The Alpha's Touch Boxed Set (14 Book Bundle)

by Taylor, Tawny

  The sentry finally spotted the crouching figure in the distance. He shouldered the assault rifle and squeezed the trigger.

  It was in this type of situation that Ryker was able to focus the most. Everything became crystal clear. Instead of lifting his own pistol he reasoned chaos was more important than timing. He brought his hand to the small device strapped above his wristwatch. He screwed off the cap and pressed the two red buttons at the same time.

  The Colombian henchman fired a volley which landed right in front of Ryker, kicking up dirt all around him. That was all he had time to do.

  The boathouse exploded in a huge fireball!

  The walls were blown 50 yards in each direction, the roof shot directly upwards, and the carcass sank into the water as the posts disappeared underneath. More importantly, the blast engulfed the guard and killed him instantly.

  Ryker didn’t linger to appreciate his handiwork and ran out toward the road and the villa.

  * * *

  Jessica’s jaw dropped and she impulsively backed up until she fell on her back. She had expected the explosion, of course, but it wasn’t supposed to be this soon and she sure as hell hadn’t expected it to be so loud.

  “Mon jumped the gun,” Vurnon exclaimed from this perched position on top of the fence.

  “Something must be wrong. Screw this, we have to go!”

  Without debate, Max reached up and the Jamaican grabbed his hands to pull him up. He was the heaviest so it was natural that he went first. Hubrecht helped him climb and within moments he fell on the other side.

  The motion triggered the sensors and all hell broke loose. Floodlights came on and alarms blared deafeningly. There was no going back now, there was no time. They had to stay and fight and march on.

  “Jessica, your turn.”

  She was barely on her feet again that Hubrecht yanked her closer. He made a stepladder with his hands and she leapt up, grabbing the brick ledge of the fence. Just as she thought she could actually do this, gunfire erupted.

  Next to her, Vurnon opened fire on the house. She glanced up and saw three men running from the front of the house toward them. Vurnon shot one in the chest but the others quickly fired back.

  Jessica felt bullets whizzing past her head and then Hubrecht stopped supporting her so he could shoot back. Frightened out of her skull, her survival instincts kicked in. She continued pulling herself up and swung her legs over the fence. Before she knew it, she was falling down.

  She crashed into the lawn and instantly felt sore all over. That was the least of her problems. Bullets were exploding all around them and this could be the end of a very short mission. The end of her life.

  Yet, as abruptly as her fears peaked the assault was over. The three Colombians were dead. Vurnon helped Hubrecht scale the gate and before long the four of them were on the ground.

  “Quick, before they send more.”

  * * *

  Daphne was in tears. Her face was bloody and that monster had her wrists pinned above her head. The more she squirmed the more Baiz enjoyed it. His entire weight was keeping her down and there was no escaping.

  He had yanked her shorts away and ripped her panties to shreds. Now that he had his pants around his ankles it was about to get brutal.

  “Noooooo! Please, don’t do this…”

  By now there wasn’t much conviction in her voice. There was no point, he was going to rape her anyway.

  Just as she felt him bump into her, bile rising in her throat, there was an explosion. It was hurriedly followed by the wailing horn of the security alarm and the unmistakable sound of gunfire.

  She didn’t know what was going on and in her troubled state it could only mean bad news. Maybe the government had had enough of Baiz and they were bombing him? The drug lord was also dumbfounded and didn’t thrust into her.

  The metal door swung open and Raul frantically rushed in. He spoke in excited Spanish and, despite Daphne’s high school introduction to the language, she had no idea what he was saying. She would however put big money that it had something to do with the thundering sounds of warfare coming from outside.

  As Raul spoke, El Hefe climbed out from between her legs and tied up his pants again. She waited until he was off the mattress and swiftly snatched her shorts from the floor. She turned her back to the men as they shouted to each other and got dressed again as best as she could. She even put on what remained of her panties. The only intact garment she had was her bikini top though it felt shamefully small at the moment.

