by Kelly Moore
“That’s the one we want. Did you find the house she grew up in?”
“Not yet. There are so many areas that are off-grid, and tons of mobile homes tucked into areas that were never tracked.”
“Nina mentions walking a couple miles to school every day. Pan out a radius around the elementary school,” Tate suggests.
“That shouldn’t be too hard. There’s only one school in Forks.” I can hear Honor’s fingers flying over the keyboard.
“From the sounds of it, I’m betting she lived in a run-down mobile home where junkies hid,” I tell her.
“I’ll keep looking. In the meantime, I’ll have a chopper in the air shortly. I’ll send you the coordinates where they can land.”
“Roger, that. Captain, you have anything else to add?”
“Secure the surrounding area before you move in. If I’m chasing Nina, that means she has other people doing her dirty work. I’m sure she’s set a trap for us.”
“We’ll be on alert.”
Honor has the chopper in the air, and within thirty minutes, we are strapping in our seats. Tate pulls hers tight.
“Don’t tell me you don’t like helicopters either?” Theo chuckles.
“Hate them.”
“Then you’re really going to love it when we have to jump out of this thing. There’s nowhere to land in Forks, according to Honor’s last message.”
“Great.” Her face turns green.
Within an hour, we’re within a couple miles of our target. “When we hit the ground, we’ll head due west on foot. We want the element of surprise, and this bird is too loud. It will announce our arrival,” I yell over the sound of the blades whirling around. “Get us as low as you can,” I tell the pilot.
He descends. Theo goes first. I watch as Tate says a few hail Mary’s and jumps. I dart out right after her, landing a few feet from her. We roll and get to our feet running. We don’t stop until we’re in the trees that line the property of the old run-down firehouse.
“There are two men guarding the front,” I whisper to Theo. “I’ll make my way around back. You take them out. Tate, when they hit the ground you go in the front, be ready for more to be inside. Theo, stay put in case they radio for backup.”
He starts setting up his scope, and I move between the trees to the back. One man is sitting in a chair with his head down and his rifle by his side. Once I hear the all-clear from Theo, I slowly move toward him. The step on the porch creaks, and he lifts his head. I run at him, knocking him over in the chair before he can get his hands on his weapon.
“Don’t make me kill you,” I say with my arms wrapped around his head, grasping him in a chokehold. He kicks and tries to break free, but I don’t let up. He passes out, and I draw my weapon, opening the back door.
Shots ring out, and I hear Tate telling them not to move. “Where are they?” she asks loudly.
“Fuck off!” one of them yells.
I come up behind him and slam my gun into the side of his head. It knocks him out cold. The other guy puts his hands in the air.
“They’re down there,” he indicates a door with his head. “But it’s booby-trapped. If you go inside the room, you’ll trigger an explosive and the room will go up in flames along with the women.”
“Then you’re going to show me how not to trip it.”
“I can’t do that. Ms. Pax would kill me.”
I press my gun to his temple. “If you don’t tell me, I’m going to kill you. Your choice.” I lift one shoulder.
“Okay, okay.” He raises his hands.
“Lead the way.” I follow him. “Theo, how’s it looking out there?”
“A black SUV is coming down the road.”
“Don’t let whoever it is out of the vehicle.”
“Copy.”
“Tate, stay close behind me. There is no telling what kind of condition they’re in.” She follows close behind me.
He opens the door, and it leads down a set of wooden stairs. It looks like it used to be a food pantry and storage for their gear.
“There’s a wire on the sixth step.” He points.
He steps over, and we mimic his walking pattern. “Be careful of the switch on the bottom step. You hit it, and we’ll all be dead.”
One by one, we clear it, reaching Eden and Lauryn, who are tied up, leaning against two thick water pipes. Neither one of them has their eyes open. I keep my gun in his back. “Check them,” I order Tate and hear gunfire exchange outside.
Eden’s eyes open, and she looks directly at me. “Thorn,” she cries.
“You okay?” I maintain my position.
“Water, we need water. They haven’t given us any in days.” Her lips are dry.
“Dr. Ruth, wake up.” Tate shakes her, but she doesn’t arouse.
