by Allie Adams
He threw the door open and immediately froze in his tracks, shock and numb, his gaze tracing the sight. Maps hung on one of the walls. Whiteboards and the passport system occupied the opposite wall. A table in the middle of the room had a two-way radio on it. Next to it sat the K-SAR's procedural manual. Bile hit the roof of his mouth and his chest pinched.
It was an exact recreation of the inside of K-SAR's Com Van.
“Nice to see you could join us.”
Spencer spun and drew his gun in a single move. There, appearing out of the shadows with a gun pointed at Spencer's chest, was Damon Salazar.
Even though he fully expected to see him, the sight of Salazar had him in a rage. The image of Logan McKoy sliding down that tree, leaving a trail of blood, surfaced. And then Lyons, a hole in his forehead because of this fucker. This man took away Spencer's best friend. If he didn't do something, Salazar would take Kathryn next.
“Have a seat.” Salazar motioned toward the table with his gun. Spencer cocked his in response. Salazar glanced at the barrel of Spencer's gun, a smile slowly spreading on his face. “I don't think you want to do that. If you want to see your beloved Ms. Davis again, have a seat.”
Spencer placed his finger on the trigger.
“Do it, Spencer.”
Spencer jerked around at the sound of another voice. Slowly, numbly, he lowered his gun. A sudden vise pinched his chest and no matter how hard he gasped, he couldn't take in any air. There, standing with yet another gun centered on Spencer's chest, was the one person he knew better than to trust.
“Travis fucking Becker, you son of a bitch.” Spencer took his time making his way to the table. With each step he calculated what he'd need to do to kill each of them with or without a firearm.
Salazar yanked the gun from Spencer's hand. “Travis has always been Kat's partner, first with the state, then at K-SAR. It was only right to bring him in on this, her final search. From what I hear, being lost is nothing new for her. It's giving her back to the land. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.”
Shit. He couldn't stand the thought her being out there in the cold wilderness alone. Again. She had to go through it once. She shouldn't have to ever go through it again.
“You're insane,” Spencer hissed. He sat after Salazar motioned at the bench again, the end of the pistol steadily targeted at Spencer's heart. He looked down at the binder, the knot in the pit of his stomach growing.
He really didn't like having Becker behind him and wouldn't put it past the asshole to shoot him in the back. Casually, he turned at the table so he could keep both men in his peripheral vision.
“I'm not crazy,” Salazar corrected, his expression hardening. “Just very pissed off.”
Spencer scraped his gaze across Salazar's face. “That makes two of us.”
“Do you have any idea what you've done? I've spent years putting this in place all to have it completely fucked by a set of pretty blue eyes.” Salazar bared his teeth. “Killing Tommy Miller would have shifted all of the power. Martin Miller would have done anything to protect the rest of his little grandbrats.”
“Too bad Sam Green had a heart.”
“One that is no longer beating,” Salazar retorted with a grin.
Spencer snarled as he turned to Becker. “And what's your play in all of this?”
“Help Salazar. Kill you. Get the girl.”
“Aren't you married?”
Becker set his jaw and held out his gun. His hand shook. This guy had no idea how to shoot. Poor guy. No doubt as soon as Salazar did whatever he needed to do with him, he'd put a bullet between his eyes.
Spencer shifted his attention back to Salazar. “Tell me where she is.”
Salazar pointed at the binder with the gun. “All in good time.”
“What do you want?”
“Control. The Order has it and would like to keep it that way.”
Wait. That didn't fit. “Aren't you trying to shift the balance?”
“I'm trying to keep the balance just the way it is. I know you're working with Miller. Your entire agency is.”
“TREX had never even heard of the Order until Sam Green.”
“Don't lie!” Salazar took a step toward him, the gun shaking in his hand. Oh, yeah. This guy had no idea what the fuck he was doing. If Spencer moved fast he'd have Salazar's gun out of his hands and inside his mouth before the asshole knew what hit him.
Tensing for the move, Spencer then let out a breath to cool his nerves. A distinct metallic click stopped him.
