Rescuing Katherine (Special Forces: Operation Alpha) (Bravo Series Book 2)

by Anna Blakely

  The man had simply walked up to the car, pointed his gun at Holloway’s head. She could still hear Holloway begging for his life. Could hear herself and Zade pleading for Walker to stop.

  Worse, she could still hear the deafening gunshot as the gun’s trigger was pulled—twice—ending Detective Holloway’s life in an instant.

  Kat squeezed her eyes shut in a feeble attempt to make the memory disappear. It didn’t work. She’d never been more terrified than the moments immediately following, knowing with absolute certainty, she would be next.

  As if it were happening right then, Kat could see the man coming toward her window. She knew he would shoot her in the head, the same way he had Holloway. But he hadn’t.

  Instead, for reasons she still didn’t understand, Walker had leaned in so he could look at her through the back seat’s shattered window. The maniac had actually smiled at her with a greeting that still chilled her to the bone.

  Hello, Doctor Marsh. It’s great to finally meet you.

  When he pulled a large knife from a leather sheath at his belt, Kat had screamed.

  Seeing the sharp, shiny blade coming at her, she’d wholeheartedly believed he was going to use it, rather than a bullet, to end her life.

  Shock had reverberated through her entire body when the man sliced through her seatbelt, first at a spot across her chest and then at her waist, in order to free her. After sliding his knife back in place, he’d unceremoniously reached in, grabbed hold of her tightly, and pulled her through the broken window.

  Kat had tried to fight back. She’d kicked and screamed, but it hadn’t helped. Even so, the second her legs were free from the car, Kat had begun fighting again. That’s when she felt the stinging sensation on the side of her neck.

  She remembered hearing Zade shouting for her and cursing Walker’s name. The former SEAL’s voice had turned deadly. His tone deep and dark as he gave Walker a warning.

  With utter confidence, Zade had told the evil man his team would hunt him down and kill him. Kat remembered praying he was telling the truth. But the thing that stuck with her the most was Walker’s calm response.

  Ah, yes. Your team. Be sure to tell Turner I said hello.

  Another, ear-piercing gunshot blasted through the air. Kat had screamed and cried, certain he’d just shot Zade in the head like the other man.

  But as the drugs kicked in, the last thing she remembered seeing was Zade’s apologetic and pain-riddled face as he sat helpless in that car, bleeding and calling her name.

  God, she hoped Matt had found him, and he was going to be okay. She couldn’t bear the thought of the sweet man dying, too.

  Later—she had no idea how much time had passed—she’d woken up here, in this room. The industrial-looking space wasn’t overly large. About twenty by twenty if she had to guess. And minus her, it was completely bare.

  As she sat there, fighting a migraine and staring at the concrete block walls, Kat covered her mouth to stifle her forceful sobs. Her shoulders shook as more tears fell. This time, they were for Zade. For herself. And for the life she and Matt never had the chance to explore.

  Mostly, she cried because she knew he’d blame himself. The brief conversation between Zade and Walker ran through her aching mind again.

  My team will find you, Walker. And they will kill you.

  Ah, yes. Your team. Be sure to tell Turner I said hello.

  The fact that Matt knew who this man was somehow made the situation even worse. Kat didn’t understand how, but she knew in her gut the two had a history. A bad one.

  By the time her cheeks had dried and she couldn’t cry anymore, Kat thought her head would explode right off her shoulders. She’d finally said screw it and had gotten up a few minutes ago to check the room’s only door. It was solid steel and, no surprise, was locked.

  The one good thing about the cool, dank space…it was dark. Light was the worst thing for a migraine, so she was grateful for the silence, at least. Not much of a silver lining, but at this point, she’d take what she could get.

  Though it was hard to think past the pain, Kat did her best to remain calm. When that man came back, she wanted to be alert. Focused. Ready to take advantage of any opportunity that might present itself. The opportunity to be free.

  An hour or so later, the door opened, and the man called Walker returned. For the first time since he’d taken her, Kat got a really good look at him.

