Mission: Her Rescue

by Anna Hackett

  “Get the artifact ready to move,” Kelleson ordered. “That’s an order.”

  The scientist’s shoulders slumped. With a nod, he turned and walked out.

  Kelleson stood. “Everyone get ready to move.”

  A guard gestured at January. “What about her?”

  “She can stay here.” A smile edged the billionaire’s lips. “She’ll have a bird’s eye view of the destruction.”

  “You’re insane,” she said.

  “I’m a crusader.”

  “You’re deluded.”

  His smile dissolved and he scowled at her.

  “Sir, ah…we have a problem.”

  Kelleson swiveled to glare at the guard who’d spoken. “What is it?”

  “Our security system is picking something up outside… No, wait.” He touched his ear. “My people say it’s gone. Must have been a glitch.”

  “Check the cameras, and get the sentries to report in.” Kelleson headed toward the door. “I’ll be preparing to leave.”

  January looked out the window, scanning the outdoor area. There was a built-in fire pit, surrounded by comfortable-looking chairs. A lone guard was on patrol.

  She turned her head, staring at the lush gardens growing up close to the windows. She stilled. There was a figure hidden deep in the greenery. They were dressed all in black, with high-tech goggles over their eyes.

  January blinked. When she looked again, the figure was gone.

  Suddenly, gunfire broke out somewhere outside. Her pulse leaped, and a wave of hope and relief washed over her. She knew it was Seth and the others.

  They’d come.

  No, she wasn’t thinking of Seth. All she was focused on was getting the hell out of there alive.

  Kelleson started barking orders. “Get the artifact on board! I want extra guards at—”

  A sound splintered the room—an ear-splitting, high-pitched squeal.

  January gritted her teeth as the noise speared into her brain.

  Then, all around them, the windows shattered, sending glass shards flying everywhere.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Seth dove through the broken window.

  He hit the ground with a crunch of glass, rolled, and came up on his feet. He saw a guard rushing at him, and Seth whipped his gun up and fired.

  All around him, he heard shouts and gunfire.

  Shit. He had to get to January before she got hit.

  Lachlan charged past him, firing. The rest of Team 52 burst into action. They moved together—firing and fighting.

  Seth slammed into another guard, and saw a second one swinging at him. He ducked and spun. Then he grabbed a fistful of the man’s shirt, yanked the man to the floor, and landed a hard chop to the back of his neck.

  “Seth,” Blair shouted.

  He swiveled, just as she spun a man at him. Seth ducked down low, and rammed his fist into the man’s gut.

  The guard doubled over, and Blair jumped into the air and landed an unforgiving kick to the man’s head. He fell to the floor, unconscious.

  “Look out!” Smith bellowed.

  Seth turned, and saw a man step out of a doorway, rifle in hand. He started spraying the room with bullets.

  January. She was tied to a chair in the center of the room, eyes wide, unable to move.

  As his team ducked for cover, Seth leaped up and sprinted toward her.

  “Seth, get down,” Lachlan growled.

  As the guard aimed in his direction, Seth dropped and rolled. Bullets ripped up the carpet and furniture behind him.

  “Give him cover fire!” Lachlan roared.

  His team opened fire. Seth came up on his feet and leaped over a couch. He heard the boom of a shotgun, and suspected it was Smith.

  Seth reached January, just as a female guard appeared beside her. The woman launched herself at Seth, kicking at him. He dodged and landed a blow to her chest that sent her flying back into a small pond with a splash.

  “January.”

  Her head turned, but she didn’t meet his gaze. Instead she looked at his boots. “Hey.”

  His jaw tightened. They didn’t have time to talk right now, but they would. Later. When she was safe.

  Then her head jerked up, her gaze moving over his shoulder. “Look out!”

  Seth was already moving. Another guard with a gun was striding toward them.

  Shit. Seth gripped the empty chair beside January’s, lifted it, and tossed it at the man. He heard the man curse.

  Seth didn’t have time to free her before the guard pumped them full of bullets. He grabbed the arms of January’s chair and lifted her off the ground.

