Whatever it was, I felt alive.

Kicking down the first room’s door, I stepped in and put two more bullets in the first guy I saw. One of my men stepped up next to me and took out the second guy. Then we were both yanked backward. We heard the cock of guns readying behind the door, right on the other side of where we’d been standing. As we fell back into our men, someone blasted two holes through the door. I recognized the clip of an assault rifle and lunged forward. I slid past the door on the ground, and shot as I cleared it.

I got one. The other fell as one of my men shot through the holes in the door.

“Let’s go.” Another of my men slapped a hand on the wall. He was revved up. They were all revved up, and I nodded, jumping to my feet. They didn’t wait. They were already kicking down the next door.

I turned and waved for some of the others to move forward. “Keep clearing out rooms.” I pointed to five of them. “You guys, come with me.”

There was gunfire from the next room. We waited until it cleared, then sprinted all the way to the end of the hallway. I came to the last two rooms. Carol said the one on the left was Addison, but the right one was an unknown.

I hated fucking unknowns.

“Cole.” One of my men, Ford, grabbed my arm and held me back. “Let us clear it.” He gestured to Addison’s room with his gun. “Get your girl.”

I nodded, but I had to wait as they kicked down the right door. I heard gunfire as I did the same to Addison’s door. And as I stepped inside, my heart stopped. All the adrenaline and buzzing simply left me.

She was strapped to a bed, covered in bruises.

I almost fell to my knees.

I loved her.

I couldn’t move, not at first. They had beaten her. Half her face was swollen. One of her eyes wouldn’t open. Her throat was black, blue, and a grotesque yellow color. Her hands—I took the three steps toward her, I was falling with each one—her hands had shoe marks on them.

They’d stepped on her.

My mouth dried.

I gripped my gun more tightly, needing the feel of my knife in the other. I wanted to turn around, find one of their men, and gut him. I wanted him to bleed slowly, and I wanted his blood all over the floor when the Bertals came back for their men.

But then Addison’s good eye opened, and a shaky calm came over me.

Tenderness like I’d never experienced covered the rage inside. It was like a thin sheet, veiling the blood lust, and I swallowed hard, forcing my mouth into a smile. She had to see me smile. She had to know everything was going to be okay. I would say anything, promise anything, do anything to make this woman feel safe once again.

“Hey,” I said softly, kneeling at her side.

Tears welled up and fell down her face, sliding over the bruises.

“Hey.” I lifted my hand. I was going to wipe some of the tears away, but I hesitated, holding my hand in the air. I didn’t want to hurt her anymore. I loved her. It rushed through me, coating my lungs, my voice, my thoughts. “I have you. I love you.”

She just kept crying.

“Addison?” I wiped my thumb over her face, hoping to God that I hadn’t hurt her with that slight touch. “Addison, can you talk?”

Her head shook an inch, barely. She couldn’t talk, and she just kept crying.

“I love you.”

Keep going. Get her safe. Come back and murder who you have to. Those were my objectives. I made quick work untying the ropes. Once the last pulled free, I slid my arms under her and lifted. She was so light, so goddamn light—like she’d lost weight in the day she was gone. I almost stumbled heading back for the door, but took a deep breath and held her tight, securing her so she’d never feel unsafe again. Two of my men were waiting for me. They saw Addison, what they’d done to her, and everyone fell silent. The men stood next to the rooms they’d cleared and watched silently, letting me pass by.

The door that led to the main floor was open now, and a group of girls stood there. They were barely dressed. Some only wore thongs with their breasts hanging out. A few wore lingerie corsets, and all had heavy makeup and their hair done up. When they saw Addison in my arms, I heard quiet gasps. Two of them started crying. Another covered her mouth as they stepped back to let me pass.

One woman stepped outside. One of my men held her back, and her eyes widened. She pointed to Addison as I walked past, heading for the car that had turned down the alley. “They did that to her?”

“Yes,” I ground out.

The car stopped beside me, and the back door flew open. Carter was there. “Give her to me so you can get in.”

I held her tighter, unable to bear letting her go, even for one second. I climbed in and sat, cradling her in my lap. The driver shut the door, and we were off. My men would follow behind. Once we were clear of the whorehouse, I turned to Carter. “Why’d you come?”

His eyes fell to Addison before he murmured, “We’re family. I came to back you up.”

I nodded. That was how we were.

My eyes never left Addison the entire ride back home. And when we arrived, instead of going to her floor, I took her to mine and laid her in my bed. We called a doctor, and once he’d looked her over, treated her injuries, and given her pain medication, I let her sleep.

When I emerged, Carter waited in the kitchen, along with more of my men. Everyone knew this meant we were going to war again, but for tonight, I decided we would wait.

I returned to lean against the wall of my bedroom, watching Addison’s breathing. After a while I slid to the floor and waited for her to wake up.