Page 76 of The Broker

It had been ages since he killed a man, but the end result still felt the same. A rush of adrenaline followed by a crash of remorse. He was someone’s son, perhaps someone’s father.Because of Jared, this man would not be returning home tonight.

Yes, this man was a monster and didn’t deserve to live, but that didn’t mean that Jared shouldn’t still feel guilty, knowing that he was the one who ended the man’s life.

With that thought in mind, Jared walked over to the bed closest to him and stared down at the terrified young woman. Her hair was damp and clung to the side of her face. She shivered as she looked up at him with big brown eyes.

“Don’t be afraid. We’re here to rescue you,” Jared said, his voice cracking as he tried to swallow down the emotions he was feeling. These poor women would never be the same. “These men will untie you.”

Jared motioned over his shoulder for thedeath squadto begin freeing the women.

Shots rang out down the hallway.

It appeared that their presence had finally been detected.

Shouts, screams, bangs.

The world around them erupted in chaos.

“Isaac…” Jared whispered. His need to find Isaac skyrocketed. Things were getting heated now.

Tightening his grip on his weapon, he charged out of the room and ran toward the sound of gunfire and death.

There was only one thing on his mind.

Isaac.

27

ISAAC

The sound of gunfire and shouts filled the hallway outside Declan’s office. It began fifteen minutes ago and only seemed to be intensifying and getting closer as the minutes ticked by.

Isaac gripped the ropes that bound his wrists to the pipe in his brother’s office. Fear and uncertainty gripped Isaac by the throat.

Was the murderous rampage approaching him Jared on his way to rescue him? Or was it a rival gang here to take out Declan and eliminate the competition?

Isaac had seen such gang-style executions on the news over the years. Usually, they were rival gangs in Columbia, Mexico, or even the Middle East who wiped out an entire criminal organization so that they could take over their turf and become the next big crime lords in the area.

If it were a gang-style execution, he wouldn’t survive it. Gang members never left witnesses or people alive who could identify the killers or explain what happened. No, if these were murderous rivals, he only had minutes to live.

His thoughts drifted to Jared. Why had he wasted so much time teasing and playing around with him—annoying the fuck out of him whenever he got the chance?

He should have been honest about his feelings right from the beginning. He loved Jared. Every big, stubborn, obnoxious, and sweet pound of him.

Now, as death approached his door, he realized that he might never get another chance to see Jared’s smiling face or confess to him just how much he loved waking up next to him and kissing his stupid face.

So much time wasted. And why? Because he was too afraid to admit to himself what he was truly feeling inside.

A lifetime of disappointment and endless amounts of betrayal had caused Isaac to build walls so thick that they blocked any chance of letting love in. Because what was love? Just another opportunity to be betrayed or disappointed.

It was because of those walls that Isaac chose to dance around love instead of facing it head-on.

Now, here he was, reminded of the wasted life that he could have had if he had been brave enough to knock down those walls and let the sun shine in.

Another shot rang out, followed by a wretched gurgle and a thud.

Why was death always so horrible?

The final moments of one’s life should be filled with peace and calm, not cries of pain or gasps for breath.

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