Chapter 25
CHAPTER 25
Z ain followed Brick to his office. Staying mobile made him feel less out of control. “What do you have?”
Brick closed the door and motioned to his desk. Like the offices of everyone else on the team, Brick’s held personal touches. The walls were painted black and had wood accents. A potted ficus stood near the window. Unlike Ghost’s, this one appeared artificial. A large bookcase filled with books and artifacts sat behind the desk chair.
“I’ve been thinking. Maxine wants information. So give it to her.”
He folded his arms. “If I give her what she wants,” he said with annoyance, enunciating each word, “she’ll kill Dana.” Jesus, was this what he’d been called in here for? To be told to cave and lose whatever bargaining chips he had?
“I say we play offense. Tell her you got the information from a mole and if she wants it, she’d better produce Dana. ”
He twisted his lips to the side. Maxine would likely believe a mole existed, given that high-level information had been shared. She’d still want the proof, though. He’d have to find a way to make her hand over Dana first.
“What do you think?” Brick pressed.
He nodded slowly. He had maybe ten minutes before Maxine’s time limit expired. She’d already refused to give him Dana—instead, she’d made more threats. He had to play this right and get Maxine where he wanted. Besides dead. That would come after Dana was home.
“I think she’s going to agree to anything and then fuck us,” Zain said. “That’s what I think.”
Brick smirked. “Did they pay you big money in the CIA to figure out simple shit like that?”
Zain chuckled. It was the closest he’d gotten to a genuine laugh all day. “Okay, brainiac. What’s the drill then?”
“ The drill is you get Maxine to agree to a phone call with Dana. Leverage whatever the fuck you can, but get on the damn phone with her. I’ll do my best to trace the call. Maxine knows we’ve got intel, but she doesn’t know the skills Backcountry has at their fingertips.”
“How long do I need to keep Dana on the line?”
“A minute, give or take.”
He exhaled sharply. “I sure hope you can work with less than that. ”
“Not by much. But Dana will know what we’re trying to do. She’s familiar with our equipment and software. She’ll keep the call going as long as possible.”
Zain nodded. All along, he’d been thinking about how scared Dana must be. How alone. Hurt. He hadn’t given her enough credit.
She was incredibly strong. Even in the face of terrorists, she’d kept her wits. Her smarts alone could keep her alive for a while. He just had to meet her halfway—and he’d do that if it was the last thing he did.
He pulled out his phone. “Can you tap my line and record the call?”
Brick made a face. “Toth doesn’t like us to record calls. Says it won’t hold up in court.”
“I know we can’t use it in court, but I want to make sure I can replay what she says, in case there’s any indication of where they’re holding Dana.”
“I’m game. What Toth doesn’t know won’t hurt him.” Brick took Zain’s phone and copied some information into a program. Then, using his own cell phone, he called Zain’s number and conducted a test. “There we go.”
“Perfect.” He called Maxine.
She answered immediately. “I see you’re cooperating.”
“Of course.” He balled his hand into a fist at his side. “All I want is Dana. And I’m sure you want this over with too.”
“I want to know your source.” Her heartless tone beat through the speaker.
He paced in a small circle, his pulse pummeling against his temples. “You’ve got a mole, Maxine. Someone high up.”
Her breath caught. “You’re full of shit.”
“Think about it. How would I know about the attack on my unit? I imagine something like that would be kept under tight wraps.” He had to force the memory from his mind so he didn’t lose his shit. He couldn’t help the murdered soldiers, but he could damn well save the one person who mattered to him now—Dana.
“Who?”
“I know who, and I can prove it. But I’m not doing a damn thing until you bring Dana to me.”
Silence stretched out.
“Maxine, I have enough evidence to put you away for life. You know the crimes you’ve committed. Give Dana up and all this goes away.”
She smacked her lips. “Fine. Let me call my guy, and I’ll see where he wants to meet you. But you need to give me everything. Have it all on a drive and ready to hand over when you see your girlfriend.”
Excitement fissured through him. “I need to talk to Dana first. I have to be sure this isn’t a setup.”
She let out an exasperated sigh. “You’ll receive a call in a few minutes.”
The line clicked off, and he bowed his head. Holy shit. They might just have a chance.
