Page 78 of Emmy's Ride

I was going to kill these bastards.

Jax’s voice cut through my rage. “We’re dark.”

The moment the cameras went down, my men and I moved. Like shadows, we advanced, swift and silent. Riot took point at the south tunnel, slipping behind one of the guards. A quickflick of his knife, a gurgled choke, and the body slumped to the ground.

I was already moving past him, my own target in sight. The second guard barely had time to register my presence before my knife buried deep into his throat. I caught the man before he hit the ground, easing him down into the dirt.

No alarms. No noise. Just death.

Tank signaled from the tree line. “We’re in.”

I gestured forward. “Go.”

The team filed into the tunnel, our boots silent on the concrete. It smelled of damp earth and rusted metal, but my focus was on the villa above us.

Where Emmy was.

We reached the tunnel’s exit—a locked steel door. Diesel pulled out his lockpicking set.

“Two minutes,” he whispered.

I wiped sweat from my brow. We didn’t have two minutes.

I stepped back and raised my silenced pistol. One shot to the lock. The mechanism blew apart, and I shoved the door open.

We moved fast.

The hallway beyond was dark, but we had a map of the layout. Riot led the way, his knowledge of the villa keeping us on track. We passed closed doors—storage rooms, servant quarters—but there was no time to clear them.

My only concern was her.

Jax’s voice came through the comms. “Security room is down. You’ve got five minutes before someone notices.”

That was all we needed. I reached the grand staircase and signaled to Riot. “Where is she?”

He hesitated. “Top floor. Last door on the left.”

I didn’t wait. I took the stairs two at a time, my gun raised, my vision red. Two guards stood outside Emmy’s door. They hadno time to react before I put two bullets in their skulls. Their bodies dropped. I kicked the door open, and what I saw...

Emmy was standing in the center of the room, naked and shivering. A camera opposite her was still active, the little red light blinking.

“Ah, finally, the knight arrives,” the disembodied voice announced, sounding almost pleased.

I didn’t think. I raised my gun and shot each camera.

Emmy gasped. Her wide, tear-filled eyes met mine. “Austin?”

Relief, rage, love—all of it crashed into me at once. I was going to burn this whole place down. But first I was getting Emmy the hell out of here.

I stormed into the room, my pulse roaring in my ears. Emmy stood frozen, her body naked, her arms trembling. I could see the terror in her eyes, the effect of everything she’d endured.

I reached for her. She flinched and my gut twisted.

“Baby, it’s me,” I said, my voice rough with barely contained rage.

Recognition flickered across her face, and then she was moving—throwing herself into my arms. I crushed her against me, my grip almost painful, but she clung to me just as desperately.

“You came,” she whispered, her voice shaking.

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