When Knight Falls

by Nikki Rose

  She smiled and reached across the table to take my hand in hers. Rachel ran her fingertips up to my forearm and pinched me hard enough to make me jump from the surprise of it.

  “Hey, what was that for?” I grimaced.

  “You were afraid it was a dream. I just wanted to show you it wasn’t.” She shrugged and fought to keep her expression serious, even though the tiny twitches at the corners of her lips gave her away.

  I laughed and her fight was over as she joined in.

  “God, you are perfect.” I gazed into her eyes, wishing I could read her mind. The look she gave me was as though she was staring straight into my soul.

  “I’m far from perfect.”

  “You’re perfect for me…and so gorgeous.”

  She blushed and looked down at her food.

  My heart pained as I thought of all the time I’d wasted not being with her. “Forgive me, Rachel.”

  My words brought her attention back to my face. “Forgive you for what?”

  “For taking so long to get us here. I should have made a move long ago.”

  “You had your responsibilities to consider. Besides, we’re here now. That’s what counts, right?”

  “Yes, and I promise to make the most of every moment.”

  After we finished our meal, the waitress came back up to get our plates. “Can I get you any dessert tonight?”

  “No, thank you,” I answered for us both.

  Once the waitress had left, Rachel raised her eyebrow at me challengingly. “What if I wanted dessert?”

  “You do. You always do. I can call her back up here to order something from the menu, but I thought you’d prefer to go back to the apartment, change into your comfortable clothes and make homemade banana splits instead.”

  Her jaw dropped. "That sounds like the perfect end to the perfect date.”

  “I know you, Rach. I’ve always known you.”

  * * * *

  A loud moan poured from Rachel’s lips and she tilted her head against the back of the couch. “Oh my God, Anthony, this is amazing.” She took another bite of her ice cream and snuggled in closer to me. She was so beautiful. I loved to watch her as she enjoyed herself. Seeing her happy was one of the best things I could ever experience.

  I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and she took another bite of the giant banana split we were sharing. “I’m telling you it’s all about the construction. You put the pineapple on top of the strawberry ice cream. The chocolate sauce goes on the vanilla and the strawberries go on the chocolate.”

  “I know. I know.” She rolled her eyes and took another bite. “You tell me every time we have these.”

  “If you’re complaining, I can always stop making them.” I pretended to pull the ice cream from her hands, but she moved it out of reach.

  “No, no, no… You can tell me as many times as you want to, as long as you keep making these.”

  “That’s more like it.” I laughed and stole the bite off her spoon before it could make it into her mouth.

  Rachel took a bit of whipped cream on her finger and dabbed it on my nose before I could dodge it. If she wanted to play dirty, I’d happily oblige. “Oh, that’s it.” I grabbed the ice cream from her and put it on the side table out of her reach before lunging at her and rubbed my whipped-cream-tipped-nose into the crook of her neck. Her sexy little laugh urged me on.

  “Anthony! That tickles and you’re getting me all sticky!” She squealed as I pinned her to the couch.

  “Oh no, we can’t have that. Here… Let me help.”

  I kissed and licked the remains of the whipped cream off her neck. The mood changed, the air becoming thicker as her squeals turned to moans. I kissed and nipped the tender flesh until she was a writhing mess beneath me. She tasted like heaven. “Anthony,” My name pouring from her lips in that sweet little noise made me eager to elicit more sounds like that from her. I grazed my teeth along her tender earlobe, making her groan and arch her back.

  My phone rang from my pocket but I quickly silenced it. Nothing was going to interrupt my time with Rachel. It rang again and responsible me kicked in. It could be an emergency, so I reluctantly pulled away. “I’m sorry. It could be important.”

  “It’s okay. I understand.” She looked up at me, her face framed by the mess of curls sprawled out over the cushion and it was everything I could do to pull myself away and answer the call.

  I checked the caller ID. “It’s Sarah.”

  I answered the phone on speaker so Rachel could say hello too. “Hey, Sarah. Everything okay?”

