by Rebecca Deel
“Do you know if she lost consciousness for any length of time?”
“Didn’t get a chance to ask her. Muehller called, demanding I surrender so he can kill me. He let me talk to her for a minute. Based on what I saw on the way here, Ruth was unconscious for a time. Muehller carried her for a quarter mile or so, then forced her to walk.” His jaw flexed.
“You tracked them through the woods at night?” Josh asked, eyebrows raised.
“Charlie did most of the work.”
“Good job, buddy,” Alex murmured, rubbing the Lab’s head.
Charlie wagged his tail.
“So what’s the plan, Ethan?” Josh asked. “You aren’t going to walk in and let this guy kill you.”
“I don’t have plans to die tonight. However, any plan we come up with will involve me surrendering to Muehller. Anything else will endanger Ruth further. Plus, she needs medical attention sooner than later. I’m not letting Muehller kill her.”
“Of course not,” Nate said. “We love her, too, Ethan. Where did Muehller take her?”
“Forest ranger’s cabin about six hundred yards north of here.”
“Do you know the layout or are we working blind?”
Ethan grabbed a nearby stick and drew the cabin in the dirt, pointing out the windows and front and back entrances. “Here’s the problem. If we go in guns blazing, Ruth could well be caught in the crossfire. I can’t take that chance.”
Josh frowned as he studied the crude drawing. “Suggestions?”
“Quinn came up with a lame plan.”
“Hey, the plan might be lame, but it will get me inside the cabin where I can help you.”
“It also puts Heidi and Charlie in the line of fire,” Ethan insisted.
“Let’s hear it,” Josh said.
Quinn laid out his idea and waited for his teammates’ reaction.
“Lame,” Alex agreed. “But it’ll work to get you some help inside that cabin, Ethan.” He gave a quick grin. “Not that you’ll need it.”
“Let’s plan this out,” Josh said. “Ethan, what’s your deadline?”
“Less than an hour.”
“Then let’s figure out what we need to do to help Heidi and Charlie stay safe, as well as Ruth.”
CHAPTER THIRTY
Heidi’s hands grew clammy the closer she and Quinn walked to the darkened log cabin where Ruth was being held captive. Just the thought of having to face down a professional killer made her wish she hadn’t eaten anything recently. She planned to treat herself to some decadent dessert after they rescued Ethan’s aunt. Something laced with chocolate.
“You okay, baby?” Quinn murmured.
“Not really.”
“We worked through every possible scenario. This option seemed the best.”
“I know. I agreed with your logic. This plan makes the most sense and is the most plausible explanation for our sudden appearance at Muehller’s front door.” Heidi squeezed his hand, feeling bad for causing him more distress. During the discussion with Durango and Ethan, Quinn’s reluctance to use his own plan was obvious. No one else had a better suggestion. “I want to help. I trust you and your teammates to keep me and Charlie safe.”
“Stick to the plan, Heidi. You can do this. I have confidence in you.”
Despite the fear, those words warmed a corner of her heart. No one else but Levi had ever believed in her. To have the man she hoped to marry soon express that kind of confidence in her was more than she hoped for at this stage in their relationship.
Through the ear piece Alex placed in her ear, Durango’s sniper said, “We’ve got your back, sugar. We won’t let anything happen to you.”
Josh chimed in. “Drop the second we tell you to hit the floor. Your job is to protect Charlie. We’ll take care of you.”
“No problem my knees are knocking already. Don’t worry. I’ll do what I’m supposed to do. Sorry to sound like a wuss. I won’t let you down.”
Nate snorted. “You’re not a wuss, Heidi. Any smart person would be afraid in this situation.”
That should have made her feel better. It didn’t. She was terrified. Heidi decided to cut herself a break. Hans Muehller was an evil man. She was right to be afraid of him. But she’d told Quinn the truth. She did trust him and his teammates. If anyone could pull this off with minimal injuries, it was the Durango team.
