuts and abrasions.
I swallow the fury coursing through my veins, a vortex of emotions so powerful, and try to focus on the mission at hand as my vision blurs red. Retrieve, extract, annihilate that sorry candy-ass motherfucker Beauty. He will die. He signed his own death warrant when he touched what belongs to me.
“She’s in bad shape, Grayson. Doc did a preliminary diagnosis based on the last photo, and she needs immediate care. Broken bones, loss of blood, possible internal damage…” I can’t go on. The protective nature inside of me rears its ugly self. Emotions are a fucking bitch. I need to remain in check. Rely on my years of training to rescue her. Not go off half-cocked crazy.
“Boss man, you’re coming up on the warehouse district. It’s mostly deserted buildings. No civilians. Location should be on your right. Styx and Animal are in position. Sensors are picking up seven warm bodies. Two off to the far right of the complex. Five near the front,” Radar reports through our com links. His voice barely registers. I’m on autopilot.
I belly crawl on the rooftop and watch Grayson arrive. A gut-wrenching scream in the distance has him run and stop abruptly. I’m in motion, moving back toward the rope on the opposite side. I recognize her voice. Savannah.
I hear Radar over the com. “Stop, Grayson. It’s a trap. Ella’s okay. My feed is showing someone hurting the body on the floor.” As an afterthought, he adds, “Must be Savannah.”
Oh, hell to the fucking no. I’m gonna rip Beauty from one end to the other.
“Roger that, Radar,” Johnny acknowledges. “Damn, Styx is leaving his position….”
I turn the com link to low and focus, blending into the building’s shadows. In my peripheral vision, I watch Grayson enter the building as he edges closer to the entryway. Grayson has moved ten yards in when a flash of metal grabs my attention. Instinctively, I aim and fire, releasing two bullets for a direct hit. I rush forward to Grayson and nod.
“Animal, get down here now. Radar, we’re going black. Doc, be on standby. Let’s finish this, boys,” Grayson commands, staring me in the eye. A promise of retribution passes between us.
He knows. I’m ready for blood. And I won’t back down until the floor is littered with Beauty’s remains. His death won’t be a blip on the radar for what my woman has suffered. Jail would be too nice. No one in this building will survive the day, except for the women.
Two clicks in my ear notify me Johnny is close. His shadow lands next to mine, and we begin our maneuvers, slowly making our way among the pallets in search of our target. Grayson motions us to spread out to approach the dimly-lit hallway from different angles.
The closer we are to an open door, the antsier I get. My finger is on the trigger, ready to strike at a thought. She’s in there, hurt, and I need to get to her. Hold her. Look into her green eyes and see for myself that she’s breathing—alive.
I nod as Grayson takes point, silently hugging the wall and moving in the shadows toward our destination. He enters first, gun drawn, and simultaneously, we take the position on each side of the door in the shadows. My eyes land on the heap of a human in the corner, and just as quickly, I focus on Beauty and Ella. He’s using her as a human shield. Enjoy your last few hours, motherfucker. ‘Cause I’m going to blow your fucking head off. Your time is up.
“Checkmate, Capt’n. I win. Place your weapon on the ground and kick it toward me,” the walking dead man sneers at Grayson. He hesitates until Beauty pushes the gun further into Ella’s temple and she releases a cry of pain. Johnny holds up five fingers to halt me. I loathe waiting. I want action. The need to destroy him and get to Savannah overwhelms.
“Now, Capt’n. My patience is wearing thin. Me and the missus have places to go, people to see.”
“Let her go now. I’m here,” Grayson demands.
I’m distracted when I see Savannah’s body twitch and she releases a small groan. I would rush in there without a second whim if other lives weren’t hanging in the balance. She needs help, immediately. But I’m stuck listening to this demented fucking prick drone on about Ella being his new pet. Would somebody please tell me what hellhole I fell into?
I’m good keeping my rage in check until he refers to Savannah as part of a training exercise. My eyes instantly land on Ella. She’s as cool as a fucking cucumber, but the fury radiating from those peeps tells me she’s about to do something really stupid. I can’t let her. She means too much to Grayson.
When she causes a change in the position Beauty has on her, it’s the distraction needed to get her out of his clutches. Grayson moves to the right, as Beauty lifts the gun and takes aim. Without a second notion, I drop and roll out of his direct line of fire into the center of the doorway. I land low on my belly and aim for the hand pointed in the direction of Grayson. I fire, and the bullet connects, removing the gun from Beauty’s hand. Beauty shoves Ella away and screams from the impact of the bullet as the gun falls to the ground and discharges, hitting Ella with the stray bullet.
She joins Savannah on the cold ground, slumped over and unmoving.
Beauty sits on the floor, holding his wounded hand close to his body. I watch as he grabs a pistol from his boot. He quickly lifts and fires, missing Grayson by an inch. Stupid motherfucker. I fire without thought, taking out his knee cap. Nothing but net. A loud yelp fills the air. Poor baby. Can’t take it, don’t dish it.
A smile forms on my lips as I watch him collapse and Grayson attacks, shackling the asshole tightly with handcuffs on his bleeding hand.
“You can’t stop us. We’re everywhere. You can’t even be sure that I’m the only sleeper amongst you, can you?” he rasps as pain begins to register in his psychotic brain.
Johnny helps me anchor Beauty to the lone chair, ensuring he will not leave this place until we’re ready.
