It took an hour for them to reach the sister church. Knox turned the siren and lights off two miles before they reached the large building sitting on the hillside.
“Don’t get to close, or they are going to see us coming,” Shade warned. “Pull over here and let me out.”
Knox pulled off the road behind two large trees, and Cash parked the bike he was riding behind the squad car.
The men went to the back of the car where Knox opened the trunk. Shade and the men reached inside, pulling out weapons. He hadn’t taken the time to run to his house for his own, knowing it would take too much time to find them in the wreckage.
Cash took out a rifle, loading it, and Shade tucked a Glock into his waistband before reaching for the M4.
“You need a gun?” Cash asked Train.
“Fuck no. I had mine in my saddlebag.” Train pulled his leather jacket back to show his revolver.
Knox slammed the trunk closed.
“Take no chances, brothers. Shoot to kill.” Shade changed his mind. “Except for Beth’s father if you can. If not, then blow the motherfucker’s brains out.”
The men took off at a fast clip. Knox, even being the biggest, kept up with Train and Rider, who were the fastest; however, the rest of the men weren’t far behind. Each had diligently kept their bodies in the same shape they had been in during their military service.
As they came up on the building, Shade motioned the men in the direction he wanted them to take. As they moved into their positions, the growing darkness did what Shade had thought would be impossible: provided cover enough to allow them to go unseen.
Shade nodded to the side of the house. Using the tree line to shield him, he stopped by the largest one. Handing Knox his rifle, he shimmied up the tree and reached down for the rifle then climbed several more inches before he stopped moving.
Bringing the rifle up, he used the scope to look through the church window. Quickly counting, he raised his hands, showing five fingers then another four, indicating there were nine people he could see.
Shade recognized a few of the faces inside, many he had seen on Sundays when he would wait for Lily at the diner after church. Some of those same people she had attended church with were inside watching something, their fanatical gazes turned toward the front of the church.
Shade had learned earlier from Knox that the diner’s owner had explained how his and Razer’s bike had been destroyed without it being caught on video. Then Dr. Jones, who was in practice with Lily’s obstetrician, had showed how they had managed to get near to Lily at her appointment. However, it was from the bitch standing toward the front of the church—Kaley, that really set his trigger finger to itching.
He couldn’t see Lily or Razer, but he could see Beth.
Shade’s hand tightened on the trigger as he watched Saul use the belt in his hand to beat Beth. Her dress had been torn down the back, and her head had fallen forward. She was unconscious.
He almost fucking shot everyone through the window when he saw one woman standing in the group, watching Beth being beaten. The only reason he didn’t kill the evil bitch before he climbed down was the promise he had made Lily.
“Each of you get to a window. We’ll attack at the same time.”
“Weapons?” Knox asked.
“I only saw two,” Shade answered. “One by the front door and one by the back.”
“A church with a lot of windows isn’t the brightest place to hide out,” Rider commented.
“Saul needed a church to carry out his judgment,” Cash reasoned. “The sadistic bastard uses God as an excuse to do what he gets off doing—hurting someone.”
“It will be the last time that bastard touches Beth.” Shade took off, heading for the left window. It would be the hardest to get through, but it was the one closest to Beth. If he could get to her, he could untie her and get her behind the podium for cover, if she was still breathing.
Shade raised the rifle in his hand, taking aim. He pressed the trigger as Saul began to hit Beth again. He had told the men not to kill Saul, but he had no compunction about shooting him in the hand.
While the minister screamed out in pain, grabbing his blood-soaked hand, Shade flipped the gun around, using the butt of the rifle to break the rest of the glass. Expertly spinning the rifle back around, he raised it to fire at the man by the front door who had raised his own gun to fire at him. Shade shot him between the eyes then jumped through the window.
Once Knox kicked in the door, pushing the dead body out of the way, the women in the church began to run and scream, trying to find somewhere to hide. He heard shots and looked up to see Rider had killed the one by the back door. Then Train killed two who tried to pull guns from their waistbands. They were inept, the members relying on the pastor who was kneeling on the floor, believing he would protect them.
Shade ran to the cross where Beth had been tied, checking for a pulse. As soon as he felt the weak beat, he cut Beth down, carrying her behind the podium to lay her flat as Lucky ran to stand over him, giving cover.
He looked up in time to see Cash backhand Brooke as she tried to run away. Then he dragged her to the podium where both he and Lucky were standing.
Rider, Train, and Knox forced the ones still alive onto their knees in a circle. Rider and Train stood over them, watching to make sure no one ran away or tried to save their pastor while Knox placed zip-ties around their wrists, securing them until backup could arrive. Train ignored Kaley as she begged him not to tie her up, his face a furious mask.
“Where’s Lily and Razer?” Shade asked Brooke.
“She’s dead!” Brooke screamed at him, her eyes crazed.
Shade raised the handgun. If Lily was dead, he had no promise to keep any longer. Rage filled his mind as agony tore through his heart. He forced back the crushing grief, taking aim at the woman who had finally succeeded in destroying his life.
“Shade…” Beth whispered, drawing his attention. “They’re locked in the basement. Dad was going to punish us one by one. He saved Lily for last. Razer… he’s hurt, Shade. Please help him.”
Shade took off, looking for the basement door, flinging them all open and checking for anyone else hiding until he came to one which was down a small hallway. It was locked, so he took the Glock out and shot the lock off before flinging the door open. It was pitch-black inside.
“Here’s a flashlight,” Cash said, coming up behind him.
Shade carefully went down the old steps. When he took the last one, he used the beam of the flashlight to sweep the room, finding Razer lying on the dirt floor.
His hands and feet were tied, his shirt had been torn off, and he appeared to have been severely beaten. He was covered in cuts and lash marks with blood seeping from them. Razer’s nose had been broken, and the son of a bitch had even carved “Sinner” on his chest.
Shade took off his jacket and covered him before Cash could see then, knowing Razer would want it that way, then turned his gaze away.
“Lucky’s already called for some ambulances,” Cash to
ld Shade, bending down to Razer and untying his hands and feet. “He’s still alive.”
Shade nodded.
“Lily?” Shade yelled then went quiet to listen.
When he heard banging, he went to an old wooden door in the back of the dark basement and shot at the chain locking it closed. Opening the door, he saw Lily tied to a chair with a gag in her mouth. He untied her, ripping the gag away.
Smoothing back her tumbled hair, he studied her appearance. Other than the terror in her eyes and her clothing torn where she had struggled, the only bruises he could find were on her wrists. Thank God he had reached her in time.
“Shade.” Lily’s voice was a painful croak.
“Woman, just one time I’d like you to leave the house without me having to come and rescue you,” he teased, lifting her into his arms.
“Razer and Beth?” she asked with wide and terrified eyes.
“They’re in bad shape, but they’re alive. Let’s get out of here.” Shade led her into the other room where Cash was lifting a now conscious Razer to his feet. His painful groan had Shade wishing he had remained unconscious until they had been able to get him out of there. Cash held him steady as Shade helped him put his jacket on.
“Shade…”
Shade cut him off. “Later, brother. Let’s get you and Lily out of here.”
He helped Lily out of the basement first, afraid the steps would collapse under the brothers’ combined weight.
When they came around the corner, Lily saw Beth and pulled away from him to run to her. “Beth!”
Beth took Lily’s hand in hers. “I’m okay, Lily. He’s given me worse before. I’ll heal.”
A tear slid down his wife’s cheek as she smoothed Beth’s hair from her face and pulled her dress back up her shoulders.
“Why did you make him take you after Razer? I begged him to take me, but you called him that name—”
“Because he is an old douchebag.” Beth gave a soft laugh.