by Rebecca Deel
Since Quinn was in the security room, that left Paige. Marcus found her asleep on the couch, a book clutched in her hand. He crouched. “Paige.”
She opened her eyes and smiled. “Hi.”
“Why are you down here?”
“I wanted to be near you, but the guys wouldn’t talk freely if I sat in on your discussion.”
“The security arrangements involve you. They wouldn’t have minded your presence.”
“Are you finished?”
His lips curved. “They booted me out. I have a feeling none of them will be sleeping tonight.”
Paige sat up. “Why not? What’s going on?”
“Zane dropped hints about our location in the right places and O’Reilly passed the message to Bianchi.”
“He’s on his way here?”
“Josh estimates six hours, maybe less.”
“What should I do?”
“Rest while you can. I’ll do the same.” Although he figured the attempt would be unsuccessful on his part. He glanced at the book in her hand. “What are you reading?”
“Mage Code by Max Irons.”
“Any good?”
“The book is a fast read with great dialogue. It’s fun.”
“Great cover. I might pick up a copy for myself.”
“You can read mine. Dalton might like the book, though.”
“He’ll have plenty of time to read for a while. I’ll buy him a copy when we return to Otter Creek.” He held out his hand. “Come on. I’ll walk upstairs with you.”
At the threshold to the master bedroom, Marcus wrapped his hand around the nape of Paige’s neck and kissed her. Long minutes later, he broke the kiss and smiled at the sight of her unfocused gaze.
He nudged her into the room. “Sleep in your clothes in case we have to move fast.”
Marcus waited until she shut her door before going into his room. He stretched out on the bed in the darkened room and prayed for the safety of Durango and the SEALs as well as Paige and himself.
Sometime later, Rio walked into the room. “Marcus.”
He sat up.
“Company. Get your girlfriend up and make sure she’s ready to run.” And he was gone.
Marcus checked his weapon and shoved two extra magazines in his pocket. He crossed the hall to Paige’s room and opened the door. A dim night light lit the room, throwing a soft glow over her face.
Not wanting to startle her awake, he sat on the side of the bed and gently rubbed her arm. “Paige. Wake up, sweetheart.”
“What’s wrong?”
“The perimeter alarm went off. Where are your shoes?”
She gave him a sleepy smile and shoved aside the quilt. “On my feet. I wanted to be ready to run at a moment’s notice. I didn’t count on needing a vat of coffee to wake up.”
“I don’t think we have time to brew a pot. Will a soft drink work?”
“As long as it has caffeine.”
He dropped a quick kiss on her lips. “I’ll be back. Leave the lights off. We don’t want Bianchi or his buddies to know we’re awake.”
“Got it.”
Marcus made his way downstairs to the kitchen. Eli turned from the back door where he was keeping watch.
“Paige awake?”
“Yeah. I’m getting her caffeine to clear the brain fog. Anything yet?”
“The first perimeter alarm is set a half mile away. The sensors at the quarter mile mark haven’t tripped yet.”
“Marcus.”
He swung around with Paige’s drink clutched in his hand. “Yes, Josh?”
“Bring Paige to the security room.”
“Two minutes.”
“No more.” Josh melted into the shadows again.
Marcus blew out a soft breath. These guys were seriously good. He returned to Paige’s room. Her eyes lit at the sight of the soft drink in his hand. “Josh wants us in the security room,” he said as he broke the seal and handed her the bottle.
“I’m ready. What should I do with my bag.”
“Is there anything in there you can’t do without?”
“My ID, debit card, keys, and cell phone are in my pockets. Everything else can be replaced easily.” She slid him a look as they descended the stairs. “Will I have to leave everything behind?”
“If we have to run, you don’t want anything weighing you down. Every second counts as does every foot of space between you and the pursuer.”
“Personal experience?
He squeezed her hand.
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
They entered the security room where Alex and Josh manned the bank of computers. The screens were split into four quadrants each.
Josh glanced over his shoulder. “There’s an ear piece for each of you. We’ll be able to communicate with you no matter where you are. They’re small. No one will know you have a comm device. That gives us an advantage.”
“Communication goes both ways,” Alex added. “If you whisper sweet nothings in each other’s ears, the whole team will hear.”
Marcus picked up an ear piece, relieved to recognize the apparatus. Maddox had made him practice using one when he was still recovering from the gunshot wound.
He slipped the device in his ear, then helped Paige with hers. When Josh demanded an update, each member of the protection detail checked in. Their voices sounded as if they were in the room with them. The only person who didn’t report in was Jon.
Josh straightened. “Jon, sit rep.”
Nothing.
“Eli, go. Rio, cover the back.”
Both men acknowledged the order.
At that moment, a red light began flashing on each computer screen.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Paige gripped Marcus’s hand. “What’s happening?”
“Quarter mile perimeter alarm,” Alex answered. “Quinn, you have eyes on our visitors?”
“Affirmative,” came his whispered response. “Four in sector B.”
One by one, each operative aside from Jon and Eli reported in. Paige kept a mental tally in her head. By the time they finished, she’d counted twenty people converging on the cabin. They were slowly being surrounded by men with no conscience.
