The Maze (ATCOM)

by Jennifer Lowery

  Something deep and sinister entered his eyes and Attie had to force herself not to take a step back. Carlos Santiago could be a very scary man.

  “Then let me enlighten you. Last night you slept with a man that I didn’t give you to. My offer was for one night alone with you, not two.”

  “You don’t own me,” she said.

  He lunged, and she sidestepped, but he anticipated her move and caught her with a blow to her midsection that knocked the breath out of her. She doubled over, gasping for air. Carlos took advantage and moved in. He knocked her to her knees and brought a hand down on her shoulder.

  She cried out when pain erupted behind her stitches. She felt them pull free as Carlos dug his fingers into her flesh through the bandage. Nausea rolled over her in waves as her vision blurred. Carlos didn’t play fair and he hated to lose. He saw her weakness and went after it. She was helpless to stop him. Pain paralyzed her.

  “Did you enjoy him last night?” His voice cold and mocking. “Was it your way of defying me? Did you like the power it gave you?”

  Attie couldn’t answer. Dots danced in front of her eyes. She hadn’t destroyed all of the cameras like she thought and now she was paying the price.

  To Carlos, she had used Noah as a weapon against him. A direct defiance. He expected her to submit, even now. He still believed he had control over her and that she would play his game like a good little mouse because of the leverage he held over her. He thought he could use her as he had before.

  “Do you surrender, mi amor?” Carlos asked, his fingers digging deeper until she cried out.

  “No,” she managed to choke out. “Never, and I will sleep with Noah again if I decide to, you bas—”

  She was cut off by the shouts of men outside the ring and lifted her eyes to see a former Navy SEAL taking on six armed men with deadly intentions. Bodies flew in all directions as Noah moved steadily through them to get to her. He had a look she had seen many times in the past. He was a machine and would kill anyone that got in his way.

  Attie used the distraction and took advantage. She chopped Carlos in the shin with the flat of her hand. It was enough to catch him unaware and when the pressure eased on her shoulder she dropped and rolled away. She saw Noah reach for the ropes as he prepared to swing into the ring at the same time one of the thugs he’d felled raised his weapon.

  She knew what was going to happen and she couldn’t allow it. She would never make it through this without Noah at her side. He was her rock. Despite the past, she needed and wanted him here with her. They could sort through the rest later. For now, she wanted him by her side.

  “No, I surrender,” she shouted to Carlos, hating how the words tasted like poison on her tongue, but for Noah, she would do it.

  A slow, feral smile spread across his face as Carlos held up a hand for a cease-fire. Noah was inside the ring before the shot rang out. He grabbed Attie by the elbow and pulled her to her feet before shoving her behind his back, serving as a barrier between her and Carlos. This time Attie didn’t argue.

  “Atalanta surrendered to me to save your life, Noah. Quite an honor. She doesn’t like to lose.”

  “She didn’t lose.”

  “By default she did and now she’ll pay the consequences.”

  “I’m not finished with you. What do you say I give you someone more your size to play with?”

  “You don’t approve of my sparring with Atalanta?” Carlos sounded genuinely surprised.

  “Give me one minute.”

  “You think you can take me in one minute?”

  Attie knew Carlos wouldn’t back down from a challenge. It was a rare treat for him to find a sparring partner with equally matched skill.

  “Try me.”

  Warm blood seeped down her back and she hurt all over, but she wasn’t going to let Noah do this. If he killed Santiago now, then they may never find Brendan or get out of here. She stepped around him and positioned herself between the two men, struggling to stay focused.

  “Do what you’re going to do to me, Carlos. Leave him out of it.”

  The blow came hard and fast to her cheek. The force of it twisted her head to the side as pain exploded behind her eyes. She staggered, her face bumping into Noah’s chest. She would have fallen if he hadn’t caught her. He carried her to the corner and set gently down so that her back was against the ropes.

  She looked up when Noah cupped her cheek. In his eyes was tender concern mixed with a look of censure that lacked anger. He was upset with her for going along with this in the first place.

