Polite laughter tinkled around the room.
Amy Holder’s expression changed, emotion crossing it. “My father was my hero. He founded Windvale with nothing but hope and a prayer. I took his legacy and expanded it, so we could help so many more. I want to help this world that we call home. And you are all a part of that, and help make it possible.”
Applause broke out.
“Thank you. Drink, eat, and enjoy your evening.”
Brooks watched Holder leave the stage. “Nice speech.”
“You think she’s legit?” Callie asked.
“Not sure yet. She might just be a pawn.”
Seth sauntered out of the crowd, moving smoothly in close to Holder. He separated her from the others, talking and smiling. She responded to whatever he was saying, her face alight.
Then he gestured and through his earpiece, Brooks tuned into the conversation.
“I’m in awe of the work you and your organization do, Ms. Holder. I’m interested in making a donation.” Seth paused. “A very large donation.”
“I am thrilled to hear that, Mr. Kensington. It is businessmen like you who help us make a difference.”
Brooks raised his eyebrows. Kensington. Sounded very fancy, the perfect name for a rich dude.
Seth glanced around. “Is there somewhere quieter where we can talk?”
“Yes, come this way.”
Amy Holder led Seth down a hall. Callie tugged on Brooks’ arm and they followed. She linked her arm through his, laughing. Anyone looking at them wouldn’t be suspicious.
Seconds later, the rest of the team joined them. When Holder ushered Seth into a plush office, Team 52 slipped inside behind them. Lachlan closed the door behind him and locked it.
Holder scanned them all, her face not even changing. She didn’t start, or look confused or afraid. She watched them steadily.
She glanced at Seth. “I’m guessing I’m not getting that fat check.”
Seth shook his head. “No.”
“And I guess your name isn’t Kensington either.” She straightened. “What do you want?”
“Information,” Lachlan said.
She eyed Lachlan for a long second, then swiveled and headed to a cabinet at the side of the room. She lifted a decanter containing some amber liquid, then poured some into a thick-cut, crystal glass.
Turning back, she swirled the glass, then took a sip. “Go ahead, but be quick. I need to get back to my gala.”
The woman had balls, that was for sure.
“Do you know this man?” Lachlan pointed to Brooks.
Holder’s gaze landed on him, and something cold and calculating moved through her eyes. He expected to hear a polite lie.
“Brooks Jameson. I ordered my men to have him be our guest and get us some important information.”
Brooks blew out the breath he’d been holding, amazed at her audacity. She was boldly admitting to abducting him. “You ordered them to drag me off the street, beat me, and torture me and my friend.”
She sipped her drink. “I asked them to talk with you. That was all.”
Brooks pressed his lips into a firm line and waited, silent.
“I needed information,” she said. “I need the wind jewel.”
“Why?” Brooks demanded.
“Because it’s my father’s legacy. I grew up adoring him, his little shadow from the moment I could walk. I took his beloved church and turned it into something amazing.” She swirled the drink again, her voice filled with fervor. “He spent a lifetime searching for the wind jewel. And I intend to find it. No matter what.”
Brooks felt a shiver down his spine. This woman would do anything to find the artifact.
“And the shard?” Lachlan said.
A small smile played on the woman’s lips. “It was in my father’s private collection. My men were planning to test its capabilities…”
“But?” Blair prompted.
“Brandon Mayfield was ambitious and overeager. He disobeyed orders.”
“We can’t let you have the wind jewel, Ms. Holder,” Lachlan said.
She merely lifted her chin in reply.
Lachlan took a step forward. “I’m here tonight to bring a message to you. You touch any of my team again, and you’ll regret it.”
Shit, Lachlan’s cutting tone scared even Brooks.
But Amy Holder barely blinked. She gave them an elegant shrug. “You don’t frighten me, Mr. Hunter.” She scanned the team again. “I will make the world a better place, that’s my legacy. I’m driven by my passion. The world is going to hell around us and I won’t let it.” Her smile was sharp and predatory. “The wind jewel will help me realize those dreams.”
