Chapter 33
CHAPTER 33
I zzy screamed and covered her ears. The gunfire was deafening, echoing around her, bullets pinging into the car.
"Stay low!" Viper yelled over the chaos.
A bullet tore through the soft canopy of the convertible and embedded itself in the back of the seat where she'd been sitting moments before.
Holy hell. That was too close.
Why had she insisted on a convertible? No one had warned her it would be a risk in a shootout.
"Viper!"
He had maneuvered around to the other side of the car and was firing back. She could see him through the open door, his face a grim mask of concentration. His gun discharged in rapid succession, providing cover.
The noise was overwhelming.
The shooting seemed to last forever, but in reality, it was only a few seconds. She kept her head down, praying she wouldn't get hit.
Then, suddenly, silence. She heard the screech of tires as the SUV sped off down the road, disappearing around a bend.
"Quick, get out of the car!" Viper shouted, reaching for her.
Izzy grabbed his hand, letting him help her onto the sidewalk. They sprinted toward the front door. The concierge unlocked it, and they slipped inside. Viper kept his eyes on the road behind them.
"Is this bulletproof?" He tapped the thick glass with his gun.
"I don’t know," said a stunned Lewis. He held a baseball bat, ready to swing if anyone came through the door. Izzy hoped that wouldn't be necessary.
"Call the cops," Viper barked. "Get them out here before that car comes back for another drive-by."
"Was that a warning, or did they mean to kill me?" Izzy couldn't stop shaking.
"Those weren't blanks they were shooting," Viper said. "That was for real."
"Oh, Lord." She sank down onto the tiled floor, her legs giving out. "Thank God you saw them coming."
He put his big, callused hand over hers. She fought the urge to cling to him, like she had in Mexico. "You're okay now."
She was alive, but only because of him. Tears threatened, but she blinked them away. Right now, she didn’t care that their lives were different or that on paper it really shouldn't work. All she wanted was to be in his arms.
Biting her lip, she tried not to cry.
But she couldn’t risk his job.
Lewis came back. "The police are on their way. I didn't get a look at them, did you?"
"One driver, one shooter," said Viper, matter-of-factly. "But I couldn't see their faces. They were wearing ski masks."
How had he noticed that? She hadn’t even seen the SUV until it was right on them.
"There are security cameras outside this building," Lewis said helpfully. "The cops might be able to pick up something from that."
"Yeah, maybe. There were no plates on the vehicle."
Again, he’d noticed the finer details while she’d just cowered in the backseat.
“Only a handful of people knew you’d be here,” Viper said, thinking out loud.
“From the meeting?”
He gave a tight nod. "They were waiting for you to show up."
A sob escaped her then. She couldn’t help it; she was just so afraid. "I'm not safe anywhere. Should we go somewhere else? We could hide until this is over."
He hugged her then, enveloping her in his strong arms. “It’ll be okay. I promise. You don’t need to panic. We’ll get these guys.”
She clung to him, absorbing his steady presence, but didn’t respond. She only hoped he was right. She wasn’t sure how much more of this she could take.
After the police had cordoned off the attack area, Viper retrieved the grocery bags and handed them to Lewis, who took them up to the apartment. He looked around, taking in every detail. The spent casings on the ground were from a 5.56 NATO round, typically used in M4 carbines.
He frowned. Different cartridges to the mercenaries who’d kidnapped Izzy.
"Did you see the shooters?" asked the officer in charge, a rugged, worn-looking cop who didn’t bother to give his name.
Viper shook his head. "No, they wore masks."
"Did you get the make of the vehicle?"
"Yeah, it was a black Jeep. Couldn't tell you the model, though."
The cop scribbled in his notebook. "Thank you, sir. Since this is related to Miss Beaumont's kidnapping, a detective will be in touch in the next few hours."
Viper nodded. He knew the drill.
A silver BMW skidded to a halt outside the cordoned-off area, and Pat jumped out. "She okay?"
