Total Surrender

by Velvet Vaughn

  Everyone ignored him. Mason cut the remaining strips of duct tape from his hands. His arm was wet with blood, but he ignored the pain.

  “We’re headed to retrieve the target,” Hunter said. He kept his damaged arm from Talia’s view. “Are you okay?” he asked once they were inside the elevator.

  “I am fine.” She sifted her hands through his hair and he winced when she encountered the painful knot. “Rob hurt you. Do you have a concussion?”

  Probably, but hey, two Talia’s wasn’t so bad. “I’m tough. It takes more than a bump on the noggin to stop me.”

  Then she pressed her lips to his and he forgot all about bumps and bullet wounds and broken bones and everything but her soft lips.

  #

  Talia had been terrified when they came face-to-face with Rob and Clint’s weapons. Not for herself. She’d faced down the barrel of a gun too many times to count. Didn’t faze her. No, her fear was for the man beside her. Rob hated him. She could see him pulling the trigger without hesitation. The thought of something happening to Hunter…she couldn’t even think about the possibility.

  They both gripped their weapons when the elevator reached the top level, not knowing what to expect after the surprise of finding the two men in Elijah’s lair. The coast was clear. They made their way outside, the night unusually quiet. Not even the wind stirred the branches. Maybe the nocturnal animals sensed danger was in the air.

  They stopped by their cabin to pick up the hidden cell phone and camera detection device. The rest was left behind. Hurrying along the path, they came to Margaret’s cabin.

  “You get her. I’ll stand guard.”

  Talia knocked on the door. “Margaret? It’s Tina.”

  There was a scuffling noise and then a shaky, “Come in.”

  Talia whipped open the door and stepped inside only to come to an abrupt halt. Her mind couldn’t process what she was seeing. “Joan? What is going on?”

  “Hello, Tina. So glad you could join us.”

  Talia took a few steps inside.

  “That’s close enough,” Joan barked. “Don’t come any closer.”

  “Joan, what have you done?”

  “What does it look like? If you’re thinking I’ve wired Margaret with enough explosives to blow her to Saturn, well, then, you’d be correct.”

  Chapter Thirty

  “What the hell?” Hunter barked in Talia’s ear. “I’m coming in.”

  “No!”

  “Yes, Tina, I have wired her with explosives.” She tilted her head. “Do you need glasses, hon?”

  Damn, she meant that for Hunter and thankfully he understood. “I’m right outside.”

  “I do not need glasses. I can clearly see the vest laced with explosives. What I do not understand is why?”

  “Because the church is about to go down. I don’t intend to go down with it.”

  “Keep her talking,” Mason instructed through the headset. “I’m trying to get a bead on the explosives, see what we’re dealing with here.”

  She took a step forward.

  “Stop!” Joan ordered. She displayed a small black object her hand. “This is a dead man’s switch. Do you know what that is?” At Talia’s nod, she continued, “I let go and we are all bits of flesh confetti.”

  “Help me out here, Joan. Why are you doing this?”

  “I’ve known about Elijah all along. My husband isn’t the brightest crayon in the box. I know he only married me for my money, much like Margaret’s loser of a husband.”

  Talia chanced a look at Margaret. Tears were coursing down her cheeks, but she remained defiantly mute.

  “What Elijah and my genius of a husband didn’t realize is that it wasn’t my money.”

  “I am at a loss. I thought you were the heiress to a candy empire.”

  “Oh, Joan Finch is…er, was. I’m not her.”

  “Who are you then?”

  “I’ve had many names over the years, but you can call me Pam.”

  “Why did Elijah and Clint think you were Joan?”

  “Because I assumed her identity.”

  “After you killed her.”

  “Of course. I wanted her money. She was bitter and mean. She needed an assistant and I needed a place to lie low after another…unfortunate incident. Working for a recluse seemed like the perfect solution. But she annoyed me. Clint came calling before the body was even cold. I still needed to hide out and the church was the perfect solution. I’ve known all about Elijah’s plans to take all the money and then kill the others. I was just biding my time.”

  Talia peered outside. “Where are the other members of the flock?”

  “I took care of them already.”

  Talia gasped. “You killed them?”