One minute. God, please just give me that. I’ll figure out the rest.
***
Dana reached over her attacker’s shoulder for the railing, and her fingers scraped the old wood. He yanked her arms away and buckled them against her side as he pounded down the stairs with her in his hold.
“Let me go!” she yelled.
He descended quickly, and the basement loomed before her. Panic frothed over her senses. She twisted and lifted her knee into his injured armpit.
He screamed and cursed, stumbling. They both slammed into the concrete, Dana landing inches away. She scrambled to her feet, but he caught her ankle before she could escape.
Her head banged against the stairs. Fingers of darkness danced in front of her closed lids, but adrenaline was quick to dispel them. Heat singed her face as she kicked at her captor.
He was too fast. Too strong. He had her in a chokehold as he hauled her to her feet. Then he shoved her toward her cell.
She gave a wail of despair. Fear electrified her senses, shutting off her awareness of the heinous words he spat against her ear. Nothing he said could make her more terrified than what she already knew—he was going to torture her.
Time to send your boyfriend a finger . His earlier promise rang in her head, and she instinctively curled her fingers into her palms. His rough hand shoved the back of her head. Dana landed against the cement wall, her shoulder taking the blow.
She sank to her haunches and watched the monster in front of her radiate with fury. Blood continued to run down his neck. The gash was thin and wide. Not deep enough or he’d be dead. But the gaping wound beneath his ripped T-shirt promised more blood loss.
Ire sparked from his hollow eyes. He still had enough energy to inflict a whole lot of pain on her.
His chest heaved, and he took a step forward.
Dana shuddered and shielded her face. Any minute he’d strike her again. He’d rip off her fingernails and then her fingers—god, maybe even her eyes.
Her body shook in waves.
“I’m going to take you apart piece by fucking piece. Then I’ll soak you in acid, and nothing will be left.”
Ring , ring
The screech of his cell phone made Dana jump. The loud noise was eerily familiar in such a foreign situation.
He huffed then pulled out his phone. “What?” he snapped.
A voice drifted through the air—a woman’s. Dana lowered her gaze and focused on trying to decipher the words, but they weren’t clear.
“And then I can finish this?” he asked.
More chatter on the other end.
“I don’t want to fucking wait,” he spat.
Dana’s skin burned, warning her that his gaze was still on her. She tried to make sense of what was happening.
He wasn’t happy. That was obvious. Maybe this was over. Maybe Zain had come through and they’d reached an agreement.
That little glimmer of hope shone brightly, and she whispered a prayer.
He clicked off the phone. “It’s your lucky day. You get a phone call.”
Dana surged forward. A phone call? Zain. It had to be. She scanned the room, looking for some kind of clue she could give him so he’d be able to find her. But all she saw was a dank basement. Plus, if she told Zain anything specific, she’d likely be moved to a different location.
Her captor tapped his screen then spoke into the receiver. “Your request is granted. Make it quick.” He passed Dana the device.
She greedily brought the phone to her ear. “Zain?”
“Yeah, baby. It’s me.” His smooth words rumbled through the speaker, so deep and authoritative.
She closed her eyes as she savored the sound of his voice. Tears spilled onto her cheeks, but she didn’t dare waste a second to dash them away. Not when this could be the last time she ever spoke to him.
Hearing his voice made something quake inside her—a longing and desperation so strong she just wanted to disappear into it. “I’m so sorry,” she choked out.
For what, she didn’t know. Sorry she hadn’t been more careful, maybe. Sorry she’d never told him how deep her feelings for him ran.
Sorry she wasn’t coming home.
“Can he hear me?” Zain’s question was low, barely audible.
“No.” She glanced up at her captor. He stepped forward as if to intervene. “I’m okay. He hasn’t hurt me,” she quickly said. Just in case he suspected she was giving Zain clues.
She clung to the phone as though it were a lifeline. He’d have to tear it from her cold, dead hands.
“We need to keep the call going as long as possible. Do anything to make that happen, okay?”
Hope flared inside her. He was working on finding her. She just had to help him. “I miss you too.” She wet her lips.
“All right.” Asshole swirled his finger in the air. “Wrap it up. ”
“Are you okay?”
