Page 71 of Hidden Attraction

His jaw clenched hard with determination as he sped up a straightaway, weaving around pedestrians then ducking under a hanging banner.

After losing Echo team, he never fully grieved before he made the sidestep to Charlie. He embraced having new brothers to fight beside. Now…he was alone in a way he’d never been before.

Echo team was gone. Dead.

And his brothers in Charlie? They weren’t here. He had no cover, no backup, nobody watching his six.

He was truly on his own.

As it sank in, he pushed the throttle harder. The woman he was falling in love with was out there, and it was up to him to get her back.

He just hoped he wasn’t already too late.

The last ping received from her phone was only blocks away now. The map was etched into the folds of his brain.

He didn’t have much of a plan, but he was good at thinking on the fly. His brothers hadn’t given him the nickname Cobra for no reason—and he planned on striking with the swiftness of the snake.

When the building came into the scope of his sight, his stomach clenched. Alyssa was here. He couldfeelit.

He had no idea what he was walking into. There might be an army hiding inside those crumbling block walls, and as much confidence as he had about his own abilities, he was still one man.

He had to use his head. He couldn’t just go in there with guns blazing, and although a few flashbangs he had stuffed in his jacket would aid his cause, he couldn’t just drive up on the scooter, jump off and kick in the door.

Swiftly, he turned the corner and parked the scooter within range for a quick getaway once he got Alyssa out.

If I get her out.

No. He wasn’t going to think like that. Hewouldget her out. Hewoulddo this.

After ditching the ride, he raced to the side of the building, his chest tight, his breath held. The place was a relic from decades past, gray blocks mottled with stains from the metal roof that had streaked rust down the walls like tears.

Weeds pushed through every crack in the pavement, and in spots no pavement even existed, leaving patches of barren ground where nothing grew at all.

The wind carried the odor of scorched rubber. A dented van with mismatched doors of black and gray idled in front of a closed garage door.

That had to be the one they’d snatched her in. His jaw clenched at the thought of Alyssa in there, maybe hurt, maybe worse.

With a quick sweep of the area, he took stock. Two doors—one on the front, one on the side. The van blocked the garage door, which meant it was their only way out.

If he torched it…they’d come running.

It was a risk, but it was all he had.

Creeping low, he kept to the back of the building, skirting around rusted barrels and forgotten pallets. No guards were in sight. Good. It meant they weren’t watching for company.

Probably didn’t expect him to find her.

Then why did they let her keep her phone? Either they were luring him into a trap, or they were sloppy criminals who never bothered to check if the woman they kidnapped had a phone on her until they had her in the warehouse.

He pushed out of his crouch and stole a peek in a window. No lights either.

From a pocket, he pulled a homemade incendiary—just a fuel-soaked rag and a flare. Not pretty. But it’d work.

He jammed the rag into the van’s gas port and struck the flare. The moment it caught, he backed away fast, jogging behind the nearest low wall.

The boom wasn’t huge, but it was enough. Fire whooshed up and black smoke mushroomed skyward.

Shouts followed. Doors opened. Three men rushed out, weapons drawn, but they were scattered and disorganized. One of them even ran straight into Chase’s line of fire.

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