  “Not personally, and not yet. But they’ll die. Slowly. Eventually.”

  Joan/Pam, whoever, was truly demented. “Why are you holding Margaret hostage?”

  “I overheard you telling her that you were going to grab her kid and then get her out. I couldn’t let things get out of hand. I needed to be in control.” She patted Margaret’s shoulder fondly. “Oh, I feel sorry for her, being kept away from her son.” She clicked her tongue. “That was just cruel of Elijah.”

  “You knew he was holding her son hostage?”

  Pam gave a negligent shrug. “Sure. We all knew. Well…not that he was keeping Margaret from him. We thought the baby was being cared for in a state-of-the-art nursery and that she was free to visit anytime she wanted. That’s what he told us, anyway.”

  “You did not think it was odd that she spent virtually no time with her son?”

  Another careless lift of the shoulder. “Easily explained by postpartum depression. It’s a real thing, you know.” Pam craned her neck and looked over Talia’s shoulder. “Where is that hunky husband of yours?”

  “He is dealing with your husband.”

  “Go get him and tell him to bring Clint to me. I need to say something to him. Have him bring Margaret’s piece of shit husband as well.”

  Talia met Margaret’s gaze. “I am sorry to say that Rob is no longer with us.”

  “You mean he escaped?” Pam asked.

  “Permanently. He has passed away.”

  Pam snorted. “Good riddance to bad rubbish.” She motioned with the gun in her hand. “Go. Tell your husband to bring Clint here.”

  “I will be right back.” She said the words for Margaret’s benefit. She wanted the woman to know she wasn’t alone. Hunter had already left to fetch Clint. She met them as he was dragging the reluctant prisoner outside of Elijah’s cabin.

  “Let me go,” Clint protested, trying to break Hunter’s hold.

  “Shut up or I will give you something to whine about,” Talia snarled. Clint’s eyes widened and he wisely snapped his mouth shut.

  Sawyer and Mason were positioned on either side of Margaret’s cabin, but they were powerless to do anything while Pam had control of the dead man’s switch.

  “Joan…uh, Pam? Henry and I are coming inside with Clint.” Talia opened the door and held it for Hunter as he shoved Clint inside.

  Clint’s eyes goggled. “Joan? What the hell is going on? What are you doing with a gun? Are those explosives? Where did you get those?”

  “I planned ahead. Had them stored away for possible future use.”

  Talia used the distraction to inch closer to Margaret. She wanted the woman to know that no matter what, her son was safe. If things went south, he would be taken care of, her bosses would make sure of it. He would not be sold to human traffickers.

  “Well hello, husband,” Pam smirked. “Looks like you’re tied up at the moment.”

  Clint made a face. “Very funny. What’s going on, Joan? Tell them to untie me so I can help you.”

  “Untie you? Are you kidding?”

  Clint looked confused. “I don’t understand. What are you doing?”

  “I know about the hookers.”

  “What?” Clint shook his head. “I don’t know
what you’re talking about.”

  “The weekly trips you took to the whore house. You’d think that with all the practice, you would be a better lay. But you are lousy in bed, Clint. And you snore. Good riddance.” She aimed the gun and fired before anyone could react. Hunter shoved Clint and dove to cover him as she fired again. Hunter jerked.

  “Hunter.” Talia rushed to his side. A stain of blood smeared his hip.

  “Flesh wound. I’m okay,” he gritted out, rolling off a very dead Clint. Joan/Pam had nailed him between the eyes.

  “I didn’t mean to shoot you, Henry, Hunter, whatever your name is. You shouldn’t have tried to protect Clint. He wasn’t worth it.” Then she aimed the weapon at Clint’s family jewels and pulled the trigger.

  Talia stood to face her. “What is it you want, Pam?” She waved a hand, indicating herself and Hunter. “We aren’t the enemy. We want nothing to do with the money. It’s all yours. Just hand me the switch and we will take Margaret and leave. You can have it all.”

  “Are you kidding? Do you think I’m stupid? You’ve called the cavalry by now.” She grabbed Margaret’s arm and jerked her to her feet. “She’s my ticket out of here.” She pointed the gun at Talia.

  “Let her go and you can walk right out of here. We won’t stop you.”

