Freedom (Featherstone Academy Series Book 5)

by KC Kean

  Roman has his arm wrapped around Luna’s shoulders, murmuring in her ear, and whatever he’s saying has her nodding repeatedly in response. We’ve got this. We’ve fucking got this.

  “How far out are we?” Maverick asks, and Kai lifts his gaze from the tablet.

  “Less than five.”

  I nod in response too. “Get your weapons of choice ready. When we pull up, I want to be ready to jump out of the van,” I mutter, and Bryce pats my shoulder as he ends his call.

  “Agreed. The other vans are doing the same.”

  Leaning over, I unzip the duffel bag at my feet, feeling the others do the same. Slipping two handguns into the holster at my waist, I stock up on ammunition, storing it in my tactical vest. Looking between the remaining bigger guns, I decide to grab a shotgun, throwing it over my shoulder by the strap as I pick up an assault rifle. It’s just like the one Jess used after she’d surprised us with her weaponry skills, when we went to the long-range practice area.

  Sitting back, everyone is looking over their weapons except Rafe, Kai, and thankfully Aiden.

  “Aiden and Kai will stay with me as we try to get a better surveillance overview of the warehouse. I have a couple of drones we can throw up too, so we can get close,” Rafe states, and everyone nods in agreement.

  “From the blueprints, it looks like there are two main entrances. The rest of the place is lined with fire exits, but none of them get you in the building unless they’re already open, so it isn’t worth risking it with those,” Kai adds.

  “So, we use the two main entrances and be prepared for them to be ready for us since we don’t have the element of surprise,” I say, and Kai agrees.

  “There are two floors. The top looks like a handful of medium-sized rooms, while the ground floor is mostly one large space with a few small rooms off corridors at both sides,” Rafe continues, but the layout doesn’t seem to give us any indication on where they may have her. Looking directly at me, he lowers his voice. “Are you sure you don’t want to stay outside with a sniper rifle?”

  I shake my head instantly, “Unless it’s to arrive in advance and take out the guys patrolling, it isn’t worth it. We don’t know what security they have set up, and it doesn’t really benefit us to be a man down inside, where Jess is.” I know I’m right, even if sniping is my specialty.

  “Okay,” Rafe answers, looking back to the group. “We go in as a unit, strong, and then we separate to cover as much ground as possible so we can find Jess quickly.”

  Everyone murmurs their agreement as Kai glances at his phone to check our location. “We’re rolling up,” he states, and silence blankets us. The overhead light knocks off, likely with all the lights on the vehicle to give us any extra second we can get on arrival.

  Bryce prepares to open the doors as we slow, and Aiden’s hand around my neck catches me by surprise. I let him pull my head towards his, to find Maverick is letting him do the same.

  Foreheads together, I feel the slight tremble in his fingers as he whispers to the both of us. “You do what you have to do to get our queen and bring yourselves back in one piece.” I pat his leg in response, acknowledging his words.

  As the van finally comes to a stop, Maverick’s gruff voice responds as he cups Aiden’s chin, holding him in place. “We’re going to go in there, guns blazing to find her, Aiden. Whatever it takes. And you’re staying here because you don’t need any blood on your hands, not right now.”

  Aiden’s shoulders sag in response to his words. Clearly feeling helpless because he isn’t coming in, but Maverick is right. Living in the Featherstone world usually comes with getting blood on your hands, but tonight isn’t his night. Not when we are all here as well.

  Maverick places his lips to the crown of Aiden’s head in a barely-there touch, but the calmness that washes over all of us from the move is noticeable.

  Bryce glances over his shoulder at all of us, and I take a deep breath, relaxing my shoulders as I prepare for what’s to come. My eyes close for just a moment, picturing who we are doing this for. Jess. My girl. My sunshine.

  Her lips are the gun. Her smile is the trigger. Her kisses are the bullets. Label her a killer.

  Here goes nothing.

