by Kelly Moore
Maxim starts prepping a syringe.
“Hold off on that. I may need to toss his ass from the chopper if Derrick gets too close.” I don’t want to kill him if I don’t have to. If he’s awake, he’ll have a fighting chance. He’s nothing more than a tool for me to snare Derrick.
“Your boyfriend is proving to be one lucky son of a bitch. I can’t believe he cleared the yacht before my bomb went off.” Maxim snarls.
“He’s not her boyfriend,” Fallon says.
“Oh, sister, he’s so much more than you think.”
“I’m not your sister,” she snarks.
“I think someone is overly sensitive.”
“Where are we?” Sean’s eyes are glazed over, looking around. “Fallon,” he says.
She reaches over and holds his hand. “She’s had you drugged. Don’t try to fight her.”
“Are you okay?” he asks her.
“I will be once this is over with.” She glares at me with so much heat I feel my skin burn.
“Does my brother have any idea where we are?” he asks her.
“I’ve left him breadcrumbs to follow, and he’s a smart man,” I answer for her.
“You want him to find us?” Fallon’s eyes light up. “You know he’ll kill you when he catches you.”
I tap my finger to my chin. “Do I? Hmmm…I’m betting he won’t.”
“You’re going to lose that bet,” she hisses.
“If he doesn’t, I will.” Sean’s gaze cuts through me.
“You’re not the killing type.” I laugh. “You’re the sweet one, not a soldier.”
He jerks at his binds, and Maxim levels a gun at him.
“That’s where you’re wrong. I’ll kill for my family.”
“Boss lady, there’s a chopper flying blind toward us. He’s catching speed,” the pilot says.
“It’s time to have a little more fun with Derrick.” I unbuckle and get in the back. “You get ready to shoot at them,” I order Maxim, “but make sure you don’t kill him. If you get a good aim, take out one of his men.”
I drag Sean off the ground. “Time to use my pawn.” He fights against me, trying to shrug out of my grasp. Fallon sticks her foot out, tripping me. I smack my chin hard on the metal floor, pissing me off. I roll over, and Maxim has a gun aimed at Sean’s temple and a fist in Fallon’s hair, yanking it back.
I wipe the blood from my chin and stand. “If she tries anything again, kill her,” I order him. I pull a gun out of a bag and stick it in Sean’s chest. “Move.” I push him to the open door. “Slow down, let him get closer,” I shout over my shoulder to the pilot.
I turn to see Maxim hit Fallon with the butt of his weapon, and she crumples to the ground. “She won’t be giving us any more trouble.” He stands over her with an evil smile.
I hear the chopper blades before I see them. Maxim takes aim, and I see Derrick pointing a high-powered weapon back at him. I push Sean to the edge and hold him by the shirt collar. I look down over his shoulder into the black water. The pilot flies us within forty feet of the ocean. Neither men shoot their weapons but hold steady.
“When I say the word, you fly this baby up as fast as you can and get the hell out of here,” I yell to the pilot.
I move Sean to the side so Derrick can get a view of Fallon on the floor. I see the anger fill his face even from this distance. I lift one hand and wave at him, then shove Sean as hard as I can out of the chopper. “Now,” I yell.
The pilot jerks upward and increases his speed at the same time. I look back to see Derrick’s chopper has slowed, and they’re circling with a light over the water, looking for Sean. I sit on the floor next to Fallon, waiting for her to wake up. I can’t stop myself from brushing a wisp of hair from her face. “Please don’t make me kill you,” I whisper.
She moves slowly, rubbing the side of her head. When her eyes finally open, she’s frantic.
“Where’s Sean?” She tries to stand, but I yank her to the ground.
“He went for a swim.”
“Oh, god, no!” She starts to cry.
“You have one chance to make this all go away. I’ll give myself up and never try to harm Derrick or his men again.”
“What is it you want?”
“You’ll walk away from him, never to see him again. If you do, I’ll come back with a vengeance and kill all of them.”
