by Rebecca Deel
“Please.” She frowned. “I’m capable of walking from this house of torture.”
“Let’s get out of here.” He raced across the room to the door and eased it open. Movement out the corner of his eye had him aiming his Sig until he recognized his friends in the hallway. Zane motioned for Claire to follow him.
“Didn’t leave us anything to do, Z. Remy has the SUV idling at the kitchen door,” Josh murmured.
“They won’t let us go. Collins’ people know Fortress is in the compound.” He’d spotted the camera while in that torture chamber with Claire.
His friend grinned. “There’s a side gate and Nate’s ready to blow the doors wide open.”
“They’ll come after us. Collins must have given orders for security to keep us contained.” Claire shoved strands of hair away from her eyes.
“Let them come. They won’t stop us. Time to move,” he ordered.
Lily took up position on Claire’s left side, Zane on her right. “Same rules as before, baby,” he said to Claire. “Only this time, we’re going to walk out the kitchen entrance like the servants he labeled us. Remy and Lily will be with us. Josh and the others will meet us at the side gate. One more acting job, Claire, and your first and last job with Fortress will be finished.”
“Just get me out of here,” she said.
“One minute,” Josh said. He and the others returned to the stairs.
“Are you okay, sugar?” Remy’s eyes narrowed. “Collins didn’t hold back. So much for not hurting women.”
“I’ll be fine. How is Adam?”
He and Lily exchanged a glance.
“Tell me,” Claire said, voice strained.
“He looks rough, but Rio says he’ll heal in time.”
“Time to go,” Zane said.
After a quick glance inside the room where Collins was still sprawled on the floor, Remy led the way to the elevator. The car rose to the main level too slowly for Zane’s peace of mind. When the chime signaled their arrival, Claire straightened her shoulders and assumed an air of complete serenity despite the earlier minutes of sheer terror she’d survived. Claire Walker was a class act, a woman he’d do everything in his power to convince to give him a real chance. The idea that she might not be inclined to do that made it hard to breathe.
Zane frowned at the fatigue wracking his body. Had the IED injury messed with his endurance? Focus, he reminded himself. He was still on the job. Once they were on the plane, he could let down enough to process the bone-deep fear for Claire he’d suffered while she’d been in Collins’ clutches.
Once the doors opened, Remy scoped the area before signaling it was safe for Claire to exit. Once in the hall, Zane kept pace with her until the passage was too narrow for her and his chair to be side by side. He dropped back, nodding to another of the caterer’s employees who hurried from the kitchen with a loaded tray in her hands.
“In position,” Josh murmured.
“Copy,” Zane whispered.
The caterer scowled at them as they crossed the busy kitchen until he saw Zane. Pity filled his gaze which ticked off Zane. He’d had enough of that from people over the past year to last a lifetime. After navigating the people and equipment hazards in the room, he hurried through the back door and into the balmy night with a sigh of relief. He zoomed onto the lift and activated the pad. Once inside the vehicle, he said, “Remy, go. Josh, en route.”
“Roger that.”
Zane’s vision blurred. He shook his head to clear it. What was wrong with him?
“Zane?” Claire sounded worried.
“I’m fine, baby.”
Remy left off the lights as he turned the SUV to face the side gate. He accelerated. Durango’s leader gave the order to blow the gate. A second later, an explosion ripped through the night. From the shadows on the other side of the wall, the other SUV raced down the access road in front of Remy.
“Z, tell Claire that Adam is on the plane. Rio is working to stabilize him. The rest will be up to Doc Sorensen.” This from Josh.
Thank goodness. “Copy.” He turned to Claire who clutched his hand as they raced through the night. “Sweetheart, Adam is on the plane. He’s safe.”
Her eyes closed briefly. “Thank goodness.”
“Rio is with him. He’s a great medic, baby. Your brother couldn’t be in better hands. Once we’re in the US, we’ll fly Adam to Bayside, Texas. We have a doctor on call there who will treat him for his injuries.”
Remy followed the other SUV onto an asphalt road. Both vehicles accelerated enough that the motion threw Claire back against her seat.