  “I’m not done with you, whore,” Baiz growled at her with an accusing finger. “You will beg me to stop again later.”

  He followed Raul outside of her dungeon and locked the door with a foreboding clang. She heard more gunfire and wondered whether it was good or bad for her life expectancy.

  Chapter 29

  Ryker’s body was pumping with adrenaline after the explosion. He tore to the road and then toward the villa. He had so much momentum, his muscles gorged with pure energy, that he had no trouble scaling the gate that blocked the driveway.

  He ran as fast as possible and when the palm trees cleared up he stumbled upon his group. They were just climbing to their feet after having disposed of the three Colombians.

  Jessica’s face lit up when she saw him and he had to restrain himself from beaming as well. They all darted to him but she took the lead. When she was next to him he couldn’t help examining her for injuries.

  “Are you all right, Jessica?”

  “Yes, I’m okay. You? That explosion…”

  He nodded that he was fine and looked at his men who knew enough not to ask any questions about him messing up the timing.

  “The garage, quick!”

  Max handed his boss the extra carbine he’d been carrying all along, as well as an ammo bandolier, and the five of them sprinted toward the side of the house. There was an access door to the two-car garage and Hubrecht put a breach charge on the sturdy deadbolt.

  “You are not coming further, Jessica.”

  “Like hell! She’s my friend and I’m going.”

  Hubrecht spoke Dutch to his employer. “We have to go now.”

  Ryker glanced at Jessica and knew that there was no reasoning with her. “All right, but you stay back and always near concealment.”

  “Yes,” she said.

  The Dutchman nodded to Hubrecht.

  “Clear!”

  A second later, the deadbolt exploded and the door opened in a smoky haze. They all filed in, Jessica bringing up the rear, and went around the single BMW inside as they sped toward the door leading inside.

  The noise alerted the people inside and the door was flung open. Almost instantly, the bone-chilling thunder of a Kalashnikov assault rifle resounded as two men appeared in the doorway. Bullets exploded against the hull of the BMW and it triggered the car alarm.

  Jessica instinctively clamped her hands on her ears since the tiny space made everything louder. She couldn’t think anymore and the only thing that mattered was getting that noise to stop. After two seconds she understood how someone could become insane in short order. She was halfway there already.

  Ryker didn’t stop moving and with his carbine buttressed on his shoulder and his body almost in a crouch, he squeezed the trigger three times and the two assailants fell down dead. He didn’t say anything and everyone moved forward.

  They climbed the four steps and now they were in the house proper. It was dark but not completely. The few lamps that were on throughout the villa were enough to light their way. They were in a long corridor so there were only two choices. With a jerk of the chin, the smuggler directed his team to the left.

  Straightaway, more Colombians appeared. Two of them were in the middle of the hallway spraying downrange with their automatic weapons.

  “Kijk uit!”

  Max, Vurnon, and Hubrecht flattened themselves against the wall, the latter putting his arm against Jessica’s chest so she would get the picture. Ryker fell to his
knee and shot the two men in front of him.

  “Go!”

  Ryker reloaded and laid down some cover fire, shooting at nothing and everything in front of him. Meanwhile, Max and Vurnon raced from their position, crossed the corridor, and started shooting just like their boss was doing. By now, more thugs were shooting from the other end.

  “Let’s go, Jessica,” Hubrecht ordered.

  Before she could wrap her head around the idea, the short man took her hand and pulled her with him. They ran along the wall until they were right behind Ryker and then the three of them moved forward, shooting sporadically.

  They stopped and it was Max and Vurnon’s turn to move ahead. She understood what they were doing: they were leapfrogging. There was always someone providing cover fire so the others could move forward. They didn’t take great paces but they advanced slow and steady.

  Two men materialized at the end of the hallway at exactly the same moment as Max ran forward. Although he was shooting back, a round landed right on the bridge of his nose.

