Free Axel by Jessica Coulter Smith

Chapter One
     
    Axel crept around the side of the house, Ghost on his tail and the other three fanned out. They’d done a little recon two nights ago, and while Axel wasn’t sure they were prepared to make a move yet, he knew the young girls inside couldn’t wait any longer. His fists clenched as he thought about the horrors they’d faced. Ghost had taken out the guards at the foot of the drive while Whisper had taken out the ones by the house. From what Axel could see through the window, there was another guard on the main level of the house and the girls were being kept in the basement. He’d be willing to bet there was another guard down there. His heart pounded as he contemplated their next move.
    Axel pushed the comm unit in his ear. “I want Whisper and Crimson at the back door. Ghost and I will take the front. Viper, you’re on lookout.”
    Viper’s voice crackled over the speaker. “Copy that.”
    Axel waited for his men to get into position and then he kicked in the front door, his Glock 9 pointed straight ahead. The guard on the main level was momentarily startled, dropping the donut he’d been stuffing into his fat face, and reached for the gun tucked into his pants. Axel smiled. “Don’t even think about it, asshole.”
    Crimson and Whisper stormed into the room, weapons at the ready. Axel’s nape pricked and he wondered where the boss man had gotten off to. No way he hadn’t heard the noise of the front door crashing in. He didn’t have to wait for long.
    The barrel of a shotgun pressed against the base of his skull and Axel raised his hands.
    “Drop your weapons. All of you,” the man said from behind him.
    Axel watched the other gunman and his men. Crimson’s eye twitched, which meant he was about to seriously lose his shit. Axel saw Crimson’s gun raise and he dropped to the ground just as a round was fired into the asshole with the shotgun, blood spraying him as the body fell. He felt the thud of the body hitting the floor, but didn’t take his eyes off Crimson. The guard swung toward Crimson, poised for a fight, but Axel leapt to his feet and tackled him from behind, knocking the gun from his hand.
    Axel grabbed the guard’s head in both hands and slammed it against the hardwood floor several times. Venom rolled through his veins as he thought of those helpless females down below. “Thieving bastard! Stealing women off the streets.”
    He bounced the man’s head off the floor a few more times. Bones crunched and blood pooled on the wood surface before Axel stopped, his hands stained red. His chest heaved with panted breaths as he rose to his feet, picking up the discarded gun and tucking it into the back of his pants. With a nod of his head, he led the way down the stairs and into the basement while wiping the blood off his hands and onto his jeans.
    The door stood ajar with only the whimpers of women to be heard in the darkness below. Axel was no fool and knew they would be protected. He motioned for Whisper to join him and they entered the room together, weapons trained straight ahead. It was so dark in the room that a human wouldn’t be able to see his hand in front of his face, but with his feline sight, Axel caught the movement of women in cages and a shadowy figure in the corner moving toward them silently and quickly. He fired, but the person didn’t slow down. Before Axel could get off another round, a body much smaller than his slammed him to the ground. The air rushed from his lungs and he gasped for breath as Whisper tried to pull the attacker away.
    Whisper jerked the figure back, a knife held to his throat, as Axel stood and flicked on the light. Nothing could have prepared him for what he saw. It wasn’t a man in Whisper’s arms, but an average sized female. Her dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she stared at him with such hatred that he fought not to take a step backward. Hostility poured off her in waves as she struggled against the arm holding