  Maverick

  I rise from my seat and jump from the van before anyone else can stand. I’ve taken my time, like they asked, making sure we had an actual plan. Instead of charging in here like a bull, which is what I would have preferred to do. But I do agree, having the back-up feels good.

  We’re all still wearing our suits from Luna’s earlier ceremony. She is the only one that’s changed into something more appropriate. I didn’t have time for that shit. I just threw a vest on over my shirt.

  Rage burns through my veins with each step I take. Jessica better be here. These motherfuckers are going to pay for it either way.

  Blades secured at my ankles, an assault rifle at my back, and dual handguns at the ready, I storm for the building. The area surrounding the warehouse is derelict. Apart from the smoke coming out of the chimney at the top, you would think there is no one here.

  The windows are all boarded up, and the steel double doors ahead are our entry option. They’re only going to know we’re here if they have security cameras set up.

  The sound of a door slamming from the left side of the building draws my attention. So, they do have security cameras. Raising my guns, I feel the others behind me, slowing their steps just as I am.

  The moment a guy steps out of the shadows, I pull the trigger. I hear the bullet whip through the air and the gush of wind that leaves his lips. It’s the only sound he gets to make as he drops to the ground in a heap.

  I’m glad I didn’t opt to add a silencer to the end of my gun. It takes away the magical sound of ruining these fuckers.

  I don’t move another muscle, listening to hear if anyone was with him, and the crunch of a branch from behind the dead body alerts us. Not wanting to miss out on destroying these assholes, West steps up beside me, aiming his assault rifle in that direction and fires off a shot.

  “I’ll check the side. You guys carry on,” Bryce calls out, and I continue forward without a word. He must have some of his security guards with him as multiple footsteps trail off. I don’t check back to see if all the vans are parked— my focus is solely on getting inside.

  The closer to the doors I get, the more noise can be heard. Shouts from the inside filter to our ears, they know we’re here, and they know we just dropped two of their men. Just as I plant my feet right outside the door, I hear Roman call my name.

  “Mav, let someone else clear the door first.” Fuck that. I glance over my shoulder at him, barely able to see anything with only the moonlight guiding the way. I glare at him, and he must know I’m done waiting because he rushes to join me.

  Ignoring the door handle, I raise my foot, just as Roman stands beside me, doing the same movement, and in one swift move, we pound our boots into the door.

  Gunshots instantly ring out, and a guy standing in shock right in front of me is the first to drop from another one of my bullets. Straight between his eyes, he falls to the ground in slow motion. I barely register the blood that coats my skin as I try to get my bearings.

  Screams fill the room as I take in the rows and rows of tables, all filled with stacks of cash. No, counterfeit bills. That’s what they’re doing here? How fucking embarrassing. This is why Frankie Winters was never destined to make it big time. And he will never be more than this life because I am going to end him.

  Women run in the opposite direction but cry out in fear as Bryce charges through the doors on that side of the building. All of this is just a fucking distraction. I want to get through this shit to get to my petal.

  Stepping further into the room, I catch sight of Luna moving to my left, gun aimed, and bullets fly as two more men drop at her feet. A growl coming from in front of me gains my attention as a man rushes towards me. He has no weapon in hand, but his face is bright red with anger, and
I pull the trigger.

  Straight through his chest, he falls before me, his head landing on my boot, and I kick him off before moving further into the carnage that surrounds us. All these fucking tables aren’t helping either. They topple to the ground with chaos as more of our men charge in.

  “Find her, Rick,” West murmurs in my ear, stepping around me with his gun aimed out to his right. A quick glance around and I notice Oscar and half a dozen of Bryce’s men heading up the stairs. I decide to run to the left, remembering Kai saying that there were smaller rooms down here to each side of the main space.

  These fuckers were going to keep her confined and trapped in one of the smaller rooms. I just know it, and they’ll regret it, I swear.

  Spotting a door, I take the edge of the room, avoiding the attention of Frankie’s men, who were too busy shooting at the door Bryce came in through. Just as I’m about to whip the door open, it’s pushed from the other side, and a guy I recognize from the fights down in Petersburg stands before me.

