Chapter Twenty Five
Rebecca rotated the men, covering for each other as they used the bathroom and grabbed something to eat.
They didn’t know when or if the ring planned to attack, but she refused to become a victim a second time.
Rachel and Delaney held down the fort in the basement and Mac planted a few surprises if their guests appeared.
Time ticked slowly, giving Rebecca time to ponder over the last few weeks and how she avoided Julio.
At the time of her kidnapping, she told the women about Julio to offer them hope in the dismal world they experienced.
A part of her wanted to believe he’d never give up.
When he finally discovered her whereabouts, she couldn’t bring herself to think about all they lost over the past year.
The pain hurt too much. Anger replaced her fear and worry when she realized he went into the lion’s den alone.
He left her without even discussing the plan. Maybe he felt the disconnect, too.
A hand touched her shoulder, making her jump and bringing her back into the present. “The team’s plane landed and Ivan’s men will arrive shortly,” Mac reported.
“Good,” she said, moving away from Mac. As if sensing her problem, he took a step back. “I’ll feel better with more men for backup.”
“Me, too,” he agreed. “I don’t like placing everyone in the basement this long. They don’t like the darkness.”
“No. None of us do,” she said quietly, searching the landscape outside.
“If you don’t need anything, I’ll head back to my post,” Mac said as he watched the road.
“I’m good,” she assured him. “I hate the damnable waiting.”
“True, but I much prefer it to the alternative,” he replied as he walked toward the back.
Rebecca watched him go before turning toward the window. A blast sounded from the back, jarring the house. She jumped up, running toward where she saw Mac last disappear. Screams came from the basement as she shouted her orders, “Stay at your posts and shoot to kill. We’ll have backup shortly.”
Smoke and dust filled the air, and Rebecca raised her shirt over her nose and shielded her eyes as she searched for Mac.
She kept her weapon out and ready to defend them if needed.
The tat, tat, tat of rifles firing came from the front as she saw a man sneaking through the hole in the wall, holding something in his hand.
Waiting until he appeared closer to rule him out as a friendly, she fired her weapon, hitting the suspect in the knee.
He fell, screaming and holding his leg. Rebecca crouched and waited as the dust settled, knowing he didn’t come alone.
Scanning the rubble, she saw Mac’s hat and hand lying prone on the floor.
Glancing in all directions, she hit her com.
“I have one injured. Stay in your positions,” she said calmly as she moved toward Mac, covering him.
Grabbing his arm, she pulled with all her might to get him to safety.
Her weakened state proved futile, as she could only move him a short distance.
Bullets flew all around her and hit the ground.
She dropped Mac’s hand, leading them away from the older man. Ragu cursed into the coms.
“They brought a frickin’ army. Where the hell is Leo?” Ragu shouted.
Another blast shook the house and glass shattered toward the front. “Shit.” She swore as she rounded the corner. A bullet hit too close to her face, spraying her with shards of wood and plaster as she ducked down low.
“I’m coming, Becca,” she heard Julio’s smooth voice say over the com.
“Pull back,” she directed the men toward the front as the ring peppered the house with bullets. A sense of ease filled her, knowing Julio finally arrived.
“I’m hit,” one of the hands reported. “They keep coming.”
Rebecca crawled on her hands and knees toward Mac, recalling how he planted his surprises.
“Incoming,” she called, pressing a button. The ground shook and smoke filled the air. Screams of injured men followed as she hit the second button.
“Good job, Rebecca,” Ragu said in her ear. “Hold off until we have the team’s position. You took out a few.”
Rebecca felt Mac for a heartbeat as she scanned the hole in the side of the farmhouse. Four men entered and she raised her weapon, firing her rounds. One fell while the others split and dove for cover.
Rebecca used the time to run down the hall and find a new hiding place.
Outside, the ranch sounded like a war zone.
She clung to an interior wall, not knowing if they planned to blast their way through.
She rounded the corner to see a man open the door to the basement.
The screams grew loud as he descended the steps and a shotgun blast came from below.
