With a nod in the other man’s direction, Brody pushed himself to his feet and ran. Christian, Jagger, and Cade followed, leaving Liam and Rocky to keep Ro safe until their return.
“There!” Cade pointed to a set of stairs leading to the second floor. They were the kind that were exposed, running alongside the main area’s interior wall and leading to a small platform at the top.
It had to be how Ainsworth got to the roof, which is where he’d been when Brody had seen him through the window.
The three men sprinted toward those stairs. Weapons in hand, their booted feet made a hell of a racket as they ran as fast as their legs would carry them up the metal steps.
Brody tried opening the door, but found it locked. One swift kick later, it was open and they were running inside.
As suspected, the area had once been an office. Probably the boss’s, given the aerial view its small window gave of the main space below.
An old metal desk and worn and torn wheeled chair sat covered in dust, papers, and who knew what else. The floor was covered in litter from vagrants, and the walls had been stained from rain that had made its way in through the broken windows at the back and an unkept roof.
“He went out there.” Cade motioned to a still-intact window that had been shoved open. “I’d bet money on it.”
There was a lot more than money on the line with this one, but Brody had to agree. It was the only way Ainsworth could’ve gotten onto the roof from this part of the building.
He went to the window. Squeezing himself through, he immediately had his gun lifted and his head on a swivel. Brody waited until his teammates joined him before making his way along the roof’s flat surface.
At first, he thought maybe the asshole had actually done it. That maybe Ainsworth had managed to escape. But then, through the carrying of the evening wind, he heard it.
It was slight and he’d almost convinced himself he’d imagined it. But it was there.
Brody turned to his teammates and motioned to his right. Using only hand signals, they worked together to safely make their way around the opposite side of the elevated office’s structure.
He cleared the corner, the breeze blowing harder with the wind block gone. And there, nearly reaching an exterior access ladder five yards away, was the man he was going to kill.
“Ainsworth!” Brody marched toward him with his weapon pointed straight at the man’s head. “Don’t fucking move.”
Rather than appearing scared or panicked, Michael Ainsworth stared back at him and smiled. “Your Highness. I’m honored you could make an appearance.”
“Shut the fuck up and drop the gun!”
Because Brody and the other men of Delta weren’t the only ones armed. Ainsworth also had a Glock in his hand. A hand that, smartly, was still down at the other man’s side.
“You know I can’t do that.”
“If you don’t, you’re dead.”
“I’m as good as dead, anyway. At least that’s what the cancer doc told me.”
Cancer?
That might explain the man’s sudden urge to act on his need for revenge. Not that Brody gave a damn either way. The only thing he cared about was downstairs right now, recovering from having literallydiedjust minutes before.
“You killed her.” He spoke through a set of clenched teeth. “Ro was dead when we pulled her out of that fucking trunk.”
“Was?” The other man tilted his head. “I’m assuming you and your merry group of heroes brought her back to life?”
“We did. So I guess this little plan of yours failed.”
“Maybe. Or maybe it did exactly what I wanted it to do.”
“Drop the gun.” A muscle in Brody’s jaw twitched. “I won’t tell you again.”
“See, that’s always been your problem, King. You always thought you were the one in charge. But you’re not. Not now. Not back then.”
“Drop the fucking gun and get on your goddamn knees!”