  He raced across the room and through a nearby doorway. She gasped as bullets punched into the wall next to them. He set January down, slammed the door shut, and locked it.

  They were in a long, tiled room that housed an indoor, heated swimming pool. It was a long lap pool, and the entire room was enclosed with glass. The air was warm and humid, fogging the windows, and there were potted plants everywhere. Sunlight streamed in, glinting off the water.

  Seth knelt beside January. “Let me cut you free.”

  She nodded, but still wouldn’t look at him.

  “January.” He cupped her jaw.

  She jerked away from his touch.

  “Hellcat, I’m sorry.”

  She looked up at him, her eyes angry, but he saw the hurt buried in them as well.

  “We don’t have time right now,” he said, “but I want you to know I’m sorry.”

  Her eyelids flickered, but she still didn’t say anything.

  He pulled out his knife. “I fucked up. You know some of my background… I don’t trust easily.”

  She made a sound of disbelief. “You needed to see the evidence before you knew I wasn’t a goddamned traitor to my country.”

  “I knew before we had any evidence. I was fighting myself.”

  January stilled. “You hurt me.”

  Seth felt a pain slice his chest. “I know. I’m sorry.”

  Suddenly, bullets came through the door. Shit. Seth moved, shoving her chair aside.

  “I messed up. Big time.” He cut through the ropes on her left arm. “My CIA missions are all classified, so I can’t share details. A good friend and colleague was the one who sold me out. He handed me over to our damn enemies and they tortured me for three days.”

  She gasped.

  “My face is a reminder of it every day.”

  Her eyes sparked. “A fellow American handed you over to be tortured?”

  “Yep. For money.”

  “What the hell? I hope he—”

  “He’s dead, January.”

  Her face softened, her gaze moving over his scars before she looked in his eyes. “Seth—”

  “I’m not as fucking courageous as you,” he said. “You’ve used what happened to you and your mom to be the best you can be. I used my ordeal to close myself up.”

  “Seth.” She reached out with her left hand, gripping his arm.

  “I was so afraid when I knew they had you,” he whispered. “And it was all my fault.”

  “It was their fault. And you came for me. Again.”

  He reached down and cupped her jaw. “You’re letting me off too easily. I was prepared to beg.”

  “Probably. But you did just carry me through a hail of gunfire. I’ll let you make it up to me in other ways. Later.”

  He smiled. “Yeah?”

  “Yeah.” She leaned forward, her voice a whisper. “I expect lots of orgasms, followed by fried eggs.”

  “Deal.” He moved to free her other arm.

  All of a sudden, more gunfire reverberated through the air, and the door to the pool room burst open. Seth whipped around and watched an armed female guard race into the room.

  Seth charged. He kicked out, knocking the woman’s rifle out of her hands. It skidded across the tiles and slid into the pool.

  The woman sprang at Seth. She landed a kick to his chest, sending him
staggering. Then she launched into a series of powerful kicks, and he dodged and twisted to avoid them. The woman was long, lean, and strong. And damn, she was well-trained in something lethal.

  She kicked at him again, almost catching him in the head.

  Time to end this. He dodged another kick, and on the next one, he caught her ankle and twisted.

  The woman fell. Seth saw her fumbling for the gun in her holster, but Seth yanked on her leg again. He managed to smack her gun away and the woman hit the tiles, right in front of January.

  January was half out of the chair, still tied to it by her right arm. She kicked at the woman.

  Her foot connected with the woman’s head and she growled, spitting blood. Then the woman leaped up, smiled, and shoved January hard.

  January tipped backward.

  Shit, she was right at the edge of the pool. “January—”

  She teetered and fell into the pool with a splash, taking the chair with her.

  No! Seth moved forward. The heavy chair would drag her to the bottom.

  The guard attacked him again.

  Kick, punch, strike. Seth dodged and blocked. Gritting his teeth, he moved back, avoiding her blows when he could. But she got several in. He felt a sharp pain in his ribs, and when her kick connected with his thigh, agony tore up his leg.