“I’m not going to walk away. He’ll find you and end this with you six feet under.”
I laugh. “Don’t say I didn’t give you a chance. His life is in your hands.”
“Is this really about him, or is it something else?” She straightens her body against the wall, trying to psychoanalyze me.
“That’s something you’ll have to figure out before it’s too late.” I raise my shoulder nonchalantly.
“If you’re going to kill me, just do it! I’m tired of your games.”
“If I wanted you dead, I would’ve placed my aim a little higher.” I point to her stomach.
“Then tell me what it is you want!” she screams.
“I want what I deserve.” I purse my lips together before they can quiver, showing any sign of emotion.
“You deserve death for the things you’ve done. Besides, I thought your only motivation was money, and you have plenty of it.”
I let my head fall back. “I do, but I find myself wanting something else, or should I say someone else.”
“Rebel,” she says.
“I want a life I never had.” I look at her, longing for our lives to be switched.
“What was your life like that turned you so evil?” she asks.
“Hell. It was a living hell. My father died in his sleep from an overdose. He laid in the bed two days before my mother came out of her drug-induced stupor and realized he was dead. I was a child and thought he was sleeping.” I’d only ever written these words in my journal; saying them out loud makes my stomach turn.
She reaches over and touches my arm, and I stare at her hand. “I’m so sorry,” she whispers. My gaze travels to her eyes, and she looks so sincere.
“After he died, my mother needed to make money, so she became a whore, dragging all kinds of men through our house. When I turned thirteen, she decided I was old enough to earn my own keep.” The words are out of my mouth before I realize my own admission.
“That’s terrible.” I see pity in her eyes, and it unnerves me.
I stand abruptly. “She got what she deserved in the end.”
“You killed her, didn’t you?” Her mouth hangs open.
“You don’t get to judge me for the things I’ve done. You’ve no idea what it was like growing up in that hellhole. You were lucky to be adopted by parents who adored you, but they made you weak.” I squat in front of her. “You don’t get a man like Derrick.” I brush a piece of hair out of her face.
“And yet, I’m the one he loves.” A snarky grin covers her face. And that fragment of a connection I was feeling for her is gone.
“We’ll see who he chooses in the end. A life with a woman that can give him everything or a woman that doesn’t even know who she really is.” I raise a shoulder.
“I know who I am, and he loves me, not you.”
“You’re so damn naive.” I wave her off.
“Where are we going?” she asks.
“Home.” I take my seat in the front of the chopper. I close my eyes and visions of my childhood that I’ve tried to forget plays out before me. Wishing my life to be different doesn’t change anything. It’s made me who I am. Evil, some may say, but a strong, focused woman, taking what I want out of life. So why has what I wanted suddenly changed? Why do I need Derrick? Is it because of her? I gave her a life, and she has what’s mine. He’s the only man I’ve ever come close to feeling what love could be like. Am I willing to sacrifice more to get what I want? The answer is yes. I guess that does make me evil.
“We’re thirty minutes out, and there’s a car waiting for you,” the pilot says, jerking me out of m
y thoughts.
“Tell them to keep watch. Once Derrick has pulled his brother out of the water, he’ll come after us.”
Chapter 12
Thorn
“There he is!” Rebel points out into the water.
I maneuver the chopper so the light is beaming on Sean. He’s floating face up, but he’s not moving.
“Sir, you take over the chopper, I’ll go down.” I start unbuckling, and he takes the controls.
“He’s my brother. I’ll go!” he snaps.
“That’s exactly why you need to let me do it, sir.” I ignore his order and get out of the pilot seat, picking up the rope and some gear.
“I’ll go,” Mad Dog growls.
“I don’t have time to argue with either one of you.” I push him aside.
Remington fastens clips to himself. “I’m going in with you.”
