Colton stepped in front of him. “We just got you out of that town and now you’re all fired up to go back in. How will you get out next time?”
Blake stopped and turned to them, a frown forming on his face. Was his team really saying they wouldn’t help him again? It felt wrong and odd. They’d always had his back and he theirs.
Matt exited the hanger door and met him. “You made it!” He glanced around. “Where’s Holly?”
“She slipped through my hands,” Blake told him.
Colton rushed to explain. “Blake, you know we’re there for you. What I meant to say was that it’s too risky to go back in without a plan to get out. We won’t be able to come back in for you because we’ll be with you.”
He glanced around at their nodding heads. His friends—Josh, Colton and Garrett, even Matt. He depended on them and they were always there. He needed them now more than ever.
“I can’t leave her,” he told them, his voice choking with emotion. “He’ll kill her.” Suddenly he knew there was no doubt left in his mind about her. She wasn’t a mole for Mason. She was in trouble and he would do whatever he had to do to get her back.
“He won’t,” Garrett stated firmly. “We’ll stop them.”
He looked at Matt. “This isn’t just about stopping a drug ring for me anymore.”
Matt nodded and sighed. “I know that.”
“I love her.”
Colton huffed. “No kidding.” He slapped Blake on the back. “Now let’s go work out a plan to rescue your lady.”
As they walked into the hanger, Blake thought about the look of terror on Holly’s face as they’d flown away.
Keep her safe, Lord. Please keep her safe.
TEN
A scream pierced the air.
Holly peeked out through the window and spotted Mason heading her way. But he wasn’t alone. In his arms, he was dragging a kicking and screaming woman. At first, Holly couldn’t tell who she was, but as he drew closer she saw a familiar face—Sherri Livingston. Despite her struggling, she was no match for Mason’s strength and no one in the building seemed inclined to step in to help. Her ire flared. She’d hoped they’d gotten through to Sherri and she’d gone into hiding with her daughter. How had Mason tracked her down? Now she was Mason’s prisoner just as Holly was.
“Mason, please don’t hurt me,” Sherri cried when he stepped inside, pulling her along with him. “Please, Mason. I have a daughter. She needs me. Please let me go. I won’t betray you again. I promise I won’t.”
“Shut up!” Mason bellowed then plopped her down into a chair beside Holly and bound her hands with another set of zip-ties. Once secure, he stepped back and glanced at them, a smug smile curving his lips. “The boss wants to talk to you both. Then you’ll be begging me to put a bullet through your head once he’s done with you.”
Sherri’s eyes widened in fear and she sobbed again. “Please, Mason. I’m sorry.”
He turned away from her and looked at Holly then knelt beside her. He reached out and touched Holly’s face, moving a finger down her cheek. “We could have been good together, Holly.”
His touch repulsed her and she jutted her chin and glared at him. “Don’t touch me. I would never be with you, Mason Webber. You killed Jimmy. You disgust me.”
“Jimmy didn’t know when to keep his nose out of other people’s business. Apparently it’s something you two had in common.”
Sherri continued her pleading. “Mason, please, tell him I’ve been good. I did everything you asked of me. Please don’t let him kill me. Who’ll take care of my daughter if I die?”
Mason seemed untouched by her pleading. He sneered at Sherri. “You should have thought of that before you went blabbing to these two. You’re on your own with the boss.”
He walked out, closed and locked the door, then glanced at them both as if to reassure himself they were secure before he vanished from the window.
When he was out of sight, Holly started pulling at her bindings while Sherri sobbed behind her, all hope lost. “Sherri, we have to get out of here before he returns with the boss. See if you can pull your hands free.”
“I can’t.” Sherri’s voice was hopeless and whiny. She’d given up already.
“Think about your daughter,” Holly told her. “You have to get free for her sake.”
She sniffed back a few tears, but the sobbing seemed to stop and Holly could tell she was reaching the younger woman. “What’s your daughter’s name?”
“Melissa. She’s four.”
“I’ll bet she’s precious.”
“She is. I love her so much. I don’t know what’s going to happen to her.”
“Nothing is going to happen to her. We’re going to get out of here. Keep pulling on those bindings.”
Sherri nodded and started pulling, but gave up after only a moment and whined again. “It’s no use. We’re doomed.”
“We are not. I’m not dying here today.” She glanced around the room searching for something sharp to cut the zip-tie with, but the room was pretty well cleared out of belongings. All that remained were empty shelves, the desk and chairs. But maybe the corner of the desk could do the job. She tried to stand and discovered Mason had looped the tie to her chair. She didn’t let that stop her. She hopped over to the desk and tried to position herself so she could use the edge of the desk to cut the line.
“Watch the window,” she commanded Sherri. “If you see them heading this way, let me know.”
Sherri sniffed back tears again but she nodded and glanced at the window. Holly thought she would remain levelheaded now that she had her daughter to fight for. She knew what it was like to fight for someone you cared about.
Her mind wandered to Blake. He was most likely safe now that the helicopter had flown away. She was glad, but some part of her wondered if she should have fought harder for him. It felt wrong to have him accuse her of conspiring with Mason and the chief, but now as she thought about it, she couldn’t blame him. But she could never build a life with someone who didn’t trust her completely.
