Page 52 of Kade

Angel stood and followed the housekeeper out of the office and upstairs to her room to await the night’s festivities.

All she could do was pray for the strength to get through it and hope it caused no harm to the baby.

She’d do whatever it took to keep Matthew safe.

No matter the cost.

Kade waited patiently while final plans were put into place. He was alert and calm. Conner had already disappeared with his bag of weapons. His job was to get in and get Matthew. It was a one-man job. Police breaking down the doors and storming the complex wouldn’t help his son. They might kill him just to spite Kade.

Dusk had fallen across the Keys, the sound of the ocean a distant echo. The salt from the air coated his tongue as he waited. He was still in his cold place, the place that would let him do horrible things with no regrets. It was the best place to be. Or he’d be losing his mind.

“Warrants have been signed.” Jeremy rolled to a stop beside him. “We are clear to go.”

“Then what are we waiting for?”

“SWAT.” Jeremy kicked at the dirt road. “The walls are concrete, and the gate is reinforced steel. We have to get up and over the wall to open the gate for everyone else. SWAT will do that.”

“I’ll do that.” Kade pulled on his Kevlar vest. “We are not waiting. SWAT is a good hour out. You and I both know it.”

“Where’s your crazy-ass brother?” Jeremy looked over the waiting crowd.

“Already inside. His only job is to get Matthew out.”

Jeremy sighed. “Your idea or his?”

“His.”

“Of course, it would be. Crazy-ass Marine.” Jeremy shook his head.

“It’s what he’s trained to do.” Kade checked his gun and made sure he had several extra clips.

“This feels like déjà vu.” Jeremy started checking his own weapons. “It was just a few months ago we were getting ready to storm the castle and save the girl.”

“And we’ll save the girl again today.” Kade holstered his gun. “Let’s get this show on the road.”

Instead of waiting for agreement, he started walking. They’d planned on sending the main force to the gate to serve the warrant, while a second, smaller group used ropes to scale the wall on the east side. It was just barely dark, so they could still see without flashlights to alert the occupants of the small army getting ready to scale the walls.

Dylan and Cole fell into step beside him. The happy-go-lucky demeanor had vanished in Cole. He was dressed in dark jeans and black long-sleeved t-shirt. He wore no Kevlar, but a vest with ammo strapped to it. He came prepared for war. He also came with the gang unit of MPD. They were used to raids. None of them had raided this property before, but they were better equipped than the state police force.

Max was nowhere to be seen. Kade didn’t waste another thought on him. He kept his focus on the task in front of him. They quickly arrived at the north wall, and the metal hooks made loud clanging sounds as they gripped the top of the concrete wall. He didn’t wait to see if anyone came to check. He pulled his gun and started climbing.

His family needed him.

***

Angel stood looking at herself in the mirror. She wore the outfit that had been left for her. It wasn’t something she’d ever have chosen for herself. There was a difference between classy sexy and whorish. This outfit was whorish. Red leather and sheer red lace barely covered her. There was nowhere to hide her gun in this outfit, but then again, why would she take it? She’d promised to not fight them to keep Matthew from being butchered.

She’d honor her vow, no matter what it cost her.

Instead of focusing on what was coming, she pulled her hair up and did it in a French braid. She had no desire to have her hair pulled out when the men got overzealous. Angel held no misconceptions about the gang rape that would ensue. She was mentally preparing for it. But could anyone ever really prepare for that?

The knock at her door jerked a small, soundless scream from her. It was time to dance and then get fucked.

It was for Matthew, she reminded herself. She was doing this for him.

Closing her eyes, she went and opened the door. Maria, the housekeeper stood there, her eyes averted. The household staff knew what was going to happen and no one tried to help her. She didn’t blame them. Tomás would only punish them in ways she couldn’t even begin to imagine.

“Come,señora. They are waiting.” The older woman led her down the stairs to a large room at the back of the house. The room had been cleared of furniture, save one lone couch shoved against the wall. A stripper’s pole had been installed in the middle of the floor. Angel had no way of knowing if it had been there previously or if it had been installed for her benefit. This could have been Tomás’s plan all along. Emilio had tried to get her to go with him last night, after all.

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