by Geri Foster
“I keep wondering how this got so damn out of control.”
“Mac, we go after the meanest son-of-a-bitches in the world. When has it ever been easy?” Brody took a piece of gum from his shirt pocket and folded it in his mouth. “Would you really expect any less from Marino?”
“No, not really.”
“Then I say, let’s man-up and kill that motherfucker once and for all.”
They exchanged glances.
“We are good at this shit, aren’t we?”
“Damn straight.”
Wiping the sweat from his forehead and commanding his hand to still, Mac turned the corner. Thoughts of what they’d been through in the last few days made Mac’s heart hitch a beat and his jaws lock.
Quietly and unselfishly, Em filled a void he never knew existed. He’d gone through his whole life deliberately avoiding any type of commitment.
In his own way he’d kept on the move. Never home for any length of time. Wasn’t he always the first to volunteer for a tough assignment? Daring, risky, a tad too bold, perhaps. All the signs were there, but Mac had never taken the time to analyze his lifestyle.
In his mind, it all came down to his job. The next assignment. Being the best at what he did.
Now that Em had walked into his life, none of that mattered. Not even his job. He only wanted her safe, and in his arms.
Mac parked the truck, and took a deep breath. After hiking the wire onto his shoulder, he and Brody headed down that imaginary dark alley where only the brave or foolish dared to venture.
***
Emily turned the light on in the closet and reached up to pull down the attic stairs. Slowly, trying to prevent noise that would alert her captors, she held her breath and hoped no one heard. As soon as the ladder touched the carpeted floor, Emily rushed up the stairs. She wasn’t going to give herself time to talk her way out of this. Not the darkness, or the insects, or anything else that might be in there besides her.
Instead, she’d find an exit.
Turning around, she went back down to the closet. She then locked the bathroom door, switched off the light and ran back up the attic stairs. Once there, she squatted and pulled the folding ladder up to close the opening. Coughing from all the dust, Emily struggled with a couple of 2X4s she found between the rafters. She wedged one in the brackets to prevent the door from being pulled down.
After the exertion, she sat on the attic floor panting, her palms resting on her thighs, head down as she struggled to catch her breath. All the while she wished Mac was there. He’d know how to get them out. But he wasn’t here, and she had to move forward.
Standing on bare feet, she prowled around, looking for light. Far off in a corner of the eave, a sliver of light guided her to a square, wooden vent. As badly as she needed out, she had to be careful and silent. Crawling over air ducts and making sure her feet stayed on the wooden beams, she managed to make it to the other side of the house.
She prayed no one below could hear her.
With her face pressed against the slats, Emily could only see bricks on another house. She grabbed the middle board and pulled with all her strength until it gave a little. Encouraged with the small success, she braced her foot against the wall and yanked with both hands.
One side gave way and she fell backwards with a palm full of splinters. Convinced she’d made enough progress to continue, she disregarded the pain and wrenched off the other end of the board. With it free, she looked out at the side of the house next door. Then her gazed plunged to the ground. A good ten-foot drop, but she would take any chance she could to get away.
Once the other boards were removed, she had about a fourteen by fourteen inch square window. She saw the front of the house on her left and the back to her right. Not a single person in sight.
Maybe she’d get lucky.
Turning around she rolled onto her stomach and scooted her legs out of the vent. Just when she tried not to think how hard the ground would be, Marino’s men pounded on the attic door.
Knowing her chances were slim to zero, Emily wiggled until her body was free of the attic. Frantically, she hung on the ledge.
Suddenly the sounds of tires squealing, and guns firing filled the quiet neighborhood. Emily screamed. Men shouting in Russian had Marino’s men in the back rushing to the front of the house.
Emily felt she’d been suspended for hours. The rough wood dug into her already painful palms. One glance down and the thought of letting go jacked up her heartbeat and had her rethinking her actions.
Her slippery hands made her tighten her grip.
Shouts came from below. Emily closed her eyes and prayed she wouldn’t break a leg when she hit the ground.
