“We aren’t going out the front door, darlin.’ We don’t want to disturb your friends.”
“You think people won’t see that gun?”
“Not when it’s covered with my jacket. To these lovely elders we’re a loving couple and I’m simply touching your back.”
He steered her through the diner toward the back and through the kitchen. No one seemed to notice they didn’t belong there.
“I told them you were an up-and-coming model who was being harassed by a fan. They said I could take you out the back if necessary,” he whispered in her ear.
“You’ve thought of everything, haven’t you?”
“I learn.” Before they stepped out the back door he stopped her. “Put your hands behind your back.”
“Why?”
“Just do it.”
She heard the jingle of metal. Her pulse quickened. He wanted to handcuff her before walking out. She couldn’t allow that. She needed her hands to fight.
“You really want to do this?” he hissed in her ear.
The ominous click of a bullet being loaded into a chamber reverberated through her body. Without looking she could feel the heat of his body pull away from her. When she looked over her shoulder he was turned, lifting his arm and aiming the pistol at a dishwasher with his back turned.
Shear terror swept over her body. He’d do it. He’d kill another innocent person to make a point. She couldn’t allow that to happen.
“Stop. I’ll do what you say.” With those words she sealed her fate for sure.
“Good choice.” He lowered his arm, swung around and in one swift motion slapped the handcuffs around her wrists. With a harsh jerk he pulled her back against his body and whispered in her ear. “No funny business, Veronica. I don’t want to make a mess at a restaurant, but I will if I have to.”
He opened the door and shoved her through. Straight ahead was a Jeep he pushed her toward. She couldn’t get in it. Once he had her on the road her team would never find her in time. Her brain raced. She had to do something and fast.
* * * * *
“I don’t like it. She’s been in there too long.” Kong spoke over the radio.
“It’s busy tonight,” Boomer replied.
“No, that’s not it. Two couples have come out who went in after she did. Besides, they have a limited menu. Food’s already prepared. Only takes like five to get your meal,” Dragon informed them.
“Kong, what’s happenin’?” Ricochet didn’t like this. Dragon had a knack for detail.
“Dragon, head in and see what’s up.”
“Roger.”
“Hold tight, Rico. Let’s see what the kid finds before we panic.”
Too late, he was already panicking. While he waited he slipped on his shirt, checked his weapon and made sure his blade was tucked securely in its sheath, then he went to the window and peeked through. It was too dark to see much, but he could see the shadowed forms of customers entering.
“Come on, Veronica. Get your ass back here.”
“Kong, she’s not here. The waitress said she left with a man out the back.” Dragon sounded like he was running. “On my way to the back door.”
“Son of a bitch, the bastard has her.” Ricochet burst through the room door and headed across the street.
“Dan, any of your men have anything?” Kong asked.
“Nothing. We’re headed to the rear of the building.”
Ricochet heard a loud high-pitched whistle that stalled his momentum. Bright white lights blinded him followed by the honk of a horn. Brakes screeched as he was tossed onto the hood of a car and thrown several feet onto the pavement.
Pain ripped through his legs and hip. “Fuck,” he whimpered rolling on his side. “Veronica,” he screamed at the top of his lungs.
* * * * *
Sam’s training flooded Ronnie’s brain. She could take him, even without her hands. Giving her lips a wet swipe with her tongue, she pursed and let loose an ear splitting whistle that echoed in the night air.
Her captor reacted fast, grabbing a handful of hair and snapping her head back. Ronnie countered, lifting her leg and swinging it back until her foot made contact with his knee. He grunted, dropped to the ground and then reached out and snagged Ronnie’s foot, tossing her on her back.
“Bad move, bitch.”
The air whooshed from her lungs on impact. Without thinking she kicked out and flipped onto her feet. He was bobbling, trying to stand. Focusing on the gun in his hand, she kicked out and spun, connecting. The gun flew through the air and landed in the tall weeds by the dumpster. Now they were on an even playing field.
