“Felicity probably couldn’t hold them off any longer,” he said. They stared at each other for a second with the unspoken knowledge that if they didn’t take down Masked before the raid happened, their chance would be over.
Audrey looked up at the balloon controls. “We don’t even know where we’re going, but the wind patterns should get us in the vicinity. Hold down the burner while you watch this.” She tapped the screen on the device. “There’s a temperature warning. We want it hot fast but not too hot. It’s not indestructible material.”
“So no pressure.”
Within a minute they’d cleared all trees and were soaring. Audrey kept close tabs on the screen, giving him a thumbs-up once they’d reached 1200 feet. “I think we’ll continue to rise for a bit and then we should see—”
“There.” Lee pointed. A few miles past the first foothill, a rocky plateau stuck out from the top, devoid of all trees, and from what he could see, no roads leading to it.
“It’s like the foothill wanted to wear a top hat,” she commented.
He laughed. “I couldn’t have said it better.” The wind, amazingly, seemed to be leading them right to it. Whoever plotted their journey had studied the currents well.
“If you want this to happen, we should—”
“I’m not so sure I do anymore.” He met her gaze, surprised at his own words. “I’m not sure I want to risk it. It’s my fault you’re here at all, and nothing’s gone as planned. I’m responsible for your safety.” His throat tightened with emotion. “When I saw the way he kicked—” Rage surged through his veins and he glanced over his shoulder to make sure Joseph heard him. “You have no idea the amount of self-control it took not to repay him the favor.”
Audrey reached out and touched his shoulder. “They’ve seen my face, remember? It might have been Kendra, but it’s still my face. The whole Network has to go down. If not, I don’t get a choice about how I live my life or, maybe more important, who I get to spend that life with.” Her voice had turned husky, but Lee didn’t want to assume she was talking about him. She shrugged. “Kendra would still be a target if we abandoned the mission now. Freedom is always worth the fight. Right?”
Any other time he would’ve nodded, but his heart didn’t want to fight. He wanted to surrender. “I need you.”
Her eyes widened. “What? You need me? Need me to do what?”
He grunted in frustration and looked upward, searching for the right words to explain when he noticed how fast they were approaching a rocky outcropping at least twelve feet tall. He hollered and reached up for the handle and squeezed tight.
“Not too much!”
The balloon vaulted upward but the delay before movement cost them. The basket scraped against the side of the boulders. Audrey leaned over the side. “We’re okay. Took out a chunk but thankfully far away from the propane tanks. That came out from nowhere, am I right?”
The radio crackled but Lee didn’t take the time to pick up the radio. “Maybe it’s not too late to land this thing, and I can try to go alone.”
“You just said you needed me.”
“I didn’t mean like that.” He sucked in a sharp breath. “I care about you too much, Audrey to—”
Her eyes flashed with a fiery intensity. “And I care too much about you to try to do this alone. If you go up there without me they might kill you, and I’m not willing to risk that!” She held out her hand for the gloves. Without them, the heat from the close proximity of the flames would be too intense to be able to last long. “I’ll handle the burners. When I get low enough, you need to jump out and find something to secure us.”
He grabbed another zip tie and secured Joseph to an upright so he couldn’t try anything. As Audrey pumped the burners, Lee grabbed the opposite upright and pulled himself on top of the basket edge. As soon as they were three feet above he jumped, taking the tether rope with him. Audrey tugged on the maneuvering vent. They touched down as he ran the rope around the closest set of boulders he could find.
Several men were gathered next to three ATVs at the plateau’s opposite end, which looked to be a couple country blocks away. One guy in particular had his radio up to his face and threw his arms up as if in disbelief. Audrey flung the second tether rope over the edge, and Lee walked around to secure it to another set of boulders.
“They don’t look so happy.” Audrey perched on the edge of the basket and accepted his hand before jumping the rest of the way into Lee’s arms.
“I don’t think we landed according to plan.”
“I’m thankful we landed at all.”
He wanted to hold her there for a long time, but the sound of rotors turned his attention. A compact silver helicopter set lightly down next to the men. Lee grabbed her hand, faced the group and began walking.
“They have guns,” Audrey said, squinting. “Big ones.”
“And we have one,” he answered. “I think now would be a good time to pray.”
“Was that what you needed me to do?” she asked. “You can do it, too, you know.”
He gulped, unwilling to correct misunderstandings at the moment. But she was right about one thing. He could pray, and as two more guards stepped out of the helicopter armed with Uzi submachine guns strapped across their chests, now seemed like the best time to start.
* * *
Audrey clung to Lee’s hand as they walked forward. A man dressed in a tailored Italian suit, the hem barely reaching the top of his leather brown shoes, and a colorful paisley tie exited the helicopter. He didn’t crack a smile, and with the designer sunglasses, she couldn’t tell where he was looking. He didn’t so much as acknowledge the other men as he approached.