She released her grip.
For a moment she sailed through the air... too fast. Eyes squeezed shut, and holding her breath, Emily gritted her teeth and forced her body to go limp.
An involuntary squeal split her lips.
In seconds she landed on something... soft.
Her eyes flew open when two strong arms curled around her, and Mac pulled her to his chest. “Oh my God, you’re alive.”
“Mac, where have you been?”
“Trying to save you. Brody and I were about to rig a zip line when all the Russian’s came barreling down the street. Then I saw you hanging out the vent up there and decided to get here before you broke your neck.” He took her by the arms and held her away from him. “Are you okay? Did that bastard touch you?” He turned her chin. “What happened to your face? And your mouth is bleeding.”
“I’m fine. They locked me in a bedroom.” She buried her face in his chest and drank in his scent, enjoying the safety of his muscular body.
A gunshot chewed up the dirt next to where they stood. Mac looked up and drew his weapon in one smooth motion. He fired and the man fell out of the attic and landed at their feet with a loud thump. Neighbors must have called the police because sirens coming their way sounded in the distance.
Mac grabbed Emily by the arm, and they sprinted through the gate leading to the backyard of the house next door. Hand in hand, they raced across the yard toward the opposite side of the house. Mac pressed his ear and said, “Brody, I caught her. How are the Russians doing?”
“They just got away.”
“Tell Jake to let it rip.”
As they dashed along the side of the pool, Emily clutched Mac’s hand, afraid to let him go. They turned the corner. Brody had knocked out several fence slats for them to crawl through.
The front of the house where she’d been held captive blew up, giving them the opportunity to make it to the waiting vehicle. Mac released her hand and guided her to Brody. “Take her to Falcon.” He grinned at her. “Find some shoes while you’re at it.” He stepped back “I’m going after Marino and I’ll meet you there.”
“No!” Emily grabbed his shirt and pleaded. “Mac, let it go.” She released him and stepped back with her arms spread eagle. “Look at me. I’m safe. No harm came to me. I want you to walk away from this, Mac. For both of us.”
Determination hardened his jaw and gave his beautiful blue eyes a sinister look. “I can’t, Em. This ends today.” He lowered his gaze. “One way or another.”
Without another word, Mac turned and stalked toward the house and Marino. Brody guided her out of the yard and into the pickup. Emily took one last look back. Mac had a gun in each hand edging around the corner. She blinked back the tears as they drove away.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
His men shouted the bitch had escaped, and Ramón Marino ran toward the bedroom door. A blast came from the front of the house, knocked him down and filled the house with smoke. He crawled across the carpet toward the French doors. With his men protecting him, he made it out the side gate where an SUV waited for him.
Angel kicked open the rear door and Marino dived into the vehicle. Once secure, the SUV took off and sped down the street. Shots rang out in the quiet neighborhood. Afraid to lift his head, Marino remained on his st
omach. The stench of stale cigarette smoke assaulted his nostrils and curled his lip.
When the sound of gunfire lessened, Marino flipped onto his back. He thought of all the times he’d been so close to killing McKinsey and never once had been given the pleasure of watching the son-of-a-bitch suffer. He was like a fucking snake. Somehow McKinsey crawled his way out of every dark corner in the world.
Angry, Moreno grabbed the man next to him by the shirt. “What the hell happened, Angel? Who’s the snitch that told McKinsey where we had the girl?” He shook the man violently. “Who?”
Defeat left a cruel bitter taste in his mouth. Sweat popped out of every pore in his body. He wanted answers, and could no longer stomach the bitterness of knowing the man he hated still lived.
Covered with dirt and grime from the explosion, Angel stuttered, “I don’t know. Maybe Bruno?”
“Bruno did not know where we were.”
The driver spoke up, “Jefe, you know Falcon. They probably had a tap on the phone Bruno used when he called you.” The man behind the wheel looked back. “Don’t you remember Bruno calling you?”
