Rescuing Bryn: Delta Force Heroes, Book 6

by Susan Stoker

  Before today, he hadn’t thought much about what the thing looked like, but as he and Truck talked, he knew it was what he needed in this situation. Obviously by his actions at Fletch’s wedding reception, he could be just as deadly without his prosthetic, but for this op, he’d wear the arm with the hooks on it. He’d rolled back the sleeve of the uniform to make sure it was easily seen and recognized for what it was.

  “Your wife? You misplace her?”

  Thankful that his hunch seemed to have been correct, Dane continued in an irritated tone. “Yeah. Bitch is too damn curious for her own good. I’ve told her to mind her own fucking business time and time again. But she’s not very obedient. I’ve obviously got to work on that more.”

  The man didn’t come any closer, but lowered his shotgun until the barrel was pointing toward the ground rather than at him. He also put out his hand and lowered the barrel of the shotgun the woman next to him was holding.

  “I’m not saying I know where she is, but sounds to me like you definitely need to discipline her more. Spare the rod, spoil the child and all that.”

  Dane chuckled. “Sir Thomas Moore once said that if you let your wife stand on your toe tonight, she’ll stand on your face tomorrow.”

  Dane figured he’d gone too far when the man just looked at him in confusion. He needed to be more direct. Remembering a conversation he and Bryn had had in the past, and how affronted she was by the information she’d researched, he pulled the facts from his head and put a sneer on his face.

  “You know what’s wrong with this country? There are too many fucking laws that go against a man doing what he’s born and obligated to do. How the hell we’re supposed to be men, and in charge of our families, when women are going around crying about their rights, I have no idea. It’s why I moved us to fucking Idaho. Wanted to teach her how to be a good wife. I can see you’re a real man, one who knows how to take care of business. Did you know that in India, the government added a clause into their legislation, quiet like, that says any kind of sexual intercourse by a man with his wife, whether she wants it or not, isn’t rape? Now that’s a government I could stand behind. In Lebanon, if a man marries a woman he happened to kidnap, then he can’t be prosecuted for it.”

  Dane held his breath when the man in front of him didn’t immediately respond, but was more relieved than he could say when he finally nodded. “How’d you lose the hand?” Knox drawled.

  Dane slowly lowered his arms from above his head and crossed them over his chest, making sure the hook was clearly visible. The woman next to Knox slunk off at a head jerk from Knox. He hoped like hell she wasn’t circling around to ambush him from behind. Even if she was, however, the team would take care of her.

  As if Hollywood could read his mind, he heard, “On her,” through the headset in his ear. Dane relaxed a fraction. He could now concentrate fully on Knox and not on watching his back.

  “Fucking government, that’s how. Joined the Army because I thought I was protecting freedom. Fuckers put a woman on my squad. Dumb bitch didn’t know what she was doing. Almost got me killed. Panicked the second bullets started flying. Actually screamed and shit, gave away our position and we got a fucking RPG up our ass as a result. We heard the shot and the fucking bitch actually pushed me out of the way in her hurry to get out of the tent.” Dane paused dramatically then continued. “Joke was on her, ’cause she ran the wrong way…right into the lot of them. Got what she deserved, dumb fuck.”

  Dane almost choked saying the words, but if it got him what he wanted—namely Bryn back, safe and sound—he’d say whatever it took. He sent a silent apology to all the women he’d served with. Not only had they been brave and trustworthy, they’d also been his friends.

  “So…you got my woman?” Dane asked belligerently. “She’s a pain in my ass, but she’s a great fuck. A wildcat who’s kinky as shit. Likes it up the ass.” He shrugged as if it wasn’t a big deal. “It’s why I’ve been putting up with her misbehavior. No more though.”

  “Yeah. I got her.”

  The relief that Dane felt almost brought him to his knees, but he didn’t outwardly show any emotion. “I’ve told her a thousand times not to leave town, to keep her goddamn nose in her own business. She likes to drive around looking at houses. Fucking stupid when we already have a house. I sincerely apologize for her. I know you have the right to discipline her, but I’d like to take care of that myself…if you know what I mean. I’ve got just the thing in mind too.”

