by Rebecca Deel
He and Josh worked their way toward the porch, moving from one shadow to another. They flanked the large picture window. Josh reached up and unscrewed the light bulb, then nodded for Rio to look inside the living room. Darcy had pulled back the curtains at some point, allowing him to see into the house.
Breath stalled in his lungs. “Trent, Del, Ivy, and Stella are down. No visible injuries,” he murmured. “No one else in sight.” Where were Darcy and Mason? Fear threatened to paralyze him. He forced his rioting emotions inside a mental box to deal with later. Right now, he had a job to do and inattention would kill them all.
“Alex?” Josh murmured.
“Kitchen’s empty,” he replied, his voice tight. “Josh.” Alex’s voice cracked.
Rio tried the front door. His eyebrows rose. Unlocked. He glanced at Josh, shook his head.
Durango’s leader motioned for him to open the door. “Alex, go.”
They swept into the living room, weapons quartering the room. Knowing his teammate would be distracted until he knew if his wife was alive, Rio checked Del’s pulse. Relief rolled through him at the steady throbbing in her neck. “Alive.” He tapped her cheek, got no response. “Drugged.”
Nate, Alex, and Quinn moved into the room while he checked the others. “Same as Del. Get them out of here, Major.” Then he would find Darcy and Mason. If Cambridge had hurt them, he was a dead man.
Josh, Alex, and Nate carried their wives from the house, while Rio helped Quinn with Trent. His gut screamed at him to find Darcy, but Trent was a big man. Quinn couldn’t carry him unless it was over his shoulder, a position which wasn’t possible with the other operative’s recent surgery. After Josh laid Del in the SUV, he ran to help Quinn, freeing Rio to search for Darcy.
He sprinted to the house and began clearing rooms, one at a time. Nothing. He approached the stairs. His eyes narrowed at the murmur of voices. The closer he came, the more distinctive the words.
“You’re spending my inheritance,” Cambridge yelled.
Rio raced up the stairs two at a time, praying he reached them in time.
“No!” Mason. A gunshot, followed by a screech from Darcy, and a loud thump. A roar of fury from Cambridge.
Rio raced to Darcy’s room, weapon in his hand. He took in the situation at a glance. Mason lay on the ground, clutching his right thigh, blood seeping between his fingers. Cambridge was on all fours, blood pouring from a head wound. Darcy held a piece of wood in her hands.
Holstering his Sig, Rio crossed the room in three strides as she slammed the wood down on Cambridge’s hand which was still grasping a weapon. The professor screamed.
When Darcy raised her hands to whack him again, Rio said, “He’s finished, baby,” and tossed the wood aside. He gave a passing thought to letting her give him another shot or two, decided it would put Josh in an awkward position. Rio grasped Cambridge’s weapon and yanked it from his hand to the accompaniment of the professor’s shout of pain.
Relief spread across Darcy’s face. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“Why?” His lips twitched. “You have it under control.”
“He drugged the others and shot Mason.”
A brush of fabric against the wall made him reach for his weapon. When Josh strode through the door, Rio relaxed. “Got your cuffs?”
“You bet. Do you know what he gave Del and the others?”
“Give me a minute. I’ll find out.”
“Don’t do something you’ll regret.”
“This creep planned to kill my girlfriend. I will regret nothing.” Rio turned to his cousin. “How bad, Mase?”
“Bad enough I want to barf.”
He grinned at the ill-tempered comment as Nate strode into the room. “Help Josh take Mason downstairs.” His friend looked as if he wanted to argue, but a hand signal from Durango’s leader and he subsided, leaning down to assist Josh in raising the injured man to his feet. With Mason between them, Josh and Nate served as crutches. Rio turned to Darcy. “Sweetheart, an ice pack would help with Mason’s nausea.” His girl hurried from the room.
Josh tossed Rio his handcuffs, then he and Nate maneuvered Mason from the room. Rio jerked the other man’s arms behind his back and slapped cuffs on his wrists amid shrieks of pain.
“Stop whining, Cambridge. You and I are going to have a chat.”
The professor sneered. “You slap bandages on people. You don’t scare me.”
