Page 11 of Taking Over the Dark

“We’re not even dating yet! That’s what makes all of this even worse… I caught these feelings for a goddamn rookie that doesn’t even want anything serious!” I had no clue Nash didn’t want anything serious. That would have never crossed my mind with how the two of them act together, and then add Ellie into the mix…

I’m getting more pissed off by the minute. I grit out, “He better not hurt Ellie in the long run. I’ve been nice enough to let the two of you stick around. Fuck knows I don’t have to be this nice.”

Then he says, “It’s different with Ellie.” And that could mean so many things.

“Yeah, it is, isn’t it?”

His next question is immediate. “You know why I got kicked out… now it’s your turn to talk. When will you tell Ellie about all of this, Marcello?” He’s waving his hand around the computer, talking about the light stalking I was doing before getting her to stay with me. “I wanna watch when she beats the fuck out of you for doing this shit to her for so long.”

“I wish she already knew… but what if she’s not even mad?” Needing my woman back in my bed and arms, the pang of painfrom missing Ellie hits me hard and fast. “I’ll tell her once we get her back and settled in.” I stand and start to fill him in on the plan. “Now get ready and strapped up. We’ve got a meeting with the port director in an hour.”

I’m ready to take this anger out on someone, and that someone is going to be the cheating, spineless port director.

Zamir whispers at my back, “It seems like they would have more security for a man that runs the goddamn airport?”

?*He’s currently at my back while I’m behind Vin’s. My left hand rests on his shoulder, letting him know we’re good back here… well, I am. Zamir’s about to have his shit knocked loose if he doesn’t shut the fuck up. How this man survived being an enforcer for so long, I’ll never know.

Throwing my hand up to silence him, I whisper back a warning, “Now is not the time to be bumpin’ your gums, Zamir.” As I say that, Vin’s hand points forward, telling us we’re clear to move and head into the building.

The whole building is concrete. Conveyor belts fill the room, standing just below the height of the ceiling. Random walls are placed throughout the warehouse to separate the office crews from the government officials from various agencies that sort the packages. Noah stays back at our warehouse to work from his computer station in order to hack into the cameras here andguide us to the director’s office. If we needed the extra man power, he’d be here no questions asked—he may be mean and huge, but he’s a thousand times more helpful to us from behind the computer. We always have our earpieces in so we can keep in contact with him even when our hands aren’t accessible.

It’s usually bustling in here anytime I’ve paid Jack a visit before today. But it’s eerily quiet in here tonight.

Noah’s voice comes through the earpiece. “You’re clear until you get to his door. Two guards are outside his office, but they look like the only people left in the building for some reason.” I can tell Noah’s on edge by the absence of people in this normally bustling environment.

I nod to Zamir, letting him know we’re good to keep moving behind Vin. Right as we start to move toward Jack’s office, I hear Zamir’s silenced gun pop off behind me. I turn to look at him, then to where his sight is directed, and there’s a huge guy, his pistol still clutched in his hand, bleeding out of his headshot wound.

Vin turns around, speaking to Zamir, “Good shot. Way to have Bosses back.” He breathes like he’s thinking before saying his next thought directly to me, “I hope that earned the trust back that he should’ve never lost.”

Completely ignoring Vin’s cut at me, I bark an order through the coms, “Noah, how about a warning the next time?”

“Sorry, Boss. I don’t know where that one came from. There weren’t any alerts on my end of anyone entering the building. They would’ve had to have been hiding somewhere off-camera and hiding in there most of the day.”

“Keep your eyes peeled, Noah. We’re rounding the corner now for the offices.”

“Yes, Boss Daddy.” Vin snickers at that like he always does with Noah’s antics.

I swear to fuck; I’m going to strangle the hacker.

Vin’s hand flies up in a fist, telling us to stop. I haven’t missed how Zamir knows precisely what to do every step of this mission without any run-downs from us. He fits with us seamlessly, but I keep telling myself it’s only because he comes from a family and a life just like this.

A thought continues to bounce around in the back of my head though… Why does he feel the need to be loyal to me? Was he loyal to his family? Or is that why he chose football instead? He could have easily fucked his family over, and that’s why they’re coming for what’s mine now.

Rage building up in me is never good, but especially not when we’re in the middle of trying to figure out where Nash and Ellie are and who’s behind all of this shit. And it’s definitely not going to be good for the port director.

Nash would be devastated if he ever returned to Chicago, but Ellie… it would tear her apart from the inside out, whether she is ready to admit that or not.

Feeling Zamir brush past me in the hallway opening between the two office set-ups, he stands there waiting to get the guards’ attention. Before I can have Vin pull him back behind the wall, Zamir has his free hand up to his mouth, wolf-whistling. Vin rounds the corner, gun drawn, ready to shoot, but two shots ring off from Zamir’s gun first. He didn’t even have his gun up high enough to see down the slide. How he hit those guards with perfect headshots is enough for me to know he can handle himself just fine.

Thank fuck I screwed the silencers on our guns before getting out of the SUV, or Jack’s nosey ass would’ve already been out here asking questions.

“Let’s get in there before anyone else comes out of the woodwork,” Vin says to the both of us, and we follow him to the door of the port director’s office. I am stepping over the two bodies while admiring Zamir’s shots up close. Shaking myselfout of my trance, I head straight to the door, kicking it in—putting on this little show happens to be my favorite party trick. I strut in but stop abruptly when I see a tied-up, blindfolded, and gagged port director.

He’s a drooling mess, and I can barely make his words out, but I think he’s saying, “Sir, please.”

I deadpan, “I would love to sit and watch the show because fuck knows this would be entertaining as hell, but I’m a busy man.” His whole body stiffens when he realizes who’s talking to him. “Does your wife tie you up and leave you like this? No, that’s right, it’s not your angel of a wife. It’s one of our wonderful mistresses from Sins, isn’t it, Smith? Actually, now that I think of it… I don’t know any of our Dominatrixes that like to be called ‘sir.’” I add condescendingly, “This isn’t very safe, you know? Anyone could come in here and have their way with you.”

He’s drooling everywhere, but gets out a murmured, “Marcel?—”

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