Rebel takes over the chopper, moving us closer to the water. Ripples from the blades pushing the water start to form around Sean, splashing into his face. “That’s close enough,” I yell. “We don’t have a basket to lift him, so I’ll fasten him to me.” I clip hooks to my uniform and pull a rope through them. Then I take the thicker rope and throw it off the edge, dangling feet from the water. “I’m going in,” I say seconds before I plunge into the ocean. Remington jumps right behind me. I surface, catching my breath that the cold water stole, swimming over to Sean, hoping like hell he’s still alive.
“Sean!” I grasp onto him. His eyes open, but he doesn’t speak. “I’ve got you, man.” I tie the rope around his waist, and Remington carefully supports his head. Blood pours from his ears, and I know I have to move quickly. I attach him to me and motion for Rebel to move closer. As the rope drags the water, I grab on. Mad Dog starts pulling us up, leaving Remington in the ocean. Sean gurgles the water from his lungs as we lift higher.
“I can’t hear anything,” he rasps.
I tug him closer to me so that he knows I got him. As soon as I can reach the ledge of the chopper, I pull him and myself up with the help of Mad Dog dragging us inside. I unfasten Sean and lay him flat on the floor of the chopper. His eyes drift closed, and he passes out. Mad Dog works on getting Remington out of the water.
“We’ve got to get him to the hospital.” Rebel glances over his shoulder at me.
“Get on the radio with Honor. Tell her to call Dr. Ashe Manning. Tell him to meet us at the main Portland Hospital. Have her ask him how long it will take him to get there.”
I nod. “Honor, can you hear me?” I yell over the noise of the blades and cover one ear to listen.
“I’m here.”
“We’ve got Sean. He’s badly injured, and we’re flying him to the Portland Hospital. Get clearance for us to land. Captain says to call Dr. Ashe Manning.”
“He’s a neurosurgeon. The best in the country,” Rebel says loudly.
“Neurosurgeon,” I repeat.
“MTA Crisis Division,” Rebel adds.
“He says he’s with the MTA Crisis Division.” I pass the information on to Honor.
“Found him,” she says.
“Tell him Sean needs his help. He’ll come.” Rebel increases the speed of the chopper.
“Evidently, he knows Sean. Tell him he needs him.”
“Will do.” Honor disconnects.
“He’s not breathing,” Mad Dog says and feels for a pulse. He shakes his head, and Remington starts chest compressions.
“Don’t you fucking die on me!” Rebel hollers over his shoulder.
After two rounds, we have him back. The radio beeps in my ear.
“You’re clear to land on the rooftop. Tell Captain Rebel that Dr. Manning was just boarding a plane in Seattle. He’ll meet you in Portland.”
“Roger that,” I respond. I watch over Sean, whose breathing is shallow, until we’ve landed. A medical team meets us and loads him on the gurney.
A man dressed in blue scrubs walks up to Rebel. “I’m Dr. Hayden. Dr. Manning called me and asked me to cover for him until he gets here.” Rebel shakes his hand. “How far out is he?”
The doctor glances at his watch. “His plane should land in thirty minutes.”
Rebel turns to Mad Dog, “Get a car. Meet him at the airport.”
Without a word, Mad Dog leaves the rooftop. Rebel turns toward me and Remington. “You two find out where Nina’s chopper was heading and go after her.”
“I’ll get on the horn with Honor and see if she got our satellite feed back up.” I follow him inside, and the doctor and his team disappear behind double doors with Sean in tow.
Rebel paces the waiting room, wearing a path in the carpet, and I call Honor. “Have you gotten us back online with the satellite feed?”
“Yes. They’re tracking between Oil City and La Push, Washington.”
“Get the map pulled up,” I bark at Remington, who’s been leaning against the wall.
He locates the area on the map. “Forks,” he says like he recognizes the name.
“You know this area?”
He nods.
“What’s in Forks, Washington?” I ask Honor.
“Nina is from there. We’ve been trying to locate an exact position, but the place is so remote in some areas that we haven’t been able to pinpoint it.”
Remington snatches the phone out of my hand. “Tell me what you have?” His eyes grow wide as he listens, and Rebel stops his pacing, making his way in our direction.
