by Katie Ashley
He gave an indignant snort. “Uh, no, that’s a totally different ballgame, smartass. I had a little something called a parachute then. We were freefalling out into nothing.”
I cocked my head at him, drinking in how cute he was when he was mad. Instead of arguing with him, the out-of-whack endorphins pumping through my system wanted one thing.
Him.
Skin on skin with his lips on mine. I didn’t even stop to question it. I grabbed his wet shirt and jerked him to me. “Considering this was the third time we’ve almost died in the last forty-eight hours, can’t you give a girl a little victory lip-lock?”
A slow grin slunk on his face. “Ooh, Princess, I think I like what walking on the wild side does to you.” I gripped his shirt tighter and leaned into him. He brought his hands to cup my face, and then the warmth of his mouth was on mine. We kissed for a few blissful moments that made cliff jumping worthwhile. “Damn. You taste good,” he murmured against my lips.
I groaned. “We gotta go. Dad…Jensen,” I argued, but I still remained pressed to him.
But then we both came to our senses and pulled away. He shook his head. “Mentioning Jensen was a definite mood killer.”
My stomach tightened into knots at the thought of Dad. “What’s the plan? Do we see where the stream comes out at?”
“No, if I know West, he’s not going to give up so easy. He’s going to be waiting for us downstream. We have to backtrack to get back to the truck.”
“Whatever you say.”
Maddox started swimming against the current. He made it look a lot easier than it really was. I may have been able to keep up with him on land, but with soaked clothes and the strong water, it was hard. My arms and legs flapped and flailed to keep from being swept away, and my breaths came in frustrated pants from all the exertion. Thankfully, we didn’t have to go too far to get to the shoreline. Maddox climbed onto a rock, and then reached back to help me. When I went to step up, my shoe slipped on the slick moss, and Maddox had to jerk me onto the rock. I banged into him, and he almost lost his footing.
“Did I hurt you?” he asked.
“No, I’m fine.”
“I was afraid I ripped your arm out of the socket or something.”
I laughed. “I’m not that fragile, thank you very much.”
Maddox cuffed my neck playfully. “Yeah, yeah.”
He then hopped off the rock and onto the shore. This time I was able to make it without his help. Once we were safely on the ground, Maddox craned his neck left then right. He appeared to be calculating what direction to go in his head. Then he decided on one. “This way!” he said before breaking into a sprint. I fell in right behind him. We raced through the heavily tree lined woods with water sloshing off of us and splattering out of our shoes. Tree branches slapped against my face, sending a stinging scrape across my cheek, not to mention taking out a clump of wet hair. But I kept on running.
Finally, we came around one side of the cave’s entrance. My heart surged when I could see our truck, but then it rattled a little in fear at what I assumed was West’s car almost directly behind it. “Wait here,” Maddox instructed.
I knew better than to argue with him, so I stayed stock-still. Hunched over, he crept along the outside of the cave’s wall. When he got to the opening, he ducked inside. Seconds ticked agonizingly by as I waited to make sure he was all right, and West hadn’t fooled us by staying put rather than chasing us.
Just as I started inching towards the cave entrance, Maddox popped out with his bag and our supplies. When he saw me, he cocked his eyebrows. “Don’t you ever listen to me?”
I threw up my hands. “You didn’t come back. I thought West might be holding a gun to you or something.”
“And if he was, were you going to bust in and rescue me?” he asked, his voice laced with humor.
I swept my hand to my hip. “Yes, smarty pants, I was. The truck with the guns is right over there. I could easily have gone and gotten one.”
“Good thinking with guns. I think I’ll use one now to give us a little insurance policy.”
I followed him over to the truck where he got out the pistol. “What are—” I started before he turned and aimed at West’s car. Two quick pops took out the front and rear tires on the left side. He glanced back at me and grinned as air whooshed out of the deflating tires and the car sunk into the grass.
I laughed. “Good thinking. He sure is going to be ticked when he sees those!”
“Yeah, and I think we need to be long gone before he has a chance to,” Maddox said, climbing up into the truck. “How are we doing on time?”