  But in his head was a ticking clock. He had to get to January.

  He risked a quick glance toward the pool, and saw her struggling under the water.

  Enough. He advanced and kicked the woman. She staggered. She blocked his next punch, but he whipped his elbow up and connected with her face. Her nose broke and she grunted.

  Seth shoved her back and launched into a roundhouse kick. His boot connected, and the woman dropped to the tiles and didn’t move.

  Spinning, Seth took two steps and dived into the pool.

  He sliced through the water. January wasn’t moving anymore and his heart clenched. She was still tied to the chair by one arm, her hair floating around her head and her body horribly still.

  He reached her and quickly sliced through the rope. He grabbed her and kicked hard.

  They broke the surface. He kept one arm around her limp body as he dragged her out of the pool.

  Be okay, hellcat. Be okay.

  He laid her out on the tiles. Her face was pale, her chest not moving.

  Suddenly, more people burst into the room. Seth covered January’s body and snarled.

  It was Team 52.

  Lachlan’s cool gaze moved over January’s wet, limp form. “Fuck.”

  Seth moved back, tipping her on her side and clearing her airway. “Callie!”

  The medic dropped down beside them. “How long was she under?”

  “A couple of minutes, maybe. She was still conscious when she went in.”

  Callie rolled January onto her back, tipped her chin up, and started resuscitation.

  “Come on, baby,” Seth murmured, stroking January’s wet hair. “You can do it, hellcat.”

  It felt like an eternity, as Callie did her thing. A cold desolation began to creep into Seth’s gut. He hated seeing January so pale, so deathly still. What if he lost her? Agony tore into him.

  Suddenly, January coughed, and liquid came out of her mouth.

  As Callie sat back, Seth pulled January into his arms. “God, hellcat—” He heard his voice crack.

  “I’m okay.” Her voice was husky.

  He held her tight, his face pressed to her wet hair, and she leaned into him. He stroked the sodden strands off her face, and his gaze met Callie’s. Thank you, he mouthed.

  Callie smiled and quickly checked January’s pulse.

  Nearby, he watched Axel tie up the guard Seth had subdued. Then Axel dragged the woman back into the living room.

  “We have all the Knights of Gaia contained,” Lachlan said.

  January lifted her head. “The leader of the Knights is Mark Kelleson.” Her voice sounded raw.

  “The tech billionaire?” Seth said.

  She nodded.

  “Shit,” Blair said. “Man’s got resources.”

  Suddenly, a helicopter roared overhead. They watched it sweep into view, toward the city. It had clearly taken off from the roof.

  Lachlan strode to the window, staring. He touched his ear. “Brooks, I need you to track the helo that just took off from our location.”

  “I guess that means the artifact’s gone,” Blair said.

  “Kelleson had a scientist here.” January struggled to sit up. “He found a way to amplify the sphere’s effects. They have a plan.”

  Seth tilted her head back. “What is it?”

  “All I know is they plan to cause Los Angeles to fall.” She stilled. “The scientist was called Dempsey. It sounded like he had a lab here in the house somewhere.”

  Lachlan looked at his team. “Let’s find that lab.”

  Seth helped January to her feet, and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. “Let’s get you somewhere where you can rest.”

  “No.” A fierce shake of her head. “I’m helping.”

  Seth frowned. “January, you almost drowned—”

  “But I didn’t. I’m fine. I’m doing this.”

  Air hissed out from between Seth’s teeth. “You drive me crazy.”

  Her chin lifted. “Get used to it.”

  Nearby, Axel chuckled. “It’s good to see you got your head out of your ass, amigo.”

  Seth gave Axel the finger.

  “Fine. You can help, but you take it easy.” He lowered his voice. “I’ll make you rest later.”

  She managed a small smile. “Later. And it had better include orgasms and breakfast.”

  He leaned down and brushed his nose against hers. “That can be arranged.”

  “Hello? Bad guys to stop,” Blair called out.

  Seth kept a tight arm around January as they moved through the house, following the rest of Team 52.