  “Sarah can’t talk right now.”

  Ian.

  My heart stopped at the sound of that sickening voice. The blood drained from my face as I stared at the screen. If Ian had Sarah’s phone, he must have her too—and if he had Sarah, there was a good chance he had my daughter. My knuckles ached and turned white as I clenched the phone, wishing it was Ian’s throat.

  “Ian”—my voice was like cold steel as I struggled for control—“where’s Sarah?”

  “Oh, Sarah and that precious little girl of yours… What’s her name again? Belle? She’s adorable. So sweet. She’s a little scared right now. Keeps asking for her daddy.”

  Blood boiled in my veins as I thought of that monster taking my Belle. I’d kill him. “You son of a bitch, where are you? What have you done to them?

  “Oh, I haven’t done anything to them—not really.”

  “Listen, you bastard, if you so much as touch—”

  “Now, now. There’s no need for threats. We’re just hanging out until you and I work something out.”

  “Work what out?” I spoke through clenched teeth in a losing battle to stay level-headed.

  “Slow down. I’ll get to that. First things first. I want to speak to Rachel.”

  She opened her mouth to speak but I held up my hand to silence her. “You don’t need to talk to her. Let’s keep this between the men.”

  “Oh? Are you giving the orders now? I don’t think that’s how this works. You see, I’m the one with the gun pointed at your daughter’s head, so I think that means I’m the one in control here.”

  I heard the click of a gun being cocked and Belle’s tiny voice crying out, “Daddy!”

  “Belle!” My armored shell finally cracked.

  “I’m here,” Rachel shouted into the phone. “I’m here, Ian. What do you want?”

  “That’s better.” His calm voice made me sick. “I like that you are so willing to please me. You never asked me what I wanted when we were together. It’s nice to see you are learning your place now.”

  “Ian…” I warned.

  Ian could have been working on business negotiations with the tone of his voice as he gave his demands. “I want what’s mine, of course.”

  “What’s yours?” I bit out.

  “Rachel.”

  My heart sank into my gut. I couldn’t think about the panic that welled up in my throat and threatened to strangle me. On missions, I could remain cool under the harshest conditions, but this was the fate of my daughter, the woman I loved and one of my best friends on the line.

  “I’m right here,” Rachel said to him in as calm a voice as it appeared that she could.

  “You are going to meet me at 286 Mill Street. There’s a shipping yard there. You will come alone. If I even get a hint that there’s anyone else around—police, G.I. Joe there or any of his little buddies, the girls die.”

  I opened my mouth to argue but Rachel interrupted. “How do I know you’ll honor your word and let them go once you have me?”

  “I guess you’ll just have to trust me.”

  “Trust you?” I couldn’t stay quiet.

  “It’s not like you have much choice at this point, now, do you?”

  Rachel put her hand on my arm to calm me and I took a deep breath, but when Rachel’s voice cracked, I nearly lost it again. “When will we meet?”

  “One hour.” The phone went dead.

  I snapped
toward Rachel with anger and panic. “You can’t go.”

  “Anthony, I have to. You heard him. He’ll kill them. You know he will. We can’t risk Belle and Sarah. You know that.”

  “So, I’m supposed to offer you up to the slaughter? He’s out for vengeance. He wants to hurt us both, and what better way than if he takes you from me?”

  “He’s not going to kill me, I don’t think.” Rachel knew better. Ian was not above killing her. Hell, he’d kept her prisoner while his buddy tortured her for days in that damn basement before I had been able to get to her. Remembering what she’d been through and what he’d done to her made my temper flare to new heights. I wasn’t sure how I’d convince Rachel to wait until we could come up with another solution. Once she decided something, she was pretty set in her ways.

  “I can take care of myself.” She trembled.

  “Rachel—”

  “Do you have a better idea?” Her words came out more confidently.

  “I don’t know. Give me a minute.” I rushed through every tactical maneuver I could think of for a hostage situation, but nothing came to mind that wouldn’t put Belle and Sarah at more risk than what Rachel was planning.

