by Rebecca Deel
“What about the woman? Do you need help?”
“I’ll take care of her. No one is taking my prize. I’ll kill anyone who tries. Go. Help the others.” A door slammed shut.
No locks engaged. Perfect. Made breaching the corner room that much easier. Joe holstered his Sig, grabbed his Ka-Bar, and moved into position. As soon as Jorge passed him, Joe exited the room and moved behind the soldier. He clamped a hand over the man’s mouth and dispatched him with a blade to the kidney. If he could have secured the man without the chance he’d alert Flores to Joe’s presence, he would have chosen to restrain Jorge. But Sam’s life was at stake. To save her, he’d take out as many men as necessary without one second of regret.
Joe dragged Jorge’s lifeless body into the closest room. Although he longed to storm the corner room and retrieve his woman, Joe’s discipline won out and he continued to search the remaining three rooms in silence. Leaving his back exposed to an enemy combatant could get both him and Sam killed and that wasn’t acceptable.
As he shifted closer to the corner room, he heard two male voices arguing. Satisfaction bloomed in his gut. Riley, the weasel, was inside this room along with Flores. Were there other people in the room? He prayed Sam was in there.
Joe palmed his Sig again. He gripped the doorknob and twisted. Joe pressed his back to the wall and opened the door a crack. His gaze connected with Sam’s in the dim light of the room. She flicked her gaze to each of the two men who were cursing at each other, then she looked back at him.
He nodded. Just Flores and Riley in the room. Joe held up his hand and counted down. He kicked the door open and nailed Flores between the eyes.
At the same time, Riley raised his weapon and aimed at Joe. Sam slammed the heel of her boot into Riley’s knee. A loud, sickening crack sounded in the room. The Hollingbrook executive screamed, dropped the gun, and fell to the floor. He clutched his knee and writhed in agony.
Joe picked up the man’s weapon, shoved it into the waistband of his pants, and completed a quick search to be sure Riley didn’t have more weapons.
That finished, Joe glanced at Sam and froze when he got a good look at her face. Someone had beaten her. Fury exploded in his gut. “Who hit you?”
“Doesn’t matter. Cut me loose so I can help.”
“Sam.”
“Joe, please. More of Flores’s men could arrive any minute.”
With a growl, he crossed to her side in two strides and used his Ka-Bar to slice through the zip ties holding her to the wooden chair. After sheathing his knife, he activated his mic. “Sam is secure.”
“Copy,” Nico responded. A gunshot sounded over his comm system. “Heading your way. Enemy reinforcements will arrive soon.”
Joe cupped Sam’s chin in the palm of his hand. They didn’t have much time. “Who hit you?”
Her gaze cut to Riley.
He pressed a gentle kiss to her mouth, dropped his hand, and stalked toward Riley. The executive would be sorry he’d ever laid a hand on the woman Joe loved. He straddled the moaning man and punched Riley’s face repeatedly in the same places where Sam was swollen and bruised.
A moment later, he shrugged off the hard hands attempting to drag him off Riley. Joe landed another punch, one that broke the other man’s nose.
“Enough, Joe,” Nico snapped. “He’s down and we need to clear the area before we have to fight our way out.”
The red haze clouding his mind and vision slowly faded. He drew in a deep breath, glanced at his team leader, and lifted his hands, palms out. “I’m done.”
Ben whistled softly from the hallway. “Wow, buddy. That’s a boatload of rage you unleashed on this clown.”
“He’s lucky I didn’t kill him for what he did to Sam.”
The EOD man swung around, his eyes narrowing when he saw the damage to her face. He strode inside and kicked Riley’s injured knee, setting off another round of keening wails from the man before he slid into unconsciousness.
Nico scowled. “Haul him up and let’s clear out. The feds will be interested in talking to Riley. Bravo leader, we’re moving.”
“Copy. On your six.”
Ben used zip ties to secure Riley’s hands behind his back and threw him over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry. He fell in behind Nico who led the way from the room.
Joe followed with Sam at his side. “You armed?”
“Boot knife.”