He turned to see Becker arch his brow as he took a step toward him, the gun fully cocked and his finger on the trigger. “Don't be stupid, Spencer. You may be able to jump one of us, but the other would just shoot you.”
“I'd at least take one of you with me.”
“Tempting. I'm not a big fan of Salazar's, either.”
“Who said anything about me going after Salazar?”
Becker faltered as he studied Spencer. With a slight shake of his head, he looked over to Salazar. The color had drained from his face.
Perfect. Just a little more pushing, a little more intimidation and Spencer would have the asshole right where he wanted him.
“Isn't Ms. Davis's life more important than you playing the hero?” Salazar pulled Spencer's attention away from Becker. “Because if it isn't, we can end this here and kill you. Ms. Davis will eventually be found, but they'll have a hard time identifying the body. There are so many animals out there.”
Hatred burned behind his eyes as Spencer riveted a glare on the madman. Becker had to have told Salazar about Kathryn's own search when she was a little girl. He knew it still made it hard for her to sleep at times. And now the asshole had her living that nightmare all over again. He couldn't wait to kill him for that reason alone. “Just tell me what you want from me.”
Salazar's mouth twisted wryly. “That's much better. There is a Senator Murphy who is plotting to take control from the Order. He's responsible for shifting the balance. Emery Haynes was hired by the Order to eliminate the senator. When Haynes disappeared, we had to move fast, so we sent Sam Green in after him. We all know what happened to them.”
Great. A monologue. “What does that have to do with any of this?”
“Senator Murphy was a member of the Order up until a couple of years ago. When he left, he took a fair amount of members with him. Powerful men who collectively have the means to destroy us. So we ordered a hit.”
“You do realize it's illegal to put out a contract on another person. The fact that you went after a senator bumps it up to a federal offense.” Having Salazar admit something like that told Spencer everything he needed to know. They had no intention of him surviving this little game.
“The mark was set,” Salazar continued, ignoring Spencer. “We sent Emery Haynes to take out the senator on one of his routine ski trips, to force him off the trail and off a cliff. When the senator returned to D.C. the following Monday, obviously we knew the hit had failed. So the Order went looking for the hitter.”
What a clusterfuck. If he'd known the shit that would rain down due to his role on that search Spencer would have never kept K-SAR away. He would have listened to Kathryn and brought in Emery Haynes to turn state's evidence against this bullshit Order.
Salazar went on. “We had to stay away or you would have known we were out there. It was actually very clever of the senator to do what he did, calling TREX in like that and ordering you to redirect the search until his man could get to Haynes.”
Spencer shook his head. This did nothing to help him find Kathryn. “Why does it matter now? Haynes is dead.”
“And your beloved Ms. Davis will be too if you don't tell me what I need to know.”
“I could always kill you and you could ask him yourself.”
Salazar put his finger on the trigger. “You've left me no choice.”
“Salazar!” Becker stepped in. “We agreed not to kill him.”
Salazar shrugged. “I never agreed
to that.”
“Come on, man.”
Salazar's voice edged higher, more tense. “Tell me who has been feeding information to the senator.”
“Fuck you.” Spencer had no idea what the hell Salazar rambled on about but wasn't about to give him a thing.
Something moved in Salazar's eyes. His anger solidified in his expression as he gave Spencer a single nod. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For confirming what I'd suspected all along.”
He then raised the gun and curled his finger around the trigger.
THIRTY-FOUR
Salazar glanced at Becker and his smile held a vicious edge. “Someone is doing the senator's dirty work. Someone is tying up all the loose ends from that hit. Aren't they, Travis?”
Becker vehemently shook his head. “What the hell are you talking about?”
Salazar narrowed his eyes. “The way she looked at you tonight gave her away and I knew. And now that the Order knows you are the double agent, we no longer need her, or you.” Salazar repositioned the gun, centering it on Becker.
A shot rang out. Damon Salazar flew back and fell to the floor, dead from a precise shot between the eyes.
“What the fuck!” Spencer leaped to his feet. He retreated, his arms raised at the elbows. Becker now pointed the smoking barrel at him.
