Dangerously Hot (A Hostile Operations Team Novel)(#4)
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Keeping his eye on the door, he bent and picked up the useless plastic and stuffed it in his pockets.
Then he produced a small knife from somewhere and sliced her restraints. Lucky rubbed her wrists where the plastic had cut grooves into her skin.
“I could have broken out on my own.”
“I know. But it’s nicer on your skin this way.”
“I thought you wanted us to stay bound.”
“I did. And then I didn’t.” He shrugged. “Change in plan.”
There was shouting somewhere outside their cell, and they both stiffened, listening. But no one came to the door.
Kev slid the knife back inside his cuff and she shook her head. “They should have searched you a little more thoroughly.”
He shot her a grin. “They should have. Thank God they didn’t.”
“So what’s the plan, Captain America?”
She had to have something to concentrate on other than the fact Al Ahmad was coming. This time, he wouldn’t spend days torturing her. This time, he’d make sure she suffered hard and fast. And then he’d kill her in the most painful way he could devise.
She ground her teeth together. At the very least, she’d take a chunk out of him before she died.
“We wait.” Kev shrugged. “If the plan is to take the king, Al Ahmad will be tied up for a bit. And when they open this door again, we’ll take them out. If we’re lucky, that’ll be before he gets here.”
“We don’t know how many of them there are.”
“No.” He smiled. “But we have something they don’t.”
She knew he meant the hand-to-hand-combat skills she’d spent week after week learning. Her heart thumped up a few degrees.
“You sure are sexy when you’re determined, you know that?”
He lifted an eyebrow. “You know someone’s listening to what we say, right?”
“I don’t care anymore.” She walked over and put her arms around his neck before pulling his head down and pressing her lips to his. He took her mouth passionately, their tongues rolling and sliding together as desire set up a drumbeat in her belly. She couldn’t hold it in any longer, and she didn’t want to. Whatever happened, happened. But not without her telling him how she felt.
“I love you, Kevin MacDonald. And I don’t care who knows it.”
He squeezed her tight against him. “Jesus, Lucky, you rip me inside out, you know that? You always have.”
Her heart thumped for a different reason now. “Does that mean you love me too?”
He hesitated for a long moment, and her blood pulsed slow and sticky in her veins as she waited. It was as if time slowed too.
“Yeah, that’s exactly what it means.” He tilted his head back and looked up at the ceiling. “Forgive me, Marco. And while you’re at it, can you help us out of this mess?”
She tilted her head back too, her throat tight with emotion as she gazed at the peeling plaster on the ceiling. “I hope he’s listening.”
If she expected a sign, she didn’t get one. It was eerily quiet in their prison as they stood there together and just held each other. She never wanted it to end—and yet it had to if they were going to have more than a few stolen moments together. This was a moment in which she should be elated. But instead, she felt a heavy sense of dread.
“I wish they’d get here already,” Lucky said.
“Have faith, sweetheart.”
There was a shout in the distance that rang down the metal corridors. Answering shouts sounded, and then it went quiet again. Lucky’s heart throbbed.
“Could you understand that?”
“It was too garbled.”
Kev kissed her again, a brief touch of his mouth that had her wishing she could lean into him and let herself go. “We’re getting out of here, Lucky,” he said firmly. “Never doubt it. This doesn’t end here.”
She nodded, even though she wasn’t as confident as he was. What if the team didn’t come? What if Al Ahmad had found them too? They could be blown to bits even now, their van overtaken and obliterated with a rocket launcher or an IED. Al Ahmad had to know they were coming, or he wouldn’t have been able to grab her and Kev off the street the way he had. He’d been expecting them.
The mission was compromised. And they were in grave danger.
Booted feet sounded in the corridor, running toward the cell. Kev pulled her over to the wall beside the door. “Stay back when the door opens.”
“What are you going to do?” she whispered.
His eyes looked hard. “Whatever it takes.”
Panic threaded through her then. She reached up and curled her hand around the back of his neck, pulling him down for a kiss. “I love you.”
He grinned. “Ditto, babe.”
Someone banged on the door and she jumped as it reverberated through the wall. A man’s voice shouted, “Move where I can see you. Do it now or I will kill you when I enter.”
She knew Kev didn’t understand a word the man was saying, but he also didn’t look concerned. He put a finger to his lips and she kept her mouth shut. The lock on the door clanged—and then the door slid back on the track, and the barrel of an AK-47 poked through.
Kev lashed out and grabbed the barrel, jerking the gun forward. The terrorist on the other end came with it, pulling the trigger as he did so. Automatic gunfire erupted, the muzzle flashing repeatedly as the sound echoed like a sonic boom in the empty space. Lucky put her hands over her ears instinctively.
Kev had the man partially through the door, and he still had a firm grip on the gun. “The door,” he yelled at her. “Shove it closed as hard as you can.”
Somehow she heard him. And she obeyed. The heavy iron door didn’t slide easily, but it picked up momentum the harder she pushed—and it slammed into the terrorist’s arm. He screamed and let go of the gun. Kev jerked it the rest of the way through and flipped it. Then he shoved the door open again and shot the man on the other side.
