RunningWildAmazon

by Reece, Christy

The lights behind them went dark. Aidan could no longer see Anna. Breaking the flimsy zip-tie with one quick snap, Aidan zoomed to his feet.

  “Sit down, Thorne. I said I don’t want you to die, but that doesn’t mean I won’t have you shot or maimed. Ms. Bradford is not being harmed in any way.”

  “Then what the hell is going on?”

  “We’re ready, Dr. Cook,” a voice announced from the darkened room.

  “Then please turn the lights up, Patrick.”

  The lights went on again. Aidan’s eyes went straight to Anna. She looked the same as before. Everything looked the same as before, with one glaring, heartbreaking exception.

  “Holy hell,” Aidan breathed. “You kept him alive?”

  Thin and pale, his features almost painfully peaceful, Simon lay beside Anna on the bed.

  “Of course. I had the money. Why shouldn’t I?”

  “Because you’d already killed him, you bastard.”

  “He may be dead to the rest of the world, but he’s not dead to me. At least not yet.”

  “I’m getting damn tired of asking you what you mean, Cook.”

  “Very well. Here’s everything you need to know. I’m dying. I have a month to live, perhaps less. I want to go out on my own terms. My son and I, along with the lovely Ms. Bradford, will soon be engulfed in an explosion that will destroy this house.”

  Shit. Shit. Shit. The bastard was crazier than he’d guessed.

  “And you expect me to just walk away and let that happen?”

  “Oh, I’m sure you’ll try some heroics. But it will do you no good. I will not be deterred. Everyone in this house has been paid handsomely to ensure that my final wishes are carried out. You will not stop me.”

  “Like hell I won’t.” In two strides, he was at the door. He opened it and faced the same three men as before, guns at the ready.

  Aidan whirled and faced the devil. “You will not do this, Cook. Kill me if you have to. Isn’t that what you want? To see me suffer? Then just do it. But leave Anna out of it. She’s an acquaintance, nothing more. You left the women I had flings with alone. That’s what she was to me. A fling. You won’t be hurting me like you want. She’s nothing more than someone I had sex with.”

  “It no longer matters. My mind is already made up. I took the only woman my son loved away from him. Anna might be a poor substitute, but it’s the best I can do for him.”

  Cook nodded toward his men. “Please escort Dr. Thorne out of the house and secure him safely away from here. I wouldn’t want a stray spark to singe one hair on his head.”

  One of the men grabbed him. Aidan shook him off. “You’re a lunatic, Cook! You cannot do this!”

  “Of course I can. Goodbye, Thorne.”

  “No!” Aidan shouted and lunged for the door. Searing agony exploded in his head, and the last thing he saw was Anna’s pale, too-still face. And he knew he had failed her after all.

  Chapter Forty

  The LCR plane landed at a small airstrip on the north side of Bogota, and the team of operatives traveled to the base of the mountain together. Unfortunately, Garcia’s coordinates hadn’t been exact, so they had no choice but to split up.

  “Kelly and Ingram, take the eastern side,” Noah said. “Delvecchio and Mallory, take the west. Gates and Sinclair, you’ll take the north. Fox and I will take the south. We stay in constant contact. We know nothing about Simon Cook or his plans. He could’ve planted booby traps in anticipation of Thorne finding his hideout. Be safe and be aware.”

  He nodded at the group. “Let’s go.”

  They parted in grim silence. His people were always motivated to rescue and save lives, but when it was personal, there was always an added sense of urgency. Having no idea what Cook had planned for Thorne or Anna brought an unknown element to the mix. No one knew what to expect.

  He and Sabrina hiked a couple of miles up the mountain before Noah finally said, “Sorry you had to cancel your vacation plans.”

  “I wouldn’t have it any other way, and neither would Declan. Aidan isn’t just my partner, he’s my friend. And Anna…” She shook her head. “If she doesn’t make it out of this, Aidan will never forgive himself.”

