Page 29 of Echo

Ten minutes later, Ash’s phone buzzed with a security alert. “She’s in the house.”

He watched the feed on his phone for a few minutes, then glanced at me. “Make the call.”

Wizard slid the door to the van open, and after I made an emergency call to 911, we all hopped out and crept toward the house.

Ash’s server room was on the main level at the back of the house. Since Cynthia had shut off the security system, we were able to enter through the back door unnoticed.

We waited around the corner until we heard the voice key and Cynthia’s wicked laughter before the heavy metal door squeaked as she pushed it open.

I glanced at my watch and murmured, “Five minutes out.”

It would only take Cynthia a maximum of two minutes to get into the server and initiate the transfer of all of Ash’s money to her accounts. We’d put an electronic trace on the funds so it left a trail everywhere it went, leading us to every nook and cranny of her finances.

Ace, King, and I had discussed simply making her destitute and ruining her name, but in the end, we wanted assurances that she wouldn’t find another way to recreate her empire. Which was why we were allowing her to wire the money out before the cops arrived to take her in. At first, it would be for breaking and entering, then they’d discover the wire fraud, and finally, all the money she’d stolen.

We were there to make sure she didn’t somehow get out before the police arrived.

When the sirens were close enough to be heard, the noise in the computer room ceased. The blaring horns grew louder, and she cursed.

The three of us quickly stepped up to the door to block her exit but were taken by surprise when she pulled a gun. Her maniacal gaze landed on Ash, and she screamed in outrage before pulling the trigger.

“Son of a bitch!” he roared as he staggered backward.

I was on her opposite side, so I shot out my hand to immobilize her wrist while Wizard snatched the gun and flipped the safety on.

“Ash?” I called.

“The safety was off?” Cynthia yelled, drowning out any response he might have given. Her voice was shaking with panic. “Oh fuck. Did I kill him? Shit!” Then she began to struggle like a lunatic—which didn’t seem that far off at this point—and screaming, “Let me go! I’ll kill you! Let me go, you bastards!”

“Ash!” I shouted again.

“Yeah, yeah. Just a fucking nick.”

A relieved breath whooshed from my lungs, but I was stopped from being able to fill them again when Cynthia’s elbow landed hard on my sternum.

“Wiz…” I gasped as pain knifed through my chest. “Take…can’t…oh, fuck.” Black spots danced before my eyes, and the pain became unbearable when I tried unsuccessfully to take in some air. Then everything went dark.

I blinked and batted at the bright light shining directly into my eyes. “Shit! Stop shining that thing before I go blind,” I rasped. I sucked air into my lungs, relieved that it went in unobstructed.

“You fainted, man,” Ash said before bursting into laughter.

I heard a female sigh. “He didn’t faint, you butthead. His brain shut off from a lack of oxygen. There’s a difference.”

“Not when I tell the story,” he choked out through his chortling.

“Sir?” the woman said more quietly. “Can you sit up and open your eyes? I just want to make sure you don’t have a concussion from the fall.”

I blinked again and winced at the brightness, but at least there was no flashlight shining right in my eyeballs.

Spoke too soon, I thought, when the EMT checked my pupils.

“Doesn’t look like a concussion. That was a hard hit you took to the chest. How’s your breathing?”

I nodded. “I’m sore, but nothing seems to be obstructing my flow of oxygen.”

“Good,” she replied with a smile. “I’d prefer to take you to the hospital to be checked out and just make sure she didn’t crack your sternum. But…” She glared at someone off to the side. “With how freaking stubborn your friend is after beingshot, I’m guessing a little pain in the chest is nothing compared to dealing with that…pain in the butt.”

I chuckled and nodded. “You’re right on all accounts…”

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