The three side-by-side stables loomed twenty feet out. They’d each take one, which meant he’d have to leave Adriana’s side.
“Smoke,” Adriana whispered, remaining crouched with her Sig in hand.
“It’s coming from the first building,” Asher said. “I’ll take that one.” He looked at Knox. “You get two.”
“I’ll take the third then,” Adriana said.
Farther away on the grounds, more gunshots rang like fireworks popping in the air.
“Be safe,” Knox bit out, willing his voice not to break. Then he took off for the middle stable before he changed his mind, doing his best not to look back and check on her. He had to stay mission-focused even if it killed him.
Please let her be okay, he said a silent prayer once his back was flat up against the exterior wall of the middle stable.
He started to go for his weapon that fired rubber bullets, but if Nina was inside the stable with Roman, he wanted her to know he’d kill her if necessary. He needed answers, but he wouldn’t sacrifice Roman’s life for them.
Flames licked the sides of the first stable, and smoke filled the sky. His night vision goggles auto-corrected with the presence of the fire, cutting off his lights.
He opted for his rifle and moved inside. With the flames out of sight, the green hue of his goggles returned, allowing him to see in the dark.
He pivoted fast, turning to the side at the sight of movement. His boots tracked slowly across the dirt floor as he cleared each stall left and right.
As he neared the last two stalls, he halted at the familiar sound of a round being chambered.
The exit, which led to building three, was only ten feet away. Adriana could enter the stable any second. Asher would soon approach from the other side, too. He had to end this before anyone got hurt.
He shifted his NVGs up and wielded the stock of his rifle firmly to his cheek, his trigger arm winged to the side and his support arm against his chest. With his back to the wall, he maneuvered around the stall to his right, identifying two subjects.
“I know you can see me through your scope, which means you can see the shotgun pointed at this man’s head. And my eyes have already adjusted to the dark, so I can see you.”
A woman’s voice. Nina.
Roman was in a seated position with his back to the wall, his body slumped. Head hanging forward. Hands hidden behind his back. If he was tied up that meant they’d been worried Roman could escape—he had to be alive.
But he couldn’t help but ask, “How do I know he’s okay?” He held his rifle steady on Nina, and she kept the barrel of her shotgun on Roman.
She kicked his leg with her boot and Roman stirred. His chest lightly lifted, the signs of life evident. Thank God.
“Comms are back up.” Harper’s voice popped into his ear a moment later. “Based on what I’m seeing, the compound appears to be secure.”
Almost secure. He had to get Roman out of there. “You don’t need to do this, Nina,” Knox said in a clear voice so Harper could hear him. “You kill him, and you die, too. You know that.”
“He’s alive?” Harper’s voice cut out, static interrupting, or maybe they were tears.
“You think I’m alone?” Nina asked, pulling his focus to her.
“In this moment, yes. You ran here to kill him when you discovered we were here. You were probably planning on hopping the fence and escaping. Leaving your people behind.”
“Bravo Five needs an assist,” Harper rushed out. “Echo Four is alive, but . . .”
Harper’s voice faded in the background as Knox focused on Nina.
“Who are you?” Nina asked, a rough bite of distrust in her tone. “Y’all can’t be Feds. They wouldn’t dare step onto our property. This man a Marine?” She kicked Roman’s leg again. “Army boy?” Her words dragged out slowly.
“Bravo Five, I’m two stalls back from you,” Asher announced in his ear. “The fire isn’t far behind me, though.”
“I’ve got eyes on you, too.” His heartbeat jumped at the sound of Adriana’s voice in his ear, but he didn’t dare turn to get a visual on her because he needed to keep his rifle on Nina.
“This only ends one way,” he informed Nina. “Let us help you take down Glenn Sterling.”
“I made a mistake in trusting him. He’s as bad as her. They all are.”
“Who?” My mom?
Shit, he needed answers, but smoke was filling the stable.
Knox maintained his position, trying to figure out a way around this without Roman getting shot.
