Dangerous Heat (Aegis Group, #8)

by Sidney Bristol

  Silas jogged around to the passenger side as Paxton let off the brake and climbed in. Vito and Brett scrambled to get in the back.

  Paxton should probably tell them to get out, but he wasn’t in the presence of mind to do that. All he could think about was that someone had taken Coco while he was here and he had to find her.

  The SUV rolled back the way it had come. The crowd jumped out of the way, parting for him. The stunned face of the Fresh Meat guy would have been funny in any other situation.

  Paxton reached up and pulled his comm out. He had one focus.

  “What the fuck are we doing?” Silas twisted to face him. “Where are we going?”

  “The Mercedes, that’s Luke. I find him—”

  “Christ,” Silas groaned.

  “Uh, guys?” Brett leaned into Paxton’s field of vision holding what looked like a brick of a laptop.

  Silas tapped his ear, probably muting his comm. “Zain’s pissed.”

  “This is his laptop.” Brett shifted and a bright light illuminated the back seat.

  “Can you tell me where Luke is?” Paxton cleared the crowd and made the first right turn he could, pointing the SUV north.

  “Uh, probably,” Brett said slowly as he typed. “Do we know if Coco had her phone on her? Who took her? What all do we know about her abduction?”

  “How do you know Zain’s password?” Vito asked.

  Paxton knew that was a good question, but he didn’t really care right now. He handed his phone to Brett. “Recent calls.”

  “Yeah, I’ll relay all that,” Silas muttered. He cleared his throat and turned his attention on Paxton, aimlessly driving north. “Ebrahim took her. He ambushed her, Lacey and Cane in the pangolin house. He left Lacey and Cane tied up and got almost an hour head start on us.”

  An hour?

  Coco could be dead already.

  “Shit, this stuff is way better than the toys I had in the CIA,” Brett said.

  “Can you find her?” That was all Paxton cared about.

  “It’s triangulating her now. This is going to take a minute.”

  “Then where’s Luke?”

  “That I can tell you now... I think this is the button that sends the data to users... Fuck. Fucking...”

  “What?” Paxton snapped.

  “Fuck—look out!” Silas flailed his arms.

  Paxton yanked the wheel left, swerving around a car slowing down to turn.

  Brett glanced up, his gaze meeting Paxton’s in the rearview mirror. “Their signals are together. Luke has Coco.”

  That news actually made the tension in Paxton’s chest ease for a moment. Ebrahim wanted Coco dead to appease his wrath. Luke wanted something and so long as he thought Coco could get that for him, she was safe. Paxton could save her.

  “Where are they?”

  “Here, I’ll program the GPS. Send the tracking data to me.” Silas pulled out his phone. “So, what are we going to do once we find Luke?”

  That was easy.

  Paxton inhaled, but nothing would ease the ball of tension in his chest. “Get Coco and the kids back.”

  “Yeah, but how?” Silas finished programming the GPS, allowing the dash navigation system to guide Paxton.

  Silence.

  Paxton didn’t know how, only that he’d do it.

  “Let’s be real clear about the ramifications, okay?” Silas was staring at the side of Paxton’s head. “Fuck getting in trouble with the boss, the cops, whatever. I’m talking about you, man. You.”

  He grit his teeth. He knew what Silas was getting at.

  No one spoke. The only sound was the roar of the engine and a few car horns blaring as Paxton continued to swerve through traffic.

  There was a reason Paxton and Silas worked boring jobs.

  “I’ll be fine,” Paxton said after the silence had gone on for too long.

  “Why don’t we call the cops?” Silas glanced at the others in the back seat.

  “Yeah, we could call the cops,” Brett said. “Or we could see if there are extra guys to divert to wherever Luke is taking her. We’re a team, right? Isn’t that what you guys keep saying?”

  “I have to do this,” Paxton said.

  Silas shoved his hand through his hair. “I know you like this chick, but Pax? Dude...”

  Like.

