The Ghost

46. too easy

John's POV

All of my most trusted agents of my part of the anti-mafia are in position. G placed several of her most trusted captains in key positions as well. I think she called in one her more trusted mafia guys as well because there are some men I recognize from the school takedown we did almost a year ago.

I give my second in command his orders for how to back up G, and move to the infiltration point. I'll be leading the rescue team. I'm taking 15 people with me. One person to carry each of the hostages (maybe two for Mark) and then fighters to surround us as we move out of the building.

It's a risk going in right now, but I can't help myself. I need him safe before going after that damned backstabber. So I give my team the signal to move forward, taking out any guards they see on the way.

Entering through the same place Rosie and Ruby had, there were only 3 guards posted there. We stash the bodies in an empty room, and follow the path Ruby had laid out for us on the blueprints. Occasionally there is a rare man running down the hall towards us, but we don't see many people.

We reach the room fairly easy, but the sight that greets us is far from pretty. Mark looks on the verge of death with his pale skin covered in bruises. Rosie is out cold, but the dark bruises on her skin and the blood in her hair show that she didn't escape the pain either. I see minor scratches and bruises in the others, but nowhere near as bad as those two.

I rush straight to Mark. Shit he's not conscious, it looks like he might be bleeding internally. One of the women who came with me starts taking their gags out.

When Thea's gag is out she rolls her tongue in her mouth, to generate some saliva before calling out to me, "he won't... make it... much... longer. He's been... in and out... all day. The last... time he... woke up he... saw her get... thrown back and... blood coming out... of her head. He won't fight... death off... much longer." She barely manages to wease the words out.

Remembering something Ruby said about Thea, I grab an inhaler from my pocket and hand it to her. She looks at me gratefully, while taking puffs from it.

Glancing at the others around me, everyone except the two siblings look safe. "Alright, yes we are here to rescue you, but G is going to storm the place the second you're out and safe to take them all down for good. Stacy and Thea you are welcome to take a look at our weapons cash outside and join the fight, but I would like it if you were there to protect these two." I motion to the unconscious pair.

The two girls look at each other before starting a game of rock paper scissors. It seems like Thea wins, but when they turn to me, Stacy speaks, "I will stay and fight, Thea will protect them."

I nod in approval before picking Mark up. Thea glares at the woman moving to pick Rosie up. "Don't touch her. I will carry her." She backs away slowly as Thea continuously glares at her while stalking forward until she has Rosie in her arms.

The pair form a protective circle around Rosie, keeping a watchful eye on the people around us. I understand their wariness. I mean a woman their leader trusted unquestionably betrayed them and now they're supposed to just trust us. For all they know we could be leading them into an attack.

To put them a little more at ease I grab my phone out of my pocket while balancing Mark on my leg, and call G on speaker.

When she picks up the phone she yells, "Are they safe? Are you out of there yet?"

Thea and Stacy whip their heads around from where they had been looking at Rosie's wounds, "G? Is he actually safe?"

I can sense the sigh that G is holding back, she didn't want them to be so suspicious of everyone and everything but after Ashley's betrayal nothing could ever be considered safe to them again.

At that moment Rosie starts to wake up, groaning, so the pair turn their attention to her while still listening for G's reply.

"Yes girls he can be trusted. You are safe." G soothes them. "Just look at the way he's holding Mark, if this was a trap, he wouldn't be so gentle."

I gape my mouth open, spluttering, "How... How did you know?"

Her laugh sounds through the phone, "I sent you in after your boyfriend who we already knew had been beaten pretty bad. There was no chance in hell you weren't holding him right now."

I chuckle lightly, but quickly stop when I notice that Mark's face tenses.

G waits for me to speak, after I don't say anything else, she starts asking questions, "Where are you right now?"

"We're still in the room they were being kept in. The girls didn't trust us and Rosie and Mark are both hurt pretty bad and are out of it right now. They're going to need emergency surgery the moment we get them to our doctor." I explain the situation to G.

She sighs through the phone before giving out commands, "Alright, get them out now. We'll start the assault the moment you're out of the building. I don't want them in the crossfire. Now take me off speaker."

It takes me a moment of situating Mark until I can hold him and still have the phone to my ear, but also turned away from everyone else. "Ok you're off speaker." I tell her when I finish.

Her energy immediately darkens and the next words that come out of her mouth make all the blood drain from my face, "If either of the girls are injured in some way shape or form, I'll hurt you worse than I've done to my sperm-donor. And if Mark or Rosie dies, you will suffer the exact same injuries they have. I will not tolerate failure."

I squeak out a "yes ma'am," and she hangs up the phone. It takes me a moment to compose myself before I start giving out orders. "I'll carry Mark. You eight will circle up around Thea and I. The rest of you circle up around them." I nod towards Stacy and Jace. "Stacy come take my gun and knives, I won't be able to use them now."

She moves forward carefully grabbing each of my weapons, but leaves one. I look at her questioningly, "you may need to protect him even with the guards. Keep one." I nod dreading that something like that could happen if Ashley found us.

Looking at one of the men I brought with me I tell him, "give them the pure kevlar suits. I'll Mark's on, you girls put Rosie's on."

Once we are in positions we move out. The hostages are in the center of two circles as we walk down the quiet hallways.

I halt us, as we reach the final turn to our exit. "This is too easy," I mutter. "Stacy, you're in charge of Jace, make sure he gets out safely. We're about to be ambushed. Group 1, cover us from behind, group 2, watch the front. Max take Mark." I hand him over mad that it has to come to this, but Ashley will be showing her face and I need to kill her now. I take Max's weapons as well, then text G that we are about to be ambushed and to start her assault now.

Leading everyone around the bend I see I was right. Just as we turn the corner people pour out from the doors along the hallway with their guns blazing all pointing straight at us. I thank God that they are basically in full body suits of kevlar, so G can't be too mad if there is a bruise here and there.

Pulling the trigger on my gun, I take several men down, but more keep pouring out of the doors. I notice Stacy, slipping down another doorway with Jace as I grab a knife from my belt and move in on the men in front of me.

The fight takes almost a half hour, but Ashley never shows her face. A few got nicked, but all of our people got out safely.

I take Mark back from Max, to see that he's looking worse. "Shit, Thea get in the car. I'm taking them to our hospital."

She bolts to the car gently placing Rosie into the back seat and buckling her in while I place Mark next to Rosie on the other side. We jump into the front, speeding off without even buckling ourselves in. Our focus entirely on making it to the hospital as quickly as possible.

When we get there people are already waiting outside for us with two gurneys. They rush off with the siblings and we sit down waiting for news.