He definitely didn’t have much time to make his escape if they’d left him in the center of their operation. The deduction was simple: They planned to kill him. He had to get the hell out of here and find Maddy.
He’d have been screwed if they had tied his hands to his feet. Now all he had to do was get his Mule knife out of his shoe. Not an easy trick, but one he had mastered a long time ago. Snapping the locking mechanism on zip ties was Survival 101 for a field agent.
He raised his arms above his head, anticipating that it was going to hurt like a son of a bitch. He jerked his hands down—fast, with all his might, with his elbow angled back to the point of pain. His size gave him incredible advantage for leverage. He struck his tied wrists against his tightened upper abdomen and the tie broke apart on his first try, although his wrists hurt like a mother, and his head and gut were spinning from the fast movement.
He bent over to reach into his tennis shoe for his folding knife. Grateful they hadn’t discovered it, he made quick work of the ankle ties by sawing through them. He jumped to his feet.
The two windows were still a no-go. The door was thick but had only one lock. He listened at the door and heard nothing. Whatever they were planning to do with him, they were sure to be back soon.
He dug into his pants pocket where he kept his Bogota mini-picks. As his father always said, “No Marine ever goes unprepared.” He used his picks quickly. The sound of the lock opening resounded in the silence and in his pounding head. He quietly placed his Bogota back in his pocket and opened his knife, ready to disarm anyone who got in his way.
Slowly, he opened the door and scanned the long cement-and-cinderblock hall. No one was in the immediate area. He slid along the wall, every sense heightened, muscles clenched, ready to strike.
He encountered no one, reaching the cement steps leading out without incident. No sound came from above. He took the twelve steps to the main floor. By the cheapness and period of the construction, he surmised he was in the basement of the Graham Place apartments where Abu and his family lived. He pushed the heavy fire door open to the lobby of the apartment complex that promised a “secure, gated community.” “Gated” turned out to be a two-foot-high wrought iron fence surrounding the hundred-unit building, and security was nonexistent.
He scanned the lobby. No one in sight.
They had taken his phone, so no way to call for backup. He needed to get into the apartment to find out if Maddy was in danger.
Turning right, he headed back to the Hamman apartment. He stood outside the door and listened. Thanks to shitty workmanship, he could hear through the pressboard door.
He strained to hear the voices. His heart skipped a beat when he heard Maddy’s voice. She was alive, and she sounded like she was fighting mad. Relief and joy shot through him. He hadn’t allowed himself any thought other than to make sure she was safe and secure. Now he was ready to go in and save his woman.
He carefully turned the doorknob with one hand, gripping his knife in the other. Maddy stood with her back to him, but, even with his best stealth, she whirled around and pointed her Glock at him.
“Oh my God, Hunter. Thank God.” Her voice was wobbly, and he would’ve sworn her face contorted as if she might cry. She quickly turned back toward the sobbing Rasa, who was clinging to her toddler. Not the time for a happy reunion. Unlike him, Maddy had learned vigilance from her time in Afghanistan.
And at this moment, he hated his work—that a loving mother wanted to create chaos and violence. Weren’t mothers supposed to want a safer, more peaceful world for their children? What the hell did he know? His mother had deserted him.
He walked over to stand beside Maddy. “Where’s Abu?”
“That’s what I’m trying to find out.” She looked into his eyes with the most honest look of love and need, and he had to stifle the urge to haul her into his arms and kiss her silly.
“Okay, but maybe we should get out of here, since we don’t know who is coming back.”
Rasa stuttered. “They’re gone. I was supposed to distract you until they got away.”
Never moving the pointed gun, Maddy dug into the pocket of her skirt and threw him a burner phone. “Why don’t you call Forret? The team is on standby.”
Maddy turned back to the woman. God, he loved a take-charge woman. She was his perfect counterpart.
He would never admit that once he knew she was safe, he was happy to let the cavalry take over. His head was pounding, he had a bit of double vision, and from the way his legs shook, the effort he’d expended in his escape was catching up with him.