Rio tilted his head. “Let’s find out.” He raised his pant leg and drew his Ka-Bar from the sheath in his combat boot. The black blade seemed to absorb the light as he turned toward the teacher.
“What are you doing?” Cambridge’s voice rose, his gaze locked onto Rio’s combat knife. “There’s a cop downstairs.”
“You think he’s going to stop me? You poisoned his wife. No one will care if you don’t survive the next five minutes.”
The other man swallowed hard. “You’re insane.”
“Nope. Furious. You’ll tell me what I want to know. The question is how much you’ll hurt before you talk.”
His gaze shifted to the open doorway as if measuring the distance.
“You won’t make it.” Rio’s voice was just over a whisper.
“I’ll scream.”
“You already have and no one lifted a finger to help you.” Rio moved behind the seated man, knelt, and set aside his knife. He clamped a hand over the other man’s mouth and yanked his head back.
He grabbed Cambridge’s injured hand and squeezed. The teacher’s body bowed, his scream muffled. Rio needed answers fast, but he didn’t want to upset Darcy more than she was already.
Once the screams had dissolved into sobs, Rio eased his hold on the injured hand. “What drug did you use, Cambridge?”
“I want a lawyer.”
“Too bad for you I’m not a cop.” Another round of muffled screams. “Last chance, Professor. Next time will be worse. Much worse. Do you know how much damage a Ka-Bar can do?”
“The cops will put you in jail.”
A shrug. “I’ll tell them you fought me for the knife. Think they’ll take the word of a murderer?” He shifted enough so his knee pressed against the injured hand, a reminder to Cambridge of the pain he’d already suffered. “What drug?” he whispered in the man’s ear.
His captive shuddered, moaned, said, “Rohypnol.”
“Anything else?”
A quick head shake.
He’d have the doctor check his friends for the drug as well as other things. The professor might have lied. Probably not, though. Pain was a powerful motivator, and Rohypnol was easy to find and effective.
“If I find out you lied to me, you’ll die a long, painful death.” He stood, yanked Cambridge to his feet. “Let’s go.”
Downstairs, Rio’s mike bag lay beside the recliner. Josh and Nate had led Mason to the couch. “On your side, Mase. I need to see what we’re dealing with.” His cousin hissed as he rolled to his left side. Though he sympathized with Mason’s pain, he said, “You’re tough. You can handle it.”
“Shut up, Rio.”
He shoved Cambridge to Josh. “Rohypnol.”
Rio used his Ka-Bar to cut the fabric away from Mason’s wound. A through-and-through. He found two more compression bandages in his bag. “You might miss your first parole meeting with Ethan.”
“Great,” his cousin groused. “Hope he doesn’t mind a Skype check-in.”
Darcy walked in with a gallon-size bag half filled with ice, carrying a kitchen towel in the other hand. “Will this work?”
“Drape that across his neck, sweetheart.” He glanced at Josh. “Cambridge needs medical attention, too, Major.”
“He’ll get it. Nick will be here in a minute to take him off my hands.”
At that moment, an Otter Creek PD SUV pulled into the driveway, lights flashing. Nick climbed from the SUV and strode to the house. “I’ve got this clown.” He grasped Cambridge’s arm. “Go to the hospital, Josh. Aaron’s in surgery and Liz nee
ds you. How are the others?”
“Still unconscious. Rohypnol.”
The detective’s expression darkened. “Get everybody checked out. Cambridge and I will be taking the scenic route.”
Josh left the house at a run.
“Give me the short version,” Nick said.
Darcy summarized while Rio and Nate helped Mason hobble to her SUV. His lips curved, wondering what she’d say when she realized he had a remote to her vehicle. By the time he returned for her, she was wrapping up her statement.
Nick glared at the sullen professor. “Legacy, huh? Guess you’ll be thinking about that in the state penitentiary. Let’s go, Cambridge.” He led the other man to his department vehicle.
Darcy grabbed her purse and they drove Mason to the emergency room. Once his cousin was prepped for surgery, Rio returned to the waiting room. Darcy was sitting on a couch by herself at the back of the room, arms wrapped tightly around her middle, head down.