Even though Heidi wouldn’t admit it out loud, she was more terrified for Quinn than for herself. When the bullets flew, and they would, he’d put himself between her and Muehller’s gun. The man she loved with all her heart wasn’t wearing a bulletproof vest and, based on the discussion between Ethan and Durango, Muehller didn’t miss his targets. When Charlie pressed against her leg, she caressed the Lab’s head as much to comfort him as to comfort herself. She didn’t want to lose Quinn now that she’d found him again. They had so much life left to live together, to create the family neither of them had growing up.
“On task. Report,” Josh murmured through the Fortress comm system.
“In position,” Alex said. The sniper was in the fork of a nearby tree, scoped rifle in hand. Another man who didn’t miss his targets.
Nate, Rio, and Ethan checked in.
“Copy,” Durango’s leader said. “Hold positions. Quinn, you and Heidi are up. Watch yourselves.”
“Roger that,” Quinn murmured.
Show time. Hand in hand, Heidi and Quinn crossed the remaining distance to the front of the cabin with only a couple of stumbles. Quinn kept her upright, though he tried to look as though he were injured in case the assassin watched their progress. To prevent further suspicions than Muehller already would have when two strangers appeared on his doorstep, Quinn ditched the NVGs and his gear bag at the stand of trees where Heidi hid. She left her equipment bag with his along with their cell phones. Couldn’t claim they were unprepared for the great outdoors if they were well equipped with a mapping system in their phones. Wonder how Quinn would explain the lack of modern communication technology?
“Let’s do this.” Quinn draped his arm across Heidi’s shoulders, limped the remaining distance to the cabin door and knocked.
“Hello?” Heidi called out. “Is anyone home? We need help.”
No answer.
“Again,” Josh murmured. “Heat signature shows Muehller stopped pacing. He’s approaching the door.”
Quinn knocked again, harder.
“Please,” Heidi said. “We need help. My boyfriend is injured.”
The knob turned and the wooden door opened. A blond-haired man about six feet tall with icy blue eyes stood in the doorway, scowling, glancing over their shoulders before settling on their faces again. “What do you want?” he snapped. “You’re trespassing.”
Charlie let out three barks, tail wagging furiously. He’d found Hans, all right. A grumpy Hans. The assassin was a fine one to talk about trespassing since he was holed up in the ranger’s cabin.
She used a hand signal to tell Charlie not to bark any more, then fed him a treat as a reward for a successful search. “That’s enough, Charlie.” To Muehller, she said, “My boyfriend sprained his ankle. We’ve been walking for hours, trying to get back to the lodge, and now we’re hopelessly lost. Every tree looks alike. I swear we passed the same rock formation three times. Can you help us?”
“I could have figured out where we are,” Quinn growled. “You wouldn’t give me a chance.”
She frowned at him. “Right. That’s why we’ve been walking in circles. No more chances or trying to spare your male pride, baby. I’m tired, cold, and have blisters on top of blisters on my feet. We’re getting directions.”
“Can you have this lover’s quarrel somewhere else? I’m busy.” Muehller scanned the area again. Would he see Durango or Ethan? No, of course not. They were professionals. The assassin wouldn’t see them until it was much too late.
“Move this inside,” Josh murmured in the comm system. “Old Hans is pretty twitchy.”
“I can’t go anot
her step,” Heidi whined. “I need to use the bathroom and my boyfriend needs ice for his ankle. I promise we won’t stay long. Just point us in the right direction after we rest a couple minutes, and we’ll get out of your way.”
Muehller let his gaze drift slowly over Heidi. Instant revulsion made her shudder. Good grief. How could she have forgotten that Muehller had been in prison for two years? That was a long time to be in solitary confinement and away from women. Quinn tightened his hold on her shoulder. He wouldn’t let Muehller touch her and his teammates were less than two minutes away from the cabin. One word and they would storm the place. A look might make her want to barf but it wouldn’t kill her to endure the lechery for a short time.
“Maybe you should come in,” the assassin almost purred. “I’m always willing to help a damsel in distress.” He stepped back and opened the door wider.
