by Cynthia Eden
“I’ll be your eyes for distance,” he said.
She licked her lips and, of course, that just made his gaze drop to her mouth.
Focus.
He exhaled slowly and let the ice sweep over him. “You follow my every order, understand? No hesitations, no questions. Because a hesitation will get you—or both of us—killed.”
She nodded. Her dark hair brushed over her shoulders.
“These are bad men, Tina.” Bad was an understatement. “You know what they want to do to you.” Cutting off her finger would just be the start of their fun.
Her gaze held his.
“So just be prepared for what I have to do...to them.” Their escape wasn’t going to be some walk in the park. It might even turn into a blood bath.
“What can I do?” She shook her head. “I want to help you, not just be some burden that you have to carry out of this place.”
“Help by staying alive.”
Her lips tightened. “That’s not what I meant.”
He knew, and Drew also knew that he didn’t want to risk her. But she will be risked. There was no escaping the danger surrounding her. “How the hell did you even get in this mess?”
“I don’t know.”
His left hand lifted. The loose cuff dangled from his wrist. He touched her cheek.
Tina flinched.
“Easy.” He wouldn’t hurt her, ever. Didn’t she realize that? “Before I open that door...” And I run the chance of losing my life before I get the one thing I’ve wanted for so long... “There’s something I need to do.”
A faint line appeared between her brows. “What?”
He was a bloody, bruised mess. When he’d imagined this moment—and he had, many times—it had been different.
Oh, well. So much for his best-laid plans.
“What?” Tina asked again.
“This.” He put his mouth on hers. Drew had to do it. He had to find out if the woman would be as good in reality as she was in his dreams.
At first Tina didn’t move at all. She’d frozen on him—maybe his ice had transferred to her.
Some dreams were better than reality. He began to pull away.
Then Tina leaned toward him. Her lips parted beneath his and she kissed him back with a wild, reckless passion he hadn’t expected.
Some dreams couldn’t touch reality.
He put his hand under her chin, aware of the weight of that dangling cuff. He tilted her head back so that he could plunder her mouth, so that he could taste her.
Hell, in that moment, he wanted to consume her.
His body ached for her. Need pulsed through his veins, and if they weren’t in some pit of hell...if the bad guys weren’t just down the hallway...
Drew lifted his head. “Then you’d be mine,” he rasped.
Tina blinked and shook her head. “What?”
He kissed her once more, just because he had to do it. There’s no way we’re dying. The woman was full of secrets, and he’d be sure he had the chance to discover every single one. “I’ve wanted to do that since the first time I walked into your office and you told me to take off my shirt.”
Her gorgeous eyes widened. “Your shirt was covered in blood.”
As if a little matter of a bullet wound could have stopped him from wanting her. “It is now, too.” A bullet wound won’t stop the need. He rocked back on his heels. “Remember, no hesitation.”
Her lips were swollen from his mouth. She was so sexy right then. Sexy, but still scared. Talk about terrible timing.
That was the story of his life.
He backed her up against the wall on the right side of the room. Drew calculated that this would be his best attack spot.
He rolled his shoulders, pushed down his fury. He had to take out his prey one at a time. First, Carl would go down. Carl who’d wanted to slice away one of Tina’s fingers.
Rage... Drew swallowed and pushed the rage down again.
Carl would be taken out first. Then Drew and Tina would rush down the hallway. Another guard would be at the door that led outside. Maybe two guards would be there. Drew would have to take them out, too.
He and Tina would stay low, keeping to cover. There was a motorcycle waiting in the garage. One the others thought was out of commission, but that Drew had taken the time to ensure was actually fully operational.
He liked having backup plans available.
His muscles were tight, battle ready. Tina watched him with wide eyes.
Protect her. Get her out.
Once Tina was safe, he’d come back to finish this mission. I have to eliminate Anton Devast.
He gave a little nod. “Okay, Doc, it’s show time.” He waited a beat, then said, “Scream for me.”
She didn’t scream.
Hadn’t they talked about not hesitating? Drew was sure that he’d gone over that part with her. “Scream!”
She screamed.
An instant later Carl rushed through the door.
Chapter Three
Tina screamed. She screamed as loudly as she possibly could. She’d always had a rather good scream—horror-movie good—and her scream had Carl racing back into the room.
But her scream was cut off when Drew’s fingers locked around her throat. “You’re dead,” he growled.
“What’s goin’ on here?” Carl demanded.
Drew’s grip was strong, but not painful. The look in his eyes—that was terrifying. He should have given her a head’s up about this little bad cop—uh, agent—routine.
“You ruined everything for me,” Drew told her. “Everything.”
“You can’t hurt her!” Carl snapped. “That’s what I’m doing—”
He grabbed for Drew’s shoulder.
His mistake.
Drew swung toward him. The loose cuff on Drew’s left wrist flew out and hit Carl in the face. Then Drew punched Carl in the face. A fast, brutal hit. Carl stumbled back. The weapon in his hand started to rise.
But Drew wasn’t done. He chopped down with his hand, hitting Carl’s arm, and the weapon fell from Carl’s fingers.
