Protected by a Hero

by Susan Stoker, Cristin Harber, Cora Seton, Lynn Raye Harris, Kaylea Cross, Katie Reus, Tessa Layne

  He cursed and mumbled, “Don’t hang up.”

  She heard Parker stomping around the house. Soon as he realized she was on the phone with whoever this guy was, the conversation would end fast. “Hurry.”

  But he was already gone. She waited, watching the digital alarm clock. One minute, then two ticked by.

  “Ma’am?”

  “Yes?” she said, watching the door for Parker.

  “We’ll tell you what we can.” He spent the next two minutes vaguely talking about the program she had designed, who had it, where they had it, and why it appeared they were stuck. The laptop wasn’t far, likely in a stronghold on the east coast, where their so-called expert hackers had tried and failed to repair the improperly functioning code. Shadow had been tortured, and someone had made an attempt to find her twice. But the ARO hadn’t outsourced well in either their code-breaking or kidnapping talent.

  The man then took a deep breath and rushed through the details that the Arab Resistance Organization was known for executing those who’d served their purpose or who had failed. No wonder Parker’s risk analysis aversion was so intense. All of the information scared the bejesus out of her.

  Eventually the ARO’s trial and error would fix their Monarch problems, then lots of people would die. She had no choice but to get involved. But she was so far out of her comfort zone that she couldn’t see where her next move started. No way could she do this alone.

  “I have an idea,” she said shakily. “Call back in thirty minutes.” Even though presenting Parker with the idea would bring a certain yes or no within a matter of seconds.

  “Yes, ma’am.” Then the line went silent.

  Alright then. She steeled her nerves and went in search of the noisemaker who kept stealing her heart. She found him in the living room, pulling books that had already been perfectly lined up on shelves and slamming them back into place.

  “Hey.” She picked up a thick programming interface book and handed it to him.

  “Hey.” He slammed the hardback into a precise spot.

  She grabbed another, this one on risk analysis of military security. “Don’t be a baby.”

  His smoldering blue eyes narrowed. “Knowing the statistical outcome of any op that you might die in doesn’t—”

  “I have an idea.” She pushed the book at him. “We could work together on this.”

  “No interest.” He rearranged two books on reverse engineering of foreign state algorithms.

  Not to be distracted by the scope of variety of his reading collection, she stepped in front of the shelf. “I’m going to help. You might as well be by my side while I do it. Just like I’ve been by your side every time you sent me an SOS for a set of hands.”

  “Not comparable. Virtual versus flesh and blood. Your flesh and blood.”

  “We go where they say, we do what we do. In person. Together.”

  “Shit, Lex, come on. It doesn’t work that way.”

  “I think it could work a lot more in the way I want than you’re giving me credit for.”

  He snatched more books and lined them up straight. “Only way I want you involved is if you’re in a secure room a thousand miles away. Since it doesn’t work like that—”

  “Since it doesn’t work like that, you’re willing to let people die instead?”

  “Fuck!” He threw a book across the room. “Goddamn it. No. Is that what you want to hear? No, I can’t let that happen. But what do you want from me?”

  “For you to be by my side. They, this ARO, keeps trying to take me, right? Every time they try to abduct me, we are together. So we get taken.” His eyes narrowed, and she knew he was thinking it over. Lexi leaned against his chest. “If I have to do this, Parker, hold my hand and make it safe. Please.”

  His body deflated even as he held her tight, breathing deeply against her neck. “I don’t know how to risk someone I’d die if I lost.”

  She pressed her chin to his chest and gazed up. “Don’t bother running numbers if you don’t go with me.” Her lungs ached as she readied to plead for what they had to do. “But if you do go with me, I’ll tell you with one hundred percent accuracy what your programs can’t. We will make it through because I want my life here with you too. I’ve wanted it for far too long, and nothing will stop me from loving you. If our problem was that I couldn’t find it in me to trust myself, then it’s fixed. I trust my gut on this. It’s what we need to do.”

