No Going Back (Club Aegis Book 6)

by Christie Adams

  Puzzled expressions met her gaze, but Beth was the one who asked the question. “Who are you, Maddie? Really?”

  Maddie glanced at Beth’s husband. Alex was studying her carefully, making Maddie painfully aware that she hadn’t yet given him her answer regarding his job offer. She turned back to Beth. “I haven’t always been an events manager. I used to work for the intelligence services, and I can still handle myself in a fight.

  “Look, we’re wasting time. Just go, all of you, and get help. I’m staying. Besides, someone has to be on this side of the door to make it look as if no one’s gone this way, just in case they find their way down here. It’ll be fine. Go.”

  Maddie ushered her charges through the door and locked it again. She tossed the key in the corner, behind a pile of supplies. Now to find Guy, Cam and Ryan.

  She retraced her steps until she reached the door to the public areas of the hotel. What would Guy have done? He’d want to find out as much as possible about the enemy, their numbers and weapons. It could be useful to know how many remained outside the hotel. She ran up the stairs to the next floor, so she could take a look at the car park.

  The nearest of the menacing black Land Rovers was parked close enough for her to make out the features of the man standing by it and dishing out orders. Recognition triggered an overwhelming wave of nausea. Though he didn’t deserve it, the years had treated Dmitry Kuznetsov well since she’d last seen him in Moscow.

  Things had just got a whole lot more personal. Kuznetsov himself had overseen the torture sessions aimed at extracting the names of her contacts in Moscow. The man was an expert in brutality. The news that his boss had been sent to take over the London operation had almost made her physically sick. Kuznetsov’s presence now could mean only one thing—he remained Viktor Srenko’s brigadier, a fact that spoke of a lethal combination of loyalty and ruthlessness that chilled her to the bone.

  She had to find Guy. The first body, dressed in black like Kuznetsov, confirmed she was heading in the right direction. She recognised the signs of an expertly snapped neck. Any of the three men she’d left behind could have done it. A lack of weapons on the body gave her hope they at least had a means of shooting back now.

  But one dead thug didn’t mean this was over. The price of freedom and survival for the innocent might still be her life. Thank God she’d taken the precaution of leaving instructions on how to contact Yana back at Stonehaven.

  The main entrance and reception area was the obvious place to head for, and as she made her way in that direction, Maddie became aware of the silence. Tempting though it was to interpret that as the end of the attack, realistically it was unlikely to be the case. Her back to the wall, she inched towards the corner where the corridor ended and the lobby began. As she did so, she heard the heart-breaking sound of muted sobbing from multiple sources.

  Just as she was about to drop to the floor to commando-crawl to the shelter of the concierge desk, a masculine hand clamped over her mouth. Adrenaline flooded her body. She thrashed and struggled, but it was no good. An arm with the strength of steel dragged her back against a rock-hard body, and without ceremony, she was manhandled back into the corridor.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  “What the hell are you doing here? I thought I told you to get away.”

  Guy was furious. He’d thought she was safe, well out of the line of fire. When he’d rounded the corner and seen her ahead of him, his heart had nearly stopped in shock.

  Maddie shook her head, trying, no doubt, to dislodge his hand. If it wasn’t for the fact they were all still in danger, he’d have put her over his knee and blistered her butt. She wouldn’t be able to sit down for a month. Hell, make that six months, and she’d spend the entire time in chastity for good measure. With great reluctance, he removed his hand from her mouth, although he still held on to her waist.

  “I’m your bargaining chip,” she whispered. “Trade me for everyone else.”

  “Over my dead fucking body,” he growled in her ear. “Are you insane?”

  “You have to,” she insisted. “I know these men. They’ll have no problem killing everyone to get to me.”

  “Seriously? You think they’ll let everyone else go unharmed if we hand you over? And even if that worked, do you have any idea what bastards like that’ll do to you to make you talk?”

  As soon as he said the words, as soon as he saw the light go from her eyes, Guy wished he could take those words back. He had to go and shoot his mouth off. What was he thinking?

