by Dana Mentink
“You…you can’t be here,” the man stammered. “My boss doesn’t need to talk to you.”
This was good. If Shaun kept the man talking, he’d have time to figure out a plan. “Why not? Doesn’t he want our intel? To know who we report to and what we know?”
The man’s eyes widened, but he shook his head, the gun trembling violently in his hand. Shaun prayed that the tremor wouldn’t cause an accidental discharge before he had a chance to talk the man down. Every second the barrel remained pointed at his forehead reduced the chances of Lexie and him getting out of the room alive. If she was even…
No. He refused to entertain that thought.
They needed to get out of here, fast.
“He…already knows all that,” the man replied. His eyes darted around the room and back to Shaun. “And he told me your services are no longer required.”
As the man finished speaking, a glint of light illuminated the edge of the switchblade Shaun had given Lexie, just before Lexie plunged it into the gunman’s leg from behind. Shaun rolled out of the way an instant before a bullet exploded from the gun. He scrambled to his feet while the man in front of him screeched in pain.
“Go, Lexie!” Shaun motioned for her to move, to get out of the room and out of the way. They were still in danger. “Get upstairs and get help!”
But instead of running, Shaun’s pleas stirred Lexie into action. A wave of resolution rolled across her face as she leaped forward and wrapped her arms around the gunman’s neck, giving Shaun the opening he needed to grab their attacker’s wrist and knock his gun away. It skidded away just like Shaun’s weapon had, sliding underneath one of the engine room’s massive machines.
But all weapons weren’t out of play yet, which their attacker realized at the same moment it dawned on Shaun. Despite Lexie’s firm grip on the man’s neck, he strained against the pressure, reaching down to yank the switchblade out of his leg before Shaun could grab it. When Shaun moved in to try and retrieve the blade, the man reared his head back and slammed it forward.
Their skulls collided and Shaun fell backward, pain blossoming in his forehead to match that in his shoulder. The world spun, and he could barely make out the scene in front of him.
And then his vision cleared and he saw it. The man had Lexie in a choke hold, switchblade against her throat.
Blood pooled around the knife’s tip.
*
“Not so confident now, hmm?” The man’s voice shook. “I should get a promotion for this.”
Lexie took shallow breaths, feeling a trickle of blood as it trailed down the side of her neck. The bruises on her throat from the parking deck encounter throbbed from the stress of the moment, but even more disturbing was the lack of pain from the knife at her throat. Shaun’s blade was incredibly sharp—if this man chose to end her life with it, he’d be able to do it quickly and efficiently. Making a wrong move would sink the blade into her throat like butter.
From the floor, Shaun groaned, though he didn’t move. Relief washed over Lexie that he was still alive—but with Shaun incapacitated, the ball fell in her court to get them out in one piece. She tried to recall her basic self-defense training, but each scenario risked too much. The attacker’s unsteady grip on the knife made him unpredictable and very, very dangerous.
“You don’t want to do this,” Lexie whispered, mind racing for the right words to say. “There’s no way out without getting caught. The authorities have been searching for you for a long time. Let us go, and we’ll put in a good word to the police. We’re more use to you alive than dead.”
“Me? They don’t want me, but I want you.” The man slurred his words, his voice shaking. “Not gonna kill you, lady. Only have permission to take the man out. What am I gonna do with you until the boss gets here?”
Lexie’s heartbeat sped up as the man muttered to himself. This wasn’t the Wolf. One of his gang? Maybe she could use this information to her advantage. “You don’t have permission to kill me? That’s odd, considering your boss tried to kill me twice already.”
The man laughed, hysteria causing his vocal pitch to rise and fall in frenzy. “You think so, yes? Of course. Of course you do.”
The knife tip bit into Lexie’s neck as the man laughed, his arms shaking. Now she felt the edge of the blade. Panic rose in her belly, but she clamped it down. She could not have a panic attack here. Instead, she pressed herself back farther into her attacker’s body to avoid an accident from his trembling knife hand. He stunk like sweat and grease, and Lexie suppressed the urge to gag. Orders or not, if either of them made a wrong move, it’d be game over.