  “What’s that?”

  Dane hadn’t wanted to make anything up, feeling sorry for Knox’s wife, who’d probably have to go through what he was about to say if Knox made it out of this clusterfuck alive, but Bryn was his concern at the moment. “You ever use sensory deprivation to help correct your woman?”

  “Nope. Can’t say I have.”

  “It works like a fucking charm. Put ’er in a closet or small room. Tie her hands behind her back and blindfold her. Then put a pair of earphones over her ears and a gag in her mouth. She can’t hear, see, touch anything, or speak. I swear to God, it only takes five minutes before she’ll not only agree to do whatever you want, she’ll beg for the opportunity.”

  “Interesting.”

  Dane hated the look of sick excitement that crossed the other man’s face.

  “I might be amenable to giving her back. You had her long?”

  “Nope. Not long enough to fully train her, obviously, although I’m working on it.”

  “What’s in it for me if I let you have another shot at making her obedient?”

  “In return for your…generosity, I’ve got a bunch of M295 chemical detection and decontamination kits in my truck.”

  Dane could see the man’s eyes light up in interest from where he stood almost twenty feet away. He obviously knew how hard it was to obtain them. The Army didn’t allow them to be sold, they were only being used by the military for now.

  “How many?”

  “A full box.”

  “How’d you get ’em?”

  “I’ve still got some contacts from my old unit,” Dane told the man. “I’ve got friends who think like us who’re in a biological chemical unit. They sent ’em to me, knowing I’m building my own…place…out here in Idaho. When the shit hits the fan, when this fucking country collapses under its own shit because the fucking politicians have no idea how to keep control of its citizens, I wanted to be able to protect myself and my sons.”

  “Not your daughters?” Knox asked.

  “Fuck ’em. Baby factories, the lot of them.” Dane tried not to flinch at his own words. Throwing up an apology to the heavens for any future daughter he might have, he held his breath, hoping like hell the bribe would work. If it didn’t, he wasn’t sure what else he was going to do. He had nothing more up his sleeve.

  The door to the large garage opened and Bryn’s Corolla was backed out, driven by the woman who had been with Knox.

  The prepper looked at Dane, then to the truck, then back to Dane, considering his offer. Finally, he said simply, “Deal. Wait here.”

  Dane nodded and moved his hand until it was in the front pocket of his pants. He had a pocket knife in it, but hoped he wouldn’t have to use it after all. “Obliged.”

  He hadn’t gotten the all clear from the team yet, so he had to keep up with the charade. So far it seemed like it was working, but he needed to get Bryn away from the bunker, and away from the explosives that were surely inside. They couldn’t take a chance that the crazy fucker hadn’t rigged up a remote-detonation device.

  The man disappeared around the corner of the main house again, and Dane kept his eyes away from the direction he knew he was going…to his hidden bunker, and hopefully to get Bryn.

  The woman who’d been with him got out of Bryn’s car and headed back to the side of the house. She picked up the shotgun the man had left leaning nearby and waited, staring at him blankly, not saying a word.

  Dane wanted to say something to her, to tell her to get th
e hell away from her husband, that her parents were worried about her, but he kept his mouth shut. With his luck, Knox had a microphone hidden somewhere and could listen. He couldn’t do anything to jeopardize the mission now. Bryn. She was his only focus.

  Ten tense minutes later, Knox made his way back to the house through the field behind the property. He had one hand on Bryn’s biceps and was marching her toward him. She was wearing a sack on her head to keep her from seeing where she was going and her hands were cuffed behind her, but she was walking—well, stumbling—and seemed to be all right. Dane had never been so relieved in all his life.

  He heard the click in his headset, letting him know that the team was there and in place. The bunker was secure, Knox couldn’t run back there and lock himself in. The question of whether or not the man had a remote detonator was still a concern, however.

  Letting the other man take the lead, Dane kept quiet.

