by Becca Van
Her heart thumped in her chest and then beat so fast it was a wonder it didn’t explode. Adrenaline surged through her veins and she tugged and pulled at the bonds holding her down. It didn’t help. She only ended up tearing at the sensitive skin on her wrists and ankles. The rope pulled tighter each time she yanked, cutting off her circulation and making her hands, fingers, feet, and toes go numb.
He moved closer and pulled her hair. Beth wasn’t about to give up. She sucked until saliva pooled in her mouth and then spit in his face. She was about to laugh with hysterical satisfaction but ended up groaning and then gasping when he landed a punch to her stomach. The breath whooshed from her lungs and she couldn’t take another breath. Her chest was hurting and no matter how hard she tried to breathe in, she couldn’t. Just as she began to panic, she inhaled.
Beth whimpered and shook when she saw him pull a knife from the sheath on his belt. She tugged on her bonds harder but it was no use. She screamed when the blade came toward her but he only laughed and then he cut away her clothes. The sharp edge of the knife nicked the skin of her thigh and she felt the warm trickle of blood.
He jumped onto the bed and straddled her hips. Bile rose in her throat and she had to swallow it back down. Every muscle in her body tensed as she waited for what came next. She had every intention of head butting the bastard in his face if given the opportunity. If she could slam it into him fast and hard enough she could kill him and if not, at least break the fucker’s nose.
He leaned over her and just as she lifted her head with anticipation, he slammed his fist into the side of her face. Pain exploded in her cheek and radiated up into her head. She gasped as darkness swept over her eyes and then sunk down into blessed pain-free oblivion.
Chapter Seven
Noah’s heart pumped at a phenomenal rate inside his chest. Fear for Beth’s safety was a huge knot lodged in his gut. The noise of the blaring siren wasn’t enough to drown out the sound of the blood rushing through his ears. Zach sat beside him, his face pale and his knuckles white as he gripped the dashboard hard. Noah sped into the parking lot and slammed on the anchors, making the rubber tyres screech as his car skidded on the bitumen. Zach was out of the car and at his brother’s side before Noah had even pulled the car to a stop. Noah got to their side just in time to hear Zach speak.
“What the fuck happened? Are you all right, Tom?”
“Yeah I’m fine, just a fucking headache. The bastard blindsided me with a punch to the chin and I fell back and hit my head on the fucking ground. It knocked me out for a bit.” Tom grabbed at Zach’s shirt. “He’s got Beth. We have to find her, Zach. Fuck! This is all my fault. I should never have let her come to the shops with me.”
“Hey it’s not your fault, Tom. It could have happened to anyone of us. It’s that motherfucker’s fault. Let’s get you back to the station and get a doc to come check you over. I want you to call your buddies from the Air Force to come and help us find Beth. Do you know anyone who can fly them in by chopper?” Noah helped Zach get Tom to his feet and into the police car.
“Yeah, let me make a couple of calls.” Tom held his head and groaned.
Noah called the doc from the patrol car on the way back to the station while Tom contacted his friends with his mobile phone.
“They’ll be here within the hour,” Tom said after disconnecting the call.
“Doc’s already here.” Noah parked the car. The doctor was waiting on the front steps of the station waiting to check Tom over.
Noah made coffee while the doctor examined Tom, and Zach set about preparing their gear and weapons. The doctor pronounced Tom fit and well besides a the knot on the back of his head and his headache, and he advised rest to be the cure. Noah knew there was no way his friend would be resting until Beth was back with them and by the look on Zach’s face, his partner figured the same.
Tom’s friends arrived a bit over an hour later. Noah would have been apprehensive himself at seeing the giant warrior men if he didn’t know they were on their side.
“Noah, Zach, this is Tony, Colt, and Brandon, but everyone calls him Bear. Tony, Colt, Bear, this is my brother Zach and his partner Noah.”
* * * *
Once the greetings were out of the way, the five men sat down, fueling themselves with coffee and sandwiches as they mapped out their plan of attack. Tom had worked with the three men while in the Air Force and knew Bear was one of the best trackers in the country, hence the nickname. All the men were well over six-and-half-feet tall, built like brick shithouses with features of Greek gods, or so they had been told by the fairer sex, and even Tom had to agree they weren’t ugly. The three men were brothers with special abilities no one else knew about except for Tom and them. Tom knew Bear was about to shock Zack and Noah.
“Do you have anything of Beth’s I can have?” Bear asked in his a deep bass voice.
“Yeah, let me get you something of hers,” Zach hurried from the room.
“Why do you need something of Beth’s?” Noah asked curiously.
“Watch and learn,” Colt answered.
“I got her robe. Is that okay?” Zach walked back into the kitchen with Beth’s robe. Tom watched his brother and Noah, knowing what was about to happen and wondering what Noah’s and Zach’s reactions would be. He prayed that Bear and his brothers could do their thing and find Beth. He held his breath when Zach handed the robe over to Bear, and watched curiously as Bear sniffed the material of their woman’s robe.
Please God, let him be able to find her.