“Who’s your boss? Can you tell me that?” She willed Shaun to wake up, but he hadn’t moved an inch since falling to the floor after that head butt. What if he needed a hospital? “We can help you out of this. You don’t want to be a killer.”
“My boss? He’ll tell you when he gets here.” The man sniffed. “Gotta call him, tell him to get down here.”
“Isn’t he already on his way?”
“Shut up.” The man spat into her ear, flecks of spittle landing on her neck. “Maybe, maybe not. Gotta call him, tell him the…the intrusion has been dealt with.”
That meant he’d have to either release his grip on her arms or the knife at her neck to make the call. She could use that, provided he didn’t think to incapacitate her before doing so. He certainly didn’t seem capable of rational thought at the moment, and with the gun out of play, she might actually have a chance.
Lexie formulated a visual plan. If she could stomp on his instep and free an arm to push the knife away at the same time, she might avoid the blade going through her jugular. But she’d have to wait until his attention shifted to calling his boss. What about Shaun? She regarded his prone figure. If she got away, what would stop this madman from taking out Shaun permanently while she called for help? And how would she find help before the Wolf found her?
Thinking about that only complicated things. Better to act and do it soon, and figure out the next step from there. If she didn’t get medical attention to Shaun in time, she’d never forgive herself.
Her next glance at Shaun sent a wave of relief flooding through her body. He looked at her through the slit of one eyelid and shook his head subtly—just enough for her to get the message. Don’t try anything stupid.
“You need a walkie-talkie?” Lexie asked, an idea forming. The idea risked much, but so did doing nothing.
The man stopped muttering and his trembling arm froze. “Yeah. Yeah, I do. But it’s in the back and you’ll try some funny business if I let you go.”
“What about the one he has?” Lexie hoped that Shaun would take her cues. “He’s got a radio that we were using earlier. Not sure if the batteries are still working, but checking means you can keep me in front of you so I can’t try anything.”
The man remained silent for a few seconds before the pressure of the knife against her neck eased. “Yeah, good. That works.”
He pushed her along in front of him, crossing to where Shaun lay. Lexie hoped Shaun had recovered enough of his senses and strength to make this worthwhile. Once they reached Shaun’s body, her attacker knelt and pulled her down with him, leaning forward so that he could use his bottom hand to reach the walkie-talkie on Shaun’s belt.
Right on cue, Shaun sprang to life. He grabbed the man’s knife hand and twisted, sending the switchblade clattering to the ground. Lexie reeled backward and smashed the back of her head into the man’s face. A sickening crunch told her she’d aimed well. His nose would be pouring blood in seconds, which gave her an opening to dive for the knife as Shaun pinned the man’s arms and gathered him into a choke hold.
“Chair, rope,” Shaun said to Lexie, his breath heavy from the exertion. “Let’s get him secured and get out of here.”
Lexie couldn’t believe her ears. “We’re just going to leave him here? Shouldn’t we bring him upstairs?”
“Bring a bloody, sweating engineer onto the passen
ger decks, where tensions are already high?”
“Good point.”
“And I’m afraid the Wolf might already be on his way. Whoever is doing this seems to know where we are at all times, so I’d rather not stick around.”
Lexie shook her head. “He said he had to call his boss. That implies that this time he doesn’t know, doesn’t it?”
“You really want to take that chance?”
Of course she didn’t. “Did you hear what he said, though? He didn’t have permission to kill me, only you. What do you think that means?”
“I think we’re dealing with people who will lie and deceive in order to get their way.” Shaun grunted, tightening his hold on their assailant. “I don’t recommend being quick to believe everything they say to you. It’s a tactic kidnappers sometimes use to put their victims at ease.”
