Chapter 21
CHAPTER 21
D ana went to the wall and dropped herself back down on the blanket. She landed with a thud that shook her bones, but nothing could rattle her more than the sound of the hurried steps coming down the stairs.
Every footfall was harder and angrier than the one before it. Her breath hitched. She scanned the floor for a weapon but saw nothing other than the yucky blanket, magazines, and food wrappers.
Panic flooded every cell in her body. Someone stopped outside the door, and the rattling of keys reached her ears. She drew her knees to her chest, a prayer on her lips.
Please, God. Don’t let me die here .
Tears wanted to rush forward, but she held them back. She had to glean as much information as she could if she wanted to get out of here. She was in a basement. The high window and the cold dankness of the room revealed that much.
Too bad there were a zillion basements in the Seattle area.
The door banged open and a man breezed into the room sans firefighter gear. He wore jeans and a red T-shirt that hugged his thick middle. Black combat boots covered his feet. His hands hung at his sides. There was no weapon that she could see, but he’d had a knife when he attacked her.
He wasn’t wearing a ski mask or a helmet this time, so she could study his face a bit more. The lack of lighting made identifying details tough, but his head was shaved and he had a tattoo on his forearm. A skull or something. Real original, dude. A scar chewed through his eyebrow. This was definitely the man who’d attacked her in her apartment.
He stopped a few feet away and tilted his head to the side, and the sudden movement made Dana cringe. Her spine instinctively straightened against the cement wall. He stalked forward, his expression cold and methodical. He opened and closed one hand and held a set of keys in the other. “Dana McAvery?”
She curled her lip. Just the sound of her name coming from his thick, slimy lips made disgust unravel inside her. “And you are?”
The corner of his mouth twitched. “Your worst nightmare.”
She snorted. “You might be my worst nightmare, but Zain is yours.”
The man laughed, a loud, pealing sound that reverberated off the walls to beat against Dana’s eardrums. He waggled his index finger. “This is gonna be fun.”
“Fuck you.”
His smile fell. “You’re going to learn some manners, bitch.”
“You took me, asshole. Why?”
He slid his gaze over her face, and the motion made her feel as if there were slugs on her skin. “I was given a great deal of money to do so, that’s why.”
She swallowed. His honesty stole some of her bravado. “Who hired you?” The words came out soft, hesitant. Part of her was desperate to hear the answer. The other part wanted to run from it.
His mouth quirked again. “I can’t tell you that. But I can tell you they want you dead. Just as soon as you tell me everything you know about Zain Mitry.”
Her heart pounded frantically. Misery wormed through her chest, and she fought the scream that wanted to be unleashed. Zain. He’d be looking for her by now. Worried. Scared.
Probably assuming her dead.
I’m not, Zain. I’m here. I’m alive, and I’m waiting for you.
But her thoughts were useless. He couldn’t hear her. Couldn’t find her. Not when she’d vanished without a trace. He’d have nowhere to even start. The gripping truth was that she was on her own .
She didn’t even have a weapon to fight her own battle. All she had was what she’d been born with: her mind.
He wanted information about Zain. The longer she kept her knowledge to herself, the longer she’d stay alive. But she had to play his game before he got any sick ideas about how to get her to talk. She wet her lips, her thoughts working a mile a minute. “What do you want to know?”
“Everything about Afghanistan.”
***
The elevator up to the Backcountry offices moved at a snail’s pace. Zain pinched his brow. Taking the stairs up the twenty-something floors would’ve been faster.
“Send me the screenshot of the plate,” Taschen ordered.
Zain opened his phone and sent the image. The elevator dinged and the doors opened. He got out first and strode down the hall.
Behind the front desk, Pearl stood up, her lip quivering. “Oh, Taschen. I’m so sorry to hear about Dana.”
Her words hit Zain harder than a stream of bullets. The apology sounded more like condolences.
Taschen cupped Pearl’s shoulder. “Thanks, hon.”
Pearl must have read the grim look on Zain’s face because she quickly sputtered, “D-Don’t worry. We’ve got the best team in this part of the country. I just know she’ll be found.”
