Riley’s here. I can feel it as Jake waves for me to move toward the near side of the building. I hurry my feet and rest my back against the cool brick surface as Jake slips out of sight.
There’s a door and two windows on this wall. After a steadying breath, I move. I don’t try the door as I move past it but note it’s shut and there are no windows on it. I pause again next to the first window.
I can’t just stand in front of it to get a good look. If anyone is in there, they’ll see me. I use the small edge at the bottom as cover and peer up from a crouching position. It’s covered with gauzy curtains, but I can see through them…into an empty room.
Damn it.
I slink around toward the next window which looks into the same room. I peer into it the same way I did the previous one. The room is still empty, but I spy a closed door on a back wall.
Slinking around the corner, I pass one window which has no light coming out in favor for one that should be a view into the room with the door. This window is high in the air well above my head. I shove the gun into my waistband and jump, my fingers curving the brick edge.
I do a chin up, easing my eyes over my fingers.
I almost fall when I see Riley on the floor, curled into a ball on a stained mattress. She’s right there. Alone. I could push this window open and get my hands on her. But Jake said to wait. Every instinct in my body is saying don’t wait. Move. Get her in your arms.
I don’t. I drop back to the ground, retrieving my gun from my pants.
“Drop it,” a man whispers, clamping a gloved hand over my mouth from behind. “Fuckin’ drop it.” When the cool metal of his gun presses against my temple, I do what he says.
I can’t save Riley if I’m dead.
“How many others?” he asks as he walks me back toward the front of the building.
I can’t answer with his palm across my face so I don’t try.
He doesn’t ask again as he yanks me around the corner. I’m not fighting him. I want him to take me inside. I want him to take me to Riley. If I’m with her, I can keep her safe. That’s all that matters right now.
Once we’re inside the building, he shoves me to the floor. I catch myself on my palms just before I do a face plant on the stained linoleum.
“I know they didn’t send one woman, now how many are on your team?” he demands.
I move to push myself to my feet when his boot connects with my ass, driving me to my stomach.
“The only reason you’re not dead is because I need information from you,” he seethes, leaning over me. “You can give it to me or I can take it.”
Threats of torture don’t scare me. My life was torture for too long for that to have an effect on me. If he believes I’m here with a team, he thinks I’m DCA. I don’t believe DCA agents would worry about torture either.
“Do your worst,” I goad him.
If he’s torturing me, he’s not hurting Riley or trying to move her. I can hold him off until Jake gets us out. Where the hell is he? Shit if this guy’s not alone maybe they have Jake too. Or maybe they’ve already killed him.
No.
I’m not going there.
Jake’s fine.
The guy fists my hair and rips my head off the floor, sending screaming pain down my neck.
“My pleasure,” he hisses near my ear. It’s the voice of a sadist. One I’m well acquainted with. “But first…”
He doesn’t finish his sentence as he smashes my head into the floor repeatedly until my vision goes black and the world closes in around me.
“Where is she?” I seethe as I snap the last guy’s neck.
Three men are on the ground. I don’t know them. They could be DCA or anything else. It doesn’t matter. I spotted them before they caught sight of me, but it’s been some work to put them down.
I swipe blood from a gash over my eye as I hold my side where a blade gave me a decent cut.
“She’s inside, Jake,” Jess informs me. “A guy grabbed her on the other side of the building, dragged her in.”
“Can you ID any of these bodies?” I ask, readying myself to go in after Cara and Riley.
A small drone lowers in front of me, hovering over the bodies.
“It’ll take some time. I don’t recognize them,” she grumbles.
“I’m goin’ in,” I announce.
“Be careful,” she says quietly.
“I know you’re out there,” a voice crackles from a radio on one of the bodies’ waistband. “You come in here and the woman gets my blade in the base of her skull. The little girl can watch.”
All the lights from inside go out as he finishes.
“Fuck! Did you hear that?” I ask Jess.
“Yeah,” she grunts.
“I’ve got a rifle, but in the dark, I won’t make that kinda shot. What the fuck do I do?”
“Give me a few minutes, Jake. If I can identify the bodies, maybe we can figure out the end game here.”
“Right.”
I don’t want to wait a few minutes. The two most important people in my world are inside this building. I’m only separated by bricks a mortar. But it feels like the thickest barrier in the world right now.
The sound of footfalls racing in my direction has me at attention. I flatten against the building, shielding myself from view behind a corner, gun at the ready. I’ve already been made so being quiet is no longer necessary. I used a knife and my hands on the other men. I still don’t want to give up my location though. Stealth is necessary.
A large man runs past me and I leap on his back, dragging him to the ground. He’s instantly rolling, trying to throw me off his back as I use my arm across his throat to snuff the life out of him.
“Stop,” a ferocious female voice commands from behind me as a gun is pressed to my head.
“Aunt Shanny?” I question, letting up on my hold.
“Jakey?” she responds, dropping her gun away.
“You gonna let me up?” Dad asks from underneath me.
“Shit,” I hiss, hopping to my feet.
Dad rolls to his back with a massive smile on his face. “That was fuckin’ impressive.”
“Not the time, Nicky,” my aunt scolds, holding her hand out to him.
