Hostage Rescue (Mills & Boon Love Inspired Suspense)

by Lisa Harris

  King pulled out his weapon.

  Sawyer took a step backward. “What are you doing?”

  King shifted the aim of his gun at his partner. “I’m saying that you’re disposable. You’ve always been disposable. And without you—”

  “King…don’t—”

  King fired a single shot at his partner.

  Caden watched in horror as Sawyer dropped to the floor, his eyes staring up blankly at the ceiling.

  TEN

  Gwen’s ears were still ringing as King quickly untied them from the chairs then bound their hands again in front of them with zip ties. He motioned her and Caden to move toward the stairs that led to the second floor, but she couldn’t stop looking at the man lying on the floor. Her brain fought to process the situation. Anxiety pressed against her chest. She couldn’t breathe. King had just killed his partner in cold blood, and that wasn’t the only thing terrifying her at the moment. If King had killed his partner, she knew he wouldn’t hesitate doing the same to them. Plus, they were witnesses to the murder, thus likely sealing their fate.

  Which terrified her.

  She pulled her gaze away from Sawyer and his blank stare while trying to push back the nausea. In her line of work, she’d seen plenty of abuse and devastating circumstances—things that she knew she would never be able to erase from her mind. But this… She’d seen this happen. And she had no doubt King would follow through with every one of his threats if pushed, as he got more desperate to control the situation.

  Gwen’s mind tried desperately to make sense of everything, but this would never make sense. Either the man was completely impulsive, or totally unhinged…or maybe both. Because something told her this wasn’t a part of his original plan.

  King took a step back, his weapon pointed at them. “If you ever doubted that I wasn’t serious about going through with this, then I guess you know now.”

  “Where are we going?” Caden asked.

  “You’re both coming with me. Upstairs.”

  “Why?” Gwen didn’t move.

  King pointed his weapon at Caden’s head. “I don’t have to keep him around. You’re the one who will motivate your brother to give the money back. The only reason I haven’t shot your boyfriend here is because I still might be able to use him.”

  “We’ll both come with you,” Caden said.

  “Good. Now go.”

  They walked ahead of him up the carpeted staircase to the second floor of the house, then down a hallway void of any photos or anything personal. Just like the rest of the house. Which made her wonder who owned this place and what it was really used for. It didn’t exactly seem like the place where people spent their summer holidays, or winter vacations snuggling in front of the fire. It seemed more like a cold headquarters for a den of thieves.

  King stopped in front of a large bookshelf at the end of the hallway and pulled one of the books off the shelf, then opened a door hidden behind the woodwork.

  Gwen’s jaw dropped.

  You’ve got to be kidding.

  “Since the two of you seem to have a knack for escaping, this is where you’ll stay until the exchange in the morning.”

  Gwen felt a wave of claustrophobia press in on her as he shoved them inside the small room, then quickly closed the door behind them. The click of a metal lock added a sense of finality.

  This was insane.

  She looked around the room. At least there was a light bulb in the center, but beyond that, there was nothing more than the metal door with four walls that held some shelves with a few boxes and supplies on them.

  “What is this room?” she asked, turning around.

  “Looks like some sort of safe room. My father has one where he keeps his guns, to make sure none of the grandkids get ahold of them. They’re also used sometimes as panic rooms, or even bomb shelters. It’s pretty much just a reinforced room that can provide safety in case of home invasion.”

  “The panic-room description fits, because I’m certainly panicking.” She stopped in front of the door. “So it’s supposed to keep the bad guys out while you call for help.”

  “That’s the idea.”

  “Then there has to be a way to communicate from in here, or at least a way out.”

  “In theory, yes.” He started looking around the ten-by-ten space, then stepped in front of her and ran his still bound hands around the door frame. “Normally, like you said, they’re built to keep people on the outside from getting in. There are also usually video cameras, communication equipment, and often food and water. But from the looks of this door, it seems as if he’s managed to manipulate it to where we’re the ones locked in.”

  “So there’s no way out.”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  She glanced around the room. Concrete walls and a steel door. No obvious escape latch. They had to be missing something.

  She fought for a breath.

  Caden caught her gaze. “Don’t tell me you’re claustrophobic.”

  She frowned. “I never have been before, but I’ve experienced quite a few new things the past couple days, so who knows.”

  Caden kept searching the room. “Well, you have to admit it is kind of ironic.”

  “Like for starters, of all the people in the world, it’s you and me stuck in a safe room together?”

  “Think about it.” He shot her a smile. “This really isn’t that bad. You could be stuck in here with King.”

  “Or Sawyer’s dead body.”

  She shivered at the thought. If it wasn’t such a serious situation, she’d almost be tempted to laugh. A few days ago, if you’d asked her who was the last person on the planet that she’d have wanted to be stuck on a deserted island with, she had a feeling that Caden O’Callaghan’s name would have come to mind. But now…now she trusted him with her life.

