“Of course.”
She didn’t look Quinn’s way. Just kept her eyes on the road.
Strange.
Glancing behind her, Quinn searched for Kye, but the road was empty. No one was trailing them.
“Where’s Kye?”
“Oh, he said he’d go straight to Marble Protection.”
The hairs on the back of Quinn’s neck stood up.
Something wasn’t right. If Wyatt had asked Kye to stick close to her, there was no way the other man would have left her unprotected.
Turning her head, Quinn studied Tanya’s body language, immediately noticing how stiffly she sat behind the wheel. “You never mentioned anything about being scared in any text message or phone chat,” she said casually.
Tanya lifted a shoulder. “I guess I left some things out.”
There was a flatness to Tanya’s tone that had unease slithering up her spine. “Take this right to get to the pharmacy.”
Tanya didn’t take the right. She just kept driving straight.
Quinn’s unease intensified. “Tanya, what’s going on?”
“For example, I might have forgotten to mention my brother?” Tanya continued as if she hadn’t heard Quinn’s question. “Although, I guess it’s not forgetting if it’s intentional.”
Quinn frowned, unsure where Tanya was going with this.
“He’s my half-brother. Different dads, so different last names. He’s also a bit older than me; we never grew up together. Super helpful guy, though. He’s been supporting us financially for years. No to mention, he used his connections to help Darren advance in his career.”
“Are you saying Darren didn’t earn his position based on merit?”
Tanya scoffed. “No. Not even close. And I doubt he ever would have. Didn’t you ever notice what a bumbling idiot he was? I mean, he couldn’t even kill you, could he?”
Ice instantly shot through Quinn, followed by a blast of prickling heat. “You knew?”
The words from her lips were barely a whisper.
Tanya shot an irritated look across to her. “Of course I know. I’m the one who sent him here. He was supposed to shut you up! The moment you picked up the story, in fact. He thought firing you would be enough. The fool.”
Shock rendered Quinn silent for a moment. Adrenaline pumping through her body.
“You told Darren to kill me?”
“Well…me and James. You probably know him better as Hylar.”
At the mention of the familiar name, Quinn sucked in a quick breath. “Hylar as in—”
“Former commander of your boyfriend and brother? Architect of Project Arma? My half-brother? Yes. Him.”
No. That wasn’t possible. Surely, the world couldn’t be so small that the woman beside her, the woman she’d considered a friend, was also related by blood to Wyatt and Mason’s greatest enemy?
“Having Darren as the executive editor of The New York Times served two purposes: watching the news and watching you. Not sure why James was so fixated on you. Something about your brother.” She turned onto the highway. “I do pull my weight, though. I’m the one who made sure the lab break-ins stayed out of the news. Alabama, Salina, and Portland…they each almost reached some type of news outlets. If I hadn’t paid off a few people, the information would be out there already.”
Quinn had suspected someone was paying them off. She just hadn’t expected it to be one of her closest friends. “So everything you said in my apartment was a lie?”
Tanya smirked. “Of course it was. To clear your day and get you in the car with me.”
Everything…including telling Kye they were making a stop.
Crap—where was Kye?
“What did you do to Kye?”
“They gave me this band to wear on my forearm. A tranquilizer. That’s why James needed me. To get you away from them.” She lifted a shoulder. “It worked. Your friend trusted me enough to let me get close. All I had to do was touch his arm and the tranquilizer fired. Now you don’t have anyone protecting you.”
Quinn sucked in a pained breath. “You shot him?”
Tanya studied Quinn before looking back to the road. “Don’t tell me you’re surprised? Didn’t you hear what I’ve been saying? James supports me. Ensures I live in comfort. Now that Darren’s dead and I don’t have his income, that makes me even more reliant on my brother. If he says you need to die—then you need to die.”
Quinn hated the fear that was running through her blood. Not just fear. Uncertainty. Panic. Anger at herself for not seeing who Tanya truly was. She’d completely missed the fact that greed was the driving force in the woman’s life.
