by Nina Bruhns
He quickly yanked on his shirt, and stowed his weapon in his duffel bag. “Sir, request to stay until a replacement arrives?”
“Request denied. Our safety is no longer your problem, Sergeant. Now leave before I have you charged with insubordination.”
“Dad,” Willow said in a pained whisper. “Don’t do this.”
The general’s gaze snapped toward Willow. “Be quiet, Willow.”
Willow folded her arms in a defensive gesture. Max gave Willow a look of regret, but hurt flashed on her face as he headed to the door.
The general would find someone else to guard Willow. Another man. Another soldier. One who could follow orders.
One who’d better not touch her.
He froze, remembering the incredible night of lovemaking they’d just shared.
He was pathetic.
Even knowing he’d screwed up his career, lost the respect of his commander, and might get transferred to God’s knows where, he’d kill for one more night with Willow.
One Night to Kill: Chapter Fourteen
Willow’s heart broke as Max closed the door behind him.
They’d just shared an incredible night, but her father’s appearance had shattered everything.
Max hadn’t stood up for her. For them.
Because he had no intention of taking their relationship beyond one night in bed.
He had his job, his orders. And he would never defy her father because he cared more about the military than he did her.
Just as her father had with her and her mother.
She was an idiot to have slept with him.
Her father’s anger was palpable, his disapproval like a fire-breathing dragon in the room.
“I am so disappointed, Willow. I sent one of my best men to protect you and the two of you do…this.” He motioned toward her robe and the bedroom, his voice laced with disgust.
Anger churned through Willow. “I’ll be right back.” She rushed into her bedroom, shut the door and quickly yanked on clothes.
.Seconds later, she stepped back into the living room to face him. Dressed in uniform, he looked as regal and intimidating as always. Had she ever even seen the man in a pair of jeans?
No. Even on the rare occasions when he attended her dance recitals or spelling bees or soccer games, he’d always remained in uniform.
Yet today…his eyes looked tired, his face craggy as if he hadn’t slept.
Still, he had barged in. She deserved her privacy. “Father, I’m not a child anymore. I’m a grown woman. Who I spend the night with and what we do is none of your business.”
His nostrils flared. “The hell it’s not. I have to know what’s going on to keep you safe.”
“I was perfectly safe with Max.” Safe and sated.
“Max?” Her father snorted. “I’ll deal with him later.”
Willow folded her arms. “You aren’t going to punish him, Dad. I was the one who invited him to—”
“Stop, don’t even say it.”
Willow gritted her teeth. But the implications of the threat struck her, and her anger faded. “I’m sorry you received that call. That must have been awful.”
He rubbed a hand over his balding head. “I was terrified that you were hurt, so I ditched my protective detail and flew straight here.”
Guilt mushroomed inside Willow. Obviously her father had spent the night thinking she was in danger. No wonder he’d stormed in and was so upset.
“Dad, I really am sorry,” she said and meant it. “I didn’t mean to frighten you, but I’ve been here the entire time.”
He heaved a weary breath. “Whoever it was wanted to scare me,” he said darkly. “It’s like they’re playing some kind of sick game.”
A knock on the door interrupted him, and Willow startled.
“Are you expecting anyone?” her father asked.
She shook her head no. But hope stirred inside her. Maybe Max had returned for her.
The knock turned into a pounding, and she hurried to answer it.
Not Max. Maybelline stood in the hall, looking panicked.
“Willow. It’s Ms. Dora.” She grabbed Willow’s hand. “Hurry, something’s wrong with her! She’s having trouble breathing!”
Willow’s chest constricted. Maybe this ordeal with Pete had been too much for the older woman’s heart. “Did you call an ambulance?”
“They’re on their way, but she wants to see you,” Maybelline cried.
Willow glanced over her shoulder at her father, but he motioned for her to go, and he followed them down the stairs to Ms. Dora’s apartment.
Willow rushed in behind Maybelline with her father on her heels.
But the door slammed behind them, and Willow froze. Ms. Dora was tied to a chair, a gag in her mouth.
“Jesus,” her father muttered. “What the hell is going on?”
Willow gasped at the evil glint in Maybelline’s eyes.
Suddenly a stocky man in all black appeared from the kitchen with a gun in his hand and aimed it at her and her father.
* * *
Max sat outside Willow’s apartment house, his emotions churning. He’d royally screwed up with the general.
And with Willow.
He balled his hands into fists. He had his orders, but he didn’t want to walk away.An image of Willow lying naked in his arms taunted him. He could still hear her soft moans of her pleasure, the way she purred his name when he slid inside her.
How could he leave her unprotected?
Had the general already phoned for a replacement? And what about the general’s bodyguard?
He punched Drew’s number, relieved he answered immediately. “It’s Max. General Woods showed up at his daughter’s apartment. He said someone called saying she’d been kidnapped. He was so worried he flew to Atlanta to check on her.”
All because Max had been in bed with her and hadn’t answered his phone.