“Stand over there.” I usher him to the other side of the room, blocking his path to the stairs. I squat and untie Eden while Tate continues trying to wake Lauryn and loosening her binds.
“I got her, you get Eden out of here,” I order Tate, and we swap places. I cradle Lauryn in my arms. “I’ve got you,” I whisper, but she doesn’t stir. My instinct is to press my lips to hers. I hide my fear that maybe we didn’t get here soon enough to save her.
The door at the top of the stairs flies open, and a man wearing all black and a mask rushes inside, shooting. Tate and Eden duck down. I place Lauryn on the ground and grab my weapon, returning fire. The other guy in the back of the room runs toward the stairs, and I hear the click the moment his foot hits the trigger. I throw my body over Lauryn when a loud boom goes off, then flames flash up the walls.
The guy that stepped on it crumples to the ground. The man at the top of the stairs falls downward, crashing on the bottom step into the flames.
Theo appears in the doorway at the top. “Get them out of here!” I yell.
Tate helps Eden up, and they make it out the door. Theo fights the flames, trying to come down. I pick up Lauryn and see a light coming from the back of the room. “There’s a window on the far side!” I holler up at Theo, and he darts out.
Smoke and fire are filling in the room. I lay Lauryn on the ground close to the wall and find a piece of wood to break the small window.
“Hand her up.” Theo pokes his head through. I cough away the smoke and bend down, lifting her to him headfirst. He lifts her under the arms and pulls her out. I jump up and grab the window sill that’s left with shards of glass and blood fills my hands. It’s a tight fit, but I manage to maneuver through it.
“Get out of here, this place is going to explode!” Theo runs with Lauryn in his arms back to the tree area, and the fire station explodes, sending me to the ground for cover from flying debris. Once it’s done raining down on me, I get up and make it over to them, and it isn’t until then that I see blood on Eden’s shirt on her left shoulder.
I kneel down and hold pressure.
“She was shot.” Tate is digging into her medical bag.
“I’m sorry,” Eden whispers, “for the things I did to you.”
“Stop talking. You’re going to be fine.”
I lift my hand to take a look. The bullet went straight through clear of any vital organs. “You’re going to be okay. I promise.”
“There’s still one man out there. Four were in the vehicle. I killed the driver and the passenger on this side. One man dead in the fire station.” Theo looks beyond the trees, and a shot rings out, nearly missing him. “Get down!” he shouts.
Tate is pulling her medical kit out. “Dr. Ruth needs fluids.” She jabs an IV into a vein.
“We are sitting ducks out here. I’m sure he’s called for backup by now.” I look around for any kind of shelter. “Over there.” I point to a run-down shack a thousand feet out. “Theo, you cover us. Once we’re inside, I’ll call for a chopper to get us out.”
Lauryn’s eyes flutter open. “Where are we?” Her voice is hoarse from the dryness.
Tate has a grip on the bag of fluids, flooding it into he
r veins.
“Do you think you can get them to the shack? Theo and I will cover you,” I ask.
She unhooks Lauryn, helping her to her feet. I turn Eden toward me. “When I say run, you go as fast as you can and don’t stop until you’re inside. Do you understand me?”
She’s visibly shaking and clutching her shoulder. “Yes.”
I reach in Tate’s bag and take out a forty-five. “Ready. Go!” I holler and step out from behind the tree, laying out a path of bullets with Theo. Eden sprints out in front, and Tate and Lauryn stumble along. Tate bends down and picks up Lauryn over her shoulder and moves quickly.
“They’re inside. You go, and I’ll be right behind you,” I order Theo. He gathers up our bags and moves. I maintain my position until he’s at the door of the shack. I see him throw the bags inside and position himself on the rickety porch with his rifle.
“Move!” he yells, and I take off in a run.
“He’s down,” Theo says as I make it to him.
“Let’s get inside and assess our wounds.” I tuck my weapon into my holster.
Lauryn has color back in her face, and Eden is holding her shoulder. “How is she?” I look directly at Tate.
“We need to get both of them checked out, but they’ll be okay.”
I connect with Honor. “We need a chopper. Get our coordinates from the satellite and tell me the closest place it can land.”