  She took a step back and winced as a stab of pain shot through her ankle.

  “Sit down over here and let me take a look at that,” Caden said.

  “I don’t think it’s any worse. It just won’t stop throbbing.”

  He pulled up the edge of her pant leg to reveal her ankle, then pressed on the side.

  “Ouch.”

  “It’s pretty swollen. I’m not sure if it’s broken, but it’s definitely sprained. And there’s the possibility of a torn ligament.”

  “Great.”

  She let out a sharp sigh. He was right. The swollen area was now bruising, and the pain and stiffness had increased. While she wasn’t thrilled to be locked in some room, at least she wasn’t having to walk on it.

  “Just sit still,” he said. “Hopefully there’s a first-aid kit in here.”

  “The ice was helping. Maybe there’s a cold pack.”

  He grabbed two blankets and propped up her leg until it was elevated a few inches. “I’ll take that along with a landline or even a cell phone, though I haven’t seen either so far.”

  “What about some kind of monitoring system?”

  “There’s one by the door, but it’s been deactivated.”

  “Do you think you can fix it?”

  “I can try, but let me see about a first-aid kit first.” He started searching the shelves. “There’s drinking water and lots of cans of beans. Plus on the bright side, there’s enough military ready-to-eat meals to last us several days if King forgets us.”

  “Somehow I have a feeling you ate better on the trail. I wouldn’t mind eating more of that salmon pasta.”

  “When we’re out of here and this is over,” he said, searching through one of the boxes, “I’ll make you dinner one night. Pan-fried, garlic-and-rosemary lamb chops—”

  “Stop, I didn’t think I was hungry until you mentioned garlic and lamb chops.”

  Caden laughed. “Well, while I can’t come up with lamb chops, I just struck gold. Here’s
an instant cold pack.”

  “You’re pretty good at maneuvering with your hands still tied.”

  “That’s going to be my next project.” He somehow managed to squeeze the pouch, even with his hands tied in front of him, and activated the cold pack, then set it on her ankle. “How does that feel?”

  “Cold.”

  “Funny. And here are a couple pain relievers and a bottle of water.”

  “Thank you.” She managed to take the medicine, but a sprained ankle was the least of her worries at this point. “Caden, if he finds my brother and the money, he won’t need us anymore. Plus, we just watched him kill his partner…”

  “I don’t think anything has gone according to his plan. He had this idea he could grab your brother and dispose of you over the side of the canyon.”

  “Then my brother escaped, and I survived.”

  “That put both men in a predicament. But let’s not go there. We’re still alive, and I plan to keep us that way.”

  “That’s what I’m hoping for, but is getting out of here even possible?”

  “I’m not sure about that…yet. But on the bright side, we do have water, limited food, a dozen books and here are some games.” He held up the Scrabble game. “This might help pass the time if we need a distraction.”

  She shot him a grin. Had he always been such an optimist? “You might not want to play with me.”

  “Why not?”

  “I’m highly competitive at games.”

  “Really?”

  She nodded. “Really.”

  “Good, because so am I.”

  She smiled again, surprised at how much they had in common, and at how he could make her smile even in a situation like this.

  “Is the ice pack helping?”

  “Definitely, and I’m fine. Really.”

  “You’re also a terrible liar.”

  “Okay.” She pressed her lips together. “I’m trying not to fall apart on you and turn into some blubbering baby, because honestly, I’m on the verge.”

  What she hated the most was the feeling of having no control and no options. She spent her life looking for alternatives in order to find the best solutions for the children she represented. Finding ways to still play inside the box while making sure things went to their advantage. But right now she felt trapped.

  “On top of that, I’m nervous about what we’re looking at tomorrow,” she said. “I spend my days fighting within the confines of the legal system, looking for options that will better my clients, but this… I don’t see any way out of this, and to be honest, it’s terrifying.”

  “What you feel is normal,” Caden said, going through another box. “There’s a lot riding on all of this.”

  She took another sip of her water. “I just still can’t believe Aaron would do something so stupid. I thought he had more sense than that.”

  “Just like you’re not responsible for the actions of your clients, you’re also not responsible for his actions.”

  “No, but I am stuck with the consequences. And if King gets the money, he’ll kill Aaron, too.”

  The room began to spin. The medicine hadn’t started working, but she knew what she was feeling was from fear as much as anything. Because there was still one thing they hadn’t talked about.

  “He killed Sawyer, Caden. I’ve had to work with a lot of difficult situations in my line of work, but this… I don’t know how to process this.” She looked up at him. “You were in the military. You had to have seen all kinds of traumatic things.”

  “There were a lot of things I saw that I will never be able to unsee. Incidents that sometimes suddenly start playing over and over in my head like a video.”

  “How did you deal with it?”

