Islands or currents off the coast of Thailand had funneled the displaced water until the resultant wave was more than ten meters high when it finally hit Khao Lak. Nearly four thousand people had lost their lives that day in this region alone.
Emotions swelled inside her as she forced her feet toward the beach. The trauma was still there, etched on her mind as vivid today as when it had happened. The scent of the salt water, the sound of the surf, the feel of sand between her toes, were all tied to the feeling of horror.
All the therapy in the world didn’t matter if you couldn’t face your fear.
She made herself walk through the remains of the villa’s front door, then through the crumbling ruins that were being steadily reclaimed by the forest. Her limbs trembled when she reached the patio where poor Martel had died. All because he’d been seduced by a girl who’d turned out to be poisonous.
She could see the ship more clearly now. A massive cruiser with its own helipad. It had to be her uncle. She smiled grimly.
Shivers set in, so she set about building a fire from driftwood scattered around the margins of the beach. The scent of paraffin lamps drifted on the air, pitching her back to memories of lying in a hammock pressed close to Martel, his fingers slowly stroking her arm.
She shook off the reminders of the past. Martel would get justice. She’d make sure of it.
She begged a matchbook off workmen who delivered a pile of lumber to a hotel under construction next-door. Thankfully they left soon after and all was quiet. Less people to get caught in the crossfire.
She wasn’t hiding. She’d realized in the last few hours that until she faced up to her past, she’d never be free to live her life. She stood with a wide stance, arms crossed and chin held high. She was issuing the devil a challenge, one she knew he wouldn’t be able to resist.
“Come and get me, asshole.”
* * *
“What the hell is she doing?”
Lucas didn’t know what Ashley was doing, except sitting on the beach in front of a blazing fire, waiting for the Dragon Devils to come get her. If that was her “plan,” it sucked.
Thanks to Alex’s driving, the four of them had reached the area before Ashley, but had kept out of sight and waited until dusk to move into position, spanning the perimeter.
For all the good they’d do. They needed rifles, night vision optics, and a special ops team to take out these bastards. All they had was limited range side arms, PTT headsets, two pairs of binoculars, and plenty of motivation.
Lucas was closest to the sea on the northern side of this small bay, hidden by the night and a small stand of palm trees. Alex and Nelson were secreted in the ruins of the villa, and his new pal, Benny, was on the second floor of a hotel under construction just south of the villa. The latter position wasn’t great in terms of being able to assist in a fight, but it gave them a good vantage point to see what was going on. Assuming the guy could be trusted.
Benny said his boss in Bangkok was making some phone calls about getting them backup. After the military intervention Lucas had recently experienced, he sure as hell hoped they knew which side they were on.
“You sure she hasn’t gone over to the dark side?” Nelson asked over the headset.
“I’m sure,” Lucas replied.
But was he?
The woman had beaten polygraphs. How did he really know whether or not she was telling the truth? Should he bet Becca’s life on her veracity when his emotions made this difficult situation a virtual quagmire?
The question remained, if Ashley was working for the family business, why would the bad guys kidnap Becca? Why not just kill the kid in the hospital or at Sloan’s house?
But Ashley had been MIA when Becca and Sloan had been taken, he realized suddenly.
Maybe the Dragon Devils had figured someone was holding Ashley against her will and devised a plan to get her back. Now she, and they, were all safely out of the US, and she sat casually waiting a few hundred feet from her uncle’s army of mercenaries.
The fact he loved this woman even though he wasn’t sure he one hundred percent trusted her made him seriously question not only his sanity, but his abilities as an agent. But he’d taken an oath of faith and allegiance to the United States of America. He might be conflicted about his feelings, but he wasn’t conflicted about where his loyalty lay. And that’s when he realized he did trust her. One hundred percent. Because she’d taken that oath too, and she’d lived that devotion. You didn’t fake a decade of dedication—not when your relatives were billionaires in control of the biggest criminal organization in Asia, and possibly the world.