Zane freed his hand, slipped his arm around her shoulders, and drew her tight against his side. “Hold on. Fifteen minutes and we’ll be in the air.”
She nodded. “I need Rio to check the stitches on my side. I think a few of them popped when Collins hit me.”
“Rio will fix you up.” He smiled despite the rage boiling in his gut over the fact he’d been helpless to stop Collins from hurting Claire.
“Will Adam really be okay?”
He cupped her jaw and brushed his thumb over her uninjured cheek. “I would never lie to you, baby. If we thought your brother was critical, we’d tell you.”
She dropped her gaze to his thigh. Claire frowned.
“What is it?” he asked.
“The material on your thigh looks wet.”
He looked. Oh, man. No wonder he felt off. Either Collins or his thug, Carl, got lucky.
“Zane?” Lily twisted in her seat. “You hit?”
“Yep. Thigh.”
“How bad?”
“Enough I’ll need Rio’s help.”
Lily grabbed her pack from the floor. “Pressure bandage?”
“No time. Wrap it and get ready. Claire, is your seatbelt buckled?” Remy asked.
Zane turned his head to look out the back window. Two vehicles were fast closing in on their SUV. “Josh, company.”
“Copy that. Alex will drop back. Your job is to get Zane and Claire to the plane, Remy.”
“Yes, sir.”
Without slowing down, Alex eased over as far as he could to allow Remy to pass. Once their vehicle raced by, the other SUV pulled in behind theirs. Remy floored the SUV, heading straight for the airport. Hopefully, they wouldn’t have any other surprises. Zane wanted Claire out of Collins’ reach. The sooner she was back in the U.S., the better for his peace of mind.
Lily placed gauze pads on the front and back of his thigh and, with Claire’s help, wrapped Zane’s injury. “Best I can do for now, Z.”
“It will have to do.”
The sound of gunfire drew his attention from his thigh. “Get down, Claire.” Zane urged her to lay flat on the bench seat.
“What about you? You’re as much a target as I am.”
“The seat of my chair is made from bullet-resistant material. I have more protection around me than you do.”
More gunfire. This time one of Collins’ SUVs swerved off the road, hit a broad tree, and burst into flames. One down, one to go.
“Company ahead of us,” Remy said.
Zane glanced through the windshield. Two vehicles bore down on them, headlights on bright.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
A barrage of bullets came from the vehicles racing toward them, most missing their mark. A couple, however, hit their SUV. One struck a headlight, knocking it out. The second bullet pinged off some metal, then struck a glancing blow to the windshield and cracked it, obscuring the view through the glass. Lily kicked out the windshield. Moist, humid wind rushed into the vehicle as Remy raced through the night.
“Z, Nate slipped an AR-15 under the front passenger seat.” This from Josh over the ear piece.
“Copy.” After making sure Claire was still flat on the seat, Zane said, “Lily, there’s an AR-15 under your seat. I can take out one of the SUVs while you concentrate on the other.”
“You sure?” she fired back.
“I’ve been in much worse shape
that this and still managed to complete my mission. This is a cake walk, half pint.”
“Now we’re in business,” Remy said as Lily handed Zane the rifle.
Movements automatic, he checked the weapon, pleased to see the scope he preferred. “Remy, move our ride to the left so I don’t graze the end of your Cajun nose. Lily, you take the clowns on the right. I’ve got the other.”
“Make it fast,” Remy snapped. “Otherwise, we’re in for a nasty accident.”
“Cover your ears and stay down, baby,” Zane said to Claire as he lifted the weapon to his shoulder and lined up his shot through the scope. Though his intended target was the driver, movement in the passenger seat drew his attention. His breath caught. He must have forced one of his men to help him into the vehicle speeding toward them. “Josh, Collins is in the passenger seat of the left SUV ahead of us.”
“Take him out. Orders from Maddox.”
“Copy. Remy?”
“I’ll handle it. Just take care of the garbage. I don’t want to be looking over our shoulders for the foreseeable future.”
