Chapter 34
“The drones might be out,” Adalyn growled through her earpiece as she pulled down the muddy path that led to her former summer camp. Instead of using the main road, she was using a side entrance—in case Miller decided to put a bullet through her head from a sniper perch upon entry.
Though in this weather, it would be almost impossible, given the visibility. The swish swish of the windshield wipers competed with the pounding deluge of rain. And the rain was winning.
“We’re shelving the drones for now,” Tiago said. “We’re all in position, making our way through the woods.”
“Keep him distracted as long as possible,” Hailey ordered.
“I will.” If she even got that far. Miller could decide to end her so easily if he chose. But something told her he wanted to talk about why he was killing her, to reveal himself. He’d been far too theatrical so far, and an egomaniac like him would want to brag about his genius. “He’s calling,” she said when her phone buzzed.
“What are you doing?” The modulated voice came over the line. So he had to have some sort of visual to know she hadn’t taken the main road.
“What do you mean? I’m here.”
“You didn’t take the main entrance.”
“There was too much flooding.” Her SUV jolted as she dipped into a big pothole filled with water. The place had gone into arrears and the bank had never done anything with it afterward so now it was a mess.
“Head to the outdoor eating area. Outside the main cafeteria building.” He disconnected before she could respond.
“He’s got eyes somewhere,” she said through the earpiece. “So everyone watch your six. Look for any sort of traps or trip wires.”
“We’re on it. You just stay alive,” Gage snapped.
Yeah, none of them had particularly liked her plan, but it was the one that had the best chance of working. She kept driving, the SUV splashing through the mud and muck of the long-abandoned makeshift road. Instead of staying on it, she rerouted, driving straight over the overgrown grass of what had once been a field for various sports and activities.
Lightning flashed, slamming into a tree about thirty yards to her right. She swerved, but kept barreling toward the cafeteria and eating area as the tree split down the middle but didn’t fall. The split pieces leaned outward, looking as if they desperately wanted to fall, but the charred pieces of trunk remained suspended in a terrifying display. “Really hope that’s not an omen,” she muttered.
“What’s going on?” Tiago asked.
“Bolt of lightning just demolished a tree next to me. I think you guys need to get to cover. This is—”
“Save it,” Hailey cut her off, her voice slightly garbled in the rain. “We’re all leaving here today. Every single one of us.”
Fine.She hadn’t expected them to leave anyway but holy shit this weather. “I see him now.” She sped up, tempted to just run him over with the SUV, but she had no clue where Rowan was.
Miller stood underneath a metal patio cover, but the bottom of his jeans and boots looked soaked. He had on a long-sleeved T-shirt, a tactical vest, and was holding something in one of his hands. He held up his other palm, telling her to stop.
“He’s holding something in one hand. I can’t tell for sure but I think it’s a dead man’s switch.” She pressed the brake, the truck sliding against the muddy grass before it shuddered to a halt. “Where are you guys?”
“According to the map you drew, we’re coming up on the cafeteria area behind you both.” Tiago’s voice was garbled before it suddenly cut off.
Shit.Unable to put this off, she slid out of the front seat, was immediately soaked but she didn’t care. The only thing that mattered was saving Rowan.
She strode forward, trying to look at her surroundings, but with the rain coming down in sheets she had to squint against the water. Little pricks of pain pelted her face and neck as her boots sank into the muddy grass. With each step she took, her dread grew.
Thunder crashed above them, another flash of lightning to her right. She ignored it as she trudged through the mud, keeping her gaze solely on Miller. As best she could.
He was watching her through pale eyes, an angry glare on his far too handsome face. Just like his twin, he was handsome in a classic way, but unlike his twin there was not an inch of kindness or warmth in his eyes.
“You know who I am?” he called out as she stepped onto the cracked concrete.
She was only ten feet away now. “Curtis’s brother.”
He simply nodded, held out what was definitely a dead man’s switch.
She swallowed hard, resisted the urge to reach for the pistol she had tucked at her back, to empty it into his smug face.
“You make a move, I let this go and your man goes up in fire. Or maybe you don’t care about him?” His voice was taunting, evil.
“What do you want?” she demanded.
“I want you to acknowledge what you did!” he screamed, a gaping crack in his handsome exterior fracturing right down the middle for the world to see. “You got my brother killed!”
She’d known there would be no reasoning with him, but seeing his true face, seeing how far gone he was… It was startling. And she had to keep him talking long enough so the others could save Rowan. God, let them find him. She had a lot of regrets in life, but not telling Rowan how she felt about him was the biggest.
She’d been too much of a coward, and for what? For nothing. Over the years she’d been shot and stabbed and nearly died, and she’d been…afraid to let herself be vulnerable? Because what if he hadn’t returned her feelings? Well boo freaking hoo, then she’d have dealt with it.
If she could go back in time to her aunt’s office, she would tell him that not only did she love him, but that she genuinely liked him as a person. That he was one of the sweetest, kindest men she’d ever met and she wanted a shot at a future with him.