He held out a hand so soft he’d clearly never done manual labor or lab work, but Audrey returned the handshake firmly. Despite the dusty, day-old clothes meant for hiking, she needed to be Mrs. Kimmet. She pursed her lips together. “I’d say I was glad to finally meet you if not for the mind games clearly designed to make us feel inferior. I’d also introduce myself, but you already know who I am and I have no idea who you are.” Granted her words had a little more edge than intended, but she felt confident it was how a real lawyer who was used to luxury would act. “Sir,” she added with a bow of the head.
Lee squeezed her hand tighter and tugged her, so much so that she took a step back.
The man chuckled and pulled his sunglasses off. “I insist on meeting my clients face-to-face for this very reaction. Do you know the reaction of law enforcement if they get to this stage?”
Lee raised his eyebrows. “Has that ever happened?”
Audrey’s spine straightened. If it had, did the CEO make sure they were never found, or was Lee the first?
The man eyed Lee for a second before he shrugged. “Not yet. But that’s why the preventative procedures. If they did, I guarantee they wouldn’t be mad. They’d be submissive, ready to get the product and see my face in hopes of taking me down, which I can assure you will never happen because I always think five steps ahead. The people who get on my Network have money, power and influence and they aren’t afraid to use it. When I strip their control away—” He gestured toward Audrey.
“Your clients get angry.”
He chuckled again. “Well, not all of my clients have as dignified a background as yourself but yes.”
Audrey fought to keep her face impassive, but her heart was pumping fast. They didn’t have time for this chitchat if the raid was about to happen any minute. The men all had cell phones and given the Network’s working relationship with Octavia surely they would be—
“Let’s get a few things straight.” The man took a briefcase from one of the Uzi-clad men. “The phones are in here. As soon as your money transfers, I activate these and the ones you’ve already been given. If you need more phones, I have a different process for you to follow.”
Audrey blew out a
n exasperated sigh. He needed to hurry up and stop talking already.
“Tell me where to transfer the money.” Lee pulled out his phone and as the numbers were relayed, Lee held the phone close to his face, mumbling, “Forgot my reading glasses.” Audrey might’ve imagined it, but she thought Lee had just snapped a photograph of the guy. She fought against showing any reaction on her face and instead raised an eyebrow and smiled.
A second later the CEO’s phone vibrated. As if in slow motion, the entire briefcase vibrated. “Welcome to the Network.”
The guard handed Lee the briefcase and turned back to the helicopter. They boarded and took off within thirty seconds. Why couldn’t the meeting have been that brief?
“Gentlemen.” Lee nodded at the ATVs and turned to walk back to the balloon.
“Sir, we can take you back to the Aislado Club.” One of the men waved at the far right ATV.
Audrey felt her eyes widen but tried to remain calm as they turned back to face the men. They couldn’t return to the club with them. The last thing she wanted was to be with a group of armed men when they found out they were wanted for arrest, or worse, tried to resist arrest.
In fact, as soon as the raid happened, the CEO would definitely hear about it, and probably tell the men to kill them. They were surrounded by cliffs on the rocky plateau so it wasn’t as if they could make a run for it. They had no choice. They needed to get back in the balloon. She scrunched her nose at the luxury model ATV. “In that? I’m guessing we’d be in for a bumpy ride.”
“Exactly what I was thinking,” Lee added. “We’re going to sort things out with the balloon operator. If he can take us down gently, we’ll arrange for a proper car—”
The men exchanged glances and one shrugged. “Yes, sir.”
Audrey and Lee walked away, a casual stride. He held her hand with his right and carried the briefcase with his left. “We did it,” Lee said out of the side of his mouth. “This is almost over. We just need to get in the air and let Kendra take down these guys so we can land somewhere safely.”
Buzzing sounded behind him as not one, not two, but at least six phones started ringing at various intervals.
“Walk faster,” Lee insisted. His strides grew deeper while Audrey attempted to keep up by taking faster, shorter steps. She’d be able to go faster, though, if she had both arms free to pump in rhythm. “We just need a few minutes’ head start, and we’ll be home free.”
“Wait up,” a man’s voice called.
Lee turned as if to acquiesce but instead his arms went underneath her legs and head as he took off at a run. The briefcase handle pressed into her leg as he continued to hold the handle, too. Audrey reached her arms around his neck.
The men hollered behind her. “Stop!”
“Do we have the okay to shoot them?”
Lee kept running. Feet could be heard behind them. ATV motors started. Lee’s pace increased. “Great. There’s no place to hide except a fragile balloon.”
“He says shoot,” one of the men hollered.
Lee dumped her feet first in the basket. “Get it going!” He ran to untie the first rope. Audrey fumbled with the leather gloves when the first shot rang out. The propane tanks! If it hit them the entire thing would go off.
She glanced at the wide-eyed Joseph, but didn’t have time to say anything. Lee returned a shot, and without any place to take cover, three of the men dove to the ground. Audrey jumped up and pressed the handle of the burner, holding it until the temp gauge ran dangerously close to the orange and red. Lee ran around the other side and untied the second tether as the balloon began to lift.
She felt the breeze, much stronger than when they’d left in the morning. Perhaps it wasn’t safe to still be flying in these conditions. Lee took another shot as the men had begun to rally. One of the ATVs must have decided it was worth the risk as it barreled straight at them. Lee untied the last rope and gave the basket a shove to give it a head start off the plateau edge.
