I searched the large space looking for an out. The only other door apart from the one I had come through stood on the far right wall. A bathroom perhaps? If I said I needed to pee, could I lock the door and climb through a window? Doubtful. Why would they make it easy for me?
Still, it could be my only lifeline. I needed to get untied.
“I need to use the bathroom.” Shooting all of the men a pleading look, I waited for their reply.
They simply laughed at me. Each of them. While I wasn’t desperate, I could feel pressure on my bladder. I’d been going to use the bathroom at the hospital on my break but had never made it.
Sagging my shoulders, most of the fight left me. Glancing at my watch, I noted the time was seven p.m.
Harley would be frantic. So would Char after attempting to call me earlier and failing. I took little comfort in the fact that the authorities had probably been notified. The waiting game had my name on it.
Chapter Nine
Harley
A nurse I recognized from my stay in the hospital exited a door and made her way over to us.
Concern marred her features.
“Hi Harley, I’m Charlotte. I’m not sure if you remember me from your time here. I’m a friend of Mac’s. What’s going on? I tried calling her cell numerous times but it remains unanswered. I’ve tried again and again but can’t get through. She never returned back to work. Where is she?”
I could tell she was attempting to remain strong, but tears swelled at the corner of her eyes. She looked between me and Viper.
Sighing out a weighty breath, I wasn’t sure how much to tell her. Chancing a glance at Viper, he nodded for me to speak.
“We have reason to believe she met with foul play. Cameras show her leaving with a male and getting in to a black SUV.”
“Jesus! Have you called the police? Are they looking for her? What are you still doing here? Shouldn’t you be doing something?”
Her face became frantic. I could feel Viper tense beside me at the woman’s impending breakdown.
“We’ve got men on it. We were just about to leave when you came out,” I appeased her.
“I’m coming with you. I want to help look for her.”
“What?” I asked, stunned. No way.
“I’ve finished work now. I’m coming. If I have to I’ll damn well go and look for her myself.”
Viper finally said, “Bullshit, you will. You need to go home, Ma’am, and sit tight. We’ll handle it.”
Resting her emotional stare on my friend, she shook her head. “Like hell! Mac is my friend. I’ve known her a long time. I want to help.”
Placing both hands on her hips in a show of defiance, I couldn’t help but admire the will of the stubborn woman. She clearly loved Mac. I couldn’t blame her for wanting to help.”
Turning back to Viper, I said, “It won’t hurt. We don’t know Mac as well as Charlotte. Maybe she can give us vital information.”
Gripping my arm and leading me away from the anxious woman, Viper whispered in a low voice, “You can’t be fucking serious, man! This is heavy shit. I won’t bring an innocent female into it. There’s already one been taken. We don’t need any more.”
Knowing he had a valid point but not wanting the woman to go off half-cocked on her own, I made a suggestion. “If she wants to come with us, she can follow us to your place and wait there. That way we can keep an eye on her until we figure out our course of action. We can’t exactly just go driving around aimlessly searching for an SUV that is probably out of town by now. As much as it burns my blood, we need to wait for intel.”
Giving me a death stare, he nodded curtly. “Fine, but she’s your responsibility.”
Heading back to Charlotte, I filled her in on our plan. She still didn’t look happy but agreed to follow us to Viper’s place.
***
Darkness closed in. We’d arrived at Viper’s house a little over an hour ago. I felt the dread building with each second that passed.
Viper’s cell pealed out, making both Charlotte and I jump. We sat on the couch with an enlarged map of the city spread out before us waiting on city surveillance to track the vehicle and get back to us.
“Go.” My friend had a cell reserved for military calls so he dismissed formalities.
“Aha. Yep. Can we get a couple of men to check it out? Good. Get back to me with details.”
The call ended.
“What did they say?” I asked, standing from the sofa, ready to leave if needed. It had been pointless going on a search of the city. We had nothing to go on yet.
“Vehicle is registered to Mohammad Ahmed. He’s leasing an apartment in the city. Two men are on their way over to search for clues. He has links to the cell leader we killed. I’d bet my life he shot you and trashed Mac’s apartment. He won’t be working alone.”
My hands clenched so hard my fingers hurt. “She’s in grave danger, man. Sitting here, I feel so helpless. It’s driving me insane.”
Nodding in understanding, Viper pocketed his cell. “As soon as we hear from our surveillance guy, we’ll have a clue as to whether they left the city and the direction they headed.”
“It’s taking too long,” I snarled.
“Damn straight it’s taking too long. I would have been out searching by now, but ‘His Highness’ over there won’t let me go look.” Charlotte piped up.
Viper had banned her from going off on her own in the hunt for her friend. So far she’d merely been sitting on the couch, frustrated, and I couldn’t blame her. I hated waiting. There must be something we could do.
Viper stalked toward her. “And where are you going to look, huh? Do you have any idea? Do you think she’s going to magically appear out of thin air? You have no idea who we’re dealing with here. Like I said at the hospital, I suggest you go home and wait for us to call.”
Rather than cower down to him, because in all honesty he looked pretty scary in a macho, pretty boy kind of way, she stood her ground and lifted her face defiantly. Yep, she had balls.
