by Anna Hackett
Kinsey would have been lying right here, hurting and afraid.
The markings looked like…
Well, damn. “552 P.”
“What’s that?” MacKade asked with a frown.
“My woman gave us a partial plate.” Good work, smart girl.
MacKade tilted his head, studying the ground. “Hell.” He swiveled to the nearby uniforms, barking out orders for them to find the van.
Lachlan called Brooks again. “We got a partial plate. Find that van, Brooks.”
Smith sucked in a deep breath. Once again, Kinsey was in danger. If the bastards hurt her…
“We’ll find them.” Lachlan was watching him. “We’ll bring her home.”
“Told her I’d keep her safe.” And here he was, unable to do anything to find her except wait. A muscle worked in his jaw, his temper writhing.
“Axel was with her. We all underestimated what these bastards would do.”
“Who the fuck are they?”
Lachlan scanned the parking lot. “We won’t stop until we find out and take them down.”
“Guys.” Brooks voice came through the comm line and they all straightened.
Smith’s pulse jumped.
“What have you got, Brooks?” Lachlan demanded.
“I’ve got the van! Just showed up on a traffic cam. They’re on the beltway, headed north.”
Smith turned, sprinting for the SUV. “Let’s move!”
Chapter Ten
Smith roared onto the Las Vegas Beltway.
“Take it easy.” Lachlan sat beside him in the passenger seat, one hand pressed to the roof.
Smith was not holding on or slowing down. He had to get to Kinsey.
In the backseat, Seth, Callie, and Blair sat, tense and ready.
“You’re about a mile behind them.” Brooks’ voice came through on the dash. The large screen built into the center console showed a glowing dot moving along the beltway.
Smith moved into the next lane, speeding past a truck. I’m coming, Kinsey.
“Guys, I got some more info on Cosca Unita,” Brooks said.
Smith roared around another car, his gut tightening. “Spill it.”
Brooks sighed. “They look like some militant Mafia group. Recently formed, but working to make a name for themselves. Cosca is Italian, meaning clan or family. Sicilian Mafia used it for crime family units run by a capo.”
Blair leaned forward. “And unita?”
“Means united.”
“United Family,” Lachlan murmured. “What do they want?”
“Money. Power. I haven’t found much more on them yet.”
“How the hell did they know about the artifact and that we had it?” Blair said. “Even if they were spying on Kinsey, they still had to know about Area 52 first.”
“I think I might have an answer for that as well,” Brooks said. “Nat did some digging. Remember the U.S. military team that was given the artifact by the monks?”
“Yeah,” Lachlan prompted.
“One of the soldiers was an Italian-American by the name of Vincent Salvatore. Upstanding soldier, but had links to family members who were not so upstanding.”
Lachlan cursed. “And Vinny probably shared a few tales in his old age.”
“There’s the van.” Smith spotted the white van ahead and put his foot down on the accelerator.
They sped up behind the van.
But the driver saw them coming. The van shot forward.
No, you don’t. Smith gave chase. He whipped their SUV into the neighboring lane. They zoomed up beside the van.
The driver glanced their way, before looking forward again. Lachlan lowered his window and aimed his SIG. The driver looked again, his eyes widening.
“We don’t want them to crash,” Smith said. They had no idea if Kinsey and Axel were strapped in.
Lachlan fired.
The bullets pinged on metal. The van swerved toward them.
Fuck. Smith yanked the wheel to avoid the van, then righted them.
“Cars ahead,” Callie yelled.
Smith looked up and saw several cars in front of the van. The van driver swerved again, but clipped the edge of one car. The car spun away, tires screeching, hitting another car.
“Shit,” Blair said.
Callie looked back. “Don’t think anyone was hurt.”
Blair wrinkled her nose. “MacKade’s going to hear about it, though.”
“Blair, get out the urchins,” Lachlan ordered.
With a smile, Blair leaned into the very back of the SUV. “Ty will be happy to hear we’re going to use these babies.”
