\[Rosco’s POV\]
I hang up the phone after giving the police my father’s number. For now, he could handle things with Charlie. Once I’m finished, I stare at the message that contains Denali’s photo. Someone has a fucking death wish, and if they want to fight me, then they can. I was more than willing to take them on and fucking kill them.
Clicking on the number, I wait until the other end picks up.
“That was quick,” a deep male voice rumbles from the other end. “I was wondering when you would call.”
Anger rushes through me as the bastards cocky attitude radiates from the other end. He truly didn’t know who the fuck he was dealing with, but I was more than willing to show him, but first I needed to know that Denali was okay.
“What do you want?” I ask slowly, trying to keep from breaking the phone. “This is your purpose, no? You want money? Power? Maybe an exchange. Name it.”
“I don’t want any of those things,” he counters with a laugh. “All this is for you to make a choice.”
A choice? Was he fucking serious? Was there even a choice to be made?
“What choice is that?” I ask, deciding to humor him. “Go on, name it.”
“Your wife and your long-time friend.”
Long-time friend? Oh, right, Nadia was there too, but was there really a choice? I couldn’t place why, but something told me she was behind this whole fucking charade. I knew that she was more than willing to stoop to despicable means to get what she wanted. What she did all those years ago was proof enough.
“My wife,” I respond immediately. “Free her, and you can have the friend. Now tell me where you are."
"Ah, ah, ah,” the man laughs. “Do you really think it will be that simple? The game has just begun.”
“Fuck your game,” I snap. “You told me to make a choice, and I have. Free my wife and do whatever the fuck you want with the woman. Stop wasting my fucking time.”
“I’ll be sending you the address,” the man chuckles. “Come directly here, and if you dare to bring anyone else, I’ll kill them both without a second thought.”
“Don’t worry,” I assure him. “I don’t need anyone else.”
"Good!" he sighs. “I’ll see you soon, hero man.”
With that, he hangs up, and I’m left waiting until my phone goes off again with the address of the place where Denali was being held. Once I have it, I don’t waste any time jumping into my car and speeding in the direction I was given.
When I arrive, I jump out of the car and stare up at the abandoned warehouse where Denali is being held while dialing the bastard's number again. Once he picks up, I can feel his amusement from the other end.
“Come inside,” he orders, urging me to move. “My associates will be waiting on you.”
Fighting the urge to just rush in and cause hell, I simply begin to move until I reach the warehouse entrance, where two people wait on me. They’re dressed in all black, and their faces are covered, but it is easy enough to tell that one is a woman and the other is a man.
“This way,” the man barks, waiting for me to enter so he can close and lock the door behind me. “Arms up.”
Rolling my eyes, I do as he is told. Even if they frisked me, they wouldn’t find anything. I wasn’t such a fool to hide weapons in such obvious spots. When they finish checking me, the man begins to lead me through the warehouse toward a room in the back, and when the door opens, I see her. She is still unconscious, but aside from that, she looks to be in one piece, as does Nadia, whose wide tear-filled eyes are on me.
“Welcome,” the one responsible for this whole fucking charade announces, coming forward. “Our main character for this drama has arrived!”
As he speaks, the floor beneath Nadia and Denali begins to open, but instead of falling into the water beneath, they hang there from hooks I didn’t notice originally.
“Are you ready for the festivities?”
Festivities? What fucking festivities was he referring to? On the phone, he said I only had to make a choice. I chose Denali; that was the most fucking obvious of choices, so what was he up to now?
“Corrine!” He booms, speaking to the woman who stood silently behind me. “Please explain the rules of the game.”
“Certainly,” she responds, coming around me and pulling two boxes from her pockets. “The rules are simple,” she giggles. “You’ll be given a choice.”
A choice… So this was what he meant the whole fucking time. He wasn’t going to just let me save Denali and leave.
“Inside these boxes are buttons,” Corrine continues. “Each will trigger the release of the hooks holding the two women. Pick the wrong one, and your wife will become shark food. Pick the right one, and the other woman will.”
Fuck… I should just say fuck it and kill these bastards right here and now, but I didn’t know whether or not they had anything else planned. There was a good chance that if I made one wrong move, they would release both Nadia and Denali.
“Will you play along, hero?” The leader asks.
Would I play? Of course, I would play. There was no fucking way I was going to let anything happen to Denali. But how the hell was I supposed to know which button would release her and which would release Nadia?
Frowning, I look from the buttons to Nadia, who is still watching me in fear. It is clear from the look of hope in her eyes that she expects me to choose her, and that was most likely the reason for this whole fucking charade. Maybe if Denali was alone, I wouldn’t assume Nadia was involved, but this was too much of a coincidence.
“Tick tock,” the kidnapper chuckles. “With each minute that passes, the women will be lowered.”
To prove his point, he nods toward Denali and Nadia, just in time for them to drop an inch.
‘Save her.’ Fabian growls. ‘Why are you just standing there?’
‘If I make a wrong move, then she could die.’
It would just take one wrong fucking move and he could release Denali, and then if anything happened to her, it would fall on me.
Letting out a growl of frustration, I turn my gaze back to the buttons and focus on one. Lifting a finger, I prepare to touch it while slowly looking at Nadia to see her reaction. This was all I could truly go off of. Whichever was attached to her would cause true fear to show, and since it didn’t seem she was concerned with the button I was focusing on, I press the other.
In an instant, Denali is released, and I’m rushing forward while avoiding the attacks of the bastards trying to stop me.
No. How could I have let Nadia trick me? Was it that obvious what I was doing? I fucked up again! Who the hell was I to tell her I would protect her and keep her safe when I kept causing her to be in danger?
“MOVE!” I roar, grabbing the first person I can get my hands on and throwing them forward into the same fucking water that Denali fell into. “I’LL FUCKING KILL YOU ALL!”
Snarling with rage, I grab the woman’s head and twist, snapping her neck and throwing her aside. However, when I reach the water and prepare to dive, the sound of gunfire reaches me before pain shoots through my chest.
Hissing, I look down to see where a bullet has hit me before fire races through my veins.
“What the hell?” I growl, stumbling forward. “What did…”
"Wolfsbane-infused bullets,” the leader chuckles. “Did you really expect me to make things so easy? What fun would it be if the hero saved the damsel and you both rode off into the sunlight together? Instead of that ending, you will die together.”
As he speaks, he lifts a foot and kicks out, sending me crashing into the cold water below.