  Bryn was marched up to the house but still out of Dane’s reach. “Decon kits first. Then you can have your woman.”

  Dane nodded, expecting nothing less. He’d gotten the chemical decontamination kits the week before from Truck. They were meant to go to Mr. Jasper for allowing them to tour his bunker, but thank God he hadn’t gotten around to getting them to the prepper yet. It would’ve made this entire scene that much more difficult without them. Dane had no qualms whatsoever about giving them to the dangerous man in front of him. None. Even if he thought there’d be no retribution for what the man had done to Bryn, or for being a terrorist to his own people. If it meant Bryn would be safe, he’d hand over a truckload of missiles.

  Dane ambled to his truck as if he had all the time in the world and didn’t care that his woman was being manhandled. He knew he could take both the man and his wife down easily, but not without the guarantee neither would hurt Bryn before he did. So he played his part, satisfied that the Deltas wouldn’t let this homegrown terrorist get away with what he’d done to Bryn, and whatever he was planning on doing to his countrymen. He remembered what Truck had said. Bryn was his only objective. He’d let the Deltas handle Knox and the explosives.

  Dane opened the back door of his truck and grabbed the large cardboard box with his right hand, balancing the bottom with the hook on his left. He shut the door with his hip and carried the box toward the man.

  When he was several steps away, the other man barked, “That’s close enough. Put it down.”

  Dane did as requested, and took several steps back.

  The man gestured to his wife, and she came forward and dragged the box back to where her husband was standing. The extremist leaned down and opened it, making sure it really held the decon kits. Pleased at seeing they were just what Dane had said they were, he walked toward Dane with Bryn in tow.

  When he was within four feet, he stopped and unlocked the cuffs around Bryn’s wrists. Then he shoved her hard. She stumbled, and would’ve fallen if Dane didn’t reach out and catch her. He grasped her biceps the same way the other man had and nodded. “I appreciate you looking after my property.”

  He felt Bryn shiver under his arm. She was soaking wet and trembling, but thankfully kept her mouth shut. Hold on, sweetheart.

  “You gonna discipline her now?”

  Seeing the sick gleam in the other man’s eyes that let Dane know he got off on seeing women being hurt, Dane shook his head and said as casually as he could, “Nah. I think I’ll save that for when we get home. It’s gonna take longer than five minutes for her to learn her lesson, if you know what I mean. Besides, I need her conscious to drive. Looks like you made her docile enough for now. You’ve obviously got your woman well-trained. I can’t wait until she,” Dane shook Bryn’s arm for effect, “learns that her place is to keep her mouth shut and not to think.”

  “Keep her on her back then knock her up. That’ll keep her busy.”

  “Oh, she’s gonna be chained to my bed for the foreseeable future, that’s for sure. Thank you again for your…hospitality. You won’t be offended, I’m sure, when I tell you that I hope we don’t cross paths again.”

  The other man nodded.

  Not prolonging the goodbye, Dane roughly marched Bryn to the driver’s side of her car. He wanted nothing more than to get her into his truck and get the hell out of there, but if he truly didn’t want to cross paths with Knox again, he couldn’t leave her car. Bryn had to drive herself out of there…and Dane hated it with every fiber of his being.

  He brought his right hand up and stuck it under the burlap bag over her head. He grabbed her soaking-wet hair in his fist and pulled the bag off with the hook on his other hand. Putting the cold hook of his prosthetic under her chin, more than aware the man and his wife were still watching him, he leaned into Bryn’s face and put on the show he knew Knox was expecting.

  “You disobeyed me for the last time, woman. You’re lucky I bothered to come and get your ass. I should’ve just left you here. You cost me a shitload of decon kits. You’re gonna pay for that. Get your ass in your car and follow me home. Enjoy driving, because this is the last time you’ll get to do it for a long fucking time. I’ll beat that curiosity out of you if it’s the last thing I do. Got it?”

  Bryn looked at him with bloodshot eyes but didn’t even hesitate. Her arms came up to rest on his waist and she said in a low, meek voice, “Yes, sir. I’m sorry for all the trouble I caused.”