“How?” Brooks asked. “What will you do with it?”
Her eyes glittered. “I’ll achieve nirvana for the righteous, and eradicate sin.” She set the glass down and then turned on her heel. “Don’t get in my way.”
In a cloud of perfume, she disappeared out the door.
Chapter Twelve
Team 52 sat in the back of the van, eating takeout as they headed back to the airport. This time, Seth was behind the wheel.
Callie had kicked off her fabulous heels, and flexed and pointed her tired feet as they drove back to the X8.
“What a bitch,” Blair bit out, between mouthfuls of French fries.
Yeah, Amy Holder was about as warm and fuzzy as an iceberg. Callie took a bite of her sub, her gaze sliding to Brooks.
He had his computer in his lap and he was tapping away. His brow was creased, and she wanted to reach out and smooth the groove away.
Instead, she took another bite of her dinner.
Brooks tapped some more and then looked up. He shot her a sexy grin and her belly fluttered.
“Holder’s planning something,” Lachlan said. “And she has the resources.”
Brooks nodded. “The Windvale Church brings in millions from its followers every year.”
“And she can throw those millions at searching for the wind jewel,” Lachlan added.
Frowning, Brooks tapped at the computer again, his dinner forgotten at his elbow.
“Brooks?” Callie asked. “What are you doing?”
“Trying to hack the Windvale Headquarters computer system.”
Everyone stopped eating and looked at him.
“Nice,” Axel said.
“You got anything?” Lachlan asked.
Brooks flopped back in his seat. He reached out and stole a fry from Blair’s dinner. She smacked his hand away.
“Nothing interesting. Basic website info, financials, but there is a reference to a discrete system.”
“A what?” Smith asked, finishing off his second burger.
“They have a computer system at the church, where Holder’s office is, but it’s not connected to the Internet.”
Lachlan set his sub down. “Anyone interested in some nighttime B and E?”
“Breaking and entering is illegal,” Blair said with a grin.
“Lucky MacKade doesn’t have jurisdiction here, then,” Callie said.
“I’m feeling the need to save my soul,” Axel said. “Let’s go to church.”
Lachlan raised his voice. “Seth, change of plans.”
Brooks tapped his computer. “Luckily for you, I’ve already pulled up the schematics of the Windvale Headquarters.”
As they changed directions, it didn’t take the team long to plan their infiltration. Then everyone shed the remnants of their fancy clothes, and slid into all-black combat gear.
It was quite possible that Callie even ogled Brooks’ tight abs a little bit as he got changed. She felt a little trickle of unease. He was getting so deep under her skin and she didn’t know what to do about it.
As Brooks packed his tablet, and the others checked their weapons, Callie packed her first aid kit.
Then she swallowed. It was unlikely they’d run into any trouble in an empty church late at night, but taking Brooks into any kind of danger left her feeli
ng jittery.
Still, she knew the team would protect him. And surprisingly, their tech geek could handle himself. He’d proven that.
They pulled up a couple of blocks over from the Windvale Church. This late at night, the streets were empty, and most people would be in their beds. The team slipped out of the van and headed through the darkness.
They all held their CXMs on their shoulders, everyone scanning their surroundings. Soon, they stood at the perimeter of the church. It was a huge, hulking shape in the shadows. It was even bigger than the church in Vegas.
“Security?” Lachlan looked at Brooks.
Brooks swiped his tablet, the faint light from it illuminating his face. “Disabled.”
“Nice,” Seth murmured.
Sticking to the shadows, they jumped the low fence, and moved through the manicured gardens. They reached a side door and Seth picked the lock.
Then they slipped inside.
They were in a large lobby. They moved quietly through the space and peered through a set of wide doors. Callie looked down into an enormous auditorium. She shook her head at the rows and rows of seats.