He took a step toward Spencer. “I hate it when they reveal the ending like that. Don't you?”
Holy Christ. Travis Becker was a double agent? He didn't see that coming.
“I'm now the only one who knows where Kat is.”
“Holy shit, Becker.” Spencer backed away, his hands still in the air. “What the hell?”
“I keep my enemies very close,” Becker retorted with a slight raise of his brow.
“So now I'm your enemy?”
“You always were, Spence. You just didn't know it.”
“I know it now, and now there isn't a place on this earth where you'll be safe.”
“I'm the one with the gun,” Becker mocked with a snide grin twisting his lips. “And you're the one with a missing girlfriend. A girlfriend, as you so joyfully pointed out, who would never go for someone like me.”
The son of a bitch would die by Spencer's bare hands. “Travis—”
“Just stop!” Becker stepped toward him. “You don't deserve her! She should be with someone like me. Me!” He laughed, a crazy high-shrilled sound that sent chills ripping up Spencer's spine. “You know what she did when I tried to convince her that she should be with me? She spit in my face.”
“Good for her.”
When Becker smiled, a coldness settled in his expression. “You should have seen the look on Kat's face when I showed up at your boat.” He chuckled and Spencer doubled up his fists. “I was getting ready to board when she suddenly showed on deck. You two really made this easy for me.”
Spencer was still reeling over the fact that Becker had been behind it all. How in the hell could it have been him all this time? Then, as his hatred for this man grew, so did his comprehension. “Salazar had nothing to do with the threats against Kathryn, did he?”
Becker curled his lips into a sinister grin that made Spencer's skin crawl and irritated the shit out of him. “No, but he sure made an easy target as a suspect. Salazar didn't like the way she played him on the Miller search. Quite honestly, neither did I.”
“It was you up on that hillside. You killed one of my men.”
He looked disappointed. “Only one?”
Goddamn him. “And the man in her apartment. That was you.”
“Don't forget rigging her Xterra to blow. I do love watching things explode.”
Spencer shook his head as a round of curses fell from his lips. Spencer's insides blazed with a new sense of fury. “You're a goddamn traitor, you know that?”
“I'm a very well paid traitor.” Becker shrugged and traced the walls of the cabin with his gaze. “You'll recognize the layout here as the same as the Com Van's.” He rested his eyes on Spencer and smirked. “You can thank me later for that.”
“You know I will. I'll put a bullet in your brain and you can join Salazar in Hell.”
“Threaten all you want, Spence. I'm the one holding all the cards.”
Becker walked over to the wall of maps and tapped on them with the end of the gun. “These are maps of this area. I've marked the map with the search grid.” He smirked again and landed his gaze on Spencer. “Kat is somewhere in the grid. You find her, you win. It's what you TREX apes pride yourself in.”
“Stop this now. You know I'll find her and then come back here and kill you with my bare hands.” He hoped the confidence in his voice disguised how he really felt. He was terrified he wouldn't find Kathryn. Or worse. Find her too late.
“You are such an arrogant prick. I've never liked you.”
“That feeling is definitely mutual.”
“I've been in love with her for five years. Five fucking years! She was warming to me. She even asked me to join K-SAR. I knew she wanted me. But then you came along and suddenly I no longer existed. No matter how many times I told her she didn't need you. She wouldn't listen to me. I had no choice. You both left me with no choice. Since I can't have her, no one can.” Becker picked up something resembling a garage door opener. He pushed a button and it started beeping.
Spencer spotted some sort of display on it and caught it when Becker tossed it to him. He studied it and his blood ran cold. Oh shit. He knew exactly what it was. “A remote?”
“I've just activated the bomb wired to your girlfriend.”
His pulse pounded in his ears and caused every muscle in his body to tense. “Jesus Christ.”
“I didn't want you thinking this was too easy. The last thing I want is for you to be bored, Spence. Because, let's face it. Searches are boring unless you up the stakes. I'd say this qualifies.”
Spencer jumped at him and easily wrestled the gun from his hands. He then pointed it at the asshole's head.
