Mason shoved him toward the SUV and Blake hit it hard, jamming his shoulder again.
“What should we do with her?” one of the men asked, pulling Holly closer.
“Tie their hands and put them in the car. The boss will want to see them.”
Blake’s gut clenched. They were finally going to find out who was the person behind Mason’s reign of terror. And it was probably the last discovery either of them would ever make.
* * *
Mason and his goons drove them the short distance to the repair shop and stopped in front. As they were pulled from the vehicle and led through the building, Holly smelled the stench of chemicals cooking and spotted people in sealed-up areas wearing special clothing. They were cooking up poison to distribute to kids. She could think of nothing more vile.
The gun at her back was cold and hard as Mason jabbed her with it, prodding her along. She walked, Blake at her side. He still seemed distant and as cold as the steel frame of the shop. At this moment, she felt utterly alone and frightened. Holly couldn’t resist staring up at the clear blue sky outside the high windows. Light filtered in and hit the back of Blake’s neck, illuminating the scar jutting out from his shirt. She realized he might be too jaded to ever trust her. Lord, please bend his heart to mine. But she wasn’t alone and she knew that now. God was with her and would see her through this nightmare even if Blake had left her emotionally.
Mason pushed past her and reached for a large door with a padlock on the outside. He slid it open then motioned them inside. Blake walked in, his gaze never leaving Mason’s face and his eyes blazing. Holly followed him, noticing how much darker it was inside this room. She glanced around and saw that there were no windows in here.
“Enjoy your last few minutes.” Mason sneered before pulling on the door. It slid shut then clanked as it latched. She heard the sounds of Mason snapping the padlock into place, locking them inside.
* * *
Blake felt along the walls and the door, looking for some weakness to exploit. They had to get out of this room if they were to have any chance of survival. He knew Matt was working on a plan to get them out, but he didn’t know if it would be in time.
He didn’t have to think long to know what the likely plan was. The DEA was probably scrambling to push through the barricades and mobilizing a breach. Mason’s boss probably saw Blake and Holly as bargaining chips to keep them off his back while he closed down shop in Northshore.
That was okay. He didn’t mind being used as a pawn if it meant he got a few more hours to breathe and figure out a means of escape.
Holly slid to the floor. He could tell she was weary and fearful, but more than that he felt the tension between them. He wanted to reassure her that he believed her, that he trusted her, and he did...at least, he was trying. But he’d been trained to watch for subterfuge and he’d honed his skills in that area over the past twelve months.
Even now, part of him wondered if this wasn’t all a ploy. Was she working with Mason and they’d been locked in this room to give her an opportunity to ferret out what the DEA knew about the operation? Why hadn’t they been killed on the spot? Mason had tried time and time again and had failed to kill Holly. Was it because he wasn’t really trying? It hadn’t felt that way during each attempt. It had felt real and Holly’s fear had seemed real.
Why do I do this to myself, Lord?
It was fear rearing its ugly head. He pushed it back. He’d faced down bullets and armed gunmen, mortar rounds and automatic weapons, and managed to keep fear under control. Now it was threatening to rule his life again. He thought back on the words Pastor Dave had spoken to him, words that hadn’t found their mark until just now.
Holly chuckled and shook her head.
“What’s so funny?”
“You. We’re facing death and yet you still can’t stop thinking about that phone call. I’m sitting here locked up with you and you still don’t trust me. What do you think, Blake, that I’m some mole sent in here by Mason’s boss to ferret out what the DEA knows about their operation? I’m not. I was never involved with Mason, Chief Waggoner or the drug ring. We’re on the same side.”
He stared at her then rubbed sweat from his face. “I want to believe that.”
“Then believe it.”
“Holly, you know—”
“I know, your fiancée betrayed you and now you don’t know whether or not you can trust anyone ever again.” She sighed wearily then her voice grew firm. “Get over it.”
“Excuse me?”
“We’re fighting for our lives here, Blake, and you’re focusing on something that doesn’t matter at all.”
“That’s a little harsh, Holly.”
“No, it isn’t, because these may very well be my last moments on earth and I want to spend them with you, Blake. I know it’s terrifying to put your heart out there, but life is messy and love doesn’t come with a guarantee. All we can do is listen to God, try to do the best we can and let Him pick up the pieces when we fall. You told me that, remember? Well, it’s true. Control is a fantasy. And you’re over there obsessing about something that doesn’t make a lick of difference.”
“Really? Whether or not I can trust you doesn’t matter?”
“Not now. We’re trapped in here, Blake, about to die, and you have to make a choice. Either take me in your arms and kiss me, or die alone knowing that I’ve fallen completely in love with you and I want to be with you.”
The words had barely left her lips when the distinct thump, thump, thump of a helicopter filled the air.
Blake’s heart soared at the sound. “It’s them,” Blake said. “They’re here to save us.”
Outside the door, he heard a commotion, footsteps running, shouts of warning and, a moment later, gunfire. He heard a loud explosion and knew it was probably the team blowing the doors off the building. He’d been part of search-and-rescue teams and knew how they worked. They would take out the men inside then sweep the building for hostages.
