Shan sucked in air. “You still lose,” he spat out. “All those children. And if you do not kill me, I will never cease to come for you.”
“Enough,” Viking said, sensing that Blade was reaching the end of his tether. Viking jerked his head at Dirty and Neo, and they came over and dragged Shan up, snapping steel ties onto his wrists and shoving him into the nearest chair.
Blade got up, blood trickling from a cut on his lip, head ringing from the blows Shan had landed. He sought out Quinn, who stood behind Camel, leaning around him to peer at the action.
Blade went to her, and she stepped out from Camel’s protection, going into his arms as he opened them wide. She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed him tight. Blade put the unbloodied side of his face against her hair and breathed her in.
“I love you,” he said softly, relief washing through him that she was alive.
She tilted her head back, eyes wide with shock. “You do?”
“Of course I do. Is it so hard to believe?”
She dropped her eyes and stared at his chest, fingers coming up to toy with one of the rips in his shirt. “A little. Maybe.” But then her gaze met his again, her eyes shining. “I love you too. I think I always have.”
Someone cleared his throat. Blade looked up, saw his teammates watching with varying expressions. Some were incredulous. Some smug—the bastards with women of their own, of course. They got it.
Not that his conversation with Quinn had traveled to everyone’s ears, but it was pretty clear there was something significant going on.
Viking was standing close. He looked apologetic. “Okay, we’ve still got shit to take care of here. Can I get your attention for a little bit, Blade?”
He didn’t stop holding Quinn. “Roger that.”
Shan’s eyes widened and his head snapped up as the yacht started to move. He hadn’t expected that. Good. Blade took pleasure in telling the triad master what was about to happen.
“That’s right, Mr. Shan. We’re moving into open water. In a couple of hours, we’ll be south of the District, out in the middle of the beautiful Potomac. There’s an explosive device on the bottom of your boat. We’re going to restrain you and your men and leave you all alone. And then, if we don’t get the location of that daycare, the boat will explode. If you think you stand a chance of surviving the explosion and perhaps being rescued by the Coast Guard, I promise you that’s not the case. You’re going to be confined right over the spot where the device is planted. When it goes up, you go with it.”
“But the daycare will still be gone,” Shan said.
“Yeah, but you won’t get to enjoy it, will you? If you tell us where to find that device, and we do, and nothing else explodes, then you get to live. You get to keep running the Jade Tiger triad and living the life of a rich, albeit sick and twisted, man.”
Shan was furious. “I am not a stupid man, Mr. Blade. I’ll disclose the location. But remember, when I am free, I will hunt you down at some point in the future. You and Mrs. Halliday. So never stop looking for me, because I will be there one day.”
“No, I don’t think you will,” Blade replied.
A phone rang just then. Viking’s phone. He took it out and walked over to Shan. “It’s for you.”
Shan looked wary. “You have not answered. How do you know?”
“I know.” Viking pressed the button to accept the call and put the phone on speaker so they could all hear.
“Hello, Shan,” Ian Black said in English even though he spoke Chinese fluently. “I trust you are well?”
“Not at all. Who is this?”
“My name is Ian Black. I’m sure you’ve heard of me.”
Shan’s expression hardened. “I have.”
“I have a message for you from Beijing.”
“I do not believe you.”
“You should. And you will, because I’m returning you to China as soon as this is settled. You will have a personal meeting at the Ministry of State Security, where you will be made to understand what the limits of your personal power entail. You’re no match for the government, Mr. Shan. And that’s what they wish you to know. Harm any of the men in front of you now, harm Mrs. Halliday—well, you will be worse than dead. And you know as well as I do that worse than dead is such a thing.”
Shan’s expression was still hard, but his skin had visibly paled. And no wonder. The MSS was the CIA equivalent, though with less checks on their power. “All I want is my money.”
“I’m afraid that’s impossible,” Ian said. “You made a bad decision when you loaned money to Hunter Halliday. His legitimate debts will take everything there is before the criminal ones get a dime. Your debt was with him and he’s dead. Time to write it off and move on.”
