Chapter 7
Chapter
Seven
July 11 th
7:52 P.M.
“I’m not leaving her behind,” Cooper growled the words into his comms as he stalked across the street toward his rental.
If Mahmoud was onto him, the man hadn't let on. When he’d strolled back into the kitchen like he owned the place after dumping the body of the man he’d killed at the back of the yard where he wouldn't be discovered until morning, he’d merely implied he’d taken longer than anticipated. The professor hadn't questioned it and after a brief talk where Cooper threatened to tear the older man apart with his bare hands if he found out he was lying, he’d walked out the front door.
Leaving the property felt like he was walking over broken glass.
He was leaving Willow behind, and he was all too aware of the fact that she wasn't safe. There was not a single doubt in his mind that she was going to be tortured as soon as he drove off.
Maybe Mahmoud was already in his yard, unlocking the trapdoor to her prison cell and laying his filthy hands on her.
His own hands clenched into fists as he got into his car, then because knowing what he was leaving Willow to endure made him physically ill, he slammed a fist into the steering wheel.
Two weeks.
That’s how long she said she’d been there, and from the bruises he could see on her face—and he was sure there were more beneath the clothes—he was positive that she’d suffered every second of those fourteen long days. He had no idea how she’d wound up in the hands of a world-famous Egyptologist, but it was going to be one of the first questions he asked when he got her the hell out of there.
Switching out the comms unit to a two-way one, he expected to hear demands from his brothers that he had to leave Willow where she was, call in the cops, and let them handle it. Already he had a whole defense planned out, what he was going to say, hell, that he was going rogue if he had to. Since they were on the other side of the world, they couldn’t do anything about it.
They hadn't seen her.
Hadn't seen the bruises mottling pale, creamy skin.
Hadn't seen the fear, pain, and pure determination swirling in her turquoise eyes.
“I'm going back for her,” he said again as he turned on the engine and drove away, fighting against the pull of the brave woman huddled in a dirty underground hole.
“She’s a friend of Julia’s,” Connor blurted out.
His foot almost slammed onto the brake. Julia Garamond was married to a member of Prey’s Alpha Team. She was an investigative journalist who had come into contact with Alpha Team while investigating the Bratva who were involved in a plot to overthrow the government. Along the way, she’d fallen in love with Dominick “Domino” Tanner, and despite a very rocky start, the two were now happily married and expecting their first child.
If Willow was a friend of Julia’s, she was likely a journalist, too.
I heard the questions you asked the professor. Once we’re free, I’ll tell you everything I know about him. I don’t know if it will help you get the answers you need about your mom, but if nothing else, you can use it as leverage.
Willow’s words rang through his mind, and now he knew what she meant. She had something on Tarek Mahmoud, and whatever it was had gotten her abducted and tortured.
“Julia reported her missing when she didn't check in as she was supposed to. She doesn’t know what Willow is investigating, just that the target was Tarek Mahmoud. Domino apologized and said Julia wasn't aware we were going to meet with the professor, or she would have given us a heads-up. Said Julia feels bad about it,” Cole explained.
“Not either of their fault. Even more reason to go back for her,” he said firmly.
“No one was going to argue otherwise,” Cade said with a hint of irritation in his tone. “I don’t know why you seem to think we would leave an innocent woman behind. It was one thing when it was just a figure in black with no way to know who they were or if anything was wrong. Completely another to leave behind someone who has been tortured. It’s like you don’t even know us.”
Hanging his head, Cooper rounded the corner and pulled over to the side of the road. “I'm sorry. It’s myself I'm angry with. I knew something was off and I ignored my gut. Because of that, Willow suffered two more days of hell.”
“Not your fault,” Connor reminded him.
Maybe, but he still felt guilty.
And anxious to get her the hell out of there.
“I’ll have to keep her with me,” he said, thinking aloud, using his brothers as a sounding board. “Mahmoud has connections everywhere, and I don’t want to chance one of them getting to her before she gets home.”
“Get her out, get her to your hotel, and we’ll go from there,” Cade told him.
“Be careful, Coop,” Cole warned. “You're right, the guy does have connections, and I doubt he’s afraid to use them once he realizes Willow is gone. He’s going to connect it to you, you're the only one who’s been there, and he had you followed.”
“I'm betting because he was worried you were there for more than just answers about Mom,” Connor said. “He probably thinks you're onto him, that you know whatever it is Willow knows. If you want, we’ll hop right on a plane and come over, I don’t like that you're there without backup, and soon you're going to have an injured civilian on your hands.”
