by Anna Blakely
He pushed her toward one of two compact cars parked a few feet in front of them.
“This is where we part ways,” Walker pulled a fob from his pocket and started one of the cars. “Good thing I had you transfer the money before the shit hit the fan. Man, Edric. Looks like you’d better take a cue from my playbook and vanish to someplace far away from here.”
“Just go!” Yavuz told the man angrily as he pointed his gun at Walker. “Go, now, before you end up like Achim.”
Adrian Walker laughed. “Oh, Edric. I do think I’m going to miss you a little bit.” When he turned to Gracie, his smile dimmed. “Good luck, Miss McDaniels.”
Yeah, right. “Fuck you,” Gracie shot back, making Walker’s smile grow wide again.
“I hope you make it out of this, Gracelynn. I mean that.”
Oddly, he actually sounded as though he did.
Two minutes later, Gracie watched as Adrian Walker drove his car up the wide exit ramp and disappeared into the sunlight.
“Get in.”
Yavuz pushed her again before walking around to the driver’s side of the car. She stumbled, nearly falling to her knees in the process.
Once she’d regained her footing, Gracie stopped and looked at the black car.
If you get in there, you’re dead.
It was the same thought she’d had the day Achim and Walker had tried to abduct her in front of the office. It rang true then, and the probability was even higher, today.
Raising her chin, she looked Yavuz in the eye and said, “No.”
He pointed the gun at her again, enunciating every word as he spoke through his teeth. “Get. In. The. Car.”
Though, she was beyond frightened, Gracie stood her ground. Taking in a deep breath, she exhaled slowly before repeating, “No.”
For the second time in only a few minutes, Edric Yavuz pulled the trigger.
“Ah!”
Gracie cried out, her right hand immediately going to the wound on her upper left arm. Blood seeped through her fingers and began to drip onto the concrete floor next to where she stood.
“The next one goes into your head. Now, get in the fucking car.”
Someone pounded on the door they’d just come through. Though it was muffled, she could hear Nate yelling her name. At least, she told herself it was him.
Gracie wanted to fight. Could picture herself either running back toward the door or up the ramp leading out into the open. Either way, she knew exactly what would happen.
If she ran, Yavuz would shoot her in the back and take off. When Nate finally did make his way into the garage, he’d find her lying on the ground. Dead.
No way could she do that to him. Nor, would she give up that easily.
Gracie reached for the door handle.
Slick with blood, her fingers slipped on the first try. Fearful he’d shoot her again if she took much longer, she got the best grip she could and tried again.
The door opened that time and Gracie slid into the passenger seat. Feeling a bit lightheaded she shook her head to clear it. She had to stay focused if she had any chance of making it out of this alive.
Now that she was seated and actually had time to think, her adrenaline rush was beginning to subside and pain unlike any she’d ever known began to burn through her arm.
She inspected the wound as best she could, thankful the bullet only grazed her. But, holy shit, it hurt.
The car tilted to her left as Yavuz sat down in the driver’s seat. He quickly closed his door and pushed the button to start the car’s engine.
Shifting into reverse, the monster shot the car backward. Tires squealed and Gracie was thrown back against the headrest as he threw it in drive and sped toward the ramp.
Just then, Gracie thought she heard someone yelling at them, again. Believing it to be wishful thinking, she ignored it. It was a waste of time to daydream, and she was definitely short on time.
She heard it again.
Blinking against the slight dizziness, she spun around in her seat, unable to believe what she saw.
Nate was running toward her as fast as he could with Matt following closely behind. They’d somehow managed to get past Yavuz’ secure door and now Nate was chasing after her as if his life depended on it.
Her heart swelled to the point she thought it would burst. Gracie hated knowing he was risking his life for her again, but at the same time, she fell in love with him even more because of it.
She tried opening the door, ready to jump out, but it remained closed.
“Child locks,” Yavuz smirked beside her.
Damn. She was trapped.
Desperate to get as close to him as she could, Gracie clawed her way to the back seat and pressed the palm of her good hand against the back windshield’s cool glass.
She knew the minute he saw her. His steps faltered, but only for a fraction of a second. He sped up then, clearly determined to catch up to her, even though Gracie knew it was an impossible feat.
The blood on her hand smeared across the clear surface, but all Gracie saw was Nate. She could tell he was favoring his right arm, and she hated herself once again for being the cause of his pain.
She screamed his name as loudly as she could. Again and again, she called for him, but it was no use.
Yavuz had picked up speed and daylight filled the car as they exited the garage. Dust and gravel spewed out from the tires as they went from the smooth surface onto a dirt road leading away from the tunnel.
Looking up, Gracie realized they’d come much farther from the house than she’d originally thought.
Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Zade, Gabe, and a man she’d never seen before came running across the grass toward them. They were carrying very large guns, the one she didn’t recognize halting his forward progress in order to get a good shot.
Yavuz saw this, too, and lowered his window. He stuck his pistol out the open space and fired wildly, splitting his attention between the road in front of them and the deadly threats to their side.