“Roger. Checking now,” she responds.
“Where’s Captain Rebel? Has he located our target?”
“He’s headed in her direction.”
“Report back to him that Dr. Ruth and the other hostage have been recovered. We’ll bring them back with us. Make sure a medical team meets us at headquarters.”
“We’ll do. I’m sending you the pickup location. Landing estimated time arrival is thirty minutes,” Honor spouts off.
“Copy.” I look at my phone to assess the distance to the landing spot. “If you didn’t shoot out the engine in the SUV, we could make it to these coordinates the same time the chopper will land,” I tell Theo.
“Only one way to find out. Cover me,” he says, and I follow him outside.
He pulls the body of the driver out of the seat and climbs inside. The engine starts, and he drives it through the grass and around several trees to park it.
“Did you see any signs of anyone?” he asks when he gets out.
“No, but that doesn’t mean they’re not headed this way. I’ll keep watch. Get the girls in the car.”
He darts into the shack and brings them out. Tate gets in the middle up front, and I get in the back with Lauryn and Eden in the middle. Theo jumps behind the wheel. I hand him my phone with the GPS coordinates.
“You okay?” I ask Eden. “Did they hurt you?”
“Not physically no, but I overheard one of them talking about selling me and that I’d bring them a lot of money. I was so scared.” She lays her head on my shoulder, and I gaze over at Lauryn.
“How about you. Did they hurt you?”
She shakes her head and looks out the window. “There’s a truck coming.” She points.
It’s headed directly toward her door. “Floor it, Theo!” My hand lands on his shoulder. He speeds up, and the truck clips the back end of the SUV, jolting us all to the side.
Theo rights the vehicle. “Put your seat belts on.” I reach for Eden’s and strap her in, then climb into the back of the vehicle, kicking out the window with my boot.
“Get down!” Eden and Lauryn duck their heads. Tate rolls down her window and aims behind us.
When they see our weapons, the truck puts distance between us. “There are four men inside. Don’t slow down and find the quickest way to get us to the chopper.”
Theo cuts through a wooded area, barely making it between trees. The truck follows us and picks up speed. We’re bouncing up and down so hard, I can’t get a good shot off.
“When we get there, nobody get out of this vehicle until I say so. Tate, I’ll hold them off from here. You get the women in the chopper. Theo, get us as close as you can.”
He nods and swerves out on to the two-lane road. When the truck following us does the same, I blow out one of their tires. It slows them, but they keep moving. “That will buy us a few seconds,” I say. “How much further?”
As I ask the question, I hear the chopper in the air, heading to the pickup point. “We’ll be there before he can land,” Theo responds and jerks the SUV into an open area. He drives around the field, allowing the chopper to set the bird down. “Hold on, I’m getting us closer.” He gets a safe distance away then swings the SUV sideways, so the driver's side is away from the chopper. He opens his door, stepping out, firing his weapon.
“Go, Tate, get them out of here.” They rush out, and I climb over the seat, helping Theo hold them off.
They come to a stop, and all four get out, taking cover and returning fire. I take out one, and Theo hits the driver. Another truck speeds up behind them, almost running over their own man. He rolls, and I get a direct hit. Theo takes down the other one, and then we both focus on the other truck that moved beyond us, closer to the chopper. We take off on foot. Theo shoots the driver in the temple. The other man is running, shooting his weapon in the direction of the chopper. I clip him in the back, and he falls flat. Theo jumps in the chopper, and I’m right behind him.
“Make sure they’re strapped in,” I yell over the blades. I climb in the front and see the pilot’s head dangling downward. There’s blood splattered and dripping from his mouth. I move quickly to unstrap him and lift him into the other seat.
“The pilot’s dead!” Eden screams. “Who’s going to fly us out of here?” Fear is embedded on her face.
“I am.” I buckle in and make adjustments before I lift us off the ground.
Chapter 9
Thorn
“Damn, from the sounds of things, I didn’t think I’d see you guys again.” Lawson slaps me on the back when I walk through the headquarters door.
“Are the medics here?”
“Yeah, they’re in the war room waiting.”
