“You okay?” Christopher asked.
“No, I’m not okay. They took Ella! Where the hell are you anyway? I thought Gator said you were on your way over to his place.”
“Change of plans,” Christopher said smoothly. “Lexi and I set up shop in a parking lot on the way there. She’s pulling surveillance from Ella’s apartment complex as we speak, and I’m just about into the system of the pawn shop. Probably a front for a whole bunch of illegal doings.”
Brent grunted in affirmation. Those two could probably take down an entire country if they wanted. Hack into satellite imagery, bank records, Top Secret government data. But at the moment? He just needed info on those assholes from the pawn shop. The pricks who had taken Ella. His gut clenched as he remembered Frank’s words.
“I owed them money on a gambling debt, and they took Ella as a payment.”
Failing to find Ella was not a fucking option.
“All right. I’ve got their IP addresses. They have a weak firewall,” Christopher chuckled. “A kid could hack into their records. Take over the whole damn business.”
“Less talking, more doing,” Brent snapped.
“Easy asshole. I’m already in.”
Brent heard Christopher typing over the phone and clenched his jaw. Every second wasted they could be taking Ella further and further away from him. Hell. He hadn’t even told her yet how he felt about her, and now she was gone.
Just like his sister.
“All right,” Christopher said. “Here we go. Names. Bank Records. Employee info. I’m texting you two address now. Guessing it’s the home addresses of the two head honchos. Hopefully those are the guys you spotted earlier. Find them, find Ella.”
“Fucking perfect,” Brent muttered. He glanced down as two addresses flashed across the screen on his phone.
“Looks like they’re on opposite sides of town. You need any help?” Christopher asked. “Cops? Matthew’s military buddies down in Pensacola? He knows some dudes stationed there.”
“Nope. I’m doing this alone.”
“Roger that. Lexi and I are here on standby. Call me with whatever new info you need. Or if you need backup.”
“Affirmative. Over and out,” he said, disconnecting the call. Jesus Christ. He was down in Florida, not on a fucking op. That sure as shit didn’t stop the adrenaline racing through his veins. He scanned the empty lot, compartmentalizing his anger. He drew a deep breath, letting the air fill his lungs, and focused his attention on the task. Tucking his Glock back into the waistband of his pants, he jogged toward his rental car, his years of training kicking into gear. His senses on high alert.
He’d show up to the first address. Conduct surveillance on the perimeter. Hope like hell they didn’t have more firepower than him. And then he’d storm the damn place, searching for Ella. Shooting first and asking questions later.
Plan B was calling in Matthew’s buddies in Pensacola. Seeing if they would do some work off the books. But he wasn’t betting on that option. He could handle those idiots who’d nabbed her with no problem. Take them out in a second.
But Ella?
Alone and defenseless against two huge, angry men?
He didn’t know if she had a fucking chance.
Chapter 14
Ella awoke to the sound of a doorknob rattling. Gasping, she sat up, her heart racing. Shadows surrounded her. The rough fabric against her legs was unfamiliar. Her heart beat wildly in her chest as memories of the night before came rushing back. Two massive men pushing their way into her apartment. Claiming she was theirs for the night. Carrying her toward her bed. Then the world faded to blackness.
Boom! Boom!
She was jarred out of her memories as she looked in the direction of the door. They were coming for her. Kicking on the door. It couldn’t be that hard for a grown man to break down. The guys who’d taken her were huge. Why was she locked in here?
Get out. Get out now.
Instinctively, she knew she had to leave. Run. Hide. But where was she to go when she was locked in a stranger’s bedroom? When someone was about to burst through the door? Shaking, she crawled across the covers. Stumbled to the floor. Lurched through the semi-darkness. Moonlight streamed in through the lone window, but escape couldn’t be that easy, could it?
She cursed silently as she banged her shin on the bed frame. That would leave an angry bruise, but she had to go.
Now.