The stranger returned fire.
Glass from the driver’s side mirror shattered when one of the bullets slammed into it. Gracie screamed and ducked.
The shooting stopped, then. Through the back window she watched Nate running with all his might, still trying to catch up to them. But even from a distance, she could see the anger and fear in his eyes as he realized what she already knew.
It was too late. There was no way for him and the other men to catch up to her. And once Yavuz was far enough away, he’d kill her.
The thought of just sitting and waiting for this heartless beast to ruthlessly execute her—especially when she still had no idea why—angered Gracie beyond description. But what could she do?
She’d been beaten and damn near starved. They’d given her some type of drug and she’d been shot, for Christ’s sake. She held back a hysterical laugh, thinking the odds most definitely did not seem to be in her favor.
Gracie glanced down at her throbbing arm. She thought maybe the bleeding was slowing, but was so light-headed now, she was having a hard time focusing.
Maybe I’ll pass out before the end comes.
She shook her head, unwilling to give up now. She’d come too far and fought too damn hard to just sit back and wait to die.
Gracie made a decision, then. If these were to be her last moments on this earth, she refused to spend them willingly surrendering her life to this man. A life she’d never get to have with Nate.
She looked out the front windshield. The road they were travelling on was leading them to what looked to be a river or lake.
There was a narrow, wooden bridge they had to cross in order to get to the other side. Neither the bridge nor the body of water was overly large, but they’d work for what she had in mind.
She damn near smiled at the idea that had formed. Gracie glanced at Yavuz, whose attention was split between what was in front of the car and the road behind them.
Perfect.
Her plan became clearer the closer they got to the bridge. Eyeing both it and its distance to the water below, she sat back and waited.
She would do everything in her power to survive this, but if she was going to die today—and it was looking like she would—at least she’d die knowing she fought to the end.
“No!”
Nate ran toward the car, but it was too late. He was too late. It had taken too long to hack into that goddamn lock, and Yavuz had slipped right through his fingers. With his Gracie.
Stopping in the middle of the road, his chest heaved and his heart broke. He could barely see the back of the car, now.
With his hands on his hips, Nate hung his head between his shoulders and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to fight against the helplessness threatening to take over.
After a few deep breaths, he stood straight again and stared at the empty, dust-covered road. His mind was a melting pot of swirling thoughts and numbers. He worked to calculate Yavuz’ speed and the distance he’d already travelled.
Nate then figured up the time it would take to run back to their vehicles so the two teams could catch up to the car.
He was still trying to come up with a plan of action—one that didn’t end with him losing the best thing in his life—when one of the two Jeeps pulled up next to him.
“Get in!”
Nate’s head swung up and around. Behind a cloud of dust, he saw Ghost behind the wheel and Gabe and Matt sitting in he back.
A rush of hope flourished once more as Nate jumped up into the passenger side. Ghost took off down the road, his booted foot slamming the gas pedal down to the floor before Nate’s ass even hit the leather seat.
“Go! Go! Go!” Nate yelled, slamming the palm of his hand onto the dashboard. Renewed hope billowed throughout his veins as the four men sped down the dirt road.
Ghost glanced over at him, and Nate instinctively knew he was assessing his mental status.
“I’m good. We’ll get her,” Nate told the other man, his determination clear.
“Fuck, yeah, we will,” Matt exclaimed from the back.
Gabe agreed. “Didn’t come all this way to lose her now.”
Nate was never more appreciative of his teammates as he was right then. They were ready, willing to fight to the death to help him get Gracie to safety.
Hang on, baby. We’re coming.
Until now, Nate hadn’t allowed himself to think about it, but he’d seen the blood. He hated that she’d been hurt, but at least she was alive.
Nate damn near lost his shit when they’d come up on Achim Akmar’s dead body. At first, he’d thought it was Gracie lying there in that tunnel.
Then, his heart shattered into a million pieces seeing her in the back seat of the car like that, with her bloody hand pushed against the glass, neck strained from screaming his name.
In the end, it was the look in her eyes that really got to him. The fading hope spreading over her face as she got farther and farther away had cut him deep into his soul.
Nate didn’t know how he’d go on if he lost her.
“There they are!” Gabe pointed toward them from the back seat.
That spark of hope he’d been holding on to erupted as Ghost sped to close the gap between the two vehicles.
Nate saw a bridge up ahead, but knew they’d never make it in time to keep Yavuz from crossing it. They’d have to wait until they got to the other side to intervene.
That was fine. They were covering a lot of ground and getting closer by the second.
Ghost drove like a NASCAR driver, expertly weaving back and forth over the dirt road to avoid the many potholes. The entire time, the man never took his eyes off their target.
Like Ghost, Nate’s gaze remained glued to the car in front of them. They were about fifty yards away from Yavuz, but Nate was confident they’d be able to stop him once they’d crossed the lake.
The car drove onto the low-lying, wooden bridge. It appeared to be about fifteen feet from the water’s surface. He just prayed the damn thing would hold the weight of both vehicles.
