Love Me One More Time (Nick and Alaia) novel Chapter 100

Nick

From afar, we spotted a van. The men in the group ran towards it and forced it to stop. We watched as they pulled a man from the vehicle, and he collapsed onto the ground. They hid the van amongst some bushes and brought the man over, unconscious.

“Who is he?” I asked, seeing him lying inert over the shoulder of one of the men.

“He’s the pilot, according to his ID,” he replied. He threw him to the ground, and I sat down as I watched them tie him up and cover his mouth.

“There’s an entrance from the riverside. We saw lights on in a second–floor room, where the woman and child were. We’ll clear the way and signal for you to go up and get them.”

We nodded and walked through the grass, my heart pounding at the thought of seeing my son and bringing him to safety.

Once we were near the back of the house, we saw two men walking back and forth, keeping guard.

“I don’t want them dead, only if you have to choose between their lives and yours,” I ordered, and Alejandro nodded.

We watched as two of our companions moved forward and neutralized the two men, quickly changing into their clothes after dragging them away. We entered through the back, and I recalled the layout of the house, getting my bearings.

From the kitchen, we saw two more men on the stairs. The living room windows offered a view from the entrance to the interior, where there were eight men, with another three entering and leaving the house.

“We need to take care of the men at the entrance. We’ll go out the back and give the signal for you to neutralize those on the stairs,” Alejandro told us.

“Go,” I said, and we watched them leave. I stayed behind with Gavin, two of his men, and Will. I gripped the gun in my hand tightly, my focus solely on the stairs that would lead me to my son.

A movement in one of the side windows caught my eye. I saw Alejandro signal before launching himself at the entrance. At that moment, we moved to confront the three individuals in the living room.

I pressed the gun to the head of one of them. He tensed and raised his hands. The others became aware of our presence, and my companions pounced on them while Alejandro and the others engaged with those at the entrance. A couple of gunshots rang out. I disarmed the man in front of me, and we proceeded to bind the hands and feet of all three.

Without hesitation, I got up and looked towards the stairs, adrenaline coursing through me as I ascended to the second floor.

I went directly to the master bedroom, remembering the countless times I had walked in and out of this room to see my grandmother.

I grabbed the handle, and as expected, it was locked, with another device securing it further. I growled in frustration.

“What’s wrong?” Patrick asked, looking around.

“Patrick?” Paula’s anxious voice reached us, and I felt my soul return to my body.

“Paula,” he said, and we heard a sharp intake of breath followed by a sob. “We’re coming in for you,” he whispered. “Are you alright? How’s Noah?”

“We’re okay. He’s asleep,” she replied, and I closed my eyes, knowing I was seconds away from seeing them.

I tried to find a way to open the door, but the second lock proved impossible to pick. With no time to waste, I fired my gun three times, and the lock gave way. I pushed against the door with my shoulder, forcing it open until we could see them.

Overwhelming emotion washed over me as I saw Noah in Paula’s arms. Without thinking, I walked towards them and pulled them both into my embrace.

“Nick,” Paula whispered, her shoulders trembling.

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