Midnight Escape (Agents of HIS Romantic Suspense Series Book 2)

by Sheila Kell

  Finally, they landed and hoofed it double time through the woods. As they were within minutes of the cabin, Danny couldn’t believe what he saw through his night-vision goggles.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Son of a bitch. Moira fumed at her circumstance. Her hands and feet were bound with zip ties while she sat in a chair. At least they hadn’t tied her to the chair. With her hands tied in front, she almost wanted to cheer for that little slip from her captor. Bracing herself the little that she could, she fell over sideways, knocking the breath out of her.

  She could not believe her brother. How could he give her to a kidnapper? They didn’t even produce Diana. The man who’d met them took Declan with him after tying her up. Was Declan even alive?

  She pulled herself in the near fetal position, ignoring that idea, and untied a shoe.

  On one hand, she could understand her brother’s move. He loved Diana and he loved her. Yet he had to give up one to save the other. She imagined his innocent unborn child made the difference. On the other hand, she was his sister. His flesh and blood. And he just left her to be tortured and possibly murdered. Since it became clear to her that Danny wasn’t involved, she could only hope Declan called him for help. The people he worked with had protected her once. Surely, they’d help her now.

  Tightening the shoestring between her knees and teeth, she began to saw at the restraints on her wrist. She had no idea if this actually worked, but her brother had talked about it once. She continued the movements, hoping she’d be successful.

  All she knew was Quinn ordered the whole thing—holding Diana and threatening Declan to get Moira away from her bodyguards. For all she knew, Boyle may not even be coming. Quinn was bigger than she imagined. In her eavesdropping, she’d heard Danny and Justin say something about a bigger player.

  Moira had a hard time accepting Quinn had threatened her family. She believed her brother, but it was all so wrong. They’d been friends for years. But for Quinn to be a bigger player? She couldn’t fathom that. Of course, nothing else would surprise her at this point.

  And why her? She didn’t know Boyle, yet he was intertwined somehow. If only her brother had said something before they arrived, they could’ve figured things out that didn’t involve her getting tied up.

  It still came back to why her? Her only time to see Boyle was…. Her pulse jumped as it hit her. The recording. The one she allowed her curiosity to tape. That recording had already been turned over to the authorities. She thought back to when Justin had amplified the voices and played it for her. There’d been the minister, someone she’d later learned was Boyle, then a third—

  Her breath caught. Shit. Shit. Shit. She was in serious trouble. Quinn had been the third voice. How had she not recognized it? She could only guess that she’d never have expected him to be a participant in that meeting, so his voice wouldn’t have stood out. Worse, Quinn had sounded like the boss.

  If he knew she’d made the recording, he most likely knew she’d turned it over to the authorities. Her heart pounded. This could be about revenge. Maybe her mind had gone melodramatic, but what else could it be? Based on her being tied up, she didn’t expect a friendly chat.

  She continued sawing at the restraints. Her pulse raced. The shoestring actually worked, but it took a long time. She had to leave before Quinn arrived. She’d never seen him as a killer, but she had to expect that could be his endgame. If he’d become this big boss Danny has spoken of, he’d most likely done many terrible things. She shuddered at the thought. She was in an isolated location where her only hope was for her brother to get help. Her heart caught in her throat. If Quinn wanted her isolated, he’d never allow Declan time to call for help. It’d defeat the entire purpose of the location. He’d also been alone with Diana, threatening her life. Suddenly she was very afraid of him.

  “You can do this,” she assured herself. Hearing it made a big difference and she’d say it over and over again, as if it would help.

  With Quinn and the whole tied up thing to deal with, she pushed the thoughts of what her brother had done aside. Oh, he told her Quinn had promised he wouldn’t hurt her. He only wanted to talk with her. Maybe that made him feel better, until the jerk had tied her. Declan had gone a bit ballistic at that. She couldn’t think of that right now. She’d sort it all out later.

  Her heart leapt. Success. She’d broken through the wrist restraints. It took a few moments of shaking her hands to regain the blood flow. Once done, she went to task on the ankle restraints. That process went faster as she had the strength of both hands in the sawing motion.

  While the feeling returned to her feet, she laced her shoe, then checked her watch. With a rapidly beating pulse, she nodded. “A midnight escape then.” As she stood, that second of bravado left. Fear clawed at her with adrenaline rushing through her veins. She needed a way out. She’d heard a deadbolt on the front door being locked, but she frantically checked it anyway.

  Her luck didn’t hold out. It needed a key. She pushed on the door anyway, just in case, but was disappointed.

  Not dwelling on that setback, she went to the first window she could find and unlocked it. It didn’t budge. She tried the other three and had no luck. Not to be deterred, she frantically looked around the cabin for something to break one of these blasted windows. Her only option was furniture. The chair it was.

  She hefted the kitchen table chair she’d been sitting on and brought it to the window. It was awkward, and she had to set it down and resettle her grip to get the chair leg up high enough. Once there, she hit the window hard. To her utter dismay, it only cracked. So, she hit it again and again until, on the third try, it broke, and large pieces of glass slipped down the wall, shattering as they hit the floor.