  He squeezed her tight but didn’t agree.

  “Don’t make me break out the Semper Fi on you.” Not that she would throw his honor in his face—she knew his eventual answer would be the right one—but hurrying up his conclusion and decision, yeah, that she had to do.

  Parker’s eyes closed, and he grumbled as though he was in pain before he took a breath. “If we’re going to do this, Titan’s on point. I’ll call Boss Man.”

  CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

  Sandwich shops always drove Parker crazy. They smelled yeasty like baking bread, and he hated to watch his food go down a conveyor belt. It all came down to control, reminding him that he’d rather be in his teched-out lair at Titan or the war room, with the ability to see the plays coming and make adjustments. Today wasn’t like that. It was just him and Lexi with their asses hanging in the wind, waiting and baiting some terrorist motherfucker to whisk them away.

  This setup was his nightmare, even though Titan and military associates had eyes on him. They could almost take over a third-world country with the amount of military know-how that was sitting in that sandwich shop, and still Parker wanted to bundle up his petite, leather-clad biker chick and head home.

  “Don’t you think this is a little obvious?” Lex said, playing on her phone. Whatever game she was into, she was winning, moving up a level, buying tokens and credits and whatever else under her handle, on the phone that they’d tracked her with before.

  “Yeah, obvious is our goal.” Simple plan. He repeated it again and again. Force the ARO to make a grab, embed themselves in their hideout, infiltrate their network, and shut down Monarch. With much more aggression, he jammed buttons on his phone as well.

  “Too obvious, I mean.”

  Lexi’s eyes kept darting to the back corner, where Nicola, Beth, and Sugar, all playing the part of innocent moms-to-be, sat watching the points of entry. Pregnancy hadn’t slowed any of them down, though they had removed themselves from direct action involvement. Still, they were a force to be reckoned with, and he was glad he had those ladies behind him.

  He finished his sandwich and balled up the wrapper, catching Winters at the farthest table by the back hall. He was on his second box of Dots and shooting the shit with the new guys. Everyone in the shop, with the exception of Parker’s table, was relaxed while he and Lex were sitting ducks, waiting to be hunted.

  His skin prickled. For as much as Lexi had been briefed about what would likely happen when they grabbed her, she couldn’t understand the fear she was about to feel. She had been told, had seen videos, had listened to audios… the woman was the most intelligent person he’d ever worked with, but there was something to be said for when shit actually went down. No amount of brain power could squash basic human reaction. He slammed down his phone and took a stabilizing breath.

  “We’ve got something,” Winters murmured into a box of Dots.

  “Roger that,” Sugar confirmed, holding up a onesie. “He’s searching for someone. Dark pants, green jacket. Full beard.”

  The man crossed Parker’s line of sight.

  A sick trickle of concern made his blood run cold. “Last chance, sweetheart. Pull the plug on this. Now.”

  She shook her head. “Nope.”

  He wanted to drag her outside as much as he admired her strength.

  The bearded man stopped at their table, eyes bouncing between them. Discreetly, he showed the butt of a gun. “SilverChaos,” he said to Lexi in his heavy accent. The words were as serious as the threat in his dark eyes. “Your assistance is needed. Come quietly.�
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  Lexi’s face went pale, and Parker would’ve died to make how she felt go away. Instead he grabbed her hand.

  “Get up, go out the door.” The man discreetly nudged the weapon inches from her head. “We need to talk about a business proposition. Five minutes, and this will all be done.” He leaned closer.

  From an outside perspective, they were chatting with an old, albeit intense, friend. But Parker’s chest clamored at the point-blank range Lexi was in.

  “Or do you want to kill your boyfriend?” he asked.

  “No,” she quipped.

  “Easy there.” Parker nodded to her. “If you have business with her, sit down and talk.”

  His eyes narrowed on Lexi. “Get up and walk out the door.”

  All Parker had to do was make sure they took him with her. “She’s not going anywhere without me, jackass.”

  “Last chance.”