“Excuse me! You can’t boss me around or keep me from doing anything! In fact, I’m leaving. At least driving around, I feel like I’m actually doing something. She could be dead by now…”
Her voice trailed off as she hurriedly moved to the front door, retrieving her purse from the small table beside it. I truly did feel for her and I knew her anger came from a place of love for Mac. I hated seeing her leave like this.
“Charlotte, wait!” I called out.
She turned slowly, her eyes glassy. I agreed with Viper about her not getting involved, so I said the only thing I could. “We’ll call you as soon as we find out anything. I know you feel as helpless as I do right now, but Viper has more resources at his fingertips than the local police. You have to trust him to find her.” It sounded hollow as I said it, but we needed to remain positive.
Her mouth pressed into a quivering line and her eyes softened, but she didn’t add anything and quietly let herself out.
Guilt swamped me. Turning to my friend, I blurted out, “Did you have to be such a dick to her about it?”
Viper had both hands clasped behind his neck, glaring at the ceiling as if at war within himself. He stood like a marble monolith, every bit the warrior, arms almost busting the seams of his shirt.
“She needed to be told the cold, hard truth. I won’t put anyone else at risk. If she goes off half-cocked, she’s going to endanger herself. I can’t be looking out for her and helping you find Mac.”
He had a very good argument. Hopefully Charlotte would just drive around town for a bit and then return home.
Viper’s cell rang again. He gave me a brief scowl before turning on his heels and walking into the kitchen. The sound of his voice quieted as he moved away.
My heart thudded double time, bringing about an ache in my chest where my wound sat. Perching on the edge of the sofa, unable to relax, I awaited the intel that would hopefully bring us a step closer to finding the woman who had bu
rrowed under my skin, big time. I didn’t know what I’d do if anything happened to her. She’d been my constant since I’d awoken from my coma. My memory could remain locked away forever as long as she came back to me. Realizing the depth of my feelings, one thing became clear. I had fallen for my kind-hearted, stunning nurse. Clarity washed over me. Unsure what she felt in return, it didn’t matter at this point. I would kill for her. I would stop at nothing to bring her home. She’d spent her life caring for others and now she needed someone to fight for her. Unlike her ex-boyfriend, Nick, I would be that person. I didn’t need convincing.
Viper strolled back in with two beers in his hand. He threw one at me and I caught it midair.
Perhaps some alcohol would quell my disquiet. Doubtful but worth a try.
“So, the CCTV shows the vehicle driving through town and leaving on Interstate 94. My guess is Detroit’s the destination. There’s nothing much in between. I can’t imagine suspected terrorist members holing up in some hick town in the middle of nowhere. It doesn’t make sense. I’m going to get some men from the area to scour the city and any cameras that may be able to pick up the vehicle. Sarge is getting a team together as we speak.” Pocketing his phone, he added, “Tomorrow we need to get you a cell.”
I blew out a deep breath. At least we had some sort of a lead and backup. Hopefully Viper’s call about Detroit would prove correct, otherwise we’d be wasting everyone’s time. I hoped Mac remained safe until we found her. From what little memory I had in combat, those assholes were ruthless and didn’t care about casualties.
“So what now?” I popped the top off my beer and took a long swig, letting the cold soothe some of the burn.
Plopping down on a chair, Viper shut his eyes. “Now we wait.”
Chapter Ten
Mac
All the men except one left, which pleased me. They had ogled me like a fresh piece of meat. Now that I’d been captured and restrained, their part in the sick plot had ended.
The ringleader skulked toward me, his satanic eyes fixed on me. I shivered as he stopped within touching distance.
His hand stretched out and his knuckles grazed the length of my neck. “You and I are going to get to know each other better.”
Turning my face away from him, not wanting to witness the depraved thoughts written all over his face, my rebuttal didn’t last long. Another hard slap had me sitting front and center again, my eyes finding his black polo shirt. Still, I couldn’t look at him. How did one stare down evil and not lose it? I needed to keep it together. I didn’t want to give him my fear. He had everything else.
The sting rose in my cheek and lanced outward into my temple and down my jaw. A short, sharp whimper escaped but I didn’t allow any more.
“Do not cower away from me!” he roared, seizing my chin and thrusting my face upward so that I had no choice but to focus on him. “Now. Let me introduce myself. My name is Mohammad Ahmed. Your friend killed one of my top men, and now I come seeking revenge.”
My insides plummeted, my worst fears being confirmed. This man had shot Harley. It had all been connected to his life in the military. Reno. His nightmare.
Not waiting on a reaction from me, he continued, his grip on my jaw increasing.
“Here’s what’s going to happen. I’m going to use you as bait to draw him out. He has feelings for you, yes?”
My eyes expanded fully, my predicament and earlier suspicions becoming crystal clear. My life for Harley’s. My abduction had sealed his fate. Why though? Why do it this way?
“Why didn’t you just take another shot at him when you found out he had survived the first attempt on his life?”
They could have ended his life the day we spent at the festival in town. There had been plenty of opportunity.
