Page 55 of Kade

He looked around his room and finally shook his head. “None is my.”

“Nothing is yours?” she asked. The room held toys and books and clothes. All of it for him.

He nodded. “IsTíoTomás’s. He tells me I play when I here.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll get you your own things when we get home. You stay close to Uncle Conner. He is here to protect us.”

“You ever had a piggyback ride?” Conner asked. When the little boy shook his head, Conner picked him up and tossed him on his back, explaining how to hold on with his arms and legs. Conner pulled out his guns once he was satisfied Mateo had the hang of it.

It bothered Angel that the sight of guns and talk of killing never fazed her son. He didn’t even blink. God knew what he must have seen to be so nonchalant about it. Her first order of business was to find the best child psychologist in New York when she got him home.

An explosion rocked the house, and Conner stopped, listening. “I think Kade just announced his arrival.”

Angel wanted to run and find him, to tell him their son was safe, but she knew that would only make things worse. She almost got him killed last time. It wasn’t a mistake she was prepared to make again.

“Do you have a way out?”

Conner shifted the child on his back. “Yes.” He didn’t elaborate, just opened the door and aimed. Three short bursts of the gun, and he walked outside. Two more men added to his body count. He moved slowly, stopping frequently to listen until they reached a back staircase that led down to the kitchen.

Maria and the cook were both missing. She hoped he hadn’t killed them, but she didn’t let herself think about it. Conner led them not out the back door, but through the basement door. He moved like a cat, and every time Angel stepped on something that creaked or groaned, she winced. How was he so freaking quiet, as big as he was?

The basement was another killing floor. Bodies, so many bodies. How had he done all this without alerting anyone upstairs? He hadn’t used a gun. He’d slit their throats and piled them in here. Dear God. Her mind shied away from the horror she saw, and she managed to keep following him deeper into the basement to a door that led to a tunnel.

“This leads outside. It’ll take you five minutes to walk it. Can you and Mateo make it? I need to help Kade.”

“What if there’re people in there waiting?” She panicked slightly at the thought of Conner leaving them.

He handed her a larger gun. “Shoot the fuckers.”

She took the gun in shaky hands. Some of the adrenaline was wearing off, and the fear was returning. What if she couldn’t protect them despite all the bravado of before?

“Sestra. You can do this. I have to go help Kade. There are too many for him to handle. I have to help him.”

“I can do this.” Angel knew how guns worked, even if she hated them. Kade made sure of that. She checked the safety then helped Mateo down from his uncle’s back. “We’ll be fine. Make sure my husband doesn’t die.”

Conner kissed her forehead before turning his attention to his nephew. “Mantenga a su madre a salvo.”

Mateo nodded and pulled a small knife from his pocket. He clicked a button, and a long, wicked blade appeared. It must have been custom made for his small hands. “Sí, Tío.”

“What did you tell him?” She understood the word mother, but not much else.

“To keep you safe. Now go. I need to hunt down some motherfuckers and make them pay for their intentions.”

Angel knew he was talking about the men who’d been in the room waiting for their turn with her. Conner probably memorized every face, and she shuddered from what she knew he’d do to them.

He picked up a can of gasoline and started dousing the basement. He was going to burn the evidence of his butchery. No evidence, no arrest, no trial.

Angel closed the door and started walking, hoping against hope they’d run into no one.

Kade opened fire as soon as his feet hit the ground. People were rushing around the side of the house, and he dodged behind an old oak tree, using it as best he could for cover. He leaned around the edge and took down four men as they advanced. Stupid fuckers. They were just racing out in the open. He watched several more fall to the hail of bullets from his team.

More swarmed on them, and Kade knew they were outnumbered and outgunned. He had to get to the front gate and let Jeremy and his small army of police inside. Tomás wouldn’t open the gates willingly.

He spotted the gas tank on the side of the house. It wasn’t overly large, but it was big enough to take out the bulk of the men coming for them. He never hesitated. He shot once, his aim true. The explosion that rocked them pulled his feet out from under him and made his ears ring.

It took him a minute before he regained his feet and shook his head. His hearing would take more than a minute to come back, but he motioned for the men to advance. They put men down as they inched their way to the front. He motioned for Cole to hit the main gate. Two of MPD’s gang unit went with him, while Kade and the rest advanced on the house.

He hugged the side of the house and looked through the window. An empty sitting room. Where was Tomás? He wanted to destroy that fucker like he’d never wanted to hurt someone in his life. He inched his way to the front porch and saw the men waiting there, guns aimed straight for him. Kade barely had time to duck and roll behind the closest tree before the volley of bullets rang out.

---