Page 77 of Exposed

A pool of dread opened in his stomach. God, please let her be there. Logically, they could have taken her somewhere else… she could be anywhere. He took a deep steadying breath. No. She was here. His nerve endings tingled, his senses picking up on her energy.

“Well, shit. What the hell are we waiting for?”

Ashley grabbed Dylan’s arm, stopping them both. “Maybe we should split up. Dylan, you and I can go in the front entrance, and Nate, why don’t you look for a way in through the back? We’ll surround them.”

Nate rubbed his palm over the back of his neck. This was taking too long. But damn, Ashley was right. It would serve them better to split up, especially if he could get Maddie out of harm’s way before shots went off.

“Do you have your earpiece?”

Nate closed his eyes and groaned. Shit. He’d been in such a damn hurry that he’d completely forgotten.

Ashley patted his arm. “Don’t worry. I have my phone.”

“All right, wait here.” He flicked his gaze to Dylan and back. “I’ll text you when I’m in position.”

“Okay,” she said, nodding. Dylan leaned back against the wall, and Ashley dragged her toe across the pavement.

It was on the tip of his tongue to tell them to pay attention, but he didn’t want to waste one more second. He jogged toward the back of the building, slowing when he reached the corner. He pressed his back against the shaded wall, and held his automatic poised in the air. An alley ran behind the building, sealing him off from the rest of downtown.

He inched his nose around the edge and scanned the alley behind the building. A white van sat close to the rear exit. Hopesurged through him. It had to be the same van that they’d used to grab her. She had to be here. Another car, a black BMW with a green rental sticker, filled one of the last two parking spots.

He lowered his weapon and moved toward the large steel door. The pewter knob burned his palm as he turned it. It didn’t move. Fuck! It was locked.

He resisted the urge to pound his fist in the door, and stepped back and took in the full exterior. There was a small balcony on the second story. A ladder hung nearby, but he wouldn’t be able to pull it down without hitting the van. Not that he gave a shit if he damaged the vehicle. He wouldn’t be able to reach the ladder from the hood of the car. But, if he climbed onto the roof of the van, that would put him directly below the balcony.

The building wasn’t that high. He’d be able to pull himself up and get in through the window. He tucked his gun in the waistband of his pants and rubbed his damp palms on the tops of his thighs. Sweat rolled down his spine as he stepped up on to the back bumper and hefted himself on the hood.

He climbed on top of the roof of the van and tilted his head back to survey the distance to the balcony. He reached his hands up, but still needed another foot. He bent his knees into a deep squat and leapt off the ground. His hands closed around the vertical balcony bars. The muscles in his hands screamed as he swung his feet up and positioned them on the rods.

He swung his legs over the railing and dropped onto the floor of the balcony. The old wrought iron creaked beneath his feet. He cupped his hands and pressed them to the glass. A black leather couch took up one wall, and a floor-to-ceiling stripper pole highlighted the center of the room. Black lights hung from the wall, illuminating every piece of white in the room to a vibrant purple.

The room was empty.

He pressed his hands to the glass and heaved it up. The old wood shook with each inch he raised it until there was enough clearance for him to climb through. He lowered his feet to the floor and the laminate creaked beneath his weight. The muscles in his shoulders tensed and he froze. Music bumped from the floor below, hopefully blocking out the telltale noise.

He widened his stride, balancing his weight on the balls of his feet. He pulled his gun out and moved his finger to the trigger.

He skirted around the stripper pole and the black light caught his crisp white T-shirt, making him stick out like a purple dinosaur. He paused at the doorway, his breath shallow and barely audible to his own ears. Voices carried from down the hall, but he’d have to get closer to make anything out over the hum of the party downstairs.

At the closed door, he pulled out his phone. Not having his earpiece was a really shitty deal. At least he had some form of communication. He moved his fingers swiftly across the screen.

I’m in.

He kept his phone in his free hand. As soon as he was closer and could get a vantage point, he’d let them know he was in position. He eased open the door, light from the hall streamed into the dark room, and he scanned the hall before pressing his back to the doorjamb. He kept his Glock drawn and pointed to the floor. A loud smack resounded through the air. He froze. Ice coated his skin and his breath stalled in his lungs. He’d heard that sound too many times to count in his life. Had been on both the receiving and delivering ends of it.

“Is that all you’ve got?” Maddie’s defiant, derisive voice cut through him. His teeth ground together and the muscles in his face grew hard. Dammit to hell and back, what was she thinking challenging them? Anger seared through his body. He’d wring her damn neck—

But she was alive…

Carlos’s deep, rumbling voice followed. “Enough. I want the last shot, and then you can kill her.”

Fear gripped his heart. He had to close in before it was too late. He kept his back flat to the doorjamb and peered around the corner. A short hallway led straight ahead, breaking off to the left where their voices drifted from. He crossed the distance in five wide strides.

His pulse drummed against his eye socket, threatening to blind him. He peered around the corner of the hallway and into the larger sitting area. Hector’s back took up most of his view, Carlos and another man stood beyond them. Through Hector’s wide stance, Maddie’s slim legs flashed at him. He bit a hole in the top of his tongue. The metallic taste of blood filled his mouth. His fingers itched to fire, but he couldn’t risk it.

“Don’t you want to hear what I did to Tony first?”

Nate’s shoulders eased down and he shook his head, the corner of his mouth tugged into a smile. Later, he’d give her props for quick thinking. He pulled out his phone and typed a message to Ashley.

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