Page 103 of Iron Willed Warrior

“You realize we haven’t slept in about forty hours?” she asked.

“Well, I figured we would stop at a convenience store or something on the way. Grab an energy drink.”

I loved seeing that smile break over her face. Like the sun was rising ahead of schedule.

“Where should I sit?” Josiah asked. He didn’t seem thrilled at the idea of riding in the back with Westwick.

“If you’re good, you can sit shotgun later.” I would take the next shift driving, and that would give Brynn a chance to take a nap in the back. Assuming we switched vehicles for something with a trunk to stuff Westwick inside. That was a priority, since most people would frown on us carrying a man tied up and gagged on the floor of our backseat.

I put a hand on Josiah’s shoulder before he got in. “But first, do you know how to open the exit?” The chain-link gate was still closed, and Manning’s SUV blocked the entrance.

Josiah sighed. “Yeah, I can do that.” He jogged over to the gatehouse.

Brynn stood by the driver’s side door. I touched her cheek. Just marveling for another few seconds at how beautiful and strong she was. “We’re gonna talk later,” I said. “You can tell me anything.”

Tension rippled over her features, and she held onto my shirt by the collar. “Cole…”

“I’m going to take care of you.”

Her dark eyes lifted. Too much uncertainty and sorrow. Yet she was willing to show it to me, when otherwise she’d been every bit the badass since I’d walked out of that elevator.

“Hey, Cameron?” Josiah called out. “It’s not working. Something is stuck.”

“On my way,” I called out. I brushed my thumb over Brynn’s cheek. “I’ll be right back. Pull the truck around? We’ll jump in once we’ve got the gate open.”

Nodding, she got into the driver’s seat and started the engine.

I crossed the blacktop. Josiah was inside the gatehouse, hand on the guards’ touchscreen. But he stood stiffly. Not pushing buttons. Not even looking at me.

Then I realized he’d called me Cameron. How did he know that name? Had Brynn called me that? Or…

I slowed my approach, lifting the carbine in my arms. At the same moment, Josiah’s head turned, panic in his eyes.

Dammit, no.

I pivoted and ran in a crouch as a shot rang out.

“Clay!” Ryker shouted. “Give me Westwick, or none of you leaves here alive!”

I checked the magazine on my rifle, switching it out for another. “Not happening.”

Another shot, and Ryker shoved Josiah out of the gatehouse. The IT guy sprawled on the blacktop, his head just visible from where I was crouched.Dead.

An engine revved. I glanced over to see Brynn driving the truck. A gun muzzle appeared through her open window. Shots slammed into the gatehouse, and glass rained onto theground. Shit, she was trying to save me. This woman had a bad habit of doing that.

I used her cover fire to charge and collided with Ryker as he fled from the gatehouse. He was bent over at the waist, so I grabbed onto his back and brought up my right knee, smashing it into his face. His nose crunched. His arms closed around my waist, and we both went down. It was close combat now, a flurry of brutal punches and kicks, not enough space between for either of us to aim our bulky guns. Ryker tried to slam his boot heel against the socket of my prosthesis. Clenching my jaw hard, I closed my hands around his throat. Squeezed.

He managed to get hold of his tactical knife. The blade winked as he struggled to drive it into me, but I kept his arm pinned with my elbow and kept squeezing, squeezing. His other fist pummeled my side viciously, but I didn’t let up.

This was for Luciana and her daughter. For Petra, the innocent nanny Westwick and Ryker had terrorized. For everyone Ryker had hurt.

For Brynn.

I bellowed out my fury. Something gave way beneath my hands. Ryker stopped fighting me.

Brynn was shouting my name. I pushed myself up, grabbed my gun, and limped to the open window of the truck. “The gate,” I croaked. “We need to get it open.”

Any controls inside the gatehouse were busted and covered in broken glass. But there had to be some kind of manual release. Brynn got out of the truck, leaving it idling as we went to the fence together. We managed to find the release and dragged the gate open.

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