A rush of excitement burst through her when she felt the plastic give way and her hands were free. She pulled the zip-ties away then began digging through the drawers to try to find something to use to cut Sherri free. They had to get out before Mason returned and brought the boss with him. In a bottom drawer, she found a box cutter and hurried to Sherri, quickly cutting through the thick plastic.
“Let’s get out of here before they come back,” she said. “Stay low, but if you see anyone, run.”
Sherri nodded her understanding then squeezed Holly’s hand. “Thank you,” she said.
Holly squeezed her hand back. “Let’s get you back to your daughter.”
She opened the door and peered out, glancing around for some sort of guard, but there was none. Apparently, Mason thought tying them to chairs was enough to keep them from escaping. A smug feeling rushed through her. He would regret underestimating Holly. She took Sherri’s hand and moved toward an open doorway. She had no idea where they were going or what they would do once they were out. All she was focusing on was getting out of this building without being seen.
God, please help us.
Her prayer must have reached His ears because the area was clear. Sunlight filtered in through the windows, casting shadows around the building. Holly heard voices in the distance but they seemed to be in the opposite direction. The door was only a few feet away. She squeezed Sherri’s hand and pulled her as she moved toward the door. Excitement bubbled through her as they neared it. They were going to make it!
She reached out for the handle then stopped short when she heard Mason’s voice right outside.
She backed away slowly. They would have to find another way out. She motioned Sherri to turn and head for the other door. She wasn�
��t giving up, no matter what. She was determined to escape Mason’s grasp.
Sherri’s hand slipped from hers and Holly heard a squeal from behind her. She turned and saw Sherri stumble into a stack of boxes. She plowed into them headfirst and they clattered to the floor, making a loud racket Holly was certain Mason would hear.
Sure enough, moments later, the doors swung open and Mason and several others ran inside.
“Run!” Holly screeched and pulled Sherri to her feet. They headed to another door on the back wall.
Shots rang out and Sherri screamed, but Holly didn’t let up. She pulled on her hand to keep her moving before fear planted her feet. Mason would surely kill them both if he caught them. “Don’t stop,” she told Sherri. “Keep running.”
She screamed again as the men continued to fire shots at them that hit the concrete walls and bounced off, cracking through the crates. She reached the secondary doors, grabbing the handle. It didn’t budge. The doors were locked. She pushed at them and kicked, trying to break open the doors, but she couldn’t.
Behind her, Sherri was gasping and trying to catch her breath. “What do we do now?”
She glanced around the area. Until they could find another way out, there was only one thing they could do. “We hide.”
Sherri ran into the next room and Holly followed her. The tables and the equipment, but mostly the putrid smell, alerted her that this was most likely where they cooked the chemicals. She covered her mouth and nose with her hand, but found a desk to climb under while Sherri hid behind a stack of boxes.
The smell, the impending threat of death and Sherri’s soft sobs were all more than Holly could stand. Once she was still, reality seemed to sink in. They weren’t going to make it out of there alive. Even if they managed to escape the building, where could they go? They were miles from town and the police force was corrupt.
She closed her eyes and allowed a tear to slip down her face. This wasn’t how she wanted things to end. She wished she could tell Blake again she loved him, because she did. It didn’t matter that it had only been a few days or that she hardly knew him. She knew the man he was...a godly man whose mission in life was to protect those in need. He was a true hero.
She let her mind wander to what might have been and wished they’d had the opportunity to see what kind of future they could have together. But she realized something else, too. There was someone else she needed to make amends with—God. She’d held on to her bitterness and anger so fiercely, but Blake had helped her to see that God was not her enemy. He wasn’t the one who’d taken everything from her. But He could have been the one to restore it all. And she believed it. She didn’t have to be perfect or completely ready to forgive. She only needed to let go of her anger and turn back to God. Blake had told her that it didn’t matter how you came back to God, only that you returned to Him. He was willing to take her back without the clear soul or sparkling life. She had nothing to prove to God and everything to gain. She only wished she’d given Him that chance sooner.
Footsteps growing closer grabbed her attention and Holly’s stomach plummeted. There were only so many places to hide in this shop and Mason had to know they had come into this room. From her hiding spot, she could still hear Sherri’s soft sobs and tried to motion to her to quiet down. Sherri saw her and nodded her understanding, but she didn’t seem able to stop the sobbing. Mason, or whoever was in the room with them, had to hear her. But it was too late. Mason stepped between them, grabbed Sherri by her hair and dragged her from behind the boxes.
Dread filled her as Sherri screamed out in fear.
Mason dug his gun into her neck and snarled. “Did you really think you could get away from me, Sherri?”
Holly quickly realized that he hadn’t seen her yet. Maybe there was a way she could help Sherri before he found her. She scanned the room and spotted a shelf filled with large jars. She didn’t know what they were used for, but she suspected one of them over the head would take down even a man as big as Mason. If only she could reach them before Mason pulled that trigger. She didn’t know if he was bluffing, still waiting on the boss, or if he might shoot at any moment and kill Sherri right then and there.