Rio wanted to take her away, spend time holding and kissing her. He’d never been so afraid in his life as when he realized Cambridge had her. The situation could have turned out so different. He’d been a heartbeat away from losing her forever. He longed to tell her he loved her, but this wasn’t the time or place.
He sat beside her. Though she didn’t look up, Darcy turned her face into his neck. Moisture hit his skin. Rio wrapped one arm around her waist while the other cupped the back of her head. He said nothing as Darcy’s stress washed away in a flood of silent tears.
The room filled with friends of the Cahills. Madison sat on one side of her mother, her sister, Megan, on the other. The newspaper editor’s mood appeared lethal. Might be better if Nick took Cambridge to some other hospital for treatment. And what about Serena and her baby?
With a shudder, Darcy sat up and wiped tears from her cheeks. “Will they let me see Trent soon?” she asked with a husky voice.
“We brought in several patients for them to evaluate, baby. Might be a while.”
Ethan stepped into the waiting room. All eyes turned toward him. “Serena is fine.” He smiled. “So is the baby.”
Some of the knots in Rio’s stomach loosened. The police chief motioned for Rio to follow him. He released Darcy. “I’ll be back in a minute,” he murmured, signaled Quinn to watch over her, and followed Ethan into the hall out of earshot of the people waiting for word on Aaron.
“Sit rep.”
Rio told him what happened at Darcy’s house, ending with, “We brought Del, Ivy, Stella, and Trent here to be tested for the drug. Mason should be in surgery now.”
“Cambridge’s target?”
“Darcy. Mason stepped in front of her as the professor pulled the trigger.”
Ethan frowned. “He shot your cousin in the leg.”
“Bad control.” Mason had filled him in on the way to the hospital.
“Where is Cambridge now?”
“Nick’s bringing him here for treatment.”
“Sounds like your girlfriend did a number on the professor.”
Rio shrugged one shoulder.
A ghost of a smile from the police chief. “Durango did exactly what needed to be done in the bank. The feds will hit town before long to investigate.”
“They’ll have to wait for interviews. Josh, Alex, and Nate won’t leave their wives, and I’m not leaving Darcy’s side.”
Amusement twinkled in Ethan’s eyes. “All of us will be unreachable. I’m not leaving Serena. For once, I hope the fed assigned to this case is Craig Jordan, our least favorite FBI agent. I’d take great pleasure in antagonizing the man.”
Brian Elliott rounded the corner and trudged toward them. The contractor stopped a short distance away, shoulders hunched. Brian looked miserable.
Ethan glanced up, nodded, then turned again to Rio. “How bad is Mason’s injury?”
“Depends on what the doc finds, but I think he’ll be fine. Might need physical therapy.”
A grimace from the police chief.
Yeah, Rio got that. Therapy was not fun, but it did the job.
“Any word on Aaron?”
“In surgery.”
“Keep me posted. I’m going back to my wife.”
Once Ethan left, Brian moved closer. “You were right, Rio. I’m sorry.”
“Darcy wouldn’t have stood a chance against Walsh. As it is, Cambridge tried to kill her and shot Mason when he protected her.”
His jaw clenched. “Will Mason recover?”
He nodded. “He’ll be out of work a few weeks.”
“His job is secure. So what happens now?” he asked, resignation growing in his gaze.
“You tell me.”
“I’ll drop off the dorm plans at PSI for the new contractor.”
Rio’s eyebrows shot up. “Who said anything about finding a new contractor?”
“You’re in the security business and I blew off your advice.”
“Makes you unwise, not an offense worthy of firing.”
The other man swallowed hard. “Thanks. I believe in giving second chances, Rio. I thought Walsh had reformed.”
“Would you have allowed Walsh to work in your girlfriend’s house?”
A grimace from the contractor. “Probably not. Is there anything you need from me?”
“This is not about guilt or favors, Brian. If you really want to help, finish Darcy’s store and get a crew on her house.”
“Count on it.”
An hour later, Aaron’s surgeon walked into the waiting room and spoke to Liz. “Aaron’s fine. We drilled a burr hole and suctioned the blood from the subdural hematoma. He’ll be good as new, Liz.” The doc turned his attention to Rio. “Young man, your quick diagnosis probably saved Aaron’s life. You should consider going to medical school.”