  Since Noah couldn’t argue with the truth, he said instead, “They’re both smart and resilient.”

  She looked away but not before he saw a flash of emotion on her face.

  “You upset with Thorne for not telling you about Cook?”

  “Yes, but not in the way you might think.” Her brow furrowed as she explained, “When Aidan and I became partners, we both agreed that our pasts weren’t up for discussion. I certainly didn’t want to talk about mine, but looking back on that, I wish I had confided in him about Declan. About what I’d gone through.

  “I’m not angry that he didn’t tell me. I’m angry with myself for not asking. He’s been hurting all this time, and I should have been there for him.”

  “You have been there for him, Fox. You’re exactly the kind of friend and partner he needed.”

  “How so?”

  “You helped him focus on the present. Thorne’s been mired in guilt for ten years. Having a partner who didn’t want to relive her own past made both of you better operatives.”

  “You put us together for that reason?”

  “That, and because you have great chemistry.”

  “He’s the brother I wish I had instead of the one I got.” Her voice went grimmer. “I just hope we can find them before it’s too late.”

  “We will. Getting that information from Garcia was exactly what we needed.”

  “It’d be nice if we got breaks like that more often.”

  “Yeah. Damn nice.” Noah gave his operative a sideways glance. Fox wasn’t always easy to read, but there was something else going on with her.

  “Something else on your mind?”

  She sent him an admiring look. “You’re one of the few people who can read me.”

  “It’s a gift that comes in handy, especially with LCR operatives, as well as my children.”

  “I’ll bet.” She was silent for a moment, as if searching for the right words. “Declan and I have been talking.”

  “Always a good thing in a marriage.”

  “He wants to make some changes.”

  “And you don’t approve?”

  “Yes…I mean, no, I totally approve. I just don’t know what I’m going to do about them.”

  “You want to leave LCR?”

  “Oh no. Never that. This is where I need to be. Where I belong. But Declan is considering leaving EDJE. He says the agency isn’t what it once was. He doesn’t feel that he’s making the difference he wants to make.”

  “That’s understandable. He’s one of the most focused individuals I’ve ever known. Not accomplishing what he wants has got to be frustrating.”

  “Exactly. So he’s thinking about branching out on his own.”

  “Doing the same thing?”

  “Yes and no.” For the first time in Noah’s memory, Sabrina looked uncomfortable with him. “He wants to do something similar to LCR, but with some variations.”

  “Variations?”

  “An organization that includes finding missing people, rescuing, and recovery, like LCR. But also cybersecurity, protection services. Things like that.”

  “The world’s becoming a much more dangerous place. The more people willing to rescue, the better. And Declan’s one of the best I’ve ever seen.” He shot her a questioning smile. “Did you think I’d look at him as competition?”

  “Declan said you wouldn’t, but since I work for LCR, I worried it might cause problems.”

  “I can’t think of anyone more qualified to run such an organization. And I admit to having an ego about a lot of things, but when it comes to saving people’s lives, I don’t give a damn who does the rescuing as long as it gets done.”

  Her smile was one of relief and gratitude. “Good. I agree. I hope that we can work—” She halted as a rumble like distant thund
er echoed through the trees.

  Noah was about to comment on the coming thunderstorm when the ground beneath their feet shook with the violence of an earthquake. He looked up to the top of the mountain and felt his heart stop. Even from this distance, he could see fire and debris shooting into the air. Someone had set off a massive explosion. And he knew without a doubt that Anna and Thorne were right in the midst of it.

  ***

  Aidan was halfway to the helipad when he regained consciousness. Two men, half dragging, half carrying him, were moving at a rapid pace. He was thankful they were so rough, or he might not have woken so quickly.

  With his head dropped to his chest, he was able to see they both still held their guns. Another man was in front of them, leading the way. Waiting for an opportune time to attack wasn’t possible. He had to act now. The farther they moved from the house, the less his chances of getting to Anna. If Cook was telling the truth, the mansion could explode any second.