Maddy stepped closer to the woman, who trembled visibly. The toddler grinned and reached out his arms for Maddy.
Maddy’s voice was clipped. “You were supposed to keep me away to lure Hunter to the apartment, right? That was the whole bullshit about Cirus’s rash? So they could take Hunter prisoner?”
Maddy turned back and scanned his body. “Are you hurt from your escape?” He liked that she already gave him credit for escaping. Never hurts a man’s ego when his woman recognizes his skill.
“Never felt better. How about you?”
She inspected his face very carefully. “Good, I’m good.”
He hit the emergency code on the phone. The team would be here in less than five minutes. “Let’s take her outside and wait for the team.”
“Bad memories from this apartment?” Maddy’s sassiness was helping to revive him.
He smiled at her. “No, just don’t want to get trapped with only one gun and a knife between us.”
“A gun, two knives, and two pissed off Marines. That’s enough, dontcha think?”
He laughed out loud. “You’re right, my Mad Marine.”
“Clever, Hunter.” She pointed the gun back at the woman. “Start walking. Where is Abu? And what’s his plan?”
“Abu isn’t involved. Guli is in charge. She recognized your husband from TV. She knew he was in the American military and believed you were on to her and Sadia.”
Maddy shook her head. “Not believing it. Where is Abu?”
“You have to believe me. Guli is in charge. Abu knows nothing about his mom. He’s a good man.”
Hunter opened the door and checked the hall before signaling them to come.
Maddy walked behind Rasa and Cirus. “Keep talking.”
“I’m one of the many women she uses. She said she would kill my mother in Afghanistan if I didn’t do what she said. She shows us videos of our families in our country and threatens to kill them if we don’t help her.” Rasa turned and faced Maddy. “I’d never hurt you. Please believe me.” The woman cried. “You’ve been so kind to me and Cirus.”
Hunter stepped forward to intimidate the woman. “How will an old woman in the States hurt your family in Afghanistan?”
“Sadia’s husband is in our country. He is part of it all.”
Maddy wasn’t swayed from her duty by Cirus’s toothy smiles. Her gun was steady and pointed at his mother. “All?”
“Guli and Sadia are here to recruit our women for ISIS. Her brother in Jakarta is also involved.”
“Where are Guli and Sadia headed?”
“I don’t know. Maybe Jakarta or back to our country.”
Chapter Thirteen
By the time they had moved outside to the parking lot, a representative from every intelligence agency in the Northwest had arrived. SWAT teams surrounded the building. Black vans blocked every exit from the apartment complex. A helicopter hovered overhead. Darney, in his FBI Kevlar vest, stood in the middle of the storm, directing the action.
Forret, dressed in full combat gear, with a Glock 40 in hand and a Remington 700 and stun baton on his utility belt, ran toward them. Three team members surrounded them. Forret quickly inspected each person. He kept his eyes on Hunter. “Are you okay?”
Maddy lowered her gun. “Abu’s mother and sister are part of it.” Maddy pointed at Rasa. “She was threatened that if she didn’t help them take out me and Hu
nter her family would be hurt. I don’t believe she’s part of the bigger plot.”
With their guns still pointed at Rasa, the officers escorted the mother and child to a van. Maddy followed. At the van, Maddy leaned over and spoke softly to a terrified Rasa and stroked Cirus’s head.
Hunter quickly updated Forret about the mother and sister’s trap, the highly sophisticated equipment in the basement, and Rasa’s information about the ISIS connection.
A charged-up Forret spoke into a radio in a clipped and precise voice, directing the operation to the basement and the Hammans’ apartment.
Hunter said, “I’d put an APB out on the mother, daughter, and Abu. I’m sure they’re trying to get on a plane or ferry out of here right now.”
“Already done,” Forret replied.
Hunter tracked Maddy through the throng of men. She was now reporting to Darney, as he had done with Forret. Darney was definitely close to Maddy, too close. And judging by the animation on Darney’s face and the way he smiled at Maddy, the man was impressed.