With the hand closest to the door, Quinn slowly began to move the phone to her thigh. Maybe she could call Wyatt without Tanya realizing.
Quinn had barely moved her hand a couple inches before Tanya opened the center console and pulled out a gun. She pointed it directly at Quinn.
“You think I’m stupid? That I don’t see what you’re doing?”
Quinn stopped moving.
“Throw it out the window.”
No. Wyatt would have no way to contact her.
“Don’t mess with me, Quinn. James wants you alive for now, but I’d have no hesitation in shooting you in the hand. You want that?”
Holy hell…Tanya was a psychopath.
Rolling down the window, Quinn reluctantly threw it out. Her chest felt heavy with the knowledge that she’d just lost the last connection she had with Wyatt.
“Good. I don’t need any surprises from you. You’ll go to James and my payments will continue. It’s that simple.”
She had to think of a way out of this, and fast.
“Tanya, can you trust him? Like, really trust him? I know he’s your brother, but I’ve heard about the terrible things he and his men have done—”
“Shut up! You always thought you were so much smarter than me. You’re not going to save yourself, so don’t bother trying. I’m not going to let one stupid bitch come between me and my cushy life.”
Blowing out a long breath, Quinn tried to slow her galloping heartbeat. It was hard with a gun trained right on her. She believed the other woman when she said she’d shoot. For the time being, at least, there was nothing she could do. She was stuck.
She wondered at what point Wyatt would work out she was gone. She doubted it would take long. She rarely went a few minutes without replying to his texts. That right there would be cause for concern.
When Tanya lowered the weapon, Quinn felt a moment of hope. But that hope died when the gun remained pointed in Quinn’s direction from her lap. It would be very easy for Tanya to shoot at her if she were to move suddenly. Too easy.
All Quinn could do was sit and pray that Wyatt somehow figured out what was going on.
Eventually, Tanya pulled off the main road and began driving down a dirt lane. The farther she drove, the more panic built inside Quinn. “Please, Tanya. You don’t need to do this.”
Tanya scoffed. “Actually, I do. Handing you over is a small price to pay to maintain the life I’ve become accustomed to.”
So basically, her friend was handing her over so she could keep buying expensive things. Who the hell was this woman? “Was our friendship ever real?”
Tanya shrugged. “I kind of liked you at the start. It wasn’t until I saw how you flaunted yourself in front of Darren that I realized you couldn’t be trusted. I couldn’t believe my luck when James finally gave us the task to get rid of you.”
Flaunted herself in front of Darren? That wasn’t even close to being true. Not that she would be defending herself to the crazy lady beside her.
Quinn must have been blind their entire friendship to miss the signs. She’d always considered herself a good judge of character. Clearly not.
Finally, Tanya stopped the car in front of an old cabin. It looked like they were deep in the woods, which was not good for her chances of being found.
Tanya turned her attention to Quinn. There was
n’t an ounce of compassion. The woman may as well have been a stranger. “Undo your seat belt and get out. Don’t even think about trying any funny business. You’ll regret it.”
What the heck did Tanya think Quinn would do? Run into the woods only to get shot in the leg? No thanks.
Tanya stepped out first, and Quinn followed. They’d just stepped in front of the car when the door to the cabin opened.
A man stepped out. He appeared to be around their age. He was built just like Wyatt and the guys. Like a soldier.
“Where’s James?”
The man didn’t flinch at Tanya’s question. “He couldn’t make it.”
While his face was devoid of emotion, his voice was steely hard. It made goose bumps rush over Quinn’s skin.
“Well, I brought her. I followed all of James’s instructions and made sure we weren’t followed.”
The man’s gaze washed over Quinn, studying her face. She stood taller, refusing to let him know just how scared she was.
When he seemed to be satisfied, he nodded.
Then, before either woman could anticipate his next move, he pulled the gun from the holster on his waist and shot Tanya in the head.
Chapter 27
“Tell me, how many lilies did you actually order?” Oliver asked as they stepped outside Marble Protection.
