Chapter 11
Chapter
Eleven
July 12 th
1:53 P.M.
“You try anything stupid, and I’ll start shooting any tourists I see.”
Impotent frustration rolled in Cooper’s gut.
Best as he could see, there was no other option but to do what one of the men dressed in black had just ordered them.
The only weapons he had were no match for the AK-47s pointed at him and Willow. He might have eliminated the five young men following them, but they were child’s play compared to this. Those men had been kids, untrained, unskilled, too eager, and too undisciplined.
But these men …
They wore their training like armor, their skill evident in the calm way they held their weapons. There were at least half a dozen of them, maybe more he couldn’t see. The chances of him taking them all on with a single knife without getting shot—worse without Willow getting shot—were as close to zero as it was possible to get.
“Drop the knife, and hands in the air,” the same man, who Cooper had to assume was the leader, ordered .
It killed him to do it, but there were no other options.
At least not yet.
For the time being, he had to play along, make sure he wasn't eliminated as unnecessary baggage, make sure he stuck close to Willow, and protect her however best he could. If he fought now and got himself killed it wouldn't do Willow an ounce of good. All it would do was leave her once again powerless and vulnerable against a man who wanted—needed—her dead.
Slowly, he forced his fingers to uncurl, and the knife hit the sand with a muted thump.
Without it, Cooper felt naked. Of course, he could kill with his bare hands, but these men probably had close to the same level of training he did. They wouldn't be easy to catch unaware, and as long as they remained armed, his chances of getting close enough to do damage with his hands were slim.
“Good.” The man gave them an approving nod.
Something dispassionate in them scared Cooper almost more than walking up to see Willow on the ground, a man’s hand in her pants. Those kids had been driven by emotion. These men lacked all emotion. They were merely doing a job, one they would do to the best of their abilities.
“Now, hands in the air. Both of you,” the man added with a glance at Willow.
Although she inched closer to him, breathing still harsh, fine tremors still wracking her body, she did as instructed, and honestly, he couldn’t be more proud of her. No matter what was thrown at her, she handled it. It wasn't that she wasn't afraid, she wasn't a machine, she was a human being who got scared like any other, but she had the ability to push through, fight the fog of fear, and do what had to be done.
Not only did he respect the hell out of that, but it gave them a better chance.
While the leader and three others remained still, weapons aimed directly at them, two other men approached cautiously. Their grip was firm when they snagged his wrists and yanked them behind his back, but they were not overly aggressive.
They had to be mercenaries, probably former military, now in it for the money. At least he could rest easy that they didn't appear to have a sadistic side. Not that it meant they wouldn't hurt him, or Willow, or both of them, but at least they likely wouldn't go above and beyond.
Once their wrists were secured with plastic zip ties, they were both marched further away from the pyramid and toward two idling white vans. The back doors of one were open and they were shoved inside.
With their arms behind their backs, there was no way for them to break their fall. While he caught himself and rolled so no one part of his body took the brunt of the impact, Willow didn't know to do that and cried out as her already battered body bounced onto the floor of the van.
The door was slammed shut behind them, and Cooper was eternally grateful that no one had climbed in the back with them.
“Willow?” He pushed up onto his knees and awkwardly crawled toward the shadowy, huddled form he knew was her body.
“I-I'm okay,” she stammered, and he saw her try to push up. Unable to get her body to cooperate, she slumped back down just as he reached her.
“Hold on, honey.” Leaning forward, he lifted his arms and then brought them down hard on his backside. It took three tries, but the zip ties broke, and he rotated his shoulders, shifting his arms forward. Since they hadn't been bound long, there was the mildest tingling as normal blood flow returned but not the horrendous pins and needles he’d suffered in the past after being restrained that way.
“Did you get free?” she asked as he managed to snag an arm around her waist just as the idling vans took off sending them both sliding sideways. Now that he was free, he’d be able to protect her from getting tossed about and getting bruises on top of bruises.
“Sure did.”
“Heard about how to do that but never seen it done, cool,” she murmured as she snuggled into his arms. “Do you think we’ll be able to try anything when we get wherever they’re taking us?”
While Cooper would love for the answer to be yes, the truth was, he doubted there would be much they could do. They were outmanned and outgunned, and until he could get his hands on a weapon, nothing was likely to change that. Maybe when they arrived only one man would enter the van to drag them out. Maybe he could get his hands on the man’s weapon if he had one, but even if he could, that didn't mean he could get himself and Willow out of this alive.
“You don’t, do you?” Willow whispered.
Tightening his hold on her, Cooper shifted them both backward until they were in one of the corners. It was easier to brace them there, and he planted his feet on the floor, pressed his back into the corner, and tucked Willow between his knees.
