by Dakota Black
Roger coughed and doubled over before he managed to get to his knees. “I’m trying.”
“I know you are. Come on, honey. Help us both here,” she pleaded. Sweat rolled down both sides of her face.
Wham! Whoosh!
She ducked, hearing the sound of flying debris, metal against metal. “Oh God.” Could the rig handle this kind of a storm?
He sucked in ragged breaths and closed the distance, a slight smile on his face. “Okay.” He reached around her, pressing his body against hers as he fumbled to untie her hands.
Fear continued to ooze into every cell, every muscle but she was determined to put on a brave face. The kid needed her help. “That’s it.”
Roger huffed and sat back, his actions full of exhaustion. “I can’t.”
“Then grab the scalpel.”
“Okay.” This time, he smiled as he slipped his hand into her pocket.
She shifted, enabling him to get a better grip, breathing a sigh of relief when he pulled the implement in front of her. “That’s it! Untie my legs first.”
Roger seemed to obey, lowering his shaking arm and peeling away the covering. He began to saw at the rope until the bondage began to fray.
Holding back a smile, she kicked out her feet until they were free. “That’s it! Now my hands.”
Moaning, he crawled just behind her back. “Might take me a few minutes.”
His voice seemed stronger. “That’s okay. Take your time.” She waited as the sound of his heavy breathing mixed with the raging winds and she thought about Nash. She’d find him and let him know that Tank was the madman. She held her breath and prayed for the first time in so long. How could he have done this? Why? She could feel the strands loosening.
“You know, that fucking asshole is a monster.”
“What?” Had she heard the words correctly? Wait a minute. She was suddenly dazed as she tried to figure out what she’d heard. “Roger?”
He shuffled backwards and smiled as he held the scalpel into the light, twisting and turning the blade. “You had no idea. So, kind of you to make certain I was okay.”
“You? What the hell is going on?”
Roger rose to his feet. “I admit, I didn’t think the injury was bad enough that it almost killed me, but there you were. The doctor who took care of me. You listened to my concerns. Nash deserves to die for what he did.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Did you like my warning about prison? He’s a murderer.” Roger laughed.
“You? That was an accident.” Unable to make sense of anything, she kept her eye on the scalpel. He’d poisoned himself? But she read the tests. The man had to be dying.
“I know what you’re thinking. I didn’t count on the fact he’d find a good fuck on the rig. You were like a bright shining spot of karma.” When she said nothing, he thrust the weapon under her chin. “I’m going to hurt him just like he did my family!” Now, he was screeching.
Her lower lip quivering, she smiled. “We can work this out.”
He kept the manic smile as he twisted the edge of the blade, drawing a string of blood on the side of her neck.
Veronica hissed and jerked back, wiggling her hands and snapping what was left of the rope. “Why? Why do all of this? That was years ago.” She could see he was slipping out of reality.
Sniffing, he eased back, glaring at the scalpel. “Well, when I heard who was being considered for coming on the rig, taking over for the stupid fucker, Parker, I knew what I had to do. My one chance. My single change to get back at the monster. All I had to do was threaten to expose Parker for his part in trying to ruin Rush Enterprises. What a good boy making a call, recommending his own replacement.”
Reality settled in and Veronica knew his mind was slipping, but was this an effect of the poison? No doubt. However, he couldn’t know what he was facing. “You poisoned yourself?”
“Just the right dosage to keep me locked down for long enough. I had to make it all look believable.”
“You killed a crew member.”
“Casualties of war. Nothing more.” He dropped to the floor. “Now, and I’m so sorry, but you’re going to have to die. I admit, the game has been a hell of a lot of fun, but I need to end this.” He held the scalpel up to her face. “I hate to hurt someone as pretty as you, but Nash will understand why. Shame you won’t be able to ask him why.”
“No. No! Don’t do this. Whatever is going on, we can work this through.” She scooted backwards and was struggling to get to her feet. “No!” The scream echoed against the howling wind.
He grabbed her around the throat. “You are going to die.”
Wham!
The door burst open and in a flash, Roger was pulled to his feet and tossed against the wall, his body hitting with a hard thud.
Veronica scrambled to her feet as Roger tried to get to his feet. A series of hard kicks shoved Roger back against the wall. She watched in horror as Tank fell to his knees, dragging Roger up by the neck and slamming his fist into the man’s face over and over again.
Slam!
“Stop!” Veronica called, unsure of Tank. She crept backwards, looking for anything to protect herself.
Tank snarled then punched Roger again, finally rising to his feet. He looked in her direction. “I need to get you to safety.”
“I don’t trust you.”
“You’re going to have to. I’ll take you to Nash. Both of you are in danger.”
She glanced past the eyes of a tortured man into the soul needing his own redemption. Walking forward, she slumped. “Others are involved.”
“Yeah.” When Roger lay still, Tank waited then turned toward her. “Let’s get you out of here.”
“I don’t understand. You came to take me.”
“Yeah, I did. I came to take you to Nash but was jumped from behind,” Tank said as he glared down at Roger.
“This is insane. I don’t know what to believe.”