His face was grim as he looked over his shoulder at her. “Come on, we’re getting out of here.”
More shots rang out and he ducked back into the room. “Goddammit,” he breathed. He waited a few seconds, listening hard at the door. And then he sprang into action, rolling out the open door and over the body that lay there, firing the entire time. When he stopped firing, the echoes died away. Kev jumped to his feet and motioned to her.
Lucky hopped over the man in the door. At the end of the corridor, two men lay still, blood pooling on the floor beneath them. Kev took her hand and they ran down the corridor in the opposite direction. Each time they came to an opening, he stopped and listened before sweeping across it with the gun at the ready.
They finally came up to a massive door that was rolled down over what must be a loading dock. Off to the side, there was a smaller door, and he headed for it, pulling her up short when he reached it. There was no window to look out of but they both knew this had to be a door to the outside.
“No telling what’s on the other side,” he said. “You ready to do this anyway?”
“Anything’s better than waiting for Al Ahmad.”
Kev eased the door open softly. There was no noise outside it. He went through it with the gun to his shoulder. “Nothing,” he called back to her.
Lucky joined him. They stood against the wall, surveying the area. They were in shadows here, but the light on the lot in front of the warehouse wasn’t strong. It was quiet and empty.
“That was too easy,” Kev said. “It shouldn’t have been so simple to get out of there.”
Lucky’s heart thumped. “There were three bodies. I didn’t see all the men when they grabbed us, but there were three on the street and at least two in the back of the van—and one driving. So where are the other three? And were there more?”
“Good question.”
“It’s not his style to let us go after having us captured. But maybe it was just a diversion. Maybe the real trouble is still to come.”
“That’s what I�
�m afraid of.” Kev tapped his ear. “Hey, Richie, you copy? Y’all out there?”
Lucky bit her lip. “No communication?”
Kev frowned. “It’s possible the unit was damaged when they threw us in the van. But I’m getting nothing on this end. Doesn’t mean they can’t hear us though.”
In the distance, they could hear a car engine approaching. Tires squealed against pavement, and a pair of headlights grew larger as the vehicle raced toward the warehouse. Kev hunkered down behind a stack of pallets, braced the rifle against the wood, and aimed.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
The AK-47 didn’t have a scope, but he didn’t need a scope to spread rapid fire across the vehicle’s surface. Kev kept his eye on the target as his finger hovered over the trigger. The car slowed as it passed into the yard. The headlights were still aiming toward him, so he couldn’t see what kind of car it was. But the closer it got, he realized the silhouette was taller than a car. Didn’t mean it was HOT, but it could be. His finger slid to the side as he waited.
And then the van stopped about twenty yards away, and a door opened. A man stepped out and a light flashed. Morse code. Kev breathed a sigh of relief as he unfolded himself from behind the pallets. He stepped out into the meager light and waved. The man hurried toward them.
It was Hawk. “You two okay?”
Kev helped Lucky jump down from the loading dock. “Yeah, we’re fine. Three dead tangos in there. No idea how many there were or where the rest are.”
The van pulled up and the door slid open. “Hey,” Iceman said, “didn’t anyone ever teach you not to accept rides from strangers?”
Kev laughed as he let Lucky go in front of him. Iceman tugged her into the van, and Kev and Hawk followed. “Yeah, well, they made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.”
Kev put an arm around Lucky as soon as he sat down and tucked her into his side. He didn’t care if the guys had heard them or not, but now that they were safe—for the moment—he wasn’t wasting the opportunity to be close to her. This night wasn’t over, and there was still a job to do—and he had no idea what would happen next. If he had his way, he’d put Lucky on a plane out of here right now.
It wasn’t up to him though.
“We got caught behind a pileup in the city,” Matt said. “Your comm link went out but we still had the GPS. We had no idea what we’d find when we got here.”
“It’s all right. We held our own.”
“Tell us what happened.”
Nick Brandon shoved the van in gear and tore out of the parking lot while Kev repeated everything they’d been through, with input from Lucky.
“Jesus,” Iceman said. “Those are some incompetent fucks. Dude actually stuck the rifle in first? Amateurs.”
“Al Ahmad probably figured he’d finish the job at the school and then deal with you two later. Here,” Hawk said, handing Kev new pistols. Thankfully HOT traveled with extras. Kev tucked them into his holsters and breathed a sigh. It felt good to be armed again. Billy gave him a new earpiece and mic, and Kev dropped the old ones into Billy’s hand.
“Thanks for coming to get us,” Lucky said softly.
“Told you we’d have your back,” Hawk chimed in. “Though you only needed us for a ride out, it seems.”
“He might have planned it this way,” Lucky said. “Divert us, divert you—and complete his plans before we can react.”
Billy’s fingers were flying across his computer screen. He looked up and grinned. “Yeah, well, he didn’t count on the king being late. He’s running almost an hour behind schedule.”
“Copy that,” Matt said. “We’re still going in.”
“If he knows we escaped, he’ll call off his plans,” Lucky said.
Matt looked grim. “It’s a chance we have to take.”
“If he sees us there,” Kev added, “he’s going to know the game is up.”