“It’s not impossible but the odds aren't in our favor,” he agreed.
“If Professor Mahmoud didn't know for certain you were the one who saved me, he does now. I'm sorry, Cooper.”
There was too much emotion in her voice, and he instinctively tightened his hold as though he could somehow forcibly eject it from her body.
“What the hell do you have to be sorry about?” he growled.
“You're here because of me. If you hadn't saved me, you might have gotten more information from the professor about your mom. Instead, you’ve been kidnapped at gunpoint, and … and … what if … you have a family … I don’t … if you don’t make it home … because of me …”
Unable to take a second more of her pained rambling, Cooper grasped her chin between his thumb and forefinger and tilted her head up. It was dark in the back of the van, not nearly enough light to see her eyes, so when he dipped his head, he allowed his lips to hover above hers.
He heard her sharp intake of air.
Felt the warm puff against his lips as she let it out slowly.
When she didn't pull away, didn't tell him this was wildly inappropriate, he took that as permission.
That first taste was enough for him to be hooked.
Given where they were and what they were about to face, Cooper kept the kiss soft, sweet, and short. While he would love nothing more than to get lost in her sweet taste, he needed to keep a clear head, think, be able to focus, and take any chance that presented itself.
“Don’t say that again,” he whispered against her lips when he finally pulled back. “None of this is your fault.”
“But you're only here because of me. Because I wanted to find enough evidence to bring Professor Mahmoud to justice.”
“Which is not a bad thing,” he reminded her. “I made the choice to save your life because I couldn’t have lived with myself if I just left you there to suffer your fate.”
A fate that might very well have caught up with her anyway.
There was no doubt that it was the professor who had sent these men after them. No doubt that the professor knew how dangerous Willow was and what she could do if he allowed her to live. And no doubt that he was now more than likely going to be collateral damage.
But if they were both about to lose their lives, if Willow was going to wind up dead anyway, then Cooper could at least take solace in the fact that he’d spared her taking her final breath all alone.
July 12 th
3:27 P.M
Every mile they drove felt like taking one step away from being saved.
Willow trusted Cooper implicitly. She believed that if anyone had the training and skill to get them out alive, it was him.
But she was also pragmatic enough to know how badly the odds were stacked against them.
Fear clogged every one of her pores, it seemed to seep down inside her body, attaching to her blood and making it throb as it flew through her veins. Her skin was clammy, her heart racing, and even though she kept trying to match her breathing to Cooper’s she knew hers was much too fast.
As badly as she wanted to show Cooper that she could be strong and calm, be an asset to him rather than a liability, Willow knew she was failing.
What was so different this time around?
Last time she’d panicked of course, but she’d been able to pull herself together.
This time they’d been gone all of an hour, maybe, and she felt like she was going to fall apart.
Knowing if she did, she was putting Cooper’s life in danger made it worse. Even though she was trying to use that knowledge to calm herself, it was doing the opposite. Making the panic worse, making her fear worse, making everything worse.
She didn't want him to die because of her.
Just because he said it wasn't her fault didn't change the facts.
And the facts were that if he’d left her at the professor’s house, she’d already be dead but he’d be either safe in his hotel room or safely on a plane back home.
It was her fault.
When the van finally stopped moving, she pressed herself closer against Cooper’s body. This would be the last time she’d feel a human touch that was meant to soothe and comfort her, that was soft and gentle. From here on out, when somebody touched her, it would be to cause her pain.
There were so many things she wished she could say to Cooper before they were both dragged out of the van, but her mind felt all tangled, and in the end, all she could do was tilt her face up and whisper her lips against his.
One last kiss.
One last moment of joy.
Maybe that would be enough to help her pull it together and last out whatever was coming. Maybe she could even find a way to make a deal to get Cooper out of there alive. After all, she was the one that Professor Mahmoud wanted. She’d told Cooper in the car what she knew about the professor, but he didn't have to know she’d already told him. If she lied and claimed that she had kept her evidence against Professor Mahmoud to herself then there would be no reason to kill Cooper.
Could she hold onto that lie under torture?
Only time would tell, but she would give it everything she had.
“You can do this, Willow. I believe in you. You are without a doubt the strongest and bravest person I have ever met. Don’t forget that.”
Before she could respond to Cooper’s whispered words, bright light flooded the back of the van as the door was thrown open. Cooper’s lips brushed across hers one last time as four men jumped into the van.
They hadn't talked much throughout the drive, and she hadn't been sure if Cooper was planning on making a move since he was free or if he was waiting to see what the odds were like when they got wherever they were going.
Obviously, four armed men against the two of them, her still bound because she hadn't had the strength to break the ties, meant the odds for them were non-existent.
“He’s free, boss,” one of the men called out as they saw Cooper’s arms wrapped around her body.
