by Barb Han
She felt herself being hauled up and tossed into the back of the sport-utility. Burly got in on one side, Steroids the other. There were two men in the front. The one on the passenger’s side was bleeding, losing a fair amount of blood. He held a blood-soaked T-shirt to his left-arm triceps.
She memorized every detail of their faces before the two in the backseat forced her onto the floorboard.
If, no when, she escaped, she would testify against the whole lot of them. She would ensure these men were locked away forever. They would not hurt another soul.
Moving her jaw back and forth, she was able to get her tongue behind the cloth to force it out of her mouth.
She remembered sticking her cell phone in her right front pocket. Could she get to it without them noticing?
With her hands tied behind her back, it would be challenging. Could she stretch far enough?
Think. Think. Think.
Lying on her left, facing toward the back, pretty much ensured they’d see her trying to reach into her pocket. Maybe she could distract them somehow? Or bait them into rolling her over to her other side.
“You’re a bunch of idiots if you think you’ll get away with this. A U.S. Marshal is right behind me. He knows who you are. He knows who your boss is. And he’ll find me. When he does, you’re all going to jail where you belong.”
“I don’t think so,” Burly said.
A glance passed between them that parked a boulder on Sadie’s chest. Oh. God. No.
Nothing could happen to Nick.
And, yet, she knew he’d have to be shot or dead not to have come after her already. He hadn’t made an attempt to reach her. Her cell hadn’t vibrated. No one had called her name or ambushed the men who’d abducted her.
Her heart lurched, threatening to lock up and stop beating.
And let those bastards win? She didn’t think so.
She had to reach out to someone.
If she was able to palm her cell—and that was a pretty big if—she’d have access to Smith. For a brief moment, she wondered if Smith had put a tracer on her phone. Maybe he was tracking her right now?
A little voice inside her head reminded her that wouldn’t happen. Smith would have given them an untraceable phone. He’d been specific about not wanting to know where they were. It was a safeguard. He’d do it to protect them.
She kicked up at Burly, connecting with his shin.
“Dammit,” he grumbled. He tied her ankles together, making it impossible to kick again.
She fought back, not because she thought she’d win, but in order to sell switching positions so she could roll on the other side and access her phone.
By the time they finished, she was facing the opposite direction. On her right side, she could hide the fact she was slipping her phone out of her pocket.
Tears pricked the backs of her eyes.
Despair was an ache in her chest. Sorrow for Nick threatened to suck her under like a riptide and spit her out into the deep.
Before she could say another word, the cloth was being jammed into her mouth again. This time, they tied a strip of material around her head to secure her gag.
Sadie couldn’t afford tears.
She had to keep herself calm and force herself to believe that Nick was out there, somewhere, making his way back to her.
Every movement hurt. The bindings around her wrists tightened as she tried to angle her hands toward her right front pocket.
With two fingers, she managed to grasp the corner of her cell well enough to slide it free. She scooted forward, managing to block it with her hip. The phone was already set to vibrate mode. She switched to mute, touched the second name on her contact list, Smith, and covered the speaker with her finger, just in case.
“Where are you taking me?” Her words were muffled by the gag. She knew full well these guys wouldn’t hand over the answer easily.
“Someplace no one will hear you when you scream,” Burly said.
* * *
NICK BLINKED HIS blurry eyes open. Darkness surrounded him. He couldn’t quite put his finger on why he had the urge to run. And what the hell was up with the hammering between his temples?
His body ached. His knees jammed into his face. There were hard walls all around him.
Where was he?
He felt around on his head for bumps, located a couple.
Memories flooded him, coming back all at one time, as if someone had unlocked the gates and sprung open both doors.
“Sadie.”
He tried to kick. Only managed to thump his lip with his knee when he moved. He was inside some kind of compartment. No signs of light either meant it was nighttime, or the storm still hadn’t passed. The place was airtight.
Rocking back and forth, he tried to free his arms.
Thoughts of the gun battle broke through his mind. He’d told Sadie to run. He’d known they were outnumbered, but he’d tried to get the attention on him and allow her to escape.
He knew they were both in trouble when he saw the shooter immediately give chase.
The vegetable bin. He’d made it. Must’ve hid him long enough for the police to arrive and scare off Jamison and his men.
Nick felt around. He’d wedged himself inside in a position that was impossible to get out of.
There was no escape.
He heard a familiar voice.
Paul?
Shouting to his friend was a risk. Nick couldn’t be sure how long he’d been in that box. Could be minutes or hours. The cops could’ve come and gone, and so could Grimes or Jamison.
Nick listened intently through the pounding in his temples, straining to hear if there were other voices.
A neighbor must’ve phoned the police after hearing gunfire.
When he was reasonably certain Paul was alone, he shouted.
“Paul,” Nick repeated, louder this time. Shouting made everything hurt, and his head feel as if it might explode. He ignored the pain. Sadie was in trouble. He had to get out of this box and find her.
