Rescuing Gabriella (Special Forces: Operation Alpha) (Bravo Series Book 3)

by Anna Blakely

  With a quick, mental run-through, he catalogued the drinks she’d had. Two drinks over the span of nearly an hour. Zade knew she’d said she was a lightweight, but this was taking it to a whole other level.

  His eyes locked with hers again, and this time, he zeroed in on her pupils. Frowning—because yeah, they were way too fucking big—Zade shot a quick glance at Andino to make sure he wasn’t paying attention before whispering, “You okay?”

  Gabby shook her head. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but nothing came out.

  “Gabby!” Zade said her name loudly, not giving a shit about the stares they were now getting.

  “Is something wrong?” Andino asked, as if he gave two shits about her.

  Kole snapped to attention, as well. “What is it? What’s the matter?”

  Zade didn’t have time to answer his teammate because at the exact same time, Gabby’s eyes rolled back into her head, and her legs crumpled beneath her.

  “Gabby!” He sprang into action, barely catching her in time to keep her head from hitting the hard marble tile.

  Ignoring the gasps from the surrounding crowd, Zade tapped her cheek to try and get her to wake up. “Gabby? Gabriella, wake up!”

  Shit!

  “She’s out cold, man.” Kole squatted down beside him.

  Thank you, Captain Fucking Obvious.

  Gabe spoke into the coms. “SITREP.”

  “She’s been drugged.”

  “I do not know how this could have happened.” Andino appeared as worried as they were. “My office is off of the ballroom, right over there. There is a couch. You can lay her down and make her comfortable. Come.” He started in that direction. “I’ll show you.”

  Don’t know, my ass.

  Zade looked at Kole. Besides putting a bullet through that fucker Andino’s brain, he wanted nothing more than to get Gabby the hell out of there. But…

  The auction wasn’t over yet, and they still hadn’t seen hide nor hair of Samantha Shoemaker.

  Promise you’ll get my sister out.

  Gabby’s words rang through his head reminding him of the promise he’d made. It was one he damn well intended to keep.

  “Fine. We’ll take her to your office,” Zade told Andino, only so the others would hear and know where they’d be.

  Scooping her up, Zade cradled Gabby in his arms and held her against his chest as he followed Andino. He didn’t trust the fucker any farther than he could throw him, but right now he didn’t have a choice but to play along.

  Not if he wanted to maintain their cover and try to figure out where Sam was.

  The auction came to a halt and the crowd parted to give them room to walk. As they moved, Matt’s voice came through the coms.

  “She needs fluids to help dilute and flush the drugs out of her system. There’s an IV set-up in the med bag. I made sure there was one in the back of the SUV you guys came in. I can walk one of you through it.”

  Zade’s glance slid to Kole’s, his expression clear. He was not leaving Gabby’s side.

  “I’ll get the first-aid kit from the car,” Kole offered.

  “Use that door there.” Andino pointed to an exit near his office door. “My men will let you back in.” He gave the guy guarding the door a look and a nod.

  “Hurry,” Zade growled the order.

  Kole split off in that direction, a definite haste in his step.

  “In here,” Andino entered a four-digit code on a security keypad before opening the door. He turned and motioned for another one of his men to keep an eye on the door.

  The whole scene screamed set-up, but with no other option, Zade followed the man into the room.

  As described, it was an office. Traditional wood paneling covered the walls, and matching wood trim and a large, wooden desk added to the room’s masculine feel. Also as Andino had claimed, a black, leather couch was positioned against the north wall.

  Zade went straight for it, carefully laying down his precious cargo.

  “Stay here. I’ll go get a glass of water and a pillow for her head.”

  Gabby didn’t need a goddamn pillow. She needed to get as far the fuck away from here as possible. But he didn’t argue, because Andino’s absence would give him a chance to talk to Gabe freely.

  “Appreciate it,” he gritted out. Sitting next to her limp form, Zade waited until Andino left the office through yet another door at the back of the room to talk to Gabe.

  “Okay, Dawson, I’m clear to talk. Not sure how long he’ll be gone.”

