Page 19 of Vision of Truth

As he picked up the phone to dial Gus, he could hear Julie singing softly to Sabrina. He couldn’t lose her. He needed to get a lock on his emotions before he did something stupid and got them all killed. His hands were already trembling at the thought of Julie being taken from him as he lifted the receiver and dialed home.

“Gus, we have a situation. Rowan’s property is surrounded. I’m gonna give you the location. We should have hostages for Easton to take within the hour. If something happens get Julie and Sabrina out, there’s a safe room hidden within another room at the end of the hall to the left.” He rattled off the coordinates, trying to keep his breath steady. This wasn’t some mission. This was Julie and an innocent child that had been caught up in a fucked up situation. He hung up the phone, immediately diverting his attention back to the situation.

Isaac crossed the room doing his best to project calm—even though an unexpected sense of dread pooled in his gut. Rowan had been his teammate on countless missions. He knew what they were capable of. Knew they could neutralize the group of men trying to breach the safehouse with ease, and yet, his gut was screaming at him that something wasn’t right.

“What are you thinking?” Rowan picked up on his unease before Isaac voiced his concerns.

“Something feels off.”

His teammate looked toward the couch. “Let’s split up. I’ve got this.”

“No.” Jules stood from the couch and crossed the room. “I’ll take care of Sabrina. You need to work as a team. There are too many of them out there.”

If only he could tell her she was wrong. That tactically it wouldn’t matter if one or both went, but he couldn’t. Julie was right. If they were going to have a shot at neutralizing the situation and taking some of the intruders alive, it was going to take more than one of them, no matter how skilled. Light pressure on his side made him glance down. Sabrina has silently tip-toed across the floor and was staring up at him with wide green eyes. He leaned down and lifted her up. The slight weight of holding a child in his arms gave his heart a pang. He’d guard Sabrina with his life whether Vesey was alive or dead. “Everything’s gonna be okay,” he said in a soft voice. “But I need you to do exactly what Julie says.”

She gave a serious nod, small chin set. “Julie says.”

“Good, sweetheart. That’s good.” He lowered Sabrina to the ground and cupped the back of Julie’s neck, bringing her forehead to his. “We’re going to surround them from behind. Promise me you’ll stay in the safe room no matter what.”

Julie nodded, then rocked up onto the balls of her feet and gave him a brief kiss. “Go. We’ll be fine.”

“So brave,” he murmured the words in her ear, dragged in her light, flowery scent. Hoped like hell it wouldn’t be the last time he held all her beauty and light in his hands. He released her, lead anchoring in his gut. Ignoring his instincts was something he rarely, if ever, did. Of course his emotions were insisting on staying by Julie’s side while his more rational mind demanded the opposite. To do what was best to ensure survival.

Julie squared her shoulders and Isaac’s throat went tight. Instead of crying or getting hysterical, his Julie put on a brave face. She was incredible, and he didn’t know how he held out from her for so long. Rowan was opening the cabinet that housed weapons and gear. He wasted no time slipping his arms through a bullet proof tactical vest and securing as many weapons as he could to his body. Isaac moved across the room and kissed Julie hard and gave Sabrina a hug and some reassuring words. A crack splintered through the air, and Isaac and Rowan exchanged a glance. They had to get going. Now. Rowan made fast work of unlocking the second door within the room. This one led to the tunnel, which was an alternate escape route. The space was large enough to stand if they hunched over. They jogged single file down the concrete hall. With every step, the pressure in his chest intensified. He couldn’t shake the sense that this was the wrong move. If he was going to keep them safe, he had to focus and lock down his emotions. Hope like hell he hadn’t just made the biggest mistake of his life leaving Julie and Sabrina alone.

Chapter Fourteen

The heavy silence ate at Julie’s sanity. Forty-five minutes had passed since Isaac and Rowan left the safe house. Twenty minutes after that, the power went out. She could no longer monitor the men on the security cameras. She ran her fingers over the cold metal butt of the pistol she’d holstered to her side before they’d been plunged into sudden blackness. There was a knife strapped to her ankle. The weapons made her uneasy, but they served a purpose. Her brothers made sure she had self-defense training and knew her way around a firearm. The last bullet proof vest swamped Sabrina’s small form. The girl had retreated into herself, slowly rocking back and forth, occasionally clapping her hands.

She drew in a breath and held it, sure she’d heard a muffled sound from the tunnel Rowan and Isaac had left from. There it was again. A distant thump of boots. She stood and crossed the room, pressing her ear to the door. The sound amplified as the steps got closer. More than one person was out there. It very well could be Isaac and Rowan, and she desperately wanted to let her body sag with relief. Until her father had stabbed her mother then turned the knife on her, Julie had been a far too trusting child. In many ways, she still was. Tried to find the best in people. She also was warier, though. More cautious. She moved back from the door when the footsteps abruptly stopped. There was a voice. One that definitely wasn’t one of the men she was waiting for. Her chest tightened and she made a dash to the couch, ready to scoop Sabrina up and run. If the intruders had located the tunnel, she didn’t want to think about what that meant. Couldn’t. Isaac and Rowan had to be okay. There was a deafening whoosh, and heat blanketed her back, throwing her forward. She slammed into the floor and bursts of light crackled her vision. Something landed on top of her, smacking into the back of her head.

****

Julie fought in and out of consciousness. Battling back the gray nothing that filled her mind. There was something important she should be doing. Vital. If only she could remember what that thing was. Every so often, she could make out the bitter slash of heated words. She tried to pry open her eyes, move her fingers, anything, but her body was heavy and tight, like she was bound from head to toe. Even though she couldn’t move her appendages, there was movement around her. The occasional jostle or shake. Maybe they were in a car, or being carried.

“The woman’s waking.” The thick Boston accent seemed familiar somehow.

“You’re paranoid. We gave her enough to sedate a fucking giraffe.” This voice was deep, hoarse, cold.

“Well, all I know is the kid looks like a corpse and the woman’s restless.”

Sabrina. Panic shot through her. Without thinking about the consequences she tried to sit up, but her body just jerked.

“Holy shit. Did you see that?” Boston accent shouted. “The woman just picked up her head. Did you see—”

“Jesus, Briggs. If it’ll shut you the hell up give her another dose, but if she dies, don’t expect me to take the fall. The boss wants her alive,” the other man rasped.

Briggs. Now she had a name to go along with one man. She was sure he’d been the one who’d escaped the Vesey estate with Sabrina’s father in his trunk. Something stung the side of her neck. No, that wasn’t right. Not a bug bite, but more of whatever tranquilizer they’d originally given her. Next time she woke up, she’d handle the situation differently. Try to stay still and get a feel for where she was and who she was with. Sabrina’s life depended on her ability to make smart choices. Already fog was thickening around her mind, pulling her away. Sinking her deeper.

Pressure against her stomach brought her back to consciousness the second time. She tried to steal a glance at her surroundings, peering through lids that would barely open. Blinding pain had her shutting them again. She took a few shallow breaths, fighting the bile that burned up her throat. Once the pain dulled, she tried again, braced for the sensation. She was prepared this time. Ornate stone pavers. A scuffed black boot. That’s all she could make out before she had to shut her eyes. The pain in her head was too intense. Someone was carrying her over their shoulder like a bag of trash.

“Where does the boss want them?”

This time she recognized the voice immediately. The man named Briggs.

“Cellar.” The man with the hoarse voice was in front of them.

“Even the kid?”

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