  “Where the fuck is she?” He calls out in the corridor but stalls when he sees me. “You—.” Before he can finish his sentence, I bring my gun to his skull and squeeze the trigger. Blood splatters all over my body with the close range, but I don’t have time to wipe my hands or face. I need to be ready for the next fucker.

  Just as I’m about to step over his limp body, a sneer to my right stops my movement.

  “The man of the hour has finally arrived, huh?”

  My eyes search out the man I know that voice belongs to, and I find myself face to face with Frankie fucking Winters.

  “Where is she?” I growl, and my mind goes back to the guy I just shot who was asking the same thing, but I can’t focus on that right now. I need this fucker dead, but I need to know where to find my girl first.

  “Where’s who?” He asks, playing fucking dumb, and I don’t have time for that shit. Without moving my gaze from his, I pull the trigger, watching as he buckles on his feet.

  “Fuck!” He grunts, dropping to one knee as the other pours blood from the shot I just took at his leg.

  “I said. Where. Is. She,” I grind out, feeling my heart pound rapidly in my chest, knowing he has the answer. He just wants to torture me.

  Hissing in pain, he looks up at me with a manic laugh playing on his lips. “Oh, you mean little bee?” My teeth grind in irritation with the fact he gave her a nickname, but I refuse to let him see how he’s getting to me.

  “Do I need to shoot the other knee too?” I spit out, and he laughs louder.

  “She could be somewhere in this building. She could be as far away from here as possible, or she could be hanging like a cow in the meat fridge I have, along with Brian.”

  My heart stutters at his words. I knew something was off with Brian since I hadn’t heard from him in so long but hearing his fate from Frankie’s mouth confirms it. He had a wife, children, and now he’s dead. I make a mental note to make sure they’re taken care of before focusing on the reason I’m here.

  “For your sake, I hope she’s in this building. Otherwise, the torture I have planned for you will take much longer.”

  He simply shakes his head in response, and I watch as he tries to bring his hand to the back of his pants to where his gun is likely hidden. Without wasting a breath, I shoot the last bullet in my left handgun and watch as it tears through his arm.

  I shouldn’t take pleasure in the groan that leaves him, but I fucking relish in it.

  Dropping my empty gun, I move towards him and swing my fist straight in his face. The feel of skin-on-skin pain only amplifying my need to destroy him. A weapon can’t give me this.

  Pushing him back, I crowd his space, my words spitting from my mouth. “You thought you were some big boss man, huh? I fucking destroy guys like you for lunch.” Grabbing a blade from my ankle, I bring it to his throat. “I’ve dealt with much worse than you. You got too excited because you found my weakness. But what you couldn’t predict is how much harder I will fight for her than I do for Featherstone. Which means you truly fucking underestimated me.”

  His eyes sparkle with manic emotions, a mixture of a growl and a laugh.

  “Now, tell me where she is, or the next bullet aims higher.”

  “Fuck. You.” He spits to the side, blood on his teeth as he grins. “You underestimate me, Maverick Miller. Frankie Winters is my cover name, but between you and me, I’m a lot more connected to the Russian Mafia than you know.”

  Russian Mafia? I couldn’t give a shit. I scoff in his face, my eyes likely as crazy as his right now. “Featherstone doesn’t care about the Russian Mafia or you.”

  He must see the sincerity in my eyes because his grin falters at my words. “You’re going to wish you were more interested in them because they’re coming for you.”

  I refrain from rolling my eyes, done with this boring fucking chitchat. Raising my fist, I punch him square in the face, but as I go to do it again, a hand captures my arm.

  Growling, I glance over my shoulder to find Parker looking down at me, blood in his hair and all up his sleeve.

  “Come, Maverick, you need to see this,” he murmurs, and I release my hold on Frankie instantly.

  “I want him alive,” I grunt, climbing to my feet as Parker takes my spot.

