They hurried through the jungle, staying within the edge of the tree line, so their movement wouldn’t be easily detected. By the time they reached the point nearest the end of the east wing, they were sweating and breathing hard.
Sloane removed her armored helmet long enough to wipe the sweat from her forehead. Her hand came away covered in greasepaint, and she sure as hell hoped Gina would recognize her through the goop. The last thing they needed was for Gina to scream bloody murder because she thought she was being abducted again.
“We’re in place,” said Lucas. “Anytime you’re ready, Justin.”
As soon as the words left Lucas’s mouth, the night was blasted away by a brilliant explosion on the west side of the property. Sloane felt a rush of air sweep over her sweaty face. Her chest vibrated with the rumble. The guardhouse went up in flames. Men screamed. Huge banks of security lights flashed on and a siren screamed out into the night.
Gunfire exploded from two locations. One of the machine gunners fell from the roof. The other disappeared, but Sloane couldn’t tell if he’d been hit or had taken cover. There was no time to worry about it now. She had to trust that Bella and Gage would cover them.
Sloane set off at a dead run toward their entrance point, hearing the heavy tread of both men right at her back.
Chapter 18
An explosion rattled the glass in Gina’s window. Fear shrieked through her, driving her to the floor. She covered her head with her hands, sure the glass would explode at any second.
Sirens blared and she heard heavy footsteps pounding in the hallway outside her door. A dozen angry shouts split the air. She heard someone yelling in sharp, frantic Spanish near her door, heard another man answer in a single curt word; then their shouted conversation faded as both men ran to join the fight.
A giddy corner of her soul rejoiced, knowing that kaboom had to be Sloane’s doing. That woman loved her weapons the way Gina loved shoes and chocolate.
Gina raced to her door, pounding on it, yelling for the guard to open up. No answer came from the other side, as usual.
Which meant her guard had left. The only thing standing between her and freedom was that door.
Gina picked up the heavy metal lamp and swung it at the doorknob. It bounced off, stinging her hands, but that was it.
She slammed down on it again. This time she left a deep gouge in the wood, but the metal knob was still intact.
Gina gave up the futile effort and ran to the window. Fire burned on the far side of the property. A small building was consumed by flames, and several men were trying to contain it with garden hoses. She didn’t think there was any risk of it setting the rest of the villa on fire, but she couldn’t be sure. If the fire did spread, it was a lot closer to Sophie than it was to her.
She needed to get out of here. She needed to get Sophie out of here, too. And to do that, she needed to let Sloane know where she was.
Gina ripped a page from a book on the shelf and used her lipstick to scrawl “Sloane” across the page. She slid it under the door, praying Sloane would see it when she passed.
If she passed. This place was huge with hallways sprawling everywhere. There was no guarantee Sloane would find her.
Panic reeled in her stomach, making her dizzy. She just had to hold it together for a little longer. Just a few more minutes and she’d be on her way home.
Not knowing what else to do, Gina pounded on the door, screaming, “Sloane! ” There was so much noise with the sirens going off and gunfire and people yelling, she had no idea if she’d be heard, but she had to do something—anything to help herself get out of this horrible situation.
And once she did, she was never dating another man for the rest of her life. Her taste in men had landed her here. From this point forward, she was a single woman.
Hopefully, she’d get the chance to make good on that promise.
An explosion outside sent shards of glass flying through Lorenzo’s office. Shock glued him in place for a brief moment before his body finally began responding to his commands to run.
Jeremy was faster and had moved between Lorenzo and the now broken windows. A large black pistol was in his hand as he stood ready to defend Lorenzo from whatever came.
“That was the guardhouse,” said Jeremy.
Rage pooled in Lorenzo’s belly, driving away the temporary weakness of fear. “They’re here for the girl.”
“It’s possible. Or they could be here for you. You should get into the safe room. I’ll handle this.”
“None of my enemies would dare come for me in my own home.”
Jeremy shot Lorenzo a brief glance. “They never would have dared come after your father. You are not your father.”
“Are you questioning my authority?”
Jeremy grabbed Lorenzo by the arm and dragged him toward the secret entrance to his safe room. “Do you want to scold me or do you want to live?”
Lorenzo jerked his arm away and entered the code on the hidden keypad. A section of wall slid open and he stepped into the armored room, leaving the battle to Jeremy.
After all of this was over, he’d have a talk with the man about his lack of respect, but until then, Lorenzo would have to satisfy himself with knowing he’d live through the battle.
He powered up the monitors and settled in to watch the show.
There were more guards inside Soma’s place than Lucas had thought. Either the thermals were bad or Soma had brought more men in since they’d been taken.
At the top of the stairs, a bullet plowed into the wall by Lucas’s head. He jerked back around the corner where Sloane and Riley stood on the stairwell. “There are six of them ahead that I could see. They’re blocking our path.”
“Four more men coming up on your six,” said Gage, his voice quiet and calm in the midst of all this chaos. More shots sounded from outside, equally spaced. “Three now.”
“Got it,” said Riley as he turned and aimed over the banister.
“I’ll go low,” said Sloane. “Take out a few kneecaps.”
