Page 56 of Kade

Shit. He looked for Cole, who had slithered close to the front gate. He’d have to get inside, and that would mean putting himself out in the open for every hired gun to take aim directly at him. Fuck.

Dylan had come to the same conclusion. He pulled out several canisters and tossed them to Kade. Smoke bombs. It would be harder for them to see as well, but it would give Cole the opportunity he needed. He uncorked the first one and tossed it as close to the porch as he could. Smoke began pouring out of it in midair, and he dived for the porch railing, tossing one in the middle of the men waiting and the other over the railing and into the yard in front of them, obscuring the vision of everyone involved.

Bullets whizzed at him, and he dodged, feeling one hit him in the back. The Kevlar vest took the brunt of it, but it still fucking hurt. He barely managed to keep from falling on his way back to his tree.

“Fire!”

He heard the shouting coming from inside the house and had to wonder if that was Conner’s doing. He’d found the underground tunnel that served as an escape route. It was how he’d planned on getting in to get Matthew, and Angel if he found her first. Kade hoped it was Conner cutting off Tomás’s escape route. That fucker was going to die today.

He and Dylan worked their way back around the porch, keeping low and staying quiet. They could barely make out shapes, but it was enough to shoot. They started firing. Kade emptied three clips before retreating to his tree. Dylan rolled just as a barrage of bullets hit the place he’d been hunkered down.

“Cole needs to get that fucking gate opened.” Dylan spat blood. Kade wasn’t sure how he’d managed a busted lip, but he didn’t put too much thought into it. He raised his gun and fired at the man stumbling toward them. He fell, and another took his place. Kade kept firing while Dylan snuck out and collected guns. They would need them when their ammo ran out.

“We need to get inside.” Dylan checked the window closest to their cover. “It’s still clear.” He motioned Kade over to help him. Kade hoisted him up. The window must have been locked because glass rained down on top of Kade, and then Dylan pushed himself through the window. He heaved Kade up and into the room.

“Where the fuck are they?” Dylan asked, taking stock of his weapons. “They had to have heard that.”

Kade brushed the glass off his pants, ignoring the small cuts all over his hands. The pain was pushed into that dark place where nothing bothered him. He gripped the gun Dylan handed him. “Let’s go find my wife and kill that son of a bitch.”

Kade and Dylan flanked the doorway and looked out. No one. They moved toward the back of the house where voices drifted down the hallway.

“We can’t get out that way,” one voice said. “The basement fire has spread like wildfire. It stinks of gasoline.”

“Then we need to make it to the garage. We can drive through the men shooting at us and go out the back exit. No one’s disturbed that, have they?”

Kade recognized Tomás’s voice.

“It’s blocked from the outside. We’ve tried to budge it, but it’s no use.”

“Fucking idiots. How did you let this happen?” Tomás roared, his anger getting the best of him.

Silence met his outburst.

“Get me Kincaid’s fucking whore, and bring the boy.”

“Sir…they’re both gone.”

Tomás let fly a string of Spanish. Somewhere in the part of himself he’d locked away, Kade felt relief and triumph. His family was safe. It wasn’t a lasting moment or emotion, though. He was too locked down to really feel it. His focus was Tomás.

“Took your time, motherfucker.”

Conner’s whisper startled Dylan, but not Kade.

“Where the fuck have you been?” He leaned around the corner, looking to see if there were guards. Six stood in the hallway.

“Hunting.” Conner wiped his knife’s blade across his knee. The black material of his slacks wouldn’t show the stain. “Fuckers touched her. They died for it.”

“They touched her?” Rage built so hard and so fast, it burst through the lock he’d placed on his emotions, and they spilled out all at once. Conner gripped him hard enough to leave a bruise.

“Yes, but just touched. No one raped her, but they died for touching her. All except for Tomás. I thought you would want that honor.”

“What did he do to her?”

“You sure you want to know?” Conner didn’t look like he wanted to elaborate.

“Yes. Tomás will delight in telling me about it. If I hear it first, it won’t be such a shock, and I might be able to control my temper.”

Conner still looked doubtful.

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