  “You’re forgetting—I already know. And the man responsible for it is out there.”

  “What?” Guy’s blood iced over with the need to exact retribution. “Who is he? Tell me.”

  Her tone was grim, but not directed at him. “I went to one of the upper floors to take a look at the car park. I recognised their leader—Dmitry Kuznetsov. When they held me, he was the one who—”

  “He tortured you?”

  “He directed the others. And trust me—he knows what to do. He’ll do whatever it takes to get to me, because he knows I’m the key to Yana, and she’s the key to controlling her father. If they get their hands on her, they’ll threaten to kill her, and you can bet they’ll do it if he doesn’t comply. I’ve seen their handiwork, as well as felt it.”

  “Where is Yana?”

  “Safe. For now, at least. I can’t tell you exactly, but it’s best if you don’t know anyway.”

  “Still trying to protect me, Madeleine?”

  She looked over her shoulder at him, her expression one of outright mutiny. “Yes.”

  She was one stubborn woman. “When this is over—”

  “You’ll what? Beat some sense into me? Good luck with that one. Where are the others?”

  His fierce, spirited submissive. God, he loved her. “They managed to round up some of the guests and get them away.”

  “Good. So it’s just you and me?”

  “For now, but probably not for long.”

  Cam and Ryan wouldn’t hang him out to dry. As far as they knew, Guy was alone, and once they’d ensured the safety of the people they’d managed to evacuate, they’d be back.

  Not everyone had been so lucky, and the unluckiest ones of all were there in the lobby. Guy pulled Maddie back with him in an attempt to take cover, but also keep a watch on the scene unfolding before them.

  The main entrance to the hotel burst open and a man stumbled in. He was sent sprawling over the lobby floor when the thug behind him gave him another brutal shove in the back with the stock of his semi-automatic rifle.

  “Oh no.”

  Maddie’s horrified whisper told him this wasn’t a welcome development. “What is it? Do you know him?”

  “It’s Tim, the hotel general manager. Today was his day off. Dear God, his family.”

  “What about them?”

  “He told me he was taking them to a theme park today. For him to be here, they must have been to his home.”

  Guy swore under his breath. The look in Maddie’s eyes told him she’d reached the same conclusion as he had. To ensure the manager’s cooperation, the chances were his wife and children were being held somewhere, at the wrong end of a deadly weapon.

  Maddie shook her hair free and fastened it in a tight pony tail. “I can’t let them hurt Tim or his family. I have to go.”

  “No.” Guy wrapped his arms around her and stopped her in her tracks, tightening his hold on her as she tried to free herself.

  “Let me go!”

  The hoarse words shot a spear of pure fear through his heart. “Madeleine, surrendering to them isn’t the solution, and you know it. Come with me.”

  He all but dragged her down the corridor and away from the frenzy in the lobby. When they reached an alcove far enough away not to be heard, he was sorely tempted to teach her to obey him the hard way.

  “They’ve brought him in to draw you out, but they have no idea where you are. They’ll need to get him to call you, so if they are jamm
ing signals, they’ll have to deactivate whatever they’re using to do it. That could be our chance. Have you got your phone?”

  Maddie pulled the handset out of her pocket and set the ring tone to silent. Not a moment too soon. Seconds later, the screen lit up with a picture of the general manager. Maddie looked to Guy for confirmation that she should answer. When he nodded, she took a second or two to collect herself, then swiped to accept the call.

  At the same time, he used his own phone to contact the emergency services and summon assistance, while keeping track of what Maddie was saying. He had to hand it to her—she could act breezy and unconcerned in a way that would put an Oscar winner to shame.

  “Hi, Tim. How’s it going? Shouldn’t you be on your way to the park by now? Yeah, it’s my day off. I’m with a friend. Is something wrong? What sort of emergency?”

  Again, Maddie looked to him for direction. Almost without thinking, he used a hand signal from the old days, indicating that she should play for time, and was impressed by her immediate, accurate reaction. She hadn’t forgotten her training after all.