He lunged for her from his knees, taking her down with another hard thud. She brought her knee up, catching him in the throat. A sick, grotesque wheeze emanated from him. She brought her knee up again, he rolled to the side grabbing her foot and twisting.
Move with it. She heard Sam’s voice as clear as a bell in her head and obeyed. Rolling with his twist she brought her other leg around and drilled the heel of her foot into his back, right between his shoulder blades. While he fought to drag breath into his lungs, she rolled away and struggled to her feet.
With her hands still secured behind her back she ran around the side of the building. Before she could get to the safety of the parking lot light he tackled her. It must have been his last ditch effort, at least that’s what she thought with the weak, trembling grasp he made for her.
His hot, moist breath swamped the back of her head as he tried to restrain her. Her body was pinned to the ground with his weight. She kicked but made no connection. As a last desperate option she lowered her head and brought it back hard into his face.
The pain-filled howl gave her a sense of satisfaction. When he rolled away she scrambled, got to her feet and looked at the pathetic killer bleeding from the nose. It was time to end this once and for all.
Tired, exhausted and sick to her stomach she walked up next to him and placed her foot on his throat.
“You’ve taken your last life you piece of…”
“Veronica, don’t.”
Ricochet’s voice barely penetrated the fog in her head.
“Do it,” the man on the ground said to her. “End it.”
“Ronnie, step away from him,” Kong ordered.
She looked down at the man, studied him closely. He begged her to end his life and she could do it. All she had to do was stomp on the soft tissue of his airway and he’d suffocate. One last murdering bastard on the planet. Her mother’s death would be avenged.
A flicker of light in front of her caught her attention. Off in the distance the light grew and took the shape of her mother. No words were spoken but the wave of love that encircled her was unmistaken. A mother’s love, the kind that couldn’t be swayed no matter how distant they were.
Within that love she found reason and understanding. She’d spent her life looking for revenge and when at last it was at her fingertips she knew there was another way. In the distance she could hear Ricochet and the rest of the team shouting at her. The man at her mercy still pleaded for her to end his life. All the words flying at her jumbled together. The only that made sense was the light.
It flickered, almost winking at her as it sent another rush of warmth and love before fading. Ronnie took a deep breath, filled her lungs with brisk night air and waited for her heart to return to a normal rhythm. When she felt calm she opened her eyes and looked down at the man once more.
“Kill me, damn it,” he wheezed against her foot.
“I don’t think so. You want it too much. I think the CIA has other plans for you. I hear they have unique ways of getting information.”
He reached up and tried to push her foot away. She merely increased the pressure, narrowing his airway further.
“Hey, Dan,” she shouted. “You just may find out all you need to know after all.” As she spoke her team and the CIA moved in, circling them. “I hope it was all worth it.”
“Ms. Holter, step away. Let us deal
with him,” Dan spoke calmly.
“Now the fun begins,” she said before backing away.
Kong stepped to her side and slipped his arm around her. “Are you okay?”
“As good as I can be.”
“You did good, Ronnie. Ready to go home?”
Home? Where was home? “Sure.”
“Want those cuffs off?” Gunner asked.
“I’d owe ya one.”
“Turn around.”
As he fiddled behind her, Dragon looked her in the eye. “I thought you were gonna do it, Rogue. I was kinda hoping you would.”
“I thought I was going to do it too.” The cuffs released from her hands. Grateful, she smiled at the two men and rubbed her raw skin. “But, I think what he has coming will be worse.”
“Hey, Ronnie, nice move with the whistle,” Boomer said stepping up with the rest. “Looks like you got the hang of the team thing.”
“I knew you all were there. I knew you had my back, Boomer and I knew I couldn’t get in that Jeep with him. Whistling was the only way I could think of to let you know something was wrong.”
“Fast thinking. How the hell did you manage to best him with your hands cuffed?” Kong asked.
