“How can you be so sure…” Simon snaps at us before trailing off.
“There wasn’t any other way,” I say, “unless we’re dealing with a Judas.”
My blood runs cold at the thought.
Uriel easily handles the sparse traffic on the highway, and when we’re almost to the motel, I feel the weight of the world slowly lifting off my shoulders.
No matter the outcome, it’s time to act.
There’s nothing left for us to do but act.
“Here’s the plan—” I start to say when we’re five minutes out.
“Oh fuck,” Gabriel grumbles over the line. “If I get fucking shot, Meghan will beat my ass.”
“Yeah, I’m not getting shot again either,” Johnathan says. “Beth almost fucking neutered me the last time I got hit.”
There’s a good amount of snickering after that comment. It was probably needed with the tension riding so high.
“What do you have in mind?” Lucifer asks after the chuckling on the line quiets down.
“We can’t go in full throttle. They’ll kill my wife because she’s their only bargaining chip,” I say. “They’re not willing to die either, but they won’t want to come with us willingly. They’re going to hold out until the calvary comes.”
“Which will be who?” Uriel asks from my side.
“Not the cops,” I say. “They would have called them in already. And I’m willing to bet they’re going to have a shit time explaining what happened at my house...”
“That means the Russians, if they can get here in time,” Simon says.
“Have you heard any chatter regarding any warrants against us?” I ask.
“Not from any of our judges, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have one in their pocket,” Simon says.
“They’re holding out for the Russians,” Gabriel says firmly.
“We can’t let that happen,” Lucifer says.
“One minute,” Uriel says.
“I’ll handle this then,” I say.
“My sister in-law’s safety is top priority,” Lucifer says over everyone.
There’s dead silence yet again.
I hate it when that motherfucker drops bombs that don’t need to be talked about like that.
“I fucking knew it…” Gabriel grumbles.
Uriel elbows me hard in the side and I practically double over. Fucker almost hit the spot where I took the bullet.
Pushing the mute on the dashboard, I look at him. “I’ll tell you later.”
He nods his head and looks at me holding my side. “You wanna talk about that?”
“Not particularly,” I say and straighten back up as best as I can.
“You get hit?”.
“Yeah, but in the vest,” I say and wince. “Caught a couple grazes lower but they’re not an issue.
“Cracked ribs?”
“Maybe,” I say, and toss the assault rifle into the back.
“What’s the plan?” he asks and looks up ahead.
We’re quickly coming up on the abandoned motel
“Shock and awe,” I say.
“Fuck. The last time we were together and you said that, I couldn’t hear for two fucking days,” he grunts.
“Well, this time will be quieter, I promise.”
We slow down and approach the rest of the cars surrounding the police SUV.
The fact that we’ve managed to trap the fuckers in our own motel is lucky as fuck...
So lucky, I can’t discount unholy providence.
“Going to need your boot,” I say when we pull to a stop.
“I figured as much,” Uriel says before he pops out of the car much faster than I can move my ass.
Just as Lucifer said, every man we have in Garden City is here. Standing outside their vehicles circled around the SUV.
I spot Lucifer, dressed in his pristine suit, standing near Simon. When he spots me hobbling toward the motel, fury threatens to erupt in his eyes.
Raising my middle finger to him and Simon, I use it to motion them to follow me.
We can’t draw this shit out any longer than we already have.
“Ready?” I ask Uriel as we walk toward the door directly in front of the SUV.
I figure that’s gotta be the room they’re holing up in.
“What’s the count?” Uriel asks.
“Don’t count. Just kick the fucker in and get out of my way,” I say.
Pulling my Glock from the hip holster I’ve changed into, I switch off the safety and cock back the lever for a smooth fire.
“Here we go,” Uriel says and jogs up to the door.
I hear the other guys, my brothers, shuffling around as they move in behind us.
I don’t have time for anything but this moment.
This singular action will either ruin us all or free Sophia.
Uriel lifts his foot up and slams it perfectly against the door, right where the lock would be for the handle.
The guys inside the room probably thought the security lock would protect them.
It doesn’t.
The door literally goes flying off its hinges and into the room.
I guess that’s what happens when you have someone the size of Uriel kicking a door.
Thank the fucking Devil himself that this place is falling apart.
Moving in one fluid motion, I ignore all the pain my body thinks it’s in and find that place in-between worlds. The one where things slow down in my mind just enough for me to become the calculated killer I’ve always been.
Rolling through the door to stop in a crouch, I lift my gun and have a split second to figure out who my main target is.
My first round goes through a nameless patrolman who’s taking aim at the sudden explosion of the door.
Looking to my left, I spot Dickers lining his pistol up on me and pulling the trigger back before I can get a bead on him.
There’s a buzzing sound near my head, like a bee passing by my ear, and I watch Dickers’s eyes widen before he moves to pull the trigger again.
He’ll be too late.
My gun fires and I don’t miss.
The bullet rips through the left side of his body, hitting his hip.
Fuck. I hate body armor.
But at least the fucker is neutralized for the moment.
Dropping his gun, Dickers reaches down and grabs at his wound.
Gabriel comes flying through the door with his big ass assault rifle raised up. “Everyone fucking freeze!”
I bet that fucker has been waiting his whole life to say that to a group of cops.
Catching my breath and looking around the room, I keep expecting to see Sophia popping out and running to me. Running and wrapping her body around me.
I don’t see her anywhere though…
“Where is my wife?” I demand.
Jacob Morrison jumps away from the bed.
And I know instantly the only reason I don’t see her is because of him.
Slowly walking toward the bed, I see her laying flat and motionless.
My heart reaches for the soles of my feet and tries to rip them out from underneath me.
Pushing past Gabriel, I can feel each step is slowly weakening my body’s will to exist.
If Sophia is gone, I’ll die here and now.
My heart won’t last an hour without her.
I won’t need to take my own life, my body will do it for me.