  “Not always the way I should. There are resources, but sometimes it seems easier to simply deal with it on your own. Most people see me as this tough guy who fought for his country. I’ve always gone into a situation, dealt with it, then gone on to solve the next problem.” He sat down on the ground across from her and was now working on getting his hands free. “Ignoring what you’ve seen isn’t healthy, and it ended up numbing me.”

  She studied his face, surprised at his vulnerability.

  “The hardest part is when you’re a fixer and believe it’s always the person out there who needs to be saved and not yourself,” he said.

  She nodded, wondering if what he was saying came from a place of pain. “You sound like you’re speaking from experience. Is that why you left the military?”

  He glanced up at her. “Partly, but that’s a long story.”

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”

  “Forget it.”

  “I know you’re right. Trauma affects people differently and often takes you through a wide range of emotions that sometimes come in waves of shock, fear, sadness, helplessness. I’m just going to have to find a way to deal with this once it’s over.”

  She watched him. His focus had shifted entirely to his wrists.

  “What are you doing?” she asked.

  “I’m listening, I promise. I have a blade in my paracord bracelet. I’m trying to cut through the zip tie…” He held out his hands. “I just got my hands loose.”

  Caden pulled off the zip tie, then quickly worked to get Gwen free. But with or without the bonds, they were still far from free from the confines of this room.

  “What’s next?” she asked, rubbing her wrists where they’d been tied. “There has to be a way to open the door.”

  Gwen started to get up, but he signaled for her to stay put. “There might be a time when you’re going to have to run, so you need to stay off your foot and keep it elevated as long as possible. We have to get the swelling down.”

  “Tell me what I can do to help.”

  “Honestly, at the moment, I don’t know.” He stepped in front of the door. “From what I can see, there’s no way to communicate to anyone outside this room, and no obvious way to open this door.”

  “There’s got to be a way to open it.”

  “It’s a vault-style door,” he said. “It doesn’t seem to rely on an outside power supply that could be cut off, for instance, in a home invasion. It’s also built to resist a forced entry with steel-armor plating and can be manually locked and unlocked.”

  He’d learned a lot about safe rooms when he’d helped his father put in one, but this system hadn’t simply been made to keep someone safe. Clearly, it had been built to keep someone inside. Which in itself was disturbing. There seemed to be no wired communication to the rest of the house, and no place to view the rest of the house from the room. Breaking through the wall wasn’t possible, either, as there seemed to be armor plating and a steel interior finish, which probably also meant the room was soundproof.

  For the next thirty minutes, they threw ideas back and forth, but none of them worked. He pressed his palms against the metal door, frustrated, as if that move would somehow open the lock. For the moment, he was out of options.

  “Why don’t you take a break,” she said. “We can play a game of Scrabble and forget about the locked door for a few minutes. It will distract us both.”

  “I don’t know.” He wasn’t ready to quit, but still… “There has to be a way out of here. These are made to keep people out, not in.”

  She pulled out the game and started setting it up. “It always helps to do something different if you can’t solve a puzzle.”

  As much as he hated to admit it, she was right. How many times had he solved an issue on the ranch while out riding in an attempt to clear his mind? He was going to need to do the same thing again today.

  “First word…” She laid down four tiles. “Bore.”

  “Bore?” His brow rose. “That’s not a description of my company, is it?”

  She let out a low laugh. “Not at all.
Though the setting is a bit uninspiring. I would have preferred something with a view considering where we are.”

  “I’ll have to remember that, because if you’re looking for some stunning scenery, you’d love my family’s ranch. It’s got some of the most beautiful views in the state.”

  Not that this was a first date, or that there would even be a next time. Though if he did ask her out—which he never would—he could imagine taking her on a horseback ride on the ranch, showing her the pond in the canyon, or even going for a sleigh ride in winter.

  She leaned back against the wall for a moment, smiling for the first time. “Tell me about your ranch.”

  “Scrabble isn’t enough of a distraction?” He put down three tiles.

  “It’s going to take a lot more than a board game for me to forget where I am right now.”

  “True.” He noticed how she scrunched her nose when she was thinking. “There are plenty of bigger ranches in the state, but I’m proud of ours. It’s been in operation since the early 1920s, when my grandparents bought the land.”

  “I love that,” she said. “Family history and heritage. It’s something I missed growing up, because I never spent a lot of time with my grandparents. And then when my parents were killed a few years ago…”

  “It left you feeling alone and lost.”

  She looked up. “You understand.”

  “As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned that I haven’t always appreciated what I have. I’ve had friends, like you, who don’t have strong family support, and I’ve seen how hard it can be. It’s something I’ve learned to appreciate and want for my own family one day.

  “Do any of your siblings work the ranch with you?”

  “It’s just my father and me and some hired hands at the moment, including a woman that uses our facilities for horse therapy classes. My brothers are busy with their own careers, though they have been known to help out when we’ve needed them.”