  It was such a weak word for what Paxton felt. Yeah, he’d only known Coco a short while, but it felt as though he’d known her his whole life. They came from completely different parts of the world, and yet their lives were so similar. He knew her like he knew himself, and it was something he wanted to keep discovering. With her.

  Because...

  “I love her, Silas. I can’t let anything happen to her, because...” Paxton swallowed, searching for the words that defined a feeling. “Without her I’m not whole.”

  “Bullshit. You’ve always been whole, you’re just love-drunk. You think you—”

  “I love her and if you say one more fucking word about it, I’ll—”

  “Easy.” Silas held up his hands. “I didn’t mean you didn’t—whatever. Look, we’ve been through some shit. You’re looking out for her? Great. It’s my job to look out for you, nerd.”

  “Asshole,” Paxton muttered automatically.

  Silas’ concerns were not without merit. Toward the end of Paxton’s career in the Marines he hadn’t been totally grounded. He’d gone to a dark place inside his head, but that was what it took to get the job done. His confirmed kill number was something he never thought about. Because he couldn’t. Those were souls on his hands. Blood he would have to live with, even if it was justified or to save hundreds of thousands of lives.

  Paxton had no illusions about what a showdown with Luke would be like. The guy had goons, thugs and gangsters on call. Given what Luke was wrapped up in now, it made sense he’d barricade himself with his only leverage and begin working angles with plenty of bodies between him and danger.

  A familiar coldness unfurled inside Paxton. His inner monster. That part of him what was his father’s child. His ability to kill and be good at it. As the tendrils wrapped around him and his vision narrowed to the road ahead, he thought he could almost hear a voice whisper, hello, old friend.

  FRIDAY. JOHANNESBURG, South Africa.

  Paxton stared at the old money houses. Each one was surrounded by a tall fence, some topped off with wrought iron spikes. Gaining access to the property where Luke was holing up would be their first problem. After that he was fairly certain it came down to available bullets and bodies to put them in.

  Brett broke the silence. “Johann Nodorf, up here on the left, that’s the house where the cell signals are transmitting. All three of them.”

  Paxton eyed the collection of guys from Henchmen R Us hanging out front of the Nodorf house. Getting in there wasn’t going to be easy. The moment they made their move, if Luke was smart, he’d grab for Coco.

  “Okay, how we doing this?” Silas glanced at the side of Paxton’s head. “We aren’t just going to roll up to the fence, get out and see what happens.”

  Paxton wanted a perch and his rifle. He’d pick off the whole lot of them. But that was asking a lot.

  “If it was me?” Vito shifted, leaning into Paxton’s line of sight in the rearview mirror. “I’d toss a couple flash grenades over the rear wall, then blow a hole and go in.”

  “Yeah, but where would we get that stuff?” Silas threw up his hand.

  “I have DetCord,” Vito said.

  “You—what?” Silas turned in the seat to gape at the former Italian gangster.

  Vito unclipped a pouch from his belt. It had a red square sewn onto it.

  “Fuck. Me. You just carry that shit around?” Silas stared wide eyed.

  “I do.”

  “I’ve got questions.” Brett closed the laptop and eyed the bag. “I’ll save them for later. So, we doing this?”

  “Yeah.” Paxton was already steering the SUV around to the main road running along the back of
the houses.

  “We aren’t going to discuss this, make a plan or anything?” Brett asked.

  Silas glanced back. “Nope. Welcome to the Wonder Team. OoRah.”

  Brett turned toward Vito. “He says that like we should do it with him.”

  Vito shrugged.

  “Vito, you ready?” Paxton stared at the stretch of wall and eased off the gas.

  “Yup,” Vito replied.

  “What—what are we doing?” Brett asked.

  Paxton didn’t answer. He shoved the SUV into park. Somehow Vito was already around the vehicle, the little pouch open and a coil of what looked like yellow wire spilling out of his hands. Paxton didn’t wait around to watch or ask questions. He ripped one of the flash grenades off his belt, pulled out the pin and tossed it over the wall.