  I feel disorientated after being locked in my mental bubble with Frankie, so I’m surprised when I realize no more gunshots are firing off, and no one is screaming in fear. My eyes lock on Roman, who stands by the door I was about to step through before Frankie called me out. Following the nod of his head, encouraging me through the door and to the left, I stop in the doorway of a makeshift office.

  My blood chills at the scene before me. There’s a small, cramped space, a chair knocked over shows signs of a struggle, and blood smeared across the basic desk. But it’s the dead guy slumped in the corner that causes me concern.

  “It looks like they may have kept her in a room further down the hall. A dirty mattress on the floor, no sign of daylight.” Oscar’s words trail off when he realizes how bad that fucking sounds, and I can’t contain my growl.

  I hear West calling my name from outside the room, and just as I’m about to follow his voice, something catches my eye. Crouching by the desk, I lift a scrap of material off the ground, and I feel hollow inside.

  Silver, sparkles, and sequins. This is the material to the hot as fire dress Jessica was wearing when we last saw her, and now it’s here. Ripped from her body and tossed aside without a care.

  Rising to my feet, I clutch the material tightly in my grasp, and as Luna comes running into the room, her eyes fall to the fabric instantly. A frown is her first reaction, but worry instantly floods her eyes.

  “Where the fuck is she?” I whisper, losing myself in the possibilities of where the other half of me is. Without her, I’m nothing.

  Jess

  “I’ll be seeing you, little bee.”

  Frankie stands and storms from the room in one quick motion, slightly frazzled by the sudden arrival of his guests. The guy behind me slowly loosens his grip around my waist, but instantly places his hands on my shoulders to keep me in the chair.

  My heart pounds in my chest as I try to take a deep breath, followed by another. If I have any chance of getting out of this place, the time is now. While Frankie seems to be distracted by whatever is happening outside, I need to run.

  Running his hands around my throat as he stands, Frankie’s guy glares down at me while pulling me to my feet by my neck. Refusing to let him see the pain and discomfort it causes me, I stand before him, holding eye contact. I have no idea what actual damage has been done to my body yet, and finding out will only set me back.

  Stretching out my legs, I feel the pull of my dress restricting my movement. That will need to go. But first, I need to get out of the grasp of this guy, which won’t be easy with his massive build and height. Size-wise he’s a complete match for Rafe, and I can tell he has the strength to go with it.

  His ey
es trail down my body, starting at my face, lingering on the curve of my breasts with the deep ‘V’ of my dress falling open a little more than it should. This sick fuck licks his lips as he continues to hold me by the throat while bringing the tip of his finger to the valley between my chest.

  My eyes flicker around the room. I need to use whatever I can get my hands on, even if it’s my own body, which is distracting him right now. The words taste like lead on my tongue, but I need every advantage I can get. Even if that means letting him think he can touch me.

  That’s when my eyes spot the gun on his right hip.

  “Don’t overthink it, Jessica. Just react. It’s all instinct. Channel your power from your center. You’ve got this.”

  Maverick’s words run through my mind, giving me the pep talk I need. Closing my eyes, I inhale from my nose and slowly release my breath. My body moves the second my eyes fly open.

  “The top two knuckles hurt them, the bottom two knuckles hurt you.”

  My hands are still zip tied together, but I can still shape them into fists. This guy is still too occupied as he strokes his finger over the swell of my breast getting braver in his intrusive movements. So, the strike of my fists straight into his stomach catches him by surprise.

  He instantly leans over, and the wind knocks out of him as he removes his hands from my body. I don’t have much time. I know I don’t, but it’s not easy with my hands tied.

  As quickly as I can, I lift my arms and swing my right elbow at his face before he has a chance to respond. The impact ricochets through my bones as he grunts, stumbling back into the desk.

  Following his movement, I grab the gun from his waist, pulling hard as his hands try to grab for me. But he freezes when he feels the muzzle of the gun pushing into his temple.

  “Please. Continue to underestimate me. I dare you.”