  He wasn’t the monster her mottled mind had created. Actually, wearing jeans, black boots, and a black t-shirt, he looked quite…normal. Handsome, even.

  The cotton t-shirt strained as it covered a muscular chest and set of large, defined biceps. Standing a little taller than Matt, his sharp, symmetrical features, light brown hair, and a close-cut beard covering a strong jaw made Kat think this was a man most women would swoon over.

  Not this woman.

  “Hello, Doctor Marsh.” He slowly moved closer. “Or, may I call you Katherine?”

  Seriously? The guy kills one man, shoots another, and kidnaps her, and he’s worried about pleasantries?

  Standing, Kat pressed herself as far back against the wall as she could. “I don’t give a shit what you call me, as long as you let me go.”

  Walker’s light blue eyes glimmered as he smiled. “You’ve got spunk. I like that. I’m Adrian,” he introduced himself as he made his way closer. He stopped directly in front of her.

  “Adrian,” Kat tried it on her tongue. “That’s a fairly normal name for someone who is anything but.”

  He tilted his head to the side and smiled. “You remind me of another woman. One I met not long ago.”

  “Lucky me.” Kat didn’t bother asking what happened to that poor girl. She didn’t want to know. One thing she did have the desire to learn, however, was, “Where am I?”

  “Iran. Tehran, to be exact.”

  The man’s matter-of-fact answer was like a punch to the gut. “I-Iran?” she stuttered. Holy shit. She was in even more trouble than she thought.

  Rather than answer the redundant question, Walker raised his hand toward her face. Kat jerked her head away quickly to avoid his touch. She grimaced from a particularly painful throbbing the movement caused.

  Adrian frowned. “I wasn’t going to hit you.” He almost sounded offended she’d think otherwise. “You were hurt in the crash. I can tell you’re in pain, and I wanted to check to see if you needed medical attention.”

  Kat’s heart thumped unforgivingly inside her chest as she forced herself to remain still while he examined the wound. She watched him closely, his blue eyes assessing the damage to her scalp as if he actually gave a damn.

  “W-why do you care?” She struggled to keep her voice steady. “You’re just going to kill me, anyway.”

  His brows turned inward as he brought his gaze to hers. “I have no intention of killing you, Katherine. If I were going to do that, I would’ve left you in that car with the other two.”

  The image of Zade and Holloway in the car as she was being dragged away flashed behind her eyes. Nausea rolled in her gut from the knowledge that it was an image she’d literally never be able to forget.

  “Then why am I here?”

  “Come with me.” He took a step back and gestured for the door. “I’ll get you some medicine for that headache of yours. After that, we’ll get you cleaned up and fed, and then I’ll show you exactly why you are here.”

  Kat’s eyes slid to the open door and back to Walker. Her mind whirled with the possibility that this was some sort of test. That he was trying to see if she’d run so he could chase her down.

  He must have caught on to what she was thinking, because he lowered his hand and sighed. “This isn’t a trick, Katherine. That cut on your head needs to be treated before it becomes infected, and you’ll be of no use to us if you pass out from pain or hunger. At the very least, you have to be dying of thirst.”

  Well, crap. She hadn’t really noticed it until he said something. Now it was all Kat could think
about.

  Swallowing against her dry throat, she lifted her chin. “Fine.” She started for the door. “But you should know people are out there looking for me. And they won’t stop until they find me.” God, she prayed that was the truth.

  “People like Matt?”

  Kat’s chest tightened, her steps faltering before she turned to face him. “H-how do you know him?”

  Walker smirked. “Oh, Turner and I go way back. And, unless he’s changed a whole hell of a lot, I’m sure he’ll do everything he can to find you.”

  Something flickered behind his eyes, but Kat couldn’t decipher what it was. She was also confused by the tone in Walker’s voice. He almost sounded hopeful, which made absolutely no sense, whatsoever.

  At this point, she was just praying Matt found her before this man—and whoever else was part of the ‘us’ he’d referred to—did whatever it was they were planning to do.

  “Let’s go get you taken care of. After all, you’ve got a lot of work to do.”

  Matt sat in the hospital’s emergency surgical waiting room, out of his mind with worry.

