She’d made up her mind and there was fuck all he could do to stop her.
Priscilla stared at the guy in the polo shirt. “I’ll do this, but he comes with me and when this is over you let us both go.”
Brenden clenched his molars. Great. Now he was going to get to add a little B&E to this job. Fantastic.
THURSDAY. DDM INC., Juárez, Mexico.
Arturo Lobo squinted at the computer screen, his mind shuffling the numbers into imaginary columns. He couldn’t risk creating his own file or even writing the quantities down without the Asclepius Health systems recording his every keystroke then there were the cameras in each office.
Once more he cursed the spirit of his father. The man had been on the brink of death when he sold the company he’d created and grown, robbing Arturo of his inheritance. He was fairly certain the old man had done it out of spite. He’d known for a long time that he was losing sway with the executives, that it was Arturo really running things. But not anymore.
DDM Inc. had once been the largest provider of medicine to Mexico and Central America. Their pharmacies were in most towns. Arturo’s father had petitioned governments and private organizations to help cut costs, thereby making vital medicines more affordable for the poorer people they serviced. But those days were gone.
Arturo still didn’t understand why his father sold out to a monster conglomerate like Asclepius Health. Gone were the cheaper prices, the assistance. It was all one cost or nothing.
His phone vibrated on the desk.
He reached over and turned it over, glancing at the screen.
The message preview made him pause.
Weather’s looking bad. Might want to leave early today.
Arturo forced himself to take a deep breath and look at his computer screen once more. He knew he couldn’t get a message and leave. For the sake of the cameras he had to act natural.
For the next twenty minutes Arturo went about his job, which was essentially that of a mid-level manager. He made sure product reached their facilities in Mexico and were routed to the proper places. He stayed up to date on all regulations and laws. About the most exciting thing he did was handle the incineration of old product.
When enough time had passed, he powered down his computer, gathered his things and headed out of the office. He paused to speak to a few people, inquiring about their families, children, things he didn’t give two fucks about. No, he’d stopped caring about the company and the work they did when it was stolen out from under him.
Dad’s force-fed lesson, the last in a long line of them, was that Arturo had to look out for himself.
He got in his car and began the drive home before activating the call.
“How’s the weather?” the man on the other end of the line said after barely a ring.
“Clear. You said storms are headed this way?”
It was all double-speak. Code to ensure it was safe to talk.
The other man cleared his voice. “We’ve got a situation brewing in Brazil. In Rio.”
“Tell me more.” Arturo grit his teeth. In his experience, most problems sorted themselves out, but his partner was a worrier, always seeing disaster on the horizon.
“Asclepius sent their charity girl down there on one of the routine trips. She got kidnapped and is being held for ransom.”
“And that affects us how?”
“It’s putting eyes on Rio. You know why that’s bad.”
“I do not see how the two intersect.”
“If people start asking questions—”
“Why would they ask questions about stock when the focus is charity, and a kidnapped employee? Hm?” Arturo rolled his shoulders. This was nothing. “We do nothing.”
“But—”
“We do nothing,” Arturo said with force.
One girl wasn’t going to send him into a tailspin. He had other things to worry about. She wasn’t on his radar.
3.
THURSDAY. UNKNOWN, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Brenden braced his hand on the chain-link fence and peered at the guard. He’d barely paid them any attention after a cursory once over. Instead the guy was glued to his phone like many a teenager.
It was decision time.
He glanced at Priscilla. She’d retreated to the darkest part of their cell a few hours ago and curled up on the thin mattress with the threadbare blanket pulled up over her head for a little sleep. She’d told him her intent, staring at him with wariness in her eyes that chipped away at the ice inside of him. It had been a test, to feel him out and figure out what kind of man he was.
It had been a long time since someone questioned Brenden like that and he didn’t like it. So he’d stayed over here, keeping watch, letting her sleep. His guess was that she hadn’t gotten more than a few minutes of rest here and there. That did something to a person, none of them good.
Though Brenden had meant to only glance at Priscilla, he found himself staring at her form. The short blanket only covered her from the hips up. She lay on her side, back to the wall. If someone accosted her, she’d have her limbs pointed the right way to fight back.
Smart girl.
That stray thought had him finding somewhere else to look.
He didn’t have to ask her if the decision was intentional. With her history he knew every decision, each choice was calculated. Because they were the kind of things he would do. It wasn’t something he could explain to his team. Being captured, living with a constant threat to his life for weeks on end, the torture, it had rewired his brain in some ways that would never go back.
Before his thoughts could take a darker path, he refocused on the now. The best thing for the both of them was for him to get them out of this situation as fast as possible with the least risk to their lives.
The obvious solution at this point was to wait for the trip tonight. There would be fewer armed guards. They’d be out in the open, on unfamiliar ground for everyone. It would make for an easier rescue than bringing his team in here to get them.
Now, the question was, did he tell her?