“Of course I do.” Marino spit out. But he never expected the boy he’d taken off the filthy streets of Bogotá, without a single morsel of bread, to turn on him like a dog.
Hot anger blurred his vision. His body trembled with rage. To think that Bruno, of all people, would betray him. Dark images of how he would torture the traitor played out in Marino’s mind. His family would suffer the most. Before putting a bullet in his brain, Bruno would watch as everyone he cared about died a slow, torturous death.
“Where in the hell did the Russians come from?” He asked. “Who called in the Russian mob?”
“I don’t know,” Angel insisted.
Determined not to let this end with McKinsey still alive, he ordered the driver to pull over in a nearby strip mall.
He jumped out of the van and went to the side of the SUV. Then he yanked the driver out of the seat and onto the concrete. When the man looked up, Marino shot him. He was through messing with fucking idiots. Idiots like that bastard, Bruno. His time on earth was coming to a close.
When Angel stepped around the side of the vehicle, Marino motioned him to get into the passenger side of the van. With the gun pressed against that guy’s nose, he said, “No more betrayals and no more mistakes. Today McKinsey dies or I will blow up the whole fucking place.”
He enjoyed the fear in Angel’s eyes because fear and fear alone was what controlled men.
Kicking the dead body out of the way, he slid behind the wheel and headed toward Dallas. Speeding west to the 183 freeway, Marino thought about the circumstances that had placed him in this situation.
Nothing is right when a man drags family into business, and that’s exactly what McKinsey had done. What kind of crazy man would break into a convent and kidnap a young woman?
Tears welled in his eyes as his thoughts turned to Angelina. She was so pure, and so much a part of him. For her he would have done anything. Anything she asked. But McKinsey snatched that opportunity away from him like Russians grab money. That bastard had robbed him of his only true love.
Killing McKinsey was too good for him. No, this would not be so quickly done. McKinsey would suffer as much as he had. The time had come for the agent to get his heart ripped from his chest. To watch the one he loved die, knowing there was nothing he could do to stop it.
He knew what some of his hired guns thought of him. A man in love with his younger sister was not natural. Not ordained by God. But how can anything be more natural than to love your own blood?
And on that fateful day when he’d signaled her death, no one knew what pain it had caused him, or the torment he’d suffered ever since. The many nights he lay awake and whispered her name in the darkness.
Tears dripped from his chin, he whispered, “Angelina, tonight I avenge your death, or I join you.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Mac jumped from Jake’s SUV and they both walked into the office of Falcon Securities. Em ran into his arms and he buried his face in her hair and inhaled the lingering scent of her floral shampoo, and spearmint clean body. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he remembered she’d made good use of his Jacuzzi.
She leaned back and he looked into her gorgeous honey brown eyes. His heart sped up and raw need burned inside his chest. “Is it over?” she asked. “Is he gone?”
“I don’t know. We still have people going through the rubble. But one of our surveillance guys said he saw a black SUV drive away. He couldn’t see anything because of the tinted windows.”
The smile slid off her face. “So, he might be out there?”
Frank came over and put his hand on Em’s shoulder. “You’re okay and that’s what matters most.”
“But he’ll just come for us again.” Em’s brows wrinkled and she looked at Frank, then back at him. “He wants us both dead.”
“What he wants and what he gets are two different things,” Brody added.
“And,” Jake added, hip against the desk. “He could be dead.”
She looked at him. “Do you think he’s dead?”
Mac stepped away from her and ran his fingers through his hair. At a safe distance, he turned. Foot braced on the wall, he leaned back and folded his arms. “My guess is he’s alive and on his way here.”
“I agree,” Frank said. “That’s why I want you to take Emily as far away from here as you can. Go to the lake house. I want you to disappear until we confirm Marino is dead.”
Mac didn’t like that idea. Marino belonged to him. That bastard was his kill, and right now being cheated out of that pleasure didn’t sit well. “Maybe Jake can take Em.” Mac pushed away from the wall. “I want to be here when, and if, Marino shows up.”
