Imminent Danger (A Counterstrike Novel Book 3)

by Jannine Gallant

  “I don’t know.” She wiped tears off her face. “I wish I did, but I don’t have a clue.”

  “Did Thanos take you anywhere nearby, maybe on a weekend getaway?” Luna asked.

  “I never went anywhere with him, except the time he demanded I pick him up in Vermont after you shot him in the leg.” Her gaze skittered from Arden to Luna and back. “I nursed him in your pool house until he was strong enough to travel home. I hoped the bastard would die, but he didn’t.” She gripped her hands together and swayed. “He swore he’d make sure I did time if I didn’t help him, and I wasn’t brave enough to fight back.”

  “We need a place to start looking. Surely, he talked to you about himself while you were tending his gunshot wound. Think,” Patch urged.

  “He has a house in the Poconos. I don’t know exactly where.”

  Luna shook her head. “I doubt he drove that far. It would be risky spending so many hours on the road. Is there somewhere closer? Maybe a place on the coast he went with friends to sail or fish?”

  “I honestly don’t remember anyplace like . . .” She stopped speaking and stared at the blank TV screen.

  “What?” Arden pressed closer and raised her voice. “Tell us!”

  “Once, back when we were dating, he bragged about what a great shot he is. He said he could blow a duck’s head off from a hundred yards away. I told him I didn’t know you could shoot ducks in Central Park.” She sat up straighter. “He laughed and said his uncle had a cabin in New Hampshire where he and his cousins hunted when they were kids.”

  “Where in New Hampshire?” Arden held her breath and waited.

  “Some pond with a funny name. It was years ago, and I don’t remember what he said.”

  Luna opened her computer and started typing. “Funny how? Something about the name obviously stood out to you.”

  Sabrina sat still and frowned. “An Indian word.”

  “India Indian or Native American?” Her tone was sharp.

  “Native American. I want to say teepee, but not that. Something similar.”

  Luna typed some more while Arden gripped the back of the couch. She’d barely noticed Silas enter the room and come to stand beside her.

  “Powwow Pond. I went fishing up in the Kingston area once, less than an hour drive from here. Is that the name?”

  “Yes! That was definitely it!”

  Arden’s breath escaped, and her knees weakened. “How do we find the cabin?”

  “Property records.” Luna focused on her laptop. “If Thanos took Wolf there, the house must still be in the family. Give me a minute.”

  Arden’s stomach churned. She wouldn’t let herself think about the fact that they could be completely off base. That Thanos might be holding Brody somewhere else entirely.

  “I’m into the county records, but no Thanos. Damn! I was so sure—”

  GQ stepped away from the French doors. “He has a big family. Maybe it was an uncle on his mother’s side. Niko Resta was his cousin. Try Resta.”

  A few seconds later, Luna hit a key and smiled. “What do you know? We have an address.”

  Tears of relief sprang up in Arden’s eyes, and she blinked them back. “Let’s go get Brody.”

  Patch touched her arm. “It would be safer for you to stay here with Silas. We’re going into an unknown situation.”

  She was shaking her head before he finished speaking. “I’ll stay out of your way, but I’m going with you. Don’t try to change my mind.”

  Luna shut her laptop and stood. Her eyes were filled with sympathy. “I know exactly how you feel.”

  “Fine.” Patch let out a breath. “We don’t have time to waste arguing. Or talking to the police about that one.” He pointed at Sabrina. “Silas, will you keep her secured until we get back? I don’t want her making any calls and tipping off that asshole.”

  “I wouldn’t do that.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Anyway, I’ll obviously need to call my attorney.”

  Silas snorted. “Not until I hear that Brody is safe.”

  Arden stopped in front of the woman and nearly choked on her anger. “You’d better hope he comes home unharmed. If he doesn’t, you won’t need a lawyer.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Blood ran down his fingers as Brody rubbed the rope binding his wrists back and forth against the edge of the raised rock hearth. Sweat mixed with the sticky mess on his face, burning his eyes as he tilted the chair closer to the fire to get a better angle. When he rocked an inch too far, the rope slipped, and he gashed the back of his hand again. He held in a growl of frustration and started over.