“I don't think you want to kill me,” Becker defended quickly, his eyes focusing on the gun pointed at his forehead.
“Give me one good reason I don't kill you right now.”
“Kat's got a bomb wired to her. If she doesn't make it back here in time, she's dead.”
“I'll find her and take it off.”
“Sorry,” Becker said, way too sure of himself. “If you attempt to remove the vest she's wearing, it detonates. If you attempt to cut any of the wires, it detonates. Even if you call in your TREX men, they'll get here too late. The only way to save her is to bring her back here before it goes off so I can disarm the bomb. If you fail...” he stepped to the side, out of the line of fire. “Boom. You have to keep me alive to keep her alive. Isn't that a bitch?”
“Alive, yes. Conscious, no.” Spencer brought the gun down against Becker's temple, dropping him like a sack of shit. He found duct tape and strapped him to a chair. Once he knew the asshole wouldn't be going anywhere, Spencer turned to the map, studying it. He pushed air in and out of his lungs to contain his rage.
“Where are you, baby?” he muttered to the map. “Come on, Kathryn. Give me something. Come on.” His mind overloaded with thoughts of her out there, alone and suffering, the stages of hypothermia slowly robbing her of life. He couldn't get his heart to beat steadily. It just kept bouncing around in his chest, making it hard for him to focus.
He shook his head to clear his thoughts as the fear gripping him edged higher.
“What the hell is that b-beeping?” When a small voice sounded, he whipped around and spotted the radio on the table. Grabbing it, he pulled it to his mouth. “Kathryn?”
“S-Spencer?”
Oh, thank God. “I'm here.”
“Is it really you?” she whimpered. The fear in her voice squeezed his heart. “Help me.”
“I'm working on it, baby. But I need you to help me help you. Where are you?”
“I'm d-down a ravine s-somewhere. I don't know how f-far do
wn, I was b-blindfolded for most of it. Is he dead? Did you k-kill him? Please tell me you k-killed him.”
He pinned a glare to Becker, knocked out and strapped to a chair, with lethal precision. “Not yet.”
“I-I'm so c-cold.”
Spencer spun back to the map, his gaze on a trail leading to a ravine. “Are you by water?”
“No.” A long pause. Spencer couldn't breathe. Then Kathryn spoke again. “P-Past that.”
“How far past? Do you recognize anything?”
“I-I don't know. It all looks the s-same.” She let out a tattered sigh and her trembles washed through him. “I hate the dark.” The sound of her teeth chattering echoed over the airwaves. “You know I hate the dark.”
He closed his eyes and cursed. “I know, baby. Don't move. I'm going to find you.”
“I can't move. The b-bastard took all my c-clothes and tied m-me to a t-tree. Since you haven't already k-killed him, I get dibs. You just have t-to come f-find me, first.”
THIRTY-FIVE
Kat picked up on every sound despite the fact her senses were shutting down. Her fingers were numb, from the ropes or the cold she didn't know. She couldn't feel her toes and her body had started overheating judging by the sweat beading on her forehead and trickling down her face.
She closed her eyes and was back to that ten-year-old girl, cold, alone, terrified beyond belief. Of course, when she was lost as a child, she wasn't tied to a tree with a bomb strapped to her back. That upped the terror quotient.
“Spencer,” she whimpered into the air. How long had she been out here? Hours? Days? She couldn't clear the fog in her brain. Did she imagine Spencer even being on the other end of the radio? “Where are you?”
“Kathryn, I'm right here.”
Was that in her head? She whipped her head around and scraped her raw cheek against the tree bark. She barely felt it. She barely felt any of the scrapes on her body anymore. Travis only left her in a tank top and panties. She didn't even have shoes, the bastard.
God, what a fool she'd been. How did she not see this coming? He'd been her friend and confidant for years, but he'd always looked at her with a little too much heat in his eyes. When she'd gotten back together with Spencer, Travis's interest in her escalated to creepy. Then the way he hit on her in her own kitchen after the break in pushed him right into the creeptastic category.