Chapter 40
CHAPTER FORTY
ELEVEN MINUTES EARLIER
“Shit! I think we’ve been marked. Get—” The mercenary’s head snapped back as the bullet nailed the guy center mass.
Before the second hired gun could draw his weapon, he was taken down as well.
“All clear,” Bravo Four, Liam, said over comms. “Three is coming in to get you out of that damn chair.”
“Sorry about that, brother,” Asher said on approach, then removed the tape from Wyatt’s mouth and freed him from the chair.
Asher had been parked outside the convention center when shit hit the fan. The hired guns had pulled away from the building just as the rest of what appeared to be all of Montreal PD rolled up, and Asher had tailed the vehicle.
The fake officers had taken Wyatt to the clothing mill where Liam and A.J. had already been in position. Wyatt’s team had anticipated Balan was going to bait his targets back to the mill. What they hadn’t expected was the stage to be rigged or for Jasper to whip out a gun.
A.J. strode into the room a few seconds later, covered head-to-toe in tactical gear. “Let’s get out of here before this crazy bastard blows us all up.”
“Harper’s got the footage of you tied to this chair looped on Balan’s surveillance feed.
” Asher checked the first downed body to see if he had a pulse.
Nothing. “Here’s your piece he took off ya.
” He handed Wyatt his 9mm, then Asher checked for a pulse of the second tango.
“We’re ready to roll.” When Wyatt couldn’t get his feet to move, Asher came before him and wrapped a gloved hand over his shoulder.
“Hey, don’t worry. Natasha will know you’re already out of here if this place blows. ”
Wyatt lifted his eyes to find Asher’s. “But will Gwen?”
He’d hated leaving Natasha and Gwen, but Roman had been in the sound booth on overwatch keeping an eye out. That didn’t change the fact that every step he’d taken out of the auditorium had been painful and gut-wrenching.
“If Gwen’s anything like you, she’ll be fine,” A.J. said before Asher could respond. “We should go. Liam’s pulling the SUV around.” He flicked his wrist, motioning for them to get a move on.
A minute later, the guys piled into the SUV. “He’s going to make her choose between them and me, isn’t he?” Wyatt gripped the handle of the passenger side door as Liam tore away from the abandoned building. He closed his eyes, the rage cutting through.
“He’s one twisted son of a bitch, that’s for damn sure.” A.J. slapped a hand over Wyatt’s shoulder from the back seat. “But this all ends today, and maybe you two take a real vacation when this is over.”
“Harper’s calling.” Liam hit speakerphone on his mobile mounted to the dashboard. “We’re heading back. What’s the status?”
Wyatt tightened his grip on the handle, his nerves frayed.
Gwen. Natasha. They had to be okay. There were no other options.
“Owen and Knox have been working on disabling the bomb beneath the stage. A similar setup to Romania,” she explained.
Harper and Finn were parked outside the convention hall in a mobile unit, serving as the eyes and ears for all of Bravo and Echo.
“We need to consider getting a K9 for the team,” A.J. said. “We checked that building and didn’t find any explosive materials.”
“Security was tight. We weren’t able to canvass every inch of that place,” Harper reminded them. “And since these guys dressed themselves up as officers, they could have walked right past us armed with explosives, and there’s no way we could have known.”
“It’d still be nice to have an animal on the team. A dog would’ve known the officers were fakes, I guarantee it.” A.J. released Wyatt’s shoulder and leaned back. “I bet I could be a K-9 whisperer.”
“Gotta agree with him,” Asher chimed in. “But if anyone can talk to a dog, it’s Chris, our resident animal lover. I mean, he got the polar bear to back down.”
“Shut up,” Chris grumbled over speakerphone. He must’ve had to stay outside after taking Charlotte out of the auditorium.
“We still haven’t located the other two men dressed as police officers. They’re either still inside, and I just can’t see them,” Harper began, “or they’re outside blending in with the hundred cops there now. They could be Balan’s getaway plan.”
How had this gone so sideways?
The son of a bitch was always two moves ahead of them at every turn.
But they couldn’t let him win.
“Jessica had the CIA reach out to the authorities. The police are doing their best to check all officers’ IDs, but it’s chaos over here,” Harper said.
“I’m worried you’re not going to be able to get back inside once you’re here.
Every law enforcement agency in the city is parked outside this building. ”
“We have three guys inside,” Asher said, his voice low but confident. “Roman’s got them covered. Owen and Knox are there, too. Nothing will happen to them.”
“And . . . sounds like he just blew the fucking mill!” A.J. yelled, the ground rumbling beneath the SUV, the blast booming from behind.
Wyatt caught sight of flames darting into the sky in the rearview mirror. “We’re running out of time. We need to get that—”
“It’s done,” Harper exclaimed. “Owen just called. The stage bomb has been disarmed.”
Wyatt clutched his chest. Was this what a heart attack felt like? This was good news, so why the pain? The dizziness? Why did it feel like there was still something wrong?
“Love can do that.” Liam side-eyed him as he drove. “You’ll be okay.”
“They’re okay,” Asher reminded him.
