The man. Kill him. Now.
CHAPTER FORTY
“Holy shit, Beck.” Beckett tried to focus on the man standing in the doorway, the voice familiar but entirely impossible, unless . . .
“A.J.?” Beckett whispered in disbelief.
A gunshot rang out close by and Beckett flinched, but he was still hanging from the ceiling by the chains and too banged up to do anything.
Another gunshot and a body hit the floor.
“This is Bravo Two. I have eyes on the prize.”
Bravo Two? Prize?
“A.J., that you?” Beckett repeated, blinking away the blood dripping down his face and thanking God that it really was his brother.
“Yeah, it’s me. Let me get you down.”
As soon as A.J. freed Beckett, he collapsed into his brother’s arms, then slid to his knees.
“We need to get you out of here. They’ll send more people.” A.J. wrapped an arm around Beckett’s torso and assisted him to his feet. “Take his other arm and help me with him,” he said to Cora, who was on her way out the door.
“Don’t go out there by yourself, damn it,” A.J. rasped.
Cora whipped around. “I have to get to my son.”
“He’s safe with my team,” A.J. said, and Beckett breathed a sigh of relief.
Before Cora could respond, one of Miguel’s men appeared behind her and deftly wrapped an arm around her neck, using her as a human shield.
Beckett closed his eyes, willing his body to remain upright on its own so his brother could deal with the asshole.
A.J. popped off a headshot, nailing the guy with precision and splattering blood across Cora’s face. “Not sorry,” A.J. bit out. “You deserved that. Now, help me get Beckett out of here.”
“No. There’s too many of us. We’ll draw attention.” She grimaced and wiped at her face, then crouched and took the pistol from the dead man. “I’m going out on my own.” But she was blocked by another obstacle.
Jesse and Ivy this time, and Ivy flung herself at Cora.
“A.J. and I got split up while I was handling Miguel and Hector,” Jesse explained, maneuvering around the family reunion. “Glad you found the room.”
“Thanks to your directions,” A.J. replied. “Not that I wanted to leave you alone with those animals.”
“Taken care of. I meant to leave Miguel and Hector alive, tied up and unconscious, but they weren’t very cooperative. So, I put them down for good,” Jesse said, then quickly snatched the pistol from Cora.
“Is Sydney here? I’m assuming she took down his security cams?” Beckett asked, and the idea of her being out there alone had his stomach turning.
“Yes and yes.” A.J. assisted Beckett to the doorway, which was blocked by two dead bodies and the women who kept fucking up Beckett’s life.
“Can you radio her to join us?” He knew Sydney could handle herself, but that didn't mean he wanted her out there on her own.
“Sydney knows I’m with you and that Jesse was working his way to meet us.” A.J. nodded. “She’s handling a few fuckers on the second floor. We’re still trying to find Jorge and the scientist.”
Beckett tested his legs to see if he could stand alone. “I’m good,” he reassured his brother before A.J. unholstered the sidearm strapped to his leg and handed him the Sig Sauer P226. “We can’t drag them along with us while we search for Jorge.” He tipped his chin toward Cora and Ivy. “One of you should escort them out of here. But I’m not leaving without Sydney.”
“I’d like to be reunited with my son,” Cora begged. “Please, get us out of here.”
“Sydney’s my teammate,” Jesse said. “I’m staying.”
“I really hate leaving you,” A.J. began, peeking into the hall to check if it was clear, “but I know I won’t convince you to walk out the door with me. Too damn stubborn.”
“Where do you think Jorge may be hiding?” Beckett asked Jesse. “You spent some time with him.”
“One sec. I have Sydney over comms,” A.J. announced, and Beckett secured his hand against the wall near the doorway for support.
“This is Bravo Two. That’s a good copy. Sending backup to you,” A.J. said over comms before directing his attention on Beckett. “She’s heading to the room you two were in this morning. With the roses? She interrogated one of his men, who said there’s a hidden room down there. She took a remote control off the guy to open the door.”
“That room?” The mirrored wall?
“I know how to get there,” Jesse said as A.J. handed him the earpiece to stay connected to the team.
“Get out of this alive, brother,” A.J. ordered.
“See you soon.” Beckett motioned for his brother to get a move on, and A.J. rattled off the call signs for Bravo and Alpha Teams to Jesse.
According to A.J., Sydney and Gray were still inside, and the others were preparing to infil.
A.J. reached for Cora’s elbow, urging her to stay with him and her sister. “I don’t like you, you know that, right? And if something happens to my brother while I walk your asses outta here, we’re gonna have much bigger issues.”
“You’re clear.” Jesse motioned for A.J. and the sisters to leave.
Cora took one last look at Beckett and followed A.J. with Ivy tight to her side.
“Gray’s in my ear,” Jesse said, peering into the hall again. “The scientist tried to escape, but Camila and Carter intercepted him just outside the gates. We’re down to our last HVT and an unknown number of potential tangos inside.”
“Copy that.” Beckett followed Jesse away from Jorge’s “torture room,” or whatever the hell it was called. So far, the place was eerily quiet, and no sounds of gunfire nearby.
“That sex fuckery room is down this hall,” Jesse said a moment before an armed guard appeared. Jesse nailed the guy in the head before the man had a chance to raise his weapon.
“You think he ran into Sydney before he turned down this hallway?” Beckett asked once they were on the move again.
“No, he would have been stumbling our way with an arrow in his heart if that were the case.” Jesse hesitated, then added, “I’m really fucking sorry for earlier.”
“You had no choice,” Beckett remarked. Jesse didn’t need to beat himself up about the beating he’d been forced to give Beckett. Hell no. They had a mission right now, and they needed to see it through.
“There.” Jesse glanced back at Beckett with a smirk on his face. “See what I mean.”
On the floor just outside the open doors of the sex dungeon lay a dead tango—his throat slit and an arrow in his chest. Overwhelmed with a mixture of awe, pride, and fear, Beckett pushed his battered body forward toward the room.
Sydney whirled around, bow raised and ready to fire another arrow, as Beckett hobbled in holding his ribs. The look of surprise and relief on her face hit him hard.
“Beckett,” she cried as she took in the sight of his banged-up face.
“I’m okay.” He reached for her wrist. “Let’s get this bastard and get the hell out of here.”