“That’s good news, but we still don’t know who’s after him. Although I’ve been looking at connections like you asked me to, and I found one.”
Max’s pulse quickened.
“The last name of one of Dora Finch’s employees is the same as one of the men who died during the Dovetail mission.”
“That can’t be a coincidence,” Max said, his mind spinning.
“No, it’s not. It turns out Maybelline Muir is Carl Muir’s daughter. She also has a brother, Hal.”
Max clenched the door handle. “Maybelline lives in the same apartment house as Willow.”
Drew cleared his throat. “Most likely not a coincidence either.”
The truth hit Max in the gut. “She came here to get close to Willow.”
“Could be. I’ve been trying to locate Carl’s son,” Drew said. “He worked at a shipping yard in Savannah, but his boss says he hasn’t shown up in three weeks. Apparently he didn’t take his father’s death well. He blamed the military.”
The hair on the back of Max’s neck bristled. “He and his sister planned this together.”
Max had to warn the general and Willow.
“There’s something else,” Drew said. “When we discovered the general was missing, we checked his phone records. Last night about nine p.m., he received a call from a cell phone.”
“Who was the caller?”
“We didn’t identify a name, but the call originated from a cell phone tower in Atlanta. More specifically, a few miles from Willow’s apartment house.”
Cold fear shot through Max. “The brother and Maybelline are both here in Atlanta.” The timing of the phone call the night before made sense now. That call was a trap to get Willow together with her father.”
“They’re going to make their move soon,” Drew said.
Max glanced at the side door and saw Willow step outside. She was fidgeting with her hair and looked …nervous.
Max went still, his senses honed as he watched the general emerge. His posture was rigid, his face an iron mask.
Maybelline and a
man appeared behind them. Willow and the general veered toward a dark van parked to the right of the apartment house. As they turned, Max caught sight of silver glinting in the sunlight.
A gun.
He sucked in a sharp breath. Dammit, Maybelline and Hal were taking Willow and her father hostage.
His first instinct was to pull his gun and fire. But Muir’s gun was jammed into Willow’s back.
One wrong move and he could get her killed.
* * *
Willow’s stomach knotted as Maybelline shoved her into the back of the van. There were no windows in back. No seats. It was a cargo van, one with no way for them to see out or catch anyone’s attention.
Maybelline and her brother had planned this kidnapping in advance. Where were they taking her and her father? And what did they plan to do to them?
Her father crawled in beside her, his breathing choppy in the tension-laden air.
“Make a sound and I’ll kill you.” The man slammed the door, locking them inside the dark interior.
Willow’s father pulled her hand in his and squeezed it. “Stay calm, honey. I’ll get us out of this.”
Willow gave him a quick nod, although she doubted he could see it. “You know the man?”
“Yes, that’s Hal Muir. His father served under me. And the woman…that’s his sister. Carl carried a picture of both of them in his wallet.”
Willow’s chest tightened. “My God. Maybelline never mentioned that her father was in the military.” Nausea rolled in her stomach as the van swerved, throwing her against the side. “What happened to Carl, Dad?”
Silence thickened the air, raw fear seizing her as the seconds passed. “Dad?”
“He was killed,” her father said. “On a mission that went wrong.”
Tears burned the backs of Willow’s eyelids. “They blame you, don’t they?”
Her father’s hand felt sweaty as he squeezed hers again. “Yes. I was the commanding officer who spearheaded the operation.”
Despair and fear threatened to immobilize Willow. If Maybelline and Hal blamed her father, they weren’t playing games or simply trying to frighten them.
They wanted revenge.
* * *
Max followed the van at a safe distance, careful not to alert the Muirs that he was on their tail.
“Drew, send back up to check out the apartment house in case the Muirs hurt Ms. Dora.”
“On it. What about you?”
“I’ll let you know where the van stops, then you can send back up there, too.”
Max ended the call as the van turned down a side street into a warehouse district. He waited until they neared the end of the street and turned right before he followed. The empty buildings looked dilapidated as if they hadn’t been occupied in years
The van pulled into the garage of the warehouse on the end, then the metal door slid down, shutting it in.
Max turned into the alley to the left, texted Drew the address, then grabbed his gun and eased from his SUV. Relying on his military training, he forced himself to focus on the job.
Get Willow and the general out safely.
He’d been on countless recon missions, and valued every life, his teams’ and the enemies’.
The general had given him a career, had saved him from the trenches, and had taught him how to be a man.
And Willow… God, she’d started out as an assignment.
But somewhere along the way, she’d become something more. Much more.
Forcing images of her with that gun to her back from his mind, he inhaled deep breaths to calm his nerves.
He had to remain focused.
He surveyed the exterior of the warehouse, searching to make sure the Muirs didn’t have another accomplice or a lookout. But the alley and streets were dead empty.
The scent of garbage and urine floated around him, evidence that a homeless person, or group, had inhabited this area. Probably used the warehouse for their home during the winter.
Graffiti colored the walls of several buildings and the wooden fence in back was marred with profanity, racial epithets and gang symbols.
