Her voice cracked and Riley stepped closer, wrapping her into his arms and for a moment she let him before she pulled out of his grip and gave him a watery smile.
"I'll be fine," she said, still holding onto his arm as she turned to face Felder once more. "Where is my mother? You knew about Marcus' plans, why couldn't you stop him?"
"That's unclear at the moment."
The look on Felder's face told Riley everything he needed to know and anger bubbled to the surface of his veins.
"You screwed up—you let him go!"
"This isn't the time for recriminations. Mistakes have been made on both sides, and perhaps if we had been able to speak to Miss McCombe yesterday the way we intended, we could have found a more satisfactory resolution to this particular issue." Felder's voice had an edge to it that wasn't lost on Riley; he had screwed up and he knew it, but there was so much red tape involved he would never admit to such a crucial mistake.
"Issue? That sick bastard taking my mother is simply an issue?" Holly said, her voice getting higher with each word.
"I understand you're upset, Miss McCombe, but rest assured we're doing everything we can to resolve the matter."
"You're not doing enough! You had the information, you knew where he was going to be and what his plans were, and still..." Holly trailed off and started towards Agent Felder.
Riley followed her, wrapping his arms around her before she had the chance to land her blows on the stiff-backed agent who watched her approach with barely-concealed disdain.
"Holly, leave him. We're not going to get your mother back if you're arrested for assault."
"I'd listen to him, Miss McCombe, I won't hesitate to have you taken into custody."
His words had Riley wishing he could wrap his own hands around Felder's neck so he could choke the arrogance out of him.
“Holly, let’s go,” Riley whispered against her ear. “We're not going to get anywhere hanging around here; he doesn't know what he's doing."
"I take exception to that statement, Mr Reynold's..." Felder started to speak but Riley ignored him as he turned Holly away from the scene and they started for the door.
Stepping out into the early morning sunshine, Riley caught sight of Stuart as he waved frantically at them from behind the crime-scene tape.
“Maybe we should stay? They have to know something—Marcus can't have disappeared."
"Holly, we'll get him but you heard Felder, he doesn't know anything."
"I don't understand how that's possible..."
"Anderson called, he wants you to get down to the docks," Stuart said, cutting across Holly's words as they stepped under the tape.
"Stuart, I don't think that's such a good idea, we..."
"He knows where Marcus is," Stuart whispered, his expression unreadable.
Riley paused. He knew that he was supposed to tell Felder, share the information. But the thought of getting down to the docks first and settling the score with Marcus was almost too good to pass up.
Holly pushed past him and started for the car, leaving Riley with no choice but to follow her.
"You're not going there, Holly, that's exactly what he wants."
"I don't have a choice! He has her and I won't sit idly by while he hurts her!"
"Holly, I won't let him hurt her."
Holly shook her head and sighed. "I believe you, Riley, but I'm not sitting this out and if you try and make me I'll march over to Felder and tell him where Marcus is."
Riley watched her expression carefully. She was telling the truth and he could see the determination in her eyes.
"How do you know I won't do that myself?" he said, keeping his voice neutral.
"Because I know you, Riley, and I know you want to get to him before anyone else and I want to help."
"You know this is probably a big mistake, though, right?"
There was no point in arguing. She was right, he did want to get to Marcus before anyone else but that was his choice to make. And Riley knew it was Holly's choice to go with him even if every fibre of his being screamed at him to stop her.
"If you don't take me, I'll find another way to get there."
Riley nodded and turned back to face Stuart. "You in?"
Stuart grinned and nodded. "But if Ellie ever asks, I tried to talk you both out of it, alright?"
Holly climbed into the car and Riley followed, a fake smile plastered on his face as he tried to stop the feeling of dread from spreading further up through his body.
Chapter 28
Holly stared out the window, her eyes unfocussed as the car curved through the gates into the dock area. Her mind was consumed with thoughts of what Marcus might be doing to her mother, what he would do to her if she couldn't stop him.
The car rolled to a stop and Holly caught sight of Anderson hurrying from one of the office fronts next to the tall iron gates.
Without waiting for Anderson to reach the car, Holly pushed her door open and hopped out. Her body hummed with pent up energy. She wanted to run, scream, fight—do something other than the constant waiting.
“Where is he?” Riley’s voice rumbled from behind her, asking the very question that sat on the tip of her own tongue.
“We caught him on the security cameras moving towards the warehouses in the back…”
“Was there a woman with him?” Holly said, her stomach knotting uncomfortably. Deep down she wanted the answer and yet there was a small part of her that wanted to cover her ears with her hands and pretend none of it was really happening.
“He was moving with a small group, but you can’t tell on the video if there’s a woman involved or not. Why?”
“He has my mother.”
Holly watched as the colour drained from Anderson’s face.
“Holly, I’m sorry, I…” He trailed off but it was the look in his eyes that filled her with dread.
“What? Why are you sorry?”
“When we closed in on them and they were firing at us, we fired back. There were just as many casualties on our side as on theirs. If I’d known, I’d have ordered my men to simply stay back.”