  After Thanos had gone into the bedroom and turned on the TV, it had taken him an hour to quietly inch the chair backward to the hearth. Once in position, he discovered cutting through the rope wasn’t as easy as he’d hoped. Patience. I have all night.

  Unless the bastard decided to check on him or use the bathroom. He hoped the drone of a baseball game was keeping him occupied. Or better yet, had put him to sleep.

  A faint rendition of Take Me Out to the Ballgame came from behind the closed door. It was the seventh inning stretch. Brody rubbed harder and felt a few fibers break. Progress.

  Minutes later, his hand slipped when the crowd cheered.

  “Are you kidding me?” Thanos shouted. “I could have made that play!”

  Not asleep, and apparently Thanos wasn’t rooting for the home team. Time was ticking. He rocked backward, found the frayed spot on the rope, and sawed carefully. The hemp snapped, and his breath hissed out as he leaned forward. Wiggling his wrists, he gained a little space, but the binding was still too tight to slip his hands out.

  Gritting his teeth, he tilted back again and started working on another spot while Thanos muttered curses at the TV in the other room. It sounded like the Mets were losing. If he got frustrated and turned off the game—

  Outside, an owl hooted and a stick snapped.

  Brody strained to hear movement. An animal, or someone walking around the cabin? His heart thumped as he rubbed the rope harder against the stone. Thanos might come out to investigate if the noise caught his attention over the announcer’s play by play account of the current at bat. If the prowler was a damn raccoon and not one of his team members, he’d be screwed.

  With more wiggle room to maneuver, he made short work of the second loop and yanked one hand free, wincing as the harsh hemp dug into his cuts. His left arm throbbed when he brought both arms around front and shed the remainder of the ropes. He was bent over, untying his ankles, when the TV went silent. The bed squeaked, and feet hit the floor.

  “Shit!” Reaching sideways, he grabbed the fireplace poker while he struggled to loosen the knots with his other hand. He had one foot free when the bedroom door opened.

  “Fuckin’ A!” Thanos drew a revolver from the holster at his hip and pointed the barrel at him. “You twitch a muscle, and I’ll blow your head off.”

  Brody threw the poker and leaned hard to his right, sending the chair crashing sideways. The gun went off in a deafening explosion before it clattered to the floor and slid across the hardwood to lodge beneath the edge of the couch.

  Thanos swore and dived for it while Brody lashed out with his free leg to trip him. The man went down with a thud that shook the lamp on the end table beside the couch. Before he could scramble to his feet, Brody crawled toward him, dragging the rocking chair, his bound ankle twisting at an excruciating angle. He grabbed Thanos’s foot and yanked.

  His face smacked the floor with a solid whack, his teeth clanked together, and blood spirted between his lips.

  “Son of a bitch!” He spit and rolled over. Fishing a folded knife from his pocket, he flipped it open.

  Brody reared back as the blade slashed through the air and sliced the fabric of his shirt sleeve. Pain burned like fire down his arm, and the room wavered for a moment before a loud thump brought everything into sharp focus. A second crash splintered the doorframe, and a booted foot kicked the door w
ide.

  Thanos scrambled toward the bedroom as Patch and GQ stormed into the room with weapons drawn. GQ fired just as the bedroom door slammed shut, and the bullet lodged in the wood panel with a thud.

  Patch knelt beside him, and his eyes widened. “Jesus, Wolf.”

  “I’ll live,” he grunted. “Don’t let that bastard get away.”

  Pulling a knife from his utility belt, Patch slashed the rope still binding Brody’s ankle to the chair before running after GQ.

  “Thanos went out the window!” their point man shouted. “I’ll follow him. You go around.”

  Patch turned abruptly and sprinted out of the cabin.

  With an effort, Brody rose to his feet. His ankle gave way, and he clutched the couch for support. Blood ran down his arm, and his head spun. He blinked to clear his vision and bent to pick up Thanos’s revolver, the butt end still wedged beneath the couch.