I leaned in the cab and grabbed my phone from the floorboard where Maddox had thrown it. “Ten minutes to spare.”
“I guess we better call and check in with Jensen. See what the puppet-master’s next order is.”
“But what about our next move?”
“You mean the plan to get your dad and us out with the gold?”
“That one.”
Maddox grimaced as he rubbed the stubble on his face. “Yeah…I’m still coming up blank at the moment on that one.”
Glancing over my shoulder, I eyed West’s sunken car and an idea popped into my head. I hurried over to the car as Maddox hissed, “Lane, get back here. You can bet he’s heard those pistol shots and is on his way here right now.”
I ignored him and tried the passenger side door. West must’ve been in a real hurry to get to us because he hadn’t bothered to lock his doors. There on the seat was the key to our plan.
West’s cell phone.
Snatching it up, I hightailed it back to the truck and hopped inside. “Okay, drive.”
Maddox threw the truck into reverse. “You took his phone?”
“We need a way to get help without Jensen knowing it, and if we stopped anywhere, he’d totally be suspect.” I waved West’s phone at him. “This is our ticket.”
Maddox stared at me in disbelief before a slow smile stretched across his face.
“Damn, I see where you’re going with this.”
I returned his smile. “Glad you’re on board.”
“So what’s the first step?”
“You call Jensen back and see where he wants us to meet him.”
Maddox nodded. Once again, Jensen answered quickly. “Yeah, we got the gold. Where do you want to meet us?”
Jensen must’ve made some kind of demand because Maddox rolled his eyes. “Fine.” He then put the phone on speaker. “He wants to make sure you haven’t run for help or something. So say hello.”
“Oh, um, I’m still here. I haven’t gone anywhere.”
“Good, I’m glad to hear that Miss Montgomery. Your father is very glad to hear that. Aren’t you?”
A muffled voice came from the background, and I lunged forward in my seat, grasping for the phone. “Daddy! Daddy, are you okay? Oh God, I love you so much, and we’re going to get you back!”
“What a touching sentiment. I do believe there are tears in my eyes along with Daddy’s,” Jensen mused.
While a strangled cry erupted from me, Maddox snarled. “Quit fucking with her mind. Tell us where to bring you the gold or shut up.”
“Patience, Mr. Diaz. You’ve come this far. No need to lose it all right here at the finish line.”
Maddox closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. If he could have reached through the phone and throttled Jensen, he would have. “Fine. I’m listening.”
“Based on your GPS location, I want you to backtrack the way you came in to the main road. Take a right. Then go ten miles, and you’ll come to an abandoned Shell Station. Come around to the back. We’ll be waiting.”
“Okay,” Maddox murmured.
“So far, you’ve been very good to avoid ridiculous theatrics. I hope you both will continue to think clearly. I’d hate for something bad to happen this late in the game.”
Grinding the tears from my eyes, I spat, “You just hold up your end of the bargain, Jensen, and we’ll
hold up ours.”
“Oh, I do so like that unexpected fire about you, Miss Montgomery. I look forward to seeing you. Remember, no police and no last minute drama.” He then hung up.
I met Maddox’s gaze and shook my head. “I changed my mind. I’m totally willing to put a bullet between Jensen’s eyes!”
He chuckled. “That’s my girl.”
“What an unimaginable bastard!”
“Ah, there’s that likeable fire of yours,” he joked, mimicking Jensen.
“So not funny.” Using West’s phone, I then called 411information for the Gilmer County Sheriff’s Department number. Once connected with the dispatcher, I handed the phone to Maddox. With all his training, he was the more obvious choice for spokesman. “Yeah, I have very vital information about the Maudie Sinclair attempted murder. And I don’t want to waste any time with a deputy. I want a GBI field agent, and I want to talk to them now.”
The intensity of his voice impressed me. A few seconds passed before he was transferred. Maddox flicked the speakerphone on so I could hear as well. A rich, deep voice filled the cab of the truck. “Agent Montrose speaking. I understand you have some information about one of my cases?”