“I can handle it,” he assured his brothers. “And if anything changes and I need the backup I’ll let you know.”
After saying his goodbyes there was nothing to do but wait.
And wait.
And wait.
He couldn’t go in for Willow until he was sure Mahmoud and anyone else in his home were already asleep. Even then it was risky. He’d have to climb the fence, which wasn't an issue going in, but was going to be one coming out. Even if she hadn't been further injured, Willow was already in a bad enough state that he doubted climbing a fence was something she was capable of.
If she was even still alive when he got there.
Fear he would arrive too late curled and spread inside him, making his body physically tremble.
All the time he’d spent in this woman’s company amounted to mere minutes, yet her bravery and determination had struck him deep. Not a lot of people could survive two weeks straight of torture and still be standing, still thinking clearly enough to come up with a plan.
And not a lot of people would willingly put themselves in danger to protect another.
Which was straight up what Willow had done.
She could have begged and pleaded with him to get her out right that second, and he would have found a way to do it despite the risks.
But she hadn't done that.
Instead, she’d allowed him to put her back in that hole in the ground, knowing she was likely going to be punished for trying to reach out to him because she was trying to ensure he made it out of there alive.
Respect didn't even seem like a big enough word for what he felt for Willow Purcell.
Four hours later, when Cooper finally slunk through the dark night toward Tarek Mahmoud’s house, he was still in awe over Willow, still filled with desperation to get her out. There had been a lot of people he had saved in his career in Delta Force, a lot he’d saved in the years he’d been with Prey .
There had also been a lot of people he’d failed.
Cooper just prayed Willow wasn't going to be one of them.
Entering the professor’s property from the back was easier, less conspicuous, and closer to where Willow was being kept. The need to get to her was growing. It wasn't just about rescuing her, Cooper found himself equally invested in tending to her, caring for her, and making sure she was okay mentally and emotionally as well as physically.
He’d never had feelings like that for a woman before. Sure, he’d dated from time to time, it just wasn't easy when you were away as much as you were home, and you saw in the closest of details the atrocities human beings inflicted on one another.
But something about Willow called out to some primal part of him.
An almost compulsive need to protect her consumed him.
By the time he’d reached the trapdoor, cut the padlock, and was reaching out to lift the door, his hands were sweaty, and his heart raced.
Was he going to find Willow dead or alive?
July 12 th
12:08 A.M
Her aching body trembled as moonlight tumbled down into her underground prison.
New bruises layered old, and the accumulated pain was almost more than she could bear.
Especially with her rescue so close.
Was it about to come or had Professor Mahmoud decided he couldn’t wait until morning when his friends gathered to end her life?
The exhilaration that her and Cooper’s plan had worked, that the professor had no idea Darius wasn't the one who had put her back in there, that Darius was dead now, had sustained her through the beating Professor Mahmoud had delivered after Cooper left.
But now …
Now she was just too tired .
Exhaustion wasn't just washing over her, it was barreling into her over and over again with harsh waves that knocked her down and kept her down until even just lifting her head took more out of her than she had to give.
Death or freedom?
What was her fate?
“Willow?”
The whispered voice had tears welling in her eyes.
For once, fate was on her side.
“C-Cooper,” she stammered.
“Can you stand, honey?” His figure knelt at the edge of the trapdoor, and even in the moonlight she could see his worried eyes looking down at her.
Or maybe it was just that she felt them roaming over her huddled body.
“Yes,” she answered, not sure it was true, but no matter what, she’d find a way to make it happen. “But he has me cuffed to the wall.”
“No worries, honey, we’ll get you out.” Cooper’s voice was calm and confident, soothing her in a way nothing had in a long time.
With an almost elegant jump, he landed on the floor in front of her. Dressed in the same clothes he’d been wearing earlier, Willow realized that he hadn't gone back to his hotel to change, he must have stayed in his car, waiting until the neighborhood was quiet before making his move.
Knowing he’d been close by all this time, that he hadn't left her, moved her and those tears very nearly came tumbling out.
Somehow, she managed to hold them in. Watching, he moved toward her, knelt, and reached out with those large hands of his to very gently circle her wrist. For a moment he stilled, staring at it, his fingertips almost absently skimming across her bruised and torn skin.
Then he pulled out a tool, bolt cutters she realized as he snapped the handcuff binding her in place.
When her hand dropped to her side, the relief she felt was overwhelming.
Not just psychologically.
Physically too .
The thought that freedom was within her reach sent her entire system haywire, and she began to shake. Not just tiny little trembles but huge wracking shakes that made her already aching muscles spasm, and she had to clamp her lips together so she didn't cry out.
