Page 43 of Damaged & Deadly

Oliver and I share a look as we continue our watchful and silent journey along the tunnel, guns at the ready in case we run into anyone. We’re meeting the others at the access to the tower, but we agreed to enter via separate tunnels in case one of us is caught.

Although I’m finally getting what I wanted, I have my reservations about tonight. It’s all too fast. There hasn’t been enough time to plan, to strategize, to be sure. However, there was no reasoning with Red. She’s tried to be patient, but she finally reached her breaking point, and despite my apprehension, I can understand her feelings.

It’s just past two a.m., and we spent all day at my childhood home, pouring over maps of this part of the city while Dante and Enzo outlined the underground tunnels and told us how to get into them. Most are only accessible via high-security access points. Still, a couple of the older tunnels stretching to the edges of Antonelli territory can be entered through utility holes in the street above. It’s through those utility holes that we and each team of five Rejects entered nearly an hour ago. While our men moved into position in each of the tunnels, Oliver and I held back, not wanting to get caught lurking near the entrance to Giovanni’s building before Red arrived and the next part of our hastily thrown-together plan was put into action.

With only fifteen minutes until we’re due to meet, Oliver and I have been slowly making our way there while keeping our senses on high alert and weapons ready. I still don’t fully trust either of those assholes who have wormed their way into my woman’s heart, and I wouldn’t for one second put it past them to use this opportunity to have us taken out and wave it off as anaccident.A casualty of war.

Pulling my phone from my pocket, a notification tells me I have no signal, and I dismiss it to check the maps, seeing that we are nearly there. Walk to the end of this tunnel, then take a left. Another right turn, and we should be there. I use these last few moments before all hell breaks loose to sink into the necessary mindset. Years of planning, of dreaming, of just fucking surviving, all to get me to this point—to tonight. It’s not even close to how I saw it all playing out, and while I wish Red and her brother weren’t caught up in the middle of it, I can’t bring myself to regret bringing her in. She’s given me a purpose beyond thinking of revenge. Something to look forward toafterI avenge Evie. I’d never thought about the after before. Everything was about getting to this point, and I figured I’d sort the rest out once Giovanni was no longer breathing—assuming I even made it out alive. Until Red, I hadn’t been too hung up on actually surviving. So long as I took Giovanni out with me, I didn’t give a shit if I died too.

All of that is different now. I see a life beyond all of this. One with Red in my bed and Oliver at my side.And Dante and Enzo? What about them?I quickly kick any thoughts of those assholes to the back of my mind. Maybe I’ll get lucky and they’ll die today, or they’ll double cross us like I’m half expecting, and Red will see them for the untrustworthy scum that they are.

As we turn the corner into the final tunnel, a ding rings out and we both freeze, lifting our weapons as the elevator doors slide open. A second later, I lower mine, sighing a breath of relief as Red steps out, followed by Dante and Enzo. The two men are dressed in their usual attire of expensive-as-shit suits, but it’s Red who draws my eye in her skin-tight leather pants that hug her curves and mold to her lean thighs. Her blades are sheathed and strapped around each one, proudly on display instead of hidden away in her boots like they usually are. Lifting my gaze, her spine is straight, her shoulders thrown back as she moves toward us. The tight, black tank accentuates her ample breasts, causing the front of my jeans to tighten as desire heats my body. Her long fiery red hair is pulled back in a ponytail and her face is set in a hard mask.

She’s everything I never knew I wanted in a woman. She’s fierce and strong, bold and cunning. She can handle her own and isn’t afraid to unleash all that pent-up anger and aggression on those who deserve it, but she’s also kind and understanding. There’s an inner softness underneath that hard—and slightly psychotic—exterior which is rare to find these days. Black Creek turns everyone into cold, self-serving assholes. It leads to most people only caring about one thing—power or survival—and they will doanythingto achieve that, regardless of who they have to stand on, fuck over, or kill. But not Sawyer. The love she feels for her brother has prevented her from closing herself off to that part of her humanity. Sure, she will go to the ends of the earth for him, but she won’t destroy those in her way unless they leave her with no other option. And those that don’t move out of her way? Well fuck, they better sleep with one eye open.

As she strides toward us, Red’s gaze runs over me before flicking to Oliver, giving him a once over as if checking that we are both unharmed.

The five of us meet halfway down the tunnel at yet another elevator that will take us up to Giovanni’s penthouse. I barely spare the two assholes beside her a second glance as I run my eyes over her sexy outfit a final time before shoving my hand out. “Put this on.”