  Zade had been in surgery for hours. He was still in there. Lying on that goddamn table, fighting for his life. And Kat…

  Christ, Matt could barely breathe for the fear he felt for her. Knowing Adrian Walker—of all fucking people—had even laid a finger on her filled him with more terror than Matt had ever known.

  And all he could do was sit here and wait. Wait for the doctor to come out and tell him whether or not his teammate and friend was going to make it. Wait for Jake and the others to arrive so they could put a plan of action together. Wait and wonder if he’d ever see Katherine again.

  He was tired of fucking waiting.

  Matt started to run a hand over his face when he realized he still had Zade’s blood on him. He’d been so out of it since the detective had dropped him off he hadn’t even noticed.

  Staring down at the rust-colored stains, he noted they were darker where the blood had settled in the creases. When Walker shot Nate a while back, Matt had been worried then, too. Nate was every bit as important to him as Zade. As much a brother as any of the other Bravo or Alpha Team operatives.

  The difference was Matt hadn’t been on the scene minutes after Nate was shot. He hadn’t put pressure on the guy’s wound like he had Zade’s. Nate’s frantic pulse hadn’t been beating beneath Matt’s palms the way Zade’s had.

  His frantic thoughts turned to Kat, and for the millionth time, he wondered what she was going through. Was she okay? Had she been hurt?

  They had to find her. They had to.

  “We will.”

  The confident voice broke through Matt’s thoughts. Startled, he looked up to see Jake standing over him, along with Derek and Gabe. He’d apparently been so lost in his own thoughts he hadn’t realized they’d arrived. Or that he’d said those words aloud.

  “Boss.” Matt stood. “This is all my fault. I’m the one who told Zade to take her to her dad’s place instead of us all going to the station together.”

  “But you weren’t the one who pulled the trigger.” Jake stared back at him. “So put that shit away. There’s no place for it here.”

  Swallowing hard, Matt nodded. “You’re right. Sorry.”

  “Any news on King?” Gabe asked anxiously.

  Matt shook his head. “Not yet.”

  Gabe tipped his chin to Matt’s hands. “That his?”

  He glanced down at his palms once more. “Yeah. I held pressure until the paramedics took over. I tried to stop the bleeding, but…I’m not sure it was enough.”

  “It was.”

  All four men turned to see a weary doctor had entered the room. Matt pushed his way through the others. “You Zade’s doctor? How is he? Is he okay?”

  Removing the thin, paper cap from the top of his head, the older man looked down at Matt’s hands . “I assume you’re Matthew Turner?”

  “Yes.”

  “Thought so. Mr. King said you’d kept pressure on his wound. He’s been asking for you.”

  “So, he’s okay?”

  The doctor’s mouth turned up slightly. “Not sure I’d use that particular term to describe your friend’s condition, but yes. Rather, he will be.”

  There was a collective sigh amongst the group. Matt’s legs shook with relief as the doctor eyed them carefully. “You Mr. King’s…family?”

  “As close as.” Jake stepped forward. After making a quick introduction and explanation as to how they knew Zade, the doctor nodded. “Thought you all looked military.”

  “Used to be,” Derek drawled.

  “Tell us what you know about Zade,” Matt ordered gruffly.

  “Well,” the exhausted doctor exhaled loudly. “The bullet missed all major organs, but it nicked one of his arteries.” His knowing eyes filled with empathy. “That’s why you had such a hard time getting the bleeding to stop. Anyway, as you can probably guess, repairing it was a delicate procedure. The bullet also hit his right clavicle. That damage to the bone was fairly extensive, but we managed to piece it back together. He’s in a brace to keep the bone immobile, which he’ll need to wear for six to eight weeks. In addition, he’ll need physical therapy to help regain the strength in that shoulder and his surrounding muscles before resuming normal activity.”

  Matt thought of Zade’s job as one of the team’s snipers. The guy was going to go stir-crazy waiting to get back in the game, but at least he was alive to play it.

  “Can we see him?”