  It took more work and the muscles in her arms were burning, but she had to get all of the glass out of the window. She didn’t relish a cut deep enough for stitches, and she couldn’t get to a hospital before she bled to death.

  Her adrenaline screamed, but she knew her time was limited, so she decided she’d made it safe enough. She took off her sandal and used it to wipe the glass from the frame to spare her hands from being shredded.

  The window wasn’t large, so she either had to go head or leg first. Not far from the ground, she went leg first. Not that she would have chosen headfirst if it had been higher off the ground. Legs first was the smart choice.

  Then she halted and her heart throbbed in her chest. This was too easy. Maybe he wanted her to escape just to catch her again and pay her back by torturing her in some way. She had to mentally flip a coin—heads, it was safe and tails, danger awaited. She almost laughed. Danger awaited either way because, at some point, Quinn would be coming. With that thought, she decided to screw the coin and take a chance.

  So, out the window she went, and she fell back on her rear when she landed. She didn’t have time to soothe her wounded pride at such an ungraceful landing. She had to get moving.

  Panic hit her once she realized she had no idea where she was or how to find help. It made sense to follow the road at the end of the driveway. Glancing back and forth, she had no idea which way to use as her escape.

  Moira could end up going in the wrong direction. One way remained open field while the other started with open field that turned to woods. The perfect place for her to hide if someone like Quinn drove that way. She wished Danny was here.

  She legged it across the open field, dreading going into the woods, even though she knew it was a smart idea. Almost to the cover, the beam of a car’s headlights broke through the darkness. Her heart leapt in fright. Quinn. Who else would be coming to this place at midnight? She picked up the speed to a run over the uneven field. She stumbled but caught herself and kept going.

  The car came into view as she slipped into cover. Frantic to escape, she plunged in the near darkness, forgetting the need to continue following the road. It briefly occurred to her s
he could get lost, but needing to get away overrode common sense.

  Bushes scratched her legs where her capris didn’t cover them as she moved through the woods. When she heard her name yelled, she stopped for a moment, fear freezing her limbs. She couldn’t see behind her, but she’d bet Quinn was there. Every now and then, Quinn yelled her name, and she could swear it was closer.

  Now she rushed, unseen limbs swatting her in the head. She tripped over a bush and fell, her hands catching her before she smacked her face on the ground. When she stood, she moved forward again, and ran into something solid.

  She opened her mouth to scream, but a hand covered it, and she was spun around and pulled up against a body. Her mind screamed, He was waiting.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Danny had purposefully put himself in Moira’s path. He hadn’t accounted for her not being able to see him. Since he doubted she’d been released, it appeared she’d freed herself. He had no idea how, but pride for her swam through his system. Traveling here, his fear of being too late had reached a level he almost thought unmanageable. Now, he held her safe in his arms. His heart swelled with love. In an effort to remove her panic, he leaned down and whispered in her ear, “I’m here. Don’t cry out.”

  Her body relaxed against him, and he took that to mean she trusted him. Well, rescued more than she’d already accomplished. He and the agents had planned an all-out assault on the cabin to free her. With photos to study, their new sniper was ready to take out Quinn if needed to save Moira.

  She nodded. When he removed his hand, it was wet from her tears. That hurt or fear from her nearly broke his heart.

  Tears burned the edge of his eyelids, so grateful that he’d found her safe and unharmed. Or she appeared unharmed. He’d kill the bastard Quinn if he’d injured her.

  He should release her, but she felt so good in his arms that he couldn’t bring himself to do so. He hadn’t been there to protect her, but he could hold her while she needed the connection. He loved this woman and would hold her whenever she wished. He’d be there to chase her demons away. First, they had to catch this demon. Yet, he wouldn’t release her a moment before he absolutely had to do so.

  Boss came close and leaned in. “Tell us what you can,” he whispered. “Quietly.”

  When she didn’t pull away but appeared to sway toward Danny, he decided to keep holding her. Like the need to breathe, Danny had to touch her. Had to feel she was safe.

  “Quinn is chasing me.”

  “Only him?” Boss asked.

  She nodded, but he doubted Boss could see since he’d lifted his NVGs. But the going bet was Boss was superhuman.

  “Wait,” she said, “there was a guy earlier. He left with Declan, but I only heard Quinn calling for me.”

  “Okay. Danny’s going to take you to safety.”

  Danny bristled. He wanted a piece of Quinn, yet he didn’t want to leave Moira. During the flight, all the ways he’d make the man pay had worked through his mind. Now, he was left with only one focus. Moira. His heart swelled. She was more important than chasing Quinn. The team would take care of him. So he followed his boss’s orders and leaned down to Moira while the twins moved forward, followed by Cowboy and Doc.

  “Let’s go. I want you to hold my hand and follow in my footsteps.” Luckily, he had night vision gear, but she didn’t. He hoped she could follow him safely. “Until we hear different, we’re still moving through the woods.” Meaning Quinn had been captured and everyone was assured no other threat existed. “Are you okay to travel?” He should’ve asked that first. But she’d made it this far, and something told him she’d make it to safety. His little artist made him proud. She was now an escape artist, finding her way out of whatever situation confined her.