She exchanged glances with the man she planned to marry soon, noted the same concern in his eyes that she felt. Durango and the SEALs were outnumbered two to one.
Where had Bianchi found that many men to help him? Was their objective to capture or kill? When she edged closer to Marcus, he wrapped his arms around her.
A whisper came over the comm system. “It’s Jon. Eli is with me. Permission to start the hunt?”
“Go.” Josh glanced at Alex.
His teammate shoved back from the console, and grabbed his pack and the rifle beside it. He nodded at her and Marcus as he passed.
“Quinn, Alex is moving into position.”
“Copy.”
“Nate, on my mark.”
On the screens, groups of men moved through the area. Bianchi and his buddies, she assumed. None of the Special Forces guys were bunched up.
“Come on,” Josh muttered. “A little closer.”
The seconds ticked away, ratcheting the tension higher and higher. None of the operatives seemed fazed by the pressure. Then again, this was probably normal during their missions.
“Nate, sector F.”
“Copy.”
A moment later, an explosion ripped through the night, lighting up one of the quadrants on the computer screen.
Paige jerked in the circle of Marcus’s arms.
“It’s okay,” he murmured.
“None of ours were hurt?”
“They know where the charges are set.”
“Sector D,” Josh snapped.
Another explosion.
A moment later, Eli broke in, his voice urgent. “Josh, incoming.”
Josh shoved away from the console. “Marcus, run. Go, go, go.”
Marcus grabbed Paige’s hand, raced down the hall and out
the back door. Rio sprinted to Paige’s side as Josh leaped from the deck to the ground. They ran for the cover of the tree line.
Seconds later, Josh said, “Down.”
Before she could draw in a breath, Paige was on the ground, Marcus covering her body with his. A massive explosion rocked the world. She glanced back at the cabin, squinting at the fireball turning night into day. Her breath caught. The cabin had been obliterated, the flames slowly destroying what the bomb had left.
Josh leaped to his feet. “Tangos at ten o’clock and two o’clock. Rio, take the right. I’ll take the left. Marcus, follow the plan.”
Marcus yanked Paige to her feet and broke into a run. He seemed to know where he was going. A good thing since the forest surrounding them was filled with thick brush and foliage along with dense shadows.
She stumbled and would have gone down if Marcus hadn’t maintained a strong grip on her hand. Minutes later, he stopped. Marcus looked back, a finger to his lips, indicating the need for silence.
What had he heard? She heard nothing but her heartbeat thundering in her ears. She scanned the area, straining to see in the gloomy forest. The back of her neck prickled, a sure sign of trouble.
She wanted to laugh at herself. Trouble definitely dogged their steps unless Josh and the others captured or killed the men after her and Marcus. How would they find them all? Many men hunted them. She didn’t know the number Nate stopped with his explosives, but some had survived because someone stalked them in these woods. Paige could feel it.
Suddenly, Marcus thrust Paige behind him. From a holster at his back, he pulled a gun.
Her eyes widened at the sight of the black weapon in his hand. She didn’t know Marcus had a gun or knew how to handle one.
Over the ear piece, Paige heard their protection detail engage in battle. Gunfire echoed in the night air all around them.
Marcus reached back and grasped her hand. “There’s a ravine five hundred yards ahead on the right. If we get separated, you head for that ravine. I’ll find you.”
“I don’t want to leave you. I can help.” Being apart from Marcus was a really bad idea.
“I want you safe, baby.” He got them moving again. They walked in silence for a few minutes.
Somewhere ahead, a twig snapped, the noise sounding like a gunshot. Marcus spun, hustled her deeper into the shadows, and pressed her back against a tree. He peered around the trunk.
Minutes passed. Paige stayed still, listening, watching over his shoulder in case Bianchi or one of his men tried to sneak up on them.
Marcus stiffened, raised his weapon. “That’s far enough,” he said. “Drop your weapon.”
A vile curse reached Paige’s ears along with the sound of a muffled thud.
“Now your backup piece.”
“Don’t got no backup,” came the growled response.
“On your knees, hands behind your head.”
More cursing.
“Paige, are you familiar with weapons?” Marcus murmured.
“Enough to steer clear of them.”
“I have to restrain him. I need you to hold the gun on him. Will you do that?”
“To keep you safe, I’ll do anything.”
“Stay behind me.” Marcus eased out from the tree cover. He kept his gun trained on the man kneeling on the ground, glaring at them.
Paige stayed close but made sure Marcus’s movements remained unencumbered.
“Face down on the dirt, arms spread to the side.”
“You’re a dead man, Watson.”
“Matt Watson has been dead for seven years.”
“Yeah? Well, you ain’t the only one we been watching. You should give yourself up. Maybe no one else will get hurt.”
Cold chills surged down Paige’s back. Was he talking about her or Marcus’s family? The thought that they might be under surveillance by O’Reilly’s people made her stomach churn. If Marcus had tried to see them under cover of darkness, the surveillance team would have killed him. She owed Brent Maddox big for convincing Marcus to stay away from his family.
“Down on the ground,” Marcus snapped.
The man shifted his gaze to Paige.