  The doctor looked at his watch. “He should be in his room shortly.” He gave them the number. “I do warn against staying too long. Mr. King has been given some pretty strong pain medications and needs his rest in order for his body to begin healing.”

  “Understood.” Jake shook the doctor’s hand. “Thank you.”

  Matt nodded to the man, too. “Thanks.”

  With a tired nod, the man went about his business while Matt and the others made their way up to the floor where Zade had been admitted.

  After a quick stop at the restroom to wash his hands, the four men entered their friend’s room.

  “Man, King.” Derek shook his head at Zade before smirking. “You look like ass.”

  With a drowsy smile, Zade lifted his left hand and flipped Derek the bird. “Fuck you…too,” he slurred weakly. His eyes turned to Matt’s.

  “Kat?”

  “We, uh…” Matt swallowed hard, hating that he’d let both his teammate and Kat down. “We don’t know yet. Jake and the guys just got here when the doctor came to tell us you’re going to be okay. We came straight up here.”

  “I called Homeland as soon as Matt told me what happened,” Jake informed Zade. “Ryker’s working on pulling shit together for us as we speak.”

  “Walker.” Zade’s voice sounded dry and scratchy as he said the bastard’s name.

  “We know.” Gabe stepped a little closer to the bed. “We’re on it, Z. Don’t worry. We’re gonna catch the bastard this time. The only thing you need to focus on is getting better.”

  “I’ve made arrangements with Long Beach P.D. to have an officer stand guard outside your room,” Jake spoke up again. “Just as a precaution. I don’t think Walker will come after you. If he wanted you dead, we’d be visiting you in a totally different kind of room.”

  Matt flinched at the thought of how easily his friend could’ve been killed.

  “And on that pleasant note”—Derek tipped an invisible hat to Zade—“We should probably let you get some rest. Take it easy, King.”

  “D’s right.” Jake nodded. “We’ll check back in later with an update.”

  “Take care of yourself, brother,” Gabe instructed Zade. “The team won’t be the same until you’re back.”

  Zade gave them all a dazed smile. “Thanks.”

  Matt started to follow the other three out but stopped just inside the door. “Give me a minute?”

  Jake gave him a knowing glance. “We’ll be in the hall.
”

  Waiting until the door shut to turn back around, Matt faced the man he’d almost gotten killed.

  “Stop.”

  Zade’s order surprised him. “Stop what?”

  “Blaming yourself.”

  The other man cleared his throat before licking his dry lips, the actions kicking Matt’s ass in gear.

  “Shit. Sorry.” He rushed to the wheeled tray where Zade’s nurse had placed a pitcher and cup, both filled with ice water. “Here.”

  After helping his friend take a good, long drink, Matt set the lidded cup back down, making sure it was within Zade’s reach.

  “Thanks. Feels like I’ve been swallowing fucking rocks.”

  Matt grinned, but his lips fell quickly.

  “I said, stop,” Zade ordered again.

  “Can’t help it, man.” Matt looked down at him. “I put you in that car. If we’d all gone to the station together—”

  “They would’ve found us on the way.” Zade blinked slowly, his speech becoming more slurred. “Walker wanted Kat. Would’ve followed her wherever she went.”

  Logically, Matt knew his friend was right. Didn’t make it any easier to stomach, though.

  “He say anything else? Give you any indication of where he might be taking her?”

  Zade shook his head. “No. Sorry. I tried to get to my gun, but it was knocked out of my hand. Flew to the floorboard. Couldn’t reach it.”

  Picturing the image Zade’s words created made Matt sick. “Nothing to be sorry for. I’m the one who screwed up. But I promise, I’m going to find Walker and make him pay for what he did. To you and Holloway. To Kat.” His voice cracked, but he cleared it away. “You’re lucky as hell, you know that, right?” He blinked against the sudden burning in his eyes.

  “I know.” Zade’s head swished against the rough, white pillowcase as he nodded, but then he frowned at Matt’s expression. “What?”

  “Don’t get me wrong.” Matt shook his head. “I’m glad as fuck that you’re alive and, for the most part, okay. But I don’t get why Walker killed Holloway but let you live.”