Hot Protector(76)

33


Everything fucking hurt. Chase forced his eyes open and stared up at the darkening sky. His muscles felt like rubber, refusing to obey his commands to move. It took a few seconds, but he finally managed to push himself up and onto his elbows. The door to the building burst open and Hawk, Richie, Ice, and Kid busted through, weapons drawn and badass-motherfucker looks on their faces.

Kid rushed over and helped him sit up. The others filtered back to them within moments, weapons lowered but badass looks still firmly in place.

“Sophie,” Chase forced out, his voice cracking. He pretty much knew he’d been shot with a stun gun. Military grade, judging by the feel of it.

Richie swore. “Goddammit, how the fuck did they even know where to go?”

Hawk looked more pissed than Chase had ever seen him, which wasn’t good considering how calm the guy usually was. Calm and deadly was his norm. Pissed and deadly? Fucking scary.

“I’d like to know that myself,” Hawk said. “Fuck!”

“We saw them on the security cam, but we couldn’t get downstairs in time,” Kid told Chase. “They tased you and grabbed Sophie.”

Chase struggled to his feet, his muscles still like rubber, his body aching and smarting. He was lucky they’d only tased him, but he couldn’t dwell on that. He was still alive—and Sophie was in danger.

“We have to find her.”

He stumbled away from the group and Iceman caught him, stopped him. Chase jerked out of Ice’s grip, but he didn’t keep going. Hawk materialized beside them.

“We’ve got nowhere to go just yet,” Hawk said. “At least not until Kid accesses the security cams from the nearby businesses. We have to hope like fucking hell they’re on it. We get a fix on their ride, we can go after them.”

Chase gaped at the men, his brothers, standing around him—except for Kid, who’d dashed back inside. “You mean we don’t even fucking know where to go? Those bastards took Sophie, and all we can do is stand around with our thumbs up our asses and pray for footage that’ll show us what the fuck they’re driving?”

Hawk had walked away during Chase’s tirade and lifted his phone to his ear. No one else said anything. They just continued to look at Chase sympathetically. He sucked in a breath that hurt. He felt like he was coming unglued at the seams, his skin splitting wide because it couldn’t contain the pain he felt.

Not physical pain, because that didn’t amount to much when he was accustomed to dealing with that kind of pain from his job.

This pain was worse. Deeper. In his soul.

Sophie.

She was gone. Kidnapped by Androv’s men, probably scared out of her mind, and headed for who knew what kind of trouble.

Androv would not be kind. He would not be understanding. He would hurt her. He wouldn’t kill her right away because he was too arrogant for that, too diabolical. He would want her tortured, want her to suffer for daring to defy him. For stealing from him.

Hawk was talking, but his voice was low and Chase couldn’t make out his words.

Jesus, why had he been an asshole to her? Why had he told her they needed to deny everything they were feeling and pretend it never happened? Everything between them had been a whirlwind—but it was a whirlwind he’d never experienced before. He’d never been so addicted to a woman and so miserable about it at the same time. What the fuck was wrong with him?

Hawk turned and came back over to the group, his eyes glittering with determination. “Androv is in fucking DC, speaking at an international technology convention. Mendez is putting the SEALS on him. Every move he makes, we’ll know it.”

Chase’s gut twisted. “That’s where we need to look for Sophie then. He’ll keep her close. He’s too much of an egomaniac not to.”

“I think you’re right,” Richie said. He took out his phone. “I’m calling Viking. He’ll be happy to let us join in.”

Viking was Dane “Viking” Erikson, the SEAL team commander and a pretty badass guy to have at your back in a fight.

“We need to go inside and arm,” Hawk said, and everyone agreed. They didn’t have time to go to HOT and get their equipment, but Hawk had his own arsenal.

After they methodically went through the weapons, loaded them, and strapped on microphones and transmitters so they could talk, they were ready. Kid joined them as well, his search of the surrounding security cams revealing nothing of use. But knowing where Androv was, and knowing he wanted Sophie, was better. They would find her—and if Androv got hurt in the process, Chase couldn’t really be too upset about that.

Evie sat alone in the adjoining office. She looked up when they came in, her gaze missing nothing, from the battle ready equipment to their determined expressions. She walked over and kissed Matt.