Nate was mentally planning for what needed to happen once they’d crossed, when Yavuz’ car suddenly veered sharply to the left.
“What the hell?” Ghost muttered, gripping his steering wheel a little tighter.
The four men watched as the car then shot to the right just as forcefully, nearly hitting the protective railing on that side of the bridge.
Nate’s heart slammed against his ribs. “What the fuck is he doing?”
“Oh, shit,” Gabe called out from the back. “It’s not him. It’s her.”
“What?” Nate asked from over his shoulder.
Having positioned himself in the center of the bench seat, Gabe was using his tactical binoculars to watch the car in front of them.
“What’s happening?” Nate demanded an answer.
Gabe lowered the binoculars. “Gracie’s fighting for control of the car.”
Nate grabbed the binos from his team leader’s hands and looked through the circular lenses. What he saw left ice running through his veins.
With her body hanging over the seat, Gracie was fighting Yavuz off as she grabbed for the steering wheel.
“What the hell is she trying to do?”
Several curses filled their vehicle as the car shot to the left again.
“I get the need to fight.” Ghost shook his head. “But if Gracie’s not careful, she’s gonna end up driving that thing right off the fucking bridge.”
Nate focused on her movements again. Fear clutched his soul when he finally realized what was really going on.
“Oh, God.” He lowered the binoculars, not wanting to believe what he was seeing.
“What?” Gabe sounded alarmed. “What’s wrong?”
Yavuz’ car continued to weave back and forth over the structure. Nate looked at his team leader, his voice turning flat with disbelief and fear.
“That’s exactly what she’s trying to do.”
Ghost’s brows arched. “What? Are you sure? Maybe she’s just—”
The other man’s thought was cut short when the car swerved to the left one last time. Its front end hit the wooden railing, the boards there splitting apart on impact.
Nate was forced to just sit there and watch as the car—and Gracie—flew over the edge of the bridge, falling nose-first into the water below.
“No!”
The word of denial was ripped from his throat as the car splashed against the water, the front end already beginning to sink.
Ghost slammed on the breaks, the tires skidding a few inches before coming to a stop well before the point of impact.
There was no way to tell just how much of the bridge’s structural support had been compromised. The last thing they needed was for it to collapse with them on it.
Unable to prevent it, Nate’s analytical mind began to whirl with possible outcomes as he opened his door and jumped out.
Running toward the railing’s gaping hole, he thought about how strong a swimmer Gracie was. That helped her odds of survival, for sure. Unfortunately, his brain also considered all the things that could happen to make that fact irrelevant.
She could have been knocked out by the impact, her head already submerged. Yavuz was still in the car. He had a gun. The bastard could be hurting her. He could…
Gracie screamed.
A gunshot rang out from inside the car.
“Gracelynn!”
He ran faster.
“Nate!” she screamed back.
Oh, thank God. “Hang on!” He began stripping off his vest, and then untying his boots to make swimming much easier and safer for them both. “I’m coming!” he bellowed down to her.
“Damn it, Carter. Wait up!” Gabe ordered from behind.
Ignoring him, Nate kicked off his boots and jumped feet-first into the water below. The water was unexpectedly cold, stealing his breath as he went under.
Pushing with his arms and legs, Nate paid no attention
to the pain in his left shoulder as he broke through the surface and began swimming to Gracie’s side of the car.
She must have either climbed into the front seat or was thrown there when the car went over.
He made it to her closed window, the water’s surface sitting a few inches below the bottom of the glass. On a glance, Nate was relieved to see Yavuz’ head flung forward, his body unmoving.
Wide, terrified eyes met his from behind the glass. The water inside the car was already at her waist and rising steadily. Nate reached for the door and pulled, but it didn’t budge. He tried again with no success.
Fuck! The water must have fried the car’s electrical system, which meant the locks were permanently stuck. Of course, even if they weren’t, the pressure from the surrounding water would most likely prevent him from opening it, anyway.
Not wanting to risk her being cut if he busted out her window, Nate quickly made his way around the car to Yavuz’ open window.
He reached in and pulled the other man out. As he did, Yavuz’ head fell back, revealing a newly formed bullet hole at the base of his neck.
Nate tried not to react, but, Jesus. On top of everything else, she’d just been forced to kill a man.
Knowing they’d have to deal with that later, Nate pushed the dead man’s body through the water and out of the way to make room for himself.
“Hang on, baby. I’m going to get you out of there.”
Using the open window’s metal frame, Nate pulled himself far enough inside the car to reach her.
First things first.
With his feet dangling out the window, Nate grabbed hold of her face and planted a hard, short kiss on her lips.
“Hi.”
“H-hi.” Gracie smiled, but he knew she was fighting the urge to break down.
“Come on.” He grabbed her hands and pulled “Keep ahold of my hands and I’ll pull you through the window with me.”
“I can’t,” she shook her head.
The water inside the car had already gotten much higher. It was almost chest-level and the bottom few inches of her hair were floating around in it.
“Sure you can. Just don’t let go.”
