by Rebecca Deel
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Nate dropped to his knees beside the fallen marshal. A cold ball formed in his stomach. Yates had to be alive. He knew or suspected where Ashworth took Stella and Deke. He pressed his fingers to Yates’ carotid artery. Thready. “He’s alive.”
“Rio,” Josh snapped. “Living room. Yates has been shot.” He stepped to the front door. “Taylor, we need an ambulance. Yates is down.”
A flurry of movement heralded the medic’s arrival as Josh signaled Alex and Quinn to search the house. Rio ripped the marshal’s shirt to examine the wound. He ripped into his mike bag and yanked out a package containing an occlusive bandage, a bandage the medic used on Nate in the field.
The marshal moaned.
Rio tugged on neoprene gloves, ripped open the package and applied the airtight bandage over the chest wound. “This will keep his lung from collapsing.”
Nate leaned close to Yates’ ear. “Gage, it’s Nate. EMTs are en route.”
“Sorry. Didn’t have a choice.”
Yeah, he had. He chose the wrong one. “Where did he take Stella?”
The marshal blinked, confusion on his face. “He took her?”
“He took Stella and Deke.”
Distress filled his gaze. “Promised he wouldn’t hurt them.”
“Why would you take the word of a man who’s already killed five people, two of them your co-workers, and tried to kill two others? Morris will kill Stella and Deke when he has the information he wants. Help me save them. I love Stella, Gage. Don’t let Morris take her away from me.” If he was right in his suspicions, the marshal worried he’d lose someone he loved as well.
“Can’t. He’ll kill them.”
They’d been correct. Ashworth was behind the murders. “He’ll kill who?” Nate leaned closer. “Are you talking about your fellow marshals or someone else?”
“My daughter and her mother. Hostages.”
“Kayla and Maya?”
A slight nod.
“Where does Morris have them?”
“His home.”
“Tell me where he took Stella and Deke. My teammates and I will free Kayla and Maya. This is what we do at Fortress Security, Gage. We will get them out alive. But you have to trust me. You can’t do it yourself. I know you didn’t mean for your fellow marshals to die. Morris blackmailed you, threatened the lives of your daughter and her mother. Do you love Maya?”
“Yes. Couldn’t be with her. Lose my job.”
His job was toast anyway. He clasped the marshal’s hand in a strong grip. “She must love you to protect your identity for so long. I will bring her and Kayla to you, Gage. Maybe you can work a deal to testify against Morris in exchange for immunity. If you want to disappear with Kayla and Maya, I’ll help arrange that. But I need something from you first. Where did Morris take Stella and Deke? I’ll save your family if you save my wife and her partner. They don’t deserve to die for doing their jobs.”
“Abandoned building on Rolling Meadow. Can’t miss it.” He winced. “Please, save my daughter and Maya.”
“Stay with me, Gage. Look at me.”
The marshal slowly lifted his eyelids to stare at Nate.
“Who shot you? Was it Morris?”
A slight nod in response.
“Who ambushed Stella, Gage? Was it you?” His girlfriend thought her attacker was a cop. Could it have been Yates?
“Morris.”
“Why did Stella think he was a cop?”
“We trained together when I was undercover.” His eyes started to lose focus.
“Fight,” Nate urged Yates. “Kayla needs you to walk her down the aisle one day.”
Taylor walked inside. “Ambulance will be here in five. Where did Morris take your girlfriend?”
“Abandoned building on Rolling Meadow.” He turned to Yates. “We will rescue your family, Gage. You have my word.”
“Tell Stella and Deke I’m sorry.”
“Stay alive and tell them yourself.”
Rio motioned the homicide detective over. He traded places with Taylor and grabbed his mike bag. “Ready to roll, Major.”
“Alex, Quinn,” Josh said.
“House is clear,” Quinn responded.
“Shooter came in through the back,” Alex said. “Fresh scratches around the lock.”
“Copy that. Time to go.” Josh glanced at Taylor. “Morris has hostages at his home. I’m sending in a Fortress team. If the word leaks that we’re going after the marshals, the hostages are dead. Morris will know Yates talked.”
