In the Shadow of Pride Book 4

by Nancy C. Weeks

  “Which means we need Sarah back in here. Jason is going to have your head.”

  Díaz let out a laugh. “Not mine, yours. I’m releasing Lexie into your custody. You can brief Jason when you drop her off.”

  A tired, frustrated groan escaped Mac’s throat. Great. A pissed-off Lexie in the tight confines of his truck. Yup, that was exactly how he wanted his day to end. Maybe she would allow him to keep his skin long enough to get her back to her son.

  The woman found her way under his thick skin on day one. He understood her animosity, but it had been over two years and she still couldn’t stand to be in the same room with him, while Jason dropped by whenever he wanted, getting close to Gabriel. And why the hell hadn’t Jason mentioned he was in touch with her? Did his brother think he didn’t care? Well, he did care, and it hurt that she could forgive Jason and not him.

  Mac flipped the screen back to the conference room. A man stood talking to Lexie. “Who is that?” he said, turning the screen so Díaz could see it.

  “I don’t recognize him.”

  “The building is swarming with an alphabet soup of agencies, but I thought you were the only one to interview her.”

  Lexie stood, and a slight smile appeared at the corner of her mouth. She nodded at something the guy said and followed him out of the door.

  Díaz picked up the phone. “I don’t like this. He’s taking her toward the stairwell. I’ll call backup…”

  “I’m on Lexie.”

  Seven

  The deserted hallway loomed in front of Lexie. It took considerable effort to put one foot in front of the other after spending the last several hours doing nothing physical. This was a new level of exhaustion that redefined her previous definitions of bone tired and emotionally drained.

  Ryan strolled behind her, the heavy, spicy scent of his cologne clogging her nostrils. She’d actually bit down on the inside of her cheek, the cuss words in her head, spouting with every inch. The jerk was another federal agent. Shit. What the hell was fate thinking? It sure explained the negative vibe hitting her from across the table on their coffee date.

  God, was that only last night?

  The closer they moved toward the stairwell, the more tense Lexie became. She slowed her pace, allowing Ryan to walk beside her instead of behind. His ball cap was shoved down over his eyes so she couldn’t read his expression.

  At the stairwell, he reached out and placed a small device on the wall where another hallway to her right intersected. Lexie would have missed the move if she weren’t watching him.

  “What was that?”

  “Nothing. I bet you’re exhausted.”

  “Last night, why didn’t you mention you were a federal agent?”

  “Because I’m not a federal agent.”

  Lexie stopped. “Then what are you?”

  Ryan took her elbow. His grip didn’t hurt, but the move set her heart beating hard. He made her uncomfortable. She eased out of his hold and stepped away from him. He wasn’t a tall man, only about four inches above her height, but he loomed over her.

  “Let’s go.” He nodded toward the stairwell door.

  “Let’s not. Answer my question, Ryan. If you’re not an agent, then who do you work for?”

  He stepped into her personal space as he stabbed the point of a 9mm barrel into her side, facial features, cold, hard. It was his sneer that jolted rock-hard fear into her gut. She broke eye contact just long enough to search the hallway. Just when she needed a damn special agent, no one was available.

  “Move.”

  “I… you can’t do this. It’s the FBI.”

  Lexie hated the stutter in her voice. Nothing could have kept it at bay. He shoved her toward the stairwell.

  “What do you want with me?”

  “Answers.”

  “I had nothing to do with the drone attack.”

  “I know.”

  “How do you…?”

  The rest of the question froze in her throat. Her first semi-date in two years and it was with a drone-killing terrorist. “What do you want?”

  “Did you mention me?”

  “What?”

  “To Díaz. Did you mention me?” He grabbed her elbow and turned her around to face him.

  “Damn it, you’re hurting me.” She yanked her arm, but his hold tightened. “Why do you care if some federal agent knows we had coffee?”

  “Answer the question.”

  “No, you egotistical creep. Agent Díaz wasn’t interested in my dating habits.”

