Page 44 of Damaged & Deadly
Regardless, I strain my ears, listening for any noise as we cautiously continue down the hall toward Santos’ apartment, which is the last door on the right. It’s eerily silent. Too silent. There’s no way Santos isn’t aware of our presence, and we probably killed the only men he’s got guarding this floor. The fact that one of them hasn’t come to assure him the threat has been handled should be telling enough for him to know we’re coming. Which means he’s lying in wait. Or hiding like a pussy.
My senses are on high alert as we approach the door. I can feel Oliver at my side, equally as tense, with Red a step behind us. All of us are silent. The only sound in the air is our breaths and the quiet crunch of our boots against the solid floor as we approach Santos’ door.
Tightening my hold on my gun, I glance at Oliver before lifting my leg and kicking in the door. The three of us rush into the apartment with our weapons raised, only to be met with… nothing. Silence. Not a soul in sight.
With a jerk of my chin, we fan out, systematically clearing each room. Once I’ve checked the kitchen, I follow Red to the bedroom, finding her standing near the back wall, staring at something on the floor.
“Blood,” she mutters quietly when I move to stand beside her, unable to tear her gaze from the bright red stain on the white carpet. It’s not much, a couple of drops. “Do you think it’s Luc’s?”
I crouch down, reaching out to touch the droplets, which leave a reddish tint on my fingers. “It’s fresh.” The floorboards creak behind me, and I turn my head as Oliver enters the room, indicating that the rest of the apartment is empty.
He moves to join us, looking from the blood droplets to my finger to the wall as his brows furrow. As if we’re all on the same wavelength, the three of us turn to scan the rest of the room, looking for another blood smear, but the rest of the carpet is clear.
Turning back to the wall, I narrow my gaze as I run my eyes over it, looking for any gaps or breaks.
“Maybe whoever it was wrapped the cut before they left,” Red suggests, but she’s also staring at the wall with a critical eye.
Oliver raps his knuckles against the wall above the blood spatter before tapping another area further to the right. A hollow knock versus a dull thud.Huh.Moving closer, I knock along the wall until I find the point where the sound changes. Running my hand down, I try to feel for any mechanisms before giving the wall a hard push. Something clicks, and as I let up, the wall opens a fraction, enabling me to get my fingers around the lip and pull it open.
The three of us peer into a narrow hallway lit overhead by bright fluorescent bulbs. Red’s gaze immediately drops to the floor. “Look.” Following where she’s pointing, there’s a trail of blood disappearing down the hall, and before I can stop her, she takes off, following it, like a twisted version of Hansel and Gretel.
Oliver and I share a quick glance before racing after her.Goddamn woman has no sense of self-preservation when it comes to her brother.The deeper into the building we go, the more I realize how intricately designed this whole setup is. Hallways lead off the one we’re currently following, and I notice occasional breaks in the wall, indicating more hidden doors. What the hell does someone need all of this for? If I had more time, I’d stop and take a look around, but Red’s got a one-track mind as she chases the blood trail like a bloodhound who’s caught the scent of his prey.
Rounding a corner, we hear the sound of shouting up ahead. The three of us pick up speed, sprinting toward the raised voices until I can discern Luc’s voice as he demands Santos let him go. His outburst is followed by the sound of a slap and scuffling, and when we turn another corner, we spot Santos trying to drag a tied up and bloody, yet feisty, Luc through a doorway.
“Luc!” Red cries at the same time I raise my weapon and yell, “Stop right there!”
Santos’ head snaps in our direction, his eyes narrowing as he scowls. His grip tightens on Luc’s upper arm as he uses him as a human shield, preventing me from getting a clear shot.
With narrowed eyes, Santos watches the three of us approach with slow, careful movements. I can’t see if he has a weapon on him, but even if he doesn’t, I won’t put it past him to hurt Luc if it gained him a few precious seconds to escape.
“Let the boy go,” I snarl. In my periphery, I can see blood and bruises covering Luc’s face. He looks like he’s been through hell the last few days, but I don’t dare take my focus off the sociopath that’s currently got him in his clutches.
Santos laughs this cruel, inhuman sound that grates like nails on a chalkboard. “So you can kill me? I don’t fucking think so. Sorry, boy, you aren’t worth dying for. Turns out you're no son of mine. The bitch”—he jerks his chin to Red—“coddled the testosterone out of you.”
With that, he shoves Luc toward us, using him as a human bowling ball while he makes his escape. Luc crashes into us, and I have to lower my weapon to catch him when he stumbles off balance.
“Luc!” Red cries, pulling him out of my arms and into a suffocating hug.
My eyes dart up to where Santos was, but he’s disappeared, and I grit my teeth before returning my focus to look.
“I’m fine, Sawyer,” he grumbles, but it’s clear he’s far from fine. He sways unsteadily on his feet and his face is beaten to shit. Scanning my eyes over the rest of him, I notice several other blood stains on his t-shirt, indicating unseen injuries beneath his clothes. Returning my gaze to his face, there’s a hardness in his eyes that wasn’t there before, and a part of me withers at knowing he’s lost the last tethers to his childhood innocence.
“Take Luc and get him out of here,” I tell Red. “I’ll get Marcus to come and meet you.”
Lifting her head, Red’s eyes catch on mine, her captivating blue depths drawing me in as though she doesn’t want me to go on alone. However, after a second, she gives a sharp nod.
“Be safe.”
With a grim smile, I clap Luc on the shoulder. “Good to see ya in one piece, kid.”
Oliver plants a chaste kiss on Red’s cheek, smiling warmly at Luc before coming with me through the hidden doorway Santos disappeared through.
Speaking into the headset, I instruct Marcus to come to our floor to get Red and Luc before Oliver and I advance. Casting my eyes around, I take in the small stairwell we are in while I try to work out our whereabouts in the building. It looks like we’re in an emergency exit stairwell, but when I recall the map of the building in my mind, I don’t think we were in the eastern corner where the emergency stairwell was indicated on the building plans.
Oliver leans over the rail, looking down before tilting his head to look up. Considering there’s only one floor above us, and unless he’s planning on helicoptering out of here, there’s no escape from the roof, I’d guess Santos went down. We both pause and listen for footsteps but all is silent. Sharing a knowing glance, we start down the stairs, our heavy footfalls echoing around the space like a death knell to the fucker hiding somewhere below us. A second later, a third set of racing feet match our rhythm as our pursuit forces Santos back into motion, no longer able to hide from us.
We run down the stairs behind him, floor after floor racing past us as my breaths quicken, becoming faster the further we descend as blood pumps through my muscles and makes my heart beat harder against my chest. Oliver easily keeps pace with me as we fly down the stairs. At one of the turns, I lean over the rail, aiming my gun at the stairwell two floors below, and fire off several shots. A pained grunt has me grinning like a lunatic as the asshole ducks out of view, and picking up my pace, I can practically taste the blood in the air as I hunt him down like a wild animal.