“Right now, I’m the only savior you’ve got. This isn’t over. Come on.” When she hesitated, he pulled at her hands. “We have to get you out of here. He’s not the only one. Follow me and stay closely behind.”
She crouched behind him as Tank led her out into the darkened hallway. There was no clear understanding of what was going on, no way to determine what she was facing. She had to trust him, the man she thought to be the enemy. What the hell? This wasn’t over? What more could there be?
“We’ll find Nash.” He moved down the hallway until they heard a creaking sound. He turned then placed a finger over his mouth.
The wind continued to howl, screaming as it passed over the rig. Everything seemed to be in slow motion as he grabbed her hand, leading her away from Roger and the nightmare. They rounded a corner and suddenly there was a popping sound.
Bam!
“Not so fast.” The voice was harsh, the gunshot hitting the wall with a ringing thud.
“Get down!” Tank commanded as he pushed her to the ground, covering her body with his.
“This is perfect. No one will care about the noise and you’ll both be gone.”
Who the hell was talking? She homed in on the sound, the tone inflections, but was unable to decipher the identity of the shooter.
Footsteps sounded as the man walked closer.
She darted her head around Tank and was able to see his face. This didn’t make any sense. In his hands, he held a gun, the barrel pointed in their direction.
Nash confronted the man, crouched and ready to fight. “Get away from her, you asshole.”
“Get ready to die,” he said as he laughed.
Nash lunged forward, tackling the man.
Whoosh!
“Ah!” The man screamed and fell toward the wall, dropping his gun.
Tank moved. “Stay here.” He lunged forward.
She watched in horror as Tank fell on the gun and Nash rushed forward. Standing, she hugged the wall.
The man wrestled with Tank and they rolled.<
br />
She could see the gun in Tank’s hands then the man grabbed for it, his hand wrapping around the barrel. “Nash!”
The cry rang out into the hallway just as—
Bang!
The sound echoed in the chamber and Veronica reached out.
“It’s over honey. It’s over.” Nash gathered her into his arms, shielding her from the carnage.
She gripped his shirt, pushing her face into his chest, tears slipping from her eyes. “Nash. I thought I’d lost you.”
“You’re never going to lose me. Never. I love you.”
One Week Later
“You look good in a suit, brother,” Nash said then grinned as he nodded in Tank’s direction. They stood in the foyer of Rush’s corporate office, both dressed in requested clothes. He wasn’t entirely certain what to expect, but he had a damn good idea. Still, he’d go out with whatever dignity he had left.
“I think you both look fabulous,” Veronica purred as she took a step back, studying both men.
“You are required to say that,” Tank huffed and wrestled with the tie. “I look like a damn geek.”
“Oh, but geeks are all the rage,” she said then rolled her eyes. “Be on your best behavior. We’re off the rig. The hurricane is history.”
Nash exhaled as he thought about the two days of near peril spent on the rig as the hurricane raged. They’d been lucky to survive the catastrophic storm, especially given the terrible circumstances. He wasn’t entirely certain what they were going to face, but at this point, he didn’t honestly care. She was safe. The nightmare was over. At least one of them.
“Welcome.” Her voice was soft, inviting. She laughed when no one said anything. “Danielle Montgomery.”
“I remember,” Nash said quietly.
“The boys want to know, why are we here?” Veronica asked as she smiled slyly.
“A celebration. Nothing more. Come with me.” Danielle beckoned.
Nash half expected to be led into the conference room. When they took a different turn, going down another hallway from what he remembered, his nerves shot to the surface. He was a reformed convict after all, unwanted and no doubt unemployable.
Danielle stopped at a double door, turning to give them a wink. “Thank you for all you’ve done.” She opened the door.
When they walked inside, they were met with applause from dozens of people.
Nash looked at Tank and sucked in his breath. This, he certainly hadn’t expected.
“Welcome.” Camden held out his hand, shaking Nash’s first. “I’m so glad you’re here and safe.”
“What is this?” Tank asked, his face pinched.
Mitchell walked forward, a beaming smile on his face. “We wanted to thank you for all that you did.”
“I don’t understand.” Veronica hovered near Nash, her back against his chest.
Camden laughed as he pointed to a table. “Champagne for the heroes. We owe the three of you a hell of a lot.”
“For what?” Nash had to ask.
“All in good time. Come. Have a drink with us.” Mitchell guided them toward the table as the clapping died down.
Nash looked around the room and was taken aback. He’d expected to be given his termination papers, not celebrated. Granted, he’d realized after the storm had passed and Camden managed to get through that everything Tank had been saying was true. Revenge for Jasper’s death had been a separate plan. Roger Calloway. He would never have known if he hadn’t been forced to relive the nightmare, his memories now intact. He sucked in his breath and rubbed his hand down Veronica’s back. The nightmares hadn’t returned.
“This is amazing,” Veronica whispered and turned to face Nash. “You are a hero.”
“I’m not. You know that.” Nash would never be able to forget, but he was able to forgive himself. Roger had planned on his level of revenge since the incident, using his friend in the same prison to torture him, but he’d survived those two long years. No one would know what he’d been required to do in order to live, but the ugliness was in his past. The lengths Roger had gone to were unreal.
