by Rebecca Deel
Her blond hair was spread across the pillow, her breathing slow and steady. His heart clenched. She looked even more frail than he’d seen through Alex’s sniper scope.
Holstering his weapon, Remy drew in a breath, and hoped Christine wouldn’t raise an alarm. He glanced at Lily. She nodded. He trusted her and Rio to watch his back in case things went wrong.
Remy knelt beside Christine, extended his arm, cupped his hand and covered her mouth with a firm grip.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Christine’s eyes popped open. She dragged in a ragged breath and started fighting against Remy’s hold. He used his upper body to control her thrashing. Compared to him, her strength was almost non-existent.
“Christine, it’s Remy. Look at me, sugar. It’s Remy Doucet.”
Chest heaving from exertion, her eyes widened. Her gaze locked on his face and her body stilled. Her forehead furrowed. She mumbled against his hand and tried to lift his arm away.
“Whisper. We don’t want to draw any attention. Are you with me? Do you understand what I’m telling you?”
A slight nod of her head.
Slowly, Remy eased his weight from her and lifted his hand.
“What are you doing here?” she whispered.
“James sent us to get you.”
“Us?”
He inclined his head toward his companions standing at the door.
Christine’s eyes widened at the sight of the weapons in Lily and Rio’s hands. “How did James know I was here?” Tears pooled in her eyes. “He knows, doesn’t he?”
“We’ll explain everything later. Right now, you need to get dressed, fast.”
“You don’t understand. I can’t leave. Remy, I’m in the middle of medical treatments.”
The mission clock was ticking loud in his head. They had to get her moving. The longer they stayed in this building, the greater chance one or more of the guards would discover them and force them to fight their way out. Not a problem for Fortress, but they had a civilian to worry about.
Christine had always been stubborn. He didn’t see any way to convince her unless he was flat out honest. “Montgomery’s not a real doctor and the treatment is an expensive scam.”
Shock was followed by grief in her expressive eyes. “You’re wrong. You have to be wrong.”
“Sugar, listen to me. James got a ransom demand for five million dollars yesterday. We have to get you out of here. All they want is James’ money. If they get the money, there’s no reason to keep you alive. Your husband sent us to bring you home. We’re going to do that whether you cooperate or not.”
“You’d force me?”
“If I have to.” His hand gripped her cold one. “I’ll do it to save your life, but don’t force me to make that choice.” It would gut him, but he’d do it just the same. She wasn’t dying on his watch. “Get dressed. We have several armed guards to get past.”
“They’re to keep the bandits away.”
“Possibly. I guarantee their primary job is to keep the patients here until their money runs out.” He yanked the covers off her. “Dress in jeans, a long-sleeved shirt if you have it and tennis shoes. We may have to run.”
Another second as she studied his face, then Christine sat up. Remy stood and moved out of her way. She slid off the bed, hurried to the suitcase laid on a chest against the wall. She dug out jeans, tennis shoes, a short-sleeved shirt, and a light jacket. When she glanced at him, he nodded. That would work. “You have one minute.” Christine hurried into the bathroom and closed the door softly.
“Ten minutes,” Josh murmured.
“Principal is up and moving,” Remy said.
“Copy. No changes out here.”
Remy stood to the side of the window and checked the front. So far, so good. He didn’t see anything that set off alarm bells. Wouldn’t last, he knew. It was just a matter of time before they were discovered unless they were very, very lucky. No one’s luck was that good.
At the one minute mark, Christine exited the bathroom, dressed and ready to go.
Lily walked to her. “I’m Lily.” She handed Christine a black watch cap. “Pull this on your head and tuck your hair in.” She smiled. “Blond hair is easy to see, even at night.”
Seconds later, Christine’s hair was covered.
“Nine minutes,” Josh whispered.
Remy covered the distance to Christine in two strides. “Here’s how were going to do this. Lily and I will take point. You stay behind us. You do exactly what I tell you to do the instant I say it. No hesitations, questions, or arguments. All our lives depend on you following orders. Rio will bring up the rear. He’s our team medic.”