He handed her his backup weapon. “Aside from the bruising I see, are you hurt anywhere else?” When she was silent, an invisible band tightened around Joe’s heart. What had the jerks done to her in the past two hours? “Talk to me.”
“I need to see Sorenson.”
Joe sucked in a breath. No. Pain speared his heart. What had his failure cost the women he loved? “What happened?”
“Flores drugged me as soon as we left the airport. I was out until a few minutes before Riley arrived and started interrogating me.”
The thought of what could have happened to her while she was unconscious would haunt Sam for a long time. Joe swallowed hard against the lump in his throat. He’d royally screwed this up. Instead of protecting her like he promised, the woman he loved might have been raped because he failed. “I’m sorry, baby. If anything happened, it’s on me.”
“Stop,” she said, her voice soft. “We couldn’t have known. We took every precaution and had Bravo as backup. It’s not your fault Flores threatened to kill an innocent baby. His mission was to grab Charlaine. Riley told him to grab the woman with the baby. I guess he didn’t show Flores a picture of Charlaine. Riley’s real name is Wade Andrews. Kirk Ferguson had a short affair with Wade’s mother. Wade was Tom’s half-brother.”
“Z is the best at research. Why didn’t he discover the connection?”
“Kirk wasn’t listed as Wade’s father on the birth certificate and he never acknowledged the relationship in public.”
Twice on the trek through the building, Joe, Nico, and Sam dispatched more of Flores’s men. Finally, the operatives from both teams met at the front of the warehouse. They covered the three blocks to the SUVs at a fast jog.
“I need to be with Andrews,” Sam said. “He needs medical care.”
Joe scowled. “Let him suffer.”
She laid a hand on his arm. “You know I can’t do that.”
Yeah, he knew. Just didn’t like it. He climbed into the backseat of their SUV. An unconscious Andrews slumped in the seat between Joe and Sam. If he so much as looked at Sam the wrong way much less tried to hurt her again, Joe would finish what he started.
On the return trip to the Pacific Star, Nico called Trent and put the call on speaker. Ben did the same with his call to Trace. With the rest of the team listening in, Sam reported everything she’d learned from Wade Andrews, then answered questions from the other operatives.
When they were satisfied, Nico called Maddox, reported the latest, and asked the Fortress CEO to have Torres meet them outside the terminal in Puerto Vallarta. With a glance at Sam in the rearview mirror, Nico said, “Brent, we need Sorenson down here.”
Their boss was silent a moment. “Talk to me, Sam.”
She flinched.
Joe cupped her jaw gently and turned her bruised face toward him. “Tell him.”
Sam pressed a kiss to the center of his palm and held his gaze as she told Maddox the details she remembered and her health concerns.
When Maddox spoke again, his voice was edged with steel. “I’ll have Sorenson down there in a few hours. Nico, I’ll clear it for Bravo and Shadow to board the Pacific Star. Wait for Sorensen’s arrival there. Once he’s taken care of Sam, we’ll arrange for a base of operations outside Puerto Vallarta. Fortress is taking down Maldonado and his crew. Permanently. If Sorenson says Sam isn’t able to complete this operation, I’ll have another medic flown in.”
“Yes, sir.” He ended the call soon after.
“I’m fine, Nico,” Sam insisted. “I’m just bruised.”
“As long as Sor
enson agrees, you’re good to go.”
Throughout the remainder of the journey, Sam administered aid to Andrews and monitored his condition. While she focused on Andrews, Joe used chemically-activated ice packs on her face.
When the operatives walked up to Torres with Andrews slung over Ben’s shoulder, the FBI agent pushed away from the terminal wall, his eyebrows soaring. “What happened to him?”
Joe tightened his grip around Sam’s waist. “He ran into my fist a couple of times.”
Torres gave a huff of laughter. “More than a couple from the looks of it. What did he do?”
“He’s behind all the trouble on the Pacific Star, including the murders. He also made the mistake of touching Sam.”
The agent pulled off his sunglasses, his gaze assessing the damage to Sam’s face. His lips thinned. “I would have killed him if he’d touched my woman.”