“Lee!” She couldn’t leave him there to be killed. She let go of the burner and reached for him as the balloon soared up and away. “Lee!”
She turned to look over the edge, but only the men and the ATVs remained on the plateau.
“Here,” he grunted. She ran to the other side of the basket, only then realizing it was a bad idea to shake it. Lee had one arm around the rope while one foot and one hand were on the outer footholds.
A shot rang out and she ducked, instinctively looking up to see if it had hit the balloon.
“Don’t worry about me. Get us far away!”
Audrey grabbed the maneuvering vent and pulled, and they dipped down just past another outcropping. Lee’s fingers appeared at the edge. She grabbed his hand and flinging her weight back, pulled him up and over until he collapsed in the basket. He didn’t rest, though. He scrambled to his feet and aimed and fired at a man about to take aim with a rifle.
The wind blew the basket slightly off-kilter and Audrey knew the time for easy flying had passed. “We need to land this thing soon.”
“Not yet, we aren’t.” Lee took another shot at a would-be shooter.
The wind gusted again. “Hang on.” The wind pressed in one side of the balloon, winging the basket wildly. Lee fell back, and Audrey, holding on tight to the handle, grabbed his arm. The moment the gust was over, she pressed the burners and they soared out of the valley and high into the sky.
“I think we’re out of reach from their gunfire.” Audrey pulled the scarf off Joseph’s mouth. “You know the least you could do after trying to kill me this whole time is save yourself by helping us land.” But the man remained silent.
Lee grabbed his phone and tapped a long message. “I’m telling Kendra to get us some backup and meet us. They’ve already had cars waiting to take down the guys in ATVs once they get down to that waiting SUV. She’s tracking our location and—” He looked up and beamed—“tracking the elusive CEO. I sent her his photo with the helicopter in the background.”
“I wondered if you managed to.”
“Think we can find a safe landing spot?”
The terrain changed from deserted foothills to roads, trees and houses. People below honked and held arms out of windows as if cheering for their victory. Audrey knew it was the natural reaction to seeing a hot air balloon, but still.
“If we can just get past this populated area.” The device beeped again, but this time it wasn’t about temperature or speed. “Lee, our fuel.” She watched in horror as the fuel gauge number flashed. She spun to Joseph. “Do you really want to risk your death, too?”
Joseph’s eyes flicked to the deflate rope. That was all Audrey needed to give her an idea. She grabbed the rope for the maneuver vent and yanked.
“What are you doing?”
“Taking us down.”
“On houses?”
“Obviously, I’m going to try to avoid that and power lines, but we need to get closer to the ground while we can still control our speed.”
The numbers descended as she blasted a few control burns to keep their descent steady. A long, grating beep sounded followed by a big fat zero. She closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath.
“You don’t even need to say it,” Lee said. “I’m praying.” He grabbed her waist. “You’ve done all you can. Let’s hold on and try to get to ground.”
Her heart soared as she spun to him. “Remember how we bounced on the tops of the trees?” She pointed at a backyard three hundred feet ahead. “I think it’s our best chance. When I say the word, I need you to pull that deflate cord as hard as you can.”
His eyes widened. “Are you sure?”
She tugged on the vent and they hit the top of the trees. They bounced up and then hit another top. “I’m sure.” She leaned forward as much as she was willing. The bouncing continued. “Three...two...now!”
He tugged
as she also pulled on the vent lever and reached for an upright to cling to. They dropped hard, right on top of a large hedge, and bounced to the side, tipping onto someone’s yard. She fell against Lee and his rich laughter reached his ears. “You did it,” he said.
“We did it,” she corrected. Sirens reached their ears as they both helped Joseph to standing. Lee used a tool to unclip the zip ties from his legs and led him through the backyard gate to the street where an unmarked SUV pulled up. Two FBI agents stepped out of the vehicle and took Joseph from them and began reading him his rights.
“Agent Benson, your partner is only a mile behind us. She says she’ll escort you back to bureau offices.”
“Thank you. Don’t feel you need to wait.” As they pulled away, Lee wrapped an arm around Audrey’s shoulder and pulled her to him. “I hope you don’t mind. I just wanted a moment alone with you before everything gets crazy again.” He exhaled. “You have no idea how relieved I am that we’re on solid ground.” He lifted his eyes upward. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if you’d been hurt—”
It reminded her of when he said how much he cared about her. The way he said it kept repeating in her mind over and over in a loop. How was she ever going to say goodbye to him when she...when she... “I love you,” she said, the words slipping from her mouth.
Lee looked conflicted as his hand caressed her neck. “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.”
She laughed. “But you didn’t.”
“I was trying. I told you I needed you. I’ve never said that to anyone.”
“Lee Benson, I appreciate it, but that is not the same thing.” She smiled, thrilled to be able to say his real name.
He pulled her closer and bent his head down. “Please let me remedy that.” He tilted his head and pressed his lips against hers. “I love you, Audrey.”
EPILOGUE
Four Months Later
Undercover Twin Page 17