  She leaned into him. He’d clearly been torn up about hurting her, and her own pain had slipped away.

  “Found it!” Blair’s shout echoed down the hall.

  They entered the decent-sized room. It had clearly once been a bedroom, but at some point in time had been converted to a lab. The stainless-steel benches gleamed under the lights. She watched Smith kick open a closet, checking inside. Blair was yanking drawers open.

  There were several computer screens, displaying images and scans of the sphere.

  “Sphere’s not here,” Lachlan said, scowling.

  Suddenly, a scraping sound came from a small closet in the corner, followed by a muffled curse.

  The team spun, lifting their weapons.

  Lachlan strode over and yanked the door open. A terrified Dempsey looked up at them through his wire-framed glasses.

  Gripping the scientist’s lab coat, Lachlan dragged him out.

  “Talk,” Lachlan growled.

  “They made me help them. They…they threatened my family.”

  “And paid you a lot of money,” Lachlan said.

  The scientist’s gaze dropped and he fidgeted. “I was fascinated by the sphere, but I never wanted to be a part of mass murder.”

  “Tell us Kelleson’s plan.”

  Dempsey swallowed and nodded. “He had me work out how to amplify the electromagnetic effect of the sphere without needing the second sphere. He wanted exponential plant growth.”

  “And you tested it on the Hollywood sign,” Seth said.

  Dempsey nodded. “It worked better than we ever imagined.”

  January pushed forward, Seth sticking close to her. “I heard you tell Kelleson it still needed more testing.”

  The scientist bit his lip. “We can’t control the rate of plant growth yet. That’s why I wanted to do more tests. If Kelleson uses it, and the growth gets out of control… At critical levels, it’ll be impossible to stop the vegetation growth.”

  Oh, God. January had visions of out-of-control plants taking over Los Angeles.

  “Where
is Kelleson headed with the artifact?” Seth asked.

  “He wants to destroy L.A. and make a statement to the world.”

  Everyone in the room tensed.

  “Where’s he headed?” Lachlan asked again.

  Dempsey wiped his palms down his lab coat. “Los Angeles is riddled with underground tunnels. His plan is to flood the tunnels with plant growth, undermine the city’s foundations, and let it collapse in on itself.”

  Silence fell. January looked at the man, horrified.

  “Where has he gone?” Lachlan said darkly. “Don’t make me ask you again.”

  “Little Tokyo.”

  “Why?” Lachlan shook Dempsey.

  Terror was etched on the scientist’s face. “There’s a new train tunnel being built there. He plans to direct the vegetation down into the tunnels.”

  “What vegetation?” Blair asked.

  “There’s a rooftop Japanese garden in Little Tokyo.”

  “Let’s go.” Lachlan spun Dempsey, tying the man’s wrists with zip ties. He then tied the man to the bench. “Cops will be here soon to pick you up.”

  Dempsey’s chin dropped to his chest. “Stop him. Please.”

  Lachlan lifted his chin and the team moved. Clutching Seth’s hand, January jogged with the team out of the house.

  They moved down the curved sweep of the driveway, and on the street she spotted a sleek, black truck.

  “Callie, I want you to give January a thorough check,” Seth ordered, as Lachlan opened the side door of the truck.

  “I’m okay.” January eyed the interior. Wow, these guys didn’t mess around. The place was Mission Control on wheels.

  Ice-blue eyes met hers. “Please.”

  Warmth filled her chest. How could she say no to that? She nodded.

  They all settled into the truck, with Smith behind the wheel, and pulled onto the road. Callie quickly checked January’s vitals and gave her a clean bill of health. The medic also found her a clean set of clothes.

  “I could kiss you,” January said.

  Callie grinned. “Seth might get upset.” She held up a small container. “You’ll need this as well. A new earpiece.”

  January changed at the back of the truck. Everyone was turned away, but as she pulled the black T-shirt over her head, Axel was the first to turn his head. He shot her a charming smile that fogged her brain a little. Damn, the man had a sexy grin. She took a second to slip the tiny earpiece in her ear.