Taylor waved them on. “I didn’t hear where you’re going. Go before you’re spotted by a prowl car.”
Nate followed his teammates to the SUVs where Trent waited. “What’s happening?”
“We know where Nate’s girlfriend and her partner are being held,” Josh said. “We have a hostage situation in second location.”
“Two Fortress teams?”
“At least. We don’t know how many men Morris has guarding the hostages at his home. One of the hostages is a nine-year-old girl.”
Trent scowled. “I want in. My team is in town. Since Armstrong will want to go after his girlfriend, my team and I will take Morris’ home. I’ll contact Zane for the address. Once we free the hostages, where do we take them?”
“Fortress headquarters until we’re clear. Later, they’ll be taken to the hospital to see Yates. The girl is his daughter.”
“Copy that.”
“I’ll coordinate with Maddox. Do not attempt to breach the house until you hear from me.”
With a nod, Trent climbed into his truck and roared off, cell phone pressed to his ear.
“Nate,” Josh said, “you’re with me. Let’s move.”
Alex activated his Bluetooth as he pulled away from the curb.
“What do you need, Alex?” Maddox asked.
“Blueprints for an abandoned building on Rolling Meadow. Exact address unknown. That’s where Morris took Stella and Deke were taken for interrogation.”
“Hold.”
An ambulance and patrol car raced past. Maddox said, “Blueprints are uploaded to your email. Zane sent the schematics for Morris’ house to Trent.”
“He’s paranoid enough to have made modifications to the original design,” Josh said.
“Agreed. I’m sending another team to assist. Should I dispatch a second team to your location?”
“Not yet. I’ll let you know if we need assistance after I see the layout. Most of Morris’ people will be with the hostages. He shot Yates and left him to die. Morris doesn’t know we’re aware of his location.”
“If he learns Luke and Natalie’s location, Stella, Deke, and the hostages are dead.”
“That’s why we’re coordinating the assaults with Trent’s team. We have one chance.”
“I’ll have a team on standby for you.”
“We need someone on Yates,” Nate said. “Taylor’s with him, but if word leaks he’s still alive, the marshal will be a target again. Morris doesn’t leave loose ends.”
“Copy that.”
After Maddox ended the call, Alex said, “Laptop’s in the cargo section.”
Nate twisted in his seat and seized the computer while Josh contacted Quinn and Rio about the blueprints in their email. He clicked on the email and studied the building layout. Three floors. Multiple offices to clear. No way to know how many men Ashworth brought or what type of firepower they had.
“What do we have?” Josh asked.
“Three floors, fifteen thousand square feet. Lot of office space.”
“Exits?”
“Four.”
“Basement?”
“No.”
Fifteen minutes later, Alex slowed to a short distance from the building.
Nate climbed from the SUV, nearly vibrating with the need to storm the place and get to Stella. He grabbed his Go bag and fished around for his thermal imaging gear. He turned toward the darkened building and studied the interior.
/> Twelve heat signatures in the building, five clustered in one room. The rest were spread out, one at each exit, a fifth standing guard in the hallway outside the room. The other two were roaming.
Inside the room, one man paced in front of two seated figures. Stella and Deke. While Nate watched, the pacer stopped in front of the sitters and struck one hard enough to knock that person to the floor.
Nate lunged toward the building. Muscled arms grabbed him from behind.
“Not yet, Nate.”
He fought the hold, but Alex’s grip tightened.
“You can’t help Stella if you’re dead.”
“Let go.”
“Stand down, Sergeant.” Josh’s voice lashed through the desperation.
He stilled, breathing hard.
“Get your head in the game so we can plan this op.”
“Yes, sir.”
Quinn stepped in front of him to stop Nate if he made a break for the building. His teammates would take him down if he tried. Going in without a plan endangered all of them. He raised his hands, palms out, to show he had control. Nate faced Durango’s leader.
“You good?”
He gave a short nod.