  He slumped farther to the ground, pulling at the two men. One of them used his other hand to help catch him. Aidan snatched the gun and fired one shot into the head of the other man holding him. With a quick turn, he fired off two shots each into the other two men. There was only one life he could save today, and that would be Anna’s.

  His heart racing, his blood flooded with adrenaline, Aidan ran full out down the dirt road. Every step he took felt like too many. If she died… No, no, no. She wouldn’t.

  Sneaking back inside would be pointless. He wouldn’t stop until he got Anna out of there. Whoever got in his way wouldn’t survive.

  He took the last few steps in a flying leap, landing on the porch. Shoving the door open, he ran toward the back of the house to the room where he’d last seen Anna. This would be Cook’s location, too. As obsessed as he was, he’d want to go out with his son.

  “Stop!” Patrick shouted.

  Without slowing down, Aidan half turned and fired several shots toward the man. Aidan heard a grunt, knew the bullets had made contact. A gun blasted behind him. Aidan felt a slight punch on the back of his left shoulder, followed by a burn on his side. He ignored both.

  “You’ll never make it in time!” Patrick yelled.

  “Yes, I will.”

  He burst through the door of the room. The stomach-churning image of an unconscious Anna lying between an almost-dead Simon and his deranged father wasn’t something he’d get out of his head, ever.

  Cook lifted his head and glared at him. “How did you get back in here? You’re going to spoil everything. Patrick!”

  Aidan strode to the bed and fired two shots, one into Cook’s chest, the other into his groin. Leaning over Cook’s body, Aidan scooped Anna up into his arms. Her eyes were open, but she was unnaturally still. Had the bastard given her more drugs?

  He gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. “I’m here, baby. Hold on.” Lifting Anna’s limp body up, he placed her over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry and took off. Instinct told him he had only seconds, if that, to get the hell out of there.

  He sped through the house, an oppressive feeling of imminent doom nipping at his ass. Thankfully no one was around to try to stop him. He was on the porch when he heard the first rumble. Aidan tightened his grip on Anna and sprang from the porch. He landed on his knees, made it back to his feet, and tore off down the road. He felt the heat of the blast a second before a resounding roar bellowed around them. The massive expulsion of air slammed against his body, throwing him off his feet again. Aidan managed a midair turn and landed on his side, protecting Anna from being smashed into the ground.

  Holding her in his arms, he spared a second to watch the mansion burn. Within that mass of blazing wood and shattered glass was justice for Melody, for Amy and Kristen. And for Anna. The crazed bastard was dead.

  But there was also the heart-wrenching knowledge that the man he’d blamed all of these years, and hated with such bitter passion, had been a victim himself. His friend had not betrayed him.

  “Aidan?”

  He glanced down at the woman in his arms. Though her eyes were glazed, her pupils dilated, she was awake, and she was alive. For now, that was all he needed.

  Chapter Forty-one

  Disoriented and so groggy she had to keep pinching herself to stay awake, Anna nevertheless refused to allow Aidan to carry her any longer. She had tried to get him to let her see to his injuries, but stubborn man that he was, he’d said not yet.

  A minute after Aidan had been forced out of the house, Cook had come into the room and administered another shot. He’d kissed her on the forehead, saying he wanted her to be aware of everything. And then he’d lain down beside her.

  The shot had an immediate effect, and she had at last been able to open her eyes. Unfortunately, she’d still been too weak to move, to do anything other than lie there and wait for whatever was going to happen. Even as she was praying that Aidan would come and save her, she was also praying that he would stay away and be safe.

  And then, because he was who he was, Aidan had been there and spirited her away, saving her life once again.

  His hand holding hers, Aidan pulled her down the dirt road, away from the burning building. “When we get somewhere safe, we’ll check each other out.”

  She gazed around. She might not be as alert as she wanted, but she could at least keep an eye out. They’d already veered around three dead men on the road. She knew Aidan was the one who’d taken them out.