“That would be thanks to your wife. She’s a hell of a teacher.” The proud look that spread across his face brought tears to her eyes. Would Ricochet ever look at her like that? Glancing around, she didn’t see him. “We seem to be missing a team member,” she muttered.
“He’s over there, propped against the building.” Kong pointed to where he stood.
She made to move to him when Kong stopped her. “He got smacked by a car trying to get to you, Ronnie. Nothing’s broken but he hurts like hell.”
Hit by a car? Her heart hammered in her chest. “Is his head okay?”
Boomer let out a hearty belly laugh. “Ronnie, his head has never been okay. After the last couple of days I doubt it’ll help the situation.”
She couldn’t help laughing along with him and Kong. After all, she thought he was out of his mind just days ago. She turned to leave them and then stopped and turned back.
“I want to thank you. All of you, for everything you’ve done for me. I would have become another one of Grear’s victims if not for your help. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you.”
The four men looked away, embarrassed by her gratitude. As always, Kong took the lead.
“We’ll find a way. Don’t you worry about that,” he said winking.
She wasn’t sure what that meant, but she’d gladly do whatever was necessary. “Okay, just let me know,” she said leaving them and heading toward her man.
Poor Ricochet, he looked like hell. She barged into his life and turned it upside down. Their relationship went from one end of the scale to the other and now his body had taken the beating of a lifetime. Well, she’d just have to take care of him.
“Tough night,” she said, sitting on a garbage can next to him. Darkness was upon them now and the single dusk to dawn light did little to brighten the area.
He reached over and took her hand, holding it tight. “I thought…”
“I know,” she interrupted shivering from the cold night air.
“It would have killed me, Veronica. I would have shriveled up into nothing if I’d lost you. I want you to understand that.”
She did understand, and wasn’t it simply wonderful. “Walking out in front of a car doesn’t seem like a very good way to express yourself.”
“Yeah, well I wasn’t thinking clearly.”
“How badly are you hurt?”
“I’m okay. Just a little bruised. What about you? Did he hurt you?”
She watched as Dan and his men escorted the man out of the parking lot. “No. But he’ll be asking for some serious pain killers.”
“I saw you standing there with your hands cuffed behind your back and I nearly lost my mind. He was a dead man at that point. I would have killed him if I’d gotten my hands on him. Then I saw you standing on his throat, blood all over his face. I gotta tell ya, I’ve never been so proud in my life.” He squeezed her hand harder. “Then I thought you were gonna kill him. I wasn’t sure you could hear me shouting at ya.”
“I couldn’t. I wasn’t hearing anything,” she whispered.
“But then, just when I thought you were gonna do it, put your foot right through his neck you backed off, made the right choice. I could have burst.”
“I had help with that decision.”
“Help?”
“Maybe I’ll tell you about it sometime. Right now I’d like to get the hell out of here. I’ve had enough of this area for a while.”
“Hey, you two. Kong says we’re gonna head back tonight. Nothing more for us to do. The big Dan has his man. We’re outta the picture now,” Boomer told them. “We’ll gather our things and head to the airport in half an hour.”
“Good, that’s good. Thanks buddy.”
Ricochet and Boomer bumped knuckles before he left.
“You think you can make it across the street without getting hurt?” she asked.
“Smart ass.”
* * * * *
The plane landed at W&S at ten o’clock. The flight was quiet. Ricochet slept next to her the entire way. Kong, Boomer, Gunner and Dragon all chatted. It hadn’t taken long for her to gather her belongings from the hotel. She had enough time to leave a note for Miss Dane instructing her to take any donations from the news report and donate them to her favorite charity or personally take them to families she knew who could use them.
Maybe in a day or two, after she was sure Ricochet was physically sound, she’d return and figure out what to do with the charred remains of her apartment. Of course, she had to figure out what to do with her life first.
As they disembarked, she saw Cannon, Sam and Boomer’s girlfriend Hannah and her daughter waiting for them. Raya, the adorable little redhead, bounced like a jack rabbit and waved furiously at them.
