Broken Boys Crave Chaos by JB Heller
ChapterFive
We comeacross all types in this job. But there are none hated more than rapists. My palms itch with anticipation; I’m eager to put this Terry guy in his place.
During the week, both Snow and I did extra surveillance, between tracking other skippers to make sure Terry Anders would be exactly where we needed him to be today and that he’d be alone. With a man like Terry, we need to be extra cautious. He’s a behemoth at nearly seven feet tall and built like a brick shit house.
Most wouldn’t stand a chance against him. It won’t be easy to take him in, but I know Snow and I can do it. He’s going to resist, there’s no doubt about it, which means we have the right to use as much force as necessary. And I can’t fucking wait.
“You got everything?” Snow asks, strutting toward me while I load my kit into the trunk of my truck.
I nod. “Yep, you?”
She grins as she tosses her own kit beside mine. “You know it. Just another Friday night out on the town,” she states, grinning.
I can’t help but laugh as I leave her to close the trunk while I round to the front, getting in behind the wheel then reaching out to pull my door closed. A big hand wraps around the top of it, stopping me, so I lift my head to find Dad standing in the open space, a brow arched in annoyance.
“Forgetting something?” he grunts.
My brows dip as I run through my mental checklist. Nope, I’ve definitely packed everything I could possibly need, plus some. “No,” I tell him, arching a brow of my own. He hates it when I mimic him, but I just can’t help myself. I love pushing his buttons.
“You know the rules, we put them in place for a reason. You two aren’t going after this guy on your own.” He flicks his narrowed gaze to Snow as she climbs into the passenger seat, then back to me as he crosses his thick tattooed arms across his broad chest.
I drop my head down on the steering wheel and groan. “One time, just one freaking time, Daddy. Things went sideways one time. Besides, Valentine’s still there keeping an eye on the place.”
“One time too many, Ariel. You will take Kline and Terrance with you as backup, or you won’t go at all. I know you want to be a pair of badass motherfuckers and do this by yourselves, but it’s not up for discussion. I will not risk either of you for anything. Understand?”
My throat thickens, and I drop my gaze to my boots and nod. Flashes from almost a year ago inundate my mind and tighten my stomach. I’ve actively pushed all thoughts related to that night as far away as humanly possible. But every now and then they creep back in.
I had him, but then he turned the tables on me. I still don’t know how. It happened so fast I didn’t see it coming. One minute I had the guy in a choke hold as Snow approached with the cuffs, the next… the next he kicked his leg out, sending Snow sprawling. The sickening sound as the side of her head connected with the sharp corner of a hallway table moments before she hit the floor will never leave me.
Blood pooling around her, so fast, too fast. So much blood. I got distracted, my focus locking onto Snow as she lie there motionless. Then he threw his head back smashing it into my face so forcefully I saw stars. Before I knew it, he hurled his big body backward, dropping to the ground, crushing me beneath him and knocking the air from my lungs.
The back of my head cracked against the floor, and everything went black…
By the time I came to, he was hovering above me, his dark soulless eyes boring into me as he roughly tugged at my pants. Bile rose in my throat, and I reached for the knife strapped between my breasts before burying it to the hilt in the side of his neck.
Someone brushes my shoulder, and I react before I even know what I’m doing. My knife is pressed against the throat of the person who touched me without my consent.
I blink, and blink again, then my dad’s steady gaze comes into focus and holds mine as he slowly lifts a hand and carefully takes the knife from me. I swallow hard, adrenaline coursing through my veins, causing my pulse to skyrocket.
“Ariel,” my dad says, his voice calm but firm. “Who are you?”
“A Hunter,” I say without thought.
He nods. “And what do Hunter’s do?”
“Protect.”
He nods again. “And who protected you that night?”
“I did,” I say, my heart rate finally slowing. “I did,” I repeat more firmly.
“That’s right,” he confirms, then tugs me into his strong arms, holding me tight for a moment before releasing me and hooking a finger under my chin, lifting it until I meet his eyes as he hands my knife back to me. “I love you, princess, now go put that motherfucker back behind bars where his ass belongs.”
I straighten my spine, my dad’s unwavering belief strengthening me and holding me together when I let myself slip. “Yes, Daddy,” I say with conviction. I am my own hero; I was that night, and I always will be.
A moment later, Kline and Terrance slide into the backseat and I don’t argue.
* * *
I pullup to the curb three houses down from the place Terry’s been hiding out at just as the last of the sun dips below the horizon, then I turn to face Terrance and Kline. “You guys are clear on the plan?”
Kline rolls his eyes. “Sure, we’ll sit here looking pretty while a fucking rapist tries to put his hands on you.”
My eyes narrow on the sarcastic asshole. “Yes, that’s exactly what you’re going to do.”
He sits forward, getting in my face as much as he can. “Not. A. Fucking. Chance,” he says. “Any man who sits back while another is mistreating a woman isn’t a man at all.”
“Just let us go in first. If we’re not out with him in five minutes, then you can come in,” Snow offers as a compromise.
