by Rebecca Deel
“Still mouthy, I see.” Ross slid his arm around Grace’s waist. “How do you like our playroom?”
Oh, man, way too much information. With her exploration of the room’s equipment, Brenna’s horrified mind filled in the blanks well and made her want to throw up. “It’s as sleazy as you are.”
“Sorry you don’t like our accommodations, but don’t worry. You won’t be here long.”
Oh, no. Think, Brenna. She had to stall for time. Eli and Jon were coming. She didn’t know how they would find her, but they would. Of that she had no doubt. She wanted to make their jobs as easy as possible. And that meant staying in one location. Brenna suspected the tracking tags were dead now. She hoped they had been active long enough for Fortress to get a lock on them. “Planning to kill us so soon, Ross?”
“Not my sweet Dana, just you. Eventually. I’ve got something very special in mind for you. A buyer who loves American women. He’s particularly skilled with knives and whips. Perfect for you.” His cold smile sent fear cascading through Brenna’s body. “My sweet Dana and I will be spending many hours together once we get rid of you. You always were a wet blanket on our activities.”
“Over my dead body,” Dana said. “You will never touch me again.”
“Ah, you still have fight left in you. Good. Breaking you will be that much sweeter. You’ll pay for every day I spent behind bars and beg me to kill you before I’m finished. But I won’t take that pleasure for myself. You see, when my friend finishes with Brenna and dumps her body on some deserted roadway, he’ll return for you. You’re worth more to me alive than dead. I will, however, enjoy making you suffer. I look forward to spending the profit from your sale.”
Brenna’s gaze fell on the black bulge at Ross’s side. The creep still carried his cell phone in the same place. Now to figure a way to steal it and she’d be in business. She and Dana were one phone call away from a rescue.
At that moment, the lights flickered and winked out.
Grace sighed. “A branch must have fallen on the power lines.”
“See what’s happening. I’ll stay with our guests, maybe get some playtime in before you return.” Ross said.
Perfect. Brenna stood, ready to launch an attack the minute Grace was out of earshot. Dana couldn’t help, thanks to the drugs they’d pumped into her system and her encounter with the wooden post. She hoped Ape man and Skyscraper stayed busy elsewhere. She didn’t stand a chance of taking on either one of them.
A flash of light blazed in the distance followed by a deep rumble.
Curses from Grace. “Here. Take the gun.” Her footsteps echoed in the hallway along with her rapid-fire orders to an unseen underling.
“What now, Ross?” Brenna asked. “Planning to start the party without your lover? I’m sure Grace would hate to miss all the fun.”
His bark of laughter gave her the direction she needed. Ross sounded as if he still stood in the doorway. Good. Fit perfectly with her plan.
“I’m surprised you’re anxious to become part of Scarlett Group’s world so soon,” Ross said. “Could be you’re not such a prude after all. Maybe I misjudged you.”
Brenna eased to her right, arm extended. A moment later, her hand touched the cool surface of the wall. She inched forward and located the edge of the door. With Ross’s nauseating cologne and breaths as guides, she eased in front of the door, gathered her nerve and rushed him. Brenna shoved him toward the door frame.
She heard Ross’s head connect. He groaned and slipped to the floor. Brenna expected him to retaliate, but he remained silent and motionless. Praying the blow knocked him out, she dropped to her knees.
“What’s going on?” Dana asked.
“Shh.” Brenna searched the floor by feel until she bumped against Ross’s leg. She smiled. He’d landed on his back. It would have taken some effort to turn the creep over if he fell on his stomach. The less she had to touch him, the better. Plus, she needed to conserve what strength she had to help Dana escape. She confiscated the cell phone, scrambled to her feet, and shoved their only source of communication deep in her pocket. If the power outage lasted long enough, darkness would provide cover for an escape. All they required was a little bit of luck to find their way out of the compound without anyone seeing them. Freedom was so close Brenna could almost taste it.
She took two steps in her sister’s direction. A pair of steel-hard arms wrapped around her from behind and a hand clamped over her mouth.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Eli easily thwarted Brenna’s frantic movements. Securing her head so his wildcat wouldn’t pop him in the mouth, he placed his lips against her ear. “Stop fighting, sugar. It’s Eli.”
