DEADLY DECEPTION

CHAPTER 43

Rick's POV

The fucking doors didn't stand a chance.

We stormed in, taking down Rafael's men with brutal precision. Gunfire cracked through the air, screams cut short as bodies dropped. Blood painted the walls, the floor—I didn't give a fuck.

I moved like a fucking storm, tearing through every bastard in my way.

I wasn't careful. I wasn't cautious.

I was ruthless.

Reckless.

Driven by something far beyond vengeance.

Something darker.

Avery.

I could hear her voice in my head. Could see her face, the way she looked at me—the trust in her eyes. She trusted me.

And Rafael had his hands on her.

Not for fucking long.

I snapped a bastard's neck with my bare hands, his body hitting the floor with a dull thud. Another rushed me, gun raised. Too slow.

I fired first—point blank. The bullet tore through his skull, blood splattering as his lifeless body crumpled.

Move. Move. Move.

Bryce and George flanked me, covering my sides. Thomas was right behind, clearing the rest. I didn't wait for them.

Didn't need to.

I heard someone yell—Fred, maybe—but it was distant, like a buzz in my head.

All I saw was red.

A guard lunged at me from the shadows. Knife in hand. Desperate fuck.

I grabbed his wrist, twisted hard—snap.

His scream barely left his throat before my gun was in his mouth.

Boom.

His body slumped against the wall.

Someone whistled behind me. "Jesus fucking Christ, Rick—"

I didn't respond.

Didn't slow down.

The deeper we went, the heavier the air felt.

The closer I got, the worse it became.

My grip on my gun tightened. Almost there.

I reached the last corridor.

More guards.

I raised my gun— click.

Out.

Didn't matter.

The first bastard rushed me—I dodged, elbowed his face, felt his nose break under my blow. He stumbled. I wrenched the gun from his grip and emptied the clip into the others.

A chorus of grunts, bodies hitting the ground.

The last man tried to run.

I grabbed him by the collar, slammed him against the wall.

Cold eyes locked onto his. "Where?"

He trembled. "F-Fuck you—"

Wrong answer.

I drove my knife into his stomach, twisting.

He gasped, choking.

"Where?" I growled, voice calm. Deadly.