“You mean Vince.”
Trevor was impressed once again. Looked as if the Recovery members had started questioning their own. It was smart to be cautious. “Or Rod.”
Holden’s mouth flatlined. “He’s missing.”
“Are you sure?”
Chapter Seventeen
“Banner, pull him in here. I’m sure Maddie would like to say goodbye to her boyfriend.”
Adam kept his eyes closed and his body loose as the goon named Banner pulled him across the floor. Banner yanked hard enough to pull his shoulders out of their sockets, but Adam didn’t make a noise. He spent the time inventorying his remaining weapons.
Banner got both guns and a knife. That left one knife and his secret weapons: Zach and Luke.
When Adam’s head smacked against the floor, he hid a wince. Not exactly the heroic way he wanted to get to Maddie, but he was inside. And she was alive. Bruised and fighting hard enough to get herself killed, but alive.
When he’d sat cramped in that metal tube, he’d worked the fake panel loose without letting it crash onto the floor and give him away. Hearing Maddie’s voice made him work faster and more efficiently.
He had so much to say to her, so much he wanted to do with her. That all depended on getting out of the tiny space.
Listening to John Tate talk about Recovery almost ruined the game. Adam had wanted to race through the tedious work and come out firing. But Maddie’s safety mattered more than speed. More than taking revenge on Tate. More than uncovering the final pieces of the WitSec scheme.
Adam would have blown it all if he thought he could get through the door without running into one of John’s goons. They were all over the property. Zach had been tracking them and decided these weren’t Trevor’s men. These guys were trained but didn’t work together. They were individual mercenaries and in this business that made all the difference. A team had to be in sync and this one wasn’t.
Adam was willing to bet one of them was being paid to kill all the others when this operation was done. No way was John leaving a loose end who could identify him. He probably planned to be the only one standing by the time the night was done.
Adam had another scenario in mind. When Banner dumped him, faceup in front of Maddie’s chair, he went to work. His head was half under her and both arms were tucked out of sight. One hand landed by her foot, close enough to work on the binding around her ankle.
His fingers brushed against her. A finger slipped up her pant leg to brush against her skin. When she stiffened then relaxed, he knew she got the message. He wasn’t dead or even unconscious. He was there for her.
With small movements, he tugged at the cable. To get her out of there, he first had to get her out of the chair. He could pass her to Luke, who would drive her to safety no matter how much she protested. She could beg and Luke would stay focused.
That was the promise Adam had insisted on when they stopped the car a half mile up the road. If he went down, they would leave him to save her. Luke had only agreed when Adam mentioned Claire’s name. Zach never said the words.
Still, every scenario they talked through depended on getting her outside.
“You failed.” Adam could hear the smile in Maddie’s voice as she said the words.
John shifted until he stood right over Adam’s sprawled body. “You are tied up and your boyfriend is out cold. I am ten minutes away from having this entire mess wrapped up. So, Maddie, tell me how I lost.”
“It’s easy and obvious.”
“Yes?”
“Your men didn’t kill Adam at Rod’s house as you thought. He’s been alive all this time. He knew to come here to find me. Don’t you wonder about that?”
“No.”
“You don’t even care that you may have been followed?”
“I wasn’t.” John’s sure words didn’t match the shakiness of his tone.
“Someone tipped Adam off to your intentions. He got through whatever command post you have set up outside and walked right into this house.”
“He crawled.”
“Doesn’t matter since it happened right around you and your men and you didn’t even notice. Whatever security you have out there isn’t working.”
Keep talking. Adam mentally sent that message to her.
She made him proud. She got John keyed up and kept the focus on her while Adam worked. She was the perfect partner. Smart and capable.
“A small setback only, but we’re back on track,” John said.
Adam freed her first ankle. She could kick, which gave them one more weapon. He slid his hand by fractions of an inch until it rested next to her other foot.
His fingers were damp from what he guessed was a mix of sweat and blood. Each time the cable bit into his skin, he fought off a flinch and remembered Maddie’s face. He owed her whatever injuries he sustained. He’d failed to keep her safe.
“You still don’t get it.” Maddie laughed as she talked.
“You seem determined to tell me.” John shifted his weight until his foot pressed against Adam’s side. “Go ahead.”
“Do you honestly think Adam kept his mouth shut during the time between then and now? That he hasn’t told everyone that you are behind this?” Maddie’s voice grew stronger with every word.
Adam could feel the mood of the room shift from tension to confidence. But not for everyone. John continued to argue, but his stance changed. He moved around, growing more agitated as she talked.
Damn, he loved her.
It didn’t make sense and the timing was all wrong, but Adam felt it. He just hoped he lived long enough to tell her.
John’s hands fisted at his sides. “Adam couldn’t have known that until right now.”
“You can’t be that clueless.” Maddie snorted. “Adam has connections in government, with the police. He has an entire team at his disposal. He is a computer genius and can get access to private information in a second.”
Adam freed Maddie’s second foot and none too soon. Much more of this prodding and she would get herself shot. He glanced up through half-closed eyes to figure out how much room he had to move.