He distressed and disgusted her. Heidi swallowed the bile surging into her throat. She couldn’t vomit all over Muehller’s shoes. He’d kick them out for sure and Quinn wouldn’t be able to assist Ethan. “Thank you,” she murmured as she pretended to help Quinn limp into the cabin. As they moved deeper into the room, Heidi’s gaze collided with the alarmed one of Ethan’s aunt. The police chief had told her to be proactive, that she would catch the cues fast. “Hello, I’m Heidi. This is my boyfriend, Quinn. Thank you for letting us impose on you for a few minutes.”
That fast, Ruth Rollins put on her game face, relief in her eyes when she recognized Quinn. “Of course, my dear. I’m Ruth.”
“Enough,” Muehller snapped. “You two, get over by the old bat and shut up.”
She turned her head to look at Muehller. He had a gun pointed their direction. Heidi gasped, feeling the blood drain from her face.
“Steady, sugar,” Rio whispered through the comm system.
“Hey, buddy, what’s going on? There’s no need to use a gun.” Quinn shifted to stand between the women and Muehller. “We’re not here to hurt you.”
Laughter from the blond man. “That’s rich.”
Heidi had to admit that was funny considering Muehller’s occupation. The assassin had no way of knowing about Quinn and his teammates. Otherwise, he would have already killed the most dangerous person in the room. Quinn. The assassin might be the star of nightmares, but Quinn was better trained and more disciplined.
“I’m not worried about you hurting me. Both of you, empty your pockets.” Muehller waggled the gun. “Don’t make me wait long.” A grin. “My trigger finger is itchy.”
Quinn didn’t budge. “We don’t have any money on us, mister. If you’re looking for a quick score, you’re out of luck.”
A snort. “I’m looking for cell phones or a gun, wise guy. Empty the pockets or I’ll simply shoot you and check them myself. Of course, your pretty girlfriend might be hurt in the process. Want to take that chance?”
Despite the roaring fire in the fireplace, Heidi trembled. The adrenaline rush Quinn had warned her about. He must have felt her shivering because he dropped back a step so she was pressed up against his back. Grateful for the warmth and reminder that he would watch out for her, Heidi leaned her head against his shoulder and absorbed the comfort.
Charlie growled, his body vibrating with tension. Afraid he would attract Muehller’s attention, she signaled him to remain quiet. The growling stopped, but Charlie remained tense and alert.
“Pockets,” Muehller snapped. “Or I pull the trigger and be done with both of you.”
“Do it,” Josh murmured. “Nate, go.”
“Copy,” Nate whispered.
“Okay, buddy. Chill.” Quinn slowly moved his hands to the sides of his black pants and turned the pockets inside out. Empty, of course. He’d taken the precaution of emptying everything before approaching the cabin. “See? Nothing.”
“Turn around.”
He cocked his head. “Why?”
Muehller raised the gun and aimed at Quinn’s chest.
“All right, fine. Just don’t hurt us.” He turned and placed his hands on Heidi’s waist. With his back to the assassin, he winked at Ruth. “Satisfied?” he asked Muehller.
“No. Now your woman. Get over here, sweet cheeks. I’ll search you myself. I don’t want to miss anything important.” A broad smile. “You might be an assassin, after all.” He broke out into laughter at that statement.
Heidi narrowed her eyes. Jerk.
Quinn’s hands tightened. “No way, man. No one touches my girlfriend but me. I’m the possessive sort.”
“Ethan, go,” Josh whispered.
“Moving in now,” Ethan murmured.
“The possessive sort, huh? You’re going to be dead if your woman doesn’t do exactly as I say in the next five seconds.”
“That’s enough,” Ruth snapped. “You have no cause to hurt either of these young people.”
“Shut up, Ruth. You’ve been more than enough trouble for me already. Heidi, if you don’t want your boyfriend to die right where he stands, move away from him.”
“Move enough for Muehller to see you,” Josh said softly through the ear piece. “Don’t get near him, Heidi. He’ll use you as a human shield.”
Quinn growled.
“Look, I don’t want to make my boyfriend angry. You don’t know what he’s like. You want to see my pockets? Here.” Heidi moved to the side of Quinn who stubbornly retained his hold on her, not allowing her to move far. She turned her pockets inside out. “Nothing, just like Quinn.”