It was easy to be self-righteous when you’d never faced a life-or-death moral dilemma. The realization crashed over him. How could she ever forgive him for what he’d done? Acting morally superior, questioning her motives and values, when he’d kidnapped her off the streets of Virginia, held her against her will, questioned her honor and integrity every step of the way.
Hell, he wouldn’t blame her if she never spoke to him again, but it wasn’t going to stop him trying to do everything he could to get them all out of this situation alive.
He believed in her. He wasn’t about to let anything happen to her. Not tonight. Not tomorrow. Not next year.
For the next hour there was no movement except for tourists going in and out of the water about a half-mile down the beach. The scent of meat grilling on a barbecue made his stomach growl. At least they’d grabbed water and food from one of the small bustling towns on the way here.
He was beginning to wonder if they were mistaken about the occupants of the boat. Maybe it was some film star, or royalty trying to get some alone time. Then two launches appeared from the other side of the vessel, moving at high speed toward the beach.
Show time.
“What have we got?” he murmured to Alex and Benny who had the binos.
“Ten adult males, seven of whom are carrying assault rifles. I see Yu Chang and his son. Also the nephew, Andrew Britton.” Benny sounded gleeful. To all intents and purposes this was the entire leadership of the Dragon Devils. “I should have trusted you, Nelson. We should have had this place surrounded. My boss is going to have a heart attack. Backup is on the way.”
But who knew if it would arrive in time?
Capturing these dirtbags would be a massive coup for the Thai authorities, and Lucas was sure the Americans would move Heaven and Earth to extradite these criminals back to the US to face federal charges. But, as long as they were securely locked up, he didn’t care where they were incarcerated.
“Any sign of the hostage?” Lucas asked. Christ, he hoped Becca was alive. He’d never forgive himself for not keeping his promise to the kid.
“Negative.”
“I see a bound figure in the bottom of the second boat,” Alex corrected. How the hell he could see that in the dark, Lucas didn’t know, but he didn’t question the guy.
As the boats sped toward the sand, Ashley stood. In the light of the fire, he watched her pull out a handgun she must have stolen off one of the soldiers earlier. She checked the chamber, then held it loosely at her side.
“What good does she think that will do against all those AKs?” Nelson asked tightly.
Lucas couldn’t reply. His mouth tasted like he’d consumed a cupful of sand. His heart revved like a single combustion engine struggling to power a V8. He had never felt so helpless before. Never had to watch someone he loved barter herself for a child who deserved better.
The boats reached the edge of the surf, and he was about to move a little closer when a noise behind him and a swift slide of air told him he had company.
Ah, fuck.
Chapter Twenty-Five
A full moon shone over the Andaman Sea as Ashley watched the man she’d spent more than a decade hiding from clamber with difficulty from a small boat into a few inches of water.
Fear made the whites of his eyes stand out as he struggled up onto the sand. She was glad she’d chosen th
is spot for her last stand.
His fear turned to hunger as his gaze found her standing next to the fire that crackled and spat just like her mood. A shiver crawled up her spine as she recognized that hunger for what it was—twisted obsession. Not just the desire to claim her body, but the need to bind her to him, to possess her soul. No wonder her mother had cut him out of her life and never mentioned him. Had he abused her? Was that why she’d run to the States and never gone home again?
Ashley was glad her mother had escaped and found happiness with her dad, even if their lives together had been cut brutally short.
She looked away from Yu Chang to her cousin, who greeted her with his usual insouciant grin. Sick freak. Then her brother arrived.
He watched her with hooded eyes, but the angle of his chin gave him away—even after all these years she knew that, although he looked calm on the outside, inside he was freaking out.
Good.
Her uncle stepped closer, and the fire danced in his eyes like some demon come to life.
She raised the gun, and two of his men immediately placed themselves in front of him, aiming their rifles squarely at her head—as if the thought of a bullet could scare her. She almost laughed out loud.