“Fine,” she said. “I trusted the wrong person and good people died, including Curtis.”
“Don’t you say his name!” More screaming as he stomped forward out from under the cover of the patio. Rain pelted his face and clothes, soaking him in seconds.
No one was saying anything over the comms, and terror like she’d never known punched through her. Were they okay? Had something happened to her team? Nope, she had to focus on what was right in front of her. And all she could think was…what if his hand got too wet and he slipped, dropped the trigger?
Chills snaked down her spine as she continued to hold his gaze, took another smaller step forward. Closer to the man she was determined to kill. “Is your revenge worth the life of your wife and daughter?” Her words were ice-cold bombs tossed into sizzling volcanic heat.
He froze, his gaze narrowing. “What did you just say?’
“Your wife. Your daughter. She’s what, seven now? Are their lives worth your so-called justice?”
His chest rose and fell rapidly and she could see how much he wanted to kill her right then and there, the rage in his eyes a live flame as he stared her down. “What do you know about them?”
“I know that they live in a cute little bungalow directly off the coast of North Carolina. And right now, I’ve got two trained operatives sitting on them. I’m going to take out my phone, send you proof.” She held up her hands, pulled her cell out. “I need a number to send the pictures to.” Thank god her phone was waterproof.
He rattled off a number so she texted one image after the other.
There was no way she’d ever hurt an innocent civilian, much less a kid, but she needed this guy to think she was as much of a monster as him.
Keeping his hand tightly clutched onto the trigger of his bomb, he whipped out his phone, looked at the pictures she’d taken. They were using a long-range camera, but there were closeups of his ex-wife picking up their daughter from school. And on the school announcement board out front was the current date of an upcoming event.
“You’re not going to hurt a kid,” he finally growled.
“You sure about that?” She took another step closer as rain continued to soak her straight to her bones. Almost to punctuate her question, lightning flashed across the sky, lighting up the sharp planes of his face. “Because you almost killed my sister. And you killed one of my childhood friends, left his family to deal with the fallout. I don’t want any more bloodshed, but you’ve backed me into a corner. Let Rowan go and I let your family go. Even trade. We all walk away.”
He stared at her long and hard and she saw the moment that he’d made up his mind. Oh god, she saw the crazy take over, the wild manic glee slip into place as he bared his teeth at her. “Then I guess it’s their time,” he snarled, letting the trigger go, releasing the button.
It felt as if it happened in slow motion as he dropped the small handheld device. The cafeteria behind him exploded in a savage burst of fire and noise, metal and debris raining down around them.
For the first time in her life, in her career, she didn’t think or call on training. She became an animal and attacked, rushing at him, tackling him to the ground with strength she didn’t know she had.
Someone was screaming and it took longer than it should have for her to realize that the sound was coming from her as she slammed him to the ground again. Later, she would realize she’d taken him off guard with her tackle.
But he recovered quickly, punching her across the jaw. She reared back, narrowly missing what could have been a bone-breaking hit. She slipped in the mud as she tried to crawl backward, to put some distance between them so she could get in a clean shot.
As she did, she automatically reached for her pistol, whipped it around to her front. She got off one shot, barely grazing his side as he kicked out, his heavy boot slamming into her forearm, taking her off-balance.
With the deluge of rain and the impact, she couldn’t keep her grip on the pistol. As it fell to the mud too many feet away, she watched as he winced, pulled out his own weapon. A SIG Sauer P320. And he wasn’t going to miss.
She shoved her hand into her pocket, grabbed the knife she’d tucked away and pulled it out, even as her brain told her that it was over. That she wasn’t faster than a bullet. That she’d let Rowan down.
Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom.
She froze at the gunfire, blinked as she waited for the pain. For the searing agony of the bullets ripping through her chest.
Then Miller fell to his knees, his eyes glazing over as his big body pitched forward, his weapon hand falling limp as he face-planted into the muddy grass.
And that was when she saw Rowan sprinting toward her, Tiago and the others behind him, weapon up, his wrists bleeding.
On instinct, she picked up the fallen SIG, tossed it away and raced at Rowan. She slipped once on the slick concrete, her boots covered in mud with no traction, but before she could right herself, Rowan was there, pulling her into his arms.
Unable to find any words, to force anything out, she wrapped her entire body around him in a full-body hug. He held her back fiercely, his big bear arms the only steady anchor she needed right now.
He was alive. And…he was saying something.
Feeling as if she was coming out of a tunnel, she leaned back, blinked up at him through the falling rain. “What?”
“I love you, have for a lot longer than I wanted to admit. But I’m not living with—”
“I love you too,” she rasped out, the words freeing something inside her she hadn’t realized had been caged. But all her stupid fear snapped free as she said it again. “I love you too.”
Cupping her face in his bloodied hands, he smiled at her, his face battered and bruised—and she wanted to kick the shit out of Miller for his wounds. “Let’s get out of here.”
They had to clean this scene and decide what to do with Miller’s body, but she found herself nodding. Because she wanted to be anywhere but here, as long as she was with Rowan.