Joe shrugged. “Nico thought you might want some answers. If you don’t, I’ll finish the job.”
The agent’s lips curved. “Sorry, man. Too late now.” He glanced at Nico. “Sit rep.”
Shadow’s leader gave him a scaled-down version of events and signaled Sam to tell him the details of Andrews’s confession.
Torres growled. “Idiot. All this death and terrorism for revenge. Does he need a hospital?”
“Yes,” Sam said. “He’ll be hospitalized a couple days at least.”
“Plenty of time for interrogation before we take him to the US and charge him.” Torres held out his hand to Nico. “Appreciate the help.” He grinned. “Didn’t fancy crawling through the jungle to chase him down. When is your team going home?”
“Not sure yet. We still have a job to do. Maddox is flying in a doctor to treat Sam. After that, we’ll clean out a viper’s nest.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
In the private exam room on board the Pacific Star, Sam eyed Ted Sorenson, the Fortress physician who frequently patched up more serious operative injuries than the medics could handle. He gathered the last pieces of his medical equipment and stored them in his bag. Why wasn’t he talking? The longer he remained silent, the more nervous she became. “Tell me.”
“I won’t have definitive information for you until I run your blood work. Based on what you told me, I think Flores gave you a sedative.”
“Must have been a small dose since I was out for a short time.” She swallowed hard, dreading the answer to the next question. Facing the truth was better than believing a lie. “Was I raped while I was unconscious, Doc?”
“I didn’t see signs of sexual assault. I’ll test the evidence I gathered for the rape kit and give you an answer as soon as I can. In the meantime, take it easy for a few days and make liberal use of ice packs. You’re going to be colorful for a while.” He winked at her. “Let’s hope no one decides Joe put those bruises on your face and tries to teach him a lesson in how to treat a lady.”
Sam’s eyes burned. How would she survive until his phone call? “Thanks for coming,” she choked out. “I owe you one.”
“The best way to repay me is to steer clear of my clinic. Stay healthy and uninjured.” Sorenson hoisted his mike bag to his shoulder. “You will be all right. I’ll make sure of it. Now, I have four-legged patients who need me. I’ll be in touch soon, Sam.” With those parting words, he left.
Sam closed her eyes, frustrated with the lack of answers. Now the waiting began. A few tears spilled down her cheeks. Gingerly brushing them away, she grabbed tissues from the dispenser and blotted her face dry only to have more tears stream down her face. So much for being a tough cookie.
The door to the exam room opened. She knew without turning Joe had entered the room. Hard hands cupped her shoulders and turned Sam.
Joe drew her into his arms and held her tight. He said nothing, just stroked her hair with one hand and anchored her against his body with the other. When the tears finally stopped, Joe pressed more tissues in her hand.
After she dried her face for the second time, Joe captured her mouth for a series of long, drugging kisses. By the time he lifted his head, Sam’s tears had complete dried up.
“Ready to talk?” His thumb brushed over her bottom lip.
Sam nodded. Although he acted as though he wasn’t in a hurry to have answers, the worry in his eyes told a different story. “Sorenson took blood samples and did a rape kit. He’ll let me know the results as soon as he has them. He thinks Flores gave me a sedative. Sorenson didn’t see signs of rape but he won’t know for sure until he has the kit results back.”
He cupped her nape. “No matter what the results are, I’m in this with you. I love you, Sam. Nothing will change that.”
“I love you, too.” She bit her lip and glanced him through her lashes. “What if…” Sam couldn’t bring herself to say the words. Would he still love her even if the worst had happened?
“We’ll handle it. We’ll go to counseling together and work through this as a team.” He pressed a tender kiss to her mouth. “I’m so sorry. I promised you none of Maldonado’s men would touch you and I broke that promise. Can you forgive me?”
She wrapped her arms around his waist and squeezed. “We took every precaution. Sometimes it’s not enough. This time it wasn’t.”
“It’s my job to protect you. How can you still trust me at your back after my colossal failure?”