The last thing she wanted to do was embarrass herself in front of Cooper.
A hand cupped her cheek, and it was pure instinct to lean into it. A single tear escaped, and Cooper caught it with the pad of his thumb.
“Hey, honey, listen to me.” He waited until she lifted her gaze to meet his before continuing. “You’ve done amazing. I'm in awe of what you’ve survived, of how brave you’ve been. It’s okay to need a little help now.”
Giving him a shaky nod, Willow dragged in a deep breath. She had to do this.
Had to.
This was her only chance of escaping.
At living.
There was no way she was going to shoot herself in the foot.
“You got this, Willow.”
His words of encouragement gave her enough of an infusion of strength to allow his hand to shift to her elbow and help her keep her balance as she pushed to her feet.
Without his help, she likely would have fallen right back down again. But with his steadying arm, she made it the few steps across her cell to the bottom of the trapdoor. This was the last time she’d ever have to set foot in this hellhole again, and she couldn’t wait to get as far away from this place as she could.
“I'm going to need your help to get you out of here,” Cooper told him.
It might be dark, but she fixed him with a fierce glare. “I survived two weeks of daily beatings. I'm not about to fall apart now. You tell me what you need me to do, and I’ll do it.”
A chuckle rumbled through the cell. “Don’t doubt it for a moment. I’m going to boost you up, but I’ll need you to help pull yourself up onto the ground.”
“I can do that,” she assured him .
Shifting so he was behind her, Cooper’s large hands circled her waist, and he lifted her with ease. As soon as she could reach the top, Willow dug her fingers into the dirt, and even though her arms shook with the effort, she somehow managed to drag herself onto the ground.
It took almost everything out of her that she had left, and all she could do was lie there, panting and staring up at the stars shimmering in the sky.
Without a word, Cooper climbed up beside her, then without hesitating, he scooped her into his arms and took off running. This time there was no pretending that nothing had happened, that she was still in her cell, or that nothing was wrong. As soon as the professor looked out into the yard in the morning, he’d know she was gone.
A part of her wished she could see the look on his face when he realized she was free. She’d told him exactly what she was going to do if she got away from him, and that was destroy him.
She couldn’t wait.
When Cooper reached the fence, he stopped, and she could feel the tension emanating from him. He was worrying about her ability to assist in her own rescue, and she had no intention of being deadweight. She might be dangerously close to empty, but she had a determination that could last for days. Never give up, that was her motto, and it held as strong today as it did the day she was taken.
“Can you make it over the fence?”
“Yes.”
“Need to know the truth, Willow. No shame if you can't, we’ll find another way.”
“But this is the fastest. I can do it. Maybe with a little help,” she conceded.
“I’ll boost you, then all you have to do is swing your leg over. If you can't do the drop, wait for me to get over and catch you, I don’t know how badly you're injured, and I don’t want you to aggravate anything.”
“No way to avoid it,” she mumbled as Cooper shifted his hold on her to better be able to boost her up. Since she was in his arms, she felt his brief pause and realized she shouldn’t have mentioned that right now. There would be time to worry about her injuries later, but not now .
Shaking from exhaustion, spurred on only by sheer force of will, somehow Willow managed to grab the top of the fence when Cooper boosted her up to it. It wasn't an easy fence to climb, well, not covered from head to toe with bruises, but somehow, she managed to swing a leg up and over.
Her plan had been to wait there on the top for Cooper to get over so he could help her down the other side, but her trembling arms gave out and she lost her grip. Hitting the ground hard, her body sort of bounced off the concrete and then just lay there.
She was done.
Even though she wanted to, she just had nothing left to give.
Feet hit the ground beside her, and when Cooper once again bent and gathered her into his arms, she couldn’t help but wince. All she wanted was to be free from pain, even just for a minute or two. Her body had been pushed beyond what it could endure, and while she was proud she’d made it this far, she just wanted it to all be over.
“Not long now, honey, hold on for me just a little longer,” Cooper urged as he took off running full speed.
They were almost to the road when the first shot came out of nowhere.
Hopelessness hit hard and fast.
How could she have thought she was going to be able to escape?
Of course, fate wouldn't be on her side. It never was.
Cooper muttered a curse, and Willow shoved aside all negative thoughts. This wasn't just about her. Cooper was here, too. Risking his life for her.
“Do you have a weapon?” she asked when he slowed. “I know how to shoot.”
A second later, it was thrust into her hand, and even though she couldn’t see what she was shooting at it didn't matter. She would lay down as much cover fire as she could to give them a chance.
If she failed, they’d both be dead.