He called up his mental blueprint of the room and placed the players in it. John was right on top of him and Banner stood ten feet away.
There were others outside, roaming the grounds and guarding the door, but Zach was handling them. With his injury, Luke took the communications job and relayed positions to Zach.
Banner was the problem. He stood just far enough away to make a running lunge at him impossible. He also held all the guns, and if that kick was any indication, the guy had a serious anger problem. Adam’s kidneys had shriveled at the contact. He knew he’d see blood in his urine for weeks.
“You still don’t know who I am,” John said.
“I really don’t care.”
John closed in on her. He rested his hands on the chair, trapping her in the seat. “I’m John Tate.”
“And?”
“You talk about the government, well, I am one of Adam’s government contacts. I am the one with power and access. I decide who gets into witness protection. I run everything.”
She shifted her feet, putting them flat on the floor.
Adam knew she understood. He had a plan to get her out of there and she was prepped to do her part.
“You’re with the Justice Department,” she said.
“I see you do recognize my name.”
“I think it’s ironic you work there since you don’t seem to know what justice means.”
John’s nails dug into his palms. From this position, Adam could see the marks.
“I earned this job,” John said.
“By killing people?”
“By being better at my job than anyone else.”
Adam planned to use that ego against John. The man didn’t expect an attack from underneath him. Didn’t believe he could be stopped. Adam knew better.
“They know you’re involved.” Maddie twisted her hands severa
l times.
Adam saw the movement but couldn’t get to her fingers without giving his true condition away. He was about to turn back to John when he noticed she had one finger pointed toward the ground. He struggled to understand the message.
When she shook the finger, he got it. A countdown.
He tapped her ankle once to let her know he was watching. Then she held out two fingers and he knew the time had come to do something.
“They have the evidence against you,” she added.
John stood back up again. “Not possible.”
“Very possible.”
The more sure she sounded, the more defensive he got. “I’ve had enough of this.”
So had Adam. When Maddie reached three, he made his move. In a fluid motion, he lifted his arm and felt the knife slide into his palm. Curling around the chair leg and out of Maddie’s kicking range, Adam clicked the weapon and stabbed the blade as hard as he could into John’s ankle.
Adam sliced across tendon and heard the man scream. John doubled over, his hands grabbing for his leg. As he did, Maddie’s foot connected with his jaw.
The entire action took but a few seconds. It played out slowly in Adam’s mind, but from shift to throw, he didn’t give John or Banner a chance to react.
And now he progressed to the next step. He slid across the floor, aiming for Banner’s legs. This time Banner was ready. He jumped out of the way and lifted the gun, ready to slam the end into Adam’s head.
“Enough!” John’s scream tore through the cabin.
He held a gun on Maddie as he pulled the knife out of his leg with his other hand. The anguished cry turned to a furious stream of swearing. Blood spurted through his fingers. The weapon wavered in his fist.
He was a mass of fury. A man no longer on the edge, but one who had passed over to the other side.
Panic flooded through Adam. He could handle guns and goons but crazy was something different. Seeing John’s flushed red cheeks and rage-filled eyes put them in a different place. John could kill Maddie just for the joy of it and Adam wouldn’t be able to get to her in time.
He knew Maddie recognized the turn, too. Her wide eyes pleaded with Adam to do something.
“Let’s calm down.” Adam sat up with his hand raised and his heart pounding hard enough to push right out of his chest. “We can figure this out.”
“Who else knows?” John shouted the question.
Adam hoped Zach was close enough to hear the outburst and come running. From the blood covering John’s hand, Adam tried to figure out if he’d hit a vital artery. If so, John only had so long before his strength would weaken. Adam had to make the minutes last to give both options a chance.
“What are we talking about here, John?”
A gun poked into the back of Adam’s head. “Answer the man’s question,” Banner said.
Adam guessed the distance between his arm and Banner’s leg, how quickly he could get Banner to the floor and how much time he could take before John launched a counterattack on Maddie. It didn’t add up. He could get Banner down, but that left the insane man on the other side of the room.
As he calculated, he replied, “There’s just me. I figured it out while I was in that pool. I came right here.”
“That’s not what she said.” John tried to stand up, but his ankle wouldn’t hold his weight. His shoes slipped in the blood pool, sending him falling.
Adam raised his hand to punch out Banner’s knee, but the man’s hand pressed down on Adam’s shoulder. “I will kill her if you try.”
John struggled to get up. He fell over Maddie’s chair, the gun inching closer to her face.
She pulled back, putting as much distance as possible between her face and the weapon, just as the gun behind him dug deeper into his skull.
“Do not move.” John’s words slurred.
“You’re in charge,” Adam said.
He saw Maddie eye John’s arm. Adam gave a small shake of his head to stop her. From that distance, he wouldn’t be able to reach her in time to help her.
“That’s right.” John sneered. “You don’t even see what’s happening.”
“Tell me.”
“It’s playing out right under your nose.”
Adam’s investigative instinct kicked into gear. “The person you’re working with.”
