Facing Fire

by HelenKay Dimon

  Mike lifted his gun. “I’m happy to handle this one.”

  Josiah shut the door behind him and walked into the sunshine. He heard the yelling, then the bang. “No loose ends.”

  25

  SUTTON SQUATTED near the entrance of the villa next to the one Benton supposedly lived in. The view was nothing short of stunning. A stone mansion perched on a rock plateau. The gorge below and the mountains in the distance provided a beautiful setting. She couldn’t believe someone as dark and lifeless as Benton could appreciate the place.

  They’d spent long hours going over a plan and reviewing intel. Every piece of information pointed to a Brit living in the building, someone from old money with strong family ties. A guy with houses in several places who came to Ronda for the rich history and view.

  All a lie. Benton lived there. Sutton had seen the video, grainy but she knew. She was just surprised Josiah agreed for her to come along. He didn’t kick up a fuss. No, he insisted she’d earned the right to be there. And the plan counted on all of them, the ones Benton purported to want the most, to move in. If all else failed, her presence was meant to act as subterfuge while someone else moved in and took him out. Dangerous, but so was leaving Benton alive.

  She glanced at Josiah. He waited about ten feet to her left. He would lead. He and Mike would go in, take out any guards, then she would slip in after the way had been cleared. Tasha provided cover and backup, plus watched for unexpected guests.

  Ellery listened in, relaying coordinates and information every now and then. She gave the signal now. A soft whisper that blended into the background. “Go.”

  Josiah stood up, tall and lean. If the concussion bothered him, he didn’t show it. Harlan and his uncle, it all had to play in his head in some way, but she suspected he stored the horrors for later. Now he focused.

  He pushed off, taking on the winding stone staircase at a slow speed. Waiting and watching around each bend. For every step he took, she took one, keeping far enough behind that a stray bullet wouldn’t hit her, but close enough for him to watch over.

  The wind whistled through the old building. Sutton could hear some street noise outside. People talking as they passed by. Their lives went on as normal while inside the walls a battle brewed.

  They made it to the first floor without incident. Tasha, impressive as always, had created a diversion on her own to get the people out of the house and Ellery verified it was empty. No heat signatures but plenty of them next door. Guards near the entrance and on each of the three floors. It looked like Benton expected company, or at least trouble.

  They stepped into what looked like a great room. A long space, divided into several sitting sections. Not fancy but refined. Paintings and tapestries on the wall. Vases and sculptures behind glass and lit with spotlights. It screamed wealth, but in an understated way. The house still looked like someone lived there.

  Sutton took it all in as they swept along the hard stone floor to the far end, right before the open veranda. She knew right now Mike approached from the building on the opposite side. They’d meet in Benton’s house and then the hunt would begin.

  After a quick check, Josiah slipped onto the balcony area. She followed, momentarily blinded by the sea of lights below her. They sat so far up that she could see the entire valley below. She heard a snap and realized Josiah was looking at her. She shook her tourist excitement loose and concentrated. She’d need it for this next step. They had to jump from one building to another.

  Memories of their first meeting in Paris floated through her mind. All that fear and the way she hoped he’d fall. Now she counted on his strength. The need to get to Benton fueled her. She would go across without trouble. Forget the height and the danger. Somehow she’d make it because they were all depending on her to make it.

  Josiah moved to the edge of the balcony. “Ready?”

  “Yes.” She was about to give him a smile of reassurance when she saw the shadow. Something moved on the balcony next door.

  He must have seen her expression because he spun around and fired. Nailed the guy with only a small sound and sent him flying backward. The thump of his body and rattle of his gun against the stone made more noise than the gunfire. Thank goodness for silencers.

  He turned back to her as if nothing happened. “Thanks.”

  Before she could ask for what, he was up on the railing. It crumbled at one end where the rock had worn away, but he stayed away from that side. One long step and he landed on the railing of the balcony next door.