  “Will you stay here for one damn minute?”

  “You don’t need to do this.” Not for me.

  “Yes, I do,” he said and with one last, intense look, rose to his feet and turned to face Carlos.

  What she saw then chilled her to the bone and she knew she would never see anything like it again.

  The man she was afraid to love fought for her.

  * * * *

  Two very dangerous men faced each other with matched skill and ability. They circled each other on the mat, assessing and measuring as they prepared to strike. Fighting the ache in her body and the dots still swimming in front of her eyes, Attie pushed to her feet, thinking to stop them, but Carlos shook his head when he saw her, and beckoned Noah forward.

  She opted for hanging onto the ropes to stay upright. She was losing blood, could feel it running down her back, so she clamped a hand over as much of the wound as she could reach. Warm blood seeped through her fingers, but she barely noticed. Her gaze was pinned on the two men inside the ring.

  Noah was in top physical condition. She had worked out with him in the past and knew how disciplined he was. She also knew he was a trained killer. Carlos wasn’t trained by the military but he was a killer. He didn’t kill out of necessity; he liked it.

  Noah moved with precision and agility. For a large man he was light on his feet and quick. He moved with grace and skill and confidence as he blocked, advanced and struck. Every blow was deliberate, controlled and accurate.

  He had watched Carlos spar with her, and she knew Noah had studied his moves and used the knowledge to attack his weak points. Noah didn’t underestimate the opponent and he didn’t give up. Deep down Attie wanted Noah’s victory. She wanted Carlos dead so that her memories could die with him, but he wasn’t going to let that happen. Carlos was having fun with a challenging partner.

  Noah slammed a fist into Carlos’s kidney and followed with an elbow to the back of his neck, bringing Carlos to his knees. Ruthlessly, Noah moved in and broke his nose with a loud crack as blood gushed again down Carlos’s chin. Attie saw the lethal coldness in Noah’s eyes as he moved into position behind Carlos, his arm snaking around his neck. He could end it here.

  Attie was frozen in place, wanting him to do it, knowing he could. Then, in slow motion, Carlos reached down and pulled a pistol out of a leg holster he had hidden under his slacks. He raised it and aimed it at Noah.

  Fear gripped her like a cold fist. Carlos never played fair. Damn Noah for being a champion.

  She lunged and screamed as a shot echoed through the air.

  * * * *

  Blood.

  Everywhere.

  On the mat. On Noah. On Carlos. God help her, she’d gotten another agent killed. Noah was dead and it was her fault. Because of her, he was here. Because of her, Seth had been sent in.

  Attie sank to her knees as pain and regret surged through her. Carlos shot Noah. The reality of it refused to enter her numb brain. Anguish so great it resembled physical pain assaulted her, seeping into her muscles and turning them to jelly. She dissolved into a limp heap against the ropes and wrapped her arms around her waist to control her shaking.

  Images of Noah played through her head. Them making love, connecting to each other on a level she had been afraid to face. The way he’d made her feel and the emotions he evoked every time he touched her. The way he held her tenderly afterward and didn’t break his promise.


  In her mind’s eye she saw him saving her life on that cliffside, in the water with the anaconda, and on the bridge. He’d been there for her all along, silent and strong, watching her back and protecting her. Until now she hadn’t been able to admit how much she counted on his steady, powerful presence at her side and now he was gone. He lay in a pool of blood.

  She hadn’t put Carlos away a year ago and now he had killed the one man she’d grown to need more than anything else in her life. Noah was indestructible.

  He was The Rock, for God’s sake!

  In despair, she held out her hands in front of her and stared at them. There was no visible blood on them, but she could see it, right along with Seth’s. Somehow, she was going to make this right. One way or another she was going to bring him down. For Seth and Noah and Brendan.