Enough to make Quinn one happy woman. So, in Wyatt’s opinion, just enough. “Hundreds.”
Oliver shook his head. “Damn, you’re such a romantic. Remind me to ask you for advice when I need to woo a woman.”
Love did strange things to a man. It tied a person in knots and made them want to go to the ends of the Earth to please someone.
“When you meet the right person, you’ll know what to do.”
They headed to Mrs. Potter’s Bakehouse. It wasn’t far, but any distance between him and Quinn seemed too great. She hadn’t responded to the text he’d sent her. He’d only sent it thirty minutes ago, but those responses were what kept him going while they were apart.
“I’m glad you found her, Jobs. I know Eagle doesn’t have another sister, but do you think there’s a cousin he could introduce me to?”
Wyatt chuckled. “That might be pushing the man’s kindness.”
“You’re right. What about you? Got a hot cousin you haven’t told me about?”
“The only cousin I have is married with kids.” When Wyatt looked over at his friend, Oliver was nodding like he was actually considering the prospect. “Happily married,” he pressed, feeling the need to emphasize the happily part.
“Yeah, yeah. No family members. Gotcha. Maybe Cage has someone.”
Wyatt laughed as they pushed through the door to the bakehouse. Scanning the area, he was immediately disappointed he couldn’t see Quinn.
Mrs. Potter moved from the work bench to the counter. “It’s nice to see you boys so bright and early today. What can I do for you?”
Wyatt listened for Quinn’s heartbeat. Her breathing. Anything. As far as Wyatt could tell, Mrs. Potter was alone. “Is Quinn running late?” It wasn’t like her to be late for a shift.
A confused expression crossed the older woman’s face. “She didn’t tell you? A friend of hers had an emergency so she asked for the day off. She called maybe,” Mrs. Potter scanned the clock on the wall, “forty minutes ago.”
A friend? Quinn hadn’t mentioned anything to him about helping a friend today. This morning, she had been all set to go to work. It was unusual that she wouldn’t have let Wyatt know her plans had changed. At least a text message…
Pulling out his phone, Wyatt dialed Quinn’s number.
At the same time, he saw Oliver calling someone. Kye, Wyatt assumed.
Dread began to pool in his gut when both calls went to voicemail.
Shoving the phone back in his pocket, Wyatt turned to Mrs. Potter. “How did she sound when she called?”
Her brows lifted. “Oh, um, she didn’t sound too different than normal. Very apologetic. I could tell she felt bad for asking to have the day off.”
That was good. No different than normal was good. Maybe Wyatt was panicking for no reason.
Oliver stepped closer. “If she has her phone, we can find her and Cage’s location.”
Yes. The team had put location trackers on all team and family member phones.
Wyatt smiled at the bakery owner, wanting to put her at ease. “Thank you for the information, Mrs. Potter. I’m sure there’s no need to worry. She’s probably at Marble waiting for us.”
Mrs. Potter nodded.
On the outside, Wyatt forced himself to appear calm. To move at a normal pace as he exited the bakery. To keep himself from sprinting back to Marble Protection.
On the way, Oliver’s hand clamped down on his shoulder. “I’m sure there’s no need to worry.”
The unease clawing its way up his throat said otherwise. It was unusual for her not to respond to his messages. To let his calls go unanswered. Not to mention the fact that she wasn’t at work and he had no idea who this friend with an emergency was.
When they reached the business, Wyatt headed straight to the office. Oliver walked away, likely to find Mason.
Opening his laptop, Wyatt went to the tracking software.
He prayed that the sick feeling in his gut was wrong. That this was just a breakdown in communication.
The moment the location came up, he knew something was wrong.
The side of a highway. That’s where her phone was. Where there was nothing but open road.
Wyatt cursed under his breath just as the door to the office opened. Mason walked in, trailed by Oliver, Eden, Bodie, and Luca.
“Did you find her?” Mason asked, heading straight for the laptop.
Wyatt stood back so his friend could see where the tracker was located.