Maddox drew in a deep breath. “Look, I don’t have a lot of time, so you’re going to have to work with me and trust what I’m about to say is the one hundred percent God’s honest truth, okay?”
Agent Montrose didn’t miss a beat before replying. “I’m listening.”
Maddox then proceeded to tell Agent Montrose every unbelievable detail of the map and the treasure from Jensen’s initial visit to Maudie to the warehouse fire and car chase, and then to us finding the treasure. He didn’t leave out a single detail. Okay, so he managed to leave out any embarrassing ones like last night or this morning.
“Now after all we’ve been through, I sure as hell want to get out with the gold, and I also want Jensen to end up back in a maximum security prison.” Maddox’s gaze flickered over to mine. “Most of all, I gotta get Lane and Stephen out unharmed. But I can’t do it alone. So what are you going to do to help us?”
My breath caught in my chest waiting for Agent Montrose’s response. “That’s quite an ordeal you’ve been through. I can assure you that the bureau and myself will do everything we can to ensure your safety. Carl Jensen has been on our radar for some time—he’s actually climbing up the Georgia’s Most Wanted list. I’ve already put a tracker on this phone, and I know your exact location. Give me your cell numbers that Jensen is tracking as well.” After Maddox had given the information, Agent Montrose said, “I’m dispatching both agents and deputies to the area as well as putting a swat team and chopper on stand-by.”
Maddox grinned. “You work pretty fast.”
Agent Montrose laughed. “I suppose we do. Thankfully in matters of life and death, we work extremely fast. It’s going to be important that you keep this phone on you so we can continue using the GPS. It’s a precaution just in case Jensen decides to take you to another rendezvous place.”
That thought sent a desperate feeling ricocheting through me. I didn’t want there to be a nanosecond that our whereabouts could be unknown to the GBI. It was already scary enough that we had to meet up with Jensen without them.
“Okay, we can try.”
“I’m glad to hear it. I want you guys to rest easy knowing you did the right thing by calling us. And we’re doing everything we can to help you.”
“Thanks,” Maddox replied.
“Listen, I’ve got to go, so I can get out in the field. But no matter what happens, you have to stay calm. Trust your instincts and training.”
“I will.”
“See you in a little while.”
“Yeah, see you.” Maddox hung up and tossed me the phone. Smacking the steering wheel, he exclaimed, “This is all so bad ass! Man, I feel just like I’m back in my old company on a mission.”
“Wish I could say the same,” I replied.
Maddox turned to me. “Hey, stop worrying. It’s all going to work out.”
“I know…”
Drumming his fingers against the steering wheel, Maddox said, “We’re going to need a way to keep the phone on us, so the police can track us. But it’s got to be somewhere well-hidden because if I know Jensen, he’s going to have us searched the moment we step out of the car.”
“You mean like somewhere on one of our bodies?”
“Yeah, it’s gotta be. They’ll go through our bags—probably even the truck to make sure we’re not hiding any of the gold.” Then his eyes cut over to me and honed in on my chest.
I gasped. “You want me to stuff a cell phone in my bra?”
“Can you think of a better place?”
“Um, at the moment...no. But give me a second,” I huffed.
Maddox grinned. “Trust me, it’s the best place. Even though Jensen and his men are hard-asses, they’re not going to make you take your shirt off or grope you. They’ll think you’re too sweet and innocent to hide anything in your bra.”
“And what if they put two and two together to realize you’re a horndog who’d be more than happy to give me electronic cleavage?” I countered.
He snickered. “Desperate times, babe.”
I eyed the cell phone contemptuously. If someone had told me thirty-six hours ago I would have been forced to hide a phone in my bra for the GBI to track us on the way to rendezvous with thugs, I would have said they were insane to his or her face. Unfortunately, the truth was all too real.
“Go on and at least try it,” Maddox instructed.