“No big deal,” Cooper said, lifting his arms so his hands were held palms out in a sign of surrender. “The lady’s body is covered in bruises, I wasn't going to let her get tossed about, and she’s still cuffed.”
Somewhat cautiously, the four men approached. When they were close enough, two of them reached out and grabbed her shoulders, yanking her from Cooper’s hold.
Willow clamped her lips together so she didn't cry out a protest at being taken away from him. It wouldn't do any good, and if the men suspected there was anything more between them than just that Cooper had rescued her, they would use it to their advantage.
There was more, wasn't there?
She wasn't imagining it?
No, she couldn’t have. After all, he had kissed her first. There was something there even if she wasn't sure yet what it was. All she knew was that something on a soul level drew her to Cooper, and she absolutely would do everything within her meager power to get him out of this alive.
That helped her steel her spine as she was dragged out of the van. Her muscles protested every single movement, having stiffened during the drive. The pain in her potentially broken arm was almost unbearable from the awkward way her arms were pulled behind her back and bound.
But complaining or crying about it wasn't going to help so she shoved the pain away and tried to focus. As she was walked toward a large sandy-colored house that blended in with all the desert sand, she scanned the area. Wherever they were it was remote. There was one road that she could see, then the long driveway they’d come down.
Instead of entering the house, they were led around it and toward a larger structure at the back. It kind of looked like a large warehouse or storage shed, and when they reached it, and she was shoved inside, she saw that it was completely empty save for a table and chairs down one end near a scant kitchenette and two lone chairs sitting in the middle.
Unfortunately, Willow didn't need a vivid imagination to figure out what the purpose of those two chairs was.
Behind her, Cooper was also led into the room, and they were both taken to the chairs. The men weren't gentle, but they weren't overly rough with her either as she was pushed into one of the chairs.
A hand on her back, between her shoulder blades, pushed her forward and she felt the slight scrape of a knife as it cut through the plastic ties. As soon as they fell away and her arms drooped forward, excruciating pain seared through the limbs as blood flow returned.
Determined not to show weakness by crying, she pressed her lips together and scrunched her eyes closed. Breathing through the pain as best as she could, eventually, it began to ebb, and once it did, she lifted her head to find that she’d already been cuffed, wrists and ankles, to the chair, as had Cooper.
His gray eyes reminded her of a thunderstorm as their gazes met.
In answer to his unasked question if she was okay, she gave a single nod. She was as okay as she could be given their circumstances.
Turning that stormy gaze on their captors, Cooper stared at them, waiting for them to make whatever move they intended to make.
Likewise, Willow also shifted her gaze from Cooper to the half dozen men surrounding them. Thankfully—or maybe not—Professor Mahmoud didn't appear to be one of them. Not that there was any doubt why she’d been taken. They knew her, knew she was the journalist after the professor, well the young men had known, and she assumed they had called in the professionals.
Wasn't like there were any other options. Were there?
Was it possible this was to do with Cooper’s search for answers about his mother instead of her mess?
It didn't matter either way, they were in this together.
Together.
The word settled in her mind, pushing a calming strength through her body .
If they were in this together, she couldn’t be the weak link. She had to hold it together just like she had before. If she could do it then, there was absolutely no reason why she couldn’t do it again now.
One of the men that she recognized as the leader stepped up in front of her. Beady black eyes stared down at her, but she forced herself to stay still, not shrink under the weight of that stare.
“We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” the man eventually said. “You tell us who you already sent your intel to and handle it, or things are going to get messy. Bloody,” he added in a threatening voice.
Okay, so about her for sure.
She’d told the professor that if she got away, she’d see to it that she destroyed him, and it seemed he’d taken her at her word.
Meeting the man’s gaze, she held it. “It’s already too late for Professor Mahmoud. I suggest you let us go if you don’t want to be taken down along with him. At least let Cooper go, all he did was rescue me, he doesn’t know what I have on the professor or why I followed him to Egypt.”
Even though she didn't look at him, Willow could feel Cooper’s frustration rolling off him in waves. He didn't like her trying to protect him. Well, too bad. He’d risked everything to help her, and she would absolutely do the same thing.
Casting a suspicious glance at Cooper, the man then returned it to her. “You need to undo what you did. Contact whoever you told and tell them you were mistaken.”
“Yeah, I'm not going to do that. Why would I?”
A slow smile took over his face as he reached out and placed one of his hands on the forearm of her possibly broken arm. “Because if you don’t, I'm going to make things very unpleasant for you. Easy way or the hard way. Your choice.”
There was no choice.
She had to do whatever it took to convince these men that Cooper knew nothing and was no threat to the professor. Even if that meant enduring more horrific pain.