“Here’s what we’ll do.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Stella’s face throbbed. Rick Ashworth’s fist was hard as stone. She couldn’t handle many more hits without him pulverizing her face. No question Ashworth ambushed her. The repercussions of his strike were achingly familiar. With wrists taped together behind her back, she couldn’t block the blows this time. The last punch threw her to the floor, which made her position more precarious. Worse, Stella was almost certain she broke her wrist when she fell.
“Leave her alone.” Deke, bruised and bloodied, one eye swollen shut, fought against the two men holding him.
“You can stop this, Marshal Creed.” Rick Ashworth turned to Deke. “Tell me where Luke Dyson and his girlfriend are, and I’ll free you.”
“You killed five people. What’s two more?”
Ashworth’s smile sent cold chills down Stella’s spine. Whatever emotions he’d been born with were lost in a sea of black emotion since his sister’s death. “This won’t bring back Adele,” she said, her voice soft. Waves of pain rolled over her body.
“It will fulfill the vow I made over my sister’s grave. They deserve to die.”
“Look, I understand why you killed Milo, Chris, and Ken. They were the ring leaders and set up the incident with the prom. Those boys were cruel to a vulnerable girl. But Luke and Natalie are innocent bystanders.”
“It was Natalie’s fault for encouraging my sister to go on that ill-fated date with Milo. She persuaded Adele to go. If Natalie had kept her mouth shut, my sister would still be alive.”
“You can’t know she would still be alive. Adele might have died in a car accident or from cancer.”
“I never had the chance to find out,” he shouted. “Natalie’s interference took that from me.”
“And Luke?” Deke asked. “What did he do to deserve a bullet?”
“He was a selfish coward. None of this would have happened if he’d helped when I asked. It’s his fault your fellow marshals are dead. Why protect him after he cost the lives of your friends?”
While his attention focused on Deke, she scanned the area close to her, looking for a weapon to defend herself and Deke. Nothing except an old-fashioned doorstop. Wait. If the doorstop was similar to the ones in her parents’ house, she’d have a way to tear the tape. Stabbing someone with the screw at the end would provide a distraction. Any advantage might save their lives. She wanted that life she’d dreamed of with Nate, and Deke’s family needed him. Grim determination hardened her resolve. She wasn’t dying tonight.
She glanced at Ashworth and his men. Good. No one noticed her interest in the hardware. “Luke refused to exact revenge on boys who weren’t worth jail time,” Stella said. “By earning that scholarship, he earned an education that lifted him from poverty, something Milo, Chris, and Ken should have done. Instead, they mired themselves in lives of crime. If not you, then another lowlife would have killed them.” She shifted to a sitting position against the wall in front of the doorstop. At least she and Deke were separated now. Ashworth would have a harder time keeping tabs on both of them at the same time. Not that it would help much considering Ashworth and two of his men were in the room and seven others were scattered through the building. If she and Deke took down these three without being shot, how would they evade the rest of Ashworth’s men? They were armed as well.
She twisted the metal doorstop. Lousy weapon, but better than nothing. If only she had Nate’s Go bag with his weapons. Worry speared her gut at the thought of her injured boyfriend. Nate was unconscious when Ashworth’s men yanked her and Deke from the SUV. Ashworth had pointed a gun at Nate and threatened to shoot him if they resisted. She and her partner gave up without a fight to protect Nate.
He had to be alive. Stella wouldn’t accept anything else. He’d survived multiple deployments, more wounds than she wanted to know about, and lived to tell the tale. A car wreck might injure him, but Nate’s SUV was reinforced with armor plating, the SUV cabin still intact after rolling down the hillside. The truck hit them in a neighborhood with many houses nearby. Someone had called an ambulance for Nate.
The doorstop separated from the wall. Her fingers brushed the tip. Sharp point. Perfect. She shifted the metal into a better position and started picking the duct tape apart. As long as Ashworth didn’t decide too soon they wouldn’t talk, she and Deke had a chance.
