Page 68 of Tainted King

“We’re going in through the back,” Gunner said, pulling Freya into his side, not missing a beat. “There’s a window to the basement.”

There was no way I’d stay behind, watching from the sidelines. “I’m coming along.”

Gunner nodded, handing me an earpiece. “I’ll get you closer.”

We made our way to the back of the house, lucking out that there was a narrow access road running behind the properties. Gunner left us at the gate leading into the backyard. “Good luck. As soon as you have her, we’ll go in.”

Looking though a gap in the fence, I saw the window he spoke of. It was small, but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t try and squeeze through.

“I’ll be lookout,” Gabriel offered.

Glancing behind him, I realized we were missing someone. “Where’s Jude?”

Shrugging, Gabriel undid the latch. “No idea.”

Not wanting to waste time finding out what he was up to, I made my way to the house. Keeping hidden behind bushes, I was in front of the window within a few seconds without setting off any alarms.

The window looked even smaller up close. I nudged it, but the frame didn’t budge. But the lock looked old and rusty, and with a little bit of poking and prodding, it creaked open.

Making sure the house was still quiet, I put my legs through first. But once I made it to my belt line, I was stuck, unable to go any farther no matter how much I pushed. My suit ripped, and a rogue nail left a scratch down my side.

A body dropped down next to me. “Need some help?”

Jude had clearly been busy dressing up. He was covered in tactical gear and mud and had a black streak on each cheek.

“You look ridiculous.”

He grinned. “So do you. Need a hand?”

I grumbled my assent, and he pulled me back, leaving more skin and pieces of my suit on the window frame.

“Now tell me I look awesome instead of hating on me for coming dressed for the occasion.” Twirling his hand at me, he ended with a raised middle finger. “You had to ruin a perfectly good suit before you accepted that there was no way you’d be able to fit. Lucky for you, my lithe but still handsome and muscular body will squeeze through.”

Taking a deep breath so I didn’t hurt the person who was about to get into the basement to save Quinn, I pointed to the open window. “Well, then, show me what you got.”

After saluting me, the little shit slid straight through the window. It was a tight fit, but he made it. After giving me a queenly wave, he disappeared into the dark hallway.

He had five minutes. If he hadn’t found Quinn by then, I was going in with or without his signal.

The occasional sound of voices drifted from the house, but it was mostly quiet. I studied my watch like it held the answer to the meaning of life. And it might, because life wasn’t worth much if Quinn wasn’t in it.

With four seconds to spare, Jude found Quinn.

Then all hell broke loose.

21

Quinn

There was a scratching sound, then a squeak when the door opened. I tensed, not ready for my captors to be back so fast.

Light hit my face, and I blinked into the sudden brightness.

“Damn, I’m good,” Jude said, then closed the door behind him and lowered his flashlight.

Blinking to regain my vision, I stared at the youngest Olysses. “Jude? What are you doing here?”

He flashed his pearly white and perfectly straight teeth at me. “Coming to rescue you.”

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