  The call ended. Guy’s mind raced, considering the implications of the concession they’d hopefully just won. The odds might just have edged in their favour. They had twenty minutes, and he hoped to God they wouldn’t have to fake Maddie’s return to the hotel at the end of it.

  And, by some miracle, while the jammer had been deactivated, he’d received a message from Alex to confirm help was already on its way, and he was leading his group to the village.

  “So what do we do now?” Maddie asked when he gave her the good news.

  Before he could answer, a single gunshot rang out followed by terrified screams. A look of utter horror crossed Maddie’s face, matching the surge of sickening dread that almost choked him. She started towards the corner, no doubt intending to get a look at what was going on. He made a grab for her arm to hold her back, and signalled to her to let him check instead.

  A fresh body lay on the floor—not the general manager, who was a sobbing wreck, but one of the other hostages. By his clothing, it looked as if they’d executed another member of the hotel’s staff. A soft gasp to his right told him Maddie had ignored him and was peering around him. When they got out of this, she was going over his knee every day for a bloody month.

  “I can’t let them do this, Guy,” she whispered. “I have to go—”

  “No, you don’t. Help’s coming. We sit tight. Think about it. None of them are masked. How many survivors do you think they’re planning to leave?” The thought sickened him.

  “I knew him.”

  Guy hardened his heart. He couldn’t afford the grief in her voice to be their undoing. “You still do—look at his hand, the outstretched one.”

  He’d only just caught the movement of the man’s fingers—he was still alive, at least for now, although heaven help him if he was bleeding out.

  “What just happened?”

  The new voice belonged to Ryan Quinn, who’d appeared at their side, armed with a mini Uzi machine pistol he’d liberated from a fallen attacker. Extra clips were tucked into the top of his jeans.

  “They shot one of the hostages.”

  Ryan frowned. “Why?”

  Guy shook his head. “That’s the bad news. I can only guess they weren’t happy with the prospect of having to wait another twenty minutes for Maddie to get back to the hotel.”

  “Logic doesn’t often come into the actions they take in situations like this. I remember,” Maddie added, her expression grave.

  “Do we have any good news?” Ryan sounded hopeful but not convinced.

  “Alex made contact. Help’s on the way, but a lot could happen before it arrives. Look.”

  At gunpoint, Tim was putting the phone to his ear again. A moment later, the display on Maddie’s phone, fortunately still on silent, lit up. She dived back to the place where she’d had the previous conversation, Guy and Ryan right behind her. Once again, Guy was impressed by her sangfroid under pressure.

  “Look, Tim, the hands-free kit in my car’s playing up, so I’ve had to pull over. If you keep calling me, I’ll never get there. I’ve only just set off, and the traffic’s heavier than I thought. It’s a public holiday tomorrow, remember? It could be half an hour or more before I arrive.”

  It was only when she put her phone away again that Guy realised exactly how much her hands were shaking. When she turned back to him, however, it wasn’t fear in her expression, but anger. She pivoted towards Ryan. “Got another one of those?” She lifted her chin at the commandeered weapon.

  “No, but I’ve got this.” Ryan reached for the small of his back and produced a Glock 19 pistol.

  Resolutely ignoring Maddie’s look of indignation, Guy closed his hand around the muzzle. “I’ll take that. Where’s Cam? Is he armed too?”

  “Checking the grounds for stragglers, and that’ll be a yes.” Ryan grinned as he followed up the pistol with an extra clip of ammunition. “Let’s just say these guys’ll need three fewer seats on the bus home.”

  “Good,” Guy acknowledged with forbidding determination. “We just need to keep Maddie safe until the cavalry gets here.”

  “Excuse me, don’t talk about me as if I’m not here. What if the cavalry doesn’t arrive in time?” Maddie bit the words out. “What about the hostages? What if they carry on and more people start dying?”

  “Maybe I could get myself caught?” Ryan offered. “Could be useful to have someone on the inside.”

  Guy shook his head. “Too risky.”