  “Well, it will take me about fifteen minutes to get there, twenty to be safe. So, you have forty minutes to come up with a better option. Otherwise, I’m going.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Rachel

  “I don’t like this,” Anthony said as he sat in the living room with his arms crossed.

  “You don’t have to like it to know it’s the best choice we have.” I wasn’t any less scared, but the thought of Belle and Sarah trapped with Ian helped make up my mind. I secured the knife sheath to my ankle and slipped the blade down into it.

  “He’ll find that there,” Anthony said sullenly.

  I switched ankles to attach a small revolver. “That’s the point.”

  “What?” He sat up, his elbows resting on his knees as he looked at me curiously. “What do you mean?”

  “If I go in there completely unarmed, Ian will be suspicious. But if he thinks he caught me and discovered all my secrets…” I smiled with mischief in my gaze.

  “How the hell did you think of that?”

  “Watching crime shows isn’t a complete waste of time, you know.”

  “I don’t remember seeing one like that.”

  “Me either, but it teaches you how to think.” I grinned. “Now, are you going to help me get wired up or what?”

  “Are you wanting him to find it or not?”

  “Oh, how about both?”

  “Both?”

  “Yeah. Set up one that will seem hidden but will still be easy to detect, then another he won’t be likely to discover. I’m betting that once he discovers one, he’ll stop looking.”

  “Okay, seriously, Rach, you have become an evil mastermind. I’m not sure whether to be scared or turned on right now.”

  I bit my lip, fighting back a smile as I narrowed my eyes and gave my best intimidating look. “Be afraid… Be very afraid.”

  Anthony burst out laughing. I couldn’t contain myself anymore and joined him.

  “Really? Are you really going to quote The Fly right now?”

  Laughing felt so good. I needed that moment of release before heading back into my own personal hell. The laughter died down. Anthony moved closer to me. He tucked my hair behind my ear, his eyes filled with concern.

  “You don’t have to do this, Rach.”

  “Yes, I do—and you know it.”

  “We can find another way.” Anthony cupped the side of my face, letting his thumb gently brush over my cheek.

  I met his pained gaze, placing my hand over his. “There is no other way.”

  “Rach—”

  He was going to argue, but I couldn’t let him. If I kept listening to his concerns and doubts, I’d back down. I could already feel my resolve fading, just looking at the pain in those deep hazel eyes of his. I moved my hand from his and stepped back, slipping out of his grasp.

  “Anthony, we’ve been through this. Ian wants me in exchange for Sarah and Belle. Sarah may have a small chance, but Belle? There’s no way she could defend herself. I love that little girl and I’m going to do everything I can to make sure she comes home okay.” Tears stung my eyes and I batted my lashes to fight them away. I couldn’t let myself get emotional. One crack in my armor and Anthony wouldn’t let me go.

  Anthony tucked his lips between his teeth and took a deep breath. “But what about all your progress? Rach, you were so broken there for a while. I’ve held you while you cried more times than I can count.”

  “I know. I’m sorry you had to do all that.”

  “I’d do that every day for the rest of my life if you needed me to. That’s not the point. The point is that those monsters tortured and beat you for days and you’re asking me to send you back to the worst one of all.”

  “That’s exactly why I have to go back. There is no way I’m going to let Belle stay in there with that monster any longer than she has to.”

  I hadn’t wanted to put that idea in Anthony’s head. I was sure it was already in there somewhere, but I’d managed to throw it right to the front. I didn’t know any other way to convince him that me meeting Ian was the only way. I saw the moment he got on board with my plan.

  “God, Rach, I finally have you and I—”

  “And you’ll have me still when all this is over and we have Sarah and Belle safely home.”

  “One more thing,” Anthony reached into his pocket and pulled out the pounded steel heart necklace he’d given me—the one specially designed with a GPS chip embedded inside.

  “Perfect.” I turned around and moved my hair out of the way so that he could fasten it around my neck.

  “There. You have everything you need?”

  I turned around to look at him again. “Yeah. Ready to go?”

