The second we hit the city limits of Cedar Creek, Luca had made the call that we had the money, and we were on our way. The stupid bastard had no idea we were already here. Frankie’s wedding rings had led us to this farmhouse, and I knew in my heart, she was in that place.
“I’ll take the back, while you guys take the sides,” I instructed. The farmhouse was only one story, so that helped. They simply nodded, and we all got out of the car and made our way around the house.
We separated, and as I made my way towards the back, I heard faint screams. My heart dropped and I knew there was no time to case the place. Ciro was at my side, asking, “Did you hear that?” I nodded, unable to speak.
“There has to be a basement,” Luca said as he joined us in backyard. “Those screams are too faint to be coming from the main floor of the house.” He was right. If the screams were weak from where I stood, Luca stood on the right side of the house, and from where Ciro had stood on the left side of the house, there had to be a common central place where the screams were coming from. Since the house was a single story, there was no upstairs, so there could only be a basement.
“What are we waiting for?” Ciro demanded.
Luca’s voice was frozen in rage as he answered, “Another scream.” Rage was flooding my veins. “It’ll drown out our entry.”
Ignoring them both, I tried the backdoor and, to my surprise, it was unlocked. That’s how confident this asshole was. He hadn’t even bothered to lock the fucking door.
We entered the house with me taking the lead, and we broke off in search of the basement door. Ciro found it behind the kitchen pantry and was ready to go in, but Luca stopped him.
He stopped him because of me.
I was shaking with uncontrolled rage.
I knew it.
I could feel it, and they could see it.
However, we had no idea what was down there. We could be walking down into a room full of twenty men with guns pointing our way, or we could be walking down into a room with just one man, but a man who had a gun to Frankie’s head.
Luca turned those black eyes on me. “Get. It. Together. Phoenix,” he hissed.
I gave him a tight nod to let him know I heard him. I understood him.
He cracked open the door, and we could hear a man speaking. “You’re lucky I want that ten million dollars more than I want to kill you. Although, I have to say, you’re going to wish you were dead by the time we’re done with you.”
We’re.
So, that meant there was more than one man down there.
I heard Frankie’s laugh, and it nearly brought me to my knees. “You can kill me,” we heard her say. “You can even slice my face up some more…” Luca’s hand grabbed my arm in a punishing grip as her words registered around us. “…You three can even try to kick my ass again. But you’ll still be sad, pathetic, pieces of shit who aren’t man enough to make your own way.” She let out another hollow laugh. “Do your worse, you fucking pussy.”
We were enraged, but proud of her in this moment. She also gave us some important information when she referred to the three of them.
“You’re a bastard!” came another female voice. “I hope they kill you slow.”
“Shut the fuck up, Robbie!” the man screamed. “If you don’t, I swear I’ll let Tony and Eddie shut you the fuck up!”
Luca lifted his hand and silently started counting down from three. We were going to rush in, the element of surprise on our side. We were all expert marksman. The second we got our prey in our sights, it’d be over. I wasn’t worried we’d accidentally shoot Frankie or the other woman. I was more worried that one of us would accidentally kill the guy who took Frankie, and I didn’t want that just yet.
No.
I wanted to spend some quality time with the sonofabitch. Ciro and Luca, too.
Luca’s hand counted down to a fist and nothing could be heard over the thundering of our feet running down the basement steps.
“What the-”
Guns drawn, I came flying down the stairs first, my bullet hitting a tall, lanky guy in dark jeans and a black t-shirt. He went down screaming in agony as his kneecap blew apart. I heard two other shots but ignored them both as I spotted Frankie tied to a chair, her shirt shredded to pieces, blood dripping down her face, and the rest of her battered and bruised.
I rushed forward, ignoring everything around me, because I knew Ciro and Luca had taken care of the other two motherfuckers in the room.
“Baby…” I whispered as I dropped my forehead on hers. My heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest, and I’d never felt so weakened by anything before in my life. Even when Frankie had left me all those years ago.
She was functioning on pure adrenaline when she said, “Took you guys long enough.” I knew she was in pain. And I knew once the fear and adrenaline wore off that pain was going to intensify tenfold, but she was alive.
She was alive.
“What…”
“If I were you, I’d shut the fuck up,” Ciro snarled.
I turned to look behind me, and I could see the guns in each of Ciro’s hands as he held two of the men at gunpoint. Luca had his gun trained on the third man. Satisfied that they had everything under control, I turned back to face Frankie and immediately went to work on untying her from the chair. As soon as
