Page 145 of The Savior

CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR

Liam exited the highway and drove down the familiar streets toward Chelsea’s condo. Maybe he and Westin had extremely different definitions of a cake walk job.

“You’ll just have to trust my process,” Westin added as though able to read Liam’s mind.

He still didn’t understand who or what the man was. But Liam trusted Chance, and Chance trustedBoss Man.

He grumbled. “Guess I’ll trust your process…”Up to a point.The closer Liam came to Chelsea’s condo, the greater his bloodthirst for Pham raged.

“Keep the end in sight and your focus clear,” Westin said. “Pham needs to be taken alive in addition to the rescue.”

Liam chewed the inside of his mouth to keep from announcing what he saw clearly. He’d loved and lost. Then he loved again. He’d done so without fault or reservation, without any expectation, because life wasn’t linear, and love was never black and white.

He could grieve. He could love. He could rage and want revenge. Liam could do all of those and also kill Tran Pham.

But he didn’t know how he was supposed to take Pham alive and rescue two women alone?

Then again, he hadn’t been alone this entire time, and tonight, an apparent team stood by, even if only in his ear.

“Do you read me?” Westin requested.

Liam hesitated, uncertain of his backup and not ready to commit to Pham’s live capture. But Chelsea and Sorenson’s daughter were on the line. He’d figure out how to make everything happen. “Roger that. I have the end in sight.”

The entrance to Chelsea’s complex loomed. An oncoming SUV cut in front of Liam. He slammed on his brakes. “Shit!”

“Echo One, we’re early, but we’re a go,” Black said.

Liam checked his rearview mirror. Another SUV had boxed him in. A telephone pole and a bike rack blocked the sidewalk on the passenger side, and a third SUV screeched to a stop on the driver’s side.

Doors opened, and his enemy appeared. Two, four… Liam counted how many had him surrounded. His adrenaline pumped. Whatever the final count was, it was one against a lot.

Liam reached for the shotgun as a muffled shot fired toward him. The nearest street lamp exploded. Sparks floated, then the dark night became black.

Thump. Thump.His tires exploded under fire. Their air hissed out.Thump. Thump.He’d lost his transportation.

“Dammit!” Liam shouted. “A little warning would’ve been nice, Zulu Actual.”

“Even without lights, Sorenson’s gonna see this,” Black said.

Who cares about Sorenson?

“Do something about it,” Westin ordered Black, apparently caring. “Brosnan, you know everything you need. Army recon soldiers are at their best when fighting against an enemy that thinks they have them captured.”

He swiveled to check each side. Armed men were closing in on him.

“You know what to do,” Westin confirmed. “Now destroy the comms and start this mission, soldier.”

Shit.He yanked the mic from his collar and pulled the earpiece. The door of the SUV next to him opened.

Liam readied for his role as a rogue mercenary without any comms or support. He laid the two pieces on the center console and smashed his elbow down.

The other man closed the distance to his door, and Liam swiped the broken pieces aside.

“Here goes nothing.” He gripped the carbine and stepped out, meeting the man straight on.

The man from the Metro. Liam knew the hatred in his eyes and could feel the chill of Pham’s dead soul. He had a split-second realization that if his life hadn’t continued, he’d be a mirror image of the man standing across from him.

The distantwomp,wompof a low-flying chopper came within earshot. His senses fired. Sorenson knew—and he understood Black’s concern. The senator would take Pham before a rescue, and a captured Pham wouldn’t give up Chelsea’s location to spite them.

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