Page 89 of Lacey's Fight

He fired.

Mervin dropped.

Leaving the Delta Team to deal with the man, he turned his attention to the screen. “Lacey!” he cried out when he saw that she had collapsed.

“We got the weapon,” Fish announced.

“And the controller?” he asked, unable to take his eyes off Lacey’s still form. She hadn’t reacted when he’d called her name and he had to assume that if she wasn’t already dead from heat stroke, she was close to it.

“Broken,” Beatle replied.

“Damn,” Ben muttered. They needed to find where Mervin had put Lacey or she wasn’t going to survive. He’d be forced to stand here and watch as she took her final breath. Placing a hand on the screen he traced Lacey’s crumpled body with a fingertip. “Hold on, sunflower.”

With a last look at the woman who had done the impossible and made him want to live again, he turned and rounded on the man who had tried to steal away what was his.

Nobody stopped him as he stormed across the room, grabbed Mervin around the neck, and hauled the man to his feet.

If Mervin thought he was in control of his destiny he was wrong.

He wasn’t getting a quick and easy death.

Nope.

He was going to have to face the consequences of his actions.

“Tell me where she is,” he ordered as he slammed Mervin against the bedroom wall.

Mutinous blue eyes stared back at him.

They didn’t have time to waste.

Lacey didn’t have time to waste.

Gripping the gunshot wound in the man’s shoulder he squeezed, making Mervin howl in pain. When his gaze darted to the Delta Team Ben gave a cold, harsh laugh.

“If you think they’re going to stop me you’re crazy. They know that woman in there is mine. You took her, hurt her, I want nothing more than to beat you into a bloody, unrecognizable pulp.”

Mervin gulped, he stunk of fear.

“Tell me where you put her. Where is that room?” he demanded, pointing at the screen.

More sullen silence.

Ben slammed a fist into the man’s face, barely satisfied when he heard the crunch of nasal bones breaking. His second blow was aimed for the gunshot wound. Both hits made Mervin scream in agony. He didn't even feel the pain in his shoulder where his own gunshot wound was still healing. Later he might, but in this moment he cared about only one thing.

“Ready to tell me where you put her?”

When Mervin didn’t say anything, he rained down blows. With each one he pictured Jemima’s bloody body, Lacey’s face as she hung from the ceiling, bleeding and violated. He thought of the future, how dark it had seemed, how endless, a tunnel of pain that only ended in more pain.

Now that future seemed brighter.

Because of Lacey.

He wasn’t losing her.

“Tell.” Punch. “Me.” Punch. “Where.” Punch. “She.” Punch. “Is.”

“Hold up, man. I get it. We all do, but you do much more and he won’t be able to talk, then Lacey pays the price,” Coach said quietly from behind him.

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