  “He went into the trees.” Luna’s voice came faintly from a distance. “He’s circling back around.”

  “I see the bastard.” GQ’s voice rang out. “Coming your way, Patch.”

  Brody hobbled to the door and stared out at the lights darting about in the forest. Crashes came from the bushes along the driveway, and a darker shadow emerged near GQ’s Corvette, parked at an angle behind Thanos’s truck.

  “I’ve got you now, asshole.” He limped forward and aimed the weapon with both hands to mitigate the shaking.

  Patch appeared out of the woods on the opposite side of the driveway. “Come out with your hands where I can see them, or I’ll shoot you.”

  Metal clicked as the car door opened and a light flashed on. Thanos dragged Arden out of the backseat and held her in front of him with one arm clamped across her chest. He pressed his knife against her neck with his free hand.

  “Back away, both of you, or she dies.”

  Arden mouthed his name. Face ashen, eyes filled with terror, she held perfectly still in the lunatic’s grip.

  Brody stepped sideways to correct his angle, heartbeat slowing, hands steadying as he locked gazes with his target. “Take the shot, GQ.” His voice rang in the stillness of the night.

  Thanos tuned slightly to glance over his shoulder.

  It was all the opening he needed. Brody squeezed the trigger.

  Thanos’s head snapped back, the knife dropped from his hand, and he crumpled against the car.

  Shoving hard, Arden broke away and ran up the driveway. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she reached him. He pulled her against his chest with his good arm and pressed his face to her hair, breathing in her sweet scent as his legs gave way and the night dissolved around him . . .

  * * * *

  Arden strolled down to the lake, a cup of tea clasped between her hands as the June breeze blew softly across the water to stir tendrils of her hair. She pushed the loose strands behind her shoulder and smiled when a blue jay squawked loudly in a tree overhead, scolding Heidi and Hero as they barked at a squirrel. Brody added another stick of wood to the campfire before joining her.

  He still limped slightly, but he’d stopped using crutches. His badly sprained ankle was much stronger, and the knife wound down his arm was now only an angry red line. Another scar to go with the rest, each one a badge of honor. His broken nose, which Patch had set, had nearly healed, and when he smiled his sexy smile, her stomach did a little flip.

  “Are you enjoying roughing it?”

  She leaned back against his chest when he wrapped his arms around her. “It’s been a long while since I slept in a tent, but that comfy mattress made it a pleasure.”

  “We’ll have a new cabin built before the snow flies. This one will be larger to accommodate the little one.” He rested one hand on the small bulge stretching her yoga pants across her abdomen.

  “I like to think of him or her as our cub. A wolf cub.”

  “Damn right.” He pressed his lips to her neck. “I’m looking forward to spending a lot of time here with you and our kid.”

  She turned in his arms to kiss him, then gazed over his shoulder at the place where her old cabin had been. The workmen had razed what was left of it to the ground and cleared away the rubble. Strings marked the outline where the new foundation would go once all the permits were in order. The shed still stood but was currently empty. The chickens and rabbits now resided in their freshly built living quarters behind the pool house in Marblehead, and the beehives had also been relocated.

  It would take time, but she was determined to get Honey Bee Mine back open for business.

  Everything was taking longer than she’d expected. For both of them. Healing from the physical wounds was only part of the process. The mental scars went deeper.

  Taking Brody’s hand, Arden pulled him down to the flat rock beside the water where they sat side by side. She set her mug of cooling tea on the ground and wrapped her arms around her updrawn knees. “It’s been a month.”

  His lips tightened, and he nodded. “I thought some of the pain would go away, knowing the man who killed River is dead. Vengeance isn’t as sweet as I’d hoped.”

  She leaned her head against his shoulder. “No, but I feel a whole lot safer knowing he’s no longer a threat. I don’t ever have to say his name or think about him again. Seeing that For Sale sign go up on the house next door helped, too.”

  “Sabrina has a shark for an attorney. My guess is she’ll get probation since the DA is only charging her with aiding and abetting a felon and not with accessory to kidnapping or murder.”