He started pounding on the door, shouting out to whoever was on the other side to listen. “Here! We’re in here!”
After a moment Holly started banging on the door, as well. “We’re locked inside!” she called.
Blake stopped when a voice from the other side of the door spoke. “Blake?”
He recognized Garrett’s voice in a heartbeat. “Yes! It’s us. We’re locked in here.”
“Stand back. I’m going to blow the door.”
He grabbed Holly and pulled her back to a corner then crouched beside her. Her pulse was racing and her breathing was heavy as she knelt beside him and pressed her hands into his arm. “Everything is going to be okay,” he told her. “The Rangers are here now.” He took a deep breath and looked at her. “Everything is going to be fine.”
She gave him a half-hearted smile then lifted her chin and stared into his eyes with a gaze that spoke volumes about her trust in him. She moved her hand to his face then placed a kiss on his mouth. It stunned him more than anything but surprised him, too. How could she trust in him after he’d doubted her? But Garrett’s shout of warning came before he could respond.
He pushed Holly down, hovering over her, ready to deflect any shrapnel created by the blast. He braced for the impact and, a moment later, heard the pop of the explosion and felt heat on his back. When he looked up again, the door was hanging on one hinge. A swift kick by the man in the military gear took it down and he stepped inside and pulled off his oxygen mask to reveal his friend’s familiar face.
“Let’s get you both out of here.”
Blake stopped to shake his hand. “I’m glad you’re part of the team,” he said. He trusted Garrett with his life and was glad Matt had been able to rope him into leading the assault. However, as he stepped out into the shop he saw several of the drug runners on the ground, bound and
gagged, but a swift glance revealed none of them was Mason. He’d gotten away again. Even more bothersome, Blake counted only three men in assault gear—Garrett, Colton and Josh.
“What happened?” he asked. “Where’s the DEA strike team?”
“In a hanger somewhere trapped by government red tape.” Colton reached out and shook his hand. Josh also stepped forward and shook his hand. “We couldn’t wait for them to come in any longer so we decided to make the move ourselves. Matt knew a former pilot who agreed to help out with the chopper, but Matt had to stay back and cover with the higher-ups.”
He still only counted four men out of their six-man squad. “What happened to Levi?”
“Another surgery last week,” Garrett said. “This time to repair a slipped disc in his back. He wanted to be here but at this point it’s amazing he’s still walking.”
Blake nodded. “This is Holly,” he said, introducing her to the group.
“Nice to meet you, Holly,” Colton said, “but we’ll have time for chitchat later. Right now, we have to move. Parker has that bird parked in a pasture but who knows how long he’ll be able to stay there.”
Holly slipped her hand into Blake’s. A ripple of pleasure burst through him to know that he hadn’t blown it with her, after all. He closed his hand over hers then helped her through the building, remaining close by her side as they walked. Once they were outside, he followed his friends’ lead and ran toward the chopper in the clearing.
He felt Holly shudder beside him. “Keep your head low,” he told Holly, to avoid the powerful wind created by the blades of the chopper. He hurried forward, Holly’s hand firmly grasped in his.
He’d thought he could do this all by himself, that he didn’t need anybody. Yet he’d needed God and he’d needed this woman by his side. He knew now his doubts about her had been fearfully motivated.
Seeing his friends rushing in to help him revived a feeling inside Blake that he thought he’d lost. He’d come here to hide away from his shame and sin, but instead he’d been drowning in it. He needed someone to pull him out of it just as the Rangers were doing it now. He realized that Jesus, too, had been there holding out His hand to Blake and he’d been too proud and too stubborn to reach out and take the help He offered. He would never turn away help from one of the Rangers, so why was he too proud to accept it from his Savior? He didn’t know.
The big side doors were wide open and Josh hopped aboard first followed by Garrett and Colton, who then turned to grab Blake’s hand and pull him up.
Holly’s yank on his arm stopped him. “What about the drug ring? What about Mason?”
Blake glanced down at her then leaned close so she could hear his answer over the whirl of the chopper’s blades. “We don’t have the authority to take them into custody or to shut down their operation. All we can do for now is to get to safety and trust that Matt can win with diplomacy or coordinate another assault to take down the drug ring.” All he knew for now was that they were safe and Mason and his friends were on the defensive. They had been exposed for who they were and what they were doing.
Blake and Holly climbed aboard.
“We’re all on!” Josh yelled to the pilot. He gave the thumbs-up and moments later the chopper started to lift off.
Blake felt a flutter of relief. It was over. They were finally out of Northshore. They were safe. His arm tightened around Holly and she leaned into him. Thank You, God. They were finally safe.
Suddenly shots rang out and Blake heard the distinct sound of metal hitting metal. The helicopter swayed a bit but continued its lift. Colton raised his weapon to return fire but another shot sent him reeling backward.
“Colton!” Blake released Holly and turned to his friend lying on the chopper floor. Another shot rang out and Garrett went sprawling. Josh rushed to him.
“Keep going! Keep going!” Blake hollered to the pilot.
