Fortress

Chapter 13

Rome

“No, I’m not interested,” I said once again to the blonde chick with her breasts exposed. Mina laughed in my ear through the earpiece and the sound warmed my body. This place was extremely packed and there seemed to be more women here than men. The flashing lights irritated my eyes as I made my way to the bar. Bodies pushed against me left and right and it took so much self-control not to throw someone across the room. The loud music mixed with the voices was already giving me a headache. I managed to make it to the bar without killing anyone and the bartender approached offering me a drink. I quickly denied it and continued to scan the room. Jared said the guy would be at the bar but I didn’t see anyone besides women seated here.

“Sounds like fun”, Mina said, as I pulled out my cell phone to send Jared another message.

“I’m annoyed”, I replied while grinding my teeth together.

“I can tell, you should have brought me along with you,” Mina said and I could hear the smile in her voice.

“No, I prefer you safe even if it means leaving you behind no matter how much I hate it,” I said my eyes landing on a man maneuvering his way toward me.

“This might be our guy”, I announced. The man who sat beside me smelled just like a pack of cigarettes he was several inches shorter than me and the cheap suit he wore seemed too small for his body.

“A shot of tequila!”, He shouted at the bartender and then held his hand out to me. I shook it firmly and my gaze fell on the tattoo halfway hidden on his wrist.

“I’m Marcus I spoke with your friend Jared yesterday,” he said pulling his hand away.

“What makes you think something is going on at the storage unit?”, I asked getting straight to business.

“Uh I heard a lot of banging and screaming and it’s been going on for a while during my night shifts,” he said before tossing his shot of tequila back.

“Did you contact the police?”, I asked balling my hand into a fist.

“Yes, every time I call they come but never check the units, the locks have been changed they don’t belong to the storage company and I was told not to cut them because they are up to date on their payments. I'm telling you something is going on”, Marcus said his voice growing more and more frightened.

“More dirty cops”, Mina said.

“A friend of a friend referred me to Jared, it’s something sick going on. I can’t get the screams out of my head”, Marcus said as he motioned for another shot.

“How far is the storage unit from here?” I asked while pushing away from the bar.

“It’s roughly thirty minutes it’s on Fifty-first and franklin street I can go with you” he offered as he downed his third shot.

“No, that’s okay thank you for the information,” I said and made my way to the front door.

“You aren’t going alone are you?”, Mina asked and I heard rustling on her end.

“No Jared has a team I just sent him the address, what are you doing?”, I asked while breathing in the sweat-free air.

“Nothing”, Mina replied too quickly.

“No. You can’t come” I said as I reached the parking lot row where I was parked.

“I could meet you there it’s just a little over an hour from here.” She insisted and I cursed under my breath. I didn’t think about the earpiece bringing me more trouble than good.

“No, it’s not safe you-“, my words were cut short by some asshole behind me.

“Rome!”, I turned to see Marcus being held with a gun to his head by one big son of a b***h. Another man stood in front of them and I could barely make out his face.

“Who the f**k are you”, I asked reaching for my gun discreetly.

“Oh you know me come on,” he said and took a step forward out of the shadows. My eyes couldn’t believe what it was seeing as one of the Helios guards from my childhood stepped forward. How the hell was he still alive?

“You’ve grown into such a strong man Rome, of course, the last time I saw you it wasn’t a pretty sight,” he said taking another step forward my eyes ran over the left side of his face which was severely damaged. His left eye was completely white and his head was now bald. He had to be in his early sixties by now.

“Rome”, Mina whispered at the same moment I drew my gun.

“Now hold on, let’s not get too hasty,” he said and laughed.

“Rome, Jared is calling my phone”, Mina said, and my senses told me what I already knew.

This is a setup.

“Mina your phone has a tracker on it break it once I hang up. Listen to me they have the house surrounded the alarm system was tripped three minutes ago. We are on the way.” I heard Jared say over the phone and it was the first time I had ever heard him scared since being freed from Helios. My eyes shot to Marcus who was now crying and praying. I could easily take these two out but I couldn’t get back to Mina in time. I felt my fangs drop as I fired two shots off in the sumo wrestler's head. Marcus dropped to the ground with him his eyes wide.

“I had no idea they followed me here I swear!”, he yelled holding his hands up in the air. All I saw was red and it was getting worse.

“Rome”, Mina’s fearful voice whispered through the earpiece.

“I’m coming”, I said through my teeth as my senses honed in on one of the many men I dreamt of killing.

“Oh is that sweet Mina? I can tell you right now no one will make it in time but you can save her”, he said pulling a cigarette from his pocket as I aimed the gun at his head.

“Rome!”, Mina screamed as shots rang out from her end.

“Hey! Okay! Make them stop!”, I yelled feeling every ounce of helplessness.

“Do I have your word that you won’t kill me? I mean it’s my life for her life at this point”, he said taking another step forward. Mina’s screams pierced my ears and I dropped the gun.

“Yes,” I growled. He pulled out a phone and smiled.

“Take her”. My heart stopped as those two words were uttered and static came through my earpiece

Mina

Gunshots continued to fly wildly throughout the house as I wiggled across the floor. Static blasted through my earpiece and I tore it from my ear. I couldn’t wait on Rome or Jared I had to get out of this house now. I cut my leg on one of the millions of shattered glass covering the floor. The gunshots suddenly stopped just as I reached the patio door. I looked up to see four pair of boots in front of me. They wore all black with a small red patch in the middle of their suit. I noticed their faces were covered with gas masks as they leveled guns at me.

My shot of escaping was now nonexistent, I laid my hands out in front of me and turned my eyes to the floor as well. My thoughts went to Rome as hands from behind pulled me roughly to my feet.

“Put her in the van”, one of the masked men said and I was pulled outside of the place I was starting to feel at home at. A white van was parked where Rome should have been and the back door was pulled open to reveal three women huddled together. I was thrown into the back and landed close to the bare feet of one of the women. The back doors slammed shut and my hands gripped my bleeding thigh.

“You’re different”, a cracked voice said from the shadows. My hand felt around the length of my thigh and I pulled the glass from the wound. I held the medium size shard in my grasp tightly while turning my attention to the women.

“What makes you say that we’re all back here together”, I said hoping they knew something more about our doomed situation.

“They pulled us from the street but they came to your house, you mean something to them”, another voice said and then there was movement. A small trembling hand grabbed my wrist and I jumped.

“No one will look for us we come from the streets, but someone will look for you, right? We have hope now!”, she whispered excitedly and my hand gripped hers.

“Yes someone will look for me and we will help you too,” I promised as the van began to move. Rome would find me, I was his mate he would save me or I would save myself.