Chapter 15 #2
The jet’s engines roared to life, and Elena felt the aircraft begin to move. Through the window, she watched the tarmac slide past as they taxied toward the runway.
Then she heard something that made her heart stop.
Gunfire, distant but unmistakable. The sharp crack of rifles and the deeper boom of something heavier.
Webb straightened in his seat, his expression shifting from calm to alarmed. “What the—”
The jet lurched to a sudden stop, throwing Elena against her restraints. Through the window, she could see vehicles converging on the runway—black SUVs moving at high speed, figures in tactical gear pouring out of them.
Reed.
Hope exploded in her chest, so intense it was almost painful.
“Get us in the air!” Webb shouted toward the cockpit. “Now!”
The engines screamed as the pilot tried to comply, the jet accelerating down the runway. But the SUVs were keeping pace, and Elena could see one of them pulling ahead, angling toward the aircraft’s path.
Then she saw him.
Reed was standing in the back of one of the vehicles, a rifle braced against his shoulder, his face set in an expression of absolute determination. As she watched, he took aim and fired—not at the jet itself, but at the tires.
The aircraft shuddered as the front landing gear blew out, sparks flying as metal scraped against asphalt. The pilot fought for control, but the jet was already veering sideways, momentum carrying it off the runway and onto the grass.
Elena braced herself as the aircraft ground to a halt, her body jerking against the restraints hard enough to knock the breath from her lungs.
“Get her to the backup vehicle!” Webb was shouting, already moving toward the rear exit. “We’re not losing her now!”
The guards descended on Elena, cutting her ankle restraints and hauling her to her feet. But before they could drag her toward the door, it burst open from the outside.
Walker came through first, his rifle sweeping the cabin with lethal precision. Two guards went down before they could even raise their weapons, their bodies crumpling to the floor.
James was right behind him, firing with his good arm while his injured shoulder was pressed against the bulkhead for support. Another guard fell.
And then Reed was there, pushing past his brothers, his eyes finding Elena with an intensity that made her soul ache.
“Elena!”
“Reed!” She tried to run toward him, but her bound wrists threw off her balance. She stumbled, and Reed caught her, his arms wrapping around her like he would never let go.
“I’ve got you,” he breathed against her hair. “I’ve got you. You’re safe.”
“Webb—” Elena started.
“Walker!” Reed shouted without releasing her.
But Webb was already gone, slipping out through the cockpit while they’d been focused on the guards. Through the shattered cockpit window, Elena saw him running across the tarmac toward a helicopter that was spooling up on the far side of the airfield.
“He’s getting away,” she said.
Reed’s jaw tightened. For a moment, she thought he would go after Webb—could see the conflict playing out behind his eyes.
Then he looked down at her, and something in his expression softened.
“Let him run,” Reed said quietly. “I’m not leaving you again.”
“But—”
“Terrel’s tracking the helicopter,” Walker reported, appearing at Reed’s shoulder. “We’ll find him. But right now, we need to move. More of Webb’s people will be coming.”
Reed nodded and pulled a knife from his belt, cutting the zip ties that bound Elena’s wrists. The relief of having her arms free was almost overwhelming. She flexed her fingers, wincing as blood rushed back into her hands.
“Can you walk?” Reed asked.
“Yes.” Elena took a step to prove it, and her knees buckled.
Reed caught her before she could fall, sweeping her up into his arms like she weighed nothing. “I’ve got you,” he said again, and this time the words sounded like a promise.
They moved quickly through the wrecked jet and out onto the tarmac, where Terrel was waiting with the SUV. James and Walker provided cover as Reed carried Elena to the vehicle, setting her gently in the back seat before climbing in beside her.
“Go,” Reed ordered, and Terrel hit the gas.
As they sped away from the airfield, Elena turned to look at Reed—really look at him for the first time since he’d burst through that door. He was wearing tactical gear, his face streaked with sweat and grime, and a cut on his cheek seeped blood.
He was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen.
“You came for me,” she whispered.
“Of course I did.” Reed’s hand found hers, his fingers intertwining with her own. “I told you—I won’t lose you again. Not ever.”
Tears spilled down Elena’s cheeks, but she smiled through them. “I sent the virus. While Webb wasn’t looking, I used his phone to email it directly to WATCHDOG’s network.”
Reed stared at her for a moment, then let out a laugh that was half disbelief, half admiration. “You destroyed WATCHDOG while you were kidnapped and zip-tied in the back of his jet?”
“I had some time to think in that van,” Elena said. “Figured out how to bypass the kill switch.”
“That’s my girl.” Reed pulled her close, pressing a kiss to her forehead, her temple, her cheek. “That’s my brilliant, incredible, terrifying girl.”
Elena laughed through her tears and tilted her face up to meet his lips. The kiss was brief—they were in a moving vehicle with his brothers as an audience—but it carried everything she needed to know. He loved her. He’d come for her. They would be okay.
“Webb got away,” she said when they broke apart.
“For now,” Reed agreed. “But WATCHDOG is finished, which means his leverage is gone. He’s got nothing left to sell.” He shrugged. “Plus, I made some calls to a contact at the FBI, and we’ll be working with them to track him.”
“Really?”
He nodded.
“I’m helping.”
“No.”
“Yes. Plus, I want to know his plans.”
“You think he’ll be re-grouping already?”
She nodded. “Re-grouping and re-planning how to build it all again.”
Reed sighed. “Fine.”
Truth be told, Elena was nervous to work with any government, but she trusted Reed. “He’ll be desperate,” she warned. “Dangerous.”
“He doesn’t deserve to live, but … we need to do this the right way.” Reed’s expression hardened.
Elena leaned her head against his shoulder, exhaustion finally catching up with her now that the adrenaline was fading.
Thank You, Lord, she prayed silently. Thank You for helping me.