  Gabe wasted no time in responding. “What the fuck happened, King?”

  “Andino gave Gabby some champagne that was laced. With what, I don’t know, but she’s out cold and her pupils are huge and…Goddamnit!” He ran his fingers through his hair, ready to tear it out from its roots.

  “Take a breath, King. How’s her pulse?”

  Zade pressed a trembling hand to Gabby’s neck. “Too damn fast.”

  “That’s it. We’ll bypass the extra guards and hit the ones we need to in order to come in.”

  “No!” Zade shook his head even though his team leader couldn’t see him. Or maybe he could, since Gabby’s necklace had that camera in it.

  That doesn’t fucking matter now!

  “What the hell do you mean, no?”

  “You come in hot now, gunfire will light this place up like the Fourth of July. Gabby could get hurt, not to mention we still have no idea where Samantha Shoemaker’s being held.” If she was even there, at all.

  Zade shook his head again He couldn’t think like that. Sam had to be here. For Gabby’s sake, he wouldn’t consider anything else.

  “King’s right,” Ghost cut in. “We need to go one-on-one, silent elimination. Otherwise Andino gets spooked and runs.”

  “Or worse,” a deep voice Zade recognized as Truck’s agreed.

  “Shit, you’re both right. Goddamnit!” Gabe took a breath deep enough for Zade to hear then blew it out. “On my order. In the meantime, King…you’re gonna have to do whatever you can to stall. Play along with whatever fucked up game Andino’s trying to play. We’ll clear the perimeter then breach. That time comes, you use the distraction to get your asses out of there. Let us worry about Hector Andino and finding the Shoemaker girl.”

  “Copy that.”

  Gabe and Ghost began a new conversation. The two team leaders worked with Nate and his bird’s eye view to decide the best way to approach Andino’s men.

  Zade tuned them out, his entire focus returning to Gabby, who was still unconscious.

  “Baby?” He checked her pulse again. It was still too fast, but at least it was there. “Gabriella, you need to wake up. Come on, baby. I really need you to open your eyes.”

  She moaned. That was a good sign, right?

  “Zade?” His name was barely a whisper.

  “I’m here. I’m right here.” By her side, where he belonged.

  Gabby’s eyes fluttered open. “W-what…” She tried to sit up.

  “Easy, baby. You’ve been drugged.”

  Those fluttering eyes shot open. “Drugged?” Gabby sat up quickly. Groaning, she laid back down. “Okay, not such a good idea.” She took a few slow breaths before asking, “Andino?”

  “He went to get you a pillow and some water.”

  Frowning, she looked around the room…slowly. “Where’s…Kole?”

  “Getting the med bag. He wants to hook you up to an IV to help flush your system.”

  “Sam?” Her voice was still quiet and slurred.

  “We’ll find her. Gabe and the others are making their way to the house as we speak. Once they get inside, I’ll get you out and to safety while they find your sister.”

  “No.” She shook her head and pushed herself up again. This time, she took her time, not stopping until she was sitting up straight. “Need to go, now. Have to…f-find her…now.

  Keeping her steady with his hands, Zade leaned down in order to look her in the eye. Her pupils were still l
arger than normal, but not as bad as before. The drugs were clearly still affecting her system, but at least she was conscious and somewhat alert.

  Hopefully alert enough to understand what he was trying to tell her.

  “Gabby, we can’t. I saw Andino motion for a guard to stand right outside that door after we came in. He’s armed to the teeth. We try to rush out of here now, Andino and his men will stop us. We have to play along, for now.”

  “Play along?” She looked at him as if he was the one under the influence of drugs. “He’s the one who drugged me! Or…had me drugged. Either way…we need to get…out of…here.”

  “Baby, listen to yourself. You can barely finish a full sentence, let alone fight off a bunch of cartel goons.”

  Christ, he didn’t even want to picture her having to do that. Ever.

  “Kole’s on his way back with the IV bag. He’ll get you hooked up and—”

  “Actually, I’m not.” Kole spoke in his com again.

  “What the fuck do you mean, you’re not? Get your ass in here, Jameson. Gabby needs you.”