“I’m going, I’m going.” Taking a moment to turn the phone off, I then lifted up the bottom of my wet shirt, sliding the phone underneath. When I reached my bra, I shoved it into one of the cups and then the other. I tried to wedge it equally on both sides. Thank goodness I’d worn one of my sports bras because it would have never worked with my lacier numbers—I needed all the support and fabric I could get. I just hoped in the end that the wet fabric wouldn’t damage the phone or more precisely, the GPS.
I turned in my seat to where Maddox could see me better. “How does it look?”
He brought his gaze from the road directly to my chest. “Move around a little.”
I sighed and twisted to the right and left and then leaned forward. The next thing I knew Maddox’s hand had reached over to grab at the front of my shirt. “Hey!” I squealed, knocking him away.
He rolled his eyes. “Jesus, Lane, I had to see if you could feel it right off. Like if Jensen or someone brushed up against you.”
“I’m sorry, but you could have given me a little warning,” I argued.
Shaking his head, he gave a bark of a laugh. “You know what? You really should do that if Jensen or one of the other men get too close. Let them think you’re all insulted by their manhandling instead of trying to hide something.”
“Trust me. If they do what you just did, I don’t think I’ll have to pretend.”
Maddox cut his gaze over to mine. “Glad to know my touching your tits warrants a total freak out.”
I giggled. “Normally, I like when you touch my boobs.”
“Not your tits?”
Wrinkling my nose, I replied, “I’m not a fan of the word.”
He grinned. “But you are a fan of me touching your boobs?”
“Oh yes, a very big fan.”
“Good to know.”
Glancing down at the shirt, I asked, “So you think I’m okay?”
Maddox nodded. “I think so.”
I pulled my shirttail up and over my knees. “Just to be safe, I’ll try to stretch it out some. It’ll hide it better if the material is looser.”
“Whatever you gotta do to make it work.”
Just when I finished readjusting the shirt, a rusted Shell sign came into view. “Shit. Here we go,” Maddox said.
We turned into the abandoned parking lot. The truck rattled along the broken-up pavement. As I peered around the desolate surroundings, my eyes caught
the infamous, coal black Mercedes almost hidden on the other side of the boarded-up convenient store. All I could see was the front bumper and part of the hood. Maddox eased the truck to a stop next to it, then killed the engine.
“Oh God, I think I’m going to puke,” I murmured.
Maddox gave me a tight smile. “It’s all going to work out. You’ll see.”
I hoped rather than believed him. Terrance, the taller of the two henchmen, stepped out of the Mercedes. “I guess we’re on,” Maddox said, opening his door. With shaking hands, my sweaty palms slid on the door handle. It took two tries before I was able to get it open. My shaking legs barely supported me when I hopped down. Maddox waited for me at the front of the truck. He slipped his equally sweaty palm into mine and led me over to where Terrence stood.
“Glad to see you two made it on time. Mr. Jensen appreciates your punctuality,” he said.
“And just where is Jensen?” Maddox asked.
“He’s at the location with Mr. Montgomery.”
“Location?” I repeated.
“The trade-off doesn’t happen here.”
I exchanged a look with Maddox. “So where does it happen?”
“You’ll find out. First, I need you two to get into the backseat.”
At that moment, a man I’d never seen before got out of the Mercedes’ passenger side. With his towering height and bulging muscles, he had to be the bouncer of the outfit. He lumbered towards us. The sight of something in his hands caused me to gasp.
Blindfolds and rope.
Maddox followed my gaze. His body tensed before he glared over at Terrance. “That’s bullshit! No one said anything about blindfolding or tying us up.”
“I’m sorry. But Jensen has insisted—for your protection as well as his own. We’ll get you in the car before you have to put them on. But first, I’m afraid we’re going to have to search you.” He gave me a tight smile. “Ladies first.”
When I didn’t budge, Maddox squeezed my hand reassuringly. He’d anticipated this much, but not the rest. Now that it came right down to it, the idea of being frisked not only creeped me out, but terrified me as well. Terrance yanked my arm, tearing me away from Maddox. I yelped as he pushed me forward against the brick wall, forcing my arms above my head. His hands swept to my still wet hair, raking his fingers through it to jerk it off my neck. “I-Is this really n-necessary?” I asked.