Dangerously Taken (Aegis Group Lepta Team, #1)

by Bristol, Sidney

  She held up her hands and shrank down farther. “I know. It’s terrible. That’s why I’m trying to get that video to the police.”

  “No. No. No, you don’t understand.” Khalil wheeled away from her and stalked across to the laptop. He grabbed it by the screen and dragged it across to Erin. “Watch.”

  He ripped the headphones out of the jack and tapped the track pad.

  The scene was not familiar to her, but the people were.

  Erin gasped and covered her mouth.

  Those were the faces burned into her mind. The people who’d died because she hadn’t done enough. She hadn’t convinced enough people that there were errors in the project.

  Khalil hit the play button.

  The man in the foreground, decked out in cammo, had his face covered. Except for his eyes. She’d stared at Mark Forest’s picture long enough to know him.

  “This is the requested proof of job completion. This satisfies invoice one-zero—zero-eight.”

  “No. No. No.” Erin covered her eyes.

  “He didn’t shoot them. He couldn’t. At the same time Mark’s company was supposed to be protecting your people, he was hired to stop the facility from being built. He used the blood of my family to make it happen.”

  Erin peered out from between her fingers.

  Khalil pressed pause.

  “I don’t understand,” she said.

  “He killed my family for profit and made it look like your accident. He played both sides.” He stared at Erin, the sorrow so deeply rooted she didn’t know if he’d ever know how to smile. “How do people like this get away with it?”

  “Greed. Someone is always willing to do something for the right price.” She swiped at her cheeks.

  “They were invoice one thousand and eight. Does that mean...?” Khalil’s brow furrowed. He was still a kid under all that anger. A kid who’d been hurt, abandoned and alone. “I’ve thought this whole time that they died because you made a mistake. I’ve hated you.”

  Invoice 1008. 2394. She didn’t want to think about what all the numbers in-between meant.

  Erin stared at the screen frozen on a long view of what looked like a bonfire under the desert sky.

  “Khalil, how did you find this video?” she asked.

  “There are hundreds of them.” He reached over and tapped the back button.

  Row upon row of files filled the screen. Each with a number.

  The invoice.

  “Oh, my God,” she muttered in English. She switched back to Arabic as her mind finally begun sparking. “Mark’s people killed your family and blew up our facility. NexGen didn’t hire them to do that. Why would they? That cost the company money. The bad press still influences some of their deals...”

  Mark had gotten lazy if he thought listing out all the video evidence of his work on a single server was the answer. If she were in his shoes, he’d know when someone accessed their video.

  Which meant...

  “Khalil? Do you know where Mark is?”

  “Somewhere near here. He was supposed to help me escape the country.”

  Oh, fuck...

  “We have to go now. We have to get to the police.” Erin grabbed his hand.

  An engine rumbled in the distance, coming closer.

  Mark wasn’t stupid. He’d keep tabs on when his customers accessed his files, which meant Khalil had sent up a flare the moment he started digging. They’d brought Mark to them.

  Khalil scrambled to his feet, grabbing the laptop as he went.

  Erin stood and glanced at the back door. She shoved the younger man.

  “Go. Run, before we’re trapped!”

  THURSDAY. CONSTRUCTION Site, Southlake, Texas.

  Mark pushed the passenger side door open and peered at the four-story construction site.

  Someone—probably Khalil—had broken in and left the gate open. Stupid. Anyone driving by could see it and call it in.

  “They’re here somewhere,” Mark said.

  The server had pinged this location up until sixty seconds ago.

  “Spread out. Find them.” He glanced over his shoulder at the eight men still with him.

  He’d lost some, but like Thomas, he’d take care of them in time. The men who joined this team knew there were only two ways off it. They didn’t get to just not show up for work. It didn’t work that way for them.

  “I see movement,” one of the guys on the right flank called out.

  Another man shone a spotlight, illuminating the forms of two people ducking between the incomplete walls on the first floor. Mark’s men moved like the well-oiled machine they were. Half went right, the other half moved to flank the duo.