  Dane’s hand flexed in her hair at her words. She was still shaking and looked scared, but she was keeping it together. She understood exactly what he was doing. That he was acting. That what he really wanted to do was haul her into his arms and never let go. At least he hoped she did.

  “I should give you back to your father. He’d be ashamed at how defective you are. But I like a challenge. I think I’ll take our friend’s advice and keep you on your back for the next month. Maybe I can fuck obedience into you.”

  Bryn licked her lips, but didn’t say a word. Merely nodded.

  Deciding he’d done enough playacting, and knowing he needed to get them the hell out of there so the Deltas could do their job, he let go of her and stepped away suddenly. She swayed, and if she fell to the ground it would be a disaster. Dane knew he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from grabbing her and holding her against him. Luckily, her hand shot out and caught the open car door, steadying herself and keeping herself upright.

  Fuck, she had nerves of steel. He loved her. Every inch of her. Kidnapped, scared out of her skull, soaking wet—he had no idea how that had come about, and knew when he found out, he was gonna lose his shit—she was the strongest person he’d ever met. She was one of a kind. He hadn’t thought he’d ever find a woman who could put up with him and who understood him…but he had. Bryn was his.

  “Stay on my bumper. If you so much as get two feet away, I’ll beat you even harder when we get home.”

  “Yes, sir. I won’t let you out of my sight.”

  Dane nodded and turned away. God. He needed to hold her. He had to play this out. He’d have her in his arms before too long. She was saying all the right things and he couldn’t fuck it up now.

  Without looking back to make sure she did as she was told, he strode to his truck and hopped in. He lifted his chin to Knox and turned the key in the ignition. He turned around and headed up the long gravel driveway, looking back to make sure Bryn was behind him.

  She was so close, he couldn’t see her bumper. She was doing just as he’d ordered, sticking close to him. He knew it wasn’t because he’d asked her to and more because she was scared, but he was still so very proud of her for not crumbling in the face of real danger.

  He also saw three men coming up quickly behind Knox and his wife as they stood there, distracted by the vehicles leaving their property.

  Dane realized that he didn’t once wish he was there with the Deltas. He was done being a soldier. He had more important things to do…namely, love Bryn Hartwell.

  He drove for what seemed like the longest ten minutes of his life until he came upo
n a police blockade across the road. Knowing the cops had set up the perimeter well away from any fallout that might occur if a bomb was detonated, Dane stopped his truck abruptly in the middle of the dirt road, slammed his foot on the emergency brake, and threw open his door. He was at Bryn’s car before he remembered moving, and then she was finally in his arms.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Bryn clung to Dane as if he was the only thing between her and certain death…and he had been. They both knew it. She wouldn’t have been able to escape the bunker where John Smith—or Joseph Knox, according to Dane—and his wife had stashed her. She might as well have been held captive in Fort Knox, the famous vault in Kentucky that was used to store a large portion of the gold reserves for the United States.

  With every rant and insult thrown her way, Bryn had known she was in big trouble. She couldn’t talk her way out, she’d tried, and she’d been so, so stupid, thinking she could just drive onto Knox’s property and not suffer any consequences.

  Dane had told her, but she hadn’t listened, had thought she knew more than he did about the survivalist lifestyle because of her research. Bryn knew she sometimes didn’t use common sense, and usually it didn’t bother her, but the fact that she’d not only put her own life in danger, but had risked Dane’s as well, was horrifying.

  When Knox had left her the last time, she knew when he came back, he’d probably start torturing her with more and more painful methods. The ice-cold water sucked, but it was nothing compared to what she figured he’d been planning. She’d seen an electrical cord lying nearby. She had no doubt he was going to start electrocuting her if Dane hadn’t found her.

  But when he’d come back to the bunker, he’d merely shoved a bag over her head and forced her to walk next to him. The first time she’d heard Dane’s voice, instead of being relieved, she’d been terrified. Scared she’d somehow get him killed right alongside her.