Boomer’s long strides carried him to Hannah in seconds. They embraced, kissed for nearly a minute before he picked up the excited Raya and wrapped her in a bear hug. Sam hugged Kong, kissed him tenderly and then moved aside for Cannon to shake his hand.
As she and Ricochet approached the group turned.
“It’s good to have you back, Ronnie,” Sam said rubbing her arm. “A little worse for wear, but at least you’re alive.”
“Thanks, Sam.”
“You should be proud of her, Sam,” Kong said holding her close to his side. “Your training saved her life.”
“Is that so?” Cannon questioned.
“He had her hands cuffed behind her back and she still got the best of him. She didn’t get a mark on her. He on the other hand looked like he’d gone through a meat grinder.”
“Way to go, Ronnie,” Sam hugged her tight.
“My God, Ronnie, how’d you do it?” Hannah asked, never letting go of Boomer. Little Raya continued bouncing around Boomer’s legs.
“Good training and the knowledge that I had the best team in the world at my back.”
Sam and Cannon shared a secret smile.
“Gentlemen, I’d like to have a word with you for a moment, if you don’t mind.” Cannon requested.
Kong, Boomer, Gunner, Dragon and Ricochet followed him a few him off.
“Ricochet looks a little rough,” Sam said.
“I’m afraid he took most of the punishment.” She watched the men secretly talking as she spoke. Did this mean she wasn’t considered part of the team any longer?
“How about you, Ronnie? How are you holding up?” Hannah asked ignoring Raya’s pestering tugs on her shirt.
“I’ll let you know in a day or two when I’ve had time to digest it all. Right now everything seems a bit surreal.” What were they talking about?
“Excuse me a moment, will ya?” Sam stepped away going to join the men.
A few moments later Kong and Sam headed to the office by themselves. Ricochet came toward her, his gaze firmly o
n her face. Sweat beaded across her forehead. Please don’t let this be bad news, she thought to herself.
“Let’s head to the office, shall we. Just a few things to discuss and then everyone can go home and get some sleep. Ronnie, do you need anything?” asked Cannon.
“Just a hot bath, some warm food and about three days of sleep. Walt, I don’t know how to thank you for all your help. You and the guys, you didn’t have to get involved in my nightmare. It wasn’t your concern, but I’m glad you did. I’m alive because of it.”
“Thank yous aren’t necessary, Ronnie. Come on.”
Ricochet never said a word. He walked with his arm around her, holding her close but didn’t utter a thing. This was weird. Maybe she was just too tired and making a mountain out of a molehill. When they entered the office things got even stranger. Kong sat in a chair, pale, with a shocked look on his face. Sam seemed almost giddy.
They all filed in and stood, staring at him. Cannon didn’t even seem to know what was happening. Sam nodded to Boomer.
“Ronnie, we have a question for you. Do you have any idea what it is you’d like to do now that Grear and his goons are out of the picture?”
“Well, I guess I’ll continue my private investigation work. It’s the only thing I have at the moment.” All eyes were on her. Well, everyone except Kong. He still seemed to be zoned out.
“Is that what you want to do?” Ricochet asked.
God, he sounded so tired. “I’m not sure.” He wasn’t the only one.
“I realize you’re exhausted, Ronnie,” Cannon jumped in. “But we have an offer for you.”
“An offer?”
Cannon nodded to Dragon and Gunner. They both stepped forward.
“Rogue, we’d like you to be a permanent part of our team,” Gunner said smiling.
She looked at him and then at Dragon.
“We’d be lost without ya,” Dragon added.
Then she looked at Ricochet. That proud look that Kong had when she mentioned Sam’s name was now on his face. Her heart swelled, filling her chest. Tears burned behind her eyes.
“We’d like you to become a full-time team member at W&S,” Cannon said.
“I don’t know what to say.” Her voice broke as she spoke.
Ricochet's Rogue (Agent of Mercy, Book Three) Page 27