“What’s going on?” Claire asked.
“Collins is a new target.” His gut tightened at his girlfriend’s possible reaction to his next statement. “We’re under orders to take him out if we get the opportunity.”
“Do it and let’s go home.”
His eyes widened at her flat statement. “Yes, ma’am.” Zane zeroed in on Collins, took a deep breath, let half of it out, and squeezed the trigger. The drug kingpin’s head lolled and his body slumped to the side into the driver. Direct hit.
The driver jerked the wheel to the right and ran the vehicle straight into a ditch. The vehicle looked totaled. “Target down,” he said to Josh.
“Good job, Z.”
“The wheels of justice crushed the king of heroin,” Alex said. “Great shot, Z.”
“Lily, take out those clowns,” Remy snapped.
She lowered her window, leaned out enough to line up her shot, and fired off a few rounds. The other vehicle’s windshield shattered. The driver took evasive action. Two more rounds, and the driver slumped to the side, the vehicle swerving out of control. Remy wrenched the steering wheel to the left, missing the other vehicle by an inch. He raced ahead as an explosion sounded behind them.
Zane turned in his seat to see his teammates’ SUV closing the gap between them, the vehicle behind his teammates now a ball of flames.
“What was that?” Claire asked.
“Probably a grenade. It’s safe to sit up for now, babe. If we run into more resistance, you’ll have to lay down again.”
“Did you take care of Collins?”
He cupped her jaw, kissed her. “Yes,” he whispered.
“Good. Now Adam is safe.”
And so was Claire. Yeah, he was glad Adam no longer had to worry, but his teammate could take care of himself. Claire was another matter. “You’re okay with what I did?” Left unsaid was if she was okay with his life as a SEAL. He didn’t know how many men he’d been forced to kill to protect himself and his team. He didn’t have regrets. He’d done what was necessary, his only wish was that he’d been able to save his team on that last mission.
Claire wrapped her arms around his neck. “You pulled the trigger to protect me and your teammates. You couldn’t do anything else, Zane.” She smiled, her lips brushing his. “Honor and integrity are in your DNA.”
The ball of ice that had formed in his stomach melted at her words. He longed to tell Claire he loved her, but this wasn’t the time and place. Not only that, his teammates were all wired in to the conversation. This wasn’t something he wanted to share with them, especially if she didn’t feel the same about him.
“We’ll be at the airport in two minutes,” Remy said.
“Good,” Claire said. “Rio needs to help Zane.”
When they arrived, Remy and Lily unloaded all their bags and Claire’s equipment while Zane escorted her to the plane. Once on board, they were directed to the sole bedroom on the Lear jet.
Claire hurried down the aisle with Zane following close behind her. Rio stepped out just as they reached the room. “How is he?” she asked the medic.
“He’ll be okay, sugar, but it will be a while before he recovers fully.” Rio laid his hand on her shoulder. “He looks bad, okay? The one thing he doesn’t want is for you to be upset, so put your game face on.”
“What did Collins do to him?”
“A lot of bruising and swelling on the face and upper body. Three broken ribs.” Rio glanced at Zane, one eyebrow raised.
What else could Zane do but nod? Over the last several days, he’d been shown over and over that she was one tough cookie. He believed she could handle anything life threw at her. Zane prayed she could handle a husband who would ride an iron horse the rest of his life. He’d never wanted anything more in his life than to marry Claire Walker.
“Tell me,” Claire demanded. “No secrets, Rio.”
“Adam has burns over most of his body, including the bottoms of his feet. They’re first degree burns, sugar. He’ll heal. But they are painful.”
“What else?”
The medic gave her a one-armed hug. “Cuts.”
Her eyes narrowed. “How many?”
“More than I can count. Some of the wounds have become infected, but Doc Sorensen will fix him up, Claire. He will recover.”
“You’re sure?”
“Absolutely.”
She turned to Zane. “I believed what you told me. I just wanted it confirmed after Rio had a chance to really take a look at my brother.”
