Page 45 of Finding Haven
Ace begins to go over the cabin’s various entry points, and I pull in a deep lungful of air in an attempt to steady myself, forcing myself to focus on his words and not on all of the things that could go wrong. “We can’t be sure where he’ll have Chelsea or what his current mental state is, so we need to approach this with as much caution as we can. If anything happens to her because we—”
Hailey cuts him off with a wave of her hand. “I will follow your lead here, Ace, but if there’s anyone who can handle someone like Jason, it’s Chelsea. I know this is likely the last thing you want to hear, but she dated him for a long time. She knows his triggers. As much as she’s trusting us, trusting you, to save her, we also have to trust that she knows how to stay safe. Ethan and I… we haven’t left her completely defenseless. She can handle herself with a gun if it comes to that.”
“We’re going to get her out and take that fuck out in the process,” I say, the words taking me by surprise as they leave my mouth. Was it not just fuckingyesterdaythat I told Quinn I’ve never killed anyone? And maybe after today, that will still be true. But if it’s not, will I be able to live with myself knowing I’ve taken one life to save another?
Death is so often looked at as something to be feared, but wouldn’t allowing this man to live be the true terror?
After deciding on our points of entry, I hand Ace and Hailey each an earbud that will enable us to communicate before we climb from the vehicle. Hailey will be taking up the front entrance, while Ace moves in from the side entrance that leads into the kitchen, and I’ll enter from the back sliding doors leading into the primary bedroom. Hailey is the distraction, if needed. The target won’t anticipate someone coming in from the front door.
I’m well aware that Ace would prefer to storm in there and take the fucker out with a quick shot to the head before we burn the place to the ground. But first, we need to be sure that Chelsea won’t be caught in the crossfire. We can’t make any missteps or act impulsively.
My head falls back as I pull in a deep breath, inhaling the fresh scent of the surrounding trees and earth, allowing it to center me as ice slithers along my veins. Letting the cold darkness in isn’t as easy as it was a few weeks ago, before I met Quinn. The warmth she exudes rivals the sun and has worked its way into my soul, chasing away the shadows.
Get in. Get Chelsea. Get out.Get in. Get Chelsea. Get out.
The words repeat like a mantra, adrenaline surging in my system as I visualize opening a door and letting the darkness in.
We’ve got this. We won’t fail.
I won’t fail.
To my surprise, the door slides open easily, but I still push it slowly to avoid making any noise. “I’m in,” I murmur into the comm as I step inside, pulling a Glock from the holster at my waist. The cool metal against the warm skin of my palm grounds me to the here and now. I hold it securely out in front of me, quickly scanning the room for any sign of an immediate threat.
I can hear the man spewing hateful words at Chelsea from somewhere else in the cabin, and I take careful steps as I move towards the sound of his voice. Hailey makes her location known through the comms, but Ace tells her to hold her position. We agreed to let him take the lead on this one. Despite my brief history with law enforcement, he has the most experience with situations such as these. She and I will move in when he makes his presence known.
Blood thrums in my ears as my pulse pounds, fear spiking as Ace’s voice rattles through the earbud, reverberating off the walls from the other room. “I thought I fucking told you to stay away from her,” he seethes.
I can’t spend another second trying to get my head on straight. They’re all depending on me to help bring an end to this hellscape, and I refuse to let them down. I refuse to lose anyone else.
Taking his words as my cue to move in, I slip around the corner, gun aimed directly at the piece of shit who dared to harm one of our own. Hailey throws open the front door, and it slams against the wood-paneled wall. The man’s eyes widen and dart around the room, his hands trembling at his side as realization sinks in. We’ve got him surrounded.
“Put down your weapon,” I snap, my voice deep and unyielding as I keep my eyes trained on the target. He’s standing a few paces back from Chelsea, his arms hanging loosely at his sides, with his fingers wrapped around the grip of his gun.
Chelsea is sitting on the worn-out beige couch, her hands secured behind her back with zip-ties. Her relief is palpable as her shoulders visibly slump, her green eyes landing on Ace as they brim with tears.
“Damn, sweetheart. I didn’t realize you had your own little entourage of security,” Jason quips. Pure, unfiltered hatred burns in my chest, my ribs constricting with disgust as I look him over. Men like him don’t deserve to take up space. Men like him are the reason why The Phoenix Legion exists. How long has he been able to evade the law? How many women would he continue to hurt if it weren’t for us stepping in and ensuring he will cease to exist?
Ace barks a command at his sister, demanding that she get Chelsea out of here as she moves to her side. Hailey makes quick work of cutting the plastic ties from Chelsea’s wrists. Ace and I take careful, measured steps towards the man whose life is about to be brought to its end.
For a man who’s about to die, Jason’s dark eyes are lit with a sinister gleam, the corner of his lips tugged into a hideous smirk as I move towards him. I make quick work of swiping his weapon from his grasp as Ace presses the muzzle of his Glock to the man’s forehead. A deep chuckle escapes him as I pull out a pair of handcuffs and secure his wrists behind his back.
Vivid memories of my past suddenly begin to flash through my mind. My heart lurches from the onslaught as emotion clogs my throat, thick and heavy as each one plays like an old soundless film. Every call Ryan and I responded to together, every person we saved, every life we changed; it all comes pouring in at once. His voice, his laughter, and the words of encouragement he would offer all the times I dreaded going home.
I draw in a slow, deliberate breath, steadying myself against the storm building within me.
Despite his insistence, Chelsea refuses to leave with Hailey. She wants to stay and watch her offender be brought to his end. “I’m not leaving,” she says firmly, her voice barely above a whisper. With his wrists secured a bit tighter than necessary, I step around to his front and raise my gun, pressing the muzzle firmly between his eyes before Ace moves away. He crosses the room to Chelsea, their voices low as he consoles her.
My eyes are locked on the pathetic human in front of me, strands of his grimy blond hair hanging down over one eye as his dark eyes bore into me. He leans forward to press his forehead into the cool metal of the gun. A cruel, sinister grin stretches across his face, taunting me as he stares me down. He’s daring me to pull the trigger, but this isn’t my kill.
When Ace steps up beside me, I let him take my place and move to stand beside Hailey. We place ourselves in front of Chelsea, shielding her from what she’s about to witness, despite her insistence on staying.
The rigid set of my shoulders intensifies as I brace myself for the moment a bullet will be shot through skin and bone. It’s not a sound I’ll ever be able to erase from my memory. The shadows writhing within my body are a living thing, wrapping themselves around every aspect of my soul as Ace fires his gun. The shot rings in my ears as an invisible weight falls from my shoulders at the same time that Jason’s lifeless body hits the floor.
She’s safe. We’re all going home.
35
Zack
