Page 68 of Unchained

Keeping behind trees, he moved deeper into the woods with the gun aimed in front of him. The scent of pine and rotting vegetation reached his nostrils. He glanced back. Nash was close on his heels, and Cole and Dare were farther behind.

“There,” hissed Nash.

Brooks looked in the direction he was pointing and spotted a khaki-colored tent nestled in the woods.

“Found her!” a voice boomed from the foliage near the tent. “The stupid bitch slit Damon’s throat.” A dude in a dark-blue uniform was talking to a man in a white lab coat—Leonetti.

Hate rushed through Brooks’s system, followed by relief. Cam was alive. She’d fought back, and damn if admiration didn’t flare up inside him. He moved his hand to the trigger. One shot. That’s all it’d take to end Leonetti. Movement on the guard’s shoulder caught Brooks’s attention.

He turned to stone.

Cam was draped over the man, kicking her feet. Shit. She’d run, and they’d caught her. Leonetti had hated it when Brooks escaped. The worst of his experiments and punishments came after Brooks had defied him. He moved his finger away from the trigger. If he missed, he’d hit Cam. The guard disappeared into the tent, and Leonetti followed.

Brooks straightened. “I’m going in.”

“What? No—”

“I have to. Leonetti is expecting me, and he’s going to punish Cam for running. I won’t surrender until she’s free.” He gripped Nash’s shoulder and locked his gaze with his brother-in-law. “I’ll send Cam in this direction. Stay hidden, and whatever you do, get her out safely.”

Nash’s gaze darkened. He ground his jaw back and forth but nodded.

Brooks turned away then stopped in his tracks. His chest ached. For nearly a year, he’d mourned the loss of the family he hadn’t remembered. His reunion with Lexi had given him back a piece of his life he’d desperately needed. But as much as he loved his sister, he couldn’t leave Cam for dead—or worse. “Tell Lexi I love her and I’m sorry,” he said, without turning around. He stalked through the forest. When he was far enough away from Nash, he raised his hands in the air, gun and all. “I’m right here, Doc!”

Four armed guards turned his way. The tent door opened and Leonetti stood in the doorway. “You’re a little late.”

Brooks’s hackles rose. He knew Leonetti all too well. He’d be pissed that Cam had made a fool of him. The tightness around his mouth and the red tint to his eyes told Brooks the doctor was ready to release his wrath on Cam.

“Let her go.” The gun sitting in his palm called to Brooks to shoot. Putting a bullet between Leonetti’s eyes would give him as much satisfaction as killing Conrad had.

Leonetti smiled, and the slice of his mouth gripped Brooks’s mind in torturous memories. He fought them off. He couldn’t get consumed by fear. He was bigger than the man they’d contained in a cell with restraints. He’d never go back there. He’d die fighting right here.

“Better late than never. Come inside,” Leonetti said, sweeping the curtain aside. “I’m sure Camryn will be happy to see you.” His over-the-top pleasantries curled Brooks’s lip.

Brooks lowered his hands and walked across the cleared forest floor.

“Take his gun and check for more.” Leonetti nodded at the guards.

One with a military-style buzz cut stepped forward and motioned for Brooks to hand over the weapon. Anger whizzed through him, but he couldn’t fight with Cam in the crosshairs. He passed his gun over. The guard placed it on a nearby table then patted down Brooks’s arms, waist, and ankles.

Leonetti eyed the weapon. “Sorry to ruin your plans,” he said with a chuckle.

Brooks stepped forward. “No worries. I won’t need a gun for what I have planned for you.”

Leonetti let out a sharp laugh. “You’ve got your sense of humor back. I almost missed that. You had so much spunk when you first came to me—before I broke you.”

Brooks’s skin heated as he faced the doctor who had haunted his reality for far too long. “You didn’t break me. You taught me.” He tore his face away from Leonetti before he ended up snapping the asshole in two.

Hold your shit together until Cam’s safe.

“Brooks!” Cam’s sob ripped through him.

His gaze landed on the metal table in the center of the room. All the blood left his head. Cam lay flat on the table, her arms and legs strapped down. He broke into a run. A guard moved in front of him, stopping his advance.

Brooks bunched his shoulders. “Get the fuck out of my way.”

“Ah, always so eager.” Leonetti tsk-tsked as he strode around Brooks and the guard. He stopped next to Cam.

Blinding fear settled over Brooks like a weighted blanket. He charged forward again, shoving the guard out of the way, and eliminated the distance between the table and him.

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