Page 47 of Depraved

I couldn't help the smile that crept across my face. This was it—the moment I'd been waiting for. The final test of his loyalty. My stomach did several flips.

"Good," I purred, reaching out to cup his cheek. "I knew you'd see things my way." He closed his eyes and sucked in a shaky breath, leaning his face into my palm. "You know this changes everything, right? There's no going back after this."

He opened his eyes and smiled wickedly, a hint of the old Gage shining back at me. "That's exactly what I'm counting on."

I checkedmy watch for what felt like the hundredth time. 7:58 AM. In just minutes, we'd set our plan in motion. River sat hunched over a laptop, his fingers flying across the keyboard as he finalized the last details of our cyber assault. Beside him, Alex monitored a bank of screens showing various camera feeds from around the precinct.

"Tate just entered the building," Alex murmured, his voice tight with focus. "Looks like he's right on schedule."

When I gave the signal in a few moments, Alex and River would have the power grid for the entire block shut down, and we’d move in.

I nodded, a grim smile tugging at my lips. I met Vinny and Tomasso’s eyes and gave them a sharp nod. They filed out of the van, tapping twice on the hood as they left. We had four more vehicles parked up and down the street, full of enforcers ready for carnage.

Gage stood beside me, his jaw clenched tight enough that I could see a muscle ticking in his cheek. He was dressed in full tactical gear, just like the rest of us. I couldn’t help but think how much better he looked in non-police issued gear. The cop life just didn’t suit a man like him. He belonged in the underworld with me. This was his final chance to actually prove it.

The previous evening, Sarge had confided in me about the men Gage had killed at the cabin during the ambush. They could have been men he knew. Sarge also mentioned that Gage had yelled my name while indiscriminately shooting, trying to reach me. That was why he was given this opportunity.

I scanned the van, making eye contact with each of my men individually. "These bastards tried to sabotage us from within,and when that failed, they attempted to cheat. Let's go fuck em’ up."

Alex grinned wickedly, and Sarge cocked his weapon, nodding curtly. River stared at me, waiting for my signal, ready and willing to do whatever I said. These men would follow me into the darkness with blindfolds on if I asked them to, and I’d do the fucking same.

As we approached the precinct, I saw Tate emerge from the front doors. Right on cue. He caught my eye and gave an almost imperceptible nod before turning and walking briskly down the street.

"Now," I said into my comm so that every one of my enforcers could hear.

The effect was instantaneous. Every light in the field office building flickered and died. Car alarms blared to life up and down the block as their systems triggered all at once. Chaos erupted as confused civilians stumbled out of nearby buildings, blinking in the sudden darkness. They’d clog up the streets, making sure nobody got through. Traffic lights were off, and the screech of tires of pavement echoed down the street.

We moved swiftly, our team splitting into pre-assigned groups. Some went around back, some to the side exits. Gage led my team, his familiarity with the building layout guiding us through lesser-known corridors. He’d gone over the blueprint of the building last night, so we all had a rough idea of where to go when things got messy.

I’d given my enforcers strict instructions. Limit casualties to feds only. No civilian kills unless it was unavoidable. I wasn’t an idiot. Important people came and went through this building, and some of them were clients of ours. We couldn’t afford to make any unnecessary enemies. This was a retaliation mission only and then we’d get the fuck out.

Chaos erupted as we breached the building. The emergency backup generators kicked in, bathing everything in an eerie red glow, reminding me of the basement room these fuckers locked us up in. Alarms blared, their shrill wails echoing off the marble floors and high ceilings.

We moved swiftly, our boots squeaking on the polished surface as we fanned out. Screams and shouts echoed through the halls, punctuated by the sharp crack of gunfire. I caught glimpses of my enforcers in action as we pushed forward. The men worked in perfect sync, covering each other as they systematically cleared offices. Their movements were fluid, almost graceful, as they took down agent after agent with cold efficiency.

To my left, I saw Diego shove a terrified secretary into a supply closet, slamming the door shut behind her. Good. We didn't need any unnecessary casualties, and I didn’t need trigger-happy idiots on my payroll.

Gage moved like a man possessed, as he led us deeper into the building. Every so often, he'd pause, raising a closed fist to signal us to stop. Then he'd peek around a corner, fire off a few precise shots, and we'd move on.

As we reached the second floor, a group of agents burst out of a conference room, guns drawn. One of them paused as his gaze landed on Gage. He opened his mouth to say his name I presumed, but I took the shot, putting him down before he had the chance to scream.

We fought our way up through the building, floor by floor, leaving a trail of bodies and spent shell casings in our wake. The stench of coppery blood hung heavy in the air, mingling with the acrid smell of smoke from small fires that had broken out during the chaos.

As we reached the fourth floor, Gage held up a hand, signaling us to pause. "My office is on the next level," he said,his voice tight with tension. "That's where the senior agents will be holed up. They'll have fortified positions, heavy weaponry. It won't be easy."

I exchanged glances with Sarge, Alex, and River. We were all thinking the same thing—was this a trap? Had Gage led us here to walk right into an ambush?

"After you," I said coldly, gesturing towards the stairwell with my gun.

He just nodded, understanding the implicit threat. He'd be the first one through that door, the first to take fire if this was a setup. We ascended the stairs in tense silence, our footsteps echoing off the concrete walls. As we reached the landing, Gage paused, his hand on the door handle. He took a deep breath, then pushed it open.

The hallway beyond was eerily quiet. The red emergency lights made it difficult to see. The silence was shattered by a sudden burst of gunfire. Bullets whizzed past us, pinging off the metal door frame. Gage dove to the side, taking cover behind a large potted plant. The rest of us scattered, pressing ourselves against the walls on either side of the doorway.

"Goddamnit, Warren!" a voice bellowed from down the hall. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

One of his old buddies, I presumed. Maybe it was this Tate guy I’d been hearing so fucking much about. The motherfucker didn’t even show his face when we’d been thrown in the basement, so I had no idea what he looked like.

Gage's jaw clenched, a muscle ticking in his cheek. He took a deep breath, then shouted back, his voice raw with emotion. "You should have thought about that before going off the books, you fucking idiots! Sarah's death is on your hands!"

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