Her tense body stilled, then relaxed. Brenna nuzzled against him, a small sound coming from her throat.
“No sound,” he whispered. “Guards are nearby.”
She nodded. Eli lifted his hand, turned her in his arms and gathered her close. Relief weakened his knees for an instant. He’d been so afraid they would arrive too late. “Are you hurt?”
“No. A little woozy from the drugs.”
With his night vision glasses, Eli noted Jon’s silent entrance into the room. His partner closed and locked the door with a soft click.
“Brenna?” Dana whispered, sitting up. “What’s happening?”
A quick glance at the man on the floor confirmed he was still out. He grinned. Brenna hadn’t left him much of a job. Jon, however, stood still near the bed, afraid to move closer. If he touched Dana without her knowing who it was, she was likely to scream the place down around their ears and bring the guards. “Tell her we’re here. Jon is standing next to her.”
“Ross is unconscious. He can’t touch you,” Brenna said, her voice soft. “Dana, don’t say anything. Just listen. Eli and Jon are in the room with us.”
Dana drew in a sharp breath.
“Reach out your hand, sis. Jon’s right beside you.”
Through the eerie green light of his enhanced night vision, Eli watched Dana slowly extend her hand, palm up.
Jon shifted closer. “I’m here,” he whispered. He touched her hand with his fingertips at first, afraid a strong grip might send her into a panic. He wanted to hold her in his arms, doubted she’d let him. His emotions rioting all over the spectrum, Jon inched closer, moving slow until her fingers wrapped around his hand and tugged.
He swallowed hard, longed to gather her into his arms and never let go. The clock in his head, however, denied the chance for more than a minute or two at most.
Her hand still in his, Jon sat beside Dana, moved his hands to her forearms and let her make the next move. Jon’s heart almost leaped out of his chest when she flung herself into his arms. He pulled her close, his throat tight. “I’ve got you, baby. No one will take you from me, I promise.” He placed a soft kiss on her neck. “We’ll have to fight our way out of here. Can you run?”
Dana’s shaking hand caressed his cheek. “I’ll try, but they’ve kept me drugged.”
Fury roared through his gut. They kept her on some crap for almost two weeks? He ticked off the side effects in his mind. Muscle loss, dizziness, weakness. Depending on the drugs they’d shot her up with, withdrawals. He’d been where she was a few months earlier. “It’s okay. Don’t worry. I’ll take care of you.” He wouldn’t leave her side unless she sent him away. He hoped she didn’t. It would take everything he had to let go of her now that he’d found her again. But if she couldn’t handle a relationship with him, he’d man up and bury his emotions. Whatever she needed, he would give her.
In his ear piece, Joe Rivers broke the radio silence. “Tangos approaching from the west.”
Jon activated his headgear’s microphone. “Copy that. We’re moving now.”
Dana trembled in his arms. “What’s wrong?”
“Company.” Jon hesitated. After what she’d survived in the past weeks, would his touch be distasteful to her? He hoped not since he’d dreamed for months of holding her in his arms. He swall
owed hard. “We need to move fast. I’ll have to carry you, baby.” Instead of the hesitation or protest he expected, Dana wrapped her arms around his neck. His heart squeezed. No time to check her for injuries. Praying he didn’t hurt this brave woman, he lifted her from the bed.
“Time to go, sugar.” Eli gave Brenna a hard, brief kiss and stepped in front of her. “Stay behind me. Do exactly what I tell you. If I tell you to drop, do it, no questions or arguments.” He opened the door enough to monitor movement in the hallway.
He signaled the others to move out. Eli palmed his P226 and led them down the corridor, away from the approaching danger.
Joe’s soft murmur in his ear piece confirmed what his other senses told him. He needed to get the women out of the hallway, fast. The odds of them escaping this part of the compound without encountering resistance were slim and diminished by the second as the tangos learned of their presence.
Footsteps clattered on the stairs ahead of them.
“The room on your left is empty,” Joe said.
