Running Scared

by Velvet Vaughn

  “Stop right there.”

  A barrage of gunfire sounded. He was too far away from the SUV, so he hit the ground, wrapping his entire body around Ruby to shield her from the impact and from the bullets that battered his body, sucking the air from his lungs and stealing his breath before a flash of lightning erupted and the world went dark.

  #

  Kenzie jumped out of the SUV when she spotted Gage running from the building with a girl in his arms and one of the Daggers closing in. She jumped up and down to get Gage’s attention, but the gang member started firing.

  “Oh my God!” Kenzie cried, watching Gage go down with the girl in his arms. The gunman didn’t notice her as he turned and disappeared inside the building.

  Sticking her head back inside the SUV, she said, “Jamal, stay here. I mean it.”

  He made a grab for her. “No, Kenzie, please don’t go out there. They’re shooting.”

  “I have to help them.”

  She ran to where Gage had fallen and skidded to the ground next to him, ignoring the sting of pebbles in her knees and the wetness soaking through her clothes. He was unconscious and she feared dead. He’d been hit with so many bullets. “Ruby, are you okay?”

  “I think so. Is Gage hurt?”

  “I’m going to check on you first and then I’ll take care of him. I’m going to slowly rotate him off and I want you to climb out from under him.”

  “Okay.”

  As gently as she could, she pushed at Gage’s arm to roll him to his side. He groaned but didn’t open his eyes. At least he was alive.

  Using her forearms, Ruby pulled herself out until she was free. Kenzie grabbed her hand and rushed her back to the SUV. Ruby glanced over her shoulder. “We can’t leave Gage.”

  “I’m going back for him after I get you to the SUV.”

  “Is he going to be okay?”

  “Yes,” she lied. There was a streak of blood on the side of his face and at least seven or eight bullet holes in his shirt, making it resemble swiss cheese. She didn’t see any blood, but she didn’t have time to look. A sob caught in her throat at the thought of the noble agent dying.

  Jamal had been watching and opened the door when they neared. At least he obeyed and stayed in the vehicle. She lifted Ruby inside.

  “Kenzie,” Jamal wailed when she started to close the door.

  “I have to check on Gage. Stay put, both of you.”

  She was so focused on Gage’s prone body, she didn’t notice the man who stepped out from the bushes. She’d made a grave mistake.

  A thick arm wrapped around her neck, cutting off her oxygen. She got a whiff of cigarette smoke and body odor and a sick sense of déjà vu crashed over her.

  “Remember me, sweetheart?”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Jamal wished he’d brought Yogi with him when they left the house, but he’d been terrified when he heard Gage tell Kenzie that Declan had been shot. All he could think about the entire ride to the hospital was when Jamarcus shot Declan. Jamal thought he would die then and he was afraid he would now.

  He’d been so happy to see Declan alive, it was all he could do to keep from crying. But his relief didn’t last long. Now he was inside the big, ugly building with the bad men and they might shoot him again.

  It’d started to rain, making it harder to see out the windshield. When they spotted someone coming out, his heart had skipped thinking it was Declan, but it was Gage and the girl. Then one of the bad men shot him and Kenzie went after him before he could protest.

  He couldn’t wait to grow up so they’d let him help, too.

  Kenzie rushed back with the girl and helped her inside. He thought she’d stay, but she took off again. He watched in horror as a man jumped out of the bushes and grabbed her before dragging her away. He struggled to get up off the floor and almost took a header opening the door to get out.

  “Wait! Where are you going?” Ruby cried.

  “I have to save Kenzie.”

  “I’m coming with you.”

  She scrambled out after him and they took off. A car engine started and then shot around the corner, heading right for them. He grabbed Ruby and dove away at the last second. They landed in the wet grass and all he could do was watch the taillights as it sped away.

  He’d failed again. Kenzie had been in there.

  #

  Kenzie screamed when Jaws rounded the corner and almost ran Jamal and Ruby over. She glanced back to see that they’d escaped harm and she sighed with relief before addressing her kidnapper. “I hope you realize you’re not going to get away with this.”