A few more hits from Drew—Tina jerked forward because when he moved, so did she—and Carl was on the floor.
His eyes were closed, and he was out.
Drew leaned over Carl and scooped up the gun. “Nice scream you got there, Doc.”
And nice, brutal fighting skills he had there. Tina cleared her throat. “Ah, thank you.”
He looked back over at her. “Ready?”
She nodded.
Drew led the way out of that prison. He eased open the room’s door and peered down the hallway. She wondered if anyone else had heard her scream. No one else appeared to be racing toward them.
“Lee has most of the guys stationed outside. They’re probably searching for my team.” His voice was so quiet she had to strain to hear it.
His team. “When will they get here?” Hopefully, any moment. Then—
His gaze slid to hers. “They won’t.”
Her heart sank at that news.
“Don’t worry, I’ve got you.”
She would be more reassured when they were safely away from all of the bad guys with guns. Tina wanted to know who these guys were, why Drew was undercover there—what was happening!
But now wasn’t the time for her questions. Now was the time to focus on survival—escape.
He searched the immediate area once more. “Clear.” They rushed down the hall. Drew held the gun in his left hand. She’d known that he was ambidextrous; the man could wield a weapon just as easily with either hand. She’d watched him do just that on the shooting range once. That ambidextrous talent was a real good thing, since his right hand was still locked to her.
They approached another door—a heavy, wooden door.
“This will take us outside,” he said, pausing briefly. “I don’t want to use the bullets unless I have to because they’ll just bring more company running toward us.”
She wasn’t in the m
ood for company, either.
He gave her the gun.
Wait. What?
“Use it, but only if you have to.”
Then he opened the door. They slipped outside.
And a man with a gun immediately appeared in their path.
“Stone!” He glared at Drew. “You traitor! Lee warned me about you!” He brought up his gun.
Drew kicked out at the guy; his boot connecting with a snap. The gun went flying, and so did the man. His head slammed into the cement behind him.
“Got you!” a voice snarled from Tina’s right, a bare moment before hard hands wrapped around her. Those hands tried to rip her away from Drew’s side, but with the cuffs, that wasn’t happening.
But the vicious pull did make Drew attack. He spun and struck out with his fist.
The attacker let her go, but only for an instant. Only so he could lunge at Drew.
No.
She hit the guy with the butt of her gun.
He went down with a groan.
Drew curled his cuffed fingers around hers. “Nice job, Doc. Now let’s go.”
Because no one else had seen them, not yet. Darkness had fallen once more, and the glittering stars were above them as they raced toward what looked like an old barn.
They stayed to the shadows. Drew stopped her several times, lifting his hand and freezing when a rustle of movement sounded.
Then they were in the barn. Only, Tina quickly realized, it was more of a garage than a barn. Broken-down cars waited inside. Rusty tools lined the wooden walls. And, from what she could see, there was no means of escape. This plan wasn’t working. “We need the helicopter,” she said, grabbing his arm. The helicopter was their best bet. They could fly right out of that place.
“The chopper’s too secure,” Drew softly replied as he pulled her toward a thick, dark tarp. “We wouldn’t be able to fuel it and get out of here before every man in the area swarmed us.”
A swarming sounded bad.
“This is what we need.” He tossed the tarp aside.
She saw the curving body of a motorcycle. One that looked as if it had seen better days a very long time ago. “Uh, I’m not sure...”
He’d already climbed on the motorcycle, the movement, of course, propelling her forward.
Tina dug in her heels. “There are tools here. Maybe we can cut the cuffs.” So what if most of the tools looked to be about ten years old? There could be a sharp saw in there, somewhere.
“Our priority is getting to freedom right now, before a patrol comes through here.” His eyes glittered at her. “We don’t have any more time to waste. Get on the bike.”
“I don’t see a helmet.”
She heard voices then, rising from outside.
He heard them, too. His body tensed. “Get on the bike!”
She’d just broken the no-hesitation rule of his again. Tina jumped on the motorcycle just as someone threw open the door to the garage.
“What the hell?” the guy in the doorway demanded. “Stone?”
Drew revved the motorcycle’s engine. Because of their linked hands, Tina had to stretch her arm out next to his and had to press her body intimately close.
“Hold on,” Drew told her.
She already was. For dear life.
The bike leaped forward, heading straight for the man in the doorway. Tina clamped her lips together so that she wouldn’t scream.
After all, there was no need for her to scream. The man in the doorway was doing plenty of screaming.
Then that man was diving out of the way. Drew drove the motorcycle right through the door and out into the night.
Wind whipped against Tina’s body, her hair flying behind her and— Oh, no, she realized that she’d dropped the gun.
Not exactly the pro move of an agent.
But then, she wasn’t an agent, and she needed both hands to hold tight to Drew because he wasn’t heading for some nice, paved road.
He was heading straight for a fence. One that had barbed wire at the top.
“Uh, Drew...”
“Don’t worry, Doc. I got this.”
At least, that was what she thought he said. It was hard to tell for certain over the roar of the bike. They were going faster and faster and— Was that a ramp? No, no, that was just boards, propped up against the fence. He couldn’t possibly ride up on those—
He could.
