Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 77198 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77198 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
“Okay. That’ll work.” I reached into my holster and pulled out the extra Glock Shotgun had given me, then offered it to Everleigh. “If there’s any trouble...”
“You’re bleeding,” Everleigh gasped as she reached for my arm. “What happened? Were you shot?”
“It’s nothing. Take the gun. If you need it, use it.”
Concern marked her face as she took the gun in her hand and said, “Please be careful.”
“Right back at ya.”
With that, Hawk eased over to the door and peered out into the hall. Once he was sure it was clear, he turned back to us and said, “Time to move.”
Matteo nodded, then started out of the room. He’d only taken a couple of steps when he stopped and looked over to me. “22-19.”
“What?”
“22-19,” he repeated. “You’ll know it when you see it.”
Without saying anything more, he led the girls out of the room. We all watched as they made their way down the hall and started down the stairs. Once they were out of sight, I turned to Hawk and asked, “You think they’ll be okay?”
“I wouldn’t have let them walk out of here if I didn’t.”
While I still didn’t like it, I felt a little less troubled as I followed Shotgun and Hawk down the hall. When we approached the next room, Shotgun turned to Hawk and me, then said, “Cover me.”
I nodded and watched as he opened the door and stepped inside another guest bedroom. There was a king-sized sleigh bed along with several large, ornate antique pieces of furniture, but there was no one in sight. Once he’d checked the bathroom and closet, he made the call, “It’s clear.”
He motioned his hand towards the door, then said, “Down the hall.”
I nodded, then followed him into one of the rooms down the hall. Like the one before, it was completely empty, so we moved on to the next. Again, there was no one in sight.
We headed to the next room but quickly discovered that the door was different from the others. It had a metal security panel with a keypad—one much like I had in the basement. There were many reasons why DeLuca would have a lock like this. None of them were good. I glanced back at Hawk as I asked, “What do you think?”
“Who knows with this guy. Maybe it’s a saferoom or something?”
He turned the doorknob, but of course, it didn’t budge. He was about to try again when Viper and Widow came rushing up behind us. “You boys okay?”
“Yeah, we’re good,” Shotgun answered. “What about you guys?”
“We’re all feeling better now that we’ve found Kiersten—especially Country.” Viper shook his head. “He bolted the second he heard you found her.”
“So, he’s with them?” I asked.
“Yeah, he met them out back, and he and Menace made sure they got to your truck without any issues. And now, they’re on their way back to the clubhouse.”
“Perfect. That’s what I wanted to hear.”
“Yeah, now if we can just find DeLuca, we can end this thing.”
Shotgun sounded surprised as he asked, “You mean, y’all haven’t found him yet?”
“Fuck no,” Viper grumbled. “One of his guards mentioned something about some room he might be hiding in, but so far we haven’t been able to find it.”
“Then, you might wanna check this out.”
Hawk took a step to the side, so Viper could check out the mysterious door with a keypad lock. “I’m thinking it’s a safe room.”
“Certainly looks like one.” Viper took a step closer for a better look, then nodded. “Yeah, I’d bet money that asshole is hiding in there.”
“Only one way to find out.”
Shotgun took a step back, then aimed his double barrel at the door panel. He shot off a couple of rounds and it splintered the wood, but it did little to the hidden security door behind it. Shotgun looked dismayed as he muttered, “Damn. What are we gonna do now?”
Viper studied the thick metal door for a moment, then shook his head. “We aren’t getting through that without a code or some heavy artillery.”
As soon as he said code, I remembered the numbers Matteo called out to me. Hoping they might be the code we needed, I stepped up and entered them into the keypad. Seconds later, the lock disengaged. Eager to see if DeLuca was inside, I pushed the door open, then charged inside.
I took a quick glance around the room, and even though I didn’t see anyone, I had a strange feeling we weren’t alone. That feeling was confirmed when I spotted movement in the corner of the room.
My heart rate started to quicken as I aimed my weapon and prepared to take my shot. Just as I was about to pull the trigger, I realized the figure was a child. I immediately holstered my gun and went over to him. As I knelt down next to him, I spotted his mother cowered down next to him.