“Champagne,” Danielle handed them a glass then stood beside Mitchell.
“Thank you everyone for being here. Let’s lift a glass to three of our employees who not only survived a terrible hurricane, but managed to find the culprits who wanted to destroy Rush Enterprises. We thank all of you. To courage, bravery and damn good insight.” Camden said as he raised his glass. “You will always have a place here at Rush. You are our family.”
“Yay!”
“Here. Here.”
The clapping ensued, and Nash held his breath as his thoughts drifted. He took a sip and wasn’t certain the other shoe wasn’t going to drop.
Camden moved toward Veronica, his eyes twinkling. “I do hope you’ll stay on. We need a qualified doctor. You can go wherever you want within the company. I heard through the grapevine you have other plans for your career, but we need you.”
Veronica looked at Nash, shaking her head. “At some point I want to open a clinic of my own, but I will honor my commitment at least.”
Nash rubbed her back. She’d told him about her parents, the true reason she’d accepted the position. “Don’t stay because of me. I know what you’re facing with your family as well as your dreams.”
She took his hand, rubbing his fingers between hers. “I’ve already had a conversation with my father. I put my foot down. This is my life and I’m staying. Besides, I have a couple of reasons to stay.”
“Excellent!” Camden exclaimed. “If it’s all right, Mitchell and I would like to talk to Tank and Nash for just a few moments. I promise, I won’t take them away too long.”
She squeezed Nash’s arm and nodded. “I can handle it.”
Nash laughed, winking as he marveled at her coping ability. The woman was amazing. He wasn’t entirely certain about his ability to get through this, celebration or not. He and Tank followed them into another room, an office set off to the side.
Mitchell flanked Camden’s side, his smile remaining. “We really do want to thank you. We can’t tell you what this means to us.”
“What exactly does this mean? What happened?” Tank asked, a snarl in his tone of voice.
“You were right in your assessments, Tank. I wish you’d been able to confide in us, but I understand why you didn’t. Canterfield was attempting to purchase stock at a reduced price. They bought off several of the members of the crew starting months ago, including Franklin Parker, Steven Michaels, Toby Gunner and Walter Wright, along with a few other crew members who did the dirty work setting the explosions to throw everyone off from what was really going on.” Mitchell half laughed.
“Which was doctoring the reports. Rig 14 was producing almost fifty percent more than expected volume.” Camden shook his head.
“Good damn plan,” Mitchell noted. “They’re all going to have a change in venue soon. Prison orange will be the new color.”
Nash raised his eyebrows and nodded to Tank.
“Seems they weren’t prepared when the state department came in. I think their operation will be on hold for a long time,” Camden added.
“Was Steele involved?” Nash had to ask.
“That was a rumor, nothing more. Someone within the company wanted to keep us unsure, especially since the company continues to have questions raised about Steele. Our attorney found out the truth about everything,” Mitchell said quietly.
Tank and Nash looked at each other, remaining silent.
“Then you know about my record. I’ll understand if you need to fire me. I wasn’t entirely honest.” Nash found it difficult to say the words.
Camden took a sip of his champagne then faced Nash. “We don’t care about your record or what occurred in the past. Who you are now and what you’ve done for us speaks for itself.”
Nash could tell they were being sincere. “I’ve done a lot of bad things in my life.”
Mitchell came closer. “We all have.
”
Nash smiled, a sense of relief sliding into his anxious system then studied the way Mitchell approached Tank. He took a step back, having heard all the details of Tank’s friendship with the two men.
“Why am I here?” Tank asked.
“Other than you saved Nash’s life?” Camden asked.
“You know what I mean.” Tank huffed and shook his head.
“You’re here because we both want to say we’re sorry and to see if you’ll consider coming to work as second Vice President.” Camden nodded toward Tank.
Tank tilted his head and looked down at his suit. “Not cut out for this.”
“Any job you want,” Mitchell added.
“I’ll think about it,” Tank said quietly.
“Good,” Camden managed to say.
Tank walked toward the window. “Do you know why that happened all those years ago?”
“Zach wouldn’t tell us. He didn’t want to betray your confidence,” Camden said quietly.
A quiet tension slipped into the room.
Tank continued staring out the window. “My girlfriend lost her baby, our baby. I didn’t even know I wanted a child until she lost our baby boy.”
Nash exhaled and gripped his glass.
“I fell into an ugly place and Zach was the only one who tried to help me,” Tank continued. “The drinking was bad. I lost my girl on top of losing my boy. Then I lost myself.”
The words hung in the air.
Camden eased his glass down to the desk and moved behind Tank. “I’m so sorry. I wish you would have told us.”
Looking in his direction, Tank nodded. “I wish I had too.”
“Friends?” Mitchell asked.
“We can sure try. As long as I don’t have to wear this shit,” Tank said then laughed.
“Time to really celebrate, gentlemen. Then we all have work to do.” Camden motioned toward the door.
Nash eased out of the room, finding Veronica and taking her into his arms. “Miss me?”
“Always.” She wrapped her arms around his neck, allowing the champagne glass to dangle. “What would you like to do in the city tonight? All expenses paid I hear.”