He forced a smile but couldn’t muster any words as he continued to the boardroom.
The other guys were already there, in front of a large whiteboard. The fact that they all seemed as buzzed with urgency as he was pacified him somewhat.
August moved toward Taschen first. “Man. I’m so sorry this happened.” His green eyes flashed with worry. He shifted his gaze to Zain. “She’ll be okay. Dana’s smart as a whip.”
Rami didn’t approached Zain, but his face reflected every vicious emotion spiraling through him: concern, fear, and enough rage to light the room. “We’re on it, brother.”
Zain swallowed and stepped into the group. Brick patted his shoulder, and Ghost gave a curt nod of understanding. Zain cleared the gravel from his throat. “Thanks for being here. I’m going to give you a rundown of what happened while Taschen uploads the surveillance video we retrieved from the neighbor’s camera.”
Taschen lifted two fingers in confirmation while he opened the laptop on the boardroom table.
“A man dressed in a firefighter’s uniform approached me and said the police needed my mom’s statement. Rami had already taken my mom to his place at this point, so I sought out an officer to explain. Speaking to one, I learned they’d already gotten the information they needed from my mom. When I retraced my steps to where I’d left Dana, she was gone. In less than two minutes, the same firefighter who’d approached me had spoken to Dana and led her down the sidewalk, presumably with a similar story. Once he got close to his vehicle, he tased her and put her inside. That’s the last she was seen.”
Rami shook his head angrily, and Brick looked ready to put a hole in the wall.
Ghost narrowed his eyes. “You got a look at the guy?”
“I was too distracted to really pay attention, but I’m certain he had a scar on his left eyebrow, which matches Dana’s description of her attacker.” He returned Ghost’s questioning glare. “Did you have any luck tracing the guy through the security cameras in Dana’s building?”
Ghost crossed his arms, a smug expression flashing in his gray eyes. “Yeah, I got something actually.”
“What?” Zain demanded.
Silence fell around where they stood. All eyes turned to Ghost.
“I was going to phone you this morning, but that’s when Rami called everyone to the office. I found out who the asshole is. Drake Lambert.”
Zain’s heart stalled. His brain worked at breakneck speed to fit the name to a face, but nothing came forth. “I don’t know that name.”
“Nah, you probably don’t. He’s not from around here.”
“Who the fuck is he?” Rami snarled.
Ghost sighed. “Honestly, I didn’t get that far. But a name’s a pretty big fucking start. I’ve got a colleague working on it. The best in the biz.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. “This the guy you saw talking to Dana?”
He turned the device toward Zain. A driver’s license image filled the screen, and it lit Zain’s last fucking nerve—shaved head, lifeless blue eyes, and scar across his left eyebrow. “That’s him.” The confirmation came out on a constricted breath.
“Good. From what I can tell, he’s a professional. Not a surprise. We suspected a hitman. Finding out who paid him will be the hard part.”
Rami nudged Ghost with his elbow. “That’s your job. Find out who hired him and follow that trail. We’ll work a different angle.”
“I’ll be in my office.” He sliced through the guys and out the door.
“Video’s almost ready,” Taschen announced.
Zain moved closer to his brother. “Where’s Mom?”
Rami’s face softened. “She’s safe. I took her, Ivy, and Gigi to Toth’s house. They’re there with him, Savannah, and the baby.”
“Good. Should we send anyone else there to be safe?”
Rami shook his head. “Toth’s got it covered. Besides, our guy was likely trying to get to you by setting the house on fire.”
Zain nodded gravely. Now that the killer had Dana in his grip, his focus had shifted.
When Zain got his hands on Drake, the bastard would wish he’d never gone after Dana.
“Ivy and Gigi are worried about Dana. Just beside themselves.” He shook his head. “I should’ve called the guys out to help at Mom’s. Shouldn’t have left you.”
Zain met his brother’s eyes, and for a moment time moved backward. As a kid, Rami had been the wild one. Always in trouble and making their mom worry. Zain had been the one to ease their mom’s fears. As a teenager he’d stayed closer to home, only occasionally joining his older brother in shenanigans.