We both heave him to his feet and he pulls me in for a tight hug.
“Jake?” Jess questions in my ear.
“My dad and aunt just showed up,” I explain as Dad releases me.
“Inform him next time he wants to sneak up on someone to call it in first,” she grumbles as I notice the armed drone moving away from us a little.
“Jess says don’t sneak up on me again or she’ll shoot you with her drone,” I say.
He snorts.
“Where’d you get that drone, Jess?” I ask, knowing the DCA doesn’t have any armed drones in its fleet.
“I called in some favors. Actually, a SEAL named Nate said he owed you one and hooked me up.”
The SEAL team leader from Syria. Wow.
“How the hell did you get here so fast?” I question as I push that favor to the back of my mind.
“Twenty minute flight and a ten minute drive,” Dad explains while checking his weapons.
“Where’s Cara?” Shannon asks.
“Inside with Riley and at least one bad guy,” I say, all the relief of them being here completely gone now.
“Let’s go,” she dictates.
“He just threatened to put a knife through her skull if I go in…while he makes Riley watch.”
“Fuck,” they respond in unison.
“It’s too dark for a long shot,” I explain.
“Not with this,” Shannon says brightly, pulling her rifle off her back. “Night vision scope.”
“I fuckin’ love you,” I breathe out, grasping her weapon before yanking her into my chest.
“Do you need me?” she asks.
“I’m good. Once I take him out, you two go in. I don’t know how many we’re dealing with. Jess, I’m hangin’ up now.
Thanks for everything. Get on with my dad.”
“Talk to you soon, Jake,” she responds as I yank the earbuds out.
Once Dad’s on the phone, I run back toward where I left the car. There’s a small rise in the land there. I should be able to get a good angle and take this fucker out without difficulty.
I set up the weapon with ease, not needing to pay attention too closely. This shit is second nature to me. I lay on the snowy ground, wincing a little as my knife wound stretches.
Then I press my eye to the scope. Shannon and Dad are on either side of the door, guns at the ready. I shift a little and aim into the window at the front. It’s empty.
Shit.
I climb to my feet and run toward the other side of the building. There’s a small window, but it should still give me a good shot from the height I’m at.
I ready the weapon again and look through the scope. There they are. Cara’s laying on the floor, unmoving. Riley’s also on the floor on the other side of the small room. They aren’t dead. They can’t be.
There’s one man in the room with them, looming over Cara’s body with a knife in his hand. He looks on edge as he paces and barks into a phone.
I make my adjustments for wind and elevation before steadying my breathing. As my breaths slow, I feel my heart thud a regular measured beat.
For a moment, I’m back in that fucking deer blind. I can feel Butch hovering over me, goading me to be the monster he created. I can feel his breath on my neck and his muzzle against my temple.
I squeeze my eyes shut and breathe.
He’s not here, and I’m not that fucking monster.
One more rise and fall of my chest, and I’m back to this moment. The moment where I save the love of my life and my daughter.
Eye on my target, I squeeze the trigger. Glass shatters as he flies back from the impact to his chest. I wait. If he’s wearing a vest, he’ll be back up. I hear Dad and Shannon break the door down before I see them enter the room.
Shannon holds her aim on the guy while scanning the room. Dad runs around, securing the building. I wait. I have to wait until I know they’re clear. It’s fucking killing me.
Finally, Dad comes in the room and waves the all clear at the window. I sprint to the building. Fuck the pain. Fuck the worry. Fuck everything else.
I need them in my arms.
I burst in the building, streaking toward the back room. Dad’s on his knees next to Riley while Shannon crouches next to Cara.
“He’s dead. They’re alive,” she says and all the air rushes from my lungs.
I run to Riley first.
“I think she’s been drugged, Jake,” Dad says.
He’s shining a flashlight on her pale skin. There isn’t a mark on her that I can see. No blood or bruising.
I shouldn’t move her. She could have a head or neck injury. I need her in my arms though. I press my lips to her cold cheek as tears leak from my eyes. Her breath tickles my chin as I hold myself there, willing her to wake up and look at me.
“Jake,” Cara moans.
I hustle over to her, helping her roll to her back. Her forehead is split open, blood covering her stunning face.
“Riley,” she whispers.
“You’re both okay now,” I assure her, wiping her face.
“An ambulance is almost here,” Dad says.
“Uncle Nick?” Her eyes flutter open and close again from too much pain based on her grimace.
“My dad and your sister came to help,” I inform her.
“Shannon?”
“Hey,” she croons, grabbing her sister’s hand. “You’re safe now.”
The building illuminates as the lights of the emergency vehicles come over the ridge. Cara tries to sit up.
“Stay still, sweetheart,” I urge softly.
“Get me to my daughter,” she seethes.
It takes my breath away and causes my eyes to water again. When I don’t move quickly enough, she shoves me. I let out a happy snort and scoop her into my arms, carrying her to the dirty mattress Riley’s on.
I lay us down, Cara curling around Riley as I pull them into my chest. Then I speak my mother’s words.
“You’ll never be alone again. I’ll watch over you, protecting you even as you sleep. I’ll love you as much as you deserve to be loved. You’re safe. You’re safe.”