  A hint of a smile appeared at the corners of his mouth. “Good, then this is going to be easy.” With a hard shove, they reached the door.

  “Lexie?”

  Mac’s voice, calm and deep, came from behind her. That meant only one thing. There wasn’t a calm bone in his body. She shifted toward him. Ryan jammed the barrel into her side with such force, she couldn’t keep her yelp of pain quiet.

  “Where are you going, Lexie?”

  “I wouldn’t take another step, Special Agent—?”

  “McNeil. Who the hell are you?”

  Lexie yanked free enough to peer over her shoulder. “He put something on the wall about a foot from you. Don’t move.”

  Ryan lifted a small remote control that looked a lot like a garage door opener and pressed the center button. “I would listen to her, Special Agent McNeil. You can’t see it, but there is a beam stretching across the hallway. One move and you’ll splat all over the walls like lovebugs on your windshield.”

  “We have a problem. I can’t let you take her.”

  Ryan shoved her in front of him, her body his shield. Mac’s Glock was in his hand at his side, and he leaned against the wall as if they were just talking about the weather.

  Lexie swallowed the urge to tell Mac to back off. He would never leave her with Ryan, but if he stayed, they were both dead.

  The hallway filled with several agents. Mac straightened, his eyes glued to her. “Let go of Lexie, back into the stairwell, and you’re home free.”

  Ryan let out a laugh. “Here’s something, McNeil. You know that little toy I stuck to the wall an inch from you? I have them positioned throughout this building, the stairwells included. Mess with one and they all go off.” His fingers still digging into Lexie’s arm, he pressed his back into the door, and it opened easily.

  There had to be something she could do. Rico had drilled into her the move she used in the bank. She hadn’t given it a thought, just reacted. With a gun to her side and Ryan’s thumb only a centimeter from the whole building going to hell, she was too scared to move, much less reason.

  “I’ll go with you. Just don’t…”

  “No need, Lexie. I got what I came for.” He leaned his mouth close to her ear and whispered, “Don’t miss me. I’ll be seeing you real soon.”

  He gave her a hard shove, and she stumbled, falling forward into the beam. She swung her arms back and dropped to the floor, her butt and elbows hitting the linoleum. She curled her knees into her chest and froze.

  “Lexie?” Mac’s tone turned harsh.

  “Is he gone?”

  “Yes. Are you okay?”

  “No, McNeil, I’m not okay.” Sobs clouded her throat as she righted herself and inched from the stairwell. “Now what?”

  “Don’t touch that door. The bomb squad is on their way.”

  “I don’t think there’s time for them to do any good. You need to get everyone out of the building before that psycho blows this shit to hell.”

  “I’m not leaving you here. Can you trust me just this once?”

  Agent Díaz stood directly behind him. “What’s your plan?”

  “Lexie and I stay. The rest of you get out of here.”

  “I don’t care for that plan, Mac,” Díaz said.

  “I’ll deactivate the bomb, and then we’ll run like hell.”

  The blood rushed to Lexie’s head. “No, no…”

  “I know what I’m doing. Can you trust me?”

 
; If she died, who would love her son? Tears spilled over her cheeks. “Mac, don’t put your life in danger. Gabriel is going to need you. Please just go, get out of here.”

  “Do you trust me?”

  “Yes.” No, hell…

  She trusted herself not to be such a clueless idiot like she was in the bank. If she was going to get out of this mess, she had to trust his training.

  “Sir, get everyone out of the building. I can give you maybe a few minutes.”

  Agent Díaz glanced at his watch. “I sure hope you know what you’re doing.” He backed away and rushed down the hallway.

  “Lexie, look at me.”

  “Don’t you get I don’t want you—”

  “When I say run, you come at me hard. Got it?”

  Lexie took in a shaky breath and nodded.

  Every muscle in his body tensed as he raised his thumb and finger up to the device, easing out a short, black, looped wire. A grayish shield about a centimeter in length connected at the bottom of the loop. Slowly, he twisted one wire while keeping the other still until he separated the loop into two distinct wires. An instant later, he blurted, “Now!”