In the rearview mirror, Smith saw Blair settle back into her seat. She was clutching two black balls the size of tennis balls.
The devices were Ty’s invention. They were attracted to rubber and once they stuck to a tire, spikes exploded out of them.
Blair lowered her window and half climbed out of the window. “Get us closer!”
Smith accelerated, pulling up close to the van. Hang on, Kinsey.
Blair tossed the first urchin, then the second one. She had a hell of an arm.
Bang. Bang.
The van swerved like crazy, out of control. With a curse, Smith slowed and pulled back. The van cut across the lanes.
Shit. The driver hadn’t slowed down. They were going too fast.
The van smashed into the concrete wall at the edge of the beltway with a deafening crunch of metal. The back end of the van lifted off the ground before crashing back down.
Smith slammed on the brakes. The SUV’s tires screeched as he pulled them to a halt nearby.
“Callie, Seth, control the traffic.” Lachlan pushed open his door.
Leaping out of the vehicle, Smith grabbed his CXM. He moved in beside Lachlan and Blair, both of them with their assault rifles up and aimed.
Lachlan moved to the front of the van. “Driver’s dead.”
Blair gripped the side door, her bi-colored gaze meeting Smith’s. His pulse was pounding. He kept his weapon aimed and nodded.
She yanked the door open.
Smith cursed.
The back of the van was empty.
“Fuck!” He turned and slammed a fist into the side of the van, denting the panel.
Lachlan stepped up beside him. “They must have dropped them somewhere or swapped them to another vehicle.”
Smith turned, staring blindly across the lanes of the beltway. Where was she?
Lachlan touched his ear. “Brooks, the van is empty.”
“Shit,” came the man’s response. “Well, I have news.”
The tone of Brooks’ voice made Smith’s gut tighten.
Lachlan dragged in a breath and looked at the team. “Go ahead.”
Smith waited, muscles tense. Please. Kinsey had to be okay.
“A package was delivered to the Bunker…by a man matching Enzo Rossi’s description.”
Smith’s jaw locked. “I’m driving.”
No one argued with him. They jumped into the SUV, Lachlan directing Brooks to report the crashed van to MacKade. Smith broke the speed limit on the way to the Bunker, but he didn’t care.
They sped back down the beltway, then exited at the airport. They passed through security and pulled up in front of the squat, concrete building. His gaze fell on the box resting in front of the door.
As they neared, Callie pulled out a small device and held it up near the box. “Not registering for explosives.”
“Bring it inside,” Lachlan ordered.
Smith grabbed it and carried it in. It didn’t weigh much. Someone flicked the lights on, and he set the box down on Kinsey’s desk.
His heart was pounding.
Lachlan stepped forward and flicked open a knife. He cut the box open and quickly lifted the lid. When he looked inside, his face paled.
Fuck. Air lodged in his lungs, Smith shouldered forward.
Lachlan grabbed his arm. “Smith—”
Smith couldn’t breathe.
He flung the sides of the box open.
Blindly, he stared at the luscious golden locks of hair inside. A mass of it.
Beautiful hair he knew so well. Kinsey’s hair.
They’d shorn her fucking hair off.
Blair shifted. “Dammit to hell.”
Seth growled. Callie pulled in a deep breath.
Smith reached in and grabbed the note nestled in the hair.
Meet us at Lorenzi Park with the real artifact in one hour. If you’re late, we’ll send you her finger next. For every hour you don’t show up, you’ll get another body part. His ear, her eye, his tongue.
That damn bird logo was stamped on the bottom. Smith pressed his hands to the back of his neck. Shit.
“We don’t have time to come up with a plan,” Blair said.
Lachlan shook his head. “They planned it that way. Brooks, get Jonah on the line. And tell Arlo to get the real artifact here. Fast.”
Smith looked up, staring at Lachlan.
His leader’s eyes glittered. “We’re going to save them.” Lachlan’s voice was hard, firm.
Calm descended on Smith. Kinsey and Axel needed him to keep his shit together. “Hell, yeah.”