  “As ready as I’ll ever be,” Anthony said with less confidence than I liked.

  “You’ll drive me a block from the shipping yard, right?”

  “Yeah. Backup will meet me there and you’ll drive the rest of the way yourself.”

  Anthony took a step closer to me and held both of my arms at my side. “Be careful.”

  “I will.”

  He ran his hand down my cheek and continued down my neck to the dainty steel chain. He caressed the heart charm before letting it slip from his fingers.

  “This will work. We’ll get Sarah and Belle out of there. Then we’ll get me out once he thinks he’s won.”

  “You better be right. If anything goes wrong, I will find you and lock your ass up as my own personal Rapunzel.”

  “Belle’s made you watch too many fairytales.” I smiled at him, but it was bittersweet.

  He pressed his lips softly to my forehead then pulled back. “Let’s go.”

  * * * *

  It had already been late by the time Ian had called us. The sun was completely out of sight. The area around the rundown factory didn’t have many streetlights. My headlights cut through the dark. I looked at the clock. Eleven-fifty p.m. I had ten minutes to get there and was five minutes away.

  I’d just left Anthony on the side of the road with most of his team at the ready. Every little noise made me jump and my heart pounded in my ears. I wasn’t myself. It was like I was watching a movie. How has this become my life? How have I gone from boring, workaholic Rachel to armed, take-charge Rachel?

  I pulled up to the eerie, dark shipping yard. Ian couldn’t have picked a better spot—or worse, depending on how a person looked at it. It was clear he was into theatrics. The whole place was cast in unsettling shadows. Someone could be hiding anywhere in there.

  I pulled into one of the front parking spots and got out of the car. What the hell am I doing? I took a deep breath and tried to steel my nerves.

  “Put your hands up where I can see them.” Ian’s voice made me jump. I looked around to find the source but he was nowhere to be seen. I
put my hands up, bent at the elbows like in the movies.

  “Keep walking forward.” I didn’t move.

  “Where are Sarah and Belle?” I gave the best confident tone I could, but my voice still trembled.

  “I’ll let them go once I have you.”

  “That’s not the way this is going to work.” I kept looking around, trying to spot him. Nothing. “Send them out and I’ll come in the gate.”

  I heard a buzzing sound that drew my attention to the left. A bright orange door under a flickering light opened and Sarah and Belle ran out. Sarah held Belle’s hand and urged her on faster as they made their way toward the side entrance.

  “Rachel!” Belle’s cry wretched me.

  Sarah paused as if she might come after me. They couldn’t do that. They had to get out and I had to stay. It could ruin everything. As much as it pained me, I yelled to Sarah. “Get her out of here, Sarah. Now!”

  “No,” I heard Belle scream as Sarah pulled her away. I wiped a tear from my cheek. They disappeared toward where Anthony and his team were waiting.

  “How touching,” Ian’s voice drew me back. I took a deep breath and pressed on with the plan. “Take another five steps into the gate. If you try to run now, my men will have them back within the hour.”

  “I’m here, Ian. You don’t have to keep on with your threats.” I followed his directions, slow and steady. Each step felt like one more toward my execution. My heart pounded in my chest and my pumping blood muffled my ears. I couldn’t let Ian see my fear.

  Once I was through the gate, Ian stepped out of the shadows supplied by one of the large shipping crates. His gun was already pointed at me.

  “Up against the green container. Hands on it. Arms extended.” He barked his orders and I had no choice but to comply.

  He moved over to me and began to run his hands up and down my body. The touch that used to bring me such pleasure now sickened me. He took his time, caressing every curve. He was enjoying it.

  “I bet you never thought you’d get to feel my hands on your body again, huh, mi hermosa?”

  I refused to speak.

  “You know. I think I like you better like this. I don’t have to listen to you talk. Spread your legs.” He kicked my feet apart and slid his hands along the inside of my thighs, along my ass and down my legs. “Uh-uh-uh. I told you to come unarmed.” He removed the knife from my ankle and moved to the other.