  “Khalil—stop!” Mark bellowed.

  Two of his men darted into the building, shouting.

  Mark jogged to catch up.

  Khalil was a smart kid. Too smart for his own good. Mark had known Khalil’s usefulness might run its course, and today was that day. At least he’d brought Mark the big fish.

  “Over here,” one of Mark’s men called out.

  Mark slowed his gate.

  He was going to have to kill them both and pull the plug on his server. He’d lose business and some credibility, but it was worth covering his ass.

  “Khalil? I thought we had an understanding.” Mark came to a stop next to his man.

  “They’re behind that stack of pallets,” the man said.

  “Moving to flank,” a voice said through the headset.

  In a few moments Mark would have the two pinned down and this problem over. Finally.

  He was taking a damn vacation after this.

  “Khalil, I only want the laptop and the woman,” Mark called out.

  “You lie,” Khalil shouted, his voice echoing off the walls of concrete.

  “Switching to infrared,” the man next to Mark said.

  Mark pitched his voice low, “When you have the shot, take it.”

  “Mark Forest?” This time it was the woman. Erin Lopez. The cockroach that wouldn’t die.

  “Ms. Lopez, I was hoping it wouldn’t come to this,” Mark said.

  “I know you want to kill me, and if you kill me, you’re going to kill Khalil, too. I just want you to know that if you do that—if you kill us—an email will go out to the police and every news station. If you don’t want that to happen, you have to let us go.”

  “She’s bluffing,” Mark said, both for his own peace of mind and those men listening to him.

  “I’ve got them,” the man said.

  The blast of gunfire sounded far louder in the silence of the night than it should have.

  Khalil screamed.

  “Got him,” Mark muttered.

  “They moved,” the shooter said.

  “Let’s move in. They’ve got nothing.” Mark took a step forward.

  Another bullet ripped through the night and this time, the man to Mark’s right pitched forward, landing in the dirt.

  “Stop right there,” an unknown man shouted.

  “Police!”

  18.

  THURSDAY. SOUTHLAKE, Texas.

  “What the hell have you gotten me into?”

  Riley ignored his Casey’s complaints. It wasn’t like Riley had shoved him in the SUV. Casey had climbed in of his own accord after getting gear from his vehicle.

  “The signal came from a hundred yards that way,” Grant pointed up a gravel lane. A construction sign indicated a new office building development.

  Riley took point, sticking to a few yards off the trail, still under the cover of trees. If they were able to track the laptop, what were the chances Mark could, too? And even if Mark wasn’t here, they didn’t want to give Erin’s kidnapper any kind of warning they were there.

  The SUV backed off the curb behind them and flipped a U-turn. Melody was on comms, but muted with the plan to wait at the gas station down the street.

  “Mom and Dad are going to love this story,” Casey muttered.

  “Shut the fuck up,
” Riley said.

  “Guys, we’re sticking to silence,” Grant said.

  The darkness was fading with the coming of dawn. Erin had been missing for hours. They had no way of knowing if she was alive, what she’d been through or why she’d been kidnapped. He just prayed that it wasn’t Mark. That man would have no reason to keep her alive.

  They moved forward, crossing the damp earth while the concrete building rose out from the trees ahead of them.

  “Guys? Guys, can you hear me?” Melody’s voice was strained.

  “What is it, Melody?” Grant asked.

  “Two SUV’s just blew through a red light over here headed your way.”

  “Copy that.”

  Riley didn’t need an order to pick up the pace. He’d torn through woods and rough terrain in worse conditions, but never with his heart pounding so hard.

  They had to get to her in time.

  The sound of engines and the crunch of gravel made the hair on the back of Riley’s neck rise.

  “We’ve got company. Take cover,” Grant said.

  Riley ducked behind a tree, Casey going to his knees behind a bush.