It means we’ll have to do this quicker than I would have liked. I wanted to take my time, make sure it hurt. But that’s obviously out of the question now. I’ll just have to make every second count. I’m not stupid, nor am I an easy target. I doubled down on my time at the gym after that night. I do more classes and spar at least three times a week. I won’t be caught off guard again.
Kline grits his teeth then draws in a breath, as though he’s preparing to fly off the handle at me, but Terrance puts a hand on Kline’s shoulder, drawing him back. “We can give them five minutes. A hundred bucks says the two of them have him waving a little white flag within three, max.”
“Fine, but not a second longer,” Kline spits, tugging his cell out of his pocket then tapping the screen a few times before turning it to Snow and I, showing us a timer. “I’m not fucking around, Ariel. If you two aren’t dragging his ass out that door in exactly five minutes, we’re coming in.”
I grin. “Deal. But don’t start that thing until we’re inside.”
I fling my door open, head to the trunk, and get kitted up. With Snow at my side, we fasten our vests then strap our rubber bullet-filled guns to our outer thighs. I tuck a couple of extra knives into my vest while Snow does some fancy hand work with a couple of cans of pepper spray, as if she’s a gunslinger from way back, before tucking them into place. Once I’ve got all my gear on, I shoot Val a quick text.
ARIEL: Is he alone?
Val wastes no time replying, little dots appearing immediately as he types.
VALENTINE: Yep, his buddy left for work twenty minutes ago. You’re good.
Sliding my cell into my back pocket, I then give Snow the go ahead, and seconds later we’re approaching the house in silence. Snow makes her way around the side, heading for the back door while I go straight for the front. I peek through windows, cataloguing what I can as I pass.
I pause beside a window with a clear view of the living room and catch sight of Terry splayed out across a large leather couch. I drop to my knees and crawl to the other side, slowly lifting my head just enough to confirm he hasn’t moved. Then I’m on my feet, taking the two steps onto the front porch in utter silence before testing the doorknob.
Unsurprisingly, it’s locked. I dip my hand into the pocket on my left thigh, retrieving my lock picking kit, and less than thirty seconds pass before I’m in. I quickly glance back over my shoulder to my truck. Terrance and Kline are leaning against the hood, eyes trained on me. I flip them the bird, then push the door open…
* * *
The foyer is dark,which works to my advantage as I silently advance through the open space toward the living room.
The volume on the television is turned up way too loud, so even if I wasn’t being stealthy as fuck, he wouldn’t hear me coming. I wait with my back pressed against the wall for Snow to confirm she’s inside through our earpieces, then I step into the room.
My eyes lock on Snow for the briefest moment as she enters through the kitchen, covering Terry from behind. I announce our presence when Terry’s gaze stays locked on the seventy-inch TV screen.
“Bail enforcement agents,” I declare, aiming my taser at him. “Lay on the ground, hands behind your back.”
The fucker acts like I’m nothing more than an annoying fly. His eyes track from the TV to me, and he scoffs then goes back to his show, as if I’m not even here.
I try again, this time stepping directly into his line of sight. “Terry Anders, you are in violation of your bail conditions. Get on the floor and put your hands behind your back.”
His dead eyes rest on my face, his expression blank, then in slow motion his mouth curves into a sick smirk. He rakes his gaze over my body, his teeth sinking into his bottom lip, and I take a step forward.
“I will tase you, motherfucker. So, either do as I say, or don’t. I’d prefer the second option. But it’s your call,” I snarl.
He tilts his head to the side then launches at me, moving way faster than a man of his size should be able to. But my reaction time is quicker, and I sidestep at the very last second, sending him hurtling headfirst into the huge entertainment unit.
“Fucking bitch,” he growls, getting to his feet as blood trickles from his brow, then he’s coming at me again.
His long arm reaches me before I can get out of the way, hooking around my waist and pulling me against his chest. I can’t get a clear shot with my taser as he drives me backward, but I wriggle in his hold then slam my knee up into his balls as hard as I can. His grip falters as he howls in pain, and I twist out of his path as he collides with the floor.
I stand above him, taser pointed at his hands where they cup his battered balls. He grits his teeth and rolls up into a sitting position, sweeping my feet out from under me with the motion. I land on my ass, but before he can lunge for me a third time, Snow hits him with her taser from behind.
He jerks violently, eyes wide as he topples to his side while the prongs of the taser continue to pump electricity through his body.
Snow rounds him, then gives him a little finger wave. “Hi,” she says, smiling wide.
I scurry over to cuff him while he’s still incapacitated.
Securing the cuffs a little tighter than necessary, I decide there’s no way Snow and I can drag his ass out of here on our own, so I stroll back to the front door and poke my head out, waving Kline and Terrance over.
They jog up the sidewalk and skip the two steps of the porch as I turn my back and lead them into the living room. “He’s a big bastard, you two are going to have to haul him out.”
Kline isn’t even a little bit covert as he blatantly sweeps his gaze over Snow and I, checking for injuries before surveying the room. When he spots the destroyed entertainment unit, including the massive TV and what looks like an expensive sound system, he cringes, but doesn’t comment.
Terrance has a shit eating grin on his face as he slaps Kline’s back. “Two minutes and fifty-three seconds. You owe me a neat hundred, my man.”