“That’s too easy. We now have leverage. This way, he’ll not only suffer because we have you, he’ll suffer when we get him. He’ll wish for death when we’re finished with him.”
I gagged. I hoped to God Harley would bring the entire military with him because he’d need it. If only my phone hadn’t been destroyed, perhaps I could have dialed Viper’s number inconspicuously and had a trace done on my location.
My life essentially sat in Harley’s hands and his in mine, bizarre as that sounded. God. The ‘more’ I’d craved in my mundane existence hadn’t encompassed this.
Never in a million years did I ever imagine I’d be caught up in a military war with my hot patient as one of the key players.
I kidded no one. He’d stopped being my patient the moment I allowed him into my home. The moment I wanted him to kiss me. Perhaps even the moment he’d opened his eyes and stolen my breath.
Would I swap those exciting, heated moments and all that went with them? To never have experienced the rush of pure hormonal adrenalin? No. If I died during my attempted rescue at least I’d felt alive for a short amount of time. Quality, not quantity. Right?
Jerking upright, my mind focused on the present and the hand that had worked its way from my jaw down to my breast. Oh no. Not happening.
Snarling in an attempt to redeem some of my power, I ground out, “Don’t touch me. Keep me here as long as you want, but don’t touch me!”
I knew before I’d finished it would come with consequences, and sure enough, he lowered himself so his face shadowed mine, gripping my breast so hard my teeth clenched and my eyes squeezed tight. His other hand came to my head, where he fisted a handful of my hair and pulled hard.
“Shut up! You are in no position to make demands!” With that he licked a trail up my jaw and began sucking on my ear, all the while pain stabbed into me where his hand remained squeezing my breast. My skin squirmed upon his touch.
The nightmare had just begun.
Chapter Eleven
Harley
“Pack a bag, some cash, and weaponry. We’re heading to Detroit.” Viper stalked through to his bedroom, leaving me with the rest of my beer and some carnal instinct that roared to life inside me at the thought of driving into danger. My blood sang and every sense came to life like I’d been born to battle.
Downing the remains of the beer, I made my way to the spare room to pack. Finally. We were doing something. I’d be closer to her. Closer to getting her back. I’d never let her go again. I wanted her in my home. My bed. And most importantly in my life. Permanently. Nothing would come between us again. She put me back together. Brought me to life. What I lacked, she made up for. Yin and yang. Her softness complemented my hardness. Her radiance shone on my darkness.
She’s the air I needed to breathe. If, no when, I got the chance, I’d tell her how I felt.
We were packed and on the road in less than half an hour. Night driving would give us a clear run. Viper had booked a hotel in the center of town for an undisclosed amount of time. I’d already made the decision that if it came down to it, I’d trade myself for her. No hesitation. She could go back to doing what she did best…saving lives. She mattered to so many. I’d die happily knowing her life would return to normal, even though I wouldn’t be a part of it.
Viper need not know. He’d rage at me for even contemplating it after losing Reno, but I’d be damned if I’d watch someone else close to me die. Because of me.
“You holding up okay?”
Glancing sideways, I watched the passing shadows dance and disappear across his face with the street lights. He’d switched into full-on soldier mode, I could tell. His eyes had a detached look to them. I wish I could do the same, but this mission wasn’t some assignment we’d been given. This planned rescue held my heart in its hands and it squeezed tighter with each passing second.
Staring back out the window, a vision caught me off guard and quickly transported me out of Viper’s car and somewhere far, far away.
Digesting what I’d just been told by my best friend, anger breached every molecule in my heart and soul. I’d been torn into shreds. How had I not seen the signs? How could she do this to me? How could he?
Listening
to her car pull into the driveway, I waited. Heeled footsteps played a staccato on the concrete path leading to the front door. My truck took up extra room in the garage so she always parked outside.
The door opened. Her business attire, including a skin-tight skirt failed to pull any emotion other than rage from me.
“Dec. Hey!” She beamed as she shut the door and strode over to me, pausing halfway after scanning my face.
“Honey? Are you okay? What’s wrong?” She knew better than to move forward.
“What’s wrong? You know damn well what’s wrong! How long? Huh? How long has it been going on?”
Confusion marred her perfect features before recognition set in. Lines cut into her forehead and her face paled. My fingers were coiled into my palms, every muscle in my arms constricted.
“Dec. Let me explain.”
I cut her off with my palm facing out. “Don’t bother. Viper told me everything. While I’ve been off earning money, keeping my family and this country safe, you’ve been getting it on with one of my best friends. I’d say that explains it perfectly.”
Tears ballooned and tumbled down her cheeks. She shook her head as if denying my accusations.
“It…I…you were gone so much. I didn’t mean for it to happen.” What more could she say?
I took a step forward, needing to hit something but knowing it would never be her or any woman. My chest cracked wide open as I looked at the woman I loved. The woman who had promised to love me till death do us part. To honor.
“How long?” I could barely get the words out. They sounded more like a snarl.
“Six months.” She swiped at her wet cheeks. Normally her tears would call me to kiss them dry, but tonight, I welcomed her remorse. I needed her tears.
The Lost and Found Series Page 23