Brenden glanced once more at the thin blanket Priscilla had pulled over herself. He could see her face looking back at him in his mind, the stubborn chin, defiant gaze. She was amazing. He’d known men who hadn’t pulled themselves together after facing down half the shit she had. She was made of strong stuff.
He knew the objective of tonight’s hit threw a wrench in things. It was the way she’d looked at him when she’d spoken about the insulin. She was a woman governed by what she thought was right, and he wasn’t convinced she’d allow herself to be rescued before tonight. Her heart was too damn good.
Priscilla rolled onto her back and rubbed her face.
He glanced once more at the oblivious guard then pushed off the fence.
There were things he needed to talk about with her. She had to understand that these people weren’t going to allow a cash cow like her to just walk out of here.
He crossed the cell to stand next to the mattress. Priscilla was already sitting, weariness clinging to her even after a couple hours sleep.
“May I sit?” He gestured at the mattress.
“Be my guest.” She pulled the blanket aside, folding it, and drew her legs under her.
He eased down next to her, his mind still mulling over how to do this, what to tell her, how he thought this would go.
“We need to talk about tonight.” He turned his head and looked at her.
Once again the moment their eyes met, he felt it like a punch to the gut. She was a woman who left an impression that was for sure.
“Okay,” she said when he didn’t continue because he was too wrapped up staring at her.
Get your head in the game. She’s just another job.
“Do you know where we’re going?” he asked.
Her face creased in frustration and she sighed. “Not really. I’ve been trying to come up with a list. Asclepius has three South American subsidiaries, hundreds of pharmacies
under five different names. I work out of the main Asclepius sites. I don’t have a lot to do with the others and it’s not like I have everything memorized.”
Brenden once more glanced at their guard. He had to prepare Priscilla for the truth. It couldn’t be candy coated. “I need you to understand a few things now, and I need you to remain calm when I tell you, okay?”
“I’m not the type to freak out and cry.”
He swung his head around to look at her. “No, you’re the type who gets angry and smart.”
Priscilla’s mouth opened as if she were going to deny the fact. She blinked a few times, gathering her thoughts for a retort. He’d caught her off guard. Good. He didn’t like being categorized and fit in a box.
“You need to know that they are not going to let us go. As long as they can keep you giving them something, they will not release us.”
“Us?”
“Yeah. Us. When you included me on this trip, we became a package deal. They know I’m a weakness for you now.” Her brow creased, and she opened her mouth to speak, but he kept going. He didn’t need to hear her apology. Hell, she’d given them an escape plan. “When they’ve bled us dry, they’ll kill us. We’ll have seen too many faces. We’ll know too much. This does not end with us going home alive if we play along. Do you understand that?”
To his surprise she didn’t outright deny his assessment of the situation. He could see the thoughts flitting across her face. Little wrinkles in her brow. A twitch at the corner of her mouth. The narrowing and widening of her eyes. She was adopting ideas and discarding them, trying to find one that would hold water.
She tipped her chin up and stared at him with a rise of anger and heat in her eyes. After a moment she said simply, “Yeah.”
“Yeah?” Was she saying what he wanted to hear?
“I expected as much. I mean, not at first, but once I thought about it,” she said.
He was relieved to hear her say that even if he hated it. She was willing to go into this with the knowledge that she might be signing her death warrant all because it might help a few people.
She was one of a kind, and damn it, he wasn’t going to let her die. He was going to get them through this, but he couldn’t risk her deciding to see this theft through it if meant saving lives in lieu of her own. It was up to Brenden to think about her first, because she wasn’t going to.
“I’m going to find a way out for us. Our best chance will be either when we arrive at the site or when they’re loading up to leave. There will be a lot of confusion. People in a hurry make mistakes so our best window will be then. We stick close together and when I tell you to do something you do it. Got it?”
Priscilla’s eyes narrowed.
He added, “You’re not the kind of woman accustomed to taking orders. I get it. But I need for you to trust me.
“I do.” Her lips twisted up into a grimace. “I made a face, didn’t I?”
Brenden could sense a trap. He wasn’t that stupid
She sighed and tipped her head back. “It wasn’t about you. Normally, you’re right, I don’t take orders well. But...you know what we’re doing. So I’m trusting you. Don’t fuck that up. I don’t have a lot of trust for men.”
He swallowed down a bitter taste. How much would she trust him when she learned the whole truth?
At least she’d be alive.
Somehow he made his mouth work. “Like I said, you get angry and smart. I wouldn’t want to piss you off.”
She stretched her legs out. “Do I have bitch written on my forehead or something?”
“No.” He glanced sideways at her, admiring her profile. “I have experience working with a lot of very capable women like you.”
“Oh.” Her eyes widened just a bit.
Truth was Priscilla was more than capable. The difference was that she was in over her head. They all had limits. That wasn’t anything to be ashamed of. Hell, he couldn’t get them out of here on his own either.
“These women. You work with them now, or...?”
