Page 82 of Too Lethal to Love

A sinister smile crossed the enforcer’s face. “Not so fast, little brother. Her cooperation, not your jealous revenge, determines if her soldier becomes number four.”

Warped floorboards creaked under Kane’s boots as he followed Chris out of the old house. The wind blew snow under the small awning and whisked away the lilac scent trailing him through the rooms. He didn’t feel the icy flakes hit his skin as he followed Chris down the steps and met Linc and Nic at the curb.

“Perimeter is clear.” Linc eyed a group of teenagers on the porch across the street. “Those kids said they saw a group of people hurry into a van parked in the driveway and take off a few minutes ago.”

“Fuck.” Although their intel indicated the Diablos hadn’t taken Dr. Sable to Mexico to extract what she knew about Triple X, that didn’t mean they weren’t planning on taking Beth there. “Scarlett,did you find a tracker in the medallion?”

“Yes. Ryan is working on reverse tracking it. He just got a report from his analyst who did a deep dive into Evangeline and the company Henry Richardson referred her to in Dubai. There’s speculation that the organization bankrolls the Diablo cartel. Intel suggests that Henry and the CEO have been communicating recently.”

“We need to question Evangeline.”

“We’re working on contacting her.”

“Work fast.”Images of what could happen to Beth assaulted his mind like a flash bomb. The need to shoot something sizzled through his leg. What was the point of being a super soldier if he didn’t have an enemy to obliterate on his way to get his girl?“Any word on Chavez’s brother?”

“We’ve got a team working on it,”Scarlett said. “Wait—Ryan got a location. Beth is being held in a warehouse near…son of a bitch. She’s near the same private airstrip my stepfather kept his jet at.”

Chris clapped him on the shoulder. “At least we know the area. Let’s go find your woman.”

As Kane ran toward the SUV parked in front of the church, wedding bells rang in his mind. Curse or not, he was going to marry Beth in front of that altar someday. But before he could take his bride to heaven, he had to send two brothers to hell.

The pounding inside Beth’s head reached a deafening level as the van stopped. A minute later, the vehicle slowly crept forward.

“Where are we?” She prayed her question sounded demanding instead of terrified like it did in her ears.

“A building guarded by an army, where we can talk in private before we head to Mexico.” The enforcer hauled Beth up and handed her to his brother.

She winced as he cupped her elbow. “I heard about what your mother wants for Christmas. I’m no present.”

“But you are,querida.”He lowered his head to her ear. “You’re the gift I’ve been waiting for. I know you love Christmas.By tomorrow, you’ll be sitting under the largest tree you’ve ever seen.”

Tomorrow? That meant she had time before she left the country. She didn’t know how long she’d been out in between the tunnel and regaining consciousness in the van, but they’d arrived at this destination only a few minutes after she’d woken up. “Is it midnight yet?”

“It’s not even six.”

“Glad I didn’t miss Santa.”

Her stalker dipped his head to her ear. “There’s plenty of time to tell me what you want for Christmas when we get home.”

She jerked her arm away from him. “You’re not my home.”

Kane was her home. He, along with the nation’s strongest and smartest, was looking for her. She’d fight with everything she had to buy Kane and her friends precious minutes to storm in with their V-Strikes blazing.

The back of the van opened. The devil brothers hauled her out of the vehicle and into a dimly lit warehouse. Little light shone through the high windows that touched the ceiling. The cold air sharpened her will to fight.

Biceps and his buddy pushed Evangeline out of the van. Another thug appeared from around the side. Beth thought Biceps was big, but this guy looked like he snacked on steroids.

He caught Evangeline with one hand before she fell face-first onto the concrete floor. “What do you want me to do with this one?”

“Merry Christmas.” The enforcer extended his arm with the flourish of a game host presenting the grand prize. “Have fun and then kill her.”

Evangeline’s scream echoed through the long, cavernous space.

“Don’t touch her.” Beth coiled her thigh muscles. “If anyone is going to kill her, it’s me.” She pulled away from her stalker and charged. Evangeline’s breath huffed out as Beth’s shoulder rammed into her ribs. Steroids jumped back as they fell to the ground. With speed and agility born from desperation, Beth managed to straddle Evangeline’s waist.

“Please,” Evangeline cried.

“You psychopath,” Beth snarled as she punched her with bound hands. Evangeline didn’t try to fight back. Grabbing Evangeline’s neck as best she could, she leaned closer to her. “If you want a chance to live, fight me.”

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