Red looks at the bulletproof vest in my hands that matches the ones Oliver and I are wearing before throwing it over her head and fixing the Velcro straps. “Ready?”

“Everyone’s in place,” I confirm.

“My men have confirmed Luc is being held on Santos’ floor,” Dante states. “You two take Sawyer and go to Santos’ apartment. Lor and I will head off my father.”

The muscle in my jaw ticks as I bite back the demand to go after Giovanni myself. I’ve been pining for his death for so long. Dreamt about this day when he was finally at my mercy, but this is what we agreed, and as much as I want to be there when they get him, it’s more important that I’m at Red’s side so I can ensure she and her brother are safe.

I give a stilted jerk of my head before gritting out, “Take him alive.”

Dante’s dark gaze runs over me before he meets my eyes. There’s an emptiness there that doesn’t sit right with me, but there’s no time now to pussy out or change plans.

After a second, he gives a sharp nod of agreement. “We will do our best. We all want to see him suffer more than a quick death.”

His gaze roams over each of us. “As soon as I call this elevator, my father’s men will know we are here. There’s a camera in the back left corner, so they’ll know it’s an ambush the second the doors open.”

“Yeah, yeah, we know, asshole. We’re here, and everyone’s in place. Let’s get this shitshow on the road, yeah?” I wave toward the closed elevator doors, and Dante scowls at me before he turns, leaning in so the elevator can scan his eye. Talk about high-tech, not that it wouldn’t stop me from slitting his throat and ripping out his eyeball if it got me access to Giovanni. Although, this way is less bloody.

There’s a quiet ping as the elevator arrives, and just before the door slides open, I speak into my headset. “Alpha team, go.”

As we all pile into the waiting elevator, I rest assured that my team is currently storming the front entrance of the tower block, ready to remove the security guards on duty. Once that is done, they’re to shut down any and all exits out of here, meaning Giovanni is a sitting duck trapped inside a glass cage.Tick-tock, motherfucker.

Dante presses the button for Santos’ floor—the one directly below the penthouse—and the elevator lifts with a whoosh. Apprehension sits thick in the air as we climb skyward, all of us readying ourselves for battle. Red is standing slightly in front of me, her chest rising and falling in even breaths, but I can see the tension in the sharp posture of her shoulders and the tight coil of her muscles, ready to spring into action as soon as the doors open.

My own gun is lifted, ready to eliminate any waiting threat. The second the doors part, someone starts shooting at us. Gunshots are ringing out in the small, enclosed space, and I fire back blindly, hearing the rattle of Oliver’s gun as he shoots too. We’re all pressed flat against the sides of the car, with Red half-hidden behind Enzo’s broad frame in an attempt to keep her from harm. My chest lifts in rapid breaths, my heart thundering against my ribs as the bullets keep coming. My back is pressed against the control panel, and I glance across the door to Oliver, who mimics my position. With a nod, he turns, keeping his body hidden while he shoots off another round. Meanwhile, I grab a grenade strapped to the back of my belt, ripping out the pin. Then I chuck it out of the elevator before we both duck back to safety.

One.

Two.

Three.

Bang.The whole elevator quakes as the grenade goes off, followed by a cloud of dust that drifts into the confined space. Reaching out for Red, I tug her toward me, squinting through the dust cloud as the three of us move out of the elevator.

She’s palming a blade in one hand, and I have my gun pointed deeper into the dust cloud while we slowly move down the hallway, waiting expectantly for someone to start shooting at us again.

I’m only faintly aware of the sound of the elevator doors closing behind us, the loss of light making it harder to see as Dante and Enzo head up to Giovanni’s penthouse. If they are planning on fucking us over, this is when it will happen, especially now that we are alone and vulnerable. I push the thought of their possible duplicity to the back of my mind as we shoulder on, stepping over the still form of dead bodies scattered across the hall and leaning awkwardly against the wall from where they were thrown in the blast. If Santos didn’t know of our arrival before, he sure as hell does now. After that explosion, I’m sure everyone in the damn building knows we’re here to wreak havoc and fuck shit up.

The cloud of smoke thins out as we leave the dead bodies behind and move further down the hallway. Doors line both sides of the corridor, but if what Dante said is true, no one else lives on this floor except Santos. Why does one guy need an entire floor to himself? What the hell is he hiding here? Or maybe he’s just an antisocial prick who hates human company.

---