“I’m done fucking waiting!” a male voice shouted, pounding on the door. “Give me the damn key!”
“Wait your turn!” a second voice said. “I’m the one who grabbed her.”
“Why’d you put a fucking deadbolt on this door anyway, jackass?”
“To keep a person inside,” the other voice hissed. “Why else would I need it?”
She pushed the curtains aside, looking out into the darkness. They couldn’t be dumb enough to leave an unlocked window in here, could they? Glancing down at the ground outside, she guessed she was on the second level of a home. There were shrubs down below, and if she had to, she’d jump. Break a leg. Suffer some bumps and abrasions. Anything to get the hell out of here. Holding her breath, she shoved at the window.
It didn’t budge.
She pushed up again.
“Shit, shit, shit!” she quietly cursed.
Her panicked hands finally slid to the lock as her heart pounded, and amazingly enough, it turned open.
She shoved upwards again, pushing the window with all of her strength. The screen went up next as someone kicked at the bedroom door. Thanking the Lord she was small enough to easily fit through the frame, she ducked through, hanging from both hands from the windowsill before dropping to the ground.
Leaves and twigs scratched against her legs as she landed feet first in the bushes. The rustling was so loud she was certain someone would come rushing out the front door looking for her. She pushed through the thick shrubs, finally stumbling onto the ground. She’d never been so happy to smell the scent of grass before. She stood up, listing slightly to the left before regaining her balance. The world spun around her, and she bent over. Took a deep breath.
A loud crash came from the inside of the house as the door was finally kicked open, and she took off running, not knowing where she was and not even caring.
Away.
She had to get away.
Angry male voices shouted, and she ran quicker, out onto the street. Should she go to a neighbor’s house for help? Try to make it back to a main road? She didn’t even know where she was. Anywhere was better than being locked in that bedroom. Anywhere.
Headlights suddenly lit up the street as a car turned the corner, and she froze. Someone jumped out, slamming the door, and she heard footsteps running. Voices shouted from behind her. She panicked, looking around. The entire street was full of homes, but at the moment they each seemed so far away. She was out in the open. Helpless. But they couldn’t catch her again.
“Is that her?” a voice shouted.
“No, that’s a man!” came the reply. “Where the hell is she?”
Ella sprinted toward a house across the street, veering towards the backyard. There were more voices shouting in the background and what sounded like a scuffle on the street, and she ran faster, stumbling in the darkness. The silence of the night suddenly was pierced by two gunshots, and she dove behind some trashcans lined up alongside one house.
For a moment, there was nothing but silence.
Lights came on in the surrounding houses. Doors opened. Sirens sounded in the distance. Voices. Shouts. Calls for help.
Ella wrapped her arms around her legs as she sat on the ground, shaking. Buried her face into her arms. Closed her eyes. Sobbed.
An eternity passed, and finally a flashlight beam shone in her face. Blinking, she looked up as tears streamed down her cheeks. The light shifted out of her eyes, and her gaze focused on a policeman.
“We need an ambulance,” he said quietly into his radio.
He reac
hed out to her, but she couldn’t make sense of what he was saying. Her vision blurred.
The world once again faded to complete blackness.
***
“Ella. Ella, sweetheart, can you hear me?” Brent asked, frowning.
Brent lightly caressed Ella’s forehead as she lay asleep in the hospital bed. Her dark hair was tangled and stood out in contrast against the white sheets. Was matted against her clammy, pale skin. The thin sheets covered her slender frame, slightly concealing her from his view. Making her look even more fragile and weak. He grabbed the hospital blanket at the bottom of the bed and pulled it up, covering her. Letting his hands linger as he tucked it around her.
She was here. Breathing. Uninjured aside from some small scratches. Alive.
He’d had to flash his military credentials and sweet-talk the nurses in order to stay with her, but they’d have to bring an army in to drag him away.
Fucking hell.