He inched around to the side of the building, until he found a side door that was secured with a padlock. Max removed a small tool from his pocket and picked the lock, careful not to make noise. He strained to hear inside, but the walls were so thick they drowned out any sound.
The door screeched open, and he peered inside. The building was dark as hell, a rancid odor hanging in the air. He listened for a sound and heard voices coming from the back.
Another room.
He inched inside, keeping his footfalls light, his gun at the ready. The voices grew louder, drawing him across the dark space until he reached another door. He paused and leaned against the wall, pressing his ear to the door to hear.
“I understand you blame me for your father’s death,” General Woods said. “But leave my daughter out of this.”
“You sent Dad out there to die,” Maybelline cried. “He had a family, me and my brother. We needed him.”
“I’m so sorry, Maybelline,” Willow said. “I didn’t know, but I understand that you’re in pain. Being the daughter of a man in the service is terrifying. I’ve been afraid every day of my life that my dad wouldn’t come home.”
“But he’s not dead,” Maybelline said shrilly.
“Because he doesn’t take chances with his own life,” Hal snarled. “He sends others to do his dirty work while he sits in his office tucked away safe and sound.”
“I’m sorry about your father. Carl was a good man,” General Woods said. “Whether you believe it or not, I care about each one of my soldiers. I would never send a man or woman out unless I thought he was prepared—”
“But you did,” Maybelline said. “And we lost our father because of it.”
The general cleared his throat. “Trust me when I say we’ve studied every minute of that day, every decision that led to that team being in that particular place at that time, and we still don’t understand how the insurgents found out they were coming.”
“But they did, and our father was murdered, and that’s on your head,” Hal snapped. “Now it’s time you understand what it’s like to lose someone you love.”
Fear charged through Max as he realized the man’s intentions. He wasn’t planning to kill the general. No, he planned to make his punishment much more severe than death.
He intended to make the general watch him kill Willow.
One Night to Kill: Chapter Fifteen
Willow had to do something to save them. She couldn’t stand to lose her father.
She didn’t want to die either. Then she’d never see Max again.
Max…if only he was here, he’d know what to do. But then he’d be in jeopardy and she didn’t want him to get hurt.
But Hal had tied her and her father to chairs in this dark warehouse, and she had no idea how they’d escape.
“Maybelline, please listen to me,” Willow said, imploring the woman she’d thought was her friend with a soft tone. “I’m so sorry about your father. I really am. And I’m certain my dad will do everything possible to help your family. You may think he doesn’t care, but he does.”
Maybelline’s expression looked tortured. And her brother’s harsh cold eyes were unforgiving. His dark scruffy face contorted as he waved the gun around.
“You don’t know what it’s like to grieve,” Maybelline said. “I came to Atlanta and rented that apartment to get close to you. I hated you.”
Willow struggled to piece together the facts. “But then you started working for Ms. Dora.”
“All so you wouldn’t suspect anything,” Maybelline’s brother muttered.
“You’re spoiled,” Maybelline said. “You have a father who cares about you so much he sent a bodyguard to keep you from harm.”
“But I lost my mother,” Willow argued.
Hal’s voice, cold, deadly. “Your father needs to think about how he tears families apart.�
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“He does,” Willow said, desperate to make Hal see reason.
“Willow, it’s all right,” her father said as he worked to untie the ropes binding his hands behind his back. “Listen, Hal, you can do whatever you want with me, but let my daughter go. She had nothing to do with what happened to your father.” He gave Willow a soulful look of regret. “In fact, she hates the military life. Always has. If anyone sympathizes with your pain and sacrifice, she does.”
Willow knew she’d hurt her father over the years by the walls she’d erected to protect herself.
Even though he had his faults, he did love her. And she had no doubt that he’d give his life for her.
Willow had to do something. “Maybelline, please tell your brother that violence isn’t the answer. That your father was a good man, and that he wouldn’t want you to hurt anyone.”
Hal’s hand trembled as he shoved the barrel of the gun at her temple. “My father wanted to come home to us.”
Willow swallowed against the lump in her throat. The barrel felt cold against her temple. If she was going to die, she wanted her father to understand that she admired him and loved him for who he was. “Of course your father wanted to come home to you,” Willow said. “But he also loved his country and honored it by serving.” Willow glanced at her father hoping he’d understand that she was talking to him. “I get that, Maybelline. You have to let people be who they are. That’s what made your father a hero.”
“Don’t let her confuse you,” Hal said to Maybelline. “We both know what has to be done.”
“Think about what your father stood for,” General Woods said. “Is this what he would want?”
“Don’t you dare talk about him,” Hal hissed. “You have to pay for killing him.”
The general lowered his voice, “Your father would never condone cold-blooded murder.”
Hal took a step closer to willow. “He can’t have died for nothing.”
Willow closed her eyes, bracing herself for the bullet.
* * *
Pure panic threatened Max. As much as he wanted to remain unemotional, this was not a mission—Willow’s life depended on his actions.