Despite his headache throbbing from the deafening sounds of the helicopter and the fast-paced action around him, Hunter wanted to get close to Darney and explain a few salient facts.
The only thing holding him back was Maddy’s reaction. She was a Marine doing her job, and if he did his caveman stuff, she’d be pissed. But he had been beat over the head, tied up, and bundled up like a California sushi roll, and during that entire time, his focus had been only on saving Maddy. He was usually a patient man, but not with her. Not today. He needed his Maddy to comfort and love.
Forret stuck his phone into his pocket “Man, you’re pathetic.”
Hunter stiffened. He thought he was doing a damn good job of hiding his concussion. He knew the symptoms, and he’d put himself at a Grade 2 concussion, but since he didn’t know how long he had been out, possibly Grade 3. Didn’t matter, it hurt like a son of a bitch.
“The colonel was right about you two. You’ll make a good team now that you’ve worked out your feelings.”
Despite the sensation of buffalos stampeding through his head, he could possibly manage to hurt Forret. “What’s with the psychobabble shit? This job too much for you?”
Forret’s eyes darted back and forth on the movement of his troops, but his mouth curved into a smirk. He nodded to someone behind Hunter. “I’m a trained observer. You couldn’t have been any more obvious about your feelings for Jeffers. It was very entertaining to watch your reaction when I suggested I’d partner with her. And it looks like she has gotten over her objections to you as her husband.”
Hunter followed Forret’s gaze. Maddy kept turning back and checking on him. She smiled then continued to talk with Darney. His headache and Forret’s bullshit disappeared in the sunlight of Maddy’s attention.
Forret snickered. “Nothing more you can do here. Go get some rest. You look like shit.”
“Go to hell, Forret.”
* * *
Maddy gave Darney a full debriefing, but she was anxious to have Hunter assessed. It was obvious he had suffered a head injury. And the big, macho man was going to deny that he needed any help.
Forret walked past her. “Good work, Jeffers. Get Hines some medical care.”
“My next priority, sir.” Maddy pulled herself up into her full height of five feet and tucked her chin. Getting Hunter to accept medical care was going to be as hard as pointing a gun at sweet Cirus. Sometimes the job sucked and made you wonder what kind of war you were fighting.
“They’ve got Abu. He was walking down the street,” Forret suddenly shouted.
An agitated Abu was led to the parking lot by two agents. His hands were tied behind his back, his eyes wide with shock, and he kept shouting in Dari. “Where is my mother, my sister?”
Maddy walked over to Hunter. “Go sit down. I’m going to translate for Forret.”
He shook his head. “I can translate for them. Besides, Abu speaks English.”
“I’ll get more information if I speak to him in his language when he’s upset.”
Hunter’s face was pale and his pupils looked equal, but he was good at masking his pain.
“Go sit down before you fall down.” Maddy tried to give him a badass stare, but she realized it wasn’t working when he grinned back at her. “If you don’t sit down, I’ll call an ambulance and make a very big deal about your head injury.”
“If I sit down, will you promise to take me home? No hospital.”
“Only if you tell me the truth about Las Vegas.”
“Las Vegas?”
“Were you really offered a job as a comedian?”
Hunter rolled his eyes upward. “You want to know about that now?”
“Yes. While I have you in my power.” She ran her hand along his bulging bicep. After the terrible day spent believing Hunter had been captured and possibly killed, all she wanted to do was to take him home. And for the first time in her life, she could admit that she needed a man’s comfort. Not any man. Hunter.
He stepped closer, crowding her. “How unfair to take advantage of an injured man, but damn sexy. I did do stand-up comedy but was never offered a professional gig. Are you disappointed?”
“Never. I could never be disappointed in you. I’ll take you home first, but no promises about the hospital until I thoroughly assess your injury.”
Hunter gave her the sweetest, most besotted look. “I like a take-charge woman.”
Maddy wanted to rush into his arms and spill out all the fears she’d suffered, worrying that Abu had killed him.
Abu’s wretched cry interrupted. “No, no. I’m innocent.”
She pointed Hunter toward the open FBI van. “Go sit down.”