  “Look, if help’s on the way, why don’t you two get out?” the former Royal Navy officer suggested. “Someone needs to meet them and provide a sitrep. I can keep an eye on the situation here. And if it comes down to the wire, it’ll be easier for you to fake Maddie returning to the hotel if you go now.”

  Ryan was right. Guy catalogued possible options, but none of them provided better odds. “All right, but no unnecessary heroics. You do something stupid, and I’ll give your Mistress a dozen new ways to put you through hell the next time she takes you to the Spanish Inquisition room at the club.”

  Ryan grunted. “Like I never expected that. Fine by me. Now get out of here.”

  Guy grabbed Maddie’s hand. “You know the hotel better than I do—lead the way.”

  “Wait a minute. Ryan, do you know how to get out of the hotel without being seen?”

  “Don’t worry, Maddie, darlin’—I’ll find a way. Get going.”

  “Okay. Take care.” Maddie gave him an impulsive peck on the cheek, and then switched her attention to Guy. “This way.”

  Large as the hotel was, there were several potential exits. Some were too close to the centre of the action, but they found one that was blessedly free. The route was riskier than the tunnel to the ice house, but they stood a better chance of keeping an eye on the enemy. Staying low, Guy and Maddie zigzagged through the hotel grounds, their goal the entrance at the main road.

  “What if they’ve got someone patrolling there, too?”

  Guy swore under his breath. “Let’s hope they haven’t thought of that. How’s your leg?” She’d been putting an awful lot of strain on it, and he was worried.

  “It’s fine—keep going.”

  Exactly what she’d say if it was giving her hell.

  They never made it to the main gate. As they approached the bend in the hotel’s long drive, more armed, dark-clad individuals erupted from the bushes. Weapons aimed squarely at Guy and Maddie, they shouted orders for them to drop their firearms and lie face down on the ground. There was one big and very welcome difference between these men and the ones they’d left behind. Rank and insignia markings, along with their very clear identification patches, said these were the good guys.

  Knowing how this worked, Guy and Maddie obeyed without hesitation. Before Guy could identify himself, a belligerent voice boomed out.

  “Somerton, what the hell have you got yourself into now? Let them up, you fecking idiots
! Didn’t you listen to the briefing?”

  Guy recognised the belligerent roar in an instant. The operative who’d been about to apply cable ties to his wrists melted away as the owner of the roar helped Maddie to her feet. With a good deal less grace, he grabbed Guy’s hand and hauled him upright.

  “Mac.” He acknowledged the other man. “I’d say it’s good to see you, but we’ve got a bit of a sticky situation here.”

  Jack “Mac” McDonald, commander of the organised crime task force and a long-time friend of Guy’s, gave a short bark of humourless laughter. “In the shit again, eh? Come with me—you can bring me up to speed on the way to the staging area.”

  “How did you know we were here?”

  Mac pointed upwards. “Drone surveillance. Except the message didn’t get to the idiots in time.”

  The staging area was the overflow car park, about halfway between the gates and the hotel itself. Out of direct line of sight from the hotel, it provided the ideal marshalling point for the security force. As they arrived at the mobile base of operations, Cam Fraser was coming to the end of imparting what he knew to Mac’s second-in-command.

  Guy had a question of his own. “Did Alex and the others make it to the village okay?”

  “I’ve sent some of my men to find them,” Mac replied. “We’ll make sure everyone’s taken care of. Now—tell me everything you know, Guy.”

  McDonald listened intently as he and Maddie delivered a swift but thorough briefing on everything they knew about the enemy in terms of numbers, arms and deployment. Mac nodded with satisfaction when they informed him of their free-range eyes inside the hotel, Ryan Quinn.

  “They’re expecting me to show up any time now,” Maddie said. “Maybe we can use that—”

  “We?” McDonald questioned, giving her the kind of look Guy could only approve of—the man was, after all, a Dominant and another member of Aegis. “There is no we, Miss Scott, at least, not one that includes you.”

  “I work at the hotel, I know it inside-out, and I used to work alongside Guy for the intelligence services. Would you care to reassess that comment, Commander McDonald?” Maddie’s tone was as flinty as her piercing gaze.