She slid past him and the urge to grab her and haul her back pounded at his brain. The only thing that kept him in check was the fact that if he jostled her, it could cost her her life.
She crouched low, popped around the corner, fired four rounds, and was back before Lucas’s heart had time to beat three times.
“Got two of them. Wounded. Not dead.”
There was a door directly across from them, and no light spilled out from the crack underneath. “I’m going across the hall so we can plow our way through. Cover me.”
She nodded.
Behind them Riley laid down a heavy burst of automatic gunfire.
Lucas moved to give Sloane room at the corner and as soon as she let loose, he lunged for the door, twisted the knob, and slammed through the opening. He did a quick scan to make sure the room was empty before turning his back on it.
Sloane’s weapon quieted as she ran out of rounds. Lucas took over for her while she shoved a fresh magazine into her assault rifle. She’d left her favorite sniper rifle behind, but she was as capable with this weapon as she had been with all the firearms he’d seen her use.
He knew in that moment that all the future women in his life would pale in comparison to her. She was a rare find—one he was going to miss like hell.
Don’t go there. Not the time or the place.
Lucas pulled his head back in the game and took out another one of the shooters down the hall. That left only two standing, evening their odds.
“We need to move,” shouted Riley. “More men coming up the stairs.”
Right. Time to end this.
Lucas leaned out just enough to see his targets and finished one off while Sloane took care of the other.
“Let’s go,” he said.
Sloane grabbed Riley’s arm and hauled him into the hallway. They shut the door and Lucas bent the hell out of the knob with the butt of his rifle.
“I’ll make sure they don’t get
through,” said Riley as he reloaded. “You two go ahead. I’ll be right behind you.”
They ran to the bloody mess on the floor, scooping up weapons so the two unconscious men couldn’t do any more damage. Lucas shoved them both inside a room and turned the dead bolt that was conveniently on the outside of the door—likely the way Soma controlled his visitors—or hostages.
Sloane was a few feet ahead of him. “Here!” she shouted, excitement ringing in her voice.
“Sloane?” said a woman on the other side of a door.
“Gina!”
“I’m here. Get me out!”
Lucas was by her side now, and turned the dead bolt. Unfortunately the bottom lock was also engaged, and it needed a key. “Stand back, Gina. We’re going to blow the door open.”
He’d brought a shotgun with breaching rounds with him, knowing they might run into this kind of problem. Thankfully, it was a nice wooden door rather than thick metal bars that held her here.
He gave Gina enough time to comply, then fired the weapon. It shredded a hole through the wood, rendering the lock useless. One quick hammer with his foot and the door flew open.
Gina ran into Sloane’s arms, hugging her around the neck while tears streamed down her cheeks. “I can’t believe you came for me. Thank you. Thank you.”
Riley jogged up behind them. “We’re going to have company soon. Time to go.”
“We can’t leave without her,” said Gina.
“Without who?”
“Sophie. She’s being held here, too. I saw her.”
“Where is she?” asked Lucas.
“Around the corner. This way.”
Gina grabbed Sloane’s vest and tugged. They all followed after her for a few seconds until Sloane gently pushed her to the middle of the group. “I don’t want you running into any surprises.”
They’d gone around two corners when Gina pointed down the hall. “There. Third door down.”
Behind them came the sound of booted feet and angry voices.
“Time’s up,” said Sloane.
Riley’s jaw clenched. “I’ll get Sophie. You two get Gina out.”
“You’ve got to kill Soma,” said Gina, her face pale with panic.
“We’re working on it,” said Sloane. “We’ve got sharpshooters on the job. As soon as they have a shot, they’ll kill him.”
Before anyone could argue more, Lucas was going to take the opportunity to get both women. He handed the shotgun to Riley. “It’s loaded with breaching rounds.”
“Thanks,” said Riley as he slung the weapon’s strap over his head.
“This way,” said Lucas. He practically shoved Sloane forward to get her moving, but at least she went.
“I don’t like leaving either of them here,” she snapped.
“I know, but this is the best way to keep Gina safe. You said Riley was good. Let him do his job.” And if he couldn’t, Sloane and Gina would still be safe.
They came up to the next corner and saw three men heading their way. Lucas fired before any of them had time to react.
They had to step over the dead bodies, and Gina balked for a second before Sloane took a tight hold on her arm and propelled her forward. “Don’t think, just move.”
A low, pitiful sob erupted from Gina’s mouth, but she kept walking.
Finally, they reached the top of the massive staircase. The only way out was down and the foyer was flooded with at least a dozen armed guards.
Lucas jerked back, but not before he’d been seen. “Shit. The exit’s blocked. Time for plan B.”
“Plan B?” asked Gina.
“Break out a window, rappel down to the ground.”
“Right.” Sloane turned and went back to the first door along the back wall of the villa. She shoved her way through and went to the window, with Lucas and Gina right on her heels.
She pushed the window up, checked outside, and pulled her head back in. “Hold on one sec,” she said. Then she pointed her rifle through the opening and fired. “Okay. We’re good now, but not for long.”