He did.
They hurtled over the fence, clearing the barbed wire with inches to spare, even as voices shouted behind them.
When the bike touched down, Tina nearly flew right off the cracked seat. Luckily, the handcuff—and her death grip on Drew—had her jerking right back down.
The motorcycle’s wheels spun. Dirt flew in the air. But Drew righted the bike before they could crash.
They hurtled forward once more.
Bullets thudded into the ground behind them.
Drew didn’t stop. He gunned the engine and they raced off into the night.
Tina clung tightly to him. Breathe. Just breathe. The nightmare had to end—sooner or later.
* * *
“WE HAVE A PROBLEM.”
Dylan Foxx glanced up at those quiet words. Rachel Mancini stood just inside the doorway of the small office. Her dark hair fell in a perfect, straight line to her chin. Her eyes—a bright blue that always seemed to look through him—reflected worry.
Rachel didn’t worry often. There wasn’t much that could make the ex-Marine worry.
“Another one?” Dylan muttered as he yanked a hand through his hair. He’d just finished a second phone call with Bruce Mercer. The big boss was furious and demanding action.
It was time for the team to move. They couldn’t give Drew any longer on his own.
“Drew didn’t check in.”
He sucked in a sharp breath at the news. Yeah, that counted as a problem. Dylan surged out of his chair. As he walked toward her, Rachel’s shoulders seemed to stiffen. She did that around him. Always tensing up. Always closing him out.
He locked his own jaw. “Maybe he was delayed. Maybe—”
“Drew’s never missed a check-in. I waited ten minutes, and he didn’t make contact.” She shook her head. “And I picked up some radio noise—something is happening out there. All of the men were called to action.”
Hell. Rachel had been monitoring the radio waves and transmission signals from the HAVOC compound, extra ears in case Drew got into trouble.
She wet her lips. “There’s...something else.”
Her tone told him this was even worse.
“Drew’s tracker went off-line.”
Every EOD agent in the field had a tracking device implanted just beneath the skin. In case the agent was taken by the enemy, Mercer wanted to be able to get a lock on the missing man or woman. The EOD didn’t like to lose agents.
Dylan had no intention of losing a teammate, and a friend.
“Maybe it’s a system error,” he said, even though his gut told him otherwise.
“I checked in with the techs at the EOD. They said his signal was transmitting fine until an hour ago, then it went dead.”
Hell. “And there’s no tracker implanted on Dr. Jamison.”
“No, she’s not an agent. Mercer never saw a need for her to be monitored. She wasn’t supposed to be at risk.”
Now she’d been taken and Drew had gone off the grid.
They had to get into the field. ASAP. Dylan hated being away from the action, especially when his team needed him. Especially when—
His phone rang. He glanced down and swore when he saw the number. He knew they were about to have more problems coming their way. With his eyes on Rachel, he answered the call. “Foxx.”
“I just sent you a file that you need to view immediately.” The voice on the other end of the line was feminine, husky, and one that was used to giving orders. Sydney Ortez. When it came to EOD Intel, Sydney was the go-to girl. She was also Mercer’s right-hand woman. If something was happening withi
n the organization, Sydney knew about it.
The fact that Sydney was supposed to be out on maternity leave as she prepared for the birth of her twins—well, the fact that she was calling him meant that something serious had gone down.
He put Sydney on speaker and pulled up the file on his phone.
Tina Jamison’s face filled the screen. Her eyes were wide with terror.
“Look into the camera,” a hard voice ordered. Dylan couldn’t see the speaker. He figured the voice probably belonged to the man recording the video. “Say your name.”
“My name is Tina Jamison.”
“Good girl,” the guy murmured.
Her voice held fear. The same fear that filled her eyes. Tina wasn’t supposed to be in the field. Her place was in the office.
And Dylan knew why. Mercer had briefed him during that second phone call. Told Dylan all of Tina’s secrets.
“Tina Jamison is my friend,” Sydney said softly. “I want her back. The EOD wants her back.”
“Bruce Mercer, we have your daughter,” the rumbling voice said on the video then.
“Tina isn’t his daughter,” Sydney said at the same instant. “The kidnappers are mistaken about her identity. When they realize that mistake, Tina will become expendable to them.”
Rachel raised her dark brows. “They took the wrong bait,” she said sadly.
Yes, they had. The EOD’s careful plans had gone horribly wrong.
Before Dylan could reply to Rachel, the voice from the video was talking again. “We want an exchange,” the man continued. “Her life for yours.”
Dylan whistled. Mercer had suspected this would happen.
“For every day that you delay, we will hurt her.”
Tina stared out of that video, her eyes wide. But, wait, did her gaze just flicker to the left? It looked as if some of the tension had eased from her shoulders.
“We gave you proof of life,” the male voice said. “Now it’s time for proof of pain.”
Another man approached Tina. All Dylan could see was the guy’s back, his blond hair and the knife in his hand.
“Oh, dear God,” Rachel whispered.
“Slice off her finger,” the grating voice ordered.
The knife lowered toward Tina’s hand.
“Stop!” A familiar bellow. Drew’s bellow.
But the knife didn’t stop.