  “I would, but Andino’s bouncer is refusing to let me back inside.”

  Damn.

  Zade had been so focused on Gabby, his brain had apparently decided to tune everything else out, causing him to miss that particular conversation.

  “Kick his ass…K-Kole.” Gabby cleared her throat. “Know you…can.”

  “Appreciate the vote of confidence, Gabs, but if I take one guy down, the rest of them will fill me full of a bunch of new holes I’d prefer not to have.”

  “Where are you now?”

  “Sitting in the damn SUV pretending to wait patiently for you two.”

  Zade muttered a curse…or three.

  This op had gone from relatively simple to totally fucked in a matter of minutes. And if they didn’t figure something out soon, Gabby was going to be caught in the middle of one hell of a shit storm.

  “Hold tight for now,” he told the other man. “You see Gabe and the others approaching, feel free to join in the fun.”

  “Copy that. You two behave yourselves in there. I’m sure that couch looks tempting, but remember who it belongs to. Probably all kinds of nasty shit growing on that thing.”

  “Gross,” Gabby cringed. Though she’d mumbled the word, her voice was starting to sound a bit stronger.

  “Funny, asshole.”

  “I’ll be here all night,” Kole joked. “Literally. Or at least until y’all figure a way out.”

  Any other time, Zade would appreciate Kole’s attempt to lighten the mood. This wasn’t one of those times.

  “You think you can stand?” He stood and held out a hand.

  Taking it, Gabby rose to her feet slowly. Cautiously.

  “You good?”

  “Yeah.” She nodded.

  He wasn’t so sure, but at least she was upright and in a less vulnerable position than before. Zade looked at the door Andino had gone out of and wondered what was taking so damn long.

  Not that he wanted the man anywhere near Gabby, but the only way the guard on the other side of the door they’d come through was going to budge would be on his boss’s order. The only way that was going to happen was if Zade was somehow able to convince Andino to let them out.

  You shouldn’t have come in here in the first place. You knew it was a trap, yet you brought her here, anyway.

  He wanted to punch the tiny voice square in the throat. Yes, he’d assumed it was a trap—a way to lock him and Gabby away from everyone else. But again, if he’d gone off on the man like he’d wanted to, both their covers would’ve already been blown, and they’d most likely be dead.

  At least by doing it this way—playing along with the fuckhead’s twisted game—he’d bought both them and the teams some time.

  How much time and to what end, Zade had no idea. What he did know was he felt like a sitting fucking duck waiting to be cooked for Christmas dinner.

  “What’s wrong?” Gabby shook her head and winced. “I mean, besides the obvious.”

  Her voice was definitely stronger now. Thank God.

  “We need to find a way out of here.” Preferably one that didn’t involve them getting shot at.

  “I’m not leaving without Sam.”

  “I’m not talking about leaving her here, sweetheart. I’ll find Sam.” Either he would or one of the other guys on the teams coming to save their asses. “Until then, I need to get you out of here.”

  If he could get her outside and into the SUV, she’d have Kole and two tons of bullet-resistant glass and armor to protect her.

  “Forget it.” She crossed her arms at her chest and jutted her chin. “I’m not leaving without you, either, Zade.”

  “Goddamn it, Gabriella!” He leaned in closely. “This is not the time for you to dig your stubborn-assed heels into the ground. We’re in serious trouble, here. Andino’s been gone way too fucking long, and if we don’t figure something out soon, I have a feeling neither one of us will be going anywhere. Which means Sam will be screwed, too.”

  A level of fear washed over her, making him feel like the biggest asshat on the planet. Cupping her face between his hands, he softened his voice and prayed for the words to make her understand.

  “I’m sorry, baby. I didn’t mean to yell. I’m just…scared.” Shit, had he really admitted that for God and everyone to hear?

  We make it out alive, I’m going to catch so much flack for that.

  Zade didn’t care. The only thing he cared about, the only thing that mattered was getting this strong, stubborn, drives-him-crazy woman out of this godforsaken house and into that SUV with Kole.

  “You’re a badass super-soldier,” she whispered up at him. “You don’t get scared.”