“She thinks you know everything.” John waved the gun in front of Maddie. “But you don’t have a clue how close it is.”
After fighting to his knees, John rested his arm over the back of Maddie’s chair and pulled himself up until he balanced his body around hers and pointed the gun at her middle.
“Easy now,” Adam said, praying John would go down and stay there.
“Why should I listen to you?”
“I’m the one with the information. Not her.”
“Tell me what you know or I shoot her. And you know all about stomach wounds.” John pressed the muzzle against her and moved it around until he inched her shirt up and the metal touched her skin. “She’ll bleed and writhe in pain, and you will watch it all from the front row.”
Having violence touch the same places he once kissed blew a hole through Adam’s control. He pressed down on the anger spiraling through him as he tried to stay focused. Losing his head now would only make things worse for her.
He played the odds in his head. If he dived for John, he might get to Maddie before a bullet. Banner would shoot, but Adam didn’t care about dying if he could stay alive long enough to shield her.
Zach had to be close by. The guard at the door hadn’t run in at John’s shouting. It had to be a good sign.
Adam held on to that hope. “This isn’t necessary, John.”
“She’ll die slow. You’ll see the life pour out of her. Is that what you want?”
Right now Maddie was leaning into John. Adam tried to figure out why. She should want to pull away, not get close.
“No.” His comment was for her, but he said it to John.
She got the message, because she looked up. Her eyes darted to the left then back in front again. When she did it a second time, Adam knew she did not intend to sit there and wait to be rescued or die. That wasn’t her style anyway. She was taking control.
Her intense stare bored into him. “Please, Adam.”
“Listen to your woman,” John said.
She nodded. “You need to push back here. Bend, Adam.”
Please. Push back. Bend. She was talking in code and he wasn’t figuring it out.
“I can’t take the risk,” he said.
John tightened his hold on her. “I will kill her.”
Adam blocked out John and Banner and everything else and focused on Maddie. He needed to understand. “Look at me.”
She did. Then her eyes shifted to the left again. “Just do it. I can do my part, but you have to do yours.”
Banner lifted his hand off Adam’s shoulder. “What are they talking about?”
“Now!” Maddie screamed the order as she tipped her chair, smashing it into John and sending him crashing to the floor.
As the chair fell, Adam turned his attention to Banner. He punched the space right above his kneecap and watched it buckle. In that brief moment, Adam had the advantage. He aimed all his weight at Banner’s knees. He heard a pop and a shout of pain.
Adam was rolling before Banner hit the floor. Adam jumped on top of the bigger man, grabbing for the gun. Banner had fight left in him. He roared with fury as he tried to throw Adam off him and aim his weapon at Adam’s forehead. They wrestled, shifting and moving, the gun bobbling as it inched first closer to Banner then to Adam.
Banner kicked but Adam ignored the shots. Using all of his strength, Adam pressed down, pushing the gun close to Banner’s face and trying to mess up his grip. When he tried to adjust his hands, Adam grabbed the muzzle and pointed it away from his face.
Twisting the metal, Adam got the better position on the gun. With a bouncing push, he slammed his body into Banner’s stomach a
nd the end of the gun into his nose.
Blood poured down Banner’s face and his hands as he held his nose. Adam hit him again in the side of his head to knock him out.
Adam jumped to his feet and turned in time to see Maddie’s chair land on John and the gun spin across the floor. He stopped it with his foot. When John slapped the floor, reaching for the knife that had once poked out of his leg, Adam fired. The shot clipped John in the neck. Air gurgled and blood spurted everywhere like a scene from a horror movie.
The splash of violence and death stopped Adam for a second. He stood rooted to the floor until he heard Maddie screaming his name.
He sprang across the room and shifted the chair off John. Adam ignored the dying man and reached for the cables around Maddie’s hands.
Adam tugged on the bindings just as the front door banged open. He brought up his gun, prepared to kill as many times as he had to for her.
“It’s me.” Zach called out the warning before he stepped in the doorway. Luke followed right after.
Both glanced at the bloodbath and went to work. Luke ripped off his outer shirt, leaving behind only his Kevlar and a T-shirt. He wadded up the dark shirt in a ball and pressed it against John’s neck.
“Who are you working for?” Luke asked the question, but John’s eyes were glassy and his face too filled with fear. The gunshot might have cut his vocal cords, because he could only gasp and wheeze.
Zach checked Banner’s pulse as he relieved the unconscious man of his weapons. “We’ve got a live one. Maybe he can answer some questions.”
Adam only cared about Maddie. With bloody hands, he tore at the cables until Luke threw him a knife. In two seconds he had her free and in his arms.
“I’m sorry.” He rocked her as he apologized over and over.
“I was so scared.” She mumbled the words into his shoulder.
“You didn’t show it.” He glanced over her to glare at Zach. “Nothing like cutting it close.”
“Hey, man. I had to take out three. You only had two.”
Adam used the chatter to calm his senses. His synapses kept firing and his body trembled with the sudden comedown. “You had Luke’s help.”
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