“It’s time to stop this madness, Rick,” Deke said. “Too many people have died. The brother Adele loved was a man of integrity and honor, one who wasn’t afraid of hard work to provide for his family. Your sister wouldn’t recognize who you’ve become. She represented light and hope in your family as did you. She wouldn’t want you to murder her best friend and yours. Don’t stain her memory with shame.”
“Too late, Marshal Creed. That pack of vultures already did. They took the only good thing in my life. You’re wasting your breath. I have nothing left to lose. You and your partner, on the other hand, stand to losing everything.”
Deke’s jaw flexed. “What do you mean?”
After working with Deke for years, she recognized fear for his family glittering in their depths. She caught his gaze, shook her head. Deke couldn’t give in. A Fortress operative watched over his wife and daughters.
“Your pretty wife, Andrea, and cute daughters, Bella and Dora. Did you know how much fun they’re having at the beach with your wife’s parents? Are you willing to trade their lives to save Luke and Natalie?” He turned to Stella. “Your boyfriend was alive when we left him, sweet Stella. He won’t be for long. All it will take is one phone call and a sniper’s bullet will slam into his head.”
Stella continued to hack at the duct tape. She must break free. This monster would kill their families to obtain the information he wanted. “If you take on Nate, you’ll lose.” If he killed Nate, his teammates would never stop hunting Ashworth. Forget law enforcement having a chance to take him into custody. Durango would make sure Ashworth left their confrontation in a body bag.
“Hard to defend yourself against a bullet you don’t see coming. I have very good people under my command. Do you want to risk his life?”
Stella reminded herself more dangerous men than Rick Ashworth had tried to kill Nate Armstrong. All had failed. Ashworth was a fool if he believed he could best a Delta team. They were incompetent compared to the elite Special Forces soldiers under Josh Cahill’s command. “Good people, huh? What do you call Lance Cannon, the assassin you hired to kill me?”
He grimaced. “A mistake, one I corrected in a way that warns others what happens if they fail me. If you don’t care enough about Nate to save him, what about an innocent nine-year-old girl? Is her life worth protecting Luke and Natalie?”
Breathe. Focus on the job. She couldn’t help Kayla right now. After she and
Deke were free, they would mount a rescue operation. Though he acted as if she still lived, they couldn’t take Ashworth’s word. Manetti’s right hand man might have already killed the girl and her mother. “How do we know she’s still alive, Ashworth? We want proof of life before we tell you anything.”
“Stel, don’t.” Deke glared at her with his one good eye. “We can’t trust him to tell the truth.”
Ashworth swung around and hit Deke with a right uppercut. Her partner’s eyes rolled back in his head and his legs folded. At a signal from their boss, the men holding Deke upright dropped him to the floor. The meatier thug kicked him in the gut, but received no response.
“Enough.” Ashworth motioned the two men away from the unconscious marshal. “Get her up.”
The tape around her wrists gave way. Three against one. Lousy odds any time, especially as she was unarmed. She’d go down but hoped to take at least one of them with her.
Stella focused on the more muscular of the two men. All she needed was one moment of inattention. They grabbed her by the upper arms and hauled her to her feet.
“Last chance, Marshal. What will it be? Your boyfriend or two traitors?”
“I want proof the girl is alive.”
Ashworth pulled out his cell phone and touched the screen. He frowned. “Carter, do you have a signal?”
Was this a dead zone? That didn’t make sense. She remembered seeing a cell tower not too far from their location. Could be a network problem. Her heartbeat sped up. Fortress? They had amazing toys. Were they capable of blocking cell signals? But how would they know where she and Deke were being held?
“Nothing,” Carter said after checking his own phone.
“Sorry, Marshal.” Ashworth slid the phone into his pocket. “You’re out of luck. I’m sure you won’t take my assurance the girl is alive.” He righted her chair. “Sit down. I’ve wasted enough time. I’ll find Luke and Natalie without your help.”
Stella tightened her grip on the doorstop. When the smaller of the two thugs pushed her toward the chair, she whirled toward the larger man and, using the sharp end of the doorstop as a knife, slashed the side of his neck. He screamed and grabbed his throat as blood sprayed in an arc around the room.