“I know this location,” Remington says.
Rebel grabs his shoulder. “How do you know?”
His throat bobs as if he’s swallowed something hard. “I was born there.”
“I thought you were from Florida?” Rebel’s brows draw tightly together.
“I consider Florida my home. This was a pit stop into a nightmare for me.”
“Did you know Nina?”
“If the information that Honor has is correct, she lived down the dirt road from me. It used to be a small trailer park off-grid. Nothing but druggies and prostitutes lived there. My father owned the meth lab that her parents used to buy from.”
“Can you locate it from the air?”
“Sure, but you can’t land anywhere near there. It’s all forest.”
A big man in a gray T-shirt and a pair of faded jeans bursts through the door and walks straight toward Rebel.
“Derrick. It’s been a while,” he says, sticking out his hand.
“Thanks for coming, Ashe.”
“I’d do anything for Sean, and you know it. I’m just glad I was on this side of the country when you called.”
“How’s Aedon?”
“Still putting up with my sorry ass.” He chuckles. Then he grows serious. “Dr. Hayden called me as soon as Sean arrived. He has him in the operating room waiting on me. As soon as I’m done, I’ll come find you here.” He walks backward as he talks until he gets to the double doors.
“How do you know him?”
“Sean lived in New York for a brief period of time. He went to college out there to learn business, and he bartended on the side. The med school students used to hang out there. He and Sean became friends. He sobered him up many times. He’s the best in his field and has one hell of a wife. Enough about that. I need to stay here for Sean, and the two of you need to get your asses to Forks and rescue Fallon.” He slaps me on the shoulder and grabs the phone from my hand, putting it on speaker.
“Honor. Remington knows this place. Get him and Thorn wings.”
“Sir, there’s something else you should know. I’ve been trying to tell you.”
“What is it?”
“The journal that Tate found at the building in Seattle, there was a letter of DNA testing inside of it.”
“So what? She ran geNetics. I’m sure she has all kinds of test results.”
“Sir, it was a sample from Fallon.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Fallon’s bloodline matches that of Nina’s.”
“What are you saying?” Re
bel looks like his head is spinning.
“I’m saying that Nina and Fallon are related. In the journal, Nina talks about a sister that she left at a fire station.”
“It can’t be,” he utters in disbelief.
“I remember my father telling me there used to be two children that lived there. He said he thought maybe the baby died. The parents didn’t want either one of the girls, and the baby disappeared.” Remington is scratching his head as he speaks.
“Fuck,” Rebel says.
“That doesn’t make any sense. Why would Nina want to hurt Fallon if they’re sisters?” I look at him, and he has the same look of confusion that I have.
“I don’t know, possibly out of some twisted jealousy.” He snaps his fingers. “She always said that Fallon looked like her.”
“Do you think she knew from the beginning?” I ask.
“The letter is dated not long after Fallon was taken the first time,” Honor interjects.
“When she was being tested to help her sister,” Rebel adds.
“Wait, I’m lost.” Remington scratches his head again.
“It’s a long story. The short of it is, Fallon’s adopted sister needed a kidney transplant, and she wanted to be a donor.”
“And she sent a sample off to Nina’s company.” The lights go off in Remington’s eyes.
Rebel touches the end of his nose. “Bingo.”
“Fallon has no idea,” I say, stating the obvious.
“You have to get her back before she finds out. I don’t want Nina being the one that tells her. I’m not sure she can handle that kind of news. In fact, I’m not sure I ever want her to know the truth. We already have orders to take Nina out. You make sure that happens before she has a chance to tell Fallon.” He points at me as he spouts off orders.
“One more thing, sir,” Honor says. “Nina wrote in her journal that she killed her own mother with an overdose of drugs. I wouldn’t put anything past her when it comes to Fallon.”
“Shit. The story keeps getting worse. Let Thorn know when you have wheels set up.” He ends the conversation.
