Page 53 of Kaz
The building was divided into small offices, and they searched every room, every corner and nook, and came up empty. Stacks of paper on desks, a discarded cardigan tossed over the back of a chair, and the coffee mugs in the kitchenette sink were all signs of this place being used for its intended purpose. So why was it empty?
“Marks are secured,” Talon’s voice came through his earpiece, bringing with it a rush of relief.
“Copy,” Kaz said. Talon knew where to take them. He was the one who’d parked the minivan they’d procured just for this purpose a few streets over.
He motioned for the others to head back to the front of the building. He took one step and then an explosion rocked the ground, the walls shaking as windows shattered.
“Fuck,” he hissed, his knee hitting the floor, the grip on his gun tightening.
If someone got hurt, it was on him. This was his operation, and it had clearly gone to shit.
Rapid pops of gunfire had him yelling at the others to move. They burst through the front door to find the back half of the truck decimated, debris and soot covering the ground. Thegunfire ceased, but he motioned for Killian and Solo to stay alert as he stepped closer to the remains of the truck.
He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw no bodies.
“Report,” he snapped, a finger on his earpiece.
“We’re good,” Wilder answered, his voice breathy as if he was running. “Meet at rendezvous.”
“Copy that,” Kaz said and walked back toward Solo and Killian.
A loud metallic screech had him digging his earpiece out, shaking his head as if that would stave off the flash of pain. One glance at the others showed them pulling out their earpieces, too. Fuck. That was the last thing they needed.
His heart stopped when he saw three figures moving toward them. Cary and Jane were holding Maddox between them, carrying him as blood darkened his jeans. Mia followed behind them, watching their backs.
“We ran into some trouble,” Jane panted. “Maddox took the brunt of it.”
They all looked a little worse for wear, but nowhere near how Maddox looked. He was pale, his jaw clenched tight in pain, sweat pearling on his forehead. His jeans were torn right above the knee, a makeshift tourniquet wrapped around his thigh.
“’Mm good,” Maddox slurred, not fooling anyone.
“Fuck,” Kaz muttered and turned to Killian. “Get him to Emma.Now.”
Killian nodded shortly and took Jane’s place at Maddox’s side, placing Maddox’s arm over his shoulder, and then he and Cary dragged him toward the bikes.
Jane ran her arm across her face, smearing blood on her cheek. Solo used his sleeve to rub it off the next second, and surprisingly, Jane glared daggers at him.
“The truck driver went out the back,” Mia reported. “We didn’t?”
The rumble of a motorcycle had him jerking his head around to see Kian screeching to a stop before the gate.
“We need to go,” Kian yelled, waving frantically at them just as sirens filled the air.
They all took off, Kaz doing a mental headcount as he ran. As far as he could tell, everyone was accounted for. It made it just a little easier for him to breathe, though adrenaline still pumped through his veins as he mounted his bike and drove off with the others right behind him.
He pulled into the park where he found Killian on the ground, holding Maddox down while Emma had her kit open, her attention on the wound in his left leg. The only reason he didn’t lose his shit was the minuscule amount of blood coming out of the wound. Maddox was lucky that bullet hadn’t nicked an artery.
More bikes pulled up, and shortly after, Wilder came walking toward him, the twins trailing behind him with their heads low and their shoulders slumped. Wilder gave a jerk of his head toward a more secluded spot before Kaz could open his mouth. He followed Wilder there, something clenching tight in his chest.
“We had the cops on our asses because those two decided to blow up the truck before I could stop them. Spencer decided to lead the cops away.”
“Why the fuck?”
“I told him not to, but he didn’t listen. We followed, staying just far enough behind to see him get cuffed and thrown in the back of a cruiser.”
“Fuck,” Kaz hissed, hands clenching and unclenching as he ran his gaze over everyone. The second he caught sight of the twins, he took off toward them, Wilder cursing behind him.
Chaos looked up as Kaz neared, wincing when he saw the anger clearly displayed on Kaz’s face. He put a hand on his brother’s arm, and two sets of wide eyes met Kaz’s gaze.
