Page 152 of Ravaged Soul
Blaine wrenches himself to a sitting position. “Says the liar.”
“You’re no better than the monster I’ve spent twenty years forgetting,” Axel blasts at him. “Remember that, Madden. You will never,everbelong to this team or this family.”
He hocks up a bloody mouthful then drops it in Blaine’s lap. Wonderful. I’ve got a team of salivating wolves on my case and zero other options for finding Gracie. Those thugs might as well have shipped me back to Gael yesterday.
Multiple footsteps sound out as Warner returns with company. Behind him, a typically smartly dressed Kade marches into the room accompanied by another, their face open and friendly, with a shock of brightly coloured hair.
“Are we interrupting?” Kade scans over the disaster zone.
“Only these two idiots who don’t know how to use actual words to communicate.” I gesture towards our bleeding fighters. “What is it?”
“Sorry for barging in so soon after the attack, but this couldn’t wait. I wanted you to hear it from me first.”
“We left Brooke at a baby scan with Eli, Jude and Hudson.” The other man speaks up, his interested gaze fixed on me. “I’m Phoenix.”
“Ember,” I reply.
“So I’ve heard.” He smiles cheekily. “Couldn’t you take them both? Spare the poor TV a battering?”
“I decided to sit this one out.”
“Shame.” He chuckles.
“Nix.” Kade nudges him. “Give it a rest. This is urgent.”
“Sorry. Carry on.”
Pulling the leather satchel from his shoulder, Kade drops it on the back of the sectional to pull his laptop free. I help Hyland move over to get a good view, his movements stiff and awkward.
“This was sent to us three hours ago by Mexico’s federal intelligence agency.” Kade taps on a saved video file. “We’ve verified the authenticity. It’s legit.”
His laptop screen fills with the sight of a raging inferno. Numerous fire fighters attempt to tackle the blaze, out of control flames devouring what looks like an arched veranda with colourful Talavera tiles cracking in the heat.
“Oh.” I quickly cover my mouth. “Is that…”
“What we believe to be Antonio Gael’s estate,” Kade confirms with grim certainty. “It’s the right location and description. There’s a strong possibility this was our target.”
“The architecture… It’s familiar.”
He nods unhappily. “I’m sorry, Ember. We’ve been informed that it was torched before a warrant could be issued by the local judge. The whole estate is gone.”
“He was tipped off,” Hyland mutters.
“It would appear so.”
Ignoring Blaine and Axel’s staggering approach, I pull backwards, grappling for air to breathe. After all these months, countless hours of chasing leads, scouring maps, entreating agencies to search their own land… this is how it ends.
In fire and ash.
The decimation of all evidence.
Nothing left. Gone.
“The Gael estate has been destroyed.” Kade sounds distant, locked in a bubble that can’t reach me. “All traces of him are dust.”
“There’s nothing left?” Warner utters.
“Nothing but rubble… And an audio recorder left outside the front gates. The fire crew retrieved it and turned it over to the authorities.”