Ella looked so pale and weak lying there in the hospital bed. When he’d sped toward the first address that Christopher had texted him, he’d expected to go charging in. Break in through a window or tear off the door. Shoot out the tires of any cars in the driveway so the thugs couldn’t get away. Couldn’t take Ella from him again. He’d thought he was hallucinating when he’d spotted her standing in the middle of the street as he’d pulled around the corner. She’d been frightened. Shaking in fear. And then she’d taken off running.
He blew out a breath as his phone buzzed.
Brianna’s asking for another update.
Brent resisted the urge to grin. Matthew had texted him five times in the past hour demanding updates for Brianna. He was glad Ella had someone worried about her. That Brianna had wanted to fly down here to help her and get her to quit her job. But holy fuck. He never imagined the kind of trouble Ella might inadvertently be caught up in. Who knew working in the cocktail lounge would be the very least of her problems?
Jesus Christ. The things those men could’ve done to her.
He still wanted to beat the shit out of her manager for dragging her into his office. Forcing her to submit to his demands. For taking those bastards to her apartment complex. His gut churned just thinking about everything she’d been through in the past day.
A police officer poked his head in the room, and Brent glanced up. The officer flipped through his notepad, scanning his notes. “Looks like I’ve gotten all of your statement. I’ll be sure to include everything you detailed in the police report. You can contact the Pensacola PD if you need a copy. When she’s feeling up to it, I’ll come by and take her statement as well. You’ve got my card, so give me a call. I’ll be in touch if I need any further information.”
“Will do.”
“You know I have to tell you that was foolish to go after your girlfriend on your own like that. Next time there’s an emergency, call 911.”
“Noted,” Brent said, not taking his eyes off Ella.
“Of course, I would’ve done the same damn thing if that was my girl. I’m a former Marine.”
“Hoorah,” Brent said, nodding at him. Their eyes briefly met, and then the officer flipped his notepad shut, tucking it into his pocket.
“Hoorah,” he replied.
Brent’s gaze flicked back over to the machines monitoring Ella as the officer left. The constant beep beep beep was somewhat unnerving to listen to, but if it meant she was okay, then it was as beautiful as a goddamn symphony. She needed to rest. The question was, how much would she remember?
“Brent?” she asked weakly.
His eyes flew to her face. His hand to her cheek. She was staring at him, wide-eyed. “How are you feeling?” he asked.
Her eyelashes fluttered. “Tired. Really tired.” Tears filled her eyes as he gazed down at her, and his heart ached.
“Just rest,” he said in a low voice. Hell, he wasn’t cut out to be soothing. To nurse someone back to health. He felt like a bull in a china shop just standing here. Like anything he touched might break. But he’d do whatever it took to make sure she was okay. To let her know that she wasn’t alone.
“Somebody’s awake,” a cheery voice trilled as a young nurse walked into the room. “How are you feeling?”
“Okay. Just tired.”
“You’ve been through quite a lot. We’re going to keep you overnight for observation, get you hydrated again, but other than that, you should be okay to leave in the morning. You were really lucky you didn’t have more injuries after jumping out the second story window. And really lucky to get away. The police want to come by later on to get a statement from you, but I’ll try to hold them off for now. Let you recover.”
Ella nodded, her lower lip trembling.
“Your boyfriend here’s quite the charmer,” the nurse continued, checking the IV. Brilliant blue eyes flashed toward Brent, and he shrugged, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “He talked me into letting him stay all night. We have visiting hours, but I’ll let it slide. Let me just check your vitals, and then I’ll let you rest some more.”
Brent relaxed in the chair as the nurse finished working. She took Ella’s temperature and blood pressure, checked the readings on the machines she was hooked up to, and a moment later, they were finally alone.
“What happened?” Ella asked, turning her head toward him.
He rose and walked over to her side, taking her hand. It looked so fragile in his much larger one, but he just didn’t know how else to comfort her when she looked so weak, lying in a hospital bed.
“Are you okay?”