“We’re ready to move in when you need us,” Adriana said, keeping her voice steady. She was his damn rock right now.
“This is Bravo One. Approaching now,” Luke said over the line.
Adriana was okay.
The rest of his teammates were good.
And he had to keep it that way.
“A bunch of Polaroids are gonna bring down the government,” Nina said. “At least my parents’ deaths can serve a purpose.”
Roman’s breathing was evening out. He was coming to. A slight twitch to his leg he hoped Nina didn’t notice.
“Is that what you found in your uncle’s things? Polaroids. Of what? Of Glenn? Kathleen Bennett?”
“Can you believe Polaroids last forty years? They were tucked inside a book, barely faded. They slipped out when I was going through the box a few months ago. The timing must’ve been fate, what with Bennett and Renaldo running in the election.”
Keep talking. “I can help you if you’ll let me.”
“I don’t know who you are,” she drawled, “but I sure as hell am done trusting people.”
“Let’s step outside before this fire kills us both, and I’ll show you who I am,” he said in a level voice, even though smoke was gathering above him, and the stable was heating up at an alarming rate.
“I always knew my parents were murdered.” She started coughing. “And I’d suspected it was by our government, and like hell will I let any traitors take over the White House.”
“Bennett didn’t kill your parents.” Knox had trained in these types of conditions before. He could handle himself, but Nina wouldn’t last much longer with the smoke breathing down her neck, which meant she might make a move soon. “Glenn’s lying to you. I don’t know if it was the Russians or Glenn who murdered your parents, but my . . . Kathleen Bennett’s not responsible.”
“Maybe Bennett staged my parents’ deaths. Maybe not. But she was involved somehow, and they’ll all pay. Bennett, Sterling, Renaldo—everyone. My parents weren’t traitors like he said. And I should’ve known Leslie would run to her lover for help when I went to her demanding answers.”
Lover? Glenn?
He had to make a move. With her talking, the best time would be now while she was distracted.
Roman must’ve sensed the same because he mouthed, “Now.” Roman threw the weight of his body off to his right side, and in one fast movement, Knox rushed the stall. He let go of his weapon as he moved, allowing the rifle sling to catch its weight.
Knox pushed Nina’s forearms up, and she fired off a round. The bullet pierced the ceiling, but he quickly wrestled the gun away before she could shoot again.
He tossed the shotgun behind him. “All clear,” he announced, so Asher and Adriana knew it was safe to approach.
He spun Nina around and pinned her arms to her back. “I could’ve killed you, you know. But we’re not the bad guys,” he told her.
Asher stepped into the stall, and Knox shoved Nina his way, then he swiveled around and twisted on his headlamp so he could better view Roman.
“Fuck, man. You okay?” He grabbed his blade and cut Roman’s hands free and helped him up.
“I’m fine,” Roman said on a cough, the smoke enveloping the stall.
“She could have shot you,” he said while slinging Roman’s arm over his shoulder for an assist when he noticed the limp in his leg.
“I trusted you,” he said as they moved.
>
“Knox? Are you okay?” Adriana wheezed, the smoke affecting her as well.
“We’re good, but get the hell out of here.” He didn’t need her destroying her lungs.
“Is he okay?” It was Harper’s voice in his ear, worry strangling her words.
“He’s fine,” Knox told her as they walked. “I think you gave Harper a heart attack.”
Even with his headlamp, he could barely see. The heavy pulls of smoke smothered them as they maneuvered toward the side exit.
“Roman,” Chris called out at the sight of them exiting the stable. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” Roman rasped.
“Let me,” Chris offered, and he took over for Knox in helping him.
He sucked in a breath of air as he searched for Adriana. A swell of relief struck him at the sight of her darting toward him.
She was okay, and he was so damn grateful.
He threw his arms around her.
“I was worried about you.” She tightened her grip, and he never wanted to let go.
“I was never in danger. Only Roman,” he said, but . . . what the hell? He stepped back and studied her. “Where’s your vest?”