  Jessica yelped when she saw Max fall. He was dead.

  * * *

  Bernardo Baiz crouched behind the white leather couch, sweat dripping down his face. He peeked over the sofa and saw the mouth of the hallway even though it was pretty dark. Scariest of all was the collection of dead bodies on the ground.

  These intruders were good.

  He tightened his grip on the gold-plated revolver he’d owned since climbing to the top of his narcotics cartel a decade ago. In spite of a brief stint in the Colombian military when he was still a teenager, he wasn’t used to this type of shootout. He was generally the one ordering the assaults and they were always conducted with massive firepower and even more impressive manpower.

  Now that the tables were turned he had to find a way to counterattack. The truth was he had never expected Ryker Prins to resist and come after him. So that meant they were here for the girl. That notion made Baiz grin. He turned to Raul who was hiding behind a matching easy chair.

  “Go get the whore!”

  The sidekick was puzzled by the request but nodded all the same. He scurried toward the second corridor leading out of the living room.

  * * *

  Daphne had come to dread having the door to her dungeon opened. At the beginning, she always expected – dreamed about – the police showing up to rescue her. But now, every time someone came her life became more miserable. The gunfire in the distance did nothing to settle her nerves.

  She cowered on the mattress when the door was flung open. Raul rushed in and while he wasn’t as bad as that rapist, the gun in his hand made her shake with fear.

  “Come with me.”

  “No!” she replied.

  Without breaking his stride, Raul grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet. Daphne resisted.

  “Let go of me!”

  “Shut up and walk.”

  He jerked on her arm and she fought back though there was nowhere to go. Quickly, he grabbed her in a choke hold.

  “Noooo!”

  He put his gun at her head and still she clawed at him, but he didn’t let go. He dragged her to the door while she kicked and screamed.

  Chapter 30

  Ryker gave the command and the four people left ran forward into the living room. Jessica was scared but at the same time she was excited about things finally coming to an end. She was certain they were in for the final showdown.

  The Dutchman was about to light up the place with gunfire when Baiz stood up from behind the couch. In front of him was Daphne, her tortured face streaked with tears. He had the gold revolver pressed against her temple.

  “No!” Jessica yelled as she saw her friend for the first time.

  This caused Ryker to hesitate. Hubrecht and Vurnon fanned out around him, guns at the ready. Baiz was 20 feet ahead of them with his hostage and a Colombian was next to him with an Uzi.

  Jessica took a step forward, her eyes riveted on her friend. She was at once elated that she was alive, that she had been right all along about her, but simultaneously she was devastated by her appearance. She was half naked and frightened out of her wits while she sobbed against the man who was using her as a human shield.

  Looking at the scene, she forgot about everything else and she took another step forward. That’s when her entire world was knocked upside down. Someone yanked on her arm.

  “Aaaahh!”

  She wasn’t sure what was happening but things became clear when she felt a warm body pressed against her from behind. A second later, she had the muzzle of a gun to her head.

  Her scream alerted Ryker and his men and they turned to see what was going on. Hubrecht squeezed off a round instinctively but the Colombian next to Baiz was on the ball. He fired and hit the short man on the side where the bulletproof vest offered no protection.

  Jessica watched in horror as he crumbled to the ground, unconscious and probably even dead. She was overwhelmed by emotions, having been thoroughly unprepared to watch two of her team members fall in combat.

  Raul backed up, bringing her along, so they were near Baiz and Daphne. Ryker and Vurnon trained their guns on the hostage takers.

  “Are you happy now, you Dutch pig?” Baiz snarled. “You think you can come into my house and shoot my men just like that? You think I won’t get mad? You think I won’t do anything about it?”

  “Release the women.”

  “Or what? Uh, answer me! What are you gonna do?”

  “Release the women now.”