She lifted her gun farther and pressed the muzzle to her skull. “One more step, and I pull the trigger.”
Her uncle shoved his guards aside and jabbered at them in Cantonese. They moved away, even though they clearly didn’t want to. Yu Chang took a hesitant half-step forward, and another, until there was only fifteen feet separating them.
“That’s enough.” Her knees wobbled. Her finger tightened slightly on the trigger. “One more step, Chang,” she warned, “and you’ll have lost me forever.”
His eyes narrowed. Brandon went to move around to her right. “Stay where I can see you, Brandon.” She didn’t trust her cousin as far as she could teleport. “Where’s Becca?”
“Fetch the girl,” Andrew snapped.
And now Ashley had to face the reality that he really was one of them. The brother she’d once loved was just as evil and debauched as they were.
A young girl stumbled up the beach away from the boats, her hands tied behind her slight frame. The light of the fire showed she was filthy. Blood smeared her chin, running beneath the wide strip of duct tape covering her mouth. She had wide terrified eyes and tangled hair, but moved quickly, without any obvious signs of injury. Becca had learned the art of survival in a hostile world. Do whatever it takes.
Her uncle grabbed the girl, shoved her onto her knees, took out his knife, and held it to her throat.
The grip on Ashley’s intestines doubled. Did he plan to recreate the scene of Martel’s murder just to prove he was in control? God, how she hated this man. The intervening years had not dulled her revulsion.
“Kill yourself, and I will kill her—slowly.” Yu Chang’s tone turned gleeful. He thought he had her now. Thought he could predict her behavior.
He didn’t know shit.
“Show the child mercy, and you get what you really want. Me. Otherwise, she and I both die here tonight.” She sent Becca a small apologetic smile. Then she met her uncle’s gaze. “And with the FBI on your trail, your death won’t be far behind.”
Her finger started pulling back on the trigger. Her heart punched her ribcage in a quick one-two. So be it. She didn’t want to die, but she wouldn’t back down. Backing down would gain her nothing but the knowledge she’d failed to do the one thing she’d come here to do. Save Becca.
Was Lucas nearby?
The thought terrified her on one level, and on another, she wanted to prove herself worthy of him, worthy of the Bureau they both believed in. She wished she’d told him that she loved him. For a woman who’d been too scared to even go on a second date for years, it was a heady admission.
Yu Chang narrowed his eyes at her, trying to figure out whether or not she was bluffing. She wasn’t bluffing. She wanted to close her eyes as the slack on the trigger was fully absorbed, but didn’t dare. Another fraction of a millimeter, and she’d be dead.
“Enough! I will let her go,” Yu Chang said sharply. “But how do I know you will keep your word and won’t kill yourself once she is released?”
She held his gaze and let her intensity convince him. “I swear on my honor.” She’d rather kill him.
He turned to one of the men. “Let her go.”
Becca was dragged to her feet, and someone cut away whatever bound her wrists together. Brandon gave her a shove forward, and she stumbled toward the fire. Ashley was ready for his sadistic games, and the gun never wavered from her skull. She leaned down, hauled the kid to her feet, and hissed into her ear, “Go. Get out of here. Run. Hide. Lucas will find you.”
Becca squeezed her arm, and that small measure of support made tears flood Ashley’s eyes. “Quickly,” she said.
Becca stumbled away, but Ashley didn’t watch her go. At least now Becca had a fighting chance. Hopefully, Lucas was on his way, or Frazer had used his contacts to leverage help.
She needed to give the kid time to get away. She turned to her brother, and her gun didn’t waver from the position next to her brain. “You look well, Andrew.” It was a lie. He looked like shit. Pale and gaunt. “Do you have a wife? A girlfriend? Just wondering how she feels about you being in the skin trade.”
His lips tightened.
“When I joined the FBI I did a little research. I looked up your high school sweetheart, Monica—you remember Monica, don’t you?”
“I remember she cheated on me.” The bite in the words said he was still angry about that.
Brat.
