Page 34 of K-9 Justice

Granger didn’t seem to have an answer to that.

A chain-link fence materialized as they drew closer to the massive man-made crater protecting the cartel’s hideout. It was a forty-five-degree angle down, but Ivy had prepared for this. “Hold on to something.”

She pressed the accelerator as Granger grabbed for the dash. They closed the distance between them and the flimsy barrier and blew straight through it. Sparks lit up as metal met metal, but the fence had never stood a chance against her vehicle.

The SUV instantly dipped over the edge and down into the bowl. Gravity lost its hold on Ivy’s stomach as they plummeted toward the basin. Four vehicles followed behind, all catching air as they launched over the rim and down. Her team had chosen to follow her into the depths of hell, and she would never forget it.

Ivy twisted the wheel as the SUV hit flat earth and got out of the way of the convoy behind. Within seconds of touchdown, bodies started appearing through the wide field of cars preventing them from driving straight to the front door.

Another round of bullets bounced off the vehicle.

Granger shoved the magazine into his weapon as he fought to stay upright from the wicked turns she was forced to make. “Head for the garage. It’s the easiest way in.”

She forced the SUV into a skid in order to get as close as possible to the entry point. All four vehicles behind her did the same, setting up a semicircle of protection.

The radio lit up. “Get inside. Alpine Valley PD will cover you. We got this.” Chief Halsey’s insistence told her he was all too happy to pick off as many cartel soldiers as he could.

Ivy responded. “Copy that. Try not to get shot.”

“Can’t promise anything, but I’ll keep it in mind.” Halsey’s patrol cruiser lit up, his voice registering over the PA. “This is Alpine Valley police. Put your weapons down and your hands on your heads. No? Okay, then.”

Return fire thumped through the windows.

Ivy and Granger took advantage. She unholstered her weapon, using only her free index finger to go for the latch, and kicked the door open. The driver’s-side door protected her from the spray of gunfire. She couldn’t advance until the bullets stopped. She couldn’t get to Carson and Max.

A length of silence punctured through her raised senses. She nodded at Granger over the hood of the SUV. “Go.”

Ivy pumped her legs as fast as they would go. The stitches in her side screamed and stretched, threatening to tear from the effort, but she wouldn’t stop. Not until she found her partner. They made it to the overhang of the garage and ran straight into shadow. It took a few seconds for her vision to adjust, but she refused to slow down.

“This way.” Granger took the lead as Jones, Scarlett and Cash brought up the rear with their K-9s in tow. All free of bullet holes.

“I was really hoping I would never have to come back here,” Jones said.

Cash moved to Ivy’s left side. As though they’d each taken position as her personal bodyguard. “Imagine how I feel. I blew this place to hell and back with C-4, and it’s somehow still standing.”

“Did you use the right amount? You’ve got to get the measurements right or it does no good at all. I’ve told you thata dozen times.” Scarlett was a little too buoyant for someone who’d just sent a cartel soldier flying through the air.

“Quiet.” Granger pulled up short at the single entry into the building. He raised a hand, beckoning them forward.

Scarlett’s twin Dobermans rushed through the door, and the other K-9s fought to catch up.

The team moved as one into the darkened corridor, and a dampness she didn’t want to think about slipped beneath her blazer. “This place is worse than you guys wrote in your reports.”

“You have no idea.” Jones switched the flashlight mounted to his pistol on. “I got something over here. Oh, hell.”

“What is it?” It took Ivy a second to get a visual as all four of her operatives crowded around some kind of mass in the middle of the floor. The K-9s were whining, shifting on their feet and circling. She saw the fur first. Then the watery black eyes staring up at her. Unblinking. Her stomach flipped as she lunged to put pressure on the German shepherd’s blood-matted fur. “Get Chief Halsey in here! Now!”

* * *

So this waswhat dying felt like.

Carson’s head skimmed the cement underneath him. Above him? He couldn’t think straight. Whatever direction, there was no getting out of the mess he’d put himself in. Strung up by his ankles. Surrounded by armed gunmen willing to pull the trigger with a single word. Nope. He wasn’t going anywhere. Not without a miracle, and he didn’t see Ivy and her team showing him any kind of grace when they burned this place to the ground.

Blood coated the inside of his mouth. He’d lost one of his back molars during the many fists to his face. Turned out Sebastian had been hiding more than his true identity all this time. An aging old man, he was not. No. There was a contained strength hidden within the cartel recruiter’s bones. Something Carson had never imagined.

And, damn it, he hurt. Everywhere. He spit the next rush of blood to clear his mouth. “Bet it feels good to finally be yourself, Sebastian. Hunting and killing those women must’ve been too easy.”

Except the son of a bitch hadn’t gone easy on Ivy. He’d done this to her. Tortured her, humiliated her, nearly killed her. Would have if she hadn’t bested Sebastian with her training and will to live.

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