  “You’re not in a position to negotiate, Prins. I want you to put your guns down and I want you to get the hell out of my house! Do it or I kill this girl and I rape the other.”

  Ryker fumed with rage and his hand tightened on his carbine. If he dropped his weapons he would be shot dead, he had no doubt about that. Daphne was sobbing as if she expected to die at any moment. There were the stolen diamonds. There was the attempt on his life while he was walking on the beach, not to mention the various skirmishes they’d had over the years.

  But most of all there was Jessica. As the man held her firmly from behind, he saw how terrified she was even though she was putting on a brave face. His feelings for her gushed to the surface and he found it extremely painful to have her be put in this position.

  He decided he’d had enough.

  “Baiz, I give you five seconds to release both before I kill you.” Ryker said something in Dutch to Vurnon who nodded in a way that was almost imperceptible. He turned back to the drug lord. “Your time starts now.”

  The Colombian snorted and burst into laughter.

  “Five… Four…”

  Before he said the third number, Ryker pulled the trigger, blowing Raul’s head away in a cloud of blood. Jessica was too shocked to shriek. She felt the man’s body crash to the floor and she was in a daze as she watched the smuggler swivel toward her friend.

  Ryker took one millisecond to aim and fired a bullet straight into the head of Bernardo Baiz. The golden gun fell away and he collapsed next to it while Daphne covered her mouth to muffle her cries. As this was going on, the Jamaican enforcer emptied his magazine into the remaining Colombian, killing him instantly.

  The whole thing happened in less than two seconds.

  Ryker lowered his weapon but still held it securely. He hurriedly looked at Jessica, desperate to know if she was all right. She only glanced at him. She lurched forward and ran to her friend.

  “Daphne! Are you all right?”

  The redhead was still crying but there were some laughs thrown in, unable to hide her relief.

  “Talk to me, Daphne. Are you okay?”

  “Yes! Yes!”

  The two women fell into each other’s arms and Jessica had never felt so strong. She had always been the weak one, the insecure one. To be the one to comfort Daphne was unimaginable.

  “I’m sorry we couldn’t be here sooner,” Jessica said while stroking her hair and patting her back. From her appearance it was obvious she had been
assaulted, maybe even sexually. Her heart broke. “I’m so sorry…”

  “No, you came in time. Thank you, Jessica. Thank you!” After a while she asked, “How did you know? How did you find me? And who are these people?”

  “They’re my friends. I’ll tell you everything, I promise.”

  “You better.”

  Jessica raised her head and saw that Ryker was on his knees next to Hubrecht.

  “How is he?”

  “He is alive.”

  She let go of Daphne and went to the injured man. He had looked after her all night and she felt entirely inadequate about only being able to offer him sympathy.

  “He needs medical attention.”

  He produced field dressings from Hubrecht’s flak jacket and pressed it on the wound. Daphne wiped her eyes and came closer to them. For long seconds everyone’s attention was focused on the diminutive henchman as blood seeped into the bandages at an alarming rate.

  “Boss, Jessica! You need to come see this now!”

  The two of them looked at each other. Vurnon’s voice came from further into the house and he sounded excited. Ryker was hesitant to leave his fallen comrade and Jessica took over applying pressure to the wound so he could go.

  “It’s all right, go see what’s happening.”

  That’s when Daphne fell to her knees next to them. She put her hands on top of Jessica’s.

  “He called both of you.”

  “But…”

  “Just go, I got this. I need to do something or I’ll go crazy. Go.”

  Jessica nodded and Ryker pulled her to her feet. He kept her hand in his and she couldn’t think of anything more comfortable in the world. His strong fingers squeezed hers and her heart felt light.

  “Where are you, Vurnon?”

  “In here, mon! Third door on the right.”

  They followed his voice to a door that was ajar. The room was a modern study with more computer equipment and wiring than books. A lamp was on and gave the room an eerie purple glow. Vurnon stood just inside the door with his submachine gun slung over his shoulder.