by Jade Dean
She checked her computer before leaving to make sure her apartment wasn’t being watched. Six pictures from the cameras she’d set up around her building gave her the all clear, so she left the apartment and headed to the all night convenience store two blocks away. Abby hoped Ryan would return soon. A bad feeling had settled into her stomach and it refused to budge.
₪₪₪
Chapter Fourteen
Since Abby’s jeep was still parked at his old workplace, Ryan caught a cab to the building. The guard behind the reception desk nodded cordially and didn’t try to stop him from entering the elevator.
“Mr. Watts is waiting for you on level six,” he told the visitor helpfully.
Ryan frowned, but stepped inside and dutifully pressed the button for the sixth level where the conference rooms were. He’d expected to meet with Trevor in his office on the seventh level.
His earlier feeling of doom still hadn’t abated and he was wary when the elevator doors opened. Another guard stood halfway down the hallway. The man looked up at the sound of the elevator arriving and gestured towards the door behind him.
Nervously checking his weapons, Ryan traversed the hall and opened the door. The moment that he stepped into the room, two guns were pointed at his head from his left and right. He froze and swept his eyes around the large room. Trevor, Jackson, Holt and Doran stood behind the large rectangular table to his left. Watts sent him an apologetic look, which didn’t fill Ryan with relief.
Several more men surrounded him, efficiently stripping him of his weapons. All were dressed in the usual dark suits most government agents wore in a futile attempt to blend in with ordinary people. Their cold eyes and military short haircuts gave them away.
“I’m sorry, Ryan,” Trevor said when his former employee was escorted across the room and was forced to stand beside him.
“We had nothing to do with this,” Jackson said in a furious tone, shooting glares at the heavily armed agents.
“Does someone want to tell me what the hell is going on?” Ryan asked in as pleasant a tone as he could manage.
“I received a call just after you left for Brazil,” Watts said. “I was ordered to detain you, but it came a few minutes too late.” That was a lie for the benefit of the agents watching them. Trevor had deliberately allowed the agents to leave.
“Who wants me enough to go through this much trouble?” Ryan asked. He’d destroyed his one and only enemy and he had no idea who else could be gunning for him.
“It’s not you they’re after, boss,” Josh said in a deep, angry rumble.
Ryan’s hands clenched and several of the agents pointed their guns at him in warning. “They’re going after Abby,” he realized.
“I’m afraid so,” Trevor confirmed. “Someone wants her very badly.” His eyes were bleak as they met Sheldon’s.
“Logan Matthews,” Ryan said in a low voice. The leader of the Black Squad had finally gotten a lead on his rogue female agent and he was moving in to collect her, just as Abby had feared.
₪₪₪
Chapter Fifteen
Abby’s intuition that something wasn’t right intensified as she carried her groceries home. She didn’t sense anyone watching her, but the feeling of peril wasn’t going away. She watched her building carefully as she neared it, but saw no one suspicious lurking nearby.
She used the elevator rather than the stairs and the hallway was empty when she stepped out on her floor. Her apartment was at the far end of the hall, which seemed far longer than usual as she quietly made her way down it.
She reached her door without anyone jumping out at her and shifted her bags to her left arm. Unlocking her door, she pushed it open and took three steps inside before her hackles rose. Dropping the groceries, she didn’t get a chance to reach for the gun in the small of her back before cold metal was pressing against the back of her head.
“Hello, Ann,” said a voice that made her blood run cold. “Or should I call you Abigail? That is what you’re calling yourself now, isn’t it? Abigail Parker?” He mused for a moment before continuing. “I like it, it suits you.”
Abby had been afraid in the past, but a new level of terror swept through her. “Logan,” she said in a voice full of dread. Now that he had caught up to her, the pain would soon begin.
“I applaud your skill at remaining under the radar for so long,” Matthews said with a hint of amusement. He’d always been charming, even when ordering innocent people’s deaths. “I thought I’d never be able to track you down. But then you became embroiled in someone else’s problems and you made yourself vulnerable.”
She had nothing to say to that, so remained silent.
“Put your hands behind your back,” her ex-boss ordered.
With great reluctance, she complied and cold metal handcuffs closed around her wrists. It had been highly erotic when Ryan used his on her. Now the sensation of being bound filled her with horror and loathing.
She was searched efficiently and all of her weapons were found and confiscated. Once he’d disarmed her, Logan finally allowed her to turn around. He hadn’t changed at all since the last time she’d seen him well over a year ago. He was six foot three and she had to tilt her head back to meet his eyes. They were gray, but his were several shades lighter than hers. His dark hair was turning prematurely gray, which made him seem a few years older than thirty-eight. He’d stayed in shape and was still lean, fit and sinfully handsome. She’d had a crush on him when he’d first recruited her into the Black Squad, but her crush had quickly faded. He’d never shown any signs of attraction to her.
One thing that was different was his wardrobe. He usually dressed in a suit or at least in smart casual clothes. It was strange to see him in a pair of jeans and a black leather jacket. The outfit was almost a match for hers and he no doubt wore the jacket to hide his gun, just like she had.