“Paul!”
Nick heard sounds outside.
“Who is that? Who’s here?” Paul’s voice trembled.
“It’s me. Nick. I need your help to get me out of here.”
“Nick?” came the trepid response.
“Open the door, Paul. It’s me.”
Light split what was left of Nick’s head. Yet, it was welcomed.
“What the heck happened to you? How’d you end up in my aunt’s vegetable bin?”
“What time is it?” Nick asked, trying to muscle his way out of the container.
“Here. Let me help you.”
Where was Sadie? “The woman I was with earlier. Where is she?”
“I don’t know. She’s not here,” Paul said, offering a hand up.
Nick took it and, with a push, broke out of the small container he’d forced himself in. He scanned the area.
“The police are out front. They’re asking a lot of questions. I told them I don’t know what happened. My neighbor called me when he heard the guns. The old guy kind of freaked out. Called the police, too.”
“Did they arrest anyone?” If the police were still there, then Sadie couldn’t be too far.
“No one here. My neighbor said he saw everybody run. I didn’t expect you to be here, either. I jumped when I heard your voice. That’s for sure.”
“Which way did they go?” He remembered telling Sadie to run, some of his thoughts were still jumbled, and he’d already lost precious time. He didn’t want to risk going off in the wrong direction while his brain was still scrambled.
“The old guy said she went this way.” Paul inclined his head toward the left.
“Good. Now do me a favor, and go get the pol
ice.” Nick needed as many hands on this case as he could get. He checked his pockets for his cell.
His legs cramped.
He tried to walk, but they gave.
Paul grabbed Nick’s arm in time to keep him from losing balance and landing on the ground.
“You wait right here, my friend. I’ll get the police.”
“I lost my cell. It might be on the side of your house.” He was grateful to be alive, but what about Sadie?
With him out of the picture, they could do whatever they wanted to her.
Maybe she’d escaped?
Not likely. There were too many men. Jamison must’ve brought everyone to this fight.
Damn, Nick needed his cell. He needed to make contact with Smith.
The thought of anyone hurting Sadie was like an acid burn on his skin.
A uniformed officer approached. “I need to see some ID, sir.”
Nick produced his badge and gave a statement.
“Nick,” Paul shouted from the other side of the fence. He burst through. “I found it. These belong to you?”
He held out a cell and a gun.
“Looks like mine.” His Glock felt right in his hand. He checked his cell. A dozen missed calls from Smith. “I need to check in with my boss.”
The officer nodded.
Smith answered immediately.
“Is she alive?” Nick asked.
“Someone activated her cell phone and used it to call me. I believe it was her.”
“Any idea where she is?”
“No. I can tell she’s in some type of vehicle. She asked the question of where she was being taken and a man replied they were taking her where no one would hear her scream. It was tough to make out her words. Sounded like something was covering her mouth.” He paused. “They could be taking her to a field out in the middle of nowhere for all we know. Without GPS on that phone, I can’t track her.”
Nick’s brain immediately kicked into gear. “There’s a place I can think of that no one would hear her scream. The warehouse.”
The sounds of fingers flying across a keyboard came through Nick’s line. “My closest man is a half hour away.”
“I can be there in fifteen minutes.”
“Nick,” Smith said. Nick didn’t like the sound of his voice when he said it. “They’ve sent word through one of my informants that they’ve got Lucy.”
Nick ground out a curse. “Can you confirm?”
“I spoke to your brother Luke and she hasn’t checked in or answered her phone. Doesn’t mean they have her. I just can’t confirm one way or the other. They’re threatening to drop her body off below the Ferris wheel ride in Fair Park.”
Nick’s knees buckled. The officer held him steady. “I go to Fair Park, and they’ll kill me and Sadie. I go to Sadie and they’ll kill Lucy.”
“If they have her.”
Was it a risk he was willing to take? Jamison clearly knew how much Nick loved and protected his family.
“I can send people to either place, or both. It’s your call,” Smith said quietly.
Could Sadie already be dead? No. They’d use her to bring Nick out. As soon as they got to him, they’d kill her.
His mind clicked through other possibilities. If he went to Lucy, they’d be ready for him. As soon as they got him, they’d kill Sadie.
He had one advantage. “They don’t know that I know about the warehouse. That’s where they’d take Sadie. I go to Lucy, and we’re all dead.”
His stomach lining braided. Make the wrong call and two of the people he loved more than anything in the world would be dead.
“Send your people to Fair Park, but have them wait for my word.”
“Got it.”
Ending the call, Nick locked gazes with the officer. “I need a ride.”
The man in uniform was already bolting toward his squad car.
Running sent a wave of nausea rippling through Nick. He ignored it and pressed on. The thought of anyone hurting Sadie or Lucy sent him to a dark mental place.
He forced all thoughts out of his head that he might be too late.
