Page 13 of Dangerous Proposal

“Yes,” he begins, his voice tight with urgency.

“Just tell the drivers,” I snap, already turning toward the door.

“Don’t you want to hear their terms?” he asks, sounding more nervous than I’ve ever heard him.

“No,” I bark, not even glancing back. “They lost the right to negotiate when they took Evie.”

I don’t wait for another word as I storm out of the room and head straight to the garage. I’m halfway down the stairs when I feel someone at my side. I don’t need to look to know it’s Jace. Without acknowledging him, I grunt, my mind already focused on one thing: getting her back.

“You ready to change your mind about that kid yet?” Jace asks, his cell phone pressed to his ear. “I can make the call right now.”

“Yeah,” I growl, my fists clenching as we hit the landing and storm past the staff members filling the headquarters. “Burn it all down. They crossed a line.”

“Thought you’d say that,” Jace mutters, already tapping away at his phone.

We’re in the car within moments. Jace barks orders into his phone, and the driver takes too long—two minutes, but it feels like an eternity when Evie’s safety is on the line. If it wasn’tfor that, I’d chew him out for the delay. That’ll have to wait until after I get her back. I can’t afford any more setbacks.

“Figure out who was watching her room,” I tell Jace when he finally hangs up. “I need to know how the hell she was taken.”

Jace hums, his fingers flying across the screen. A second later, he hisses and shakes his head. “You’re not going to like this.”

“I already don’t like any of this,” I snap, not in the mood for his sarcasm. “Just spit it out, Jace. Stop fucking with me.”

“I’m not fucking with you, Red. Not everyone’s out to get you,” he says, turning his phone toward me so I can see the screen. “Looks like she climbed out the window.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” I shout, grinding my teeth. “Does that say she tried to get out of the room?”

“That’s what Davis said, yeah,” Jace responds, slipping the phone back into his pocket.

“Why the hell wasn’t I informed about this sooner?” I seethe, knowing deep down that I’m not going to like the answer. I was handling things that seemed more urgent than keeping tabs on the girl I brought to our headquarters. But this? This should’ve been a priority.

We’ll have to have a serious talk about this later. Everyone needs to shape up. I didn’t bring just anyone into this place—Evie was special, and they should’ve known that. Hell, I had two guys posted at her door. That should’ve been enough. They should’ve recognized that she was the highest priority. I shouldn’t have to spell it out.

“How much longer?” I grunt to the driver, my impatience rising with every passing second.

“Two minutes,” he replies, keeping his eyes on the road, his focus unwavering.

I can tell he’s pushing the car to its limits, sensing the urgency of the situation. At least one person in my crew gets it. I’ll make sure he gets the raise he deserves. At least he’s not the kind of guy who needs to be reminded of what Evie means to me.

We weave through traffic, and all I can think about is what I’ll do when we get inside. These assholes won’t know what hit them. They should’ve understood the risks when they went after someone under my protection—someone who isn’t involved in this goddamn life. They’re about to learn that lesson the hard way.

“This the place?” I ask as the car screeches to a halt in front of an abandoned-looking warehouse. My fingers tighten around the handle, ready to charge in with guns blazing.

“It is,” Jace and the driver answer in sync.

“Good,” I mutter, already out of the car. My boots hit the pavement with heavy, deliberate thuds.

“You don’t want to wait for backup?” Jace asks, falling in step behind me.

I shoot him a cold glance. “I already have my backup, don’t I?”

“You do,” he replies, pulling his gun from his holster.

The weight of my firearm in my hand gives me a cold sense of purpose. My jaw clenches as I think about what I’ll do once I’m inside. These guys made a huge mistake, and they’re going to regret it. But I won’t let anything get in the way of making sure Evie’s safe first. If she’s hurt… they won’t be around much longer. Hell, maybe it’s better this way—take them off the mapcompletely. But only after I’ve made sure she’s okay. I’ll burn everything down if I have to.

Chapter Ten

EVIE

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