Several names came to mind. Aegis Group had a small division of female operatives that was in high demand to the point they rarely had downtime to spend around the office. They trained right alongside the men and were just as good. Some were better. Then there were those like Melody who were just as important in a noncombat role.
“Both.”
“And you’re okay with that?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Some guys don’t think women belong in dangerous situations.”
“Then they’re showing their ignorance.” Brenden swallowed and drew in a deep breath. One face came to mind. He didn’t know her name, but he owed her his life.
It hadn’t been the SEALs who’d rescued him. His unit was thinned, injured and in too poor of condition to come after him. No, the first friendly face he’d seen was an army medic. He hadn’t cared that she was a woman. She’d wielded her weapon just as good as any man while getting him ready to transport.
Priscilla chuckled. It wasn’t the first time she’d shown some humor, but this was a husky, sensual sound. “When we get out of here, I think I’d like to buy you a drink.”
“I’ll keep you company, but I don’t drink.”
“Dinner then?” She peered sideways at him, her lips curving into a smile he had the strangest urge to taste.
Why this woman?
He heard himself say, “It’s a date.”
What the hell?
Brenden didn’t date.
THURSDAY. DDM INC. Warehouse, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Priscilla sat in the back of a van, a bag over her head and her wrists bound. She drew in another deep, shuddering breath. Despite her role in this drama and her agreement to help, their captors weren’t cutting them any slack.
What had she honestly expected? That they’d snip her bonds and let her sit shotgun?
Another deep breath brought with it a musty odor. Was that bile? How many people had worn this thing?
Don’t think about it...
Try as she might, the bag embodied the worst of her nightmares. Being trapped in the dark, helpless, alone, never knowing when the next blow would come.
A pair of warm, heavy hands grasped hers and squeezed. Her heart leapt, and she sucked down air as the warmth seeped into her.
Brenden.
She wasn’t alone.
He was there with her. But in a way, that was just as bad.
She didn’t want him to see her as weak, that she needed to be taken care of. Not after he’d paid her the biggest compliment, she’d ever had. From a Navy SEAL no less.
Priscilla was serious about that dinner, too. But first she had to survive and to survive she needed to play it cool.
The van hit a bump, and she swayed to her right and might have fallen over if it weren’t for Brenden’s big frame. For a moment her shoulder was tucked between him and the wall, her chin resting on his bicep, his arm grazing her breast.
“Sorry,” she mumbled. Wow this guy was solid.
Damn it, she didn’t want him to see her as some weak woman. She was capable.
His hands tightened around hers and he whispered, “Stay there.”
She swallowed at the sound—and feel—of his voice. It went straight to her insides, making them squirm.
No, that was not what she should be thinking about right now.
She shifted a bit, finding a more comfortable angle that still kept her close to him but not plastered to his side. It was kind of sad this was the best action she’d had in months, maybe a whole year.
“Priscilla?”
His fingers threaded through hers. Somehow he made handcuffed-handholding not at all awkward. His palms were big enough to wrap around the both of hers, enveloping hers. Goose bumps raced up her leg, spurring on an uncomfortable heat pooling low in her belly.
“Yeah, I heard you.” She inhaled a deep breath, catching the smell of something new. Something that didn’t smell like blood, sweat or days
in a cage. Was it him? What had gotten into her? It had to be the delirium from not enough sleep.
“We’re going to get out of this. Just stay close to me.”
He straightened a bit, and she thought he might take his hands back, but he didn’t. His thumbs massaged her knuckles, the touch somehow soothing even when she didn’t know this man. He could be the worst person on the planet for all she knew. And yet, there was something about him that made her want to trust him with this burden. Somehow she knew Brenden was the kind of guy who more than pulled his weight.
Why should he pull hers? She’d gotten herself into this so why did he have to get her out of it? While she was questioning herself, was it smart to ask him out? What did she really know about him? Did it matter?
He’d risked himself for a kid. He was in this with her. A guy like that was worth taking a chance on even if the circumstances weren’t optimal.
She didn’t pull out of his grasp. It felt too good to have someone to hold on to. Maybe that made her weak. Right now she didn’t care because she wasn’t alone. It was a selfish realization she couldn’t bring herself to feel bad about.
When this was over she was taking him out for the nicest meal she’d had in her life. They’d be alive, and that was worth celebrating.
The van took a sudden turn, throwing her sideways almost onto Brenden’s lap.
“I’ve got you,” he said and used his shoulder to prop her up. “I think we’re almost there.”
“How can you tell?”
“They’re talking more.”
Damn. She’d been so focused on him and what was going on in her head she hadn’t paid attention to the men at the front of the van. They were all talking over each other and the radio had a steady stream of other voices.
How many people were coming on this field trip?
The van stopped abruptly and this time Brenden wasn’t prepared. He rocked sideways while she half fell into his lap. His hands kept a tight hold on her. She didn’t have a second to stammer out an apology before unfamiliar hands were grabbing her arms, pulling her to her feet and out the back of the van.
Dangerously Broken (Aegis Group Lepta Team Book 4) Page 3