Eli opened the door to a storeroom, scanned, noted the window on the far wall, and motioned Brenna and Jon inside. He stationed himself deep in the shadows and waited.
How long before the tangos noticed Brenna and Dana were missing? He considered slipping from the room and clearing the area himself, but Maddox’s orders echoed in his mind. Retribution was off the table. This was a search and rescue op. No unnecessary risks, no blowing up buildings or enemy combatants unless deemed necessary to protect the lives of the hostages or the Zoo Crew. If the unsanctioned op went unnoticed by the local government, so much the better for all of them. Maddox didn’t want a fire fight at the airstrip despite the fact his teams were better armed than most military groups. They couldn’t hold out forever with their limited arms supply.
“One tango outside the door,” Joe said.
Eli detected the sound of clothing brushing against the door. He unsheathed his Ka-Bar and shifted position. The tango couldn’t be allowed to raise an alarm or the death toll would skyrocket. Didn’t bother him if Scarlett Group lost a ton of men, but no one was taking Brenna from him again. To his right, Jon urged Dana into the deepest shadows with Brenna by her side, and positioned himself in front of the women, weapon ready.
The knob turned and the door swung open in a slow motion. A gun appeared. Within seconds, Eli neutralized the threat with a palm over the mouth and a knife hilt to the head. He dragged the body into the storeroom, locked the door, and moved him to the far corner. Zip ties around his wrists and ankles, Eli ripped the man’s shirt from his body, tore it and made a makeshift gag. Should be enough to keep him from raising the alarm for a short while. After piling boxes in front of the unconscious man so he wouldn’t be visible with a cursory inspection, Eli examined the window. No bars and enough room for him and Jon to squeeze through. Excellent. He and Jon were bulked up with the vest and equipment. They’d made it through tighter spots. This time they didn’t have minutes to spare taking off equipment and suiting back up once outside.
“More tangos from the west and east,” Joe murmured. “Room to room search. Time to go or you’ll have to fight your way out.”
Eli’s gut tightened. No alarm had been raised, but Grace’s men knew the women were gone. Old GQ man himself must have roused sooner than Eli thought he would and spread the word about the escape. “One hostage is mobile, one’s not. What’s outside this window?” He unlatched the lock.
“Fifty feet of open space followed by jungle. No heat signatures on that side of the compound.”
He eased open the window. Salt-scented air poured inside. “I need a diversion in one minute.”
“Copy that.”
He shrugged out of his pack and knelt beside Brenna, his hand nestling in her hair. “We go out the window, sugar. Grace’s people are searching for you.” He leaned closer to Dana. “Can you run a short distance, Dana?”
“Watch me.”
“Good girl.” He stood and keyed his mike. “Still clear, Joe?”
“Affirmative. Diversion in thirty seconds.”
Eli leaned out the window, dropped his bag on the ground, and followed feet first. Crouching, he strapped on his pack again, scanned the area. A rumble of thunder in the distance caused him to rip off his NVGs. “Storm moving in, Jon.”
“Copy.”
“Area clear. Dana first.”
A rustle of clothing had Eli shifting to stand beneath the window. Jon maneuvered Dana over the sill and into Eli’s extended arms. “Stay on your feet in case we need to run,” he whispered as he set her down and positioned her against the wall to his right.
Brenna climbed out, followed by Jon.
“Fifteen seconds,” Joe warned.
Jon scooped Dana into his arms and raced for the forest. Eli grabbed Brenna’s hand. “Run.”
They ran over the rough terrain, leaping over a tree branch blown down in the stiff wind. Brenna stumbled at the edge of the tree line. Eli slid an arm around her waist and urged her to move faster, deeper into cover. At the last second, he tugged Brenna to the ground and covered her body with his, arms wrapped around her head, Jon and Dana in a similar position just ahead of them.
A flashbang lit the night sky. Screams and gunfire shattered the stillness.
Eli jumped to his feet and lifted Brenna. “Go.” Jon set off again at a fast clip for Zoo Crew’s rendezvous point. They needed to make tracks fast before the tangos located them and proceeded to pick them off. As long as it was just them to cover the women, he and Jon were vulnerable because their attention would be divided.