  As she watched, he dropped down and checked the guy on the ground, then peeked inside the room they needed to enter. He turned back around and nodded. Held out a hand as he stepped back up on the railing on his side.

  Anxiety took off in a wild dance in her stomach. She thought she’d conquered it, but standing up there, balancing on a seven-inch stone bar, her stomach tumbled and almost took her breakfast along with it.

  He gestured for her to go. “Hurry.”

  She heard him and let trust take over. One step, then another, and she jumped. Arms flapping in the air and all.

  Everything happened at once. A man in a suit came out on the balcony behind Josiah. Josiah spun around and his foot slipped. She reached for his arm to pull her through but came up empty. Her arms grabbed only air as her body fell. The night whooshed around her, and the ground, once so far away, moved closer.

  She stretched and made it as far as the outside of the balcony. Her shoulder hit the stone with a thud. As she started to slide, she hooked her arms around the ancient railing. Her sneakers thumped against the intricate stonework below as she tried to get her footing. Feeling around, she found a ledge and balanced one foot there. The other kept slipping off.

  A scream rattled in her throat but she bit it back. If she yelled, Benton could come running. His men would hear her. If she didn’t, her hold would give out and she’d fall. The choices had her heartbeat pounding in her ears.

  Minutes, which felt like hours, ticked by. She heard grunts and the shuffle of footsteps above her. The men fought. She thought Josiah battled more than one. If he died . . . She snapped her mind back. Tried to think of a song she could hum in her head. Anything to calm the raging terror that threatened to steal her sanity as her fear of heights enveloped her.

  Panic rumbled through her as her arms began to shake. Terror gripped her now as her muscles weakened. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t get her heart rate to slow. She imagined her body falling and closed her eyes to keep from looking down. It would be all over if she did.

  She whimpered as she buried her face against the cold post. She peeked through the slats and watched one man go down, but Josiah had to deal with another. She couldn’t even watch Josiah punch this guy. They wrestled and the guard backed Josiah into the wall. Choking each other. They were locked in a death match. She almost let that scream go when the guard banged Josiah’s already injured head against the stone.

  She tried to pull her body up and not just hang there like dead weight. If she could get to the guard, she might be able to help. This wasn’t just about her now. She had to help save him.

  Josiah spun around with eyes wide with terror. He swore as he scrambled to get her. Right when the guard went to ram Josiah’s head a second time his body stiffened. The guard glanced down, then slipped along the length of Josiah’s body. That’s when she saw the gun Josiah had wedged between them and realized Josiah had fired.

  When he saw her, his eyes widened and filled with fear. In two steps he was there. Long arms reached over the railing and he lifted her to the balcony. Her legs wouldn’t hold her and the shaking wouldn’t stop.

  “Christ.” He wrapped her in a suffocating hug as his mouth went to her ear. “Are you okay?”

  She could feel him tremble and rushed to soothe him. “Yes.”

  She brushed her hands over him as she regained some of her strength. She forced her mind to the present and off all the what-could-have-beens. The view swam in front of her
eyes and Ellery yelled in her ear. She tried to block it all out and breathe.

  Josiah stiffened and she pulled back to look at him. “What is it?”

  He exhaled. “Company.”

  Then Ellery’s warnings registered. They weren’t alone. Sutton balanced up on tiptoes and looked past Josiah’s broad shoulders to the man standing behind them. Benton.

  “I would say welcome, but you aren’t.” Benton’s scratchy voice filled the quiet night.

  Josiah turned and stood next to her. That’s when she saw it. The gun in Benton’s hand. He aimed it at her chest.

  Josiah didn’t lower his weapon either. “Rick.”

  “Ah, I see you finally figured it out. Put Sutton’s past together with your big operation. I must say that took you longer than I would have thought.”

  Josiah didn’t blink. “Shut up.”

  “Of course, no other intelligence agency or group ever got even half this far, so bravo.” He acted like he didn’t care but his expression had pinched, just for a second.

  “A sad businessman from DC? I have to say it was a bit of a disappointment.”

