Seducing Texas (So not Prince Charming #2)(70)

We prep for a fight, the element of surprise our only advantage. Cyn only has three flak jackets. She gives one to Fay, me, and Aedan. I want her to wear it, but she won’t go for that.

“You should wear it,” Aedan says, passing it back.

“It’s Shane, so it’s too big, and you have the least amount of experience shooting a gun.”

Interestingly, Tanner has his own. I can’t believe we’re going into a strange place heavily armed. We could be arrested, but that’s the least of our problems. What if Shane is already dead? The Chinese killed Lindsey in cold blood.

We carry our weapons in gym bags, so the dockworkers don’t call the police. It’s oddly quiet, and I’m afraid to find out why. Several neat rows of warehouses line the docks as well as metal storage bins.

“Which warehouses belong to Wong?” I ask Aedan.

“There was one we weren’t allowed to enter during our filming,” Aedan says. “I bet that’s where they’re holding Shane. Wong was pretty secretive about what was stored in that one.”

Using the cargo storage bins as cover, we stalk to a warehouse right on the water. Aedan leads the way, and he has the least amount of experience with guns. Until the shooting range, he’d never shot an assault rifle.

My muscles tense holding my bagged rifle. I’d feel better with it in my hands.

Once we get to the warehouse, we wait and watch. Two black Escalades are parked out front, but it appears quiet until a couple men walk out of the building. One lights up a cigarette, and they speak in Mandarin.

After seeing the Asian men and the Escalades, Cyn closes her eyes in relief. We may have a shot. Gesturing for us to stay, Cyn leaves us and circles around to the back.

When she returns, she whispers, “Shane’s in there.”

From her pinched expression, I can tell she’s fighting off tears. She relaxes her shoulders and blows out steady breaths.

“They beat him,” she says. “He’s working on a laptop, probably accessing his foreign bank accounts.”

“Maybe we should call the police,” Tanner offers.

Fay grips his arm, and he comforts her with gentle words of encouragement. “I’ll protect you.”

Looking unsure, Cyn chews on her lower lip. “Calling the police could make it worse. There are four men watching him inside. One is Tang, and he’s the only one not armed.” She swallows, staring off in the distance.

“Wong isn’t in there, and there’s probably a lot more working for him on the docks,” she says. “I have to get Shane out of there.” She chokes on her words, her hands trembling.

“We’ll back you up,” I say. “What do we need to do?”

“I can crawl in through the window,” she says. “If you could remain covered and shoot the two men on Shane’s right, I’ll take the two on the left.”

She makes it sound easy, when it’s not. I swallow and nod while watching around us. No one has discovered us yet.

“Let me do it,” Aedan says.

My body feels like it’s shutting down. Little Manny lies dead in my mind, cramping my stomach. I can’t let Shane die. “I’m a better shot. Why don’t you cover me?”

“What should we do?” Fay asks clutching Tanner’s hand.

“Watch for stragglers and stay out of sight,” Cyn says, emotionless. “Let us know if someone is coming.”

“We’re in this together,” I tell her. She and Fay are all I have left other than Dad rotting in prison.

“Stay behind us and keep an eye on everything around us,” Cyn says and then she stealthily moves like a feline through the bins and toward the back of the warehouse.

Aedan and I follow her. Holding my rifle at my side, I walk backward, keeping a lookout. When we reach the back of the warehouse, Cyn slips quietly through the window and slinks through rows of crates.

Aedan boosts me up to the window. I make a little bit of noise and freeze halfway through it, waiting for someone to hear me. No one comes, so I continue and come up in the rear of Cyn. I don’t watch for Aedan. I focus on Cyn to signal for me to shoot.

We get into position, and I can see Shane finger the keyboard. He’s bleeding all over, so my breath catches in my throat. He moves slowly as if he’s in excruciating pain, and my heart aches for this man. It would take a lot to hurt him, and from his injuries, he’s suffering. I don’t think we can depend on him for any help.

Cyn crouches behind a metal crate. Her assault rifle rests on the top of a crate while she eyes her targets. I do the same, nerves twitching inside my arms and tingling in my legs squatting in a cramped position. I’m a good shot, and I can’t believe I’ll kill another human being, but Shane is practically my brother.

She glances at me and nods. She picks off the closest man to Shane and then the other. Each slumps to the ground, the crack of gunfire echoing in the cavernous metal box. Blood pools around the men.

I hesitate a second too long, my previous deeds weighing heavily on my mind. I pick off one of my two marks but not before he gets off a shot. It hits me squarely in the chest and knocks the wind out of me.

The powerful blow sends me sprawling backward, and it hurts so bad I believe the shot penetrated the vest. No, it can’t be. It’s just a massive bruise on my chest.

Aedan swoops me up in his arms. “Willa, Willa,” he cries.