“You just said you didn’t know if there was a woman with them,” Riley said, and Holly was suddenly glad to feel his arms wrap around her shoulders, drawing her body back against his chest.
“Well, we don’t, but…”
“But nothing. Marcus won’t have minded sacrificing some of his men but Victoria is his leverage, he’s not going to want to lose her.”
Holly found herself nodding along with Riley’s words. It made sense that Marcus would do everything in his power to protect what he considered his ticket to freedom.
“How many men did you lose?” Riley said, continuing the conversation as Holly slipped from his grip and moved to the front of the car.
The smell of salt and oil hung heavy in the air, an odd combination that stung the back of her nose. How had it come to this?
Of course she knew the answer but it hurt to admit what a fool she’d been. If she hadn’t been so stubborn and asked for help when she really needed it, then maybe she could have stopped Marcus before everything spun so badly out of control.
“Holly, we’re going to head over to the warehouse…”
“I’m coming,” she said, cutting Riley off before he could finish the sentence. He wanted to protect her, look after her, but this was her mess, one she’d created through her own stubbornness. If something happened to her mother… If something happened to Riley because she’d dragged him into all of it, she knew she wouldn’t ever forgive herself.
“I want you to stay here, where you’ll be safe.”
Holly shook her head and gave Riley a sad smile. “You know I can’t do that, I can’t just sit around here knowing you’re facing him because of me.”
“I won’t let you anywhere near him, Holly. This is close enough. Don’t make me lock you into Anderson’s office.” Riley’s voice dropped to a growl and the frustration Holly could hear in his voice was
evident on his face.
“I’m not asking to go into the warehouse, Riley. I’d be a liability, but at least let me come back there with you. I’ll stay in the car. You can give me one of your guns. I know how to use one.”
The look of surprise that flashed across Riley’s face filled Holly with pride. There was a lot he didn’t know about her, a lot she would share with him if they could stop Marcus.
“I can’t say I think it’s a great idea…” he said, but Holly could hear the uncertainty in his voice and she knew his resolve was weakening.
“You know I can’t stay here while you go off and risk yourself, so don’t ask me to do that.”
“Fine, but you’ll stay in the car no matter what happens?”
Holly nodded and swallowed hard.
“I promise.”
“God help me but I’m beginning to regret this already,” he said, wrapping his hand around Holly’s arm and jerking her in against his chest as he dipped his face to hers.
Holly let her hands slide up across his hard, muscled chest. The heavy hammering of his heart beneath his shirt matched the nervous beating of her own and she closed her eyes as she melted against him.
His mouth was harsh and demanding as he crushed his lips against hers and Holly instinctively opened up to him. The kiss was short but it was filled with an intensity that left Holly breathless.
As Riley slowly drew away, Holly let her eyes open slowly, her mind in a daze as he took her hand and led her back to the car and the men gathered.
She watched as a look passed between Stuart and Riley while she climbed into the back seat.
“This has nothing to do with Riley, it’s my choice,” Holly said, feeling suddenly defensive.
Stuart grinned and raised his hands in mock surrender. “I wouldn’t dream of saying anything, Holly.” But the tension she could see in his shoulders told a different story.
* * *
Stuart gunned the engine as Riley checked and re-checked the clip in his gun. They weaved in and out between the shipping containers piled around the dock front and Holly gripped the edge of her seat hard enough to turn her knuckles white.
The thoughts in her head were a jumbled mess of confused emotions. How could she ask Riley to do this for her? How could she make him promise to save her mother when she couldn’t do it herself?
Anderson’s car rolled to a halt and Stuart hit the brakes hard enough to jolt her from her reverie.
Holly’s heart started to hammer in her chest, the sound loud enough she was certain Riley would hear it.
“Riley, I…” She reached out to him, her voice trailing off as words failed her. What was she supposed to say to him?
“Maybe if Stuart stayed…” Riley started to speak but Stuart quickly cut him off.
“Riley, there’s not a chance in hell I’m letting you go in there alone,” Stuart said, anger tinging the edge in his voice.
“I’m capable of taking care of myself and Holly’d be safer if you were with her,” Riley said, his own voice lifting in anger.
“I’m fine, I don’t need anyone to stay with me, Riley. I’m not a damsel in distress that needs looking after.”
“I didn’t mean…”
“I know you didn’t, I’ll be fine here with a gun.”
Riley shook his head, his expression conflicted.
“If anything happened to you, I’d…”
Holly smiled and leaned between the two front seats, cupping his cheek with her hand.
“Nothing is going to happen to me, Riley, I’ll be safe here.”
“No matter what happens you promise not to follow me in there?” Riley gripped her hand, holding her hand to his face as he stared into Holly’s eyes.
“Riley, I…”
“Promise me, Holly, or so help me I’ll turn this car around, take you back to the office and handcuff you to a radiator.”
“I promise but you have to come back to me. Don’t be a hero, Riley, no matter what happens.”