Jacobs rushes through the door into the dimly-lit room, searching out the wounded. He reaches Ella first and begins to staunch the bleeding in her gunshot wound.
I rush toward Savannah, shucking my tee off as I go. She’s naked and shivering, probably in shock. As I reach down for her, I notice the deep abrasions peppered over her chest all the way down to the junction of her thighs. She looks like a wild cat attacked, clawing away the top layer of her skin. The cuts aren’t deep enough to kill immediately but hurt like hell. The pain is annoying but doable. It’s her labored breathing that bothers me. The massive bruises on her torso and back. Direct hits to her kidneys. They’ve been battered and bruised. I gently cover her, and her face contorts in fear. Even unconscious she’s battling to win.
“Hey, blondie. I’m here.”
“Pete…”
“Yeah, Savannah. I’m here.”
She tries to whisper something, but pain makes her cringe, silencing her attempt.
“Shhh, baby. Everything’s gonna be okay. We can talk later once you start feeling better. Even your wild horses couldn’t drag me away. You got me? You know who I am, and I won’t let you slide through my hands without a fight. Stick with me till Doc can check you out. Please.”
I ramble on about inconsequential stuff until I feel a hand land on my shoulder. I look up and see Johnny through the watery mess I’m making.
“He’s got Ella patched up. Grayson’s with her now. We need to get them both to the transport. You’ve gotta make some room. Let Doc check her. Make sure she’s stabilized enough for us to load her up. She needs to be at the TMC stat.”
I adjust my protective stance and allow Jacobs to examine Savannah. She doesn’t make a sound when he jabs a needle into her arm to administer fluids and pain medication intravenously. Her face relaxes as the medicine flushes the pain away. I relax a little bit knowing she is able to rest.
“Not sure if her ribs are broken, Styx. She’s got internal damage, but there’s nothing I can do here except give her pain meds. Here.” He hands me a folded blanket. “Wrap her up and let’s get her to the Humvee.”
I gently cover Savannah, trying but failing not to cause her any additional suffering. Her body is a map of pain. I lift her into my arms and kiss her dirty forehead, holding her close to my chest. Jacobs hands the bag of fluids to Johnny. This precious sassy-mouthed woman owns me. I place her in the transport, and when feelings of remorse grip me, my throat constricts. The idea of her out of my line of vision causes physical pain. I don’t want to leave her. The overwhelming need to watch over and protect consumes me.
“C’mon, Styx. Let Doc do his job while we do ours. We’ve got work and somebody waiting on us,” he mentions, pointing in the direction of the abandoned warehouse.
“True fact.”
I kiss Savannah’s limp hand and whisper softly in her ear, “I’ll be with you soon, blondie.”
We make our way into the building. My pace picks up as we close the distance to Beauty. I want him to hurt for what he’s done to Savannah. I ball my fists in anger. The insurmountable betrayal and treachery to my team and country cuts deep. He will suffer. I come to a stop halfway between a wall of crates when Johnny turns around.
“You good? You’re growling.”
“Jesus, man. I need accountability. A pound of flesh for every fucking mark on her body.”
“Little blood thirsty?”
“You got no idea. I’m gonna make him wish he were dead before he actually meets the Almighty.”
“Can’t say I blame you. We’ve got some unfinished business to attend to.” Johnny slaps me on the shoulder, pushing me forward.
We walk in to find Ella in Grayson’s arms. “I’ll be back in a few. Don’t take your eyes off that motherfucker,” he commands. The look he gives us is promising retribution.
When he returns, it’s playtime. I crack my knuckles in anticipation. The smirk plastered across Beauty’s face has me seeing red, but I have to wait when Johnny steps forward and slams his fist square into his nose. We all hear the horrible crack reverberate against the walls. Grayson signals with a chin up in my direction.
My turn. I release the flood gates of hell on him. Every ounce of anger, betrayal, and regret I’ve submerged and buried the last few days connects with the first punch that lands a direct hit on his solar plexus, rendering him breathless.
I continue, purging the demons inside with each connected strike. This is for my woman. Pow. The pain and suffering she was given at your hands. Thump. His low moans of discomfort tickle my ears. I throw a one-two jab across his broken jaw like I’m in the gym boxing, and blood spews to the floor where Savannah’s puddle is. I’m relentless. The ambush. Punch. Grayson being shot. Slam. I could have lost my brothers. Strike. The sound of bones fracturing saturates the air.
My fists are bloody and I’m breathing heavy. I don’t want to stop. I grab his hair and yank him backwards.
“You deserve more, you low-life son of a bitch,” I sneer and slam the weightless head forward.
Beauty’s head hangs from the punishment when Grayson approaches.
“Now who’s winning, motherfucker? Where’s Mustafa’s headquarters?” he demands.
“I’ll never tell you,” Beauty promises.
“You will by the time we’re finished,” I guarantee.
Several hours later, the intel we needed to finish our mission is complete, and we are ready to get back to the base and the women. Doc has been updating us on and off, but I need to see with my own eyes how Savannah is doing.
“Styx,” Grayson orders, “set the charges.”
“With pleasure, Captain sir.” I salute, pivot, and exit the dreary prison confines.
Blowing shit up will be the second-best thing that’s happened today.
I hand over the detonator to Grayson and patiently wait for the boom.
Life’s good. I’m on the way to hold my woman.