* * * *
Bear closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. He immediately felt the connection begin to weave through the air and project out into the sky. He followed the essence of her scent and took the path she had taken that morning with Tom. He saw them in the supermarket and then the coffee shop as they drank coffee. He felt her emotions and saw the fear through her eyes as she watched Tom slump to the ground. He felt her pain as she was slapped across the face, her arm wrenched, and her head was pulled back by her hair.
He felt her trembling as she drove with a gun held at her side but also took note of the signs on the road indicating the direction she had driven. He felt her being dragged into the bedroom of a cabin by her hair and when she was punched in the stomach as she fought her captor and when her vision blurred and she nearly passed out again. The bastard holding her against her will tied rope around her wrists and tethered her to the bed, and then he restrained her ankles the same way, cut her clothes from her body, and stripped her naked. The arsehole pulled her head back until it felt as if her neck was about to snap and then pain radiated from her face to her head when the fucker punched her in the face and then he felt no more when she passed out.
“Your woman is alive for the moment. I know where she is but he has her tied to a bed. She’s a fighter and she won’t give up,” Bear said in a calm voice, hoping the three men watching him would keep it together.
“How the fuck do you know that?” Noah asked.
“I’m an empathic psychic, which means I have just traveled the path your woman traveled from the time you took her to the supermarket.” Bear paused to look at Tom. “To the coffee shop, and then watched as you fought with that fucker before you hit your head on the ground. He has her in a cabin off a dirt road about ten minutes from Bendigo. He has her tied up to a bed and is leaving her alone for the moment.”
Bear looked to Tom, Zach, and Noah and then back to Tom again. He and his brothers had been different all their lives and were used to people being cynical, wary, and frightened of their unique abilities. They kept them under wraps for the most part but used them when they could to help others in danger. He expected to see the same emotions in the eyes of the two men in front of him—since Tom already knew about their skills—but was quite surprised when he only saw relief.
“Let’s get moving then.” Tom stood. “We have to get to her before he kills her.”
“Did you see anyone else with him, Bear?” Noah asked.
Tom’s roar of pain and frustration surprised everyone, making them jump. Brandon had never seen Tom so scared before. He was one of the most controlled people he knew. He usually handled situations with either humor or a coldness that scared the shit out of even him. To see him lose control was something he never thought to see.
“That fucker is mine.”
“Tom, get a hold of yourself,” Brandon grabbed Tom’s arms and tried to get him to calm down. “You can’t go in there planning to kill him unless it’s in self-defense. You’re going to be no good to your woman if you end up in jail.”
* * * *
Beth came awake with a groan. Her body was aching all over. Her face felt as if it was swollen beyond recognition and her feet and hands were numb from lack of blood flow. Light was receding from the sky as the sun began to sink in the west. She was so scared and alone. Tom, Noah, and Zach would never be able to find her and she knew it was just a matter of time before her life would cease to exist.
She heard a noise beyond the bedroom door and closed her eyes, praying the bastard wouldn’t realize she was awake, hoping to stretch out the minutes or hours left for her to live. She heard the door open as he stood in the doorway and then gave a sigh of relief as it closed once more.
She heard another voice on the other side of the door and realized he was no longer alone. Oh God, there are two of them. How was she going to escape? Her arms were drawn tightly above her head, secured to the metal frame of the headboard. She couldn’t even reach the ropes with her teeth, because if she tried she would be hurting her ankles. But she had to try anyway, it didn’t matter if she pulled her foot off by stretching out, she was going to die anyway if she didn’t do something.
She pulled and stretched until she felt the ropes around her ankles and legs rubbed her skin raw. She could feel blood trickling down over her skin as she strained the muscles in her arms, pulling herself up so she could reach the ropes with her teeth. She was so tired. Her head was throbbing so badly she felt sick and the muscles in her arms were burning with pain. She sobbed and collapsed back onto the bed exhausted with her efforts. She just wasn’t strong enough. She couldn’t pull herself up so she could reach the knots on the rope with her teeth.
No, damn it. I’m not giving up.
She would let herself rest up a bit and then she would try again and again until she could move no more.
* * * *
Zach climbed into the helicopter first, the other four men following quickly behind. Tony was already at the controls and as soon as the door closed, lifted the chopper off the ground. He spoke into the headset so they could all hear him.
“I’m going into stealth mode. I don’t want any of you speaking just in case he has a scanner on him. Switching over now,” Tony said.
That was the last word any of them spoke for the next fifteen minutes. Zach was mighty glad that Tony could fly a helicopter and had been able to call a buddy to borrow the chopper.
Zach’s body was tense with anxiety and fear for Beth. He’d never wanted a woman the way he wanted her. She was so damn independent and strong-willed, but beneath that tough exterior was a woman full of vulnerabilities. Not only that, she was capable of so much love. She just needed the chance to open up and be free with her emotions. Tom had told him and Noah about her childhood as they waited for Bear, Colt, and Tony to arrive. It pained him to know that she’d never had the chance to experience anyone caring for her and cursed her mother for abandoning her, and her grandmother for not caring about her at all. His gut was roiling and he just wanted to rescue Beth and hold her in his arms again. He loved her so damn much, if he lost her before he had a chance to show her how much she meant to him, to them, he didn’t know if he could survive.