  Feelings that had been building and pushed down until now rushed up to the surface and Attie felt a loss so strong she choked back a sob. Her feelings for Seth had been professional, but the ones for Noah were tearing her heart to shreds. She had known pain in the past but nothing hurt like this. Losing Noah felt like losing a part of her soul. For that she would kill Carlos. No more blood would be shed because of her.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered as she was grabbed from behind, a needle jabbed into her arm. The last thing she saw before darkness enveloped her was Noah’s blood staining the floor and Carlos smiling at her.

  Chapter 20

  Attie opened her eyes slowly, wishing someone would stop driving nails into her head. She let out a tiny gasp when she realized she was hanging upside down. Her arms hung six feet off the floor and blood puddled beneath her where it had dripped from the wound on her shoulder.

  She stared at the puddle and felt her heart clench tight in her chest. Noah. Fresh pain stabbed at her but she refused it. She couldn’t think about him right now. Not if she was going to save her brother. Blinking tears out of her eyes, she pushed the pain away and tucked it into the place she kept it all. Buried deep so she could function. This was not the time to fall apart.

  Looking up at her feet she saw she hung by a rope from the ceiling of a cave. Fighting dizziness, she moved her legs, testing the knot holding her. Too tight to slip out of her boots. But she had a weapon. Noah had slipped his knife inside her boot this morning before Carlos came for them, said she’d need it more than him.

  Loss speared through her when she remembered his grin as he tucked the blade inside her boot. He’d run his hand up her leg afterward and turned her into a mass of quivering need by that simple touch. A touch she would never feel again. Jesus, how things had changed since he had come to the ranch and told her about Brendan. In truth, she had never expected any of this.

  The feelings she felt for him in the past were nothing compared to now. The attraction had always been there, but not in her wildest dreams had she expected it to be so intense. He made her forget the past and not worry as much about the present. With him at her side, things didn’t seem quite so daunting.

  Not what she’d expected to get from him. A great roll in the sack, yes, but not something so deep it scared her. Who would have thought Noah would be the one she fell in love with? The man responsible for her past, who had broken her heart. Never had she thought she’d fall this hard for him.

  It felt like a betrayal. To herself and Seth. Like she was selling out for her own pleasure. Because Noah brought her an enormous amount of pleasure. No other man had done that and no other would ever compare. But, deep down, in that place she’d refused to accept, she knew. She believed Noah. He’d never lied in the past, never had ulterior motives. Everything he did was on the straight and narrow. He especially wouldn’t lie about this. Not when he knew how important it was to her to have the truth. She had to decide to believe him.

  Except now was too late.

  Attie shook her head to clear it, making herself dizzy. She had to focus on getting out of here. This was yet another of Carlos’s tests and she had to run it all alone. Noah wasn’t at her side helping her along with his steady presence, giving her the reassurance she never knew she needed. That reality weighed heavily on her and she swallowed the lump in her throat. So many things had been left unsaid between them and now the words burned a path through her heart. Her stubbornness had really gotten her in deep this time.

  Stifling a sob, she lifted herself into a sit-up position with muscles protesting, and reached inside her boot, holding onto the rope with one hand for support. She had to work the knife out of its hiding place against the tightness of the rope, but she managed and was sawing at the rope in no time.

  The rope snapped and she fell, landing hard in a cloud of dust that knocked the breath out of her. She was really getting tired of falling. This entire mess was getting old. She had never been so desperate for clean air in her life. Or natural light.

  Struggling to catch her breath, Attie coughed as dust settled in her lungs. She lay there with tears floating in her eyes and pain vibrating through her body. She had hurt like this before and knew she could handle physical pain, but the agony in her heart was almost more than she could bear. It felt like someone had a fist around her heart and squeezed tight. How was she supposed to go on without Noah?

  How had she come to rely on him so much?

  When she could breathe without coughing and see past her despair, she rose into a sitting position and replaced the knife in her boot to look around. Another cave. Big surprise. Antonio had really outdone himself this time. He should be proud of this house of horrors he’d built with such care.

  There were two openings in the cave. One to the left and one to the right. A fork in the road. One would lead to a reward and one would lead to more pain. Her head was already pulsing, her cheek swollen and tender. She couldn’t decide which part of her body hurt the most. More pain didn’t sound like a great idea right now. She’d much rather crawl up in a ball and sit in a corner until this was over.