They were locked in a small, dark room.
Again, Kinsey checked Axel. He still hadn’t regained consciousness. The bleeding had slowed, but it hadn’t stopped. She kept the ragged ball of fabric pressed to his shoulder.
“Please wake up, Axel,” she murmured for what felt like the hundredth time.
She’d torn the bottom of her T-shirt off, which was way harder to do in real life than in the movies. Her hands were covered in his blood.
“You’re okay, Tenzin?” she asked over her shoulder.
The monk nodded. They’d talked a little after they’d been tossed in this room. He’d been snatched from in front of a Buddhist temple in Los Angeles.
Kinsey touched her raggedly cut hair. That bitch had not been gentle when she’d sheared it off. Instead of reaching her shoulders, her hair now tickled her jaw in a jagged bob. Still, it was the least of Kinsey’s worries right now.
She knew Smith and the others would be working to find them. She just had to hold on. Her breath hitched at the thought. Smith would be out of his mind.
The door opened, and Enzo was standing in the doorway. She glared at him.
“Come on.” He grabbed her arm and pulled her up.
She kicked at him, but he dodged.
“Behave. I don’t want you to get hurt, Kinsey.”
“You’re a dickhead.”
His lips pressed into a flat line. “Don’t make this harder than it needs to be.”
“Oh, I have no desire to make this easy for you.”
“Enzo, quit screwing around,” another man called out.
She watched a pair of men stride past and drag Axel off the floor. They weren’t gentle.
“Be careful! He’s hurt.”
The men ignored her.
“Move it, monk,” one barked at Tenzin.
The monk rose and followed.
They were led into an elevator, and soon they were walking across a parking garage. There weren’t many cars in the place. They were loaded into the back of a nondescript sedan. Axel was dropped on the floor at her feet, and Kinsey bit her lip.
The next thing she knew, one of the men pulled a blindfold over her eyes. Next, her wrists were bound together.
“I’m so glad I never let you get too far with me,” she snapped at Enzo. “You’re trash.”
“Kinsey…” His voice sounded almost regretful. “I never wanted—”
The engine started with a rumble, cutting Enzo off. The car started to move in reverse. Soon, she guessed they were out on the street, heading…somewhere. What was happening now?
Her thoughts turned to Smith. Big, strong Smith. He had to be coming. God, she hoped he was coming.
She wasn’t sure how much time had passed. Ten minutes? Maybe fifteen. The car stopped, and the doors opened. She sat there, tense. She pressed her hands to Axel’s shoulder. He still hadn’t moved. Everything was quiet.
“What’s happening?” She hated the tremor in her voice.
She didn’t get an answer.
“Tenzin?”
“I’m here, Ms. Kinsey.”
Kinsey could hear birds tweeting from outside the car. Screw this. She awkwardly pushed her blindfold up with her bound hands. Tenzin was sitting beside her, also blindfolded. Apart from Axel sprawled on the floor, no one else was in the vehicle.
She leaned forward and pressed her tied hands to Axel’s neck. She felt his pulse beat against the side of her hand. Thankfully, it was strong.
She brushed the hair off his face, and suddenly she felt like crying. But she sucked the tears back. She knew from experience they didn’t help.
Instead, she vowed revenge on Enzo and his band of douchebags.
Suddenly, she heard deep voices nearby, and she quickly slipped the blindfold back down. Trying to keep her breathing calm, she listened. The door beside her opened and she froze.
She’d fight. She was done being the victim.
Sensing somebody close to her, Kinsey launched herself at whoever the hell it was. She swung her bound hands.
They were caught by strong fingers.
“Kinsey.”
It was Smith’s deep voice.
Air caught in her chest and suddenly her blindfold was gone. She blinked, seeing Smith’s rugged face and the rest of Team 52 behind him.
“Thank God,” she said. “Axel’s hurt.”
Smith moved, pulling her closer. His mouth hit hers for a hard, quick kiss. She kissed him back.
“You’re okay?” He pulled her out of the car.