“Nina’s daughter was hiding in that third stable. I had to beg her to come out. I couldn’t take her with me, and with all the gunfire out there, well, I put my vest on her.”
He cupped her face, but she squinted with his headlamp in her eyes, and he turned it off. “You’re something else, aren’t you?” Just like your mom.
“Following your lead.”
“The Feds are on their way,” Luke said on approach, walking with Nina at his side.
“How many casualties?” Nina asked, but like she gave a damn about her people. The woman couldn’t even protect her own daughter.
“Three wounded,” Luke told her even though she didn’t deserve an answer. “They’ll survive. But the one guy your husband shot in the back is probably critical. That’s on you, not us.”
“Rubber bullets?” Nina asked.
“We may have a problem.” Harper’s voice popped in their ears. “The drone is picking up movement outside the compound on the east side. I’m zooming in. One second.”
“Maybe you aren’t the—” Nina’s right shoulder jerked back, and Luke lost his grip of her.
“It’s a sniper!” Harper exclaimed.
“What the hell!” Knox yelled as another shot snapped out. Then another one followed almost immediately. “Adriana!” He flew to his right and tackled her to the ground to protect her as Harper rattled off the coordinates to the sniper.
“I’ve got eyes on him,” Liam yelled over comms, surprise in his tone. “Target is down. I repeat, target is down.”
“Any more?” Knox asked, too worried to move off Adriana until he knew they were in the clear.
“Doing another sweep,” Harper said, “but I don’t see anything.”
“I think one of the bullets nicked my arm,” Adriana whispered beneath him, and he shifted off her in a hurry.
He stood and reached down to help her up, but she stayed down, unmoving. His heart took panicky climbs.
Her hand clutched her stomach. “I don’t feel so . . .” His entire world came to a halt as he flipped on his headlamp. “I, uh, think I’m hurt.”
He fell to the ground. His heart ripped from his chest. His life on the edge of over.
“I need a fucking ambulance!” he screamed at the top of his lungs and shifted her hand away from her abdomen. Blood seeped from the wound, and she moaned as he pressed both palms over the area.
“She got hit? Fuck, I’m so . . . sorry,” Luke said, but Knox barely heard him.
“Addy.” Tears blurred his eyesight. “Babe, you’re okay. You’ll be okay.” He maintained pressure on the wound to try and minimize blood loss.
“Adriana’s down,” Luke said over comms. “Repeat, Adriana’s down.”
“I’m sorry.” Adriana brought her palm to his face, sliding it over the paint on his skin. “Don’t be mad at me, okay?”
“I could never be mad at you,” he said, fighting back a sob.
He swallowed, anger and fear raking across his skin like claws drawing blood.
He pressed his mouth to the inside of her hand and kissed her palm.
“You’re going to be fine,” he promised, but on the inside, he was begging and shouting, fear taking over.
Please, God, don’t take her from me. Please.
He held on to her hand and lightly rocked in place as tears burned trails down his cheeks.
He tipped his chin toward the heavens, unable to stop rocking, and he begged. He begged for his life to be traded with hers.
“I love you,” he whispered.
“Ditto,” she said with a half smile. “Am I Demi Moore in this situation, or Patrick Swayze?” she murmured.
“You’re not dying. No coming back as a ghost because you’re gonna be fine. And damn it, babe, stop joking.”
“De . . . flec . . . ting. Your MO,” she said and winced. “Knox?”
“Yeah?” His body shook. His chest cavity rattled as if a bomb had been dropped nearby.
“I think I can see her.”
“What do you mean?” He nearly choked on his words.
She lifted her hand toward the sky. “I see Mom.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
Knox stared out the window in the hospital waiting room then bowed his head to the glass. The chopper had flown Adriana to Abilene to better care for a gunshot wound.
GSW. GSW. G-Fucking-S-W. He slammed his fist against the wall off to his right, and he gulped in a fat breath of air.
“She’s okay, man. She’s going to be okay.” Luke wrapped a hand over Knox’s shoulder, but he was rooted in place.
Her mom had died from a GSW. How the hell had he let this happen?