  “Talia, hon, I do believe you are hard of hearing. I just told you she’s my ticket out.” She kept her gun trained on her, with Margaret in front as she backed to the door. When she passed Clint, she kicked his corpse. She jerked her chin at Hunter. “I hope he makes it. He’s too pretty to die.” She lifted the gun again. “Don’t try to follow us. I won’t hesitate to blow her to bits.” Using her behind, she pushed the door open. “Oof. What the…”

  Talia lurched for Margaret as Sawyer banded his arms around Pam, locking her in place while Mason pried the switch from her hand. She’d backed right into them.

  “No! Let me go! Stop!”

  Sawyer wrestled her to the floor while Mason approached Margaret slowly. “I’m going to deactivate this and get it off you.”

  “Oo..ky.”

  While he worked on the bomb, Talia rushed to Hunter. He was struggling to his feet. “Do not try to move.”

  “I’m fine,” he argued, weaving as he stood. “Just a flesh wound.”

  Pam was screaming obscenities as Sawyer cuffed her hands. “Talia, find me something to stuff in her mouth,” he called out.

  She looked Hunter over again. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “Fine,” he insisted. She didn’t believe him, but Pam’s screeches were grating on her nerves. She found a dish towel in a drawer and tossed it to Sawyer. He stuffed it inside her mouth, silencing her tirade. She found another and rushed back to Hunter. She started to unbuckle his belt.

  “Babe, you know I want you, but now is not the time,” he joked.

  “Be quiet,” she said, her hands shaking with worry. She was never ruffled. She eased the zipper down and checked out the wound on his hip. It was a deep furrow and it was oozing blood. She pressed the cloth to it and he hissed out a breath. She pulled the zipper back up so that the jeans held the towel in place.

  “Got it,” Mason announced as he deactivated the bomb and carefully removed the vest from Margaret. She started to sink to the floor and Talia rushed over and caught her.

  “You did great, Margaret. It is over. Do you want to see your son?”

  The words worked like magic and she was instantly rejuvenated. “Oh, God, yes.”

  Talia guided Margaret out the door, pausing in front of Hunter. “Are you okay to walk?”

  “Of course.” Worry pulled her brows down, but she nodded and headed outside.

  Sawyer pulled a handcuffed Pam to her feet and they headed to the nursery.

  “Is Rob really dead?” Margaret asked.

  “I’m afraid so.”

  Margaret sighed with relief. “Thank God.”

  They took turns in the elevator, with Hunter, Talia and Margaret going first.

  When they stepped out, Margaret asked, “Is that him?” She indicated the sheet Mason or Sawyer had thought to drape over Rob’s body and Talia was thankful for that consideration. Margaret might not like her husband right now, but she had loved him at one time. She didn’t need to see his bullet-riddled corpse.

  “Yes.”

  When Sawyer, Mason and Margaret exited the lift, Talia said, “Leave Pam here. Someone can pick her up later.”

  Pam frantically shook her head, her eyes wide. Talia felt no pity for the woman who had been prepared to blow them all to bits.

  Sawyer cuffed her feet and then secured her to an exposed pipe. She wasn’t going anywhere.

  They piled on the golf cart and Mason drove them to the end of the tunnel. Talia was worried about Hunter. He was so quiet. She clutched his hand and he smiled down at her. Even in the middle of an op, her heart squeezed painfully in her chest. She loved this man. So much.

  Mason braked to a stop and they jumped out and headed to the nursery…the empty nursery.

  Margaret cried out and ran for the crib. “No! He’s gone,” she wailed. Dropping to the floor, she covered her eyes as she wept loudly. “My baby is gone!”

  Chapter Thirty-One

  “Where is the woman?” Talia asked, her eyes searching the room. “She has to be here somewhere.”

  Mason held up the ropes they’d bound her with. “She lied to us. There was someone else and they were hiding. The ropes are cut.”

  A memory of Tilly telling her there were two women taking care of the babies flashed in her mind. She’d completely forgotten. It was all her fault Robby was gone.

  “There’s also another way out,” Sawyer said through clenched teeth. “We secured the two exits, and the barricades are still in place.”