He smiled and pulled her hand around to his mouth, dropping a soft kiss against her palm before releasing her.
“I’ll be fine,” he said, climbing from the car. She watched him pull a gun from the small of his back. He checked the clip before handing it to her.
“The safety is on, just flip the switch on the…”
Holly smiled and nodded. “I know how to get the safety off—I told you, I can use a gun.”
Anderson gestured towards Riley and Holly swallowed hard.
“I think you’re wanted.”
“They can wait another minute, there’s something I want to tell you. Holly, I…”
Holly leaned over and pressed her fingers against his lips, cutting his words off before he could get the chance to form them.
“Tell me when you get back, we’ll have all the time in the world then.”
He hesitated and Holly half expected him to argue with her.
“I’ll make sure he gets through it safely,” Stuart said, interrupting the moment.
“You’d better,” Holly warned, plastering a fake smile on her face, one she hoped conveyed confidence and ease. The complete opposite of the real emotions she felt over the situation.
Riley drew out of the car and started across the asphalt towards Anderson and the security team he had gathered around him.
Holly watched him go, her fear beginning to gnaw at her guts like rats through electrical wiring.
It only took them a minute to huddle together, no doubt discussing their plan of action before they broke apart and started for the warehouse that stood at the very end of the dock.
She watched as two of the men took up a position outside the warehouse door, stiff and vigilant as Riley and Stuart disappeared inside.
Holly’s grip tightened around the gun in her hands as the minutes ticked by agonisingly slowly.
She’d promised Riley that she’d stay in the car but that didn’t mean she couldn’t roll the window down.
The salty air swirled in around her, the only sounds the seagulls that wheeled above in the blue sky.
Holly climbed into the front seat and flipped open the glove compartment, her eyes scanning over the bits of paper shoved inside. Something black glinted dully at her from the bottom of the compartment and without thinking about it, Holly reached in and pulled the gun out.
She’d known that Stuart worked in security, but to find a gun half buried in the bottom of the glove compartment still surprised her.
The sudden sound of gunshots cracked through the air, scattering the birds and destroying the tense calm that had fallen over the area.
Holly shoved Stuart’s gun into the waistband of her jeans and, without thinking, climbed from the car. Her heart thundered in her ribcage as she wrapped her hands a little more steadily around Riley’s gun.
The only thing that stopped her from running towards the warehouse was the promise she’d made to Riley. No matter what she heard she was to stay in the car…
One of the men at the door disappeared inside and silence returned once more.
The sight of a large black SUV pulling up outside the warehouse caused her breath to catch in the back of her throat.
From her position, Holly watched as the guard at the door started towards the car but he never made it, his body hitting the asphalt before he even had the chance to raise his own weapon.
Ducking down behind the car, Holly watched two men climb out who were armed with handguns but it was the large automatic weapons slung across their bodies that sent a shiver of fear scurrying across Holly’s skin.
Who the hell were they?
They weren’t friendly and that was for certain. She watched as they moved towards the warehouse and disappeared inside.
She’d promised Riley that she wouldn’t go inside but after what she’d just witnessed, she couldn’t sit here and wait for him to get slaughtered.
Marcus obviously had one last trick up his sleeve and Holly knew what it was. As much as she wante
d to do what Riley asked, she couldn’t just sit here and allow Marcus to play his final hand, taking everything she held dear from her in one fell swoop.
Chapter 29
Stuart took the lead and Riley followed him closely, his eyes scanning the large wooden crates that stood stacked around the warehouse. Leaving Holly alone outside filled him with dread. Her need to constantly fix every problem herself frustrated him.
The sound of gunshots echoed around the cavernous building and Riley froze. And as the noise continued to reverberate, it made it harder to pick out the quieter noises surrounding them.
Stuart’s shoulders tensed and Riley waited for his brother to signal what he had spotted. He watched as his brother tilted his head to one side as though listening to something only he had heard.
The sound hit him then, soft and muffled, but it was unmistakeable as his ears cleared.
Sobbing.
Riley’s chest instantly constricted: Holly’s mother. It had to be, unless it was a trap…
Stuart started to move before Riley had the opportunity to warn him. He disappeared around the side of the crate they’d been using to cover their position and Riley followed him, his ears and eyes suddenly acutely aware of every low scrape and whispered breath he took.
Stuart was still moving forward as Riley rounded the corner and it suddenly became obvious where the muffled sobbing was coming from.
Victoria McCombe sat tied to a chair in the centre of the warehouse. Her position was open and exposed on all sides. What worried Riley the most was that there was no sign of Marcus, and deep down he knew he’d be nearby.
Stuart shot a look over his shoulder, signalling his intention to skirt the edges of the warehouse and Riley nodded. He disappeared silently into the shadows and Riley moved in the opposite direction.
Each step he took was silent and deliberate as he strained to hear anything that might give Marcus’ position away.
The sound of a crate crashing to the ground drew Riley’s attention and he searched the shadows on the opposite side of the warehouse for any sign of Stuart.
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