Matt shrugged. “Either way, it’s our best chance. We have to take it.” He looked directly at Lucky. “Can you still do it?”
She pulled in a breath. “Yes. Hell, yes. He has to be stopped.”
Kev’s heart swelled with pride. She’d been through hell and back with that monster, and yet she still wanted to go after him. Tough and determined, that was his Lucky.
She pulled away from his embrace and reached for his tie. “If we’re still going in, we have to fix this.”
Her scent drove him crazy, but now wasn’t the time to do anything about it. He let her fuss over his tie, his throat feeling tight as he looked down at the top of her head. She was his now, and that thought filled him with quiet joy. His.
He was still getting used to what that meant. She smoothed his lapels and then ran her fingers through his hair. It was a sensual shock to his system. Another second and he’d grab her wrists to halt the torture, but she leaned back and studied him with a critical eye.
“There. At least you don’t look like you were in a cat fight anymore.”
She reached up and fixed her hijab a little tighter before smoothing the silk of her abaya. It was wrinkled, but there was nothing they could do about it now. He glanced at his team, saw that most of them were busy looking anywhere but at the two of them.
It didn’t matter whether they approved or not, but it bothered him that maybe they were thinking of Marco and wondering what would be happening if he were still alive. Hell, he wondered that too. But that wasn’t the hand they’d been dealt.
“There’s not going to be a lot of time,” Matt said. “We’re inserting together, and then you can make your way to the ballroom through the maintenance corridor.”
Kev nodded. It’s what he’d have chosen to do too, given the circumstances. Soon they rolled to a stop and shoved open the van doors. Billy and Flash stayed in the van to monitor the comm links while the rest of the team piled out at the rear of the school. It was dark now and there was activity near the rear entrance, but the team didn’t go that way. Instead, Matt led them to a fire escape on the side of the building. Iceman scaled it first and reported the all clear.
One by one, the rest of them went up. Kev sent Lucky ahead of him. When they hit the roof, they ran for the entrance. Iceman popped it open, and then they were inside, heading down the stairwell that came out into the school’s maintenance area.
Matt gave a signal and everyone stopped. “Everyone in position in three minutes.”
They checked their watches to make sure they were still synchronized, and then Kev drew his MK23 with the suppressor and led Lucky toward the ballroom. There was a chance they’d run into someone on lookout, but he’d deal with them effectively and swiftly if so.
Lucky clutched the tail of his jacket as they crept through the darkened corridor. They could hear voices coming from inside the ballroom and the tinkle of plates and glasses from the kitchen where the caterers had set up. There was a bright light shining from the kitchen up ahead, and men rotated in and out of the doors with trays as they went from the kitchen to the ballroom and back. Kev stopped as they got closer and pulled Lucky into the shadows.
As soon as it was clear, they hurried to another door that opened onto the ballroom, and Kev holstered his weapon.
“You ready?”
“Yes.”
He kissed her swiftly and then opened the door and they slid through. A lady looked up as they walked in, but she only smiled and went back to her conversation. Kev took Lucky’s hand and walked casually around the perimeter, studying the crowd. People milled in clusters while a string quartet played in one corner. The men and women glittered in their evening clothes. Most wore native dress adorned with shiny embroidery, but there were a few tuxedos and modest evening gowns. The school girls gathered into small groups where they talked and laughed together while their parents chatted with school officials and teachers.
A photographer circulated, snapping photos. Kev grabbed two glasses of something fizzy from a passing waiter—not champagne, since alcohol was forbidden in Qu’rim—and handed one to Lucky.
She nodded, her gaze straying over the crowd. He knew she was searching, hoping like hell to find Al Ahmad, but the truth was they didn’t even know if he would be here or not.
He took her hand again and they started to circulate. The headmaster came up to them and chatted about the upcoming article that he and Flash were supposedly doing. Kev was beginning to feel on edge the longer they stood in one place, but finally the man’s cell phone rang and he excused himself to take the call.
“King’s car just pulled up.” It was Matt’s voice in his ear. “Showtime, Big Mac.”
“Copy that.”
Lucky’s gaze collided with his. “What?”
They hadn’t given her an earpiece or a mic, so she didn’t have access to the reports coming through.
“King’s here. If our boy’s going to make a move, it’ll have to be soon.”
She searched the crowd, desperation and frustration clouding her expression. “There are too many people. He could be anyone. He could have changed his face…”
The main doors burst open a few seconds later as the king and his party strode inside. The entire ballroom sank into curtsies and bows, and a hush passed over the group. Even the quartet stopped playing.
“Six men,” Kev said softly. “Only two appear to be bodyguards.”
“Copy.”
He bowed even as Lucky curtsied. Her head was still up, studying the men, searching. And then her grip on his hand tightened as she sucked in a breath. “I think maybe… it could be… Dammit, I can’t tell.”
Kev looked at the knot of people she was watching, but he didn’t know what he was looking for. The men wore traditional robes, and they had all bent forward in deep bows. But one glanced up, his eyes glittering as he watched the king’s party. It didn’t mean anything, and yet there was a certain coldness in his gaze. Whether or not he was Al Ahmad, he definitely wasn’t a fan of the current king.