When Christine glanced at him, he gave a short nod of greeting. “Good to meet you. I need to know if you start having medical problems. I may be able to help.”
Remy activated his mike. “Ready to move.”
“Keep your mike live. Same for Lily and Rio. Eight minutes.”
“Copy.”
He glanced at Christine. “Let’s get you home to James.” With that, Remy strode to the door to the corridor and eased it open a crack. Hallway was clear. Weapon in hand and motioning to the others, he slipped from the room with Lily at his back. The hall remained quiet as they made their way to the stairwell door. No sounds of people up and moving in the rooms along the hall.
He held up his hand for the others to wait while he checked the stairwell. Easing the door open, he scanned the darkened interior. The guard he’d knocked out was still unconscious and no one else was in sight. He signaled the others. One by one, they moved over the threshold into the darkness. Rio made sure the door made no noise when it closed.
Leading the others down, Remy kept his weapon up. If they were caught in the stairwell, there was a good chance one of them would be hurt. No place to hide and a straight shot once you passed the landing.
They were halfway down the final leg of the staircase when the door at the bottom opened. A man began to climb the stairs. Remy knew he had no choice but to take him out. So much for a stealthy escape. He raced for the guard. The man glanced up, looked shocked.
“Hey, hold it right there.” The guard reached for his weapon, drew it just as Remy leaped the last few feet and tackled him, both of them rolling down to the bottom of the stairs.
He wrestled the man for control of his weapon. Remy grasped his hand and slammed it against the hard floor repeatedly until the guard’s grip loosened and the weapon dropped from his hand. He took a punch to the jaw while shoving the gun out of the other man’s reach and another to the side of his head.
Remy’s elbow caught the guard on the temple hard enough to stun him. He applied pressure to the carotid artery, temporarily cutting off blood flow to the guard’s brain. When he slumped, unconscious, Remy whispered, “Rio!” He didn’t want this clown coming to and coming up on them from behind.
The medic hustled down the stairs, hypodermic in hand. Seconds later, he said, “Done.”
“Six minutes,” Josh murmured. “Move, now. Lights are coming on. The guard’s yell was loud enough to attract attention.”
He was afraid of that. Remy glanced at Lily. She had Christine by the arm, pulling her down the stairs. He turned to his former girlfriend. “We have to run. If I tell you to drop, do it.”
Eyes wide, she nodded.
Remy shoved the guard to the far side of the stairwell, opened the door to the kitchen. No one in sight yet. “Josh, we’re ready.”
“Copy that. Nate, go.”
Seconds later, a massive explosion lit the night sky and the electricity cut off. Lights all over the compound went out, leaving darkness and chaos behind. Shouts came from various parts of the compound. Remy led his small team across the open kitchen, threw open the back door. He and Lily took up position on either side of the door. Once they determined none of the guards were close, Remy and Lily started racing for the tree line with Rio rushing Christine out the door, covering her as much as he could with his body.
A shot sounded to their right. “Go, Rio,” Remy yelled and swiveled to face the threat along with Lily. The medic practically carried Christine as they raced for the cover of the trees.
Josh said, “Alex, Quinn, go.”
Immediately rifle fire and screams filled the night air. Another massive explosion to their left blew up one of the four outbuildings.
Christine’s frightened cry jerked Remy’s head her direction. They were almost at the tree line, Rio carrying her in his arms. “She okay?”
“Scared,” the medic said as he took her behind a thick stand of trees and bushes.
Lily’s weapon discharged to his left. Another guard ran toward their location from the right. Remy shot him in the chest, aimed for his partner and took him down.
Two more shots from Lily. “Are these guys just stupid? We’re picking them off like flies.”
“Don’t knock it, honey.”
