Page 74 of The Broker

“We’re here,” Elijah announced, holding up his arm at a ninety-degree angle and staring up at the circular concrete barrier above them.

According to floor plans, this was supposed to open up to a men’s locker room once Ares’s team breached the surface. The challenge was to break through the barrier without making noise and alerting the bad men two floors above.

This intel was also six years old, and they were all hoping that the previous owners didn’t make changes to the structure and not report it to the city.

Elijah stepped aside as two men holding blow torches stepped in front and began working on the latches. The rest of Ares’s crew began lowering their masks, loading their weapons, and preparing to breach the facility.

Jared’s pulse raced. The adrenaline shooting through his veins in anticipation of the fight they were about to step into was intoxicating. He could feel his muscles bulging as fresh blood woke every muscle, every organ, making sure that everything was ready for battle.

They were about to rain hellfire down on Isaac’s brother and his crew.

Fire from the torches crackled as the flames danced on the surface of the water around them. No one made a sound or dared move a muscle as the two men worked quickly to melt away the metal bars holding the sealed cover in place.

Darkness returned to the tunnel as the two men passed their torches to their comrades. They lifted their crowbars, then used them to pop what remained of the seal out of place.

Once that was completed, one of the fire-wielders lifted himself slowly into the opening and carefully looked around. It was only after he was confident that the area was clear that he pulled the rest of his body through the hole and disappeared into the darkness above.

Within two minutes, the entire crew had climbed through the tiny entrance, then made their way silently through the small broken-down shower area that once removed the dirt off sweaty,honest, hardworking men. Those days were long gone, and so was the innocence that once roamed the hallways of this facility.

Now, this place was a den of fear.

A factory of horror.

Cruel men did unspeakable things to women before taking away the innocence of a child’s past. No child should ever learn of the atrocities committed that led to their conception.

This place was where nightmares were made.

Elijah led his team down a long hallway, assault rifle poised and ready to fire. Three other trained mercenaries followed closely, checking every dark corner for danger as they passed.

Behind them, Diesel followed, then Jared, Matteo, and Ares, with five other mercenaries pulling up the back.

Jared gripped his assault rifle, holding it firmly in place as his muscle memory took over. He stared down the scope, waiting for something to move.

Holding this weapon was second nature. While it had been years since his callused hands held the sleek metal object—ready to inflict death on any unfortunate person who happened to cross their path—his muscles remembered everything. Every movement, every reaction, every…instinct.

Up ahead, Elijah stopped, raising his hand to warn the others.

They stood silently in the hallway, waiting for their commander to give them the “all clear.”

Just when Jared was about to ask why they had stopped, Elijah reached around the corner with lightning-fast reflexes and grabbed a guard by the neck. The guard flew over Elijah’s shoulder, then landed on his back with a horrible crunching sound.

Diesel, Chase, and Jared all groaned as Elijah placed the man’s body seated against the wall, with his neck dangling at an unnatural angle.

“Did he just snap that guy’s neck?” Diesel asked, leaning into Jared’s side.

“Yeah, looks like it,” Jared responded, stepping around the deceased man as he followed the rest of the group down the dark hallway.

One by one, Ares’s elite death squad took out each guard and bad guy they happened to catch roaming the halls. There was only one uncertain moment, when they encountered two guards at the same time, but Elijah and his comrade managed to snap the guys’ necks before they were able to reach for their guns.

Total badasses.

Movement caught Jared’s eye as they crossed along an intersecting hallway. A body ducked into a room before vanishing from sight.

“Got one,” Jared growled, taking off down the hallway and charging at a speed he had not run in ages.

His muscles moved on memory; his mind moved on thoughts. He feared that if he didn’t catch this man in time, the man might give away their position and ruin his chances of getting Isaac back alive and unharmed. His heart couldn’t allow that, so he ran like everything depended on it. Because it did.

“Jared, wait!” Matteo shouted, untrained and not realizing that his voice would carry. He took off running after Jared.

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