  “Ah, baby. Don’t you know?” Keeping her face framed between his palms, Zade rested his forehead against hers. “The thought of something happening to you is the one thing that terrifies me.”

  She opened her mouth, looked like she wanted to say more, but her eyes shifted to the side. “What about those?” Gabby nodded toward the large windows.

  Zade had considered them, but with the guard by the door outside…

  Kole’s out there, too.

  The tiny voice redeemed itself. Kole was out there, something Zade hadn’t planned on when they’d first come into the office.

  “We’ll use the windows.”

  Hurrying, Zade pulled his phone from his pants pocket and typed out a quick text instructing Kole to momentarily disable his coms.

  After hitting send, Zade pressed against the nearly invisible device in his own ear before taking Gabby’s hand and covering her ring with his fingers. Not wanting the others to hear this next part, he did his best to muffle whatever the mic may pick up.

  As soon as he received the ‘done’ text from Kole, Zade used his free hand to call the man.

  “You know you’re killin’ my jam,” the guy answered casually. “While you’re in there playing nursemaid to your girl, I’ve been jammin’ to some tunes. You know, sittin’ back and relaxing. Waiting for the Calvary to arrive.”

  Zade rolled his eyes and shook his head. He knew the former pararescueman and sniper was full of shit. The man hadn’t let his guard down for a second.

  “I need you to go to the door you came out of.”

  There was a pause before, “I already told you, that asshole won’t let me through.”

  “I don’t need you to go through it. I need you go there and wait for Gabby.”

  “Gabby? I thought you two were—”

  “I need her out of here, Kole,” Zade’s voice boomed inside the small room. “I need her out of this house and into that SUV with you.”

  There was only a slight pause before Kole asked, “What about you? Gabe said to—”

  “I know what Gabe said, but my situation’s changed. I’ll deal with Andino and then go find Sam, but I need Gabby to be with you while I do that. Got it?”

  “Roger that. I’ll…think of
something.”

  Zade blew out a breath. “Thanks. I owe ya.”

  “Don’t think I won’t collect.”

  Despite the situation, Zade found himself smiling. Damn, he loved his team.

  “Heading to the door, now. The guard does not look happy to see me again, but he hasn’t shot me yet, so that’s something, right?”

  Jesus. “You need to distract him long enough for Gabby to get out the window and to you. And Kole?” Zade locked his eyes with hers while he spoke. “With your life, man.”

  He felt like a selfish prick asking that of his friend, but Kole—and the rest of Bravo—knew he’d do the same for any one of them or their women. He almost did die trying to keep Kat safe.

  That shit can’t happen again.

  “You know I will, brother.”

  “If it was Sarah, I’d—”

  “I know, man,” Kole assured him. “Trust me, I know.”

  Zade ended the call and shoved his phone back into his pocket. Gabby’s pupils were already almost back to normal, but it didn’t matter. He needed to know she was safe.

  I can’t lose her.

  “I know I said I’d go, but…Zade, please. Come with me. You said Gabe and the others were headed this way, right? They can deal with Andino, and”—she swallowed hard—“I trust them to find Sam and keep her safe. But you…I need you to be safe, too.”

  “And I will be,” he promised. “I’ll be even safer if I’m not worried about you getting caught in the crossfire. So, please.” Zade rested a palm against one side of her face and let his thumb brush across her smooth skin. “Do this, for me.”

  Gabby brought one of her hands to his wrist, her fingers wrapping as far around it as she could. “I’d do anything for you, Zade. I…” She paused. Looking away, Gabby bit her bottom lip nervously before meeting his gaze once more. “I love you.”

  He sucked in a breath and was about to respond, but then the crazy, amazing woman started rambling.

  “I’m sorry to drop this on you now, and I swear it isn’t the drugs talking. I wanted to say it last night, but I was afraid it was too soon, and I didn’t want you to—”

  Zade kissed her. Hard and fast. Deep and full of emotion.

  The timing couldn’t be worse, but in that moment, he couldn’t keep himself from taking everything he could. In return, he gave her every ounce of love he felt. Still, it wasn’t enough…