  “You don’t think all his people are dead?”

  “I hope they are, but I can’t take that chance. Once we get up in the air, I’ll feel safer.”

  “Air?”

  “I was brought here in a helicopter. You probably were, too. We’ll take it and…” He jerked to a stop. “Shit.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Someone already took it.”

  They walked to the middle of a flattened area. Anna could see the imprint of where the helicopter had once been. She shifted her gaze and spotted the bodies of two large men a few feet away.

  “Your doing?” she asked.

  “They’re the ones who brought me here.”

  She looked up in the air but saw only the setting sun and dimming skies. It would be dark soon.

  “So we walk down the mountain. We’ve done it before.”

  His face was grimy and etched with pain, but the brightness from his smile warmed her heart. “You’re one in a million, Anna Bradford. You know that?”

  She returned the smile with a cheeky one of her own. “Tell me something I don’t know. Not too many women could sleep through all the ruckus you made.”

  “I have a lot to tell you.” He nodded toward the single story glass building to the left. “For right now, let’s check here for supplies and then get out of here. Even though it’s a roof over our heads, I’d just as soon not stay here.”

  She couldn’t argue with that. The farther away she got from the monsters, even though they were dead, the better. Glancing down at her body, she grimaced. “Think we can find me something other than a nightgown to wear?”

  “We’ll find you something. I promise you.”

  In the end, they found more than they’d expected. The building housed a small gym as well as a changing room with individual lockers. Apparently, Cook’s employees spent time in the building. Which, considering who their employer was, made sense. Getting some privacy, away from the lunatic they worked for, would have been important to save their own sanity.

  Ten minutes later, they walked out of the building, both dressed in clothing they’d found in lockers. While Aidan had grabbed a small duffle and filled it with some medical supplies he found in a cabinet, as well as an antibiotic he’d discovered in one of the lockers, Anna had collected water bottles and snacks from a vending machine that Aidan, with the aid of an ax, had busted open for her.

  Feeling a little more secure and a lot more awake, Anna followed Aidan’s lead. An hour later it was pitch dark, and they had no choice but to
stop or take the chance of falling and hurting themselves more. She had seen blood on Aidan’s shoulder and his side, as well as the back of his head.

  The instant they found a small, enclosed area that shielded them from sight, Anna instructed Aidan to sit down and let her look at his injuries. She moaned at what she found.

  “It’s not that bad.”

  “Aidan, you have bullet holes in your shoulder, a bloody slice on your side, and a lump the size of an apricot on your head.”

  “That’s good news.”

  “Why?”

  “It feels like a watermelon.”

  Tears sprang to her eyes. “Stop trying to make me laugh. That’s not even funny.”

  “Come on, sweetheart. Get me patched up, and then I want to check you, too. Whatever that asshole gave you put you out for hours.”

  She didn’t mention what had happened beforehand. Telling him she still felt as weak as water from the hours of vomiting and the torturous nightmares she had endured wouldn’t help.

  Following his instructions to the letter, Anna cleansed the blood from Aidan’s shoulder and side with antiseptic wipes and applied bandages. There were two holes in his shoulder, front and back, so at least the bullet was no longer still there. She was grateful for that because she wasn’t sure either of them could have survived her extracting the bullet. The cut on his side, several inches long, was from a bullet that had sliced into his skin at least an inch deep. The cut needed stitches, and while Aidan could probably have talked her through that, they had nothing to sew it up with.

  She touched the wrapping around his torso. “Why are your ribs wrapped?”

  “Some SOB kicked me during an op. Just cracked a couple.”

  “Oh, is that all?”

  Letting her know her sarcasm wasn’t lost on him, he gave her a quick grin.

  Muttering to herself, she cleaned the blood from the giant lump on his head. It looked even more massive once she’d washed the blood away.

  “You must have the mother of all headaches.”

  He shrugged. “I dry-swallowed some aspirin back at the building. It’s not too bad.”