In His Keeping

He forced himself to calm. One thing at a time. If Ari’s parents were in the cell, they’d go in, secure the two prisoners and stash them so they were out of the line of fire, and then Beau was going to take the entire compound apart piece by piece until he recovered Ari. Once he was assured of her safety, he didn’t give two fucks what happened to the rest. As far as he was concerned, this entire facility was evil and twisted and the world would be a better place without its existence. Because if Ari had indeed been a part of some fucked-up program disguised as a surrogacy organization then it stood to reason others had been as well, and if taking out the building and the assholes responsible for so much pain and grief saved others the same, then all the more reason to bring it down and reduce it to rubble.

With the helicopter now in position, Beau and the others rapidly descended the ropes, dropping to the ground below while the chopper hovered in place. As soon as they were in position, the helicopter streaked away to the designated rendezvous point, a designated “safe zone” that was easily defendable and where they could be assured of the safety of Ari and her parents.

In full military gear, they raced to the outer wall of a cell two down from where the heat signatures had registered. Dane and Zack quickly set the explosive that would create a large enough entry point into the facility so they could get in and hopefully out with at least Ari’s parents.

In thirty seconds, the explosive was set and Dane motioned for them all to take cover. As soon as everyone had ducked from sight, Zack triggered the explosion and a loud boom shook the ground. A large chunk of the stone wall simply disappeared in a cloud of dust and rubble and even before it cleared, Beau was on the move, the others falling into position as they one by one ducked through the opening and inside the gloomy, dank, dungeonlike building.

The first thing Beau registered as they surged out of the cell and into the long hallway was the sound of gunfire. Close.

Fuck!

A female cry arose, sharp in the ensuing silence. Then more gunfire. Beau’s pulse exploded and he rapidly motioned the others to be on the ready.

They spread out, quickly pouring down the hallway in the direction of the sounds of shots fired and the feminine cry of fear. At least he hoped it was fear and not pain.

When they reached the open cell door, a gruesome sight greeted them. Gavin Rochester had taken down two armed men and was systematically taking apart the third and only remaining assailant.

When the man managed to break away from Gavin’s enraged grasp and lunged for Ginger, Beau didn’t hesitate. He put a bullet through her attacker’s head and he dropped like a rock, mere inches from where Ginger stood, pale, frozen, eyes wide with shock and fear. In the attacker’s hand was a wicked blade, one he clearly intended to use to take Ari’s mother out, and if it weren’t for Beau’s sudden appearance, the man would likely have succeeded in his desperate attempt to lash out.

Gavin whirled, eyes cold, enraged, prepared to take on the new threat. He was an impressive sight even with blood dripping from multiple wounds.

“Stand down!” Dane barked. “We’re on your side.”

Beau took a step forward, careful not to trigger any violence from Gavin, who was clearly determined that no harm come to his wife.

“Ari came to us,” Beau said in a calm voice. “I’m Beau Devereaux. These are my men. We need to get you out of here now.”

Gavin visibly relaxed and now stark fear replaced his earlier fury. Ginger flew into his arms with a cry, burying her face in his chest as her body heaved with sobs. Gavin tenderly cradled his wife’s head with his palm, holding her tightly. His gaze lifted to Beau’s and the raw agony, fear and emotion in his eyes were stark. Beau nearly flinched from the very real pain in the older man’s face.

“Ari,” Gavin said hoarsely. “You have to find her. Save her. She let them take her. Wanted them to take her because she planned to destroy the entire damn building. She instructed me and her mother to remain in one spot so she could protect us and how she was able to do it I have no idea, but she erected some sort of force field around us. The bastards opened fire on us and the bullets just bounced off.”

The incredulity in his voice was evident, but Beau only nodded because none of this information surprised him. He’d witnessed firsthand just how powerful Ari was. But fear skittered up Beau’s spine, because the protective shield had obviously been breached, which meant that Ari had faltered at some point. He shook off the paralyzing, gut-wrenching thoughts of her being incapacitated. Hurt. Dead. He couldn’t—wouldn’t—go there.

“There’s a lot you don’t know about your daughter’s power, sir,” Beau said. “Now, we need to go and I need you to tell me every single thing you know so we can find Ari. But you and your wife have to be out of the way and safe.”

When Gavin started to launch a protest, Beau immediately shut him down.

“With all due respect, sir, if you love your daughter, if you want her safe and alive, then you’ll go with my men and you’ll remain out of the way. We can’t afford any distractions or hindrance and you would be both. Let us do our jobs. I will not rest until I have her back.”

The last statement came out fierce. Not the words of a man simply doing his job. There was a wealth of emotion in those words, but they slipped past his lips, heavy on his heart, determination beating as incessantly as his pulse.

Gavin’s eyes flickered and he stared hard at Beau in response to Beau’s choice of wording. His gaze narrowed, almost as if he were trying to discern Beau’s interest and whether it was purely professional or if it was . . . personal.