"Yeah, she's fine. Just a little rattled."
"Did you see anything?" Pat asked as they took the elevator up to the apartment.
Viper shook his head and told him the same thing he’d told the cop. Two men, black Jeep, no plates. Then he handed him the bullet casings. “Found these on the pavement.”
Pat stared at them. “These are new.”
“Yes, sir. They were waiting for her," he added as they got out of the elevator.
Pat huffed. "How the hell did they know she was back?"
"She was at a shareholder meeting this afternoon," Viper pointed out. "If they were watching the apartment, they could've seen us leave."
"Fuck, Viper. We have to catch these maniacs. This is getting dangerous."
Like it wasn’t before.
Viper told him what Jackson Ferris had said about the two men captured in Mexico.
"I'll get onto my FBI contact and get him to go down there,” Pat said, grimly. “Before the bastards go free.”
As they entered the apartment, Viper couldn’t relax. The grocery bags on the counter were a stark reminder of how quickly a mundane moment could turn deadly.
Izzy was sitting on the sofa, legs folded beneath her, sipping coffee. She looked up as they entered, her eyes flickering over Viper to rest on her uncle. "Pat, you didn't need to come."
"I wanted to check if you were okay."
She smiled. “I’m fine, just a little shaken up.”
"Would you like some coffee, sir?" Viper asked.
"A cup would be great, thanks, Viper." Pat sat down in an armchair opposite Izzy. "The main thing is you're all right."
Viper poured the coffee and handed Pat a cup, then he sat down on the sofa beside Izzy.
"I'll get onto the authorities in Mexico City first thing tomorrow. If necessary, I'll fly out there myself and find out what's going on," Pat growled.
"I'm sorry to cause all this trouble," Izzy said.
"It's not your fault,” Viper said automatically, then bit his tongue. Shit, he mustn’t let on how well he knew Izzy. How familiar they were.
Pat nodded. "Viper’s right. This has got to do with the mine, not you. It's not your fault you inherited it. But to be honest, Izzy, and don't take this the wrong way, but you might want to consider selling your stake in the company."
She gave a small nod. “I have been thinking about it. I broached it with the board earlier today.”
“And?”
“They weren’t happy. Both Robert and Raf tried to talk me out of it.”
“A change of ownership means they’ll be out of a job.”
“Yeah, but they’ll get a great deal. I can’t do this forever, I’m not cut out for it.”
Viper was glad she’d come to that decision. The stress was getting to her.
"This is not your problem," Pat agreed. "Companies are bought and sold all the time.” Pat had a point.
Izzy nodded. “I know, you’re right. I realized that to support the local community, the company needs a strong leader at the helm. Someone who understands the business and wants to be there.”
“Robert?” Pat asked.
“No, not Robert. He’s done a great job, but he barely goes to the mine. Raf hasn’t ever been down there.”
“Who then?” Pat tilted his head.
“I’ve had several offers that I’m considering.”
“Good. Let someone else take it on. It's become too dangerous and it can't be doing your social media profile any good."
Viper hadn’t even considered that. These attempts on her life would cause her sponsors to worry. They might even decide she wasn't worth the risk.
She threw her hands in the air. "You're right, they are getting antsy. They want me back, and at the moment, I'm too scared to stick my head outside the door."
“We’ll get to the bottom of this,” Pat said, getting to his feet. “I’ve got to get back to the office, but Viper will look after you. Call me if you need anything."
“I’ll see you out.” Izzy handed her cup to Viper, then put her hand on his thigh to push herself up.
Viper froze.
Pat's gaze flickered, but he didn't comment. "I'll be in touch."
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!
He knew.
That one small gesture had given the game away. It had been so casual, so natural, that of course it meant something. Izzy hadn't even realized she'd done it.
She saw him out, then turned and noticed the expression on his face. "What?"
He stared at her, rigid with shock.
She gasped, and her hand flew to her mouth. "Oh, crap!"