A middle-aged man barreled from the doorway they had just cleared. Gun in hand, he ran straight toward Christine and Rio. Remy recognized Montgomery. He took aim, fired. The scammer dropped to his knees, clutching his chest. He managed to bring up his weapon and Remy fired another shot, this one to the man’s head.
Sobs from Christine. Then Remy had no more time to think. More and more guards swarmed the grounds. Remy dropped his empty magazine, slapped in another and continued firing. An explosion took out a third outbuilding.
“I’m coming up on your six,” Josh said. Seconds later, Durango’s leader was firing off round after round. “Lily, go.”
Remy’s partner spun on her heel and raced for the motor pool. He and Josh provided cover fire. Gunshots came from the trees as Rio aided in taking down Montgomery’s men.
Shots sounded from the direction Lily had gone. It took everything Remy had to stay in position. For the first time, he was torn between protecting his principal and the woman he loved more than life itself.
“Lily,” Josh snapped. “Sit rep.”
“Dropped one of Montgomery’s men. Hot wiring the first vehicle now.”
“Alex.”
“Three men are fleeing the compound on foot. The rest are down.”
“Quinn?”
“Two on foot, heading toward the motor pool.”
“Keep them off me,” Lily said. “I need a couple more minutes.”
“Quinn?”
“No shot.”
“Same for me,” Alex said.
Josh glanced at Remy. “Go.”
He raced for Lily, leaping over the bodies of guards. The stink of cordite and blood filled the air. Flames from burning buildings lit the night sky like a beacon, sure to attract outside attention before long. As Remy ran nearer to the corner of the house, Nate blew up the fourth outbuilding. More screams rent the night air.
Lily’s legs were dangling from the side of the driver’s seat of the closest Suburban as he ran past the corner. Two steps further, he spotted the two guards speeding toward her.
Remy raised his weapon, double-tapped one, then the other. Both dropped and didn’t move. He checked for the pulse in each of their necks. Nothing. He couldn’t bring himself to regret taking them out. They would have killed Lily and that was unacceptable. “You’re clear, sweetness. Work your magic.”
“Thanks.”
“Alex, Quinn, sit rep,” Josh said.
“No movement.” This from Alex.
“Same,” said Quinn.
“Nate?”
“Clear.”
“Go to the motor pool. Rio, move out.”
“Roger that.”
The SUV Lily was hot wiring cranked up. She revved the engine a few times, then scrambled down from the vehicle and raced toward the next one. After yanking open the driver’s door, she reached under the dashboard and went to work.
Josh jogged around the corner. “Alex and Quinn are two minutes out.”
“Christine?”
“She’s fine. Rio’s taking good care of her, Remy. He wouldn’t let anything happen to her. He may be a medic, but he’s as tough as they come.”
Rio hustled Christine to the motor pool.
“You okay, sugar?” Remy asked.
“No.” Her voice shook. “I’m not sure I’ll ever be after seeing all this. How can you live with this kind of violence all the time?”
“It’s not always like this.”
“I never knew you at all, did I?”
Remy blinked as his gut twisted. Okay, sounded like Christine wasn’t impressed with the turn his life had taken. The irony didn’t escape him that if he wasn’t a well-trained operative, Christine might not be walking out of this compound alive. He and his teammates had risked their lives for her and she viewed them with disdain? Disappointment spiraled through him. Guess he was still the boy from the wrong side of the bayou. “You knew the important things, Christine.” A slight smile curved his lips. “Guess it’s a good thing you dumped me for my best friend.”
The second SUV’s engine caught. Lily raised up and revved the engine a few times before dropping to the ground. “All set.”
Nate, Alex, and Quinn jogged into sight.
“Load up,” Josh said. “Nate, take care of the other two SUVs just in case some of these clowns are in decent enough shape to give chase.”
“Yes, sir.” He slid a Sig from his thigh holster and jogged to the vehicles.
“Rio, you stay with Christine, Lily and Remy.” He turned to Lily. “You rock at boosting cars. How are you at driving them?”
She grinned. “Outran a lot of police in my younger years.”