  He glanced over at her, lights from the dashboard illuminating the decorative cover in his mouth. He slammed the brakes, causing her to almost fly through the windshield before he backed up and faced the direction they’d just travelled. They were still in the vicinity of the warehouse. She could see it in the distance. She debated opening the door and making a run for it. Jaws was holding a gun on her, but she might be able to dive out before he hit her.

  He was eerily quiet and against her better judgement, she glanced over at him. He was still smiling in a twisted, demented way. “You think the people back there are going to save you?”

  “Yes.” She was sure of it.

  “Then you’ll get a kick out of this.” He dialed a number on his cell phone and pointed. “Watch.” A series of explosions sounded and then a giant fireball lit up the night…right where the warehouse used to stand.

  “No!” she screamed, reaching for the handle. She had to get to Declan. Something slammed into the back of her head and her last thought was that she hadn’t told Declan she loved him. Now it was too late.

  #

  Declan and Kayla met Noah and Ethan to storm the third floor. He and Kayla took down the two Daggers on the first level, securing them with flex cuffs and gagging them for the police to find. Noah and Ethan had done the same to the two on the second level. It was almost too easy with the added advantage of night vision goggles. Plus, it’d started storming and rain pounded on the metal roof, making it difficult to hear. The Daggers didn’t stand a chance.

  With four down, that left two plus Scarlett, not counting the other two whose whereabouts were unknown, assuming the count had been correct.

  Before they took a step, a door crashed open behind them and heavy footsteps pounded on the stairs. “Leo? Rico? Where the hell is everyone?”

  “One of the unaccounted-for members,” Noah murmured. They waited until he appeared and then Noah slammed the butt of his gun into the man’s head, knocking him unconscious. He and Ethan quickly bound and gagged him.

  As they silently made their way to the top floor, Declan hoped Gage had made it safely to the SUV with Ruby. He hadn’t checked in, but maybe he was comforting the scared girl.

  No sign of the other two Daggers as they made their way to the room where they’d spotted Scarlett. Noah held up a hand and they all paused, flattening against the walls when steps sounded and a man came barreling towards them, his arms out as he tried to feel his way to the steps. Kayla stuck out her foot and he yelped as he crashed to the floor. They were on him like a rodeo cowboy corralling a frightened calf. One more to go.

  They’d barely rolled the tied-up man into an empty room when more steps sounded and then Scarlett appeared. Even through the thermal imaging of the goggles, she looked terrified. A man forced her forward with one arm around her neck and a gun pointed at her side. He jerked her to a stop. “Who’s there? Rico, is that you? Did you fall down the steps?” He waved the gun in front of him.

  They stood still, waiting for an opening to take him down, but he didn’t move. A bolt of lightning flashed, illuminating the area for a split second. It was enough for the Dagger to realize he wasn’t alone, and he started firing as they took cover. He and Kayla dove into one room while Noah and Ethan scrambled into the one across the hall.

  “Throw down your weapons now,” the man insisted, “or I’ll blow her pretty little brains ou
t.”

  “You realize you’re seriously outnumbered,” Declan informed him. The gun swung his way and he ducked out of target range when the man fired.

  “I’ve got the girl. We’re going to leave, and you aren’t going to stop me. Then you’re going to get the money that belongs to me and we’ll make a trade. The cash for the girl.”

  Ethan eased his head out from across the hall. “Sorry, dude, no can do. The cops have the money.”

  The gun swung his way and more shots sounded. “Then you better figure out how to get it or I’ll start chopping off body parts and sending them to you until you do.”

  He was getting more and more reckless. If he didn’t shoot one of them, he might turn the gun on Scarlett. They needed to act quickly.

  It turned out Scarlett took the decision from them. While the gun was away from her, she bit down on his forearm and ground her heel into his foot. He roared in pain.

  “Bitch!”

  Before he could turn the gun on her, she dropped to the ground, catching him off guard. It was the opening they needed. Four gunshots sounded. His eyes widened in shock before he slumped lifelessly to the ground.