  She nodded again.

  He wanted to tell her he loved her, but since it’d be the first time she heard it, now didn’t seem the right time. “Let’s go.” He finally let go of her but immediately took her hand.

  They eventually left the woods for the road; it took longer to return to the bird since the pace had been adjusted for Moira. What would she say once she found out about the trackers? He grew more apprehensive about telling her. He had no idea how she’d react. They had saved her. Well, she might’ve made it to civilization on her own. She was at least headed in the right direction. But the team wouldn’t have been there to clean up the scene by taking Quinn into custody. Still, he had to tell her. Like a chicken, now was not the time.

  At the bird, Boss took up a protective position but informed Danny to see to Moira. Here they could use a light, and he cringed when he saw the lower half of her calves. They were a bloody mess. At first, he wanted to rail at the man she’d told him had tied her up, but he realized it was from her trek through the woods. With that knowledge, he felt partly responsible for some of the wounds.

  Quietly, she cried, and her breathing became difficult. Danny didn’t acknowledge the tears as he figured she needed the time to decompress. It hurt him, though. He listened to her breathing in case she had an attack.

  She worked hard to keep silent, but the sniffing of a stuffed-up nose gave her away. He didn’t look up but offered a tissue pack and her inhaler from his kit, thankful he’d snatched an inhaler his home before heading to HQ.

  After she blew her nose and took a puff from her inhaler, she informed him, “Declan told me you and Justin were just keeping me safe until Boyle could slip into the country.”

  How she planned to treat Declan after this deceit, he didn’t know. Being the recipient of his actions would be a heavy weight to carry, for anyone. Even more so since the siblings were close. Danny finally looked up to her bright eyes cast in the shadows of the flashlight positioned by her legs. “And do you still believe it?”

  She shook her head. “I’m not sure I truly believed it then. I just couldn’t take the chance since Boyle was on his way.” She straightened like a thought just occurred to her. “Boyle. Has he been captured?”

  Danny gently reached up and touched her thigh to calm down the near hysteria that accompanied her last statement. “Calm down. He’s in custody. All the stuff Justin provided will help keep him there.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  Danny smiled. He could forgive her anything. It burned that she hadn’t trusted him—well, maybe she still trusted him—but she was put in an unusual situation where she trusted the wrong person. “It’s okay.”

  Then he noticed her lips tremble and a tear leak down her cheek. “He traded me.”

  He stilled one hand hovering over her calf with an antiseptic wipe. “I’m sure he hates that he had to.”

  “But he didn’t have to. He could’ve chosen to save me.”

  Unable to imagine the war going on inside her, he remained quiet and went back to tending to her wounds.

  “That’s wrong and selfish of me,” she said.

  He looked up and gave her a small smile. “To me it sounds about right.”

  “Have you heard from him? Did he call you and tell you about me?”

  There was so much hope in her voice that he didn’t want to disappoint her. “Diana freed herself first and called us. We’ve since learned your brother overcame his captor and made it safely back to Boston.”

  Before they could chat more, the team arrived in a car he guessed was Quinn’s, since no other had been in the area. Of course, with the twins, he was learning to expect the unexpected. The team itself was a resourceful lot. Quinn seemed to be talking nonstop. When the agents and Quinn got close, Danny heard “You have no right to hold me. I’ve come to rescue Moira and take her back to Ireland.”

  “The authorities might disagree with whether we can detain you,” Doc said. “They’ll hold you for kidnapping, first of all. But give us time. We’ll figure out more.”

  It was time to get home. The team would—if they hadn’t already—find out if Quinn had a p
artner. The last thing they needed was to accept things were done when they weren’t. Danny needed Moira safe and able to make her own decisions, without danger hanging over her head. Danny wanted her like she was when she first arrived before they stifled her freedom.

  As the rotor blades began to turn, Danny heard Cowboy. “Moira, you’re the first hot chick to hitch a ride with us.”

  Danny closed his eyes. Cowboy was enjoying playing Russian roulette too much. Before Danny could open his eyes, he heard what he’d expected.

  “Man down,” several agents said with laughter in their voices.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  They couldn’t get their clothes off fast enough. Moira was so happy AJ had released her and Danny, while the others dealt with the authorities. Tomorrow, she’d have to talk with someone, but tonight, she wanted Danny. It was technically tomorrow already, but that wouldn’t stop them. She wanted his arms around her and his cock inside her.

  Her nerves were still wired from the events of the night. Thank goodness Danny and his team had shown up. She’d been having trouble navigating and hadn’t had a big enough head start. Her fright had nearly weighed her down. But she’d been lucky with her hands being tied in front, shoes with laces, and her capturer underestimating her. She might not be a karate-chopping heroine, but she could hold her own. Especially when her life was on the line.

  Quinn swore he only wanted to talk. If that had been the case, he could’ve stopped by Danny’s, not threatened Diana’s life.

  She dropped her capris and stepped out of them. They’d almost made it to the stairs and she had already lost her shirt and pants. Well, and shoes, since she’d never have gotten her capris off. Danny was down to his underwear, and he was dropping them now.