His lips curved. “I’ll think about it.” Maybe when he retired from Fortress. His missions made it hard to be enrolled in school and Durango needed his skills.
Rio’s gaze sought Darcy’s. Could she handle his job? He wanted to laugh at himself. Darcy had taken down an armed man with a piece of wood. Yeah, his girl could handle the Fortress missions.
She slid her hand into his. “What is it?” she asked, voice low.
“You’re amazing, sweetheart.”
“Why?”
“You saved Mason and yourself.”
She shrugged. “Desperation. Believe me, I wanted a gun to even the odds.”
“Do you have one?”
A head shake.
“I’ll buy you one if that’s what you want. You’ll need to attend a class and obtain your permit.”
Darcy watched him a moment. “You’re serious.”
“I want you to feel safe, baby. If you need a weapon to do that, we’ll choose one that fits your hand.”
Alex strode into the waiting room, a broad smile on his face. “They’re awake. Trent’s asking for you, Darcy.”
She hopped up and tugged on Rio’s hand. “Come with me.”
As soon as she saw her brother, she raced across the remaining space and threw her arms around his neck.
“You okay, Darce?”
“Me?” She released him and eased away. “You’re the one who was drugged.”
He winced. “Yeah, that’s pretty embarrassing. I hear you took the pipsqueak professor out yourself.”
“He would have killed us all. I didn’t have a choice.”
“You did good, sis.”
“When is the doc springing you?” Rio asked.
“A drop-dead gorgeous nurse is processing the paperwork now.”
Darcy laughed. “Guess you are feeling better.”
“The only thing I want besides a date with Grace is my own bed.”
“I’ll have Quinn drive you to Darcy’s. Mason is still in surgery.”
“Will he be okay?”
“Should be. We’ll see what the surgeon says.”
A snort from the Fortress operative. “I’ll take your word over a doctor any day.”
; Minutes later, Grace returned. Rio smiled. “Hello, Grace.”
“What are you doing here, Rio?”
“Visiting Trent and waiting for word on my cousin. He’s in surgery.”
She handed the discharge papers to Trent. “Do you have someone to take you home, Trent?”
“You offering a ride?”
Color flooded Grace’s face. “I’m off shift in a few minutes.”
“I accept. Thank you, Grace.”
She beamed. “I’ll swing by the waiting room when I clock out.”
After the nurse left, Darcy folded her arms, gaze fixed on Rio. “You know her. Was she part of the casserole brigade?”
His lips curved.
“That’s what I thought.”
Trent’s eyes narrowed. “You and Grace were an item?”
“No. She and a bazillion other single women in town brought me and the rest of Durango meals to welcome us to Otter Creek in the summer.”
“Didn’t know people still did things like that.”
“Welcome to small town life. Come on. Let’s go to the waiting room so you don’t miss your ride.”
Not long after the operative left with Grace, Mason’s surgeon reported that his cousin was in recovery and doing well. “What’s his prognosis, doc?” Rio asked.
“Full recovery. You can see him now if you would like to visit with him. He’s still pretty groggy.”
Following his directions, Rio and Darcy found Mason. “Mase.”
His cousin stirred, raised his eyelids. “Hey.”
“Doc says you’re going to be fine.”
A slight nod. “Dad?”
“He’ll be here in an hour.”
Mason looked at Darcy. “You okay?”
She kissed his forehead. “I’m fine, thanks to you.”
“Good. Rio, take her home.”
“Once you’re settled in a room.”
“Dad will be here soon and Darcy’s tired.” He sighed, closed his eyes. “Don’t need you to watch me nap.”
He squeezed his cousin’s shoulder. “Get some rest. I’ll check on you tomorrow.” He held out his hand to Darcy. “Let’s go home, baby.”
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
On the drive home, Darcy’s energy level plummeted. All she wanted was to crawl in bed and yank the covers over her head. When Rio parked in her driveway, she forced herself to move. She didn’t want the medic to carry her into the house or take her back to the hospital, this time for the doctors to check on her.