Total pages in book: 117
Estimated words: 110694 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 553(@200wpm)___ 443(@250wpm)___ 369(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 110694 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 553(@200wpm)___ 443(@250wpm)___ 369(@300wpm)
My girls. He’d called them my girls. I glared out the window as my chest rose and fell. Those words hammering in my head. Stevie was my daughter. But Branwen…she was…she was mine. I wasn’t letting anyone else touch her and live. I wasn’t even sure Luther would be safe from me when I got back.
“He lives in a suburban neighborhood,” Bane said. “I went online and pulled up a video from the real estate company that had sold the house to him. I have the layout. We know the points of easiest entry.”
I unclenched my hands and laid them flat on the tops of my thighs. I had to restrain the savage fury that felt like claws sinking into my back, wanting to consume me.
They were okay. He hadn’t gotten close enough to touch them. I kept repeating that over and over in my head while we drove out of the city lights and onto the dark streets, lit only with streetlamps.
When we turned onto a dirt path, I didn’t question it. I knew we weren’t going to pull into the driveway and park. Bane had done his research while they tried to get me on the phone. We moved off the road, and the dirt path ended as we drove slowly over limbs and debris.
“I called Brock,” Bane said. “He sent me this location. It’s family-owned by their branch. Belongs to a sister-in-law of one of the wives. He’s sending two guys to stay with the vehicle for backup.”
Brock Keller was the head of the Tennessee branch. It was smart. Bane had used his head.
I just nodded. I’d thank him later. Right now, I had one focus. Not snapping the dentist’s neck the moment I saw him.
The Escalade came to a stop, and two figures stepped out of the dark woods. I recognized Brock’s oldest son, Arrow, but I wasn’t sure who the other one was. All four doors opened at once as we joined them.
Arrow looked from Bane to me. “Higgens and I will stay here. Call if you need us.”
“Thanks,” I told him.
“No problem,” he replied.
Bane moved to the front. “All right, boys, this way,” he said.
We moved in behind him almost silently, except for the crackle of limbs and leaves beneath our feet. But even then, it was quieter than any other footsteps would be.
We stepped out of the tree line into a backyard. I thought about the fact that they’d almost lived here. My girls had almost been his. I wanted to burn the place to the ground and watch it until all that was left were the embers. This backyard wasn’t big enough to hold the playset I’d bought Stevie. She wouldn’t have had a pool here. My eyes cut to the driveway, where that fucking ugly blue car he had given Branwen was parked beside his luxury sedan.
They were never his. He’d almost stolen them. Taken what belonged to me.
“You look like you’re about to torch the place. Don’t,” Bane said under his breath.
He nodded his head, and the others moved out, going to their entry point. I followed Bane as we headed for the downstairs door.
“It has an alarm system, but I used the code Wilder gave me to hack into the system and disarm it.” His voice was almost too quiet to hear.
Taking out his tool, he slid it into the dead bolt and turned it. After the metal bar slid out, he moved on to the keyhole in the doorknob and eased it slowly around. His gloved hand wrapped around the handle and turned, and then we moved inside.
It was dark, but I could make out the game room. It had a mediocre pool table, a couple of arcade machines, and a well-worn leather sofa. The stairs weren’t anything impressive, and the railing needed tightening. The dentist didn’t take care of his shit properly. Much like he hadn’t taken care of Branwen’s cunt properly.
The main floor had some light coming from the left, but it went out quickly, meaning whoever had come in that way was inside without issue. I didn’t ask who had cut any phone lines he might have, knowing it had been handled.
Ransom stepped into the hallway, followed by Hale. Which meant Locke and Than would be coming in on the opposite side of the house.
The others took their places, and Bane led me down another hallway and then to a room with two double doors that stood open. The king-size bed with the dentist forming a lump under the covers made my stomach turn. Knowing Branwen had been in that bed, that he’d had her in this room, ignited a roar in my ears that drowned out everything else as I took long strides to the bed. Needing to see him suffer. Hating every inch of this fucking house and what it represented.