“I’m fine, but Axel’s unconscious. He’s got a gunshot wound—” Her voice broke.
“Get him out of the vehicle,” Callie called out.
Lachlan and Seth pulled Axel out of the car, laying him on the grass.
Smith pulled a knife off his belt and sliced through her bindings. Kinsey looked around and noticed they were in a park.
“And this is Tenzin,” she said, as Blair helped the monk from the car. “He was kidnapped by Enzo and those guys as well.”
The monk nodded at them. “Thank you for freeing us.”
Kinsey watched as Callie worked on Axel, giving him an injection and setting to work on his bullet wound.
“His vitals are strong,” Callie said. “Looks like he’s got a concussion. When we get back, I’ll remove the bullet, then he’ll need some rest.”
Kinsey tipped her head up to Smith. “How did you find us?”
He reached out, brushing her shorn hair. “We got the message you left us. The van’s plate.”
She heard the pride in his voice and she smiled.
Then he touched her hair again, something dark working in his eyes. “And then Enzo sent us a message.”
“It’ll grow back,” she whispered.
A muscle worked in Smith’s jaw, and he managed a nod.
“I’m so glad you found us. Did you catch Enzo and the others?”
Now Smith’s face turned grim.
Kinsey stilled, glancing around at the others. They all had similar looks on their faces.
A chill went down her spine. “What happened?”
“They gave us an ultimatum. The real artifact in return for you and Axel,” Lachlan said.
Kinsey sucked in a breath, her fingers digging into Smith’s arm. “No.”
Smith nodded. “They have the real artifact, but the most important thing is that you’re safe.”
As he hugged her, she held on tight.
But even Smith’s arms couldn’t obliterate the sense of impending doom.
Back at the Bunker, Smith opened the SUV door and helped Kinsey out.
He slid an arm around her and then lifted her off her feet. He carried her inside.
“I can walk,” she said.
“No.”
She was breathing and alive.
He kept having to remind himself. She had no new injuries, but right then, he decided he was keeping her as close as he could.
In his arms.
“Is Tenzin okay?” she asked.
“Yeah. Lachlan arranged for him to be dropped off at a local Buddhist temple. They’ll arrange for him to get back to L.A.”
Smith headed into the hangar. Seth and Lachlan followed, carrying Axel on a stretcher. Blair and Callie brought up the rear. Axel had stirred a little on the drive to the Bunker. He’d said a few words, but was clearly confused. Callie was monitoring him, and once they were back at base, she’d treat his other injuries.
Smith climbed into the X8.
“Wait…I thought it crashed,” Kinsey said, confused.
“This is our backup.” Arlo appeared from the cockpit, the older man looking grumpy as usual. His gaze fell on Kinsey. “Heard you got yourself kidnapped.”
“Um…”
“And Creed went rogue, tearing through the desert to save you.”
“Well, that’s what he does,” she said.
Arlo grunted. “And then you got kidnapped again.”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
Another grunt. “Don’t do it again.”
“Arlo,” Smith growled.
Kinsey shot the man a weak smile. “Believe me, it isn’t high on my To Do list.”
Blair bumped her shoulder against the older man as she moved into the cockpit. “I’m flying now, old man.”
Arlo growled. “I’ll show you old.”
Callie got the stretcher settled at the back of the aircraft, strapping into a seat closest to Axel.
Smith sat, pulling Kinsey into his lap.
“Smith—”
“You’re not moving.”
She stared into his face. “I’m all right.”
“I know. And I’ll believe it soon.”
With a sigh, she relaxed into him. Soon, they were airborne for the short flight to Area 52.
Once they arrived, he was damn glad to lead her inside. She’d be safe in the secure base.
“Kinse.” Brooks rushed out to meet them, worry on his handsome face. “You had us all worried.”
“Thanks, Brooks.”
“All right, planning meeting,” Lachlan said. “We have an artifact to recover.”
Kinsey’s shoulders drooped. “I’m so sorry about the artifact. If I hadn’t rushed out to help that woman—”