Rami wasn’t the same man he’d been when Zain left. He’d changed. It wasn’t just the eye tat. There was a bold and glaring difference. Rami carried more weight now—not only on his heart but also on his conscience. The shimmer of regret and responsibility shone in his eyes.
And if Zain had known how much guilt Rami would shoulder regarding his disappearance, he’d have done things differently.
Somehow, he would’ve found a way to spare Rami that burden. He placed his palm around Rami’s shoulder and met his eyes. Hell, he even seemed taller than he had three years ago. “None of this was your fault,” he said, his voice gruff. “It’s mine, brother. All of it.”
He cleared his throat before he wasted any more time. “I know I said this, but I’m sorry. I should’ve done things differently. But I’m proud of the man you’ve become.”
Rami gave him a half smile. “You too, man.”
“Aww aren’t you boys cute,” August sang.
Zain dropped his hand from his brother’s shoulder and rolled his eyes.
“Yeah, real cute,” Taschen piped up. “Let’s find my fucking sister, though. Save your brofest for later.”
“If you’d get that damn thing runnin’ we would,” Rami shot back.
Taschen gestured at the screen. “Watch.”
They all stared at the large white screen on the wall. Zain rewatched Dana’s kidnapping, and it was like experiencing painful déjà vu. He folded his arms, his stomach clenching.
The whole thing was over in seconds. The energy in the room shifted. Unease charged the atmosphere.
“Anyone run the plate?” Brick asked solemnly.
“Haven’t tried to enlarge it yet. Not sure if we can.” Taschen rolled out a chair and sat. The others followed suit, but Zain couldn’t do more than pace .
Rami snapped open his laptop and punched the keys. “Send it my way.”
Taschen must’ve obliged because after a few minutes Rami spoke. “A bit grainy, but I think I’ve got something legible. Anyone else want to try?”
“Me.” Zain placed his palm on the table next to the computer and looked at the image Rami had enlarged. Grainy was an understatement.
The pixelated navy-blue letters and numbers were difficult to make out on the white background, and the angle of the shot and the movement of the vehicle heightened the complexity. Zain rattled off the letters and most of the numbers but stopped at the last one. “Is that a three or an eight?”
“I say three,” Rami said.
“Lemme see.” Brick stepped in and leaned forward. “I agree.”
Zain nodded. “I was leaning toward that too. Let’s run it.”
With a registered plate and the name Ghost had found today, they might just find an address for this motherfucker.
Problem was, even if they were lucky enough to find the plate registered under Drake’s name, a professional assassin wouldn’t take Dana to his house. But it was something.
It was all they had.
In minutes, Rami was inside the DMV database. Zain watched his brother’s fingers tap against the desk as they waited for results. A low ding sounded from the computer. Rami grunted. “It’s a stolen plate.”
“Fuck,” Zain ground out.
“Not only that, but there’s no vehicle registered under Drake Lambert. It’s hard to say if that’s an alias or not.”
The office door swung open, and Ghost stormed inside. “I’ve got something.” He slapped a piece of paper on the table.
Zain snapped out his hand and dragged the sheet across the laminate surface. His heart rate soared into dangerous territory. He stared at the words, his mind tripping over every character, unable to piece them together. “What’s this?”
“From my colleague. He’s a hacker. I called him after Dana was attacked, and he’s been on this since then. It wasn’t Jaysh who hired Drake.”
“I don’t understand.” His throat clenched. He didn’t want to believe the words he’d read—the words Ghost had confirmed.
Rami took the paper from Zain. “Holy shit.” His voice booming, he ordered everyone out except for Zain and Ghost.
The room spun. Zain’s heart pumped wildly while the walls closed in around him. He’d known all along that he’d endangered Dana. That his mission was too risky. That he was wrong for her.
Wrong to get involved. Wrong to fall so fucking hard .
But this was so much worse than he’d anticipated. The damning statements verified the whisper of suspicion that’d plagued him over the years.
His breath hissed out. Numbness inched over his skin, bringing with it a freezing chill that touched his bones. He hadn’t just walked Dana through hell—he’d hand-delivered her to the devil himself.