Page 106 of Slow Burn (The Boston Beauties)

‘Where is it?’

‘Chatham,’ Breton told me, and the Cahills and looked to his co-workers. ‘It’s up the Cape a bit, near a marina.’

They pulled it up on Google maps, and it looked secluded as if it was mainly used for boat storage around the perimeter of the property, and likely used in the winter with a few dozen self-storage lockers in the middle of the property.

‘Call the detective back,’ Colleen offered, desperate to get her daughter back.

‘No,’ Nyall shook his head as he stood. ‘I’ll have her out of there before they can even get here to look over the evidence. They’re sloppy, and I can’t trust working with amateurs.’

‘But what if you need back-up?’

‘Tom’s all the back-up I need,’ Nyall assured her. ‘Besides, from all this, it appears that she’s working alone, we can subdue a lowly barmaid.’

I had no doubt they could. I was also very aware that this was child’s play to them compared to what they did on a daily basis.

‘I’m coming,’ I demanded in a tone that told them it was non-negotiable.

‘As long as you understand that I’m leading this. If I order you to stand down, I need to trust you will. I can’t worry about you when my mission is to get to her.’

I swallowed, but simply nodded.

Nyall and Tom made quick work to pull all their gear from a bag that was stashed in the front office. Within five minutes, they were fully dressed, decked out in military looking gear. A vest I assumed to be bulletproof, but fuck, I was hoping that wasn’t necessary, cargo-type pants that had various tools and gadgets in the pockets, a belt with more tools and a gun, and an earpiece. Aside from missing an automatic weapon slung over a shoulder, they looked very much as if they would blend into one of the Military SEAL shows I enjoyed watching.

I’d never again be able to watch them with the same relaxing ease I once had. This shit was now too real for me.

Breton stayed behind at the house with the Cahills and was doing ground operations, which I’d come to find out was what he typically did on missions. I drove them in my truck to the address that was programmed into my Google Maps app on my phone. The estimated time was thirty-eight minutes, however, it felt so much longer. I just wanted to get to Jessa, to make sure she was ok and that our baby was too.

‘Do a drive-by first,’ Nyall instructed me from the front passenger seat, while Tom was sitting behind me. ‘We want to make sure there are no cameras.’

I went at a slightly slower speed, but not slow enough to be suspicious. On the second pass, they held up devices to the windows with a small screen that was detecting electronics in the area.

‘We are go on my end,’ Tom indicated.

‘Go on my end too,’ Nyall agreed. ‘Pull up to the gate over there.’ He pointed to the gate that was closed, but as we got closer, we saw that the chain was cut. I assumed that was what she needed to borrow the bolt cutters for the other day.

I pulled into a space that was out of view of the main alley leading to the few rows of storage lockers. ‘We stick together; if I were her, I’d have her near the back, somewhere in the middle. Bret, talk to me.’

I was the only one without an earpiece, so wasn’t privy to most of what had been said on the drive out here. ‘Ok, thanks,’ Tom nodded.

‘What?’ I looked between the two of them, following behind them as they walked to the left side.

‘Based on the rental agreements, there are two that are empty towards the back in the second row from the left,’ Nyall relayed the message to me.

We walked in, closing the gate behind us, making almost no noise. They walked almost silently, even though it was crushed rock and they each weighed a good two hundred pounds of pure muscle each. Tom put up his hand in a stopping motion that I’d seen on TV and in movies countless times. He glanced around the corner and then looked back to me. ‘What kind of car does she drive?’

‘A maroon Saturn,’ I answered while Nyall took a look.

‘Breton,’ Tom said. ‘What kind of vehicle does the boyfriend drive?’

‘Cargo van,’ Nyall said to me over his shoulder.

We followed Tom across the aisle and then down the first row, assuming we were going to do some recon, but I was anxious. I just wanted to run up to the locker and get Jessa, presuming she was here.

We stood at the corner, seeing a single locker without a lock on them while every other one had one. The bottom of the door was slightly ajar. ‘Get the bendy camera and let’s have a look inside that storage locker,’ Tom said.

Nyall looked back to me. ‘I need you to stay put. I will call you in when we know it’s safe.’

As much as I hated it, I agreed with the guy. There was no sense in coming all this way to save Jessa if I was going to get hurt in the process. I knew they were only here as a personal favor to Breton, and that was why I was allowed to come along. That and they likely thought Lisa was harmless, at least physically.

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