“I hear you,” said Bella. “We’ll cover your exit.”
Lucas made quick work of securing the line to the leg of a massive bed, then clipped a harness onto Gina.
Sloane slipped her rifle’s strap over her head. “I’ll go down first.” And then she stepped out of the window before he had a chance to argue. “Gage, Bella, we’re coming out through a window on the south side. Don’t shoot us.”
“I’ll help you down,” Lucas told Gina. “All you have to do is trust me, okay?”
Gina’s chin wobbled, but she held it together. He clipped her harness to the line and helped her out the window where she dangled fifteen feet over the ground. It wasn’t far, but it was far enough for someone who was already scared shitless.
Lucas controlled her descent as he went, easing her harness down the line. Sloane was waiting on the ground, and helped her friend until her feet were where they belonged.
A bullet ripped a chip of concrete from the ground only two feet away. Lucas shoved Gina toward the measly concealment of some nearby bushes and fired back up toward the window.
Riley heard the guards going after the others and pressed himself into a doorway, hoping they wouldn’t see him. He counted ten men as they passed, all seriously armed.
Who the hell was this Soma guy and why did he have his own freaking army?
Behind him, he heard a frightened, feminine voice come through the wooden door. “Hello? Can somebody please tell me what’s going on?”
Riley pressed his mouth close to the door. “Sophie?”
“Who’s there?”
There was little time for introductions right now. He had to get her out of here while he still could. “My name is Riley. I’m here to help you, but I need you to listen very carefully, okay?”
“Y-yes.”
“Move away from the door. Cover your head with something—your arms if you have to. I’m going to blast it open.”
Her voice sounded small and terrified. “Okay.”
Riley gave her a few precious seconds to comply, then blew a hole through the door. The noise was deafening, but with all the sirens and gunfire going on, he doubted anyone could have distinguished it from the rest of the racket.
Sophie was crouched in the far corner of the room, clutching a pillow over her face and body. She was small enough that it covered most of her, which made Riley’s protective instincts kick up a notch.
He tried to keep his voice calm, but adrenaline was riding him hard, roughening his edges. “We don’t have much time. Let’s go.”
She moved the pillow as she stood. Her thick hair fell in a braid over her shoulder. He couldn’t tell what color it was in the light streaming in through the window, but it wasn’t very dark. Her eyes were huge and shimmering with tears that made him want to pull her in for a long, hard hug.
Too bad there wasn’t time for that kind of indulgence.
He held out his hand, knowing that the way he looked now—armed and covered in paint—had to be frightening, but there was no help for that.
She moved so slowly it made him want to shout for her to hurry, but he held back. She extended a shaking hand and Riley closed his dirty fingers over hers. Her skin was cold and clammy, but so smooth he found himself running his thumb over the back of her hand.
It was late, and she was wearing a loose, knee-length nightgown. It wasn’t cold enough to worry about the lack of clothing, but her bare feet were going to be a problem. “Where are your shoes?”
She pulled her hand away and reached under the bed. Little flimsy sandals dangled from her hand, but they’d have to do.
“Put them on. Hurry.”
He needed to get her out of here before it was too late. The question was, which way to go? He’d heard Lucas say the front exit was blocked. The only thing he could think to do was take a chance that there’d be a matching staircase in the opposite, western wing of the mansion. If not, they were out of luck b
ecause they’d only planned to rescue one civilian, and Lucas was the one with the rappelling gear.
Into his lip mic, he said, “I’m heading out through the west wing. Need some support.”
“On my way,” came Gage’s calm voice.
“I’ll handle the east end,” said Bella.
Sophie slipped the sandals on and was back on her feet, looking to him for guidance. The amount of trust shining in her pale eyes was enough to make him squirm. And oddly, at the same time, it puffed him up knowing she willingly put her life in his hands.
Riley took her hand, curled her fingers around a strap on the back of his tactical vest so she could hold on, and said, “Stay close and stay quiet.”
Chapter 19
Sloane was faster than Lucas. Her first rounds had already left the shooter dangling out the window, dripping blood onto the concrete below before Lucas even had time to aim.
Another man appeared in the window a second later, and this one wasted no time sighting his targets. Lucas shoved Sloane as he leaped aside, wanting to be anywhere but where he’d been a second ago.
As he flew through the air, he saw the man in the window jerk and a pink spray bloomed out from his neck.
“Got him,” said Bella in Lucas’s ear.
The bodies shifted—likely being pulled away to make room for the next man in line. Lucas wasn’t going to wait for that to happen. They needed to be able to run without fear of getting shot in the back.
He pulled a grenade from his vest and lobbed it through the opening. “Run!” he shouted, scooping up Gina by the arm as he hauled ass toward their rendezvous point.
Sloane ran backward, sending a few more rounds into the window to keep the bad guys’ heads down.
Seconds later, the grenade went off.
Sophie did her best to keep up with Riley, but the pace he set was so fast she had trouble. At least the cramps she’d been having all day had eased. Not only had they scared her to death—making her think that something was wrong with her baby—she was sure she wouldn’t have been able to run like she was now if they’d continued.
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