Chapter 27
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
On Sunday, Wave was ready to head out for a run when he received a text.
He was needed on base. He hoped they weren’t flying out to parts in the Middle East or somewhere in Asia.
He didn’t want to leave Cass or Gina. It was the job he’d signed up for, and leaving wasn’t the worst thing that could happen.
He went back inside and ran into Cass. “Hey, new plans. I have to head to base. I may be gone for the rest of the day or maybe a few weeks.”
Cass’s lips twisted up on one side. “Oh, okay. I guess that’s…I don’t know.”
“I’ll be home when I can get home. Just keep on doing what you are. There is still money in your account.”
Cass nodded. “I have enough money for food.”
Gina stepped into the room. “Oh, I thought you were headed out.”
“New plans. I need to get to base. I may be gone for a day or a few weeks.”
Gina blinked at him, her face going from shock to worry, then settling on a smile that seemed pasted on. “Oh.”
He moved to her. “I’ll be home when I can get home.”
She wrapped her arms around him and held him for a few seconds. “We’ll be fine. I have interviews next week, and Cass starts a mini-mester class. We’ll be okay.”
“I know you will. I need to change and then head out.”
“Sure.”
Gina stepped to the side, and he headed into the bedroom. After a quick change, he stepped to the main room and hugged Cass, then kissed Gina goodbye.
He was mid-hug with Gina when the front door burst open. The explosive sound and splintering of wood took him by surprise. He hadn’t strapped on his piece yet. He was in the safety of his home, not on a mission, and he wasn’t ready for an invasion.
Cass screamed, and Gina yelped as he let her go and pushed her back, hoping to protect her. The butt of a gun hit him solidly in the face, but that didn’t take him down. What dropped him to the ground was the electric shock of the stun gun paired with the baseball bat to the side of his chest.
What the hell was going on? He struggled to get up, but the guy with the bat swung again, hitting him in the head, making everything go dark.
Gina screamed as she watched Wave go down. She wanted to fight, wanted to grab a gun and shoot them, or hit them with that bat, but her hands were empty, and she had nothing to use.
There were three guys with two serious-looking guns pointed at her. Cass let out a loud screech, and the guy with the bat punched her in the face. She went down, her body slumping next to Wave’s.
That was when Gina realized it was Pete. How had he found her?
“Take them all,” Pete said.
Two more men came in. They must have been standing guard outside. She watched as they grabbed Cass and carried her out. Then they went for Wave. They had a more difficult time carrying him out. When his shoulder caught on the doorframe, they dropped his legs.
Tears rolled down her cheeks. She couldn’t believe that her bullshit had led to this.
She would never forgive herself if Wave suffered permanent damage.
Right now, his brain could be swelling, and his life could be in danger.
He could end up in a coma, or he could be paralyzed.
There were so many bad things that could happen.
Depending on how hard he was hit, the damage could be absolutely terrible.
And they had Cass. She was the sweetest, most awesome young woman she knew, and the things they could do to her sent a shiver through Gina. She hated Pete, and she wanted him dead.
“Let’s go,” Pete barked.
Gina wanted to tell him to fuck off, but she needed to stay with Cass and Wave if she wanted to help them. Though she hated this guy and wanted to kill him, she walked out of the house and into the back of the panel van, joining both Wave and Cass.
She settled on the floor of the van next to Wave, worry filling her. Her stomach pitched as the van started moving. He needed medical treatment now, but there was nothing she could do.
“You’re going to tell me what you did with the thumb drive.”
Fucking hell, this again? She told him time and time again she didn’t have the stupid thumb drive. He didn’t listen. She had no clue how to make him understand she had nothing. She didn’t know where the hell his thumb drive was, but she didn’t have it.
“If you don’t tell me, I’ll kill them. But not in an easy way. I’ll make it last until you tell me where the thumb drive is.”
“I don’t have it. I never had it. I don’t know where the fucking thing is.”
“That’s not very kind of you, cursing at me. I’ll make sure you pay.”
She thought of telling him to go to hell, but what good would it do? They were being driven to their death. If she could get him to hold off, maybe Wave would wake up, and she could tell him goodbye.
They’d had a great relationship so far. It sucked that this was it.
There was nothing left for them all because this stupid idiot couldn’t understand that she didn’t have his thumb drive and had never had it.
Wave and Cass would die because of her. The only thing she could do was try to make Pete pay before he killed her.