  “I’m going to remember this the next time I visit you,” Casey grumbled.

  Whatever.

  Casey was a SWAT officer for the same reasons Riley had enlisted. This was who they were. It was an aspect of their personality the rest of their family didn’t understand.

  One after another, two vehicles rolled past, leaving a plume of dust in their wake.

  Mark’s guys.

  Without a doubt.

  Riley didn’t wait for Grant’s order. He turned and jogged ahead, Casey following close on his heels.

  “Damn it, Riley,” Grant said through the headset.

  They moved through the trees, under the cover of darkness. In the distance he heard the engines cut off and men’s raised voices.

  Riley ducked through the underbrush onto the gravel road and sprinted, pumping his arms, sweat pouring down his back.

  Erin might still be alive, for a few more moments.

  “God damn it, Riley.” Casey was still right behind him.

  They crossed through the construction fence and into the yard. Heavy equipment and a trailer sat on the cleared lot, waiting for the workers to arrive.

  A shot blasted, breaking the stillness.

  A hand grabbed the back of Riley’s vest, yanking him to a stop

  In the distance, a man’s screams echoed off the concrete.

  “Don’t,” Casey snarled. “You can’t run in there. This way.”

  Footsteps churned the gravel behind them.

  Riley and Casey ducked behind the trailer, crossing the construction site.

  The two SUV’s sat with their lights on facing the building. Three men were clustered, focused on one point.

  One man lifted his gun.

  Erin would not be their next target.

  Riley lifted his rifle, aimed and shot.

  The man pitched forward onto the ground.

  “Fuck—Riley,” Casey groaned.

  “Stop right there,” Riley shouted. He stepped out into the open, gun up. whatever it took to get the focus off Erin.

  “Police!” Casey yelled, falling into line with Riley.

  Mark and the other man he could see whirled, bringing their weapons up.

  “Erin? Erin, are you okay?” Riley shouted.

  Someone from inside the building fired. The bullet hit the side of the construction trailer, sending bits of fiberglass flying.

  Riley and Casey ducked, going different ways.

  “You couldn’t wait a damn minute?” Grant hunched behind the trailer a few feet away. Nolan, Vaughn and Brenden were at his back. “They’re focused on this point. Nolan, Vaughn, Brenden, circle around. Riley and I will get to Casey and keep them focused on us. Go!”

  The other three men sprinted for the end of the trailer.

  “Casey, can you hear me?” Grant asked.

  “Yeah, but they’re moving. They don’t care about us,” Casey said.

  Riley leaned past the trailer. Mark and his guys were barely visible. They’d moved into the building.

  “They’re after Erin. She’s all that matters.” Riley’s only play to distract Mark was to take the fight to him. “I’m going in.”

  “Riley—”

  “I’ll cover you,” Casey said.

  Riley took a breath and stepped into the open, rifle up. He took aim at the first moving target in tactical gear he saw and fired. A second man went staggering sideways as Casey laid down cover fire. Riley sprinted into the building.

  “God damn you Riley,” Grant snarled, hot on his heels.

  There’d been three that Riley saw when they entered. Not enough for two SUVs. He’d estimate they were looking at six to ten people. Three were out of commission, so at best, three more were out there. At worst, seven. Not the best odds, but they’d deal.

  Riley entered the darkened building. Footsteps pounded the concrete, and hushed voices made it near impossible to tell where they were all coming from. The last Riley had seen, the focus had been to his right.

  He ducked through an open space between two walls. A fist struck out, almost knocking his gun out of his hands. Riley swung his arm, driving his elbow into the man. Casey was right behind him, driving the butt of his gun against the man’s temple. He went down heavy.

  “Captured two on the south side,” Nolan said through the comms.

  “We’ve got one here.” Riley handed his brother a thick, zip tie like restraint.

  “Three down outside, that’s six,” Brenden chimed in.

  “Thanks for doing that math. I was confused,” Nolan quipped back.

  “Has anyone seen Erin?” Riley asked.