“I trust you with every fiber of my being, Joe. You are the only man I will ever trust completely. We’ll watch each other’s backs, like always, and spend a lifetime loving each other.”
“I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but I’m more grateful than I can express. I adore you, Sam Coleman.” Another gentle kiss, then, “As much as I would love to keep you to myself and hold you for hours, Nico and the others are waiting in the suite. We have a mission to plan.” A determined glint filled his eyes.
She and Joe returned to the suite. As soon as they waked inside, the men in the living room fell silent. “I don’t know anything for sure,” she said. “Sorenson took blood and ran several tests. He’ll tell me as soon as he knows anything. I’ll let you know when I hear.”
Liam stared at Joe.
He lifted his and Sam’s entwined hands and kissed the back of hers. Bravo’s expressions were priceless, ranging from shocked to satisfied. “If the rape kit tests positive for sexual assault, I will hunt down and kill every man who touched her.”
The rigid stances of the men in the two teams relaxed at his words. “You’ll have all of us at your back when you do,” Cade said, a hard light in his eyes. “No one hurts one of ours and gets away with it.”
Sam drew in a shaky breath, overwhelmed by the unconditional support of the finest people she’d ever worked with. To go from no family to a large group of operatives who would put their lives on the line for her left Sam shocked at their loyalty to a co-worker.
Nico eyed Sam. “Did Sorenson clear you to work?”
“He didn’t tell me I couldn’t. I’m taking that as a yes.”
Matt Rainer, Bravo’s medic, rose and walked out of the suite. He returned a moment later with a container of ice and made ice packs. “Stretch out on the couch. We need to reduce the swelling and pain. You can listen and contribute ideas to the plan while the ice works.”
She complied, knowing the other medic was right. She would have insisted on the same treatment for one of her teammates. Besides, her face throbbed. When she laid down, Joe sat on the floor near her head and held the ice packs in place.
Nico called Zane and put the phone on speaker. “You’re on speaker with Bravo and Shadow, Z. What do you have for me?”
“Communication is fast and furious between Maldonado and his lieutenants. The old man is threatening to gut each of his leaders himself if they can’t come up with the name of the organization who sanctioned the hit on his facility. I sent information on the Maldonado compound to your email accounts. I also sent the satellite images. Latest head count is sixty men. No walls around the compound itself. However, the area
is heavily patrolled, especially around Maldonado’s house. Rumors abound on the Net about a shipment of women being prepped for sale in three days.”
Sam’s hands fisted. Prepped for sale. Mild term for the horror those women were enduring at the hands of men who sought to profit from their misery.
Nico and Trent exchanged grim glances. “If we’re not fast enough or someone discovers our presence in the compound too soon, Maldonado’s men might kill the women,” Trent said.
Another voice came through the speaker of Nico’s phone. “Do you need another team? Fifteen operatives have a better chance of getting to the women and freeing them.”
“Who’s available?” Nico asked Brent Maddox.
“The Texas team can be in Puerto Vallarta in four hours.”
“Send them. We’ll meet them at the safe house. The Pacific Star is due to leave port in ten hours.”
“Copy that. Sam?”
“Yes, sir?”
“Sorenson gave me an update on you. I’m going to ask you a question and I want an honest answer.”
“What’s the question?”
“Can you handle dealing with this trafficking organization and the victims? I’ll know if you’re telling me the truth because I know you. I have to be able to trust you. If you fall apart on site, your teammates’ lives could be forfeit. Since he’ll refuse to leave your side if you freeze, Joe’s life rests in your hands.”
Her gaze locked with Joe’s. His eyes were filled with trust and confidence in her and her ability to do the job. Sam searched inside herself, evaluating her physical and emotional state and her own confidence level. “I can handle it, sir.” As long as she had Joe by her side, Sam could handle anything, including her worst nightmare come to life with long, sharp teeth and guns blazing.
“All right. Before you join the others on this mission, you will have a session with Marcus Lang. That’s a direct order, Coleman. If you don’t comply, you’ll be riding a desk until further notice. Am I clear?”