He rolled his eyes. “Another thing not to tell me when we’re stateside. You take the wheel of one of the SUVs. Alex will drive the other.”
“Yes, sir.”
Shot rang out from Nate’s weapon. The other SUVs listed to one side as he shot out the tires. No way for anyone to follow them if they were alive and well enough to try.
The Fortress team loaded their gear into the vehicles. “Time to move,” Josh said. “Nate’s calling card is sure to bring the federales. Stay sharp. We’re bound to encounter resistance on the way back to the plane. Keep the comm systems live.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Lily adjusted the driver’s seat and positioned the mirrors to better suit someone her height as Alex, Josh, Nate, and Quinn piled into the first SUV. They barreled out of the compound, dust forming a plume behind them. Lily’s SUV fell into line behind the other one.
Rio twisted in the front passenger seat to look back at Christine who sat on the far side of the second row of seats. “How are you doing?”
“I just want to go home.” Her teeth chattered.
“We’re going to make that happen, Mrs. Wilder. Just hang in there a little longer.”
“Where are we going?”
“To the Fortress jet. Once we’re on board that, the next stop will be Texas for refueling. If all goes well, you’ll be home tomorrow afternoon with your husband.” He reached over the seat and touched his fingers to her wrist. After a moment, he said, “Your pulse is too fast and your skin’s cool and clammy. You’re in shock. I want you to lie down and put your feet on Lily’s pack. Remy, lay a mylar blanket over her.”
While Christine stretched out on the bench seat, Remy dug into his pack and pulled out a small, thin, silver blanket. He shook it out and draped it over Christine’s prone form.
“Just rest, sugar,” he said, patting her shoulder. “We’ll take care of you.”
Over the comm system, Josh asked, “Anything behind us, Remy?”
He twisted around, glanced behind them. “We’re clear for now,” he said.
Lily guided the SUV through a series of sharp turns. She winced at the teeth-rattling potholes in what passed for a road. The Chihuahua province government sure wasn’t spending their tax money on the streets. The pesos for infrastructure were probably lining some government bureaucrat’s pocket.
Sniffles came from the middle seat. Lily’s gaze darted over
her shoulder. Tears streaked down the other woman’s cheeks. “It’s going to be okay, Christine. We are the best at what we do. Nothing is going to happen to you.” She didn’t add that any of them would take a bullet for her. That was something she knew the other woman couldn’t handle. “Just think about seeing your husband again. He’s missed you so much. James has been almost sick with worry about you.”
“But that doesn’t make any sense. Trina said she would contact him and tell him I was at a spa for a few days. I didn’t want him to worry.”
“She lied,” Remy said, his voice flat. “We found your SUV by the bayou and your scarf hanging from a tree branch over the water.”
Christine gasped. “No, that can’t be.”
“Sorry, sugar. They wanted to set the stage for a possible tragic accident in the bayou to give them time to drain your bank account, then claim to have kidnapped you so James would hand over the money for your safe return.”
“But we don’t have that kind of money. Wilder Industries is struggling right now.”
“James told us. He said the company would go bankrupt, but he’d gladly pay the five million to get you back if we couldn’t spring you from Montgomery’s compound.”
“How could I have been so stupid?” Christine’s voice was choked with tears. “Hundreds of people would have lost their jobs in exchange for me.”
“Not stupid,” Rio said. “Desperate for a treatment that sounded like it would cure a devastating disease. And you weren’t the only one to be taken in by Montgomery.”
“I wasn’t?”
“My mother was a victim of his as well,” Lily said. And that just sounded weird to say. Her mother. A glow of warmth kindled inside. She never would have guessed at the start of this mission that she would connect with her birth mother and forge a strong bond with Remy Doucet.
“Roadblock up ahead,” Alex said. “Veer off to the road on the right.”
“Copy.” This could be fun. She hoped the shocks on this thing were up to the job. Otherwise they might all need dental work when they returned home.