  Lexie charged toward him. He grabbed her hand just as a tiny blue light flashed from the box.

  “Run!”

  Mac yanked her with him as he charged down the joining hallway. Seconds later, the device exploded into a hot, debris-filled blast. A whoosh of heated air knocked them off their feet and tossed them several yards onto the floor and against the far wall. Mac landed on Lexie hard, knocking the air from her lungs. Another device exploded in front of them. She couldn’t see how close they were to this blast because Mac’s body covered hers and his hand pressed over her head.

  Then everything in Lexie’s world went dead. An annoying ring buzzed between her ears. She pulled on her lobes and something popped. The blaring fire alarm replaced the ringing. When she tried to breathe, the pungent stench of smoke burned down her throat into her lungs. She jerked her head free from under Mac’s hand as a wracking cough shook her body.

  Mac lifted her from the floor. “Can you run?”

  Again, the words couldn’t pass through her throat, so she nodded.

  He grabbed her hand and raced toward the end of the hallway, coming to a stop halfway down. Fire and smoke blocked their path. Lexie twisted around. The intersection was also completely in flames. In the next instant, Mac kicked his foot hard above the lock on the nearest door, and it crashed open. He shoved her into the small office, followed, and shut the door. He lowered his head and, placing his hands on his knees, took a deep, cleansing breath. Charred patches spread across the back of his sport coat, but it didn’t appear to have burned through to his skin. Following his example, Lexie tried to clear the smoke from her lungs.

  “Are you okay, Lexie?” he said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

  Her ears still rang, but at least she could hear. “I can’t catch my breath.”

  His hand slid gently up and down her back. “Relax. Breathe in and out slowly.”

  His voice sounded so calm, so caring, that her anxiety eased as her lungs filled with air. “Thanks.”

  A smile touched his lips before he broke contact and moved toward the window. Pulling the blinds up, he leaned over as if to see where they were.

  “What are you doing?”

  “This window is our only way out.” Mac raised the desk chair over his head.

  “Stop, we’re on the fourth floor.”

  “We don’t have a choice. There’s a wide ledge and the level roof below is only about twelve feet down.” Mac slammed the chair against the glass. It bounced back at him, and he lost his footing.

  “That’s tempered glass. It’s built not to break. You’re going to have to hit it at the pressure point.”

  “Where?”

  Lexie moved beside Mac and took only a moment to study the glass. “If you hit it at the bottom corner, the glass should break toward the sill instead of all over you.”

  Mac took a step back. Instead of lifting the chair again, he pulled out his Glock and fired a shot into the bottom right corner of the window. It shattered in a million pieces and dropped straight down onto itself.

  “That was effective,” she said with the first hint of humor all day.

  He brushed the loose shards of glass onto the floor and climbed up on the edge of the windowpane. She couldn’t believe her heart could pound any harder against her chest until he stepped outside onto the ledge. Lexie turned toward the door. Thick grayish smoke seeped in under the threshold.

  “Lexie?”

  “I can’t go out that way.”

  “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  “Heights and I don’t like each other, Mac.”

  His expression softened, and he held out his hand to her. “Trust me.”

  The man had no idea what he was asking of her. She could count on three fingers the people in her entire life she trusted: Gabriel, Cole, and Marcus.

  “The hallway is in flames. Smoke is coming in under the door.”

  “Damn it, I know that,” she said.

  “Take my hand, and I’ll get you out of here.”

  For once, when she glanced at him, there wasn’t an expression of total frustration staring back at her. The only thing she read in his eyes was concern. She reached for his hand, and he helped ease her up onto the windowsill.

  “Just keep your eyes on me. I won’t let you fall.”

  Staring into Mac’s hazel eyes was no hardship. If she allowed herself to feel, his eyes had the power to melt her from the inside out. He would be the perfect hero material if he weren’t such an irritating, opinionated jerk most of the time.

