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Just One Touch (Slow Burn #5)(51)

By:Maya Banks


Though they hadn't had the time to plan a full-scale assault, what they did have were some of the most brilliant minds and strategists, not to mention Quinn Devereaux, the youngest Devereaux brother and resident tech geek extraordinaire, who'd been able to access the schematics of the factory and even provide infrared satellite imagery that gave them an inside look at the renovated skeleton so they knew exactly how many rooms, escape routes and, most importantly, the most likely area where Jenna was being held.

They had it planned down to the nth degree. A cargo van large enough to hold them all and provide swift getaway was parked in a holding area a mile away, with Brent, a former race car driver who'd worked for DSS since its inception, waiting to either move to a closer spot or sit tight and be ready to haul ass.

Isaac allowed smugness to grip him when before he hadn't dared allowed himself even hope that they might succeed, because the possibility of failure had been so crushing that it had damn near brought him to his knees.

The warrior and protector in him chafed at the idea of not immediately taking apart the son of a bitch who'd hurt Jenna, but he'd wait, because her safety was paramount. And he'd get another opportunity. Oh yes, and he looked forward to it. He knew the crazy bastard wasn't simply going to give up his obsession with Jenna just because of one failed attempt to have her completely under his control. Then Isaac would avenge what was his and he'd make the drug lord sorry he'd ever so much as thought Jenna's name, much less the abuse he'd meted out on her.

A click sounded in his earpiece, the arranged signal that Shadow was in. More clicks sounded in rapid succession as one by one, the men moved into position, trusting Shadow not to lead them right into trouble. Isaac shook his head as he slipped through the piece of the fence Shadow had cut out. When the new recruits had signed on, they'd chuckled at Shadow's chosen nickname, but the man had quickly silenced them all with his eerie ability to move at will, invisible to anyone he didn't wish to be seen by. 

Dane and Capshaw joined Isaac at one of the back entrances that they knew led into what had formerly been the kitchen area. The old laundry facility was adjacent to the kitchen, but it had no exit to the outside, and they needed inside that room. Dex had grinned when Quinn came through with the original blueprints in addition to the updated schematics, and when he'd pointed out multiple laundry chutes, all originating from upstairs rooms, the others had realized the reason for his smile.

The rest of Isaac's teammates converged from different directions, but their common goal was to access the room with the laundry chutes. Quinn had deduced that the only possible rooms Jenna would be held that had one of the old chutes were two windowless chambers right smack in the middle of the rectangular shaped factory building.

Isaac, Dane and Capshaw were the last to arrive at the rendezvous point and Knight sent them a look of relief.

"We need to move out fast," Zeke whispered. "Got three guards moving in our direction at a rapid clip."

Dane turned to Eric. "Radio Brent and have him bring the van to the south quadrant where we cut into the fence. There's enough cover that he won't be seen if he stays to the trees and shadows, but there's a drivable road that leads out to the highway from there and we can save a hell of a lot of time once we grab Jenna."

The others nodded their agreement and then quickly arranged their weapons so they wouldn't make noise as they climbed into the two chutes, but they left them within easy reach in case they chose wrong and surprised an unsuspecting victim.

Isaac used the palms of his hands to reach upward and provide traction against the narrow walls of the chute and heaved himself up, repeating the process until he reached the hatch that led into the room. He held up his hand for the men behind him to halt and then signaled them to be ready on his go. He counted down by folding one finger at a time and when he got to three, he busted out the boards closing up the entrance to the hatch and dove through, rolling even as he brought his gun up, his gaze scanning the room for a target.

When his stare finally lighted on the huddled form in a fetal position on the floor several feet away, his heart nearly exploded out of his chest.

Jenna!

"Cover me," he whispered to the others as he scrambled to his feet and dove toward her, reaching immediately for his knife to cut the ropes at her hands and feet.

Anger boiled in his veins as he unwrapped the tightly bound rope to reveal raw, bloody circles around each of her wrists and ankles. He yanked her up and into his arms, holding her tightly enough that he could feel her heart racing wildly against his chest. Then he pulled her away to inspect her for injuries, ignoring the fact that she was staring agape at him, eyes wide with shock.