CHAPTER THREE
Sgt. Helen Brocard rushed to Diesel, York, and Raso after they’d taken out the last two men from the van. Looking around she saw the vehicle engulfed in flames and the bodies littered on the ground that had tried to harm her team.
“Where’s Laura?” Tarilyn “Taz” Cortez asked as she and Alexis Rameriez ran up to the group.
“They took her!” Diesel growled as she stormed back toward the hospital.
The rest of Alpha Squad followed the angry woman back up to Serenity’s room. They knocked on the door waiting for acknowledgement before walking in. They walked in to see several of Joker’s SEAL teammates standing guard in the room with their weapons out and ready to use.
“Where’s Laura?” Lt. Joseph “Highlander” MacLeod looked out into the hallway before coming back into the room.
Joker watched as Diesel, York, and Raso looked at each other before they looked at Highlander. He knew the worst was yet to come.
“They blew up her car,” Raso mumbled, trying to hold herself together.
“M-my lass?” Highlander growled, his voice going dark.
“She wasn’t in it. We were across the street from where the car was parked. She hit the remote start on the key fob and the next thing we knew, we were flying back from the shock of the blast.
“When I was able to focus, several guys came out of nowhere and were grabbing her. We all tried to fight them off…” York looked over at Highlander, anger clearly in her eyes.
“Who?” Highlander demanded, looking over as Matthew “Wolf” Steel and Keane “Ghost” Bryson walked into the room with his brother Mike walking in behind them, confusion on their faces at the scene before them.
“She was taken by Cyrus’s men. He sent a message through Serenity that he was coming for her. He’s going to kill her,” Diesel answered, her voice going cold.
“Fuck!” was the word echoed by all the men in the room.
“What’s the plan?” Matthew “Wolf” Steel commanded as he came further into the room.
“We need to set up a meeting place. York and I are going to contact Dom. We also need to find where her fucking mother is and get her ass in the room and find out everything, we can about her sperm donor and this Cyrus fucker,” Sgt. Helen Brocard decided, looking around at her team.
“He mentioned her taking out one of his obstacles. Did she know what he meant by that?” Jade’s voice trembled.
“No. We were just talking about that when all hell broke loose. As far as we know, her father and Maria are still alive. The only ones that are dead are her stepmother who was taken out when we dealt with Russell’s case. Jennifer, the stepsister, was taken out in Tampa when we rescued Dakota,” York explained to Jade, giving her a soft smile.
“Shit! We have to contact Shane. You know she’s going to have a fit if we don’t let her know what is going on. While she won’t know anything about Cyrus or her own sperm donor, she’s going to want to be a part of Laura’s search,” Tarilyn “Taz” Cortez ran her fingers through her tousled hair.
“We’ll let her know. Sarge, let’s go deal with Dom. Highlander, I really hate asking, but we need you and someone of your choosing to deal with the incubator. If we do it right now, I’ll kill the bitch.” Diesel hesitantly looked over at Highlander.
“Aye. I’ll go deal with her. I’ll take Mike and Wolf with me so they can hold me back if she starts.”
“Where are we meeting up after we deal with all this?” Keane “Ghost” Bryson asked, stepping up to the group.
“Headquarters. I just got off the phone with Captain Irby. She’s notifying Sheriff Phillips, and they are securing a large conference room. She agrees with me that because of the issues we’ve had in the past with Laura’s parents, to bring the mother into the department and she and I will handle the interrogation of the mother to get the information we need,” Sgt. Brocard informed the group.
“Tex just responded to my text message. He and Melody are on the first flight out. He’s also contacted Beth, and she will be doing her magic to see what she can find. We need what information we can get on Cyrus, and they will go from there.” Wolf looked over at Highlander with a nod.
“Alright, Joker, you stay here and focus on Jade and Serenity. Soon as we know what’s going on, I’ll have Highlander give you a heads-up. Bravo Squad and Delta Squad will be on rotation to keep you three covered. Do what they tell you or I’ll send Viper’s team to beat your ass,” Sgt. Brocard ordered the three as they filed out of the room.
Once everyone was downstairs and outside of the hospital, they followed Highlander as he stood next to his wife’s burnt-out car. They watched as he looked around at the shell casings being collected as evidence by the crime scene techs and the bodies being bagged and tagged for the morgue. He watched as Wolf and Ghost quickly went and snapped photos of the bodies to send to Tex and Beth for facial recognition.
Time was of the essence now. Cyrus thinks he’s got the upper hand, but he really didn’t know the monsters being released when he ordered his men to kidnap Laura. Hell was getting ready to have new visitors and the devil was getting ready to be overthrown.
“Joe, I’m trusting you to keep your cool when dealing with Kathy Pratt. Wolf, I need you, Ghost, and Mike to also maintain your cool. This woman has taken classes on how to annoy the living fuck out of you and look down her nose at you no matter what. She married for money and status and will think nothing of using it. Do what you need to, within reason, to get her to the department. The captain and the sheriff himself already have a plan on dealing with her,” Sgt. Brocard advised the four men.
“Sarge, you know she’s not going to give a shit,” Diesel responded, looking between her Sgt. and Highlander.
“She will. Because it’s been decided if she doesn’t, then Dominick will be informed that his mother is being charged in connection with Arrow and two other human trafficking rings. So far, she hasn’t been charged with those two connections, but we’re putting her in them if she doesn’t shut her shit down and help us. We’re done playing nice,” Sgt. Brocard informed everyone, anger showing in her facial expressions.
“Anyone ever tell you that ye are hot when ye are pissed?” Mike “Hammer” MacLeod murmured to Sgt. Brocard with a smirk.
“Anyone ever tell you two to get a fucking room after we find Laura?” Diesel grumbled at Mike as she broke from the group causing the others to chuckle, breaking the tension.
“Meet up at HQ. Captain’s order. York, you are with me. Raso and Diesel, I’m sending you two with the lug nuts to make it official.”