“It’s a lot of money, Mr. Black. Would you walk away from it?”
“I would if the alternative was life in a Chinese labor camp. Consider life as a free man payment in full.”
Shan swore. His face was red again, but he finally shook his head as if clearing it. “Very well, I see the wisdom in your proposition.”
“I thought you might. Now, once we’ve confirmed the location of the bomb you’ve placed, you’ll be flown to Beijing where you get to have your meeting.”
“Be sure never to cross my path, Mr. Black. I won’t take it kindly if you show up in my territory.”
“Noted. And that warning is mutual, Shan. I won’t be so kind the next time.”
The call ended and Viking pocketed the phone. “All right, gentlemen, let’s get this tub to the rendezvous point. There’s still a lot of work to be done before this shit is finished. Money, give this man some medical attention. Camel, you take care of Blade.”
“Quinn needs attention,” Blade said. “Tend to her first.”
“Sit your asses down, both of you,” Camel said, jerking his head to the table. They did as they were told. Camel took out a first aid kit and cleaned Quinn’s wound. It started to bleed again and he sprinkled on a clotting agent before binding it up tight.
“What happened, baby?” Blade asked.
“Shan didn’t believe me when I said I didn’t know the log-in to Hunter’s account. He, um, threatened to cut off my thumb.”
Blade’s gut turned to ice. He started up out of the chair, intending to go and finish the job, but Camel shoved him backward. “Sit the fuck down. It’s over.”
Blade growled. “He needs killing.”
“I know he does, but it’s not your job to do it.” He shook his head. “Man, that was some kick-ass fighting. Personally, I wanted you to break his damned neck, but it’s too late for that. Not to mention you were ordered not to kill him. You forget that?”
No, he hadn’t forgotten. But it was more than that. He hadn’t wanted to kill a man in front of Quinn. She didn’t need that kind of memory in her head. How would it have affected her? Affected them? She knew what he did, but that didn’t mean she needed to see it in action. She was a gentle soul. He wasn’t.
“No, I didn’t forget.” Blade turned to Quinn. “But if I’d known for sure he did that to you, I’d have ripped his fucking head off—after making sure someone got you out of the room first.”
She smiled as she reached up to caress his jaw. “I know you would, Adam. You’ve always been my hero protector, my knight.”
“And I always will be, Quinn. Count on it.”
“I believe you.”
He kissed her to seal the deal.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Quinn sat next to Blade and gripped his hand with her good one. The hand that Shan had cut was still throbbing, but it was starting to lessen since Camel had given her some painkillers from the first aid kit he had on his wetsuit. She’d been amazed at all the stuff the SEALs had carried, considering they were in wetsuits, which presumably meant they’d been in the water. But the wetsuits weren’t ordinary ones, that’s for sure. More like combat wetsuits or something.
She’d ask Blade about it later, but for now she was just tha
nkful the SEALs were there. Thankful Blade was there and they were together. She’d thought—oh God, when Shan had been pointing his gun at Blade, she’d thought she was going to lose him. She’d thought Shan would kill him right in front of her eyes, and she didn’t think she could take that. She’d thought, if Shan shot Blade, that she would launch herself at him and scratch his eyes out, consequences be damned.
But then Blade’s team arrived and everything was well. Except for that fight between Blade and Shan, of course. She’d wanted to scream when his team let him fight, but she also knew he had to. And she knew he was damned good. She’d seen evidence of that when they’d been teenagers, though none of the bullies he’d fought for her had had any skills whatsoever. Shan did.
The yacht docked and Blade rose, pulling her up with him. They walked out onto the deck hand in hand. She was surprised to realize they hadn’t docked at all. She’d only thought they had. There was a sleek black boat bobbing alongside the yacht. It was smaller than the yacht, but not by a lot.
The SEALs transferred Shan and his men to the other boat. Blade helped Quinn onto the rear deck, and then they watched as a new crew jumped onto the yacht and took over.
“Where are they taking it?” Quinn asked Blade.