“Offices are upstairs,” Brooks murmured.
They moved up a wide sweep of stairs lined by a glass balustrade.
Upstairs, security lights set to low showed off the nice, cheery offices. There were lots of plants, and the walls were lined with posters of perfect-looking people with perfect teeth, smiling perfectly.
“Holder’s office is over there.” Brooks pointed.
“Seth, Blair, you two go and search her office,” Lachlan ordered.
With a nod, the pair melted into the darkness.
The rest of them continued straight ahead, until they reached a heavy-duty black door.
“Server room,” Brooks said.
He studied the electronic lock, then plugged in his tablet. His face turned focused, and his fingers flew over the tablet screen.
It was sexy watching him do his thing.
“They have extra security here.” His voice rose with excitement. “Mmm, tricky, tricky. And an alarm.” He tapped and swiped more quickly. “We don’t want to trigger that.”
Yep, totally a hot geek.
As she watched him, her skin prickled, and she glanced over to see Axel eyeing her. She knew the former Delta soldier, for all his easy charm, was very observant. She quickly looked away.
“Got it.” Brooks grinned at them.
The lights on the lock blinked and the door clicked open.
Callie got a glimpse of high-tech, blinking electronic equipment lined up floor to ceiling. Brooks hurried inside, moving to a sleek terminal.
“I need to plug in, and then hack the blahdy blah blah before I can access the blahdy blah.”
Okay, so he didn’t use those terms, but the ones he did use sounded super confusing to Callie.
Lachlan looked at Callie, then at Axel. Behind them, Smith grunted.
“Do it,” Lachlan said.
Brooks hunched over the terminal and tuned them out.
“You didn’t understand anything he said, did you?” Axel muttered.
Lachlan’s serious face didn’t change. “No.”
Then Brooks cursed.
Callie tensed. “What?”
He looked up. “Hidden security. I fucking triggered it. My guess…” He blew out a breath. “They know we’re here.”
“Fuck,” Lachlan muttered. “You get any data yet?”
“Not yet.”
“Work faster.”
* * *
“Come on, you slippery little sucker.”
Brooks worked hard to hack through the Windvale system. They had to get the data. Whoever put in the cyber security was good.
But not good enough.
He grinned. “I’m in.”
“Copy everything,” Lachlan ordered. “And make it fast. We need to get out of here.”
Blair and Seth returned.
“We got copies of some of Holder’s private journals,” Blair said.
“And we have company,” Seth said. “SUV just pulled up.”
“Five guys,” Blair said. “All armed and moving like they have military training.”
“We’re out of time, Brooks,” Lachlan said.
“I’m nearly there,” he answered. “I need a few more minutes.”
With a low curse, Lachlan lifted his weapon. “Smith, stay with Brooks. The rest of us, let’s go buy him some time. We’ll take down the perps, quietly and non-lethal.”
Brooks watched them all disappear into the shadows. Callie was last, moving like a ghost. In a blink, she was gone.
Brooks blew out a breath and forced his concentration back to the terminal.
Come on. A green bar flashed on his screen, showing the percentage of data copied. It was moving too damn slowly.
Then he heard gunshots below.
Brooks stiffened. That didn’t sound quiet, or non-lethal.
“Fuck.” Smith touched his ear, listening to the others. “Two down, three unaccounted for. We need to go.”
Brooks looked at the screen. “Just a bit more—”
“It’ll have to do,” Smith said impatiently.
“Wait.” The bar filled and flashed complete. “Got it!” Brooks unplugged and shoved the tablet in his pocket.
“Stay behind me.” Smith moved out, heading toward the stairs.
A large form came out of nowhere and rammed into Smith.
Brooks jumped back, his heart pounding. He saw the men go down, wrestling across the floor. It was a hard, vicious fight. The sounds of fists thudding on flesh filling the space.
But Smith was big and powerful. He punched the guy’s head, and, with a groan, the man collapsed.