“Don’t look at her.” Marcus gave the man a wide berth as he led Paige to the left side of Bianchi’s cohort. “If you even twitch a muscle, I will shoot you.”
A snort. “You’re a preacher. You don’t kill people. You’re bluffing.”
“Want to bet your life on that?” Silence. “I didn’t think so.” He slipped his left hand into his pocket and pulled out a plastic zip tie. “Take the weapon, sweetheart.”
Praying her hands didn’t shake and give her fear away to the enemy on the ground, she took the gun from Marcus, doing her best to mimic his grip, and pointed the barrel at their prisoner. Paige hoped he wasn’t stupid enough to try something. She’d probably end up shooting herself or Marcus rather than the man glaring daggers at her.
Marcus secured the man’s hands behind his back, then used another zip tie to truss his ankles together. He reached into his pocket again and pulled out a small roll of black tape.
“You can’t escape all of us.”
“The only one I see right now is you. I’ll handle the others if they slip past my friends.” Marcus smiled. “But I wouldn’t count on that if I were you.” With that, he slapped a piece tape over the man’s mouth.
Marcus took the gun from Paige. They resumed their journey to the ravine Marcus had mentioned. At the edge of a clearing, he paused. “The ravine is fifty feet in front of us.”
“How do you know where everything is? If it wasn’t for the fire at the cabin, I wouldn’t be able to find my way back. I’ve been turned around since we ran into the woods.”
“Josh made me memorize a map of the area. He and the others discussed escape options after I walked you to your room the first time last night.” He scanned the open space between them and the ravine. “Stay here. I need to check the ravine. I don’t want to send us both headlong into danger if I can help it.”
“Be careful.”
“Always. I plan to spend many years with you.” Marcus picked his way across the terrain to peer over the edge of the ravine.
A footstep sounded behind Paige. Before she could turn, a muscular arm circled her neck and yanked her back against a rock-hard chest.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Marcus scanned the ravine. He didn’t see anyone lying in wait for them. Relief skittered through him. If he hid Paige behind the rocks on the left, she would be safe until Josh or one of the others escorted them out of the woods.
Paige gasped.
He swung around, weapon raised. A river of ice ran through his veins when he saw Bianchi with his arm around Paige’s throat, a gun pressed to the side of her head. His worst nightmare was playing out mere feet in front of him. “Let her go, Bianchi. I’m the one you want.”
Through the ear piece, Josh said, “Marcus, stall. Jon, you or Eli clear?”
“Negative,” came the whispered response.
“Rio, go.”
“Copy.”
“Marcus, Rio will come up behind Bianchi to your left. Don’t shoot my medic. Rio, capture him alive if possible. We need information from him.”
Bianchi smirked. “You know better than that, Watson. The lady is my ace in the hole. You can’t shoot me without risking your woman. Drop the weapon before my hand shakes and I shoot her by accident.”
A real funny guy, Bianchi. “Do you know why O’Reilly hired you to find me?”
“Money talks. Don’t matter the reason as long as I get paid.” Another smirk. “I already have a million in a Cayman account. Another million will be wired to my account when I deliver you to O’Reilly.”
“O’Reilly wants me dead because I shot and killed his son.” A fact which still haunted him in the deep watches of the night. He hadn’t had a choice. Faced with the same situation, he would still pull that trigger. To do otherwise would cost the life of a good man. “Do you thi
nk I’m going to lay down my weapon and let you kill Paige?”
An ugly smile spread across Bianchi’s face. “Who says I’m going to kill her? I might keep her around a while. O’Reilly don’t care what happens to her.”
“Keep stalling, Marcus,” Rio murmured through the comm device. “I’m almost in position.”
“Why did you try to kill Paige? Was it on O’Reilly’s orders?”
“What purpose would that serve? Told you, he don’t care about your woman.”
“You didn’t know Paige and I were together, did you?”
The hit man laughed. “Lady Luck sure turned my way. Been hunting for you for months, and you practically fall in my lap when I’m on another job. Easy payday for me.”
“You splitting the two million with nineteen other guys?”
A snort. “Don’t be stupid. Two are part of my crew and I’ll pay them. The others belong to O’Reilly.”
Rio emerged from the tree line with a Ka-Bar in his hand.
Knowing one twitch or shift of his gaze would give Rio away, Marcus focused only on Bianchi and Paige. “What are your orders? Kill me and deliver proof of death?”
“Nope. O’Reilly wants to pop you himself. I’m supposed to transport you to a safe location and wait for him to show up and finish you off.”
Rio edged closer, shifted the hold on his knife.
“You think he’ll let you live? You know too much and he has a stable of assassins ready to do his bidding for less money. He doesn’t need you.”
Irritation flickered in the man’s gaze. “He’s paying me a boatload of money. If his pet assassins were good, why’d he hire me?”
“You’re disposable.”
Rio plunged the knife into the killer’s left shoulder. Bianchi screamed as his arm dropped away from Paige’s neck to grab reflexively at his shoulder. She ran to Marcus as Rio confiscated the assassin’s gun.
Marcus wrapped his arms around her, grateful she was alive. “Are you okay?”