  “I feel sorry for her daughters, and I honestly don’t believe she had any idea that bastard intended to harm River. Doesn’t mean I won’t be happy never to look at her face again.”

  “Maybe she was duped in the beginning.” Brody’s tone was harsh. “But she damn well knew he had murder in mind when she sent her boyfriend to the gas station to use that credit card.”

  “She’s leaving town for good, and that’s all I care about. I’d never be able to forgive her for what she did. I’m not that strong.”

  “Bull.” He tightened his hold on her. “You’ve been unbelievable this last month. You stood by me every inch of the way until the authorities finally cleared me after that damn fiasco in New Hampshire. You took care of me while I was recovering from all my injuries, and I know for a fact I’m not an easy patient.”

  She laughed. “You sure aren’t. You don’t like being out of control.”

  “Sorry about that.” He ran his thumb over her cheek and gave her a look of pure love. “And through it all, you still managed to fill in for Scarlet until she got back from her honeymoon. You’ve been a rock, Arden.”

  “I needed to stay busy. I couldn’t let myself think too much about the night I almost lost you.” She smiled up at him. “You know what? Working with your team helped me conquer the anxiety I still harbored about Counterstrike. That’s a good thing, right?”

  “Like I said, you’re amazing.”

  She shrugged. “Right now, my only goal is a fresh start for us both with no daily reminders of what we’ve endured.”

  “Building a new home here is the first step.” He pressed a kiss to her hair. “I’m looking forward to hiking in the woods this fall and snowshoeing next winter.”

  She smiled. “So am I, but maybe not until after the holidays. I wouldn’t want hunters to mistake me for a big fat bear going into hibernation.”

  He laughed out loud. “Fine. After the first of the year, we’ll strap our cub in a front pack and go on adventures together as a family.”

  “I can’t wait, Brody.” She covered her stomach with her hands. “I’m so excited for this baby.”

  “And I’m thrilled I’ll have more time to spend with you both. Once we get the new hires up to speed, I can cut back on the number of missions I work.”

  She turned and studied him closely. “I know you’ve said you’re okay with it, but will being less hands-on at Counterstrike truly make you happy?”

  “I’ll still be fully invest
ed, but we’ve all been working too much. It’s not just me.”

  “One of the others said something?”

  He nodded. “Patch admitted he needs more downtime, especially since he and Riley are planning their wedding. Riley’s dementia drug trials are at a critical point, and he wants to be available to support her.” Brody stared out across the lake. “Scarlet and Eli are always busy with his book tours. We’ve all moved on with our lives, which is a good thing. Luna is the only one who never seems to take a break.”

  “The woman is a force of nature.” Arden swung her legs over the edge of the rock and smiled as Hero swam into the lake after a pinecone while Heidi barked from shore. “Do you think she and GQ will last?”

  “They seem pretty happy right now.”

  She glanced up at him. “I’m glad you asked Silas to be part of the team. You could practically see his confidence soar when you told him Counterstrike could use him full-time. Also, I know he’ll always have your back.”

  “I trust him implicitly. I trust each and every member of my team because they’re smart and resourceful and loyal to the core. Look how they managed to get answers and rescue me when I let myself be stupidly caught by surprise. You were a big part of that success.”

  “If we hadn’t found the cabin, you would have saved yourself.” She stretched up to kiss him, and murmured against his lips, “Because that’s what you do.”

  He pulled her more fully into his embrace and deepened the kiss. When she was dizzy from lack of oxygen, he finally pulled back.

  “When are you going to marry me?”

  She stroked the rough stubble on his cheek with her finger. “Whenever you want. I needed time, not to mention peace and quiet, to make sure we worked through all my concerns.”

  “And?”

  His eyes were so full of love, it took an effort to remember what she was saying. “And you’ve gone above and beyond to make me feel happy and safe and confident with all our decisions.”

  His smile melted her.

  “You make me happy. You’re all I want. You and this little one.” He pressed a hand to her middle as he bent to kiss her. “You’re all I’ve ever wanted.”