Page 33 of Rattlin' Bones

My military upbringing and twenty years of service always trained me to have a weapon. I had all the legal paperwork to go with it and didn’t give a fuck what anyone had to say about it, including the police. It was my fucking right to carry a gun. I knew how to use it with more skill than most people would ever learn.

I approached Lacey’s building with caution, taking in my surroundings but finding nothing out of place. James let me in, and I noticed his stiff movements. “I’m taking the elevator up to the penthouse.”

He nodded. “Careful.”

The fact that he didn’t say more, bouncing his gaze toward the security camera, convinced me that trouble awaited me in the penthouse. Someone went after the judge.

Fuck! I sent Lacey up there alone, distraught, and without a way to defend herself.

If anyone harmed her, I’d lose my shit.

I pushed the button on the elevator, unsurprised when the doors opened, and two men in black suits stared me down. “Looks like we’re going to the same place,” I observed, entering as the doors slid shut.

I probably could have let them subdue me. It might have been fun to let them think they got the upper hand before I smashed both of their faces into the walls, busting noses and knocking them out. I swear I considered it. But violence had taken root inside me the moment I realized Lacey was in danger.

Touch my woman, enter her house, threaten her, or make her cry, you’re gonna regret it.

I knew the second those doors closed, the two goons would be on me. I ducked as they swung, colliding with one another asI kicked, swiping their feet out from under them. The first guy smacked his head into the wall hard enough to hear the crack.

The second guy rushed me. His head rammed into my stomach as I lifted my elbow and landed hard in the center of his back. His body sprawled across the floor of the elevator as I shoved my boot into his ass. He slammed into the wall headfirst and slumped down.

Good. Two assholes down. That made it easier.

I took their weapons, shoving the guns behind my back and into the waistband of my jeans. When they arrived at the bottom, James would see them. Hopefully, he’d call the police if he hadn’t already.

I stepped out of the elevator as it opened, palming my weapon. Lights flickered in the hall from where someone had shot up the camera, light fixtures, and the black marble floor. Bits of crystal from the chandeliers spilled across the black marble and reflected prisms. Luckily enough, the windows weren’t broken. That would have been hazardous, considering the penthouse was located on the thirty-fifth floor.

I moved as silently as possible, entering the penthouse with my gun raised. I wasn’t stupid enough to think there wouldn’t be more hitmen waiting inside. The kitchen was clear, but in the living room, sitting calmly on the sofa with his arms draped across the back, was Luis Diego. Three men stood behind the couch in identical dark suits—copies of their richer, more influential, and successful leader.

Judge Maxwell was tied up, his hands and feet bound. A cloth had been shoved in his mouth, and he couldn’t speak. They positioned him on a chair as one of Luis’s men kept a gun aimed at his chest.

Lacey gasped when she saw me. She perched on the edge of the sofa as far from Luis Diego as possible. She trembled, andI hated that she had to walk in here alone. Lacey never should have had to confront her kidnapper like that.

Guilt flooded me, but I winked at her before turning my attention to Luis. “Diego.”

“Michael Brandon Myers. Gunnery Sergeant. Decorated hero. You’ve got quite a list of accomplishments,amigo.”

“You forgot expert marksman and a black belt in MCMAP.” I entered the room with my gun aimed at Luis, and I kept it there. “Neither of us needs to play games. I’ll win.”

Yeah, I was a cocky fucker, but I had the skills to back it up.

Luis chuckled. “I like you. Too bad I have to kill you.”

His threat didn’t mean shit to me. “It’ll be the last mistake you ever make.”

I knew what would happen next. Before his men could open fire, I tapped the trigger on my gun, hitting all three in quick succession, so fast only one of them had a chance to fire a shot, and it hit the wall behind me. All three bodies fell.

“Should we try this again,friend?”

Luis grinned, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “What do you want? The girl? Take her.”

“And the judge?”

“He owes me a favor. I’m hoping to influence him with a little motivation.”

I didn’t like the sound of that. “The police are already on their way.”

“Yes, I know. Clever, aren’t you?”