Page 94 of Shattered Secrets

“No shit?” The Night Stalkers were the best of the best. The specifics of what they did were classified, but it was safe to say that the country’s elite special ops groups worked hand in hand with them. “I appreciate this, Owen.”

“New guy or not, we take care of our own, Alvarez.”

“We have clearance to land at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island,” Gavin said. “Unless we hear from Bean in the next few minutes, we’ll wait there. Once we get the intel, we’ll move.”

Everyone confirmed, and Matt settled in for the short flight. The terror he’d felt when he’d first learned Scarlet was missing lingered in the back of his mind. But his years as a detective had taught him that he needed to lock that shit down. If not for himself, then for his teammates.

He glanced at the men and women around him—all dressed in matching black tactical gear and armed with both lethal and non-lethal weapons—and a sense of calm settled over him. This team, no doubt, was also the best of the best. He trusted them to do their jobs and not let their emotions get in the way. Just like they trusted him to do the same.

They would rescue Scarlet. And then he was never letting her out of his damn sight.

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

Blinking her eyes open, Scarlet winced. Her head pounded with each beat of her racing heart. Miniscule movements made her realize that her legs were strapped to a chair and her arms were tied behind her back. With what? No clue.

Leaving her head bent to the side, she tried to appear unconscious. Her mouth was dry as a desert, and every muscle in her body throbbed. She had no idea how long she’d been out.

Voices—too many to count—came from the other side of the room. Hopefully, no one was paying attention to her.

Peeking down at her lap, a tiny seed of hope bloomed. She was still wearing her apron. And it looked as though it still held the extra notepads she always kept tucked in there. If so, maybe her phone had stayed inside, too. God, she hoped so.

“Where’s the fucking kid?” a deep voice boomed.

She flinched, then scolded herself for the mistake.

“Kid’s under lock and key, Psycho. If she’s not with the fucking bodyguard, she’s with the fucking boyfriend. There’s no way to get to her.”

“Bullshit!”

A loud crash startled Scarlet, and in her peripheral vision, she saw a pair of scuffed black motorcycle boots stomping her way.

“What the fuck, dumbass? You know chloroform doesn’t work like it does in the fucking movies! You need to keep that shitconstantlyover her fucking face!”

The boots rushed out of her vision, and the sound of a fist hitting flesh had her heart tripping. Then the boots were back. Right beside her.

“I know you’re fucking awake, Sienna.”

The jig was up. She raised her head and met the bright-blue gaze of a very angry man. She didn’t recognize him, but judging from the familiar color of his eyes, he was related to Steele. And to Daisy.

The only other person she recognized was Knuckles. And wasn’t that all sorts of fucked up. But she took some satisfaction in seeing his lip was split and bleeding. There were two younger guys who looked close to her age, and then the “couple” from the diner. She scanned the younger guys’ faces again and confirmed that neither was the scary-ass Cutter guy. She hoped that was a good thing.

“You need to get the kid here.”

She glared at the blue-eyed man. “No.”

He tsked and shook his head. “Daisy ismyblood, Sienna.”

Scarlet hated him. She had no clue who he was, but she hated him. “She’smydaughter. She’sSteele’sdaughter. Not yours.”

Actually, Daisy wasMatt’sdaughter, but Scarlet would play along with these assholes. She’d do anything she needed to stay alive and return to her family.

“I’m not going to hurt her, Sienna. She’s my niece. Hell, she’s going to be the fucking princess of the new Reaper’s.I’mher next of kin, and Daisy needs to be with her people. Where she fucking belongs.”

Over my dead body.“Fuck you.”

He tilted his head to the side, then smashed his fist into her face. Fire consumed her cheek; blood pooled in her mouth. But she didn’t recoil or cry out. She refused to give him the satisfaction.

He extended his phone to her. “You’re calling the day care, and you’re gonna tell those fuckers that your brother is going to pick up the kid for a surprise trip. Then Cutter will bring Daisy to us.” He showed her his phone’s display with the number of Rebecca’s day care queued up. “Do it. Now.”

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