“So stubborn.” The bright sunlight streamed through the window and burned his eyes, causing them to water. Or maybe he was crying. At this point, he didn’t know, and he didn’t care.
“You heard the doctor. They’re waiting for her to wake up and then you can see her,” Luke said, giving his shoulder a tight squeeze. “I’m so sorry, though. This was all my fault. You were right. I shouldn’t have let her go in there.”
Knox bit down on his back teeth and finally turned away from the window and focused on Luke’s booted feet as they took a step back. She’s okay. She’s okay. As many times as he repeated the words to himself, the fear of her not being okay would remain until he saw her for himself.
“I’m sorry we didn’t catch the shooter sooner,” Liam said, and Knox glimpsed him leaning against the far side wall with his forehead against his palm. Guilt in the slouch of his shoulders.
Glenn Sterling must’ve sent the sniper to prevent Nina from talking.
The hired hitman was dead, but Knox wanted to bring him back to life so he could wrap his hands around his throat and end the man himself.
“This isn’t on you,” Knox admitted, eyes on Liam first before peering at Luke. “Or you,” he said to Harper. “Any of you.” He expelled a deep breath and looked at Roman. “And you should be in a hospital bed.”
Roman was pretty banged up, but he’d be okay, thank God. He couldn’t handle that, too.
“I’m where I need to be.” Roman pressed two fingers to his right temple. There were bruises all over his body. The cocksuckers had beaten the shit out of him before they’d brought him to the stable with Nina’s plan to burn him alive.
“We’ll get Nina to talk. If she survives surgery we’ll find out where the hell she hid those Polaroids, and we’ll bring Glenn down.” Luke’s words brought his focus back his way. “I promise.”
Knox shook his head, anger building up steam again. “Glenn’s already underground.” He turned back toward the window, unable to look at his teammates, who were crowded in the small room. They’d been taking turns pacing. Taking turns getting details from the Feds. And getting updates on Adriana’s status every few minutes.
“Glenn knows he’s fucked,” A.J. said as if dragging his words over burning coals. Anger in each syllable.
“Glenn managed to slip the FBI agents Quinn had on him, which means he could be anywhere by now,” Knox said bitterly.
Adriana was right, Knox hated killing. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t do it. And in this case, when he found Glenn, he’d enjoy it.
“I can’t believe Nina was going to try and blow up the stage at the debate in Cleveland on Tuesday,” A.J. said, filling the silence that began to eat away at the room.
Roman had discovered Nina and her husband’s scheme to have their men plant homemade explosives at the event in Ohio. Nina had planned to burn her compound to the ground once they dispatched their people.
Knox should’ve been shocked at the lengths people were willing to go in the name of revenge, but he wasn’t. He’d seen his fair share of crazy shit in the past. But having Adriana in the mix . . .
“Mendez has a team en route to pick up Leslie Renaldo for questioning, so maybe she’ll know something to help us find Glenn,” Harper said, her voice small. “The Feds need to coax a confession out of her.”
“Mendez say anything to Quinn?” A.J. asked. “Like maybe an apology for being so wrong about everything?”
Knox barely heard their exchange, his mind going back to Adriana on the ground with his hands soaked in her blood.
“I see Mom,” Adriana had said to him before passing out.
He’d looked up at the sky and seen her, too. Well, the star he’d chosen for her.
Chills darted up his spine at the memory, but then Luke said, “The doctor’s here.”
He spun around in a hurry and moved through the waiting room to get to him.
“You ready to see her?” Doctor Frank asked. The man was officially his hero now.
“Yes, please.” His voice cracked.
Knox reached the doorway but turned back to catch sight of his buddies. “Thank you,” he mouthed and left the room.
He followed the doctor through two sets of doors, his heart kicking higher with each step closer to seeing her.
“She’s a tough woman,” the doctor said as they walked. “Sorry we made you wait to see her, but she was still under anesthesia. She should be waking up anytime now.” He stopped walking and fisted a curtain. “You ready?”
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