He rolled his eyes. “Whatever you say, honey.” Maddy didn’t believe his nonchalant act for a minute. For Hunter to forego control, he must be really hurting.
Maddy hurried over to Forret and Darney and the ten men surrounding Abu. She had told Darney that Rasa insisted Abu was not part of the terrorism plot. Maddy wanted to believe what Rasa said. And the fact that Abu came back to the apartment complex when his mother and sister had fled made it more likely he wasn’t part of the plan.
By the rigid stances of the FBI and Homeland Security agents, they weren’t as willing to buy Abu’s innocence.
When Abu saw her, his eyes brightened. “Mrs. Grady, please tell them. I’m not a terrorist. You know my mother, my sister. I own a restaurant.”
Maddy spoke in Dari. “Everything you say is true. Where are your mother and sister?”
Abu answered in English and spoke to the men. “My mother and sister are in the apartment, getting our dinner ready.”
An impatient Forret said, “Your mother and sister attacked our agent, tied him up, and left him in the basement where they have a tech center. Who else is working with you?”
“No, no. I don’t believe it. They would never dishonor my father’s memory.” Abu grabbed his heart. “His dream was to have us be free.”
Forret shook his head. “Get him out of here.”
“Please, we came to America to get away from the hatred, the violence. We are good people.”
Maddy watched as they put Abu in the van and drove away. Rasa and Cirus had already been taken away to be questioned. The FBI had taken over the investigation, and the FBI cyber team would spend hours in the basement with what Hunter described as their tech center.
Hunter and Maddy had done their part.
It was time for her to take care of Hunter. He sat on the back of the SUV, looking tired and rumpled, her protector and dragon slayer with a few raw wounds. But she would make it up to him. She had lots of feelings stored up and ready to spend on loving Hunter.
Butterflies fluttered in her stomach at the thought of home. She was impatient to take Hunter home. Not just a stop, but a home.
She had to stand on tiptoe to reach his injury. She felt for the contusion on the back of his head. It was at least four inches by four inches and swellin
g. “How is your headache?”
“Not bad.”
“That bad, huh? We’ve got to get ice on it to bring the swelling down and get you a CT scan. Are your symptoms Grade 2 or 3?”
“All of the above, but I’m not going to the hospital. I know exactly what I need, and it isn’t a CT scan.”
“What if you’re bleeding internally?”
“Trust me. I’m not.”
“And how would you know?” She put her hands on her hips. “Are you having memory problems?”
“No. I remember exactly what you looked like when you screamed my name last night.”
Maddy felt the heat burning the tops of her ears.
“And the way you—”
Maddy put her hand over his mouth, looking around. He licked her palm. She pulled her hand back.
“Okay, obviously your headache isn’t that bad.” She took his arm and tried to help him out of the van. “We’ll decide later if you need a CT scan.”
He stood and leaned down near her ear. His hot breath whispered across her face. “Later sounds perfect.’
“Stop it. Seriously, Hunter, what do you need? Don’t be all macho and on the make. They bashed you on the head.”
“I need you, Tylenol, and ice. In that order. Take me home, Maddy.”
“Home?”
“We only live two houses away. I would like to lie down.” Hunter did a pretend leer, waggling his eyebrows.
“For a man who suffered a major blow to his head, you’re sure acting energetic.”
“Come on, Maddy. You know I’m fine. All they’d do at the hospital is observe me. You can observe me at home. Take me home.”
Suddenly, it hit her that their assignment was finished. “We’re finished. We don’t have a home.”
“Yeah, we do.” Not caring whether anyone was watching. Hunter pulled her into his arms. “Wherever you are is home for me.”
“But…”
“We’ll find us a real home and be a real husband and wife.”
Epilogue
Half asleep, Maddy reached across the pillow for Hunter but came up empty. She rolled over and sat up, naked. She couldn’t suppress her grin, remembering how Hunter wouldn’t lie down and rest unless she got naked and in bed with him.
The Grayce Walters Romantic Suspense Series Page 71