Page 96 of Swerve (Boosted Hearts 1)

“We’ll get him . . .”

“No.” I stood. “I’m done fucking around. I’m not sitting by while that fucker plots his next move. No way am I leaving Ruby exposed like that.”

“What are you going to do?”

I held Van’s stare. “Don’t ask any questions you don’t want the answers for.”

“I’m in,” Zeke said.

Van cursed.

“I’ve made my mind up on this.” I turned to Zeke. “You sure you want in on this? I won’t be walking away from this clean, brother.”

A shadow moved through Zeke’s eyes. “I haven’t been clean in a long fucking time.”

* * *

“Just about there,” I said, typing in the final code that would shut down the camera surveillance in Edwards’s apartment building and deactivate all keypad access doors and elevators. The cameras would stay down, but we only had ten minutes before the locks overrode what would look like a system failure and reengaged.

Zeke shifted in his seat beside me, the sound of the magazine sliding free of his 9mm then clicking back into place the only other noise apart from me tapping keys.

“Done.” I shut the screen, reached around, and placed my laptop in the foot well of the passenger seat behind me. “Let’s go.”

We climbed out and strode across the street, bypassing the main doors and slipping down the side to the service elevator. I checked my watch as we climbed in and hit the button for the tenth floor. It wouldn’t take us to the penthouse suite, and the timing would be tight, but we could make it.

The door slid open and we strode out. I’d done recon on the building earlier and memorized the floor plan. I checked my watch. Five minutes down. We found the main elevator and hit the button for the penthouse.

“Remember there’ll be two guards. One at the door, one inside.”

Zeke nodded.

The elevator doors slid open, and I stepped back.

Zeke stumbled out without pause, sticking to our plan, and after swaying like a drunk, hit the ground, all while managing to keep his face down and concealed. The guard rushed over, gun raised, leaning over him. I came up behind the guard and grabbed his wrist, twisting the gun out of his hand, kicking it away. The guy spun to face me and I punched him, knocking him out.

Zeke pulled some cable ties from his jacket and secured the guard then, scooping up the other man’s dropped weapon, we entered the apartment.

I took the lead and we moved down the hall to where the living room should be. It was empty. I motioned Zeke to take the other side of the penthouse and we split up, Zeke down another hall, me up the stairs. The first two rooms were bedrooms, a bathroom down from that. The door across from it was ajar. Gun at the ready, I pushed it open, checking it out.

There was a large mahogany desk, bookshelves. I walked in and tested the drawers. Locked. Easy enough to pick. There had to be something here. Something that would lead me to this Mom woman, that could get this fucker locked away.

I glanced up and . . . froze.

Fuck. There were pictures of Ruby. Screen shots, taken from footage of her in her room. Ruby getting dressed, naked and fresh from the shower . . .

I sucked in a rough breath, fingers curling into a tight fist.

Lying on her bed, her hand between her legs.

I stood there staring, feet glued to the fucking spot. I was going to find Colin fucking Edwards and take him out.

I heard footsteps. It wasn’t Zeke. You didn’t hear Zeke coming. You didn’t hear any of us coming.

I didn’t move. I waited, eyes on the door.

Edwards rounded the corner and pulled up short. “What the . . . how the fuck did you get in here . . . who let you in?”

“I let myself in. It wasn’t exactly hard. You might want to do something about that.”