Sometimes the hours and days following trauma are worse than the actual event itself. The memories of what transpired become the demon you’re fighting with no chance of conquering. I’ve been struggling right along with Cara. The visions of what transpired have not been swept away. Every heart-wrenching moment is permanently etched for us. But my daughter has been spared this torment.
She was drugged.
The sedative she was injected with has made her memory foggy for the entire time surrounding her abduction. She’s said she remembers being scared and yelling for me, but other than that, she doesn’t know what happened.
I fear that those memories will return. That at some point in Riley’s life, the events that transpired before she was taken will come back to haunt her. I’ll be at her side if that day ever comes.
I haven’t left her since I got my hands on her. I don’t know if I will any time soon. Maybe in the next five to ten years. It’ll make puberty difficult, but she’ll manage.
“I’m so excited,” she squeals as the doorbell rings at my brothers’ house.
Her loose curls are bouncing on her shoulders while her light grey eyes shimmer with anticipation. It’s the dimples I’m staring at though. Visual evidence that my daughter is on cloud nine. Happy and safe.
“Daddy.” She urges me to stop staring and get moving while Cara grins broadly at me from the couch.
“Let’s go,” I reply, sweeping her onto my hip.
I don’t get to hold her for long because as soon as the door is open she’s flying into someone else’s arms.
“Roman,” I say, shaking his hand.
“Cooper,” he responds with humor in his voice.
I can’t help the scowl. My daughter is five and completely infatuated with his son. It’s a perfectly fine reason to scowl.
“Why don’t we go in out of the cold, kids?” Roman suggests.
Riley stops hugging Ivan long enough to grab his hand and drag him into the house. Roman claps my shoulder as I shut the door.
“You look like shit,” he comments as we walk.
“Thanks.” I nudge his shoulder.
I know I look like shit. Three days isn’t a lot of time to recover. My bruises are better and the gash over my eye is healing along with the one on my head. My abdomen is a bit of a mess. The knife wound was deeper than I thought at first. Twenty-eight stitches to get that bad boy sewn back together.
I’ll live.
Cara meets us as we enter the living area, my brothers watching from the couch.
“We’ve never officially met. Cara Kelly,” she says with her hand out.
“Roman Knight.” He shakes her hand while studying her from head to toe. Cara does the same.
She has a few bruises on her body, but he can’t see those. There’s a good bump healing on her head from the blast. Her face is still battered. She needed a few stitches on her in her hairline, but not as many as I feared when I first saw her. Head wounds bleed a lot and hers was no exception.
“Can I take Ivan up to my room?” Riley asks, causing my brothers to all grumble.
I’m glad to see I’m not the only one.
“Sure,” I agree.
“I’m comin’ too,” Dane announces, jumping off the couch.
“We’re not wearing dresses, Uncle Dane,” Riley points out.
That gets everyone laughing, but it doesn’t stop my brother from following the kids upstairs.
“These are my brothers,” I introduce. “Sawyer and Cole. Dane’s the chaperone.”
“It’s nice to meet you all.”
“You too,” Sawyer and Cole respond in unison.
; “Is there somewhere we can talk?” Roman asks me.
“Sure. I’ll be back,” I say to Cara, kissing her temple.
Roman follows me into the office where we each sit on the same side of one desk.
“I’ve got the whole story,” Roman huffs. “It’s fucked, but it’s the whole thing. If you’re not ready to hear it, just say the word. Riley’s safe. Cara’s whole. You’ve got your life on track. Nothing I tell you will change any of that, but it might fuck with you.”
I need to know so I can let this shit go for good. It’s time for the truth.
“I’m good, Roman. Just tell me so I can move on with my life.”
His inked fingers fist and release a few times in his lap before he locks his midnight gaze with mine and dives in.
“Cash wasn’t the dirty agent.”
He leaves that in the air for a few moments, and I let it hang.
“We finally got names to go with the dead faces. They all belong to soldiers that used to work for Artem Klimov.”
Fuck me.
Artem Klimov runs the largest human trafficking operation in the country. He sticks mainly to Eastern European women and children. The DCA’s been after him for over a decade. He’s nearly impossible to track and his business has been impenetrable to our undercover agents. The fucker’s never been on my list. At least not yet.
“So what’s the story? We were wrong about Cash but someone in the DCA was in on this. The safe house in Chicago and again in the Ozarks. That shit was internal. Tell me you found the rat and what the fuck Klimov has to do with all of this,” I grumble.
“Jess is definitely skilled with computers and she found our rat. Mike Tomlinson.”
“Fuck,” I hiss.
Tomlinson was Cash’s partner. The one who’s now in a wheelchair after the shit storm in Palo Alto.
“Cash hasn’t been dark for a year. He’s been dead for a year. Tomlinson had him taken out,” Roman growls, rubbing his hands over his face.
“Why?”
“Because Cash was onto his old partner. Tomlinson came clean yesterday. He didn’t really have a choice because I was in a room with him and ready to be pretty fuckin’ convincing.”
Escaping the Blackness (A Cooper Brothers Novel Book 1) Page 29