Lexie shivered at the thought of what might have happened, trying to push it from her mind and replace it with relief that they’d both come out of the attack alive. Seeing Shaun down and immobile had brought unwelcome feelings to the surface, feelings that suggested she’d grown to care about this man far more than she should in the past twelve hours. How could he have such an effect on her so quickly? Yes, the man had good looks—and plenty of them—but that was secondary to his care, kindness and dedication to his cause.
Could it be that she felt drawn to their commonalities? His protector drive certainly complemented her “go get ’em” approach to the search. But that’s where it had to end. She had no desire for a relationship, and moreover not one with him.
Lexie found a chair in the far corner and grabbed a coil of rope from a pile at the back of the room. When she returned with both items, Shaun plunked their now-unconscious assailant in the chair.
“What’d you do?” Lexie gaped at him. “Was that necessary?”
“If we don’t want him to scream and fight us as we’re securing him, then yes. Don’t worry, it wasn’t painful. I didn’t hurt him further, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
“Sure you didn’t.”
Shaun held up his hands, finally freed of needing to hold on to their attacker. “Honest. You learn this kind of stuff in spy school.”
“Spy school?” Lexie couldn’t tell if he was teasing her or not. “That’s a real thing?”
“Of course it is. Rope, please.” He grinned as she tossed the rope, but he got down to business the moment it reached his hands. How could he joke around at a time like this? It reminded her of the Shaun she and her sister had met all those years ago in dusty Africa, teenaged Shaun with a penchant for practical jokes and razzing on authority. Some things about people never changed. Others did. He seemed so sure of himself now, confident in his decisions and capable of doing what needed to be done without hesitation. During their short time together on this ferry, he’d known exactly what to say to diffuse the tension of the moment and make her feel safe with him. Still, Nikki’s accusations played on repeat in the back of her mind.
“Have you tied up prisoners before?” she asked, only partially serious. “You seem to know what you’re doing.”
He chuckled, tugged on an end of rope, and stepped back to survey his work. “You know how it is in this line of work. You don’t even get a locker until you’ve passed Rope Tying 101.” He winked at her, then looked over her head toward the door. “Let’s leave him here and go find Parsons. I don’t want to be around without backup if the Wolf decides to check up on his ally, and maybe they’ve tracked down that passenger by now.”
Lexie shivered at the thought of being caught by surprise by the ringleader. “He had a gun, Shaun. Do you think that means his boss has one, too? Brought one on board?”
“I’d be a fool to rule it out,” he said, voice soft. He crossed the room and brushed back a lock of hair that had escaped from her hairclip during the scuffle. “So I won’t. But there’s no need for panic. We’ve got one of his allies subdued, and we’ve taken out one possible weapons threat. We need to call this a win.”
He squeezed her shoulder, and the muscles in Lexie’s stomach tensed and relaxed. It was a win. They’d come through this alive, and now they had a direct line to the Wolf—someone who could provide them with information on Maria and her captor.
The realization brought with it a wave of relief, followed by exhaustion. After the events of the last twelve hours, she desperately needed a hug. Simple as that. Shaun just so happened to be the closest available candidate. He responded to her hug in kind, offering a secure but gentle embrace. And yet, when neither of them let go, the moment shifted to something more.
Shaun kissed the top Lexie’s head and her body betrayed her, shivering in response.
It felt right, but in other ways, oh so wrong. She swallowed, knowing what she needed to say next. “Shaun, I can’t. This can’t be.” Lexie waved at the man tied to the chair. “Look at where we are, at what’s happening. Plus, you’ve told me my sister lied to me about what happened between the two of you. I’ve spent so much time blaming you for sending her off the deep end that I can’t just erase everything I believed in a matter of hours.”
Shaun nodded, but there was no mistaking the disappointment in his eyes. He pulled away and held her at arm’s length, hands on her shoulders. Her body wanted to close the gap and feel the security of his embrace again, but her brain overruled her on this one. Solve the problem, decide if he’d told her the truth and go from there. Whatever that meant.
Shaun cleared his throat, breaking the stillness between them. “As nice as this is, we need to move. The Wolf is coming.”