Zain’s heavy tone made her lips tremble.
“I want to come home,” she wailed. She flicked her gaze to her captor’s bored face. “Please tell my family I love them.”
“You’ll tell them yourself. I promise.”
She closed her eyes, holding that pledge close to her heart. “I—”
“That’s enough.” Asshole moved forward and reached for the phone.
Dana dodged out of his grasp. “No! I’m not done. Zain—”
He seized her arm, and his fingers bit into her flesh. She cried out. Zain’s furious shouts bellowed through the phone. She needed to do as Zain said—keep the call going.
Grabbing the device from her fingers with her free hand before he could tear it away, she slid the phone as far as she could.
The device skittered across the concrete floor and into the hallway. “Christ!” He shoved her toward the ground.
She flung herself at his ankles, taking him down to the floor. “Sonofabitch!” He flung his hand backward, and his knuckles caught her mouth.
Pain exploded across her cheek. Her head shook with the force of the blow, and a high-pitched ring sounded in her ears.
Her captor pushed himself to his feet. “Fucking bitch. ”
She watched as he limped across the room and into the hall. He slammed the door behind him. He’d make her pay for that stunt. She just hoped to hell she’d given Zain enough time.
***
Pride coupled with fear arced through Zain. Hearing the bastard hit Dana had nearly made Zain’s head explode. The whack of knuckles on skin and her sharp cry of pain would live in his mind forever.
A blow to her delicate face that never should’ve happened.
He’d thought it was over. That surely the call had been too short to trace. But then the crackling on the speaker and distant voices told him she’d sent the phone across the floor.
Brilliant.
If the action didn’t get her killed.
He swiped his hand over his face then stared at Brick and Taschen. “Was it enough time? Did we get ’em?”
Taschen looked up, his brows raised. “We got a location.”
“Yes.” Zain slammed his palm against the table, making the equipment shake. He let out a loose laugh and paced a few feet. “Holy shit.” He wheeled back around. “Where are they?”
“A neighborhood in the northeast.” Brick turned the computer screen in Zain’s direction .
He studied the little red flag on the map and snapped his fingers. “Ghost got a reading of the license plate in the same neighborhood.”
“Well, now we’ve got a house to ambush.” Taschen was on his feet. “Let’s go.”
Zain was one step ahead of him.
“Hang on a minute,” Brick said, chasing them. Zain already had the office door open. “We need a plan. Don’t forget, Maxine is waiting for the information you promised. She wants to make a trade.”
Rami and August entered the hall. “What’s going on?” Rami demanded. Micha, likely sensing the shift in energy, trotted down the hallway, her nails clicking on the floor as she made her way to Rami’s side. He patted her head, and she sat obediently.
Zain quickly explained what had unfolded, but every second he stood there was a second wasted. A second that could determine whether he found Dana alive or dead.
August’s green eyes flashed with urgency. “Sounds like we’ve got the fucker, but Brick’s right. We can’t go in half-cocked.”
Rami gave a stern nod. “Don’t forget, we do this shit for a living.”
Zain threaded his hand through his hair. “All right then, what’s the deal? Because any minute Maxine’s going to call and expect me to meet her guy. ”
Taschen shrugged. “When Maxine calls, tell her we’ll meet. We’ll split into two groups. One goes to the house, the other to the meeting point. If something changes, either group can head in for reinforcement.”
Rami swished his lips. “That could work.”
“It’s our best shot,” Brick added.
“Fine.” Zain didn’t really give a shit what the plan was as long as they had manpower where Dana might be. “I’m going to the house now. I’ll call you when I hear from Maxine.”
August caught his shoulder. “Maybe Rami and I should go to the house and you wait for Maxine’s call. For all we know, they could be moving Dana right now. On the off chance Maxine follows through and brings Dana to trade, you’re gonna want to be there.”
Indecision froze him to the spot. The muscles in his neck knotted. August made a valid suggestion, but instinct told Zain he needed to go to the house.
He’d done nothing but lead from his intuition for the past three years, and it hadn’t steered him wrong. Now everything was muddled because his heart was in the goddamn way. Every thought was second-guessed, every assurance reevaluated. “I’m going to the house,” he declared with conviction.
