BROKEN COURAGE (Broken Redemption Book 3)

Chapter 33

Lucas

Twenty feet.

That's all that separates me from the man who brought this hell to their doorstep. Twenty feet and a conference room table is all that's keeping me from putting an end to the man who never deserved them. A man who wouldn't have stood a chance if I'd come home to reclaim the only woman I've ever loved.

"It's Kessler. No question. The footage puts him in the area just three days ago," Agent Carter Hunt says, pulling up yet another image on the screen. Though he's taken precautions to hide his face, there's no doubt about it. It's him. "As far as the cars that were used, they were stolen from three separate locations in New York a few weeks ago. The way this all went down leaves no doubt we're dealing with professionals."

"Really? That's the best you got?" Ben fumes at our FBI counterparts. "They aimed an RPG straight at my men, in our own fucking town, for god's sake. They took a woman and child I care about deeply, right from under our careful watch, and then knew enough to find Emilia's tracker, remove it, then keep them someplace where they're continuing to jam the signal so we can't pick up Alyssa's. No shit we're dealing with professionals, and it sure as hell didn't require we have FBI credentials to figure it out, so do us all a favor, Hunt. If you have nothing of value to contribute outside of basic common sense, sit down, shut the hell up, and let the rest of us clean up the mess you assholes made."

"We don't need a rundown of what happened. What we need is your help figuring out who is involved so we can cut down the time it takes to find them," James adds with a pointed glare.

At the end of the table, Creed sits with his eyes cast down. His shoulders are slumped like he's succumbing under the weight of the stress in the room, but I feel no pity. If anything, that he's sitting there looking like a lost puppy when he's at the heart of everything that's gone wrong pisses me the hell off.

Before I know what I'm doing, I'm across the room, my hands wrapped around his neck as I pin him hard against the wall. Somewhere in the periphery of my awareness, I hear the room erupt into chaos, but the only thing I can focus on is the look of panic in Creed's eyes as I squeeze the life from his body. Just as his lips start to turn blue, we're ripped apart by the men supposed to be my friends. That they would get between us to save him from me after what he's done to my family feels like the ultimate betrayal.

"He fucking did this!" I fight them off, determined to finish what I started. "I'm going to kill you for what you've done to them, for all the damage you caused. You never deserved them, and you sure as hell don't deserve to breathe the same air as them."

"Lucas!" Dominick spins me around, growling in my face and forcing me to listen. "Stand. The fuck. Down. That's an order." His tone strikes like a match inside my head, awakening the SEAL in me who's been trained to follow the chain of command. "You have every right to be pissed at him. I swear to you when your girls are home—all of them safe and sound–I will personally make sure you get a go at him. But right now... it's just not the time, brother. The only thing that matters right now is finding your woman and your little girl." From the corner of my eye, I catch the moment Creed shoves away from those holding him back. The loud scoff he emits is a clear rebuttal to Dominick's assertion that Embree and the girls are mine. "Finding them. Rescuing and reuniting them with you and Mallory. That is the mission."

With my mind finally clear, I nod, and when he points to my seat; I follow his lead to reclaim my spot at the table. As the other guys follow suit, Owen speaks.

"Here's what we know for certain. They discovered the trackers in Emilia's earrings on the scene and immediately disposed of them. Mallory's tracker was still on her and led us straight to where we found her. The fact we haven't caught a single ping of Alyssa's tells me the tracker may be still on her. James said he placed it under her sock, around her ankle, which means it's hidden. In all likelihood, they didn't see it, and because of its location, their scanner probably missed it. I'm guessing they have no clue it's there, which means it's only a matter of time. The minute they let their guard down and move them, we'll know exactly where they are."