  Josiah’s taunting had Benton’s mouth flattening into a thin line. “A genius who could make money from nothing and encouraged his brother to do more than serve the whims of the government that took advantage of him.”

  Every word sounded drenched in ego. Sutton had known men like this her entire life. The blowhards and big talkers. Benton could back up his words with weapons but that didn’t make him any less of a child in her eyes.

  Josiah let out a dramatic exhale. “I’ve heard this sad poor-me speech before. Every nutcase with a small dick says something like this.”

  Benton’s face flushed red. “Do those speeches usually end with you getting shot and watching a woman bleed out at your feet? Because that’s what’s going to happen this time.”

  Josiah laughed at him. Actually laughed. “I don’t think so.”

  Sutton’s heart lurched. Benton would do it, too. He would think he could shoot his way out of this, not caring if reinforcements came behind them or how many people died to save him. He only cared about himself and his business and all that money. He could spout off about revenge or his brother, but she just saw an empty worthless shell.

  “Do you think I’m alone?” Benton tried to lift his arm but the injuries limited his movement. “I have men with guns trained on Sutton. They will unload on my command.”

  “Do you think I’m alone?”

  “You have, what, Mike and two women with you?” Benton looked ready to spit in distaste.

  Josiah shook his head. “I don’t think you appreciate women.”

  “Wonder why,” she mumbled under her breath.

  Benton’s focus shot right back to her. “Your mother was a meddling bitch. I told Ronald to steer clear, but he was intrigued. Something about dating a woman in law enforcement while working against it excited him.”

  That explained how her mom got tied up in this mess. All this sickness and she walked right into it. Of course, she recognized Ronald for who he was. And the good deed of turning him in got her killed. The whole thing made Sutton want to sit down and weep. So much waste at the hands of a man who barely qualified as a joke.

  “I think he liked the idea of seeing her, then going home and building weapons.” Benton tried to smile then, as much as he could around the scars. “Gave him a thrill.”

  “She figured him out.” Sutton needed to say that. Even if she died today, she needed to make that point. The woman he mocked and treated with such disdain saw through him. “Tasha tracked you down. Ellery figured out who you really were. My mother stopped your brother. All women.”

  “Your mother was nosy. Like you.” Benton shook his head. “And look what happened? You led us here. To Harlan’s death.”

  That shot landed hard. He’d aimed well. She did start this round. As she listed off what all those strong women had done, she couldn’t add her name to the list. But if he expected her to cower or cry, he had the wrong woman.

  She was about to point that out when the countdown started in her ear. She could hear Ellery’s voice, soft as a whisper, as she got to eight.

  “What’s the plan here, whatever your name is?” Josiah asked.

  “Kill Sutton and let you watch.”

  Josiah shifted just a bit. Enough to wedge part of his body in front of hers. “Are you forgetting I have a gun? More than one, actually.”

  “I don’t think you’ll use any weapon if her life’s at stake.”

  He would if he had to. She would make sure of that. No way would she walk away from this if it meant Benton went free and others died. She was done with that ending. “Yes, he will.”

  Josiah’s gaze flicked to her for a second. It was the first time he’d looked at her since Benton showed his face tonight.

  “So brave,” Benton said in a mocking tone.

  She ignored the singsongy quality to Benton’s comment and turned to face Josiah. “Do it.”

  “It’s like Harlan all over again.” Benton did laugh that time. “That has to be eating at you, Josiah. You killed Harlan in cold blood. You took his life, not me.”

  He shrugged. “I still blame you.”

  “Come on. You’re not a machine. I mean, look at you. You fell for the girl in what, a week? Very romantic. It’s a shame this will have a tragic Romeo and Juliet sort of ending.” Benton looked toward the balcony railing as if to make his point.

  She got it. She heard every word. Truth was, she did love Josiah. Forget falling, she fell. The speed made no sense. Every minute filled with high intensity as time ran in fast forward. But Josiah stayed constant. He turned out to be exactly who he promised to be that first day. The bossiness, the controlling behavior, the hotness, and the decency. It all combined to work for her.