  Scarlett crawled away from him, whimpering. Declan reached her first. She gasped when he clutched her arm. “Scarlett, we’re here to rescue you.”

  “Are you from COBRA Securities?”

  “Yes.”

  Her shoulders slumped in relief. “You got my message.”

  “We did. Now let’s get you out of here.”

  She dug in her heels. “They have my sister. We need to find her.”

  “We’ve got her,” Kayla assured her and then tried to contact Gage. He didn’t answer.

  A grim feeling had Declan handing Scarlett over to Ethan while he took off down the stairs, leaping most of them until he reached the ground level. Noah was on his heels and jerked him back before he went busting out the door. Bad protocol. He knew better. Taking a breath, he nodded and then eased it open to scan the area. The rain had stopped. He stepped out and was almost plowed down by a small body.

  “Declan!”

  He harnessed his gun and hugged Jamal. “What are you doing out of the SUV?” He glanced over to see Gage face down on the pavement with a small girl at his side. His fear ramped up. Kenzie was nowhere in sight.

  Kayla, Ethan and Scarlett came out behind them and he urged Jamal to where Gage was down. The back of his shirt was riddled with bullets.

  “Jamal, where’s Kenzie?”

  “That’s why I was coming to get you! A man took her.”

  The blood left his head so fast, he swayed. “What man?”

  “I don’t know! He jumped out of the bushes and grabbed her when she went to help Gage. He was big and mean and his mouth looked funny.”

  An image flashed through Declan’s head of the kidnapper who held Kenzie in the warehouse. When they’d stormed the building to rescue her, he remembered looking at him rolling around on the floor. His mouth was open as he howled in pain and Declan spotted the gold grill covering his teeth. The last remaining Dagger had Kenzie.

  He spun around to ask Ethan if she was still tagged with a tracker when a thunderous boom sounded that was definitely not thunder. Then fire lit the sky as the warehouse detonated into a million tiny pieces.

  Declan had just enough warning to throw his body over Jamal to protect him from the flying debris. Wood, metal and bricks rained down and heat from the fire was scorching. He glanced around to see that Ethan had covered Ruby, Kayla protected Scarlett and Noah had covered Gage.

  Declan jumped to his feet and helped Jamal up.

  “We need to get Gage away from the heat of the fire,” Noah said.

  “Is he…” Ethan didn’t finish the question.

  As an answer, Gage groaned.

  Noah lifted his shirt to reveal the bullet-covered vest. It’d caught all the slugs. “He’ll be sore for a while.” He probed the wound on the side of his face. “Looks like a graze from hitting the pavement mask first.”

  “Breathing. Hurts,” Gage slurred.

  “This will hurt more,” Noah told him. “You might have cracked or broken ribs, but we need to move you.”

  “Go for it,” he gritted out.

  Noah took one side while Ethan helped on the other and they carried him away from the flames. Scarlett was hugging her sister and they were both crying.

  Declan grabbed Ethan as soon as he settled Gage. “Do you still have the tracker on Kenzie?”

  “Yeah, why?” He glanced around. “Where is she?”

  “Someone took her.”

  Noah was at his side. “When?”

  “Just before you guys came out.” Fat tears rolled down Jamal’s cheeks.

  A siren sounded and then an unmarked police car screeched to a stop beside them. Alex and Dorian jumped out.

  “We saw the explosion. Is anyone hurt?” Alex asked.

  “The six Daggers we left tied up inside,” Noah told them. “Another was already deceased. Kenzie’s been taken by the last remaining member. We’ve got a tracker on her.”

  “Alex and I will go after her,” Dorian offered. “We know the city.”

  “I’m going, too.” They weren’t about to leave Declan here when his woman was in danger.

  “Ethan and I will clean up here. Gage, Scarlett and Ruby need to be checked out at the hospital.” Noah handed Alex his keys. “Stay in contact.”

  “I want to go,” Jamal wailed.

  Declan crouched down. “I need you to stay here with Noah and Ethan, Jamal. Please.”

  He cried harder but nodded and threw his arms around him. Declan hugged him back. “Be strong for me.”