Mason cursed as well. “She didn’t say anything to you this morning about helping someone?” Mason’s voice was thick with worry. It was a mirror of what Wyatt felt.
“When I left her, she was stepping inside her apartment to get ready for work. Kye was on guard in the hall.” Wyatt leaned down and pulled up Kye’s location. Any last shred of hope he may have been harboring quickly died. “Kye’s location is reading from his car outside the apartment building.”
Which had to mean she’d been taken.
How? Wyatt had no idea.
Oliver went to the supply closet. The one that was heavily locked and stored all of their weapons. “I’ll go check on Kye.”
He grabbed what he needed, then disappeared through the door.
Wyatt was about to grab his own weapons when the ringing of his phone stopped him. When he fished it out, he noticed it was an unknown number. “Who is this?”
A soft chuckle sounded. “Wyatt…hello, old friend.”
Blood froze in Wyatt’s veins at the sound of Carter’s voice.
Carter was Hylar’s right-hand man. The leader of the other former SEAL team that had also been part of Project Arma. The team that remained with Project Arma.
Wyatt had been searching for Carter as well, but always came up empty.
“Where is she?”
“What, no small talk first? Don’t you want to know what I’ve been up to? Where I’ve been?”
Oh, he wanted to know exactly where the guy had been. “Tell me where the hell she is, right now.”
Again he chuckled, like this was one big joke. Wyatt was running out of patience.
“Okay, okay. I’ll get to it. I have a plan, and I need you to follow that plan. Or you might not like what happens.”
“Stop wasting my time and tell me then.”
“I need you to meet me at a location with the materials you took from the Portland lab. You can bring your team or not—I don’t really care. But if you come without the supplies, she dies.”
Wyatt’s fist tightened around the phone. Rage was pouring through his body. “Where?”
“Patience. I’ll text you the location. Whatever you do, don’t take long di
scussing a plan with your team. The longer you take, the less happy your girlfriend will be.”
The phone line went dead.
Wyatt had to physically stop himself from crushing the devise in his fist. A couple of seconds later, he was sent a location.
Moving to the storage cupboard, Wyatt began arming himself. The others did the same.
“What’s the plan?” Luca asked.
Wyatt shoved a gun into his IWB holster, then another into his ankle holster. “There’s not much we can do except what the guy said. I’m not losing Quinn.”
“And I’m not losing my sister,” Mason added.
It didn’t take long for the men in the room to arm up. In that time, they messaged the women and asked them to head to Asher’s house. He would remain with them.
The location Carter had sent was forty-five minutes away. Too damn far.
Moving out to the parking lot, they took two cars. The guys talked strategy around him. Wyatt participated in the conversation as much as he could. But fear and anger were clawing at his insides, so much so that he could barely think straight.
The asshole had Quinn. Had touched Quinn. Wyatt was only just containing his fury.
Quinn watched as Carter hung up the phone. He seemed to get a lot of pleasure out of the conversation. It made her feel sick.
It wasn’t just the conversation that made her nauseous. It was also the fact that Tanya had been shot dead right beside her. Blood splatter still covered Quinn’s body.
It made her want to scrub her skin to within an inch of her life.
As soon as Tanya had dropped to the ground, Carter had dragged her into the old cabin and shoved her onto a sofa. She was pretty sure there were living things inside the furniture but there was no way she was moving an inch from where he’d placed her.
“Won’t you get in trouble for killing Hylar’s sister?”
Carter glanced over to Quinn as he shoved his cell in his pocket. “Honey, I follow orders. My orders were to kill her, so she’s dead.”
Hylar gave orders to kill his own sister? What kind of a sociopath was he? “Why would he want to kill her?”
Carter shrugged. “I don’t ask because I don’t care. If I had to hazard a guess, I’d say she was a loose end. Hylar’s probably sick of supporting the woman. Plus, if she’s gone, she can’t be used against him. After all, family is a vulnerability.”
Wyatt: A steamy contemporary military romance (Project Arma Book 5) Page 20