  “I’ll go if he can come too.” Lexi’s eyes darted between the ARO asshole and him. “Please.”

  The man stared hard as seconds ticked by. Parker’s certainty that this would work began to wane.

  “Please,” Lexi whispered, her voice shaking.

  With the gun still trained on her, the man nodded, relenting. “Both of you, up.”

  Relief at the small victory flooded him. He didn’t want to go to plan B if Lexi was taken alone. They both stood, grabbing their phones.

  “Leave them,” the man snapped.

  Lexi whimpered. She was playing a part, following a script. So she was only acting scared… Parker repeated it over and over, except the fear coating her voice sounded so real.

  “Okay.” She met his eyes, left her phone, and turned to their abductor.

  The man roughly guided them toward the exit, passing Winters, who gave him a discreet nod. Titan had eyes everywhere. Even if they stayed far back, they had satellite coverage as well. Parker would keep his mic and earpiece for as long as possible. They just had to get Lexi to a computer where she could work from within their system, manipulate Monarch to appear to work, install untraceable malware, and do it without suspicion. Sure. Easy. Why not. Shit… it was literally one of the most complicated pieces of code to ever have been created. His stomach dropped, and he held her hand tighter than was needed, holding on to what was most precious.

  Like out of a cliché movie, a windowless industrial-looking van raced up, and they were pushed inside the back door. Their abductor jumped in behind them, joining the four occupants already inside. Two were in the back, where the seats had been ripped out, and two up front in the driver and passenger seats. The van filled with Arabic, a huge advantage for them, since Parker had a solid working knowledge of the language. But even if he hadn’t, the heated discussion was easy to decipher.

  Why are there two?

  What do we do with the other one?

  For the moment, Parker wasn’t concerned with staying alive. Everything from their clothes to the way they bickered said no one there was a decision-maker. That was the guy he had a real concern about.

  “Where are you taking us?” Lexi’s gaze bounced around the van. “You said talk. You wanted to talk about business!”

  Black hoods were roughly pulled over their heads. A boot stomped on their handhold.

  “Ow,” Lexi cried.

  “Careful with her, asshole.” Head covered, Parker slammed his head forward, butting the jerk who had hurt her. His swift attack hit with nearly complete accuracy, and he felt the man’s nose crack.

  Another round of Arabic rang out, and one of the men weakly pistol-whipped the back of Parker’s head. It might have been a pathetic blow, but it still hurt like a bitch. Goddamn terrorist prick. They exploded in Arabic again.

  Don’t hurt him. He might be an incentive to make her work.

  He ignored the pain and listened to their bickering, as well as the bloody sniffles of the man with a now-cracked nose. He also listened for all things Lexi. For tears or worried breaths. For fear or pain. His senses were on hyper-alert when it came to her, and God help any man who hurt her, because Parker wouldn’t give two fucks for tearing him apart.

  Except right this second, he couldn’t protect her. So maybe God help him.

  CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

  It felt like they’d hit a highway, and Lexi’s heart hammered, adrenaline spiking. It was one thing to talk a big game and say she could help infiltrate a terror cell. Sure, jeez, no problem. But with a bag over her head, men yelling in a language she couldn’t understand, and Parker already scuffling with them, this was the very definition of a bad idea.

  The bag over her head was opaque and stunk like the bad breath of a thousand abducted victims. It smelled like tears and fear, vomit and blood. While she’d been prepared to be blindfolded, nerves made her stomach slosh.

  The wicked words floating around her head were indistinguishable. She didn’t understand anything they said, but they were furious at Parker to the point that she was scared they’d kill him.

  They had to stick together and stay silent for them both to make it out alive. The drive felt mostly like interstates. They were speeding by hundreds of cars full of people who had no idea she was in there. But many intelligence operatives did, so she should feel some sort of relief. Parker had a tracking beacon on, and she had a tiny microphone sewn into the hem of her shirt. All she had to say was the job was done, and Titan would descend.