  “Okay.”

  Alex brought the SUV over while he reassured Jamal. Dorian and Kayla were stationed in the back seat. He hopped in the front and Alex took off. COBRA Security vehicles were equipped with the same tracking program as the one on Ethan’s phone and it was already running on the dashboard computer screen.

  “They aren’t too far away,” Declan noted. The dot was stationary, but as he watched, it started moving. He called out directions to Alex as they closed the distance. “There. The black sedan.”

  The car was stopped at an intersection. There was only one head visible, which meant Kenzie was either in the back seat or the trunk. The driver glanced in his rear-view mirror and must’ve noticed them rapidly approaching his bumper. He floored the accelerator, shooting through the red light. Thankfully, there was no traffic to smash into the vehicle. Alex slowed to make sure the coast was still clear before he ran the light and followed.

  The man took the interstate onramp doing well over eighty and Declan’s heart pounded. If he wrecked, Kenzie wouldn’t stand a chance.

  Alex glanced over, reading his thoughts. “I’ll hang back so he doesn’t do anything reckless.”

  Declan couldn’t speak so he nodded. It was torture watching the man weave in and out of traffic, causing more than one driver to swerve, honk and flip him off. The sedan veered across two lanes to take an exit almost on two wheels.

  Alex followed, keeping the car in sight but not crowding it. The Dagger either had no idea where he was going, or he was lost. One turn took them back the way they’d come until he hung a left at a four-way stop. They chased him for ten miles, the buildings becoming less frequent the further from the city they drove. The man jerked the wheel and navigated down what would normally be a dirt road, but the recent storm had turned it to mud. He slammed the brakes, the back-end fishtailing when he came up against a road closed sign. The bridge over a river was under construction. Scratch that—there currently was no bridge.

  The car had skidded sideways, shielding the Dagger from them when he opened his door and stumbled out. Without knowing where Kenzie was, they couldn’t open fire. The man leaned back inside and hauled her out. She was unconscious.

  Declan reached for the door, but Alex gripped his arm. “Wait.”

  “Why—”

  Bullets pinged off the
SUV and Declan automatically ducked before remembering the reinforced vehicle. The man was using Kenzie to shield him so they couldn’t return fire. He kept backing up without looking where he was going. Suddenly his eyes widened, and he let out a bloodcurdling scream as he stumbled backwards and fell from sight, taking Kenzie with him.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Declan was out the door and running as fast as possible in the thick mud. It sucked at his boots and tried to anchor him in place, but he fought through to reach Kenzie. It felt like he was dragging ten-pound weights around his ankles. Alex, Dorian and Kayla were right behind him. He careened to a stop at the edge of the roadway where they’d dropped out of sight. He had to inhale deeply before he peered over the side. The first thing he spotted was the Dagger.

  “Damn,” Dorian muttered from beside him before stepping away to call nine-one-one.

  When the man stumbled backwards, he landed on an unfinished portion of the construction and impaled himself on an exposed rebar rod. It’d entered through his back and protruded out his stomach. Blood leaked from the corners of his mouth as he tried to speak but there was nothing they could do for him. Vital organs had no doubt been pierced and he’d bleed out soon.

  “Over here.”

  He jerked his gaze to where Kayla was making her way over the side. Kenzie was lying crumpled on an embankment fifteen feet below. He started to follow when Dorian stopped him. “I have combat medic experience.”

  “So do I.”

  Dorian nodded. “Alex went to grab a rope. We’ll stay up here to hoist her up.”

  Declan made his way down the incline and dropped beside Kenzie.

  “Her breathing isn’t labored, and her pulse is steady,” Kayla informed him. “I don’t feel any significant broken bones, but I don’t want to move her in case she has a spinal injury. She does have a knot on the back of her head with some bleeding.”

  He glanced at the red staining Kayla’s hand as sirens sounded. He leaned close. “Kenzie, babe, it’s Declan. Can you hear me?”

  “Ambulance just arrived,” Dorian called over the side. “Backboard and cervical collar on the way.”