“Probably somewhere that Ian can bug the thing from stem to stern with listening devices and cameras. Shan won’t ever get any work done on that yacht again that isn’t automatically transmitted to Ian’s headquarters.”
“You think Shan will keep it after this?”
“If not, he’ll very likely sell it to someone else that Ian won’t mind keeping tabs on.”
“That sounds very Big Brother.”
“And that’s Ian Black in a nutshell.”
Quinn shivered as they stood on the rear deck of the black boat and watched the yacht sail away. It wasn’t cold out, but after everything that had happened, she was feeling a touch overwhelmed.
Blade put an arm around her and pulled her in close. “What happened when they took you, Quinn?”
It was the first time he’d asked her a question about tonight, but then they’d been surrounded by too many people on the yacht. Right now they were the only ones on the deck.
“Not much. They threatened me and put a sack over my head, then brought me to Shan. He thought I had the log-in and was being stubborn about giving it to him. He tried to cut my thumb off, but when I didn’t cave, he must have realized I didn’t have it. I told him I could get it though. That’s how I called you.”
“I’m glad you did.”
“It was all I could think of.” She frowned as she watched the yacht growing smaller. “So is there really no money in Hunter’s accounts? Or was that a ruse?”
“There’s some money, but not enough to cover his debts. He had personal debt and company debt, and they’re all still tangled up. It’ll take a while to sort it out, probably.”
Quinn blew out a breath. “I don’t mind being poor again. I really don’t. Being rich didn’t make me happy, but when I was on my own and working for everything I had, I was a lot happier. With myself and my life.”
“It’s gonna be a rough few weeks—or months. You still have a lot to deal with, and I have a job to do that’ll take me away from time to time.”
“You don’t have a house either.”
He snorted. “No, I sure don’t.”
“I’m sorry about that. It’s my fault.”
“No, it’s Ian Black’s fault if it’s anyone’s. If his people had responded faster, it might not have happened.”
She thought about that for a moment. “True… but then I’d still owe Shan money and he’d still be coming for me. Maybe this way was best.”
“Maybe so, but I won’t be forgiving Ian anytime soon for letting you get captured. Scared the hell out of me when I didn’t know where you were.”
“I knew you’d come for me.” Another thought occurred to her and her heart began to race. “Oh my God, Blade—what about the cat?”
“Shit.” Then he shook his head. “He didn’t come in tonight, so he was probably at the neighbor’s. I’ll call as soon as I can and ask if they’ve seen him.”
“I hope he’s okay.”
“I’m sure he is. Dude is a smart little guy.”
She believed him. He turned her until she faced him, then dipped his head and kissed her. It was like an explosion when their lips met. Heat, need, and electricity sizzled between them as they devoured each other.
He broke away long before she was ready for the kiss to end. “I can’t keep kissing you. Not right now. I want too much, and this isn’t the place.”
“Hey,” Camel said, peeking his head out the sliding doors. “We’re ready to roll, so get your sappy, lovesick asses in here before somebody floors this puppy and you tumble off the back.”
“Fuck you, Camel,” Blade said good-humoredly. “You’re one to talk. You don’t take a piss without Bailey’s permission these days.”
Camel grinned. “I love that woman like crazy. You won’t catch me denying shit.”
They went inside and sat down on one of the seats against the wall. The motors revved and the boat shot forward like a high-performance speedboat. Blade wrapped his arm around her as she snuggled into his side.
“I can’t wait to be alone with you,” he murmured in her ear.
She couldn’t wait either.
“Helluva mission, ladies,” Ian Black said as he walked into the room where the SEALs were waiting. They’d handed over Shan and his men and then been sent to change and shower before returning to the briefing room.
Quinn had been taken away too. Blade had protested, but Ian had asked him what he wanted her to do—hang out and wait around for him when she’d been through a rough time or be taken to one of BDI’s hotel suites where he could join her as soon as they were done here?
He’d opted for the hotel, kissing her before she left and telling her he’d see her soon. She’d gazed up at him with trusting eyes and told him she’d wait up. He didn’t think she’d be able to once he’d seen the weariness in her eyes, but he appreciated the thought.
