Page 135 of Death Wish

Jesse’s face burned. Five more miles. Hold on, Simone. Hold on for me. For us.

Sawyer exited the Interstate and turned at the bottom of the ramp. The SUV leaped forward, chewing up the miles between them and Simone.

Watching the map, Jesse signaled Sawyer when it was time to turn off the road onto the dirt path. His friend barreled up the miserable excuse for a lane as rocks pinged against the underside of the SUV.

A quarter of a mile from the cabin, Sawyer parked the vehicle and hurried to the cargo area to grab their Go bags. They quickly geared up, slipped comm devices into their ears, and set off at a fast clip to join their teammates.

They found Brody and Logan watching the front of the structure. “Where’s Max?” Jesse asked Brody.

“Monitoring the back. Z said he looped you into the comm link between him and Simone. Sit rep.”

“White beat her before Z hooked me into the loop. Simone says she’s okay but the wound in her side has reopened and is continuing to bleed.”

“What do you say?”

“She’s having trouble breathing. I’m afraid she has fractured ribs and internal bleeding. She’s not in a good way, Brody. White takes every excuse he can find to hit her. We’ve got to get her out of there.”

“White?”

He scowled. “I don’t care if he survives or not. He’s still high as a kite on uppers so he’s irritable and irrational. He’s threatening to rape her.”

Brody’s and Logan’s expressions darkened. “Let’s take this guy out before he does any more damage to Simone,” Logan said. He left unsaid the real possibility that White might kill her if he kept punching and kicking her. Simone needed to go to a hospital as soon as possible.

“We scouted the perimeter of the cabin while we waited for you and Sawyer,” Brody said. “There are bars on all the windows. We won’t be able to get inside that way.”

Logan shrugged. “Kick down the door.”

Jesse narrowed his eyes. “And give White the chance to shoot Simone? Forget it.”

“Subtlety is in order,” Brody said. He pulled up the schematics on his phone. “Not a lot of options here. Do you know where they are in the cabin, Jesse?”

“Bathroom for now.” His hands fisted. “White forced Simone to her hands and knees to clean the room. When she finishes with that, he’s taking her to the bedroom where he said she’d be for a long time.”

Logan checked his weapon. “She’ll be out of his hands inside of five minutes, Jesse. Whether he’ll be breathing is up to him.”

Brody sent a text to Max. After getting a response a second later, he stood. “Sawyer, join Max and pick the lock on the back door when I give the signal. Jesse will go in with us. One minute.”

“Copy.” Sawyer slipped away into the trees.

Brody signaled Logan and Jesse to follow him. They made their way to the front door, on alert in case White noticed their approach to the cabin.

Jesse eased the mike bag from his shoulder and set it near the front door. Although he wanted his medical supplies close, he didn’t want to be hampered by the extra weight.

At the ten-second mark, Brody looked at him. “Your only focus is Simone. The rest of us will handle White. Hear me?”

He gritted his teeth. Simone was his future wife. He should be the one to take on Simone’s ex. However, she was his priority and always would be. Only he had the medical expertise to help her.

Besides that, he wasn’t in shape to take on a long fight with a man hopped up on drugs. Jesse gave a curt nod.

After another second of pointed staring by his team leader, Brody sent a text and signaled Logan. The tumblers on the lock shifted seconds later.

Jesse twisted the knob and pushed the door open a crack. Inside, White ranted angrily at Simone, threatening to kick her again if she didn’t get back to work.

Weapon in hand, he eased inside the old structure as Sawyer and Max slipped into the kitchen from the back.

Brody moved past Jesse to press his back against the wall and glance down the hall. He looked at his teammates and shook his head.

Great. No one in sight which meant White was in the bathroom with Simone. That room was small with almost no room to maneuver. Taking him down in the bathroom would leave Simone too close to the action. The likelihood of her being injured further was too high for Jesse. Much as he hated to wait, they must hold off until White left the bathroom.

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