TEN
Shaun’s pulse raced, and it had nothing to with the gunshot wound, skull trauma or having caught one of the Wolf’s lackeys. Lying on the floor, Shaun had praised God to realize that the bullet to his shoulder had only grazed it. He’d lost a lot of blood, but not enough to put his health or mobility at risk. Lexie’s quick thinking had saved the day, enabling him to fight through the pain and execute her on-the-spot plan.
Being this close to Lexie…it did a number on him, that’s for sure. The sensation of her arms around him was both wonderful and welcome, though at first, he’d held back from assuming what it meant. How many hugs had he received from grateful victims he’d helped save throughout the years? But then neither he nor she had pulled away, and he didn’t want to be the first to let go.
She fit so well in his arms. Like two puzzle pieces, made for each other—but not only that, they understood each other better than anyone he’d ever met. He’d had plenty of partners in the field on missions before who wouldn’t have thought to trick their captor the way she did, psychologically influencing the man who’d put her in mortal danger and using teamwork to take him down without further injury.
And as much as he wanted to relish the moment she’d given him, getting to safety before the Wolf found them took priority. They’d return with Parsons’s team to get some answers from their captive, relying on safety in numbers. Then he could tell Lexie about the static charge that filled the air every time she came near.
“Let’s take the maintenance elevator back up,” Lexie suggested as they left the engine room. “That way we can land on the correct floor without interference, right? And if we can get in touch with security, maybe those guys can meet us right at the top and we can come straight down again.”
“Solid planning,” Shaun said, impressed yet again by her forward thinking. No wonder she’d worked her way up to vice president at the missing-persons organization. She possessed the perfect blend of logic, fire and compassion required by such an emotionally demanding job. It was clear that the search for Maria was far more than just another job for Lexie. She cared about the young woman and her family, and Shaun didn’t blame her one bit. Was that why she hadn’t yet married? He knew all about the difficulties inherent in this kind of work. Leaving it at the office wasn’t exactly an option.
They stepped into the elevator as Shaun tried to contact Parsons on the walkie-talk
ie, but the thick metal walls that lined the elevator shaft made it difficult for the signal to get through. “Hello? Hey, Parsons?” Shaun tried to adjust the reception, and a faint voice came through the static as the elevator reached the lounge deck. “I can’t get him from inside here. Let’s get to an open space and try to call again.”
After several additional tries, the radio’s alert tone sounded for an incoming call. “Lane here.”
“Lane? Parsons. You looking for me?” The man’s voice sounded strained, but Shaun figured he’d be feeling the strain, too, if he had to take care of an entire ferry’s worth of irate passengers. For the sake of the entire MV Providence staff, he hoped the icebreaker ship arrived soon.
“We had a situation in the engine room,” Shaun explained. “Lexie and I took care of it, and we’re safe. Mostly unharmed.” He decided not to bore the man with details on the continuing throb from the gunshot graze on his shoulder, the massive headache from having his skull bashed and the heavy sensation still in his lungs from the gas incident. And the cut on Lexie’s neck. “We need your help, though. Can your team meet us at the south passenger elevators on the main deck in three? The maintenance elevator is probably too small for all of us, now that I think of it. I want to move as a group on this one. We were two against one and still had a close call. I’m not keen on taking another unnecessary risk. Bring a few bandages and some iodine if you can.”
The walkie-talkie grew silent, and Shaun wondered if Parsons’s battery had died. The man’s voice returned over the speaker just as Shaun had decided to head to one of the ship’s little convenience stalls and commandeer some batteries.
“South passenger elevators, main deck, First Aid, three minutes. Roger.”
Shaun clipped the walkie-talkie back onto his belt, noting that Lexie had stopped near a window. She stared outside into the darkness, her expression guarded. He hadn’t noticed until now, but her eyelids were heavy and dark circles had begun to form under her eyes. What had he been thinking, dragging her around on a search in the middle of the night? She hadn’t said one word of protest though and had taken everything in stride. Despite the woman’s immense strength and patience, he’d allowed her to be put in the line of fire one too many times.