Zach pushed his emotions aside as Tony put the chopper down about a mile away from the cabin. They all got out of the chopper while Tony shut the engine down and Bear spread a map onto the ground and pointed out where Beth was being held captive. Tony joined them and then they began to plan out their attack.
“Tom, Zach, Noah, I want you guys to follow us in. We’re going in first because you three are too emotionally attached. We don’t know this woman and we won’t hesitate to do anything to rescue her. You could put Beth’s life in jeopardy if you hesitate,” Colt said with a voice of steel.
Zach looked at Tom and then Noah. Zach finally gave a nod of acceptance to Colt but he intended to be there every step of the way and by the determined look on Tom’s and Noah’s faces, so did they. Colt took point with Tony after him and Bear bringing up the rear. Zach, Noah and Tom moved forward stealthily weapons at the ready as they closed in on the cabin.
Colt signaled a halt with a hand as they came to the edge of the trees. He ordered his brothers to move around the cabin using the trees as cover. Two clicks sounded in the small mic in their ear and Zach knew the other two men were letting Colt know they were in position. Colt ordered Zach, Tom, and Noah to cover him as he crept up toward the front of the building. Bear appeared from the side of the cabin and Zach assumed there was no avenue of escape from the other side of the building. Bear joined Colt near the front of the small structure and then they crept up the steps leading to the porch and front door. Tom sneaked around the other side of the cabin and headed toward the back where Tony was.
Zach followed behind Colt and Bear as the two men snuck up the stairs. When they stopped at the front door, Bear got Noah’s attention and indicated the front window. Noah skulked along the timber deck and peered inside. He held up two fingers letting them all know there was more than one enemy. Colt’s muscles braced and Zach knew this was it.
He flicked the safety off his gun and embraced the adrenaline spike. Colt kicked the door in, dove through the door, and rolled. Bear slipped to the side of the door to cover his brother and took one guy out with one punch. A shot sounded but Colt missed the other guy fleeing from the room through the door to the left. Bear patted down the guy on the floor and after finding no weapons rolled him to his back, pulled his arms behind him, and cuffed him.
Tom and Tony came bursting through the back door just as Zach followed after Colt and the other guy. He came to a halt at the door of the bedroom, taking in the scene with a glance.
The arsehole was using Beth as a shield. Zach’s knees nearly buckled when he saw her bruised and swollen face and the blood on her limbs. He looked away and let rage consume him. How dare this fucker take the woman he loved and use her as a human shield. Zach wanted to aim his gun and shoot the bastard in the head but the arsehole was holding a gun to Beth’s head.
“Drop the gun, or she dies now,” he screamed and pushed the gun harder against the Beth’s temple.
“You’re surrounded. There is no way you’re getting out of here alive. Why not let her go?” Zach said in a calm voice.
“I’m not that stupid, you dumb-arse. There is no way I’m going to end up in prison. You know what would happen to a cop in jail. I’m using her to get out of here, so I suggest you lay your weapons down and let me leave with her, otherwise I may as well pull the trigger right now.” Spittle flew from his mouth in his fury.
* * * *
Beth jumped when a loud crash startled her. It sounded like the front door had been kicked open. She shivered and whimpered but kept her eyes closed. Her eyes popped open when she heard a gunshot and hoped the two men were trying to kill each other. She should have known better. The cop bastard ran toward her and she cried out with fear when she saw the knife blade coming toward her. He cut the ropes from around her ankles and then the ones from around her wrists. She screamed with agony when he grabbed her arm and hauled her to her feet. Thousands of needles stabbed into her hands and feet and she wished they would go numb again. He shifted his hand to her throat, gripped her neck hard, cutting off her air. She tried to claw at his hand but she didn’t have all the f
eeling back in her fingers and found herself fumbling. All of a sudden he spun her around and pulled her back against his front. His hand was still gripping her neck and she tried to get away but froze when she felt the cold barrel of a gun pressed into her head.
Beth looked up and nearly collapsed with relief when she met Zach’s brown eyes. They flicked to her for a moment and she saw a flash of fear but then his eyes turned hard. She could see his mouth moving but was too scared and couldn’t work out what he was saying. Movement to the other side of the door drew her gaze and then she was looking into the cold green eyes of a stranger. She had no idea who he was but she knew there was no way he was letting the arsehole holding her to go free.
Zach shifted to the side of the door as if giving Green Eyes more room and then the stranger took a step toward her. Her whole body was trembling with fear and shock and she was so cold, but the adrenaline coursing through her helped to keep her wits in check. She wanted to look at Zach but knew if she did she would fall apart. Those cold, green eyes kept her anchored.
She looked into those green orbs, dropped her eyes to the floor, and then looked back up again. If she hadn’t been watching him so carefully she would have missed the twitch of his eyelid as he indicated he understood what she was going to do. Beth let her body go lax and felt the grip the arsehole had on her falter. She heard the sharp echo of the gunshot through the room and an ice cold sensation on the top of her arm, then searing pain as she fell to the floor. Another gunshot followed the first and a heavy male body fell on top of her.