Page 32 of Brutal Collateral

“I thought it was funny.” Altas grabs my hand like I’m a child. “Let’s go wait in the limo and arm wrestle.”

“Clearly, you have no plans to masturbate tonight.”

CHAPTER NINE

Griffin – May

“Keller is preparingto leave Morningside,” Connor says, sticking his big head into the office of my new townhouse.

I drop a wad of legal documents Kai Powers dropped off yesterday on my desk. “How do you know?”

Shane comes in next and slams down still photographs from drone footage he’s been collecting. “They’re packing shit into an unmarked box truck parked outside.”

“Defineshit?” I grab the prints.

“Suitcases and black, tattered duffels,” Shane answers.

“Do your night feeds show anyone transferring a body bag, or someone digging a hole in the yard?” I ask.

“No,” Shane says, dread soaking his tone, making us face what we’ve all feared. “It’s been five months since anyone has seen Ava.”

This past month has flown by, and I’ve been short my enforcer who I needed to plan this raid. Trace got himself in a mess back in Waterford. We even had to fly there to rescue him.

Now this...

My stomach twists, regretting that we didn’t just storm that damn building sooner. But we’re not first-timers. Six guards meant planning. And we ran out of time.

But we’re here. I have to act, today. Before Keller slips away. I have to know once and for all if Ava is alive. Then plan the next steps with Ares either way.

“We take down Brandon today. Torture him until he tells us where Ava is.” I look at our ammo inventory, which Shane now keeps on a secure website with a firewall that not even a SEAL can climb.

Flashes of Hadleigh hit me again. I’ve been thinking about her so much lately, but I don’t understand why. My immediate thought is that I’m being forced to marry a spoiled princess and I’d rather have that feisty brat, Hadleigh.

Even after what she did to me.

Okay, I want to punish her for what she did to me, but in a way that will get us both off.

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