  They would need the cover of gas to get them inside the property without taking fire. If they were lucky, the guys holding Coco would be too surprised and blind from the initial flash, not to mention the DetCord explosion.

  “I can’t believe we’re doing this.” Brett stopped next to Paxton after just having tossed a second flash grenade over the wall.

  Silas chunked his. “Get ready.”

  The first bang went off. A few men cried out. The second and third went off one after another.

  “Behind the SUV,” Vito ordered.

  Paxton and the others hunched behind the SUV.

  Brett gaped at Vito. “How did—?”

  “Later.” Vito covered his ears.

  Paxton followed suit and closed his eyes not a moment too soon.

  The DetCord ignited. Paxton knew from experience that the cord would go up fast, leaving destruction in its wake. It was glorified explosives packed into a plastic casing. He didn’t know the specifics of how it worked, only that it was one hell of a surprise that Vito was just walking around with some strapped to his hip.

  The concussion wave hit the SUV, shoving it back several feet. Silas was knocked onto his ass. Bits of rubble hit the street.

  Paxton’s ears rang from the close proximity. He scrambled around the SUV and got a glimpse of the hole blown into the back of the property.

  Only three men lay groaning on the ground.

  What truly terrified Paxton were the metal shutters descending over every window and door.

  He had to get inside there, or Coco was lost to him.

  23.

  Friday. Johannesburg, South Africa.

  Where was her action hero guy now?

  Coco shifted. At least she was more comfortable zip tied to a length of chain anchored into the floor of the garage than she’d been earlier.

  She focused on breathing deep, nice and slow. She’d come to in the car to them screaming and crying that Luke had killed her. While her head hurt like hell, she wasn’t substantially banged up. He’d just gotten her just right on the temple and she’d blacked out. There’d be a knot later, but chances were that wasn’t what could kill her.

  Right now she had to remain calm for her brothers. They were in this mess because of Cane and her. They were innocent.

  What about Mia?

  She glanced at the other woman. Mia had pulled as far away from Coco and her brothers as possible, the other two children clinging to her and whimpering.

  This was the woman Cane wanted to marry? Did he even know her?

  So far Mia hadn’t said anything to Coco beyond a few muttered words. They didn’t meet each other’s gaze, they might as well be in two different rooms.

  Did she have any idea what she’d done?

  Coco had to get the boys out of here. Luke could do what he wanted with her, but the boys shouldn’t be involved. If she could just get them free.

  What were her options? What did she have?

  Think.

  She rose up on her knees and peered around. The garage was big enough for three cars, but only held two right now. It was neat, no storage boxes or junk stashed around. A few tools hung on the far wall, way outside Coco’s reach.

  What else?

  She twisted and looked above her at the shelf. What was up there?

  It didn’t matter because it was too far out of her reach.

  Her keys jangled in her pocket.

  The key.

  She wiggled her hand into her jeans pocket and pulled out the keyring. The heavy, old brass key to her villa home had sharp teeth. They got caught on all of her pockets, inevitably tearing a hole in them.

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  “What?” James edged closer.

  “Boys? Patrick? Come over here.” Right now Coco wished she’d made more time for these boys. They shared the same Dad. They were part of her, and because she’d allowed herself to get mired in her own funk, she’d forgotten she was part of a much bigger world. Mrs. Pedersen was right about her. She’d allowed herself to become blind to all those around her.

  “We’re going to get out of here. I need for both of you to listen to me, do what I say. Got it? This is going to be scary.”

  Jesus, she sounded like Paxton.

  Her heart clenched.

  She couldn’t think about him right now. If she did, she’d become a blubbering ball of feelings.

  Coco slid the house key under the zip tie and began sawing. Her already raw wrists protested and ached, but she kept going.

  One snapped free.

  “Okay. Okay. This is good.” She turned her attention to the other wrist. “Boys, I’m going to find something to cut you loose, then we’re figure out where we’re going from there. Got it?”