He studied her curiously and his eyes dropped down to the lioness pendant that rested between her breasts. He seemed puzzled by it, probably because the only jewelry he’d ever seen her wear before was her clunky and functional watch.
“We’re going for a drive, Abigail.” His lips twitched as he continued to use her assumed name. “Will you come quietly or do I have to knock you out?”
Remaining conscious was a priority and she reached a decision quickly. “I’ll go quietly.”
He nodded as if he’d expected nothing less and took her by the arm. The door across the hall from hers was now open. He must have picked the lock and laid in wait for her. As meticulous as always, Matthews closed both hers and her neighbor’s door. He didn’t want the alarm to be raised any earlier than necessary.
They encountered no one as they took the elevator back down to the ground floor. Logan had the Devil’s own luck and the street was empty of pedestrians when they exited the building. He led her over to a nondescript white car parked at the curb and waited for a taxi to pass before opening the trunk.
Abby climbed inside rather than waiting for Matthews to pick her up and dump her into the confined space. She lay on her side as he shut her in. She caught one last glimpse of the sky before darkness closed in around her.
With her hands secured behind her back, she couldn’t check her watch, but she estimated that nearly two hours passed before the car rolled to a stop. She heard Logan speaking to someone, but his words were muffled. She blinked at the bright sunlight that flooded into the trunk when Matthews popped it open. He hauled her out and stood her on her feet then escorted her towards a small jet. He carried a duffle bag in one hand and she wasn’t even slightly curious about what was inside it. Her mind conjured up images of torture implements.
Abby glanced around and saw that they were in an isolated area of a small airfield. No one was nearby to witness her kidnapping, so he must have been speaking to someone on his cell phone. She climbed the stairs with Logan right behind her. Abby didn’t attempt to escape. She was good, but he was better. He’d honed her martial arts and weapons skills and
had turned her into a killing machine. He’d never gone into detail about his combat experience, but it far outweighed hers.
Guiding his prisoner to a seat, Logan un-cuffed her hands and waited for her to sit. He then secured both of her arms to the armrest with two pairs of cuffs. Her lock picking skills were excellent, but they were useless when she didn’t have a tool to help her to escape. He folded up the staircase, closed the door securely then disappeared into the cockpit.
Slumping back against the plush cream leather seat, Abby closed her eyes and tried not to descend into despair. She didn’t know why Matthews hadn’t just put a bullet in her brain back in her apartment. The fact that he’d taken such elaborate steps to remove her meant he had something special planned. He’d always like intricate missions that involved intrigue and stealth. This one didn’t seem to be any different.
As Logan readied the jet for takeoff, she remembered back to the final mission that had been the last straw for her. She and her five Black Squad team members had been sent to the Middle East. She’d been told that their task was to eradicate a known terrorist. They’d surrounded the home of her target and she’d been about to order her team to enter when she’d received a coded message through her satellite phone. It had come from Logan’s number and his instruction had been to wipe out a woman and several children.
She’d frozen in disbelief when she’d read the message. Matthews had given her questionable orders at times, but he’d never instructed her to kill innocent civilians before. Secretly tired of murdering people for her country, Abby had rebelled against the command and had ordered her team to abort the mission.
Her team had withdrawn a short distance away from the target’s property and her second in command had argued with her about her decision. He’d also received Logan’s message, which had been unusual in the extreme. As the team leader, Abby was usually the only one to receive the orders.
Her second had accused her of being a double agent working for the terrorists and had made the mistake of pointing his gun at her. Abby had reacted with her usual skill and speed and her knife had swept across his throat before he could pull the trigger.
The remaining four Black Squad members had turned on her as well, seeing her actions as proof of her treachery. She’d allowed her training to take over, shutting down her emotions as always as her hands had dealt out death.
One of the men had taken a wild swing at her, which had given her the opening she’d needed. Ducking beneath his arm, she’d stabbed him in the kidney and then used his body as a shield while the other three opened fire. His flak jacket had saved his chest from being torn open, but a stray bullet had caught him in the face. Even as his lifeless body had been falling, Abby had been on the move.
Pulling another knife from her left boot, she’d flung it at one of the men, spearing him in the throat. Gargling in horror, he’d dropped his gun and had staggered around in circles as the final two men and their female leader had battled hand to hand.
Smaller than them by several inches, Abby was lightning fast. Her knife sliced out again and again, finding vulnerable spots beneath their flak jackets. She’d sustained a few shallow cuts from their inferior tactics and had left them both bleeding out on the ground. Retrieving her knife from the man that was still staggering around in circles, she’d swiped it across his throat to finish him off.
All five men had died quietly and the fight had only lasted several minutes. She remembered looking down at her hands and they’d been stained red. Thanks to Logan’s order to murder innocent civilians, she’d become a rogue agent that had been hunted by her own people.