“Why would you let him talk you into going anywhere without your cell phone? Are you so spineless you won’t speak up for yourself?” Muehller looked disgusted.
Quinn glared over his shoulder. “I wanted to be alone without our nosy families interfering. Since they won’t give us a moment’s peace, we left the phones at the lodge. If we can’t hear the phones, we can’t answer them.”
A knock sounded on the door.
“Sit down beside the old bat, both of you. If you move from there, you die.” Muehller waited until they complied before going to the door.
Quinn’s muscles bunched.
“No shot,” Alex murmured.
“Wait, Quinn,” Josh said.
On the pretense of rubbing his injured ankle, he kept his hand near the gun strapped to his leg.
Heidi glanced at Ruth and noticed her skin was pale. She reached over and clasped the other woman’s hand. “You’ll be fine,” she whispered. “Wait and see.” Heidi prayed she was right. So much rode on the next few minutes, not the least of which was Ruth’s safety. If something went wrong, Ruth could die. Not acceptable.
With a quick glance to make sure she and Quinn remained seated, Muehller opened the door. He sneered. “Long time, Blackhawk. Come join our little party.”
“Where’s my aunt?”
“Come inside and see. Oh, but first, drop all of your weapons on the floor.”
Ruth’s hand trembled. Heidi patted the older woman’s hand, mentally readying herself to move on the prearranged cue.
Still standing in the doorway, Ethan removed his sidearm and placed it on the floor, waited.
“Come now, Chief. Don’t take me for a fool. Backup piece, too. And don’t bother trying to tell me you didn’t bring it. You don’t leave things to chance.”
A slow move to his right ankle and a second gun joined the first.
“That’s all?” Muehller frowned.
“No other guns,” Ethan said.
“Don’t consider me much of a threat, do you?”
Ethan said nothing in response.
Heidi kept her face blank. Ethan might not have other guns, but he had two wicked looking knives, one strapped to his calf, the other strapped to the inside of his forearm. One way or the other, the police chief intended to take Muehller down before he hurt anyone else.
Muehller inclined his head toward the guns on the floor. “Kick them out of reach.”
Ethan complied, kicking one close to Heidi.
The assassin motioned for Ethan
to turn around with the barrel of his gun. Once he was satisfied there wasn’t another gun on the lawman, he gave Ethan a wide berth as he shifted to the side of the room. He stopped near the front windows.
“Heidi,” Alex murmured. “Be ready.”
“Say your goodbyes to your aunt.” Muehller grinned. “If I were you, I wouldn’t waste time. You don’t have long before my patience runs out. I have a bullet with your name on it and I’ve been waiting a long time to see you bleed out in front of me.”
“Ethan,” Ruth said, voice breaking.
“It’s okay, Ruth.” Ethan glanced at Muehller. “I’m giving her one last hug.”
Suspicion glittered in those ice blue eyes. “You touch the gun by sweet Heidi, and I will kill her first, then the old woman. You aren’t fast enough to prevent me from killing them.”
Quinn moved a scant inch closer to Heidi.
“Ah, ah, Quinn. Don’t make me kill you any sooner than I have to.”
“Hey, man, we’re just asking for directions. We don’t have anything to do with what’s going down here.”
“On my mark,” Josh said.
“You don’t have to do this,” Quinn said. “Let us go and we won’t tell the cops. You can disappear.”
Another burst of laughter from Muehller. “You’re an idiot, you know that, Quinn? You should have chosen a better man, sweet cheeks. For your information, Quinn, Blackhawk is a cop. He’s still going to die. Jury’s out on you and your woman. But I’ve got to be honest, it’s not looking good for either of you. Can’t abide stupid or weak people.”
Ethan crossed the room to kneel in front of his aunt and pulled her into his arms for a hug. “How bad?” he murmured.
“Not bad enough that I can’t box that hoodlum’s ears if he gets close enough,” she muttered. “I have a massive headache, extreme nausea, and I just want to lay down and take a nap. If I stood up, I’d fall flat I’m so dizzy. The idiot caught me by surprise.”
“Concussion, blood loss at least,” Rio said. “We need to get her to the hospital.”
“You’re wasting time, Chief,” Muehller said.