Page 71 of Fast Vengeance

Muffled yelling. Running footsteps outside in the hallway past the room Brock was in.

Then gunshots. A pistol. Followed by semiauto rifle fire.

He sucked in a breath, hope pouring a blast of warmth through his cold body. Someone was attacking the compound.

His heart beat faster as he listened, trying to piece it together. Was this about him? His team coming to rescue him?

The door flew open. Brock slitted his one functioning eye to squint at the silhouette of the man rushing toward him. There was no mistaking the outline of the extendable rod in his hand. “Wake up, asshole,” he snarled at Brock.

Brock didn’t think. He reacted.

Using his remaining strength, he waited until the man came close enough, then swung his legs out, biting back a scream as the manacles sliced into his wrists and tore the muscles in his shoulders. Something popped.

Sucking in air, roaring in agony, he parted his knees enough to clamp his thighs around the man’s neck. His victim swore and tried to wrench away. Swung the rod at him. But this time he had no leverage and Brock wasn’t going to endure any more.

Brock gritted his teeth, his entire body shaking as he clamped down with everything he had. A feral cry of rage and agony tore from his chest as he squeezed the man’s neck, taking blow after blow as his tormentor tried to fight his way free.

He couldn’t let go. Wouldn’t, until the last of his strength gave out.

Gunshots rang out from somewhere outside the room. Brock didn’t let go, struggling with all his strength to keep his knees locked in place.

The man’s struggles slowed. Grew weaker.

Brock wrenched his lower body to one side, hard as he could. A crunch sounded. The bastard’s dead weight dropped all of a sudden. It was too much.

Brock howled in agony as his wrists shredded from the additional weight. The man fell from his grip and slid through Brock’s legs, hitting the floor hard.

Brock was sucking in air, a blinding haze of pain clouding his mind when he finally realized more men were coming through the door.

“Cap. Cap, you good?”

Brock couldn’t answer, so grateful to hear Rodriguez’s voice that he sagged, his body convulsing with a sob.

“Fuck.” Granger. “Hang on, Cap. I got you.” He wrapped solid arms around Brock’s hips, hoisting him slightly to relieve the strain on his wrists and shoulders.

Brock groaned in pitiful relief and dropped his head to his chest, unable to speak.

“Help me get him the fuck down,” Granger snapped.

“On it.” Lockhart.

The familiar, dreaded cranking sound started up, came faster and faster, and Brock was slowly lowered toward the floor. Granger held him up, his grip solid around Brock’s hips. Somebody else rushed forward to grab him around the waist. He yelled as pain sliced through his ribs, tried to wrench away and got nowhere.

“We got you, Cap. We’re getting you out of here.” Freeman.

The pressure on his sore ribs eased. His arms slowly lowered to his sides. No longer suspended by the chains, his entire body sagged like a ragdoll as his teammates lowered him gently to the floor on his back. He dimly heard them dragging the dead man’s body aside.

“It’s like a fucking meat locker in here,” Granger muttered, already fumbling with one of the manacles. Someone was cutting the ties on Brock’s ankles free. His legs flopped apart when it snapped, lay limply on the icy concrete. “Get a blanket.”

Brock faded out, came back when someone tucked a blanket around him. The overhead light was on now. He blinked his one eye, staring up into Khan’s worried face.

“Hey, man,” Khan said. “You’re gonna be okay. We’ll have you out of here in a minute. Just hang on, all right?”

Brock sucked in a breath as Granger finally got the first manacle off. He struggled to turn his head to see who was working on the other one.

Blood coated his wrists and hands, the torn flesh there like raw hamburger. Maka was there, his face set as he strained to force the metal halves apart. Brock yelled when the second one snapped open, tearing into his shredded skin.

“Sorry, Cap. I’ll let you punch me in the face later. Now take a breath and brace yourself, because this is gonna fucking hurt.”

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