Rebecca reached the doorway and she watched the man fall down the stairs in a dead heap.
Rachel threw up her shotgun and aimed it at Rebecca.
Noticing her as a friendly, she lowered it and kicked the man to ensure he didn’t plan to surprise them.
Her shoulders relaxed as she watched Rachel remove his weapon. Leo’s team must have closed in as the ruckus outside seemed to lessen. A hand covered her mouth and dragged her backward toward the rear of the house.
Rebecca twisted and struggled against her attacker as panic set in.
She reared her head back, smashing his nose.
The man cursed and his hold loosened, giving her enough time to escape his hold.
He caught her arm, twisting it hard and his hand swung, hitting her in the face.
She tasted her own blood as he dragged her dazed body.
Refusing to accept her fate, she turned and grabbed his leg, making him stumble.
“You bitch,” he said menacingly as he drew his hand back to hit her again.
She cringed, anticipating the blow when a gunshot stopped him in his tracks.
She watched the blood blossom and seep from his stomach as his hand covered the fatal wound.
He glanced at her, as if expecting her to save him.
Rebecca never moved. As a CIA agent, she vowed to bring people to justice and uphold the law.
As a woman hurt, punished, and kept in a cage, she felt he deserved a higher judgment than man’s and watched him die, hoping he burned in hell.
It seemed like hours as mere minutes passed. Small fires seemed to burn everywhere, and Rebecca’s body refused to move. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, she saw Julio striding toward her. His expression turned dark as his gaze locked on hers.
Through the coms, she heard Leo echo the all clear, and the men rushed to the women’s aid. Ragu removed the drywall and chunks of wood off Mac’s legs and helped the dazed man to his feet.
Rebecca’s body hummed and she felt her blood pumping throughout her body.
Voices grew muted as Julio walked across the pile of wreckage to reach her, appearing like a warrior.
The empty gun fell from her hand, and her face crumbled as he reached her.
The arms she dreamed of nightly wrapped around her, giving her the security she craved as she buried her head into his shoulder and cried.
Julio carried Rebecca outside to place her by the tree. Leo caught his gaze and jerked his head, telling him to get out of there. Maybe this was what Leo meant when he said to keep his job and personal life separate. They subdued the bad guys, and now he needed to handle his shit.
Glancing around, he spied the barn and headed toward it. He set Rebecca on a bale of hay, sent a text, and saddled Satan. All the jumbled doubts over the last few weeks disappeared as his mind cleared and the woman who represented his life watched him, not knowing what to do.
Taking Satan from the stall, he lifted Rebecca onto the saddle and mounted behind her.
As before, he moved carefully to avoid triggering her, but Rebecca lay back against him of her own accord.
He directed the horse onto a small path which led down to the creek.
When he stopped, she pushed away from him and jumped from the horse.
Julio tied Satan to a tree and warily watched her.
Rebecca’s fists clenched and unclenched as she paced back and forth. When he approached her, she turned and snarled, “You left me.”
“We got intel at the last minute. I needed you safe,” he argued.
“We’re partners,” she said, shoving him. “You didn’t fill me in. Do you think I felt safe when I found out the trafficking ring sent men here to retrieve us?”
“We didn’t discover they turned the trackers off until we apprehended the suspects. I called as soon as we learned about it,” Julio explained calmly.
“Rachel took a knife to my head,” she shouted. “You don’t even want to know how I feel about that.”
“Maybe I do,” Julio said patiently. “It’s been four weeks, Becca, and you avoid me at every turn. I don’t expect you to feel better about everything, but we can’t avoid it either.”
Rebecca gazed at the landscape as she shook her head.
“I’m not ready to talk about it. I’m sorry.
Before you say I need counseling, let me stop you.
I’m angry I put myself in this position.
My own partner betrayed me and I’m so stupid I didn’t see the signs.
It seems like I’ve done everything perfectly all my life, and when I needed it the most, I fucked up. ”
“Wait. What did you say?” Julio stared at her with wide eyes.
“I fucked up when—”
“No,” he interrupted her, before that. “What about your partner?” he asked.