Yu Chang and Brandon exchanged a look. Ashley suspected she knew why.
“Monica filed charges for being drugged and gang raped not long after we left California. They never caught the guys who did it.” Ashley straightened her spine and thought of the horrors so many women had endured at her uncle’s and cousin’s hands. “But I discovered something else before I left the US.” On the flight to Thailand. “There was a hit in CODIS that linked two DNA profiles lifted from the duplex in Cambridge to semen found in Monica’s rape kit.”
She sneered at her cousin. “No guesses as to who orchestrated that or the photos Andrew received. Nice work, Brandon. But then hurting women and manipulating people is what you do best, isn’t it?”
“You’re lying.” Andrew’s hands curled into fists.
“Then you really won’t believe what I found out about our parents’ plane crash.” She held her uncle’s gaze this time, and he blinked and looked away. “How it wasn’t an accident at all. A bomb took out the engine. Yu Chang killed his own sister, a woman he claims to have loved—no wonder the guilt addled his mind.” Her uncle’s mouth tightened. “I have TEDAC looking for any similarities with the Boston bombing.” The latter was a lie, but definitely something she’d suggest to Frazer if she ever saw him again.
Andrew shook his head and took a step away from their uncle and Brandon. “That’s a lie.”
“Bullshit. You know it’s true. You’ve known it for years, but you’ve always been too weak to confront them about any of it.”
Andrew turned to Yu Chang. “Is it true?” he demanded.
“Don’t raise your voice to—”
“Is it true?” Andrew roared.
Her uncle looked taken aback by Andrew’s vehemence. Brandon glanced nervously between her brother and his father.
Yu Chang swallowed. “It was an accident.”
“You mean you only meant to kill our father,” Ashley stated bitterly.
“Shut up, bitch,” Brandon snapped.
Andrew looked devastated. For a smart guy, he was remarkably dense at times. Or maybe he’d also just been doing whatever it took to survive.
A shadow moved in her peripheral vision off to her right. A man was walking toward them with his hands clasped over his head. She immediately recognized the tall, wide-shouldered frame. Clawing fingers ripped at her heart.
&nb
sp; Lucas.
No.
A force came out of nowhere and slammed her to the ground. She lost her grip on the gun, and it landed out of reach, near her brother’s feet.
The smile on Yu Chang’s face was slick and oily.
A boot connected with her stomach and drove bile into her throat. Before she could draw breath, Brandon kicked her again.
“Stop!” Andrew cried out.
She looked up at him through tears of pain and managed a laugh. “What did you think would happen?”
Her mouth went dry when she realized she’d gambled and lost. She’d rather die than let anything happen to Lucas, but because she’d chosen to go it alone, she was going to watch him die, too.
Brandon kicked her in the back, and she screamed in agony. “That’s for the lies she just told you, and that’s for being a fed bitch.” He kicked her again, and her vision grayed. Maybe he’d beat her to death, and she wouldn’t have to watch them hurt Lucas, or endure whatever her uncle had planned.
“Leave her,” Yu Chang ordered.
Brandon stopped and walked away, glaring like a petulant child.
Ashley rolled in the sand, her body flailing in agony. But she’d take any amount of physical pain over the emotional trauma of what might come next.
As Lucas walked closer to the firelight, she saw his beloved face. The sharp angles of his cheekbones, the stubborn chin, those beautiful eyes. Dried blood encrusted the side of his head from where the soldier had hit him with the rifle earlier.
Christ.
But his expression was completely blank, and she couldn’t read him. She wished she could tell him that she loved him, but that would only make Yu Chang hurt him more. Chang was already monstrous.
She pulled herself to her knees. One of her ribs was probably cracked, and it was difficult to breathe. Remorse hurt more.
“I’m sorry for getting you involved in this, Agent Randall,” she said breathlessly.
He grinned at her and winked. “It’s my job, Agent Chen.”
Cold Secrets (Cold Justice Book 7) Page 31