  And if what she needed to let him know, to set him free, was to guide him through this, she would. “Shoot him, Josiah.”

  “Ha! I like her fire.”

  “You a fan of fire, Benton?” Josiah asked in a quiet tone. “I know I enjoyed watching you go up in flames last time.”

  “I’m still here,” Benton snarled back.

  “For another few seconds.”

  Sutton hoped that was true. Then the silence struck her. Ellery had stopped counting. She said only one word over the comm. “Here.”

  No one had filled Sutton in on that command. She didn’t know what it meant or what was about to happen. Whatever it was, Josiah didn’t panic. Didn’t show any reaction.

  Benton relaxed his stance. “What do you think will happen?”

  Mike’s voice boomed over Benton’s. “Move.”

  “Right now.” Josiah fired, hit Benton in the shoulder, and had him falling back. The second shot hit his chest and he dropped the gun.

  Sutton ducked, waiting for more gunfire to ring out. All those claims about men watching and waiting to kill her, but nothing happened. Benton stayed on his feet and Josiah aimed again. At the last second, his attention shifted to the doors to the villa. She followed his gaze and saw Mike fully armed with . . . she didn’t even know what.

  Josiah’s arm banded around her. She moved on instinct, shifting with him as he turned and ran. They took off, hit the edge of the balcony, and kept going. Stepped right up on the crumbling ledge and took flight. They hit the hard floor of the next balcony on their sides with a bounce and started rolling.

  She heard a strange noise and saw a long streak. Mike disappeared but something hit Benton in the stomach. Then the entire balcony blew off. The explosion had chunks of stone flying everywhere and pebbles pinging against her skin. The last thing she saw was the blood on Benton’s shirt and his open mouth as he went over the side of the stone cliff.

  The ancient house groaned and the ground shook. The steady beat of falling rock and screams of people watching filled the night. When the smoke cleared, Josiah got to his feet and pulled her up beside him. “You okay?”

  She touched her he
ad and looked down, amazed that she could stand. “I think so.”

  “I’m good, too.” Mike looked out of the hole in the side of the house. Stood in the middle of it. The balcony was gone and rubble and debris littered the area.

  Looking down, Sutton saw a sheer rock cliff and pieces of stone everywhere. “You blew up his house.”

  “You brought an RPG?” Josiah sounded amused as he glanced at Sutton. “A rocket-propelled grenade. That’s a big boy weapon.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding.” Tasha didn’t sound quite so happy as she stepped out on the balcony behind Sutton, gun still in her hand.

  Mike shrugged as he glanced down. “I wanted something dramatic.”

  “Is he dead?” Sutton knew the question sounded ridiculous. Josiah shot him twice and Mike blew the guy into a deep ravine. But still, she had to be sure.

  Josiah walked to the edge and stared down. “No way he survived that.”

  After everything and her now raging fear of heights, Sutton stayed toward the back of the balcony. Close to the house.

  “I’m not leaving it to chance,” Tasha said. “I want to see a body. I’ll be satisfied with seeing pieces.”

  “Works for me.” Josiah looked up again and glanced over at Mike. “How many guards did you take out?”

  “Ten.”

  “Show-off.”

  “No.” Sutton shook her head.

  Josiah frowned. “What?”

  She couldn’t do this. No more talk of death. She understood they joked to break the tension, to make it through the horror. She couldn’t get there. Not now. Not after how close they’d come and how many lives were lost. “Please, stop with the killing talk.”

  Gravel and loose stones crunched as Tasha walked. She shouted over to the other balcony. “Mike, go do recon on that body. I need to lock this place down so we can clean it out, and I doubt the local police are going to take that well.”

  He nodded, then disappeared.

  Tasha headed back to the main part of the house but stopped right before going inside and looked at both Josiah and Sutton. “Good job.”