  “Negative,” Brenden replied.

  “Do we have Mark Forest?” Grant asked.

  “No,” Riley replied, and the rest chimed in with the same answer.

  Where the hell was Erin?

  Riley stepped out into the morning light, peering around the site.

  Both SUVs were gone.

  “YOU’RE GOING TO BE okay,” Erin said.

  She kept one hand on Khalil’s side, pressing the shirt she’d found in the back seat against his wound, and the other on the wheel. The young man groaned and threw his head back in pain.

  “Hang on. Just a little bit farther.” She had no idea where she was going, but eventually she’d find a highway and hospitals were clearly marked when it came to highways. She hoped they found one before Khalil bled out.

  Riley had come for them. If he hadn’t, she had no doubt that both she and Khalil would be dead. She wanted to be back there, she wanted to know if Riley had survived, but the best thing was to get clear of the combat. Her training had that drilled into her to the point she couldn’t go against it even if she wanted to. Besides, Khalil’s life depended on getting to safety.

  Businesses clustered along the road. A far different cry from the seemingly rural area they’d been. A sign for Interstate 141 was posted at the red light.

  She gassed it, barreling toward the overpass.

  Which way did she go? West was out of the congested city. East sent her toward the morning rush hour, and hopefully a hospital.

  “Khalil? Talk to me. Tell me about what you’ve been doing the last few years. Khalil?” She glanced at the young man, passed out in the passenger side seat.

  Shit.

  Erin cut off a pickup and merged onto the entrance ramp.

  Khalil’s last act could not be kidnapping her. He had to live to see his parents’ killers brought to justice. He had to have a future.

  She wove through traffic, her hands sliding on the wheel from the blood.

  A blue sign with a white H beckoned her ahead.

  The traffic slowed as morning commuters clogged the streets.

  Erin jerked the SUV onto the wide shoulder and accelerated. She flew down the exit ramp and cut off traffic to the tune of half a dozen cars honking
at her. Nothing mattered except getting to the hospital.

  Red and blue lights blossomed in her rearview mirror.

  She didn’t have time for them.

  The road turned and a big, red Emergency Department sign came into view.

  She ignored the lights and turned into the hospital. She drove straight up to the glass sliding doors with ambulances parked out front and slammed the car into park. Before her slippery hands could get the seatbelt off an officer with a gun in hand was at her driver’s side door.

  Erin jabbed the unlock button, and the officer yanked the door open.

  “He’s been shot. He’s dying.” She held her hands up.

  The officer stared at her, then Khalil for half a second. The paramedics in the nearby ambulance behind her reacted faster.

  “He was shot once in the stomach. I didn’t see an exit wound.” Erin kept her hands up while the paramedics put Khalil on a gurney and rushed him inside.

  “Step out of the car,” the officer barked.

  “Is he going to be okay?” Erin slid out of the car, watching the doors.

  “Put your hands on the hood.”

  She did as directed, too numb to do anything else. What were the chances Khalil would survive?

  Once the officer and his partner were satisfied Erin wasn’t armed, they put their guns away.

  “What the hell happened?” the shorter, stouter officer asked. He had a mean glare.

  Erin swallowed. Did she trust them with the truth? What she knew, what was on that laptop, it needed to go to the right people.

  “These guys... They came out of nowhere and shot Khalil.” She glanced back at the doors. It was at least a partial truth.

  “Do you know what they looked like? Where were you?” the taller, dark officer asked. He had a kind smile and a gentler way of speaking.

  “Yeah—”

  “Excuse me?” The ambulance driver approached them. “I need you to move these vehicles.”

  “Sure.” Erin glanced at her stolen vehicle. She couldn’t skirt the truth much farther.

  “Park over there, around the corner,” the tall officer said.

  Erin was too tired to do more than nod. She was better off here, with police, than by herself until she knew what happened to Mark.

  She climbed behind the wheel and rolled the windows down.