  There was the sound of a scuffle and a grunt. Lexi cringed at what sounded like Parker absorbing a kick to the gut. Her heart slammed in her throat for every minute of their long drive.

  “Please don’t hurt him,” she whispered.

  No one said a word. Not even Parker told her it’d be alright, and that lack of communication made her anxiety grow.

  Finally the van slowed, and she toppled over the floor when they made a sharp right turn. Pushing herself upright, one of the men pushed her back down again, catching her off guard.

  “God! Ow.” She shirked back.

  A presumably blindfolded Parker attacked whoever was next to him, and they returned the hit. Her gut twisted. She needed to stay quiet if for no other reason than every time she made a noise, he lashed out at someone, and they hit back.

  “I said don’t touch her,” he growled. “You want someone to push, you push me.”

  The van door slid open, and a man grabbed her arm and yanked her onto the ground. She kept the cry of pain to herself as her knees and palms were scratched on asphalt.

  Her pusher hocked and spat, the grossness landing close enough to her that it hit the ground with a disgusting smack. “Stupid American slut.”

  Well, not so stupid that they could figure out Monarch. But she bit her tongue and wouldn’t go near the slut part. They didn’t like women, right? Second-class citizens?

  She rolled away from the sound-of-spit landing zone and tried to get to her feet. Her ears burned for Parker. It sounded as if he had men on both sides, forcing him to walk with them. She was pulled and pushed toward where she assumed Parker was. Their shoulders bumped, and the brief contact was instant relief. She reached for his hand, but no—his were angled behind his back.

  “You okay?” he asked calmly.

  “Yes.” A hand slammed between her shoulder blades. She lost her footing and went down, her hands scraping again. “Ow, damn it!” Her palms burned, maybe bled. She wanted to wipe them or look for gravel in the cuts.

  “Son of a bitch.”

  Parker’s struggles reached her ears, as though he was trying to take out the lot of them. Part of the act he’d been assigned was belligerent, antagonistic, overprotective boyfriend. Unplanned, untrained, and reactive. Honestly, she had no idea how much was an act and how much was him trying to kill armed men while blindfolded and handcuffed.

  “I’m fine,” she whispered. For her part, she had been told to act scared and untrained, like a hacker who needed her boyfriend. It was easy to play.

  The ARO men pushed her and Parker forward across what felt like a park
ing lot. Everything around them was silent, abandoned. Like they were the only people on earth.

  “Step,” the man with broken English ordered.

  She stepped high twice before she reached what she was supposed to step onto. An elevated floor. The chilly air smelled like metal. Another round of words she didn’t understand came fast, and she was tugged away from Parker.

  “No! Wait!”

  But all she got was a push. Still stuck with the nauseating bag over her head, she lost her balance and stumbled, barely catching herself. A hand yanked her up, pulling her arm and making her scream. In the background, far away but echoing in the dark vastness, she heard Parker yelling for her to stay strong.

  She couldn’t. She was going to vomit, joining the others who already had in this awful, airless bag. Her legs were weighted, each step closer to wherever erased all of her confidence in her decision, her patriotic duty, her desire to be brave like she thought Parker was. Tears sprang and slipped down her cheeks. This was the worst idea she’d ever had, and it proved, without a doubt, she had no good judgment. He’d tried to warn her, begged her to stand down, but Lexi had been bullheaded and pushed this.

  Parker was right. He was right about everything, and she wondered if he already knew what the risk analysis said. He denied it, but could he not? What was the chance she’d make it out alive if they stayed near the sandwich shop? If they took her hours away? If the ARO separated them? She thought of Parker and could almost guarantee that he was running all the computations of her survival, even without the luxury of his war room. She knew he stood by her decision to likely get herself killed all because she’d thrown words like honor and duty in his face.

  God, she was an awful person.

  Maybe they wouldn’t kill her. She was blindfolded, and according to TV shows and movies, that was a good thing. If she couldn’t see them, then it wouldn’t be a problem to let her live. Even though Titan and whoever else was supposed to sweep in if things got too bad before she completed her assignment.