“That sounded like a bomb,” Brenna said.
“Diversion, sugar.” The nape of his neck tingled. Gaze quartering the area, Eli urged her in front of him. He keyed his mike. “Jon, Brenna’s on your six. Joe, I’m dropping back.”
“Copy.”
“Follow Jon, Brenna. Don’t look back.”
She swung around. Lightning illuminated her stunned expression. “What? Why?”
He kissed her hard. “Go. I’ll catch up.” He melted into the darkness.
Brenna stared into the trees, heart in her throat. She told herself the whipping wind caused the tears stinging her eyes. She knew better. Eli was risking his life to protect her and Dana. Why couldn’t someone else take the risk this time? She couldn’t lose him now.
“Move, Brenna.” Jon turned, Dana nestled in his arms. “You’ll endanger Eli more if he’s distracted. Right now, he doesn’t have to worry about hurting you by accident. He can’t have his attention divided. If you care for him at all, do what he told you.”
Lips pressed together, she hurried forward. Jon would be forced to protect her if she stayed and that meant a greater risk to Dana. No way would she put Dana’s life in even more danger because her heart told her to go back and help a very capable man do a job he was well trained to do. “What can I do to help?”
“Get in front of me. Head for the lights.”
Brenna grimaced. And in the meantime, Jon would position himself behind her, in front of the threat Eli had sensed. That was the most logical explanation for Eli’s disappearing act. He’d gone back to deal with a threat to their safety.
She plowed through the forest, more lightning crackling overhead. Thunder rumbled. Her hair swirled around her face. She wished they could get out of the trees. Lightning and trees weren’t a safe combination. Then again, the trees provided much needed cover for their escape. She shook her head. Couldn’t have it both ways. Guess she’d choose cover over storm safety.
She pushed forward, still heading toward the lights as Jon had directed. Was it her imagination or were the trees thinning? The lights looked nearer, too. In the aftermath of a lightning strike, Brenna spotted a clearing through the trees. A few yards from the tree line, Jon stopped her. “Let me check the area first.” He set Dana on her feet against a tree. “Don’t move. I’ll be right back.”
Between one breath and the next, Jon was gone. How did he and Eli do th
at? No sound of any kind. “You okay, sis?” she whispered.
A radiant smile lit Dana’s bruised face. “Better than I’ve been in weeks.”
Brenna grinned. “I’ll bet. Did you notice Jon’s not even breathing hard?”
Heavy footsteps thudded nearby and drew closer by the second. Brenna’s pulse raced. Not Eli or Jon. They moved through the night like ghosts, no trace of their passage left behind. She figured their co-workers would slide through the landscape the same way. The pursuer sounded like a rampaging elephant tearing through the forest. No, no, no. Her sister couldn’t run. She refused to let her be captured again. That meant protecting her, no matter what. “Hide, Dana.”
“Come with me.”
“Go.” She stepped in front of her sister to shield Dana’s movements.
Ape man raced into view. Brenna swallowed hard. Why did it have to be him? She had zero chance against him in a one-on-one confrontation. She glanced around, desperate to find a rock or something to bash him in the head.
He skidded to a stop and raised his arm. A gun glistened in his hand. “Nowhere to run.” He smirked. “You’re mine. The boss gave you to me.”
Hadn’t she asked herself if things could get worse? Looked like it had. Two former SEALs as rescuers and neither around when she needed them. What now? Stall until one of the men returned. It was their only hope. She prayed they were close. One shot from Ape man’s gun and the meager protection she provided Dana vanished. Ape man couldn’t miss at this range. “Can we talk about this?”
“Sure. Get over here or I shoot your sister.”
Brenna took one step. “That’s not what I had in mind.”
“Your friends will die.” Ape man grinned. “They’re outgunned and outmanned. Guess that’s why you’re alone.”
A black clad arm circled his neck, knife pressing against Ape man’s carotid. “Never assume, dude. Drop the gun.”
“I’ll shoot her before you cut me.” Black eyes glittered at Brenna with malicious promise.