En route, he bandaged his gunshot wound using supplies from the officer’s first-aid kit. They’d split his shoulder with a bullet. He packed gauze on it to stem the bleeding, and secured it with tape.
“No chance you’ll let me investigate this lead after I drop you off at the hospital?”
“None whatsoever.”
“Then I’ll have an ambulance waiting a block away.”
“No sirens. I don’t want to give these scumbags any warning,” Nick said.
The officer nodded before calling it in.
With lights blazing, the cop beat the time by two minutes. He’d cut the lights a block away. “I’ll take the front entrance.”
“You already know this, but these men are armed, and they’re not afraid to shoot an officer. Be careful.” Nick hopped out of the car before it came to a complete stop.
He moved to the back of the building, fighting the pain and nausea threatening to buckle his knees. There was a beige sport-utility parked in the back of the building.
Crouching low, he made it to the rear of the vehicle. His gun drawn, he raised high enough to see through the dark window. The vehicle was empty. He moved to the side.
Whoever sat on the passenger’s side sure lost a lot of blood. The thought this could be Sadie’s blood cut through him. He bit back a curse.
Could belong to anyone. Nick had fired quite a few shots at the jerks, he reminded himself.
A thought nearly leveled him.
Was she even here?
He canceled the thought. This was the most logical place to take her. She had to be inside. He would find her and give her life back to her. A life with him? The thought of opening himself up to that kind of potential pain usually almost flattened Nick.
Not when it came to Sadie. She was different.
Yet, no matter how strong Nick’s feelings were, he couldn’t ask her to spend the rest of her life waiting up nights and wondering if he’d be coming home. She deserved so much more. Could he give her everything?
A piece of him wished he could.
He loved her. And because he did, he planned to give her something she could only have without him. Peace.
The bay door was half-closed, providing an opportunity to slip into the back of the warehouse.
Breeching the building was easy.
Too easy?
Nick might be walking into a trap.
The main floor of the warehouse was empty.
He glanced up a small flight of stairs into the office.
Several men were there.
His heart raced when he saw her. Sadie. She was there. In the upstairs office.
There were too many men for him to take on, even with the officer who was making his way through the front of the building as backup.
Two against five. Grimes was there. As was Jamison. There were three others in the office.
Nick heard a door open to his left. He pressed his back against the wall and eased toward the sound. A bathroom?
Two against six. He liked those odds even less.
Burly walked out, zipping his pants, his gun holstered.
Nick hit him in the back of the head so hard, he knocked Burly unconscious, catching him on the way down.
The move took almost all of Nick’s strength.
He leaned against the wall and took a deep breath.
Glancing up, Nick saw the officer moving toward him. The officer inclined his chin, moving silently.
When he approached them, he pulled out handcuffs. Nick hesitated, almost unsure who those were meant for. But the officer went right to work on Burly.
> Five to two increased the odds. Sadie was a fighter. Maybe he should count her as a third.
The officer grabbed the scruff of Burly’s neck and hauled him outside.
He returned a moment later. “He’s not waking up anytime soon,” he whispered. “And if he does, he’s not going anywhere.”
“Good job. And thanks.”
“What do you want to do next?”
The correct answer would be to wait for backup. As long as the men in that room gave him time, Nick would take it. They make a move toward Sadie, and game on. “Keep an eye on them until more men arrive.”
He motioned the officer to follow him.
They made it up the stairwell without giving away their position.
The sight of a gun aimed at Sadie’s head forced Nick’s hand.
He burst into the room, hoping like hell they would believe Burly was returning from the restroom. “I’m Marshal Campbell. You’re all under arrest.”
Catching them off guard gave him the advantage. Grimes redirected his weapon toward Nick, but he’d already leveled his and fired.
The officer came in behind Nick, weapon raised.
Steroids put his hands in the air, as did the other pair of men in the room.
“You think you can arrest me?” Jamison aimed his weapon at Sadie.
If Nick fired, Jamison might pull the trigger out of reflex.
Sadie would be dead.
She looked up at Nick, and he expected to see fear in her big green eyes, and he did. But he also saw anger and determination. Good. He could work with that.
If she could distract Jamison, Nick could make a move. Could he signal her somehow?
Her gaze was intent on him. He glanced from her to Jamison’s knees.
She gave a slight nod. Bent over on all fours, with Jamison standing over her, she dove into his legs.
He buckled. Nick surged toward Jamison, knocking him a couple of steps backward and away from Sadie.
Gunfire split the air as Nick landed on top of his target and wrestled for control of the weapon. Jamison threw a jackhammer of a punch, connecting with Nick’s nose. Blood spurted.
Nick counterpunched, his fist slamming into Jamison’s jaw.
Jamison bucked and rolled, causing Nick to lose his grip on Jamison’s wrist. Nick adjusted, popping to his knees. He squeezed powerful thighs to hold Jamison, facedown, in place.