With his back to her, Holly slid from under the desk and quickly but quietly padded across the floor. She couldn’t see Sherri’s face, but the panic in her voice as she begged Mason to spare her was obvious.
Holly grabbed one of the jars then ran at Mason. He must have heard her because he turned just as she reached him. As he raised the gun at her, she slammed the jar against Mason’s head. The glass shattered and splattered. Mason cried out in pain. His knees buckled and he hit the ground, landing on top of Sherri. The gun slipped through his hand and slid across the floor. Holly tried to grab it but it slid beneath a table. She dropped to her knees and tried to reach for it, but it was too far back.
Holly glanced at Sherri, who was sobbing and trying to pull herself free of an unconscious Mason. His body weight had her leg pinned and Holly noticed he was starting to move. He would be waking up soon.
She left the gun and ran to Sherri. “Let’s get out of here,” Holly said, pulling her leg out from under his bulky weight.
They ran toward the front entrance, determined they would make it out this time while Mason was unconscious and the others were searching the building for them. But Sherri was already limping beside her, favoring the foot that Mason had landed on, and couldn’t run as fast as Holly would have liked. She draped one of Sherri’s arms over her shoulder to carry some of her weight.
Just before they reached them, the doors burst open and two men grabbed Holly and Sherri. She kicked at them and struggled although she knew it was fruitless. A moment later she spotted Mason emerging from the cooking room, blood dripping down his head. He was holding it, too. She had felt the jar slam into his head and knew how hard it had been. But her only regret was that it hadn’t knocked him out long enough for them to escape.
The men forced them back into the room and into the same chairs they’d previously been tied to.
“Bind her hands and feet,” Mason ordered the men, motioning to Sherri. He walked to the filing cabinet and pulled out a first-aid kit, slamming it onto the desk. He locked eyes with Holly. “You bandage me up.”
She started to protest that she wouldn’t touch his head, but he incentivized his request by pulling out his gun and raising it to Sherri’s face. He must have found it underneath the table.
“I’ll kill her if you refuse.”
She glanced at Sherri then conceded.
Mason dropped into the chair she’d previously occupied while Holly opened the medical kit and got to work cleaning up Mason’s wounds. She picked shards of glass from his head and he grimaced and gripped at the gun in his lap each time she dug for a piece of glass. She needed appropriate instruments and he needed stitches. Without them, he would have a scar. It sort of pleased her to think Mason would have a scar on his head that would always remind him of how Holly had bested him.
“The boss has gone to check on the lockdown situation with Chief Waggoner. When he returns, it’ll be time to take care of you both and I hope he lets me be the one to do it.”
The bitterness in his voice bit at Holly. He was the one who’d destroyed her life and murdered her husband, yet his tone suggested he’d been the one put upon. She bit back a bitter tirade, knowing it would do nothing but enrage him further.
She glanced at Sherri, who returned her gaze with questioning hope. She had no idea when he would return, but she knew it would be too soon for her. The longer they could remain alive, the greater opportunity Blake had of rescuing them. She knew he would return for her just as surely as she knew his eyes were the color of the sky. He would come. Her job was to remain alive until he did.
* * *
Blake pored over the map of Northshore that Matt had secured and laid across a
table inside the offices of the DEA. There had to be another way into that town, but the water was a major obstacle. Colton and Garrett had worked up a plan to go by speedboat and were out trying to get their hands on one while Josh was glued to the police scanner trying to glean any details from the roadblocks.
Blake was just trying to wrap his head around the fact that he’d left Holly there and beating himself up for allowing Mason to ambush him the way he had. He’d never forget the look on Holly’s face as she’d slipped through his fingers.
Matt appeared in the doorway. “Find anything yet?”
“No,” Blake said. “Nothing better than the speedboat plan, anyway.”
“I may have a better plan.” He walked over to a video monitor and pressed a button, lighting up a plan Matt had been working on for the DEA to breach the town if the time came. Blake had seen it and thought it would work if they could ever get the go-ahead from Matt’s bosses.
“It’s a good plan, but it takes more guns and people than we’ll have. Sneaking back into town is still our best option.”
Matt grinned. “Not anymore. The DEA has officially ended negotiations with Chief Waggoner.”
A strange mix of excitement and trepidation burst through Blake, but he tempered it. “Are you telling me that the DEA is breaching the town?”
“Yes, I am. And better yet, they’ve put me in charge of the infiltration. I’m putting together a team to go in and I want you on it, Blake.”
Relief flooded through him at the news he’d waited so long to hear. He’d fought so long and hard to escape Northshore and now he was going back there. He only hoped Holly could hold on until he arrived.
* * *
Mason’s phone buzzed at his hip and he lifted it to glance at the screen. His body tensed and he pushed Holly’s hand away and stood. “The boss is back,” he said to his men. He looked down at the bandage and gauze wrappers on the desk and growled. “The boss is here and this place looks like a mess.” He spun and faced Holly. “This is all your fault,” he growled then backhanded her across the mouth.
Mission Undercover Page 16