  But it wasn’t going to be over. Not until she ran Carlos’s maze. He wasn’t going to let her go, no matter what. Since she had never quit anything in her life, she rose to her feet and pushed her pain deep so she could finish this. She owed that to Seth and Noah both. She wasn’t about to let Carlos win, or else their deaths would be for nothing.

  A boot scuffed against rock and Attie stiffened. Slowly, she rose to her feet and saw a man walk out of the shadows. He was tall and dressed to perfection in black trousers and turtleneck.

  A shiver filtered down her spine.

  Antonio.

  With a sniper rifle.

  He smiled at her and rested the rifle casually across his shoulder. “Hello, Chryst-I mean, Atalanta. Are you ready?”

  Attie went cold. “What are you doing with that rifle?”

  Antonio glanced down at the powerful weapon. “She’s a beauty, isn’t she? I guess you could say that architecture isn’t my only talent.”

  The pieces fell into place. The buried background, the dead ends. “You’re a mercenary,” she said with sinking dread.

  “On occasion,” he said, meeting her eyes. “I’ve been waiting for this for a long time. Ever since I met you in South America. You’re a very intriguing woman.”

  “No offense if I don’t thank you for the compliment.”

  “None taken. You are much more beautiful like this. The other just wasn’t you.”

  “Again, no offense.”

  Antonio nodded.

  “So, what do I do?” she asked, wearily. She hadn’t even begun the game and she was already tired of it.

  Antonio cocked his head at her. “You’ve lost your spark. What is this about?”

  He had always been very intuitive and well-mannered. A gentleman. Always inquiring about how she was feeling and how she was doing when he visited. He never posed a threat directly, though he’d always made her uneasy. Now she knew why. He was a professional killer. She’d certainly missed the boat on this one.

  She had missed the boat on a lot of things.

  “N
othing. Can we get on with this?”

  “Of course. Have you figured out what we’re going to do yet?”

  She could take a stab in the dark and probably hit the mark but she wasn’t ready to admit it. She didn’t want to do this. Never take a knife to a gunfight, that’s what Uncle Jed always told her and here she was armed with nothing but a knife against a sniper rifle.

  “I’ll give you a head start because I like you so much. Cheer up, Atalanta, this is going to be fun. I’ve designed some pretty amazing things down these tunnels. I’ll even let you choose which one you want to take first.”

  An accommodating mercenary.

  “You’re too kind,” she said.

  “You’ve earned it. Tell me, did you have feelings for Noah?”

  Attie reared back. “That’s none of your business.”

  “No, I guess it isn’t, yet I feel a need to ask. The two of you looked pretty cozy. Don’t worry, I’m not asking for Carlos. I’m curious. I won’t tell. If you ask me, I was always rooting for you.”

  Shaking, furious with him for bringing up Noah’s death after she’d barely gotten a handle on it, she glared at him. She wouldn’t give Carlos the satisfaction of seeing her true feelings for Noah and she certainly wasn’t giving it to him. She didn’t care why Antonio was asking or why he was interested. Right now he was the enemy. Here to kill her. He would get nothing personal from her. Especially when she’d just figured it out herself.

  Only now it didn’t matter. Carlos had stolen him from her.

  “Do you have permission to kill me, Antonio?” she asked, pushing her thoughts away. They would weaken her and she couldn’t afford that right now. Brendan was still here. Still alive. And she wasn’t losing him too.

  He shrugged. “Maybe.”

  “I doubt Carlos would let you steal his glory.”

  “Carlos and I have an understanding.”

  “I see.” But she didn’t. She was upset and confused. Her insides were wrung tight. Everything she thought she’d known and been sure of was suddenly unclear.

  She tried not to think about what Carlos would do to her brother if she disobeyed. He didn’t hesitate to kill Noah and she was certain he would do the same to Brendan. He was a man without conscience. Killing was a way of life for him.