Smith grabbed his weapon and rose. “Let’s go.”
More gunfire sounded from the floor below. It was coming from the auditorium.
Be okay. Be okay. Smith and Brooks started down the stairs.
Bullets hit the wall behind them, the shots echoing through the lobby.
Shit.
Smith grunted and slammed into Brooks.
They went down hard on the stairs, the edge of one step hitting him in the ribs. More gunfire. They were pinned down.
Smith’s weight lifted off him, and the big man swiveled on one knee and returned fire.
Bullets hit the glass balustrade, and it shattered into a million pieces. Brooks ducked his head.
“Need an assist,” Smith barked.
“Coming.” Callie’s voice in his earpiece.
Smith kept firing, and another pane of glass shattered. A barrage of bullets slammed into the wall above their heads. Brooks and Smith ducked down as low as they could.
“Stay low,” Smith said. “But we have to move, or we’re dead.”
They crawled down the stairs. Glass shards cut into Brooks’ hands, but he didn’t feel any pain. He was pumped too full of adrenaline.
They reached the landing and Smith started firing. Brooks rose, then turned, sticking close to the wall.
A man came out of the darkness, a rifle pointed directly at Brooks’ head.
Shit.
Bang.
Chapter Thirteen
Callie heard the boom of the gunshot. She saw Brooks fall.
Her heart stopped.
No. No. No.
She whipped up her CXM and fired.
Her shots slammed into the attacker and he went down.
She walked forward on autopilot, a rush of sound in her ears. She kept firing. The bastard had shot Brooks.
“Kimura!”
Smith grabbed her arm and she snarled at him.
“He’s dead,” Smith said. “Help Brooks.”
Gasping in air, she spun and saw Brooks sitting at the bottom step. He was conscious, but clearly dazed, with blood running down the side of his head.
He was alive. The pain tearing her up inside eased.
Alive, but hurt.
Quickly, she moved to him and dropped to
her knees. Her mouth was parched, and her heart was thundering in her chest. Where was her cool? She’d been a brilliant combat paramedic because she’d always been so cool under fire.
But now, her hands were shaking. She cupped his jaw.
His dark eyes focused on her. “I’m okay. I think it’s just a graze.” He was talking loudly.
Callie quickly checked the gash. He had a shallow groove on the side of his skull. She swallowed. A graze from a bullet. Shit. Another inch and…
She blocked that thought and ripped open her first aid kit. She pulled out what she needed, and started cleaning the wound.
Suddenly, he grabbed her wrists and stroked her skin. She realized her hands were still shaking.
“I’m okay, Cal.”
She looked into his handsome face. Then she urged his hands down. She saw that his gorgeous hands were covered in blood. They were peppered with nicks, and had some tiny shards of glass stuck in them.
She leaned in and kissed him quickly, then she got to work. Brooks needed her right now.
She cleaned his head wound and bandaged it, then carefully got to work on his hands. His right hand wasn’t bad, but on his left, she removed the tiny shards she could see. The rest would have to wait until they were safe. She pressed bandages over the worst of the cuts.
The rest of the team circled around them.
“We need to go,” Lachlan said. “We’ll have more company soon, and I’d prefer to avoid the mess.”
“Up and at it, Jameson.” Blair helped Brooks to his feet.
They moved in a tight group, heading out of the church.
They stepped quietly and purposefully into the night. A single shot fired, chipping the concrete step near to where they stood. As one, the team hit the ground.
“Sniper,” Smith growled.
Another crack.
“Crawl.” Callie stayed close to Brooks, urging him into the manicured bushes.
Lachlan and Blair disappeared into the darkness. The others grouped around Brooks, providing cover and returning fire.
“How the hell do you guys do this all the time?” Brooks grumbled.
Callie patted his arm.
“Sniper neutralized.” Lachlan’s voice came through their earpieces.
Mission: Her Freedom: Team 52 #6 Page 10