Blake knelt beside Colton and saw the bullets had hit his protective vest. He would hurt but he would be fine.
Holly screamed.
He turned and saw Mason appear just below the opening. He reached out and grabbed her leg, hanging on to the ascending chopper and yanking Holly out the door. Blake lunged, grabbing her hand before Mason could pull her out. But his grasp slipped. It wasn’t strong and he was having a hard time firming it up. Holly’s green eyes were wide with fear as her hand slipped through his and the chopper banked, tossing him backward. She slid from his grasp and from the chopper.
Blake shouted her name and ran to the edge, watching as she hit the ground, landing almost on top of Mason. Blake nearly leaped from the chopper before someone grabbed him and stopped him. He turned and saw Garrett holding him back.
“It’s too far,” he said. “You’ll break a leg.”
“We have to go back!” Blake yelled.
“We can’t land,” Garrett said. “We have to get out.”
The continued sound of shots being fired brought him back to reality. They were under fire and the chopper was in danger. If they didn’t go now, they might all be trapped.
He nodded, resigned that he had no choice. It was truly too late. The chopper was already in the air.
He looked down and saw Holly crawling to her feet. She didn’t appear to be hurt, but she glanced up at the chopper before Mason grabbed her.
As they roared out of sight, the last image he had of her was Mason holding her at gunpoint and dragging her away.
* * *
Holly stiffened as Mason grabbed her arm and dragged her back to the repair shop.
“He left you,” Mason snarled in her ear. “He left you.”
She glanced up at the helicopter disappearing in the distant sky. She could still hear the distinct clomp of the rotor blades fading away. None of this had gone as planned, but she knew in her heart that Blake wouldn’t have left her. His eyes had held fear as he’d grabbed for her and regret when he’d realized he couldn’t hold on to her. Mason had bested them all this time.
Lord, I hope he’s safe.
Her mind went directly to his safety. She’d tried so hard to keep her heart guarded, but the handsome former soldier had barreled his way into it.
She didn’t know what Mason was going to do to her. Why hadn’t he just shot her then and there for Blake to see? It would have been Mason’s perfect revenge against them both. But he hadn’t, which meant he probably wanted something more from her. Torture, perhaps. She’d seen his sadistic side and knew he could be merciless.
But she wasn’t giving up. She was just biding her time, watching and waiting for an opportunity to escape his grasp. She prayed it would come. She wasn’t ready to die yet. Not now when she’d finally found someone who’d opened her heart again. And she knew Blake would find a way to return for her.
He pulled her into the shop, where men were cleaning up the mess the Rangers had made when they’d burst inside. She saw everyone was unbound and was now busily cleaning up. Mason yelled out a few orders to people as he walked by. She spotted the steel door at the back, still off the hinges, and knew at least he couldn’t put her in there. He led her into a back room that looked like it was once an office. It was a small enclosure with a door and a window that looked out onto the concrete floor.
He set down his rifle then pushed her into a chair and bound her hands behind it. As the ties dug into her wrists, she felt a sense of doom overcome her. This was the end for her and she still didn’t have any answers to her questions. Who was behind the drug ring operating in town? And would that person also get away with murder? She thought he probably would. After all, they’d gotten away with Jimmy’s murder. Who knew how many people he had on his payroll? Chief Waggoner definitely. Who else was involved?
She closed her eyes and tried to drown out the noise around her. She couldn’t focus on that. If she did, it would make her sick with worr
y and that wasn’t how she wanted to spend her last moments.
Instead she spent the time praying that God would rescue her from this situation. She didn’t know if He would, but she knew no matter what happened, she wasn’t alone. God was here with her. She felt the peace He provided and it kept her from losing all hope. She also found herself praying for Blake, that he would be able to finally find peace and to rebuild his life. He had so much to offer and he’d been so wounded by his fiancée’s betrayals. She prayed that God would heal his heart and help him to learn to love and trust again.
* * *
“We have to go back for her,” Blake shouted, but the firm hands on his shoulders told him they weren’t returning. He glanced from Colton to Josh and then to Garrett. Each one of their faces showed the same determination. They wouldn’t agree to go back.
“We can’t take the chopper back into that,” Garrett said. “We almost didn’t make it out. And Parker will never take us back in until he gets this bird repaired. We took several hits.”
In his heart, Blake knew they were right. They’d done the only thing they could do, but it didn’t make him feel any better. The memory of the fear on Holly’s face as she’d slipped through his hands haunted him. He’d let her down, both before and after they’d escaped from Mason. He should never have doubted her.
Either take me in your arms and kiss me, or die alone knowing that I’ve fallen completely in love with you and I want to be with you.
Once they landed, he leaped from the chopper and hurried toward the hanger.
“Where are you going?” Josh demanded, following behind him.
“I’m going back to get her. I left her there,” Blake said. “I left her.”
“You didn’t leave her. We had to get out or we would all have been captured.”
“Well, I’m going back for her.” He had no idea yet how he would accomplish that, but he was going. He wouldn’t leave her to face Mason alone.
Mission Undercover Page 15