Now her boss had tracked her down and had captured her. She didn’t know where he was taking her or what he would do once they arrived at his destination. She did know that her time was now limited and she wished she’d told Ryan just once how much she loved him.
₪₪₪
Chapter Sixteen
Ryan’s stomach twisted with anguish. His watch told him that two hours had passed since he’d been taken prisoner along with his former Special Ops Branch team. His mind shied away from the thought that Abby was probably already dead. He wouldn’t give up hope until he saw her body with his own eyes.
The shrill ring of a cell phone startled everyone. One of the agents pulled a cell phone out of his jacket pocket. He answered it and listened without speaking. “Yes, sir,” he said after a few seconds then put his phone away. “You’re free to go,” he said to the five prisoners. “Thank you for your cooperation and have a nice day.”
Ryan took a furious step forward to ask the man a question, but halted when several guns were pointed at him.
“Just let them go,” Trevor said wearily. “They won’t tell you anything.”
Jackson put a restraining hand on Sheldon’s shoulder. His former team leader was almost vibrating with rage and frustration. Dale didn’t know Abby very well, but he’d come to like and respect her. He hated the idea of her being in Logan Matthew’s hands. It was well known that the leader of the Black Squad was a heartless monster.
“What can we do to help?” Dale asked Ryan when the room cleared of enemy agents.
“I could use a lift back to Abby’s apartment,” Ryan said. Her jeep was parked beneath the building, but he wanted to leave his mind free to plan. Having someone else drive would assist him to focus.
Matt’s usual lightheartedness was absent for once. “Do you have a way to track her?”
“Yeah, but she’s probably moved out of range by now.”
Doran offered his assistance. “Maybe Abby has a backup laptop that can hijack the signal like she did in Rio.”
Hope flared and Ryan clapped the big man on the shoulder. “You’re a genius, Josh!”
Josh shrugged then winced at the flare of pain in his wounded arm. “I know,” he smirked. He’d visited a hospital long enough to have the bullet removed, but hadn’t stayed any longer than absolutely necessary. He hated hospitals with a passion.
“What are we waiting for?” Matt asked.
Turning to Trevor, Ryan lifted his eyebrows in silent query.
Watts waved his hand, giving permission for his ex-agent to borrow his team again. “Try to bring them back in one piece,” he said gravely. They would be going up against a man that was both ruthless and a stone cold killer. He’d received a call from Logan’s superior, a man with the same rank as Trevor, just before his team had flown to Brazil. The director of the Black Squad had made subtle threats that he’d have Trevor fired if he tried to interfere when his team returned from Rio.
Abby wouldn’t be the only one to pay for his cowardice. Ryan would also suffer if she was harmed. Agent Sheldon was a man of honor and conviction and he inspired the same sentiment in his team. Trevor didn’t even try to stop Dale, Matt and Josh from going after Abigail. They regarded her as one of them now and they’d do the same for any team member.
Ryan was as focused as he’d ever been as he stepped into the elevator and rode it down to the parking level. Jackson jogged over to one of the black SUVs and they all climbed inside. He followed Ryan’s directions and pulled up just down the street from Abby’s apartment.
All four men drew their weapons as they entered the building. They took the stairs and covered each other as Ryan moved to the lead and quietly headed to the far end of the hallway. Pressing his fingers against the door, he tensed as it swung open. Groceries littered the polished wooden floor, but at least he didn’t see any blood.
A quick search of the apartment gave him no clues about where Abby had been taken. He was relieved to a spare laptop sitting on the table next to her home security computer. She trusted him enough to give him the password to her other laptop and he switched the computer on with the hope that it had the same one. It did and he went to work.
Dale and Matt thoughtfully cleaned up the mess on the floor while Josh watched the door. He peered down the hallway through a crack with his gun held ready. He didn’t expect any more agents to appear,
but he was prepared to shoot if he had to.
Ryan had intended to use his small tracking monitor to find Abby, but the signal wouldn’t be strong enough if she’d moved more than a few miles away. She’d been gone for nearly three hours by now and he doubted she was being held anywhere close by.
Abby’s laptop came to life and he spent a few minutes trawling through her files until he found the program Josh had mentioned. He activated it and one small red dot immediately appeared. It was in the center of the screen and belonged to him. The other dot wasn’t in sight, which meant that Abby had moved away from Washington DC.
He’d become slightly paranoid after being kidnapped by Montoya’s men and had taken the precaution of inserting tiny tracking devices inside his and Abby’s watches. He hadn’t told her about this and he now wished he had. She had to be terrified after being taken by Matthews and she had no idea that he would be coming to rescue her.
Zooming the map out, he saw the second red dot appear. It was rapidly moving westward. It was travelling far too quickly to be on the ground, which meant he had to borrow a jet from Trevor again.
Watts was expecting his call and answered his cell phone immediately. “What do you need, Ryan?”
“A jet,” he replied. “I don’t know where Matthews is taking Abby, but they’re heading west.”
“I had a jet readied, just in case,” Trevor said. “I’ll tell the pilot you’re on your way.”