Ella stared at him, the expression on her face unreadable. “Are you okay?” he repeated. God. They’d said she didn’t have other injuries. Hadn’t been sexually assaulted. But he needed to hear from her that she was truly all right.
“Brent.”
“I’m right here, sweetheart.”
“Tell me what happened.”
He blew out a sigh. “I tracked down the guys who kidnapped you. Turned out they had done some business dealings with Frank, and he owed them thousands of dollars. Plus he’d made some gambling wagers he couldn’t pay. I guess he was hoping to settle up with them that way. They kidnapped you as some sort of payment from Frank. Sick fucks,” he muttered.
“I was so scared,” Ella whispered, a single tear rolling down her cheek. “They forced their way into my apartment, and they drugged me or something. They put a cloth over my face, and I passed out. I couldn’t even remember what happened when I first woke up.”
“You got away,” Brent said incredulously. “Hell, I was coming to find you, to rescue you, and you got away.”
Ella nodded. “They locked me into a bedroom, but there was a window there. I don’t know how long I was out, but for some reason they were leaving me alone until I woke up. And then they couldn’t find the key to the door or something. I heard them arguing in the hallway.”
“How’d you get out the window?”
“I opened it. Undid the lock. I can’t believe they’d lock the bedroom door, but I could just open the damn window and jump out. I ran as fast as I could and didn’t look back.”
“Those assholes need to be beaten to a pulp. But you kept your wits about you. Jesus. When I got back to your apartment and you were gone. When I saw Frank—” Brent’s voice cut off. Suddenly Ella was the one lightly caressing his hand, comforting him.
Hell. She was lying in a goddamn hospital bed, and she was making sure he was okay. He clenched his jaw, willing himself to remain in control. To not sweep her into his arms when she was so weak and needed her rest, to not charge out of there and go all vigilante on those bastards. They were in jail now, but wouldn’t he love five minutes alone with them.
“I knew you’d find me,” Ella said sleepily, her eyelids starting to droop.
Brent steeled himself. Took a deep breath. Here he felt like he was about to fall apart, and she was the one who’d been drugged. Kidnapped. Who looked like she’d barely eaten in days.
“I’ll al
ways find you, sweetheart.”
“I don’t have anyone else. My parents—I don’t have any siblings. I’m all alone.”
“No. Not alone. You have me.”
Ella’s eyes slid shut, and Brent bent over, brushing a kiss over her forehead. Hell. He had his brother. His mom. The guys on his SEAL team. The thought of losing her had been unbearable though. He needed someone who saw through his bullshit, called it like it was. Gave him a sense of peace he never felt around anyone else. Add that to the fact that she made him hard just by being in the same room as him? Damn near perfection.
Chapter 15
Ella blinked at the bright light coming in the window of her hospital room. Squeezing her eyes shut, she relaxed back into a state of near-sleep. Another second and she’d be out again. There was a quiet beep beep beep in the background. Some rustling in the hallway. A sheet and light blanket over the gigantic hospital gown she was wearing. An IV in her arm. But she was safe. That was all that mattered. She didn’t need to worry about anything right now.
“Good morning!” a female voice called out what felt like mere seconds later. Footsteps resounded in the room, and she sensed a person standing over her.
Ella suddenly jerked awake, looking up at the brunette nurse with a stethoscope around her neck.
“How are you feeling?” she asked, checking the readings on the monitor beside Ella. She looked back at Ella, waiting on a response.
“Groggy. Tired. Not as out of it as last night, but I feel like I could sleep all day.”
“Are you in any pain?”
“Just a bit of a headache,” Ella mumbled.
“I’ll get you some pain medication. If everything looks good, we’ll get you checked out of here today. You can do your resting up at home. Your vitals were good throughout the night and we’ve gotten a couple of IVs in you. You were dehydrated, which was to be expected after everything you went through. Would you like to speak with someone on our counseling staff?”
Protected by a SEAL (Alpha SEALs, Book 6) Page 14