Page 94 of Wrecked By You
I took a deep breath, straightened the pin where it had bent inside the lock, and tried again. I must have been there for no longer than five minutes when I heard shouting and then the sounds of men running. I recoiled from the door, shoving the pin in my hair, but they ran right past my room.
What’s going on?
I peered through the lock. Pointless. I couldn’t see a thing. I pressed an ear to the door and listened.
A loud bang echoed through the house, followed by several cracking sounds, one after the other. I leapt back from the door, my heart hammering inside my chest.
Was that… was that… gunfire?
Oh, God. Chloe!
Chapter31
Johannes
If she dies, I die.
One Hour Earlier…
The last forty-eight hours had been the longest of my entire existence.
Brax had finally secured a warrant on the basis of the video evidence of Ella being carried from my cousin’s hotel and a written statement from me. He’d immediately assembled a team to storm Fernandez’s compound, unable to hide his glee at finally getting a shot at the elusive drug baron.
He’d fought hard against bringing me along until Nolen took him to one side, and the next thing I knew, we were on a plane to Oklahoma. Once we’d landed, he’d bundled me into one of five vans, penned me in between two huge DEA agents in full riot gear, and told me that if I didn’t obey every fucking order either he or any of his men gave, he’d shoot me.
I believed every word.
Not that the fear of getting shot would stop me from acting if Ella needed me.
The atmosphere in the van electrified as we inched closer to the compound. I felt Brax’s eyes on me, and I lifted my chin and met his steely gaze.
“Remember what I said.”
I gave him a curt nod, then returned my attention to the inky blackness outside. There wasn’t even a hint of light from the moon, the clouds overhead far too thick. Perfect conditions for the raid, according to Brax.
Thirty minutes later, the convoy of vehicles slowed to a stop, and Brax got on the radio, barking out rapid-fire instructions. From what I picked up, we were about a half mile out from the compound, and they’d travel the rest of the way on foot.
Only two individuals would be left behind in our vehicle. Me and one other agent. A babysitter, in case I went rogue. Smart of Brax, really, if infuriating. Itkilledme to sit here doing nothing, but I had to trust in these guys. They had the training. I, unfortunately, did not.
I couldn’t stop the constant fear of friendly fire, though. It happened more often than most of our armed forces cared to admit. If Ella got hurt, I’d… I’d…
“Let’s move.”
The van doors opened and all but one of the agents jumped out. The last one slammed the door behind him. They joined up with the agents from the other vehicles and disappeared into the obsidian night.
Seconds crawled by, turning into minutes that felt like hours. I must have checked my watch a thousand times, whereas the man sitting opposite me sprawled in his seat, his finger resting near the trigger of his assault rifle, eyes half-closed. Although I’d bet if anything happened, he’d go from zero to a hundred in the time it took me to blink. For him, this was just his job, whereas for me, it was my life.
She was my life.
And it had taken her being snatched for me to realize how much I loved her.
My heart pounded, and my palms were slick with sweat despite the cool interior of the van. The waiting… God, the waiting was the worst. What if it all went wrong? What if Ella or Chloe got hurt? It would be my fault. I’d brought the DEA here.
I scrubbed my hands over my face, and as I dropped them, I caught the eye of my minder. He gave a small smile and a nod as if to say, “Chill,” but chilling wasn’t possible. Not when I felt so powerless. I wouldn’tchilluntil my arms were around Ella and I could satisfy myself that she was safe.
“Are you getting anything?” I asked. “Are they there yet?”
He shook his head. “They’re going in dark.”