I turn toward Theo. “Bring Eden to them. I’ll take Dr. Ruth up to her office and get her settled and be back down to check on Eden.”
He nods and leads her away. She looks over her shoulder at me but doesn’t say anything. Lauryn is quiet as we ride up the loud elevator.
“We passed my floor,” she says, biting her lip.
“I know. I’m taking you to my apartment.”
“I don’t think that’s such a good idea.” She tries to stand tall but wobbles.
I catch her and wrap my arm around her waist. “I’m not giving you a choice. You need to lay down, and if you go to your office, you’ll want to work.”
She presses her lips together. “I’m too exhausted to argue with you.”
“Good,” I say as the door opens and usher her into my place. As soon as the door closes, I crush her to me. “God, I thought you were dead when I first saw you tied to the water pipe.”
A soft sob falls on my shoulder. “I’ve never been so scared in my entire life. I don’t know how you do this job.”
I put my hands on either side of her face and place soft kisses on her cheeks, nose, and forehead. “I do it to save lives like yours, but in all honesty, I’ve never been terrified until today.” I dip down and kiss her lips like I wanted to earlier. For a brief moment, she gets lost in our tongues clashing together, then she pushes away from me.
“We can’t do this.” She wipes away a tear. “This doesn’t change anything.”
“It does whether you like it or not. You and I’ve had miles and years come between us, yet we both know there’s still something that neither one of us can deny. I almost lost you before we’ve had a chance to figure it out. We owe it to ourselves to explore the feelings we have for one another.”
She pulls away. “It doesn’t matter how we feel. Neither one of us are going to give up our careers for the other, and
I won’t have you sacrifice yourself for me again. We’ve been down that road.”
I grab her by the arm and hold her against me. “You let me worry about that. I gave you up once, and I won’t do it again. All these years and I’ve never felt for anyone the way I feel about you. I thought I had let it go until I saw you in this building. One look at you and this heart of mine that I thought was dead, started beating again. It feels too damn good to stop it now.”
She steps away again. “You don’t think I’ve felt the same way all these years? It doesn’t change the fact that there is no redemption for the two of us.”
“You’re wrong about that.”
“I’ve spent several days with Eden locked up in a room with her. Half the time, they put a gag in my mouth so that I couldn’t speak. Nina told them I was dangerous with my words and that I’d try to trick them. So for hours, I got to listen to Eden talk. She made her mistakes, but she was right about one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“After you and I were together, she never had a chance to work her way back into your life. She said I stole your heart.”
“You did, but if she wouldn’t have slept with another man, you couldn’t have stolen it from her. I could’ve forgiven her anything, but not cheating.”
“She was lonely.”
“Are you making excuses for her?” I raise a brow, and my voice deepens.
“No. I’m only saying, now that I’ve been doing this for a while, I see it.”
I step up close to her. “You’ve been lonely.” It’s not a question. I can see it in her eyes.
She nods. “Yes. But we’re not talking about me. Eden was young and didn’t know how to handle a life she admittedly didn’t want. She loved you enough to try it, and it left her in an empty house for far too long.”
I move away, taking her hand and leading her to the couch. She sits, and I walk into the kitchen and grab two bottles of water, handing her one.
“It took me a lot of years to realize my marriage was wrong to begin with. You’re right. She didn’t want to be married into the military, and I forced her hand because I thought we could make it work.” I sit next to her. “The problem was, I loved my job more than I loved my wife. It’s not something I’m proud of, but it doesn’t change the facts. After you left, the year I spent with her, I grew up. I tried to forgive her for the affair and the baby, but I’d built a wall that there was no way she was climbing over. I saw her for the first time and realized that I never really loved her. I liked the idea of being settled down after moving from place to place all my teenage years. She was sweet, beautiful, and for some reason, crazy about my sorry ass.” I take a swig of my water. “She thought that entire year that I’d forget about being a SEAL.” I chuckle. “The only two things I thought about were my brothers in arms, and you. Once my agreement was up with Eden, I looked you up. You were in Germany by then. I’d read that you’d been promoted several times and had landed in a job with a SEAL team. You followed your dreams, and I chose to move on with mine, erasing Eden from my life.”