“Mac,” Frank began. “Be reasonable. Let me, Jake and Brody handle this. You worry about Emily.”
“I am worried about her, that’s why I’m staying.”
“Mac,” Emily said. “Either leave here with me now, or...”
He turned to her. “Don’t say something you’ll regret.”
Her mouth hardened and anger narrowed her eyes. “Don’t worry, I won’t.” She stepped to Jake. “Can you get me to a hotel? I’m leaving now.” She turned to Mac. The visible hurt and rage turned her features stoic and sad at the same time. “Stay here with your crazy vendetta and get yourself killed.”
She stalked out with Jake behind her, although his fellow agent paused between the doorjambs and gave him a questioning glance.
Mac shook his head. This was something he had to do and he wasn’t going to change his mind. Hopefully Jake would talk her into going to the lake house where she’d be safe.
But at what cost?
His heart felt like it had been trampled by the Budweiser Clydesdales, and his breath was trapped prisoner somewhere between his lungs and his throat. Nerves tightened with the realization his only chance for happiness had just disappeared. Mac sighed and let all the pain Marino had caused roll over him, surround him and seep into his psyche.
Frank squared his shoulders. “Son, you have to get past this Marino thing. Emily is a wonderful woman. I think you made the mistake of your life.”
“I just saved her.”
“That’s a matter of opinion.” Brody said, cleaning his nails with a pocketknife. Head bowed, he continued. “Sometimes a bullet hurts less than a broken heart.”
As Mac took his gun out and checked his rounds, shots vibrated through the building. Mac hit the door first with Brody right behind him. Frank grabbed his gun and followed in pursuit.
When they got to the elevator, unlit lights announced the power had been cut. Mac slammed back the door to the stairwell and darted down the stairs. The thunder of feet followed behind him.
They crashed open the garage door and drew their weapons. As they ran to the vehicle Jake would use, they saw him sitting on the cement.
His Glock had been tossed a good ten feet from his p
osition. He’d taken a slug in the leg, but was okay. Brody ran over and pulled Jake out of the line of fire behind a concrete pylon.
A man jumped out of the SUV and ran down the parking garage to safety. In the dim light, Mac’s focus clashed with Marino’s hard glare. He had his forearm around Em’s throat and a 9mm at her temple. Mac’s heart paused for a second before slamming hard against his ribcage. Air left his lungs and the color red filled his peripheral vision.
At this very moment a DVD of his worst nightmare played out before him. Em was in the hands of a man who wanted him dead more than he wanted to breathe.
Mac stood perfectly still, pushed Em from his mind and focused on one thing.
Killing Marino.
“You think you are some badass motherfucker, don’t you, McKinsey?” Marino pulled Emily closer to him and pressed the gun’s muzzle harder. Em squeezed her eyes tightly and hunched her shoulders. “Well, you ain’t so fucking bad.” Spittle flew from Marino’s tight lips. His harsh features deepened in the dim light. “I got your bitch, man. What you gonna do about that?”
With his gun at the ready, Frank said, “Let the girl go, Marino. You know if anything happens to her, you won’t leave here alive.”
“Shut up!” Marino shouted. “All of you clear out of here. This is between me and that son-of-a-bitch.”
“Then let her go, and you two can shoot it out,” Frank said.
Marino’s evil laugh echoed through the covered parking garage. “Oh no. He dies and so does she.” Marino leered at Mac. “But she dies first. Just like my Angelina.”
“Bruno said you ordered her murdered,” Mac shouted. “You killed your own sister.”
“No! It was because you spoiled her. You ruined her as my bride, my wife, the mother of my children.”
Mac shook his head. “I never touched her. Yes, I was with her every minute she was in my custody, but an armed female agent was her bodyguard. I was never alone with her.” Mac pointed his finger. “Angelina didn’t have to die.”
“No!” Marino shouted. His face raw-beef red. “You lie.” He staggered slightly. “I’m going to blow her brains all over the place.”
