Page 142 of Maddox

The man appeared no different except for the crazy look in his eyes. He winced, turning his head slightly since I continued to direct the beam on his face.

Both Kage and Chuck had theirs directed on the man as well.

“You have no recourse, Misha. Your men are dead. There’s nowhere to go. The Feds are on their way. I suggest you give up your weapon.”

“Ah,” he chortled. “I’m more valuable to you alive. I know how the game is played, Maddox. Did you forget who my father is?”

“You mean the one who put a hit on you?”

He laughed. “Dear Daddy won’t know what hit him. I will destroy his entire world.”

I shrugged and continued to inch closer. “I couldn’t care less. I’m not the one who’ll end up spending the rest of my life behind prison bars for acts of treason.”

He laughed, his hold on Charmaine suddenly loosening. “Treason? I’m no longer wanted within the Navy. Don’t you remember? You helped get me kicked out.”

“You blew up an entire village full of people because of your carelessness.”

“Who said I was being careless?”

When he tossed out the admittance, I shook my head. “Then it’s only fair you spend the rest of your miserable life remembering the screams of the children.”

“You were always such a martyr, Maddox. What did they call you? Maddox the Enforcer. On one hand, you felt guilty for what happened during the last mission. But you weren’t to blame. Neither was Kage. Guess what?”

The motherfucker had been the one working with the insurgents. He’d sold out his own country even then.

“You fucking asshole,” Kage snarled. “You provided the tip for the failed mission. You led us into a trap.”

Misha snorted. “I was paid well for doing very little. The team did the rest.”

The bastard had been a hired mercenary even then.

“I did the right thing having you court-martialed.” Too little, too late.

“The two of you enjoyed killing more than the rest of the SEALs. I knew how gung-ho you were. I used that to my advantage.”

He’d allowed the most notorious war criminal we’d encountered to escape. Because of his treachery, decent men had lost their lives, others suffering injuries that would haunt them for the rest of their lives. In the process, he’d destroyed a friendship.

“Tit for tat.” I heard a single cracking sound off to my left. One wrong move and my sweet Charmaine would have a bullet lodged in her brain.

There was no need to know, nor did I care why he’d betrayed both his father and Alfaro. It simply didn’t mean shit to me. Only one thing did and I wouldn’t leave until I got what I wanted.

He shoved the barrel of his weapon against her temple as if reminding me he was in charge.

That was utter bullshit.

“I wish I could stay and enjoy the party, but we have a plane to catch. Thank you for the hospitality.” He lowered the weapon long enough to pull the jump drive from his pocket. “I have what I came for.”

Charmaine was as stubborn as they came, a woman determined not to allow anyone to take from her under any circumstances. As I’d expected, she took the opportunity to jam her elbow into his chest, drive her foot into his crotch and push off. As she lunged toward me, I jumped in front. No one was ever going to touch her again.

With my weapon concentrated on Misha’s head, I laughed. “Say goodnight.”

“Maddox,” Kage hissed. We’d agreed with the Feds that if the plan worked, the Raptor would remain alive.

Too bad I wasn’t the kind of man to follow rules.

Any rules.

Pop! Pop!

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