  Keeping her eyes locked on his, she stepped out onto the ledge. A light breeze tossed her hair into her face. With one hand grasping Mac’s hand in a vise grip and the other holding onto the window frame for dear life, there was no way to brush the hair off her face. For a split second, she looked down.

  “Shit, shit, shit. I can’t do this.”

  “Eyes on me.” He tilted her chin up. “I’m going to let go of your hand—”

  “No. Hell, no.”

  “I have to let go to climb down to the roof.”

  “If you leave me up here alone, I’ll never forgive you.”

  Lexie prided herself on being self-sufficient. If there was a clogged toilet, she fixed it. If she had a flat tire, she changed it. Roaches, ants, hairy tarantulas, bats―she took care of all of it. But this was too much. Standing on a ledge alone four stories above ground turned her into a world-class chicken.

  “I will not leave you. I have to get down, then I’ll help you down.”

  “Sorry,” she gasped out. “Itty-bitty panic attack. I’m over it.”

  “Breathe. In and out slowly. I’m shaking in my boots, too, Lexie.”

  She leaned her back against the cool stone and made herself release Mac’s hand. She then took a breath of fresh, clean air and hid the shakiness in her voice. “Now what?”

  “I’m going to drop to the roof. You will kneel on the ledge and, using the window to balance, turn so your legs hang over the edge. Let go of the ledge, and I’ll catch you.”

  “Are you crazy? I can’t—”

  “Lexie, look behind you.”

  She turned her head slowly toward the open window. Flames appeared under the door and the small office was completely filled with smoke. One word escaped her lips. “Trapped.”

  “Once we get down onto the roof, there’s a fire escape ladder to the street.” He reached for her hand. “Gabriel needs you. We can do this together.”

  “Not fair using Gabriel.” She bit down on her lower lip and dredged up an ounce of courage. “Do what you have to do.”

  With the grace of a trained athlete, he lowered himself over the side until only the tips of his fingers were on the ledge. An instant later, he dropped, landing on his feet.

  “Tag, you’re it, Lexie. Just drop and I’ll catch you. Trust me.
”

  Lexie’s heart pounded like she had just run the 100-yard dash. After a quick glance into the office, she knelt, and holding onto the window, rolled onto her stomach.

  “That’s it. Now just ease your legs over the ledge.”

  The instant her feet hit empty space, panic ripped through her and she swung a leg onto the ledge as her fingers dug into the window frame. God, she couldn’t do this. It was freaking crazy.

  “Let go. I’m right under you.”

  “This isn’t the time to be nice to me, Mac.”

  “Okay, then how’s this? I’m loving the view of the sexiest red panties I have ever seen that barely cover an ass that will live in my dreams for years to―”

  Lexie dropped. Before she could get out the ear-piercing, girly scream that roared in her head, she landed in Mac’s arms. The impact jolted her.

  “You’re okay,” he whispered. “I’ve got you.”

  Wrapping her arms around his neck, she allowed his strength and his herbal all-male scent to soothe her. He eased her legs on solid ground, but she didn’t let go. For the first time in her life, she was safe and protected.

  She raised her chin and met his amused stare. Of all the stupid days to wear a skirt to work. As soon as she got out of this mess, it was going to Goodwill.

  Heat spread up her neck, and her chest tightened. “This one time, I’m going to let that go.”

  “Let what go, Lexie?” Mac’s hand caressed her spine to her waist and pressed her tightly against him.

  His touch sent a flash of need that had been dormant for too long into her gut. Lexie swallowed but couldn’t look him in the face. “That wasn’t my best moment on that ledge. You shouldn’t have looked.”

  “You told me not to be nice. I was saving your life.”

  She couldn’t help herself. She let out a laugh and lightly struck his chest with her fist. He caught her hand and pressed it against his heart.

  His expression softened for an instant before he broke their connection and eyed the ladder. “We still have to get off this roof. Are you up to it?”