  “Over here,” Hunter said, his voice sounding weak. Talia ran to him, intending to check on him but he’d located another lighted tunnel behind a wardrobe, much like the one that led from Elijah’s hidden room. Hunter was already disappearing down the corridor. Sawyer, Mason and Margaret were right behind her when she started after him. Sawyer tapped her on the shoulder and pointed down. Her eyes widened in horror. Hunter was leaving a trail of blood. A large trail.

  “Oh, my God. Hunter!” No answer. “Wait up!” She ran for him, not caring if the others were following. She came to a set of steps. He left the cellar-like doors propped open. She rushed through and cried out. He was lying on the ground in a pool of blood.

  “Hunter!” She ran to him and fell to her knees, her hands roaming his body. “Hunter, wake up.”

  Mason was beside her in an instant. He gently rolled Hunter to his back. “His skin is clammy.” He lifted a hand to find it covered in blood. “He’s got at least three, possibly four gunshot wounds and this arm is broken.”

  “Four,” Talia gasped. “He said it was a flesh wound.” She patted his cheek, shocked to feel the coolness. He was usually a furnace. Sawyer was on the phone, calling for a helo extract asap.

  Sawyer disconnected and dropped down beside them to rest a palm on Hunter’s arm. “We had one on standby, so the ETA is five minutes out. I told them to search the area for at least two, maybe three people and a baby on foot.” He peered into the darkness. “They couldn’t have gotten far.”

  “Unless they had a vehicle,” Mason said, not taking his eyes off Hunter as he applied pressure to stop the bleeding, careful not to jar Hunter’s broken arm. Sawyer checked for other wounds. Talia should be doing something…she was usually the rock in a crisis…but she couldn’t move. She was paralyzed with fear. If Hunter didn’t make it, she didn’t know how she’d go on. In a few short days, he’d become her life.

  “Good thing he was wearing a vest,” Sawyer said, lifting his bloody t-shirt to reveal five more bullets, all caught by the Kevlar. One looked to be very close to his heart.

  Talia dropped to her bottom on the hard earth. She was having trouble pulling air into her lungs. She sensed someone sitting beside her and then s
he felt an arm go over her shoulder, but she couldn’t take her gaze from Hunter’s pale face. What if she never saw him smile again? What if those gray eyes never opened. She didn’t even realize tears were running down her face until Margaret pushed a tissue in her hand.

  “He got all of those saving me,” Margaret said. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know how I got into this mess.”

  Talia forced her gaze from Hunter to address Margaret. “Do not apologize. We know what we sign up for with this job. Most of those bullets,” she indicated Hunter, “were from saving me.”

  “You love him?”

  No sense in denying it. “Yes.”

  The unmistakable whump, whump, whump of helicopter blades sounded and a spotlight shown down on them as the chopper hovered for a landing. Talia jumped to her feet ready to ride with Hunter to the hospital.

  Dust and debris kicked up as the helo touched down. Two medics rushed out with a gurney.

  “We spotted two women carrying a bundle about a mile down the road,” one of the medics shouted over the noise of the engine. “Couldn’t tell if it was a baby or not. The spotlight spooked them. They took off running. There’s nothing in the vicinity for a few miles, so they won’t get far unless a vehicle comes along.”

  “I’ll get the SUV.” Sawyer hopped up and took off running. The tunnel from the nursery opened next to the garage where Elijah kept his hidden car, so their vehicle was close. If the helicopter hadn’t been a few minutes out, they’d have used it to rush Hunter to the hospital.

  “Be careful, his arm is broken,” she instructed the medics as she helped load him on the backboard. He still hadn’t woken up. The medics stripped off his vest. His chest was marred with angry red bruises from the impact of the bullets.

  “We need to give them room to work,” Mason said as he gently eased her back.

  “Will he be okay? He has lost so much blood.”

  “He’s tough. I have no doubt he’ll pull through.”

  He was telling her what she needed to hear, and she was okay with that. It’s what she had to believe in order to function.

  Headlights blinded them and then kicked off as Sawyer stopped the SUV a few feet away. He bounded out and headed for them. They watched as the medics efficiently inserted an IV into his veins to pump much-needed fluids and secured his broken arm in an air cast. “Are you going with him?” Mason asked.