“I’m coming with you.” Taschen chimed in. “Gimme a sec.” He disappeared into the office and returned with an assault rifle across his chest, another in one hand, and a Glock in the other. He passed Zain the second assault rifle.
He took it eagerly. “Let’s go.”
“Wait,” Rami called. “Take Micha.”
Zain hesitated. The dog was highly skilled, but the last thing he wanted was for the sweet girl to get hurt. “Are you sure?”
“Hell yeah.” Taschen grabbed Micha’s leash from the wall. She immediately stood and wagged her tail. “Who’s a good doggy?” he crooned. “Let’s go eat some bad guys.”
Micha responded with an excited bark.
They stormed through the office to the elevator. As they passed Pearl, she firmed her lips and met his stare. “Bring our girl home.”
“I will,” he vowed. Emotion prickled the corners of his eyes. Pearl was as sharp as a tack and had likely picked up on his connection with Dana.
Taschen jammed his finger against the button, and the elevator doors whooshed open. Micha beat them inside, and Taschen pressed the button for the garage. The cart descended.
Fire singed the back of Zain’s neck. He’d been utterly useless the last couple of hours. Helpless. If it weren’t for Backcountry, he wouldn’t have had the resources. He would’ve—
He gave his head a shake. He couldn’t go there. Couldn’t think about how bad things could have—or would have—gotten. Right now, they had purpose. He was ahead of the fucking bastards.
A sharp ring from his pocket seized his muscles. The elevator door opened, and he pulled out his phone as they crossed the threshold into the concrete area housing Backcountry’s vehicles. According to signs throughout the space, the entire garage was for their parking alone.
“Is it her?” Taschen asked, just as Zain looked at his screen: UNKNOWN CALLER .
“Yup.”
“Stick with the plan.”
“No shit.” He swiped to answer. “Yeah.”
Taschen opened the back of a large SUV, and Micha hopped in, tail wagging ferociously. He gave her a pat on the head and she lay down on the dog mat.
“Well, you have your proof. Your girlfriend’s okay.”
He grunted. “Sounded like she was fucking hurt when I spoke to her.”
Taschen closed the liftgate, and they stashed their guns in the back seat. “Stall,” he mouthed.
He nodded. The longer it took him to agree on a meeting point, the more time they’d have to get to the house before Maxine attempted to move Dana.
“She’s in one piece. I promise you that.” Maxine’s chilly words weren’t very fucking reassuring.
Zain’s temper knocked against his forehead. Fucking bitch. He opened the front passenger door and settled in the seat while Taschen got behind the wheel .
“There’s something I want to know,” he said, slowly, while Taschen navigated through the parking garage. He had to keep her talking as long as possible. “Why take her in the first place? Why not me?”
“That’s very simple. We suspected you knew more than you let on. It’s unfortunate, but loose ends can’t stay loose.”
“I was the loose end?” He’d never considered himself close with Maxine, but over the last three years, she’d become someone he trusted.
That’s why he’d reached out to her for help at the airport in Pakistan. Why he’d called her after Dana was attacked and then taken. All the while, he’d been playing with a goddamn viper.
“It’s just the way things ended up.”
“You would’ve killed me regardless.”
“Not true. When you went rogue during the mission, we suspected you’d already given up classified information.”
“And Dana? You still haven’t told me why you took her.” It had all been spelled out for him now, but Maxine seemed to want to talk. Which worked for him.
Taschen held his phone in his hand, map open but silent as he steered through the streets.
“Really, Zain. You should understand all of this by now. We needed her to ensure your full cooperation.”
“Well you fucking have it,” he spat .
“Good. I’ll have our guy bring her to a meeting point in an hour. How’s that work for you?”
He rocked his jaw. She had no intention of delivering Dana. She’d use the opportunity to kill them all. But Maxine didn’t know about the crew he had at his back. “Fine. Where?”
She rattled off a destination—a deserted path toward a waterfall forty minutes from the city. Perfect place to dump a few bodies. If only they could dump hers and not her hired help’s.
“I want everything you have on a drive. And if there’s any hard copies, those too.”
“You have my word.”
“Good. And Zain?” Her tone rang with superiority. “Don’t cause any trouble. You know what will happen.” The line went dead.