Blade was tired too—and cranky as hell. At least he’d gotten confirmation that Buddy, aka Dude, was okay. He’d had a message from the neighbor, worried about his house and him and telling him to call at any time. So he had. Once he’d reassured them he was okay, he’d asked about the cat and gotten the information that he’d scratched on their door about an hour ago.
Now Blade just wanted to go to bed with Quinn and not come out for a few days. And the only way he was getting there was if they got this over with.
“Who killed Halliday, and is Quinn really safe now?” he demanded before Ian had drawn his next breath.
Ian arched a black brow. “Way to cut to the chase, kid. First, yes, she’s safe. Shan won’t cross the MSS, not if he wants to retain his little empire in Hong Kong. In the end, thirty million—he told Quinn fifty, by the way, so it’s a good thing we padded the fake balance in the account—is a drop in the bucket for him. It was always about how it looked if he didn’t force Hunter to pay up rather than the money itself. He didn’t want to lose control of the triad, or lose territory to a rival triad, just because he couldn’t force one asshole American to pay back what he owed. So it was mostly for show, though of course a man like that doesn’t want to lose a penny either. Dragons hoard things, right? Well Dragon Master Shan’s thing is gold, and he’s missing some thanks to Hunter Halliday. He won’t be happy about that, but he’d be even less happy in a labor camp.”
“I’m sorry,” Viking broke in, “but how the fuck do you have a contact in the MSS in the first place? Aren’t they the ones we’re worried are planning to exploit a backdoor in Halliday’s microchips?”
Ian’s dark gaze slewed to Viking. “I have many contacts that would surprise you. I’m a rogue and a mercenary, remember? I work for the highest bidder, not for God and country and apple pie. As for Halliday’s chips, yeah, that’s what we’re worried abo
ut. But the deal isn’t happening now, so it doesn’t matter.”
“You have proof of the coding?” Blade asked.
“Not yet, but we will. Halliday’s recordings revealed some interesting information though. He was definitely working with Beijing, and he was being paid well for it. Of course, the man was also a shitty businessman and he made some bad investments in real estate instead of putting the money back into the company. He wanted to expand operations, but the properties he bought were shit properties. They would never work for new plants. Zoning was a problem, though he was trying to grease the skids with bribes. That’s where a lot of the money went—land and bribes to officials.”
He took a breath and let his gaze slide over them all. Blade didn’t care for Ian Black very much, but he was learning to respect him. The man had principles. He walked a dangerous tightrope, but he’d never yet been on the wrong side of the important things. And he’d helped save Colonel Mendez when it mattered most of all.
“As for who killed him… a lot of people had motive, but it seems it was one of his employees who got there first. Richard Jenkins, HTS’s new Hong Kong operations manager, hanged himself yesterday. He left a note.”
Blade remembered the guy. Jenkins had watched Hunter Halliday a lot at the party, and not with the happiest of expressions. But that didn’t mean he’d murdered his boss, even if he did blame the man for his marriage breaking up.
“And you believe that?” Blade asked. “What if it’s a setup?”
“I do believe it.” Ian sighed and shook his head. “It’s more than the marriage ending. Halliday was fucking Jenkins’s daughter back in Texas, a pretty girl who just turned twenty. He got her pregnant and then lost his shit when she told him. Forced her to have an abortion—stuck her on a plane and sent her overseas and had someone take her to a clinic where she didn’t speak the language and didn’t know what was going on. She told her mother—Jenkins’s ex-wife—about it at some point. The mother told Jenkins, and not in a happy way. She blamed him for letting it happen, for working for such a guy. Anyway, according to the extremely detailed letter he mailed to his ex, he called Halliday and asked for an emergency meeting at the office at some point after Halliday had already left the party. Jenkins met him in the garage before he could go up. He confronted Halliday about what he’d done. Halliday laughed and Jenkins shot him. He’d bought an illegal weapon off the street about two weeks ago in preparation.”
HOT SEAL Target Page 21