  Her other tie popped.

  She pushed to her feet, her muscles protesting.

  “What are you doing?” It was the first thing Mia had said to her.

  Coco crossed the garage to the workbench area and there, sitting in a labeled bin, was a box cutter. She grabbed the plastic handle.

  “No. What are you doing?” Mia demanded.

  Coco went to her knees in front of her brothers. She spared a glance at Mia, sitting with both her boys in her lap. They had to be her children. Their faces were miniatures of her own. Cute kids, but did Cane know?

  “Why are you even in here?” Coco didn’t understand that part.

  Mia’s jaw dropped and for a moment Coco wondered if Zain had been right. “He wants to use me to get to your brother.”

  She sliced through Patrick and James’ makeshift handcuffs then got to her feet and stared at Mia. “Cane and I both know you’ve been talking to Luke.”

  “What?” Mia’s large eyes went big, round. Her jaw dropped.

  That was fear.

  Zain had been right.

  Mia was working with Luke all along.

  But damn it, those kids.

  Coco couldn’t leave them here. Like it or not, Mia was a victim right now and Coco couldn’t turn her back on the mother and her children. But she also couldn’t risk James and Patrick for the sake of her conscience.

  She held the box cutter out and locked eyes with Mia.

  “How long have you been working for Luke?” Coco asked.

  Mia sniffled and big, fat tears rolled down her cheeks. She buried her face against the smaller child and sobbed for several seconds.

  “I don’t have time for this, Mia. How long? Recent? Since the beginning? Why?”

  She lifted her head and glanced at the boys. “Cover your ears, sweethearts.”

  The two boys did as she asked, trading looks with each other.

  “My husband worked for Luke. He died doing his work, so Luke told me if I ever needed anything to come to him.” Mia’s throat flexed. “I just... I didn’t realize those favors had price tags.”

  “What did you ask him for?”

  “Money.”

  “So the favor was that he’d lend you money?” Coco grimaced.

  “It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Just a couple dates, find out a few things and that was it.” Mia took a deep breath, the pain on her face so sharp Coco actually felt sorry for her. “But Cane, he..
.”

  Coco had listened to her brother talk about Mia twice. Each time he said it was love at first sight. That he’d just known this woman was for him. And he didn’t really know her.

  “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.” Tears were falling freely from Mia’s eyes.

  This wasn’t an act. If it was, she was sorely underutilized in her current role.

  Coco bent and slid the box knife to Mia. Coco wasn’t going to get close to the woman if she didn’t have to. She didn’t trust her, just felt for her.

  Before Coco tried to get them out of here, she had to know what they were dealing with.

  There were no windows in the garage. No way to see out and what was facing them if they went out under the garage door.

  She tip-toed across to the entrance leading into the house and pressed her ear against it. People were talking, but what were they saying?

  Coco gripped the handle and turned it ever so slowly until she could crack the door open.

  “What the hell were you thinking?” an unfamiliar man yelled.

  “Uncle Johann.” That was Luke. “Please—”

  “You fucking idiot!”

  Okay, so Luke and this Uncle Johann weren’t on good terms. How many other people were around? Could they get through to the street?

  She eased the door shut again and turned to look at the garage doors.

  “James, Patrick? I’m going to need you to—”

  A boom so loud she felt it shook the house. She threw out her arms, her heart suddenly beating a mile a minute.

  What the hell?

  The lights flickered once.

  A hum started up, all around her.

  “What’s going on?” James dared to ask.

  “I—I, uh...” Coco glanced around.

  Above her, what she’d assumed was the ceiling began to move. The garage door groaned a bit, but otherwise she didn’t see a change.

  “They’re locking us in here,” Mia said as she got to her feet, her youngest cradled in her arms.

  “What?”

  Coco rushed toward the garage door, wedged her fingers under it and lifted. Four armed man whirled to face her. She dropped the garage door and staggered back.

  Shit.

  If there were security doors lowering into place, they really were trapped.