Page 72 of Love Undercover
32
A Taunt Out the Window
The slinking henchman in the shadows dropped where he stood; Chase’s finger tingled from pulling the trigger. It only took him two shots to nail him. Two slow, deep breaths in and out.
He pushed away from the edge of the balcony and heard a heavy door open and slam shut, barely catching sight of the figure slithering out of the office in the corner.
He almost smiled to himself because now he knew where they were keeping Sadie.
But this was where Travers would be his problem. The smaller man moved more quickly than Chase ever hoped to. Even before he’d bulked up, he’d never been that agile. Already, he’d lost the little snake in the shadows and pushed back against the far wall to conceal himself within the darkness.
Learning a lesson from the guy downstairs, he didn’t weave in and out in an attempt to make himself a harder target. Ithad only made him more visible in the dark. Instead, he moved slowly, creeping along to keep the cloak of darkness. Maybe he could just bust into the office where they were keeping Sadie and avoid Travers entirely.
“Your pretty girl is having the time of her life in there with Santiago.”
Chase fought the urge to whirl toward Travers’ voice. If he had to bet, it was the little man’s attempt at flushing him out. It made his blood heat just thinking about Travers’ words, but he remained motionless, gauging where the voice had originated from.
“We’ve each taken our turn with her. Even as your sloppy seconds, she was the best I ever had.”
Chase almost growled. He didn’t want to believe it was true, but it also wasn’t out of the realm of possibility. Santiago’s hatred for Chase could very well have driven him to those lengths. But Travers was goading him, trying to get him to mess up. So he was lying.
Instead of dwelling on it, he focused on where Travers’s voice seemed to come from. Most likely a spot that would throw his voice effectively but keep him close enough to where his boss was.
Chase began to move.
He crept with a slowly building fury in his limbs, heat pouring like molten metal through him.
“She call your name like she called mine?” Travers continued.
Chase allowed a smile then, sure it was a lie now. She wouldn’t have called out that rodent’s name. But he knew he was close, hearing the voice like a breath over his shoulder. He drew flush with the wall, sliding closer to the corner.
He took the chance and peered around the edge of the wall, spotting the tiny man down the length of the concrete. The faintflash of lightning from the storm that was nearly upon them illuminated his thin frame.
Maybe the storm coming closer wasn’t the worst thing ever.
Chase waited for another flash of electricity to light Travers’s silhouette again, and several seconds later, a low rumble of thunder billowed above them. He took one quick toke of oxygen, then pushed away from the wall, charging toward Travers, who didn’t catch on quickly enough to get his gun up.
He hollered at Chase’s approach. Maybe he saw the fury in Chase’s eyes. Or maybe he simply felt the heat of it just before Chase barreled into him. It didn’t take much strength to move the smaller man, but Chase’s rage ramped his speed too high as he slammed Travers back toward the window.
It was a half-second before the glass gave way under the pressure, and the little man folded up and sailed through. Chase caught himself before he went out with him, half hanging out into the night to watch Travers plummet.
Travers’s scream chased him all the way to the ground until it abruptly cut off on impact. To be sure, Chase aimed his gun and fired off two rounds into the snake’s body.
He worked to push himself back inside, then took stock of the situation to figure out his next steps. The door to the office where they were keeping Sadie would be locked.
But now that this window was gaping. . .
33
Only Cats Land on Their Feet
Sadie’s stomach dropped out at the sound of Travers’s voice. It was muffled, but she could clearly hear his words and the cocky way he was addressing Chase.
But it gave her hope. After hearing several gunshots, she’d had no idea if it was Santiago’s men who’d been taken down or Chase.
Even as the flush of relief filled her, Santiago’s fingers dug deeper into her skin, and she gritted her teeth. He yanked her back toward the window. She wasn’t sure if he was planning an escape that way, or it was just to put distance between himself and the door. Chase wasn’t likely to make it through that heavy beast, so the window was probably the liability.
A squawk made all the air slide out of her body, then she heard the crash of glass breaking.