“Have Roman take down this sick prick.” Wyatt let go of his chest, trying to believe it was truly over.
“Yeah, okay, but—”
“What?” Wyatt brought his hands to his legs and leaned closer to the mobile, waiting for Harper to continue.
“Son of a bitch!” Harper cursed. “Balan must’ve overridden the surveillance cameras inside, and I missed it.”
“What does that mean?” Liam asked. “Missed what?”
“I’m sorry. The prick is better than me.
” The line crackled from a deep, shaky exhalation.
“I know where the two other mercenaries are, and they’ve been inside rigging the auditorium doors with det cord and dynamite.
Owen and Knox went to the auditorium, but now .
. .” Harper paused. “Roman just took the leg shot,” she announced, changing gears for a moment.
“Natasha has him pinned to the ground. Everyone is safe on the inside.”
“But now they can’t get out. Can Owen and Knox disarm the doors?” Wyatt’s hand turned into a fist atop his leg as he waited for whatever news she was about to deliver.
“Hold on, waiting for more information from Roman,” Harper said, her tone low as if she were trying to hide her nerves so Wyatt wouldn’t lose his bloody mind.
“We just parked down the street,” Liam informed Harper as he turned off the engine. They were as close as they could get with the police having barricaded the area.
“I need to get in there.” Wyatt surveyed the street off to his left. Curious observers crowded outside, waiting to find out what was going on at the convention center, with phones in hand, recording the scene.
“Our people on the inside aren’t going to be able to just waltz out of that building with their weapons. So, you really think you’re gonna be able to get in?” A.J. asked.
“Jessica’s got her contacts on their way from Canadian Intelligence, but—”
“My daughter is still in there,” Wyatt cut off Asher and unbuckled to turn and look back at him. “Natasha is in there. You expect me to sit and wait?”
Asher’s gaze connected with his eyes. Asher was in love. He was going to be a father soon. Didn’t he understand?
“You tore through a crowd of onlookers and cops in Berlin to get to Jessica when she had a bomb strapped to her chest,” Wyatt said, not that Asher would ever forget that moment.
“You think I’m not willing to risk absolutely everything to do the same?
” He tucked his 9mm back under his shirt and shoved open the door.
“Wait! Hold on.” Wyatt halted at Harper’s words.
“There’s another bomb inside a red Honda Civic in what appears to be the convention center parking garage.
If the auditorium doors are detonated or disarmed, it automatically triggers the bomb in the car,” she rushed out in a hurry, the calm gone from her voice. “We need to evacuate the area!”
No, this can’t be happening.
“Are you damn kidding me?” A.J. hissed. “How in the hell did Balan manage all of this?”
“All that matters is stopping him. Bravo Two and Five are making their way to the service exit to see if they can get to the garage without being noticed by the police. Let’s hope the prick only rigged the auditorium doors and nowhere else,” Finn said over the line, speaking up for the first time.
“Balan probably covered all his bases, but it’s worth a shot,” Wyatt said to Finn.
“But we can’t exactly go flag down the bomb squad. The authorities have no idea who we are,” Asher pointed out. “Get the CIA to call and alert them for us. I can help the boys diffuse the bomb in the Civic in the meantime. We don’t have time to wait.”
“We’ll work on a way to get the crowd dispersed and far away from the parking garage somehow, too,” Chris said. “I’ll come up with something that won’t get us arrested.”
“Natasha and the others inside are going to attempt to shut down Balan’s program using his laptop. With any luck, the bomb will be disarmed before Asher even gets there,” Harper announced as Asher exited the vehicle. “But if something goes wrong with those doors, Roman is in a bad position.”
“Tell him to get out of there,” Wyatt demanded. “That’s a damn order. We’re not losing any people. Understood?”
“Roger that.” Harper’s words shook with worry.
“And I still need to get inside.” Fear shot through Wyatt as the rest of the team exited the SUV along with him.
Small black dots filled his line of sight as he moved.
He told himself this wasn’t a case of choosing to protect the masses over the few as he ran to get to the convention center, arms pumping hard at his sides.
He had his team there for support. They could save everyone else.
He had to save Natasha and his daughter.
If they were in that building, then so help him, he needed to be in there, too.
The people on the streets became a blur as Wyatt eyed the building off in the distance. His boots pounded the pavement, adrenaline surging with every step closer.
He pushed and shoved through the crowd that was beginning to run the opposite direction as him—away from danger. Good, whatever Chris and the guys were doing was working.
But no way would he let anything happen to Gwen and Natasha. No damn way.
He hadn’t come to the realization that he was capable of love only to lose it now.
This wasn’t the end. It couldn’t possibly end like this.
“You can’t be here!” An officer secured a hand around Wyatt’s arm after he’d hopped over a blue police barricade.
But Wyatt yanked himself free and darted ahead, eyes set on his target, on the entrance doors just ahead.
“It’s not safe,” the officer hollered. “Get back!”
“All stations, come in.” Wyatt barely heard Harper’s words over comms. “The explosives in the car have been disarmed. Repeat, the explosives have been—” Her words died as the ground rocked, and a blast echoed in Wyatt’s ears.