Zane wrapped his hand around hers and squeezed. “I understand.” He would have done the same had he been in her place. Knowledge was power, and this kind of knowledge gave Claire the ability to prepare herself for what she’d see behind that closed door.
“Ready to see Adam?” Rio asked.
“Zane was shot. You need to help him.”
Rio turned to Zane. “Where?”
“Thigh.” He brushed aside the medic’s hands. “I’ll keep another couple minutes.”
“Zane, no.” Claire’s gaze dropped to his bandage where blood had soaked through.
“Let me be there for you, then Rio can work his magic on me.”
Though she looked worried, Claire nodded.
The medic twisted the knob and stepped aside for Claire and Zane to enter the room.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Claire walked into the room on legs that felt as if she’d run a marathon. Her gaze sought out the still form huddled under covers. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen her brother like that.
She shifted her attention to his face. Claire’s breath caught. Rio hadn’t exaggerated. Collins had done a number on Adam. His face was bruised and bloody, swollen almost beyond recognition. That ear, though. Claire would recognize his ear, the scar left behind by leaping out of a barn loft into a pile of hay and onto a hidden stack of bailing wire. Nana had grounded Adam for a month for that escapade, one of many during his teen years.
She hurried to her brother’s bedside, aware of an injured Zane following close behind her. Claire sat on the chair positioned near Adam’s shoulder. Fury burned through her. Every inch of skin bared to her sight was either bruised, cut or burned. Close enough now to see the damage, she realized Rio was right. As far as surface injuries were concerned, Adam would heal, though she suspected he’d be left with significant scarring, especially the deep slash on his cheek. Plastic surgery was in his future. He’d balk. Between her and Nana, they’d convince him to undergo the treatment was necessary to restore his appearance as much as possible. In his line of work, Adam couldn’t afford to draw too much attention to himself. Those scars would stand out. Badges of honor and integrity, every injury a testament to her brother’s indomitable will and determination to protect his co-workers. He’d be devastated when he found out at least two of his own had betrayed him to the enemy.
Avoiding the line deliv
ering fluids to her brother, Claire wrapped her fingers lightly around Adam’s hand. “Adam.”
His fingers twitched, his brow furrowed. “Claire?” he whispered, eyes still closed.
“Yeah, bro. It’s me. You’re laying down on the job, buddy.”
“Hospital?”
“Not yet. Soon.”
At that moment, the plane shuddered as the engines revved in preparation for takeoff. Adam lifted his lashes enough to see her. “In the U.S?”
“Belize.”
He stirred, flinched.
“Adam,” Rio said from the other side of the bed as he reached up and adjusted the drip rate in the line. “Don’t undo my work, man. Sorensen will tear strips off my hide and Darcy likes the way I look. Don’t mess that up for me.”
“Shut up.” Adam’s cloudy gaze returned to Claire. “You shouldn’t be here. Too dangerous.”
“Nana was worried and you needed me.” A simple statement that he likely would disagree with.
“Adam.” Zane waited while Claire’s brother shifted his attention to him. “Claire was a great help in your rescue.”
A slight shake of his head accompanied by a gritting of his teeth. “Trusted you to protect her.”
“He did,” Claire insisted. “Zane put his life on the line more than once to keep me safe. Collins tried to kidnap me several times over the past week.”
Her brother sighed. “Leverage.”
“Yes,” Zane said, his voice soft. “He won’t be a problem any longer. You and Claire are safe.”
Adam relaxed. “Good.”
Rio gave Zane some kind of signal. “We should let Adam rest now, baby,” her boyfriend said.
Adam’s gaze shifted to Zane, his eyes narrowing. “What did you call her?”
“Right here, bro,” Claire said, her voice crisp. Adam turned his scowl her direction. “Zane is a good man. You already know that in your own experience with him.”
“It’s not the same thing, Claire,” he insisted. “I trust him with my life. Trusting him with you is different.”
“I’m crazy about him. Deal with it.” She stood, leaned over and kissed the top of his head in spite of the glare from her mule-headed brother. “Rest. We’ll be back later.”