36. Taken
Taken
The first sign something was wrong was the silence.Chris noticed it before anyone else.The safe house had been chaos for the last twenty minutes.Federal agents outside.Radios.Vehicle doors slamming.Commands moving between teams.A medic arguing with Chris about the cut on his arm.Mercer coordinating the relocation.Camila sitting three feet away wearing Chris’s sweatshirt, looking exhausted and irritated every time someone told her to stay seated.Then—silence.Not complete silence.Something worse.A break in the rhythm.Chris looked up.Mercer was speaking into his phone near the kitchen.Two agents stood near the destroyed rear entrance.Another was outside.Camila caught Chris staring.
“What?”He didn’t answer.His instincts were screaming.Chris stood.“Walker.”
The medic grabbed his arm.“Sit down.”
“Something’s wrong.”Mercer turned.“What?”Chris looked toward the front windows.
“Where’s perimeter team two?”Mercer touched his radio.“Team two, status.”Static.
Chris’s expression changed.“Again.”
“Team two, respond.”Nothing.Chris immediately reached for his weapon.“Camila.”
She stood.“What?”
“Come here.”She didn’t argue.That frightened him more than anything.Camila crossed the room and Chris pulled her behind him.Mercer keyed his radio.“All teams, radio check.”
Responses came quickly.“Team one, good.”“Three, good.”
“Transport, good.”Then—nothing from two.Chris looked at Mercer.“North perimeter.”
Mercer nodded.Chris’s jaw tightened.The same direction where the last attacker had disappeared.“Shit.”Mercer immediately transmitted:“Team three, move north. One, tighten interior perimeter. Nobody moves the protectee.”Chris turned toward Camila.“We’re leaving.”
“I thought that’s what we were already doing.”
“Now.”He took her hand.Mercer stepped toward them.“Transport isn’t cleared.”
“I don’t care.”
“You should.”
“The location is compromised.”
“We know.”
“No, Mercer.”Chris looked around the destroyed house.“They knew the exact fucking address. They knew the layout. And now one of your perimeter teams isn’t answering.”
“Our perimeter team.”
“Fine. Our perimeter team.”Chris pulled Camila closer.“We stay here, we’re waiting for round two.”Mercer stared at him.Then nodded.“Alternate transport.”One of the agents moved.“On it.”Chris looked at Camila.“You stay with me.”She gave him a weak smile.
“Wasn’t planning on going sightseeing.”He touched her face.“You okay?”
“I’m tired.”
“Nauseous?”
“A little.”
“Pain?”
“No.”
“Cramping?”
“No.”
“Dizzy?”
“Chris.”
“What?”
“You’ve known I’m pregnant for less than an hour.”
“And?”
“You’ve already become unbearable.”
“Get used to it.”Despite everything, she smiled.Chris leaned down and kissed her forehead.A voice came over Mercer’s radio.“Movement north!”Everyone turned.
Then—gunfire erupted outside.Chris grabbed Camila.“DOWN!”He pulled her behind the kitchen island.Agents immediately moved toward the windows.Mercer shouted into his radio.“Identify!”More gunfire.“Shots north perimeter!”
“Suspect moving east!”
“Team three in pursuit!”Chris looked toward the hallway.Diversion.The realization came instantly.Too obvious.Too much noise.Everyone looking north.“Mercer.”Mercer turned.“This isn’t the attack.”
“What?”Chris stood.“This is the fucking diversion.”Then the lights died.Everything went black.“Chris!”
“I’ve got you.”His hand found Camila’s.Emergency lights should have activated.
They didn’t.That told Chris everything.Someone knew more than the address.“Stay behind me.”
“What happened?”
“Power’s been cut.”
“I noticed.”Chris almost smiled.Even terrified, she was still Camila.Then something crashed through the front window.A flash.Chris recognized it too late.
“TURN—”The room exploded with light and sound.Camila screamed.Chris’s ears rang.His vision disappeared into white.He dropped low, reaching blindly for her.
“Camila!”Her fingers slipped from his.No.
“CAMILA!”He heard shouting.Movement.Someone struck him from the side.
Chris hit the floor.Pain ripped through his already injured ribs.He rolled.Reached for his weapon.A boot slammed into his wrist.The gun skidded away.Chris grabbed the man’s leg and dragged him down.They hit the floor together.Chris couldn’t see clearly.Didn’t matter.
Training took over.He drove an elbow into the man’s face.Rolled.Got on top.Hit him again.
“Where is she?”The man laughed through blood.Chris hit him.“WHERE IS SHE?”A shadow moved behind him.Chris turned—too late.Something hard slammed into the back of his head.The room tilted.He fell against the island.His vision blurred.He heard Camila.
“CHRIS!”That voice.He tried to stand.Couldn’t.“Camila!”Someone grabbed her.
“Get off me!”Chris forced himself onto one knee.Through fractured vision he saw shapes.
Two men.Camila fighting between them.One arm wrapped around her waist.She kicked backward.Caught someone.The man cursed.“Let me go!”Chris staggered forward.“Get your fucking hands off her.”One of the men turned.Chris recognized him.Costa.Vargas security.
Chris launched himself at him.They hit the wall.Chris drove him backward.Once.Twice.
Costa struck his injured ribs.Pain exploded through Chris.He didn’t stop.He hit him again.
“Chris!”Camila.Chris turned.A man was dragging her toward the rear.
“No!”Chris went after them.Three steps.Four.Then—a gunshot.Chris jerked.For one terrible second, Camila thought he’d been shot.
“CHRIS!”He looked down.No blood.The round had struck the wall.
Warning.Costa hit Chris again.This time with the grip of his handgun.The blow landed near Chris’s temple.His legs gave out.He hit the floor.Camila screamed his name.Chris tried to move.His body wouldn’t cooperate.His vision narrowed.He could see her.That was all.
Camila fighting.Crying.Reaching toward him.“Chris!”He dragged himself forward.
An inch.Another.“Camila…”Someone pulled her through the doorway.Chris’s hand scraped uselessly across the floor.“No.”His voice barely existed.“No.”The last thing he saw was Camila’s terrified face disappearing into the darkness.Then everything went black.
“Walker.”Nothing.“Chris.”Nothing.“Walker!”Pain.Chris opened his eyes.The ceiling moved.No.He was moving.Someone was touching him.He reacted instantly.His hand shot out and grabbed a wrist.“Easy!”Mercer.Chris blinked.The room slowly returned.Broken windows.Agents.Blood.Emergency lights finally glowing.Mercer crouched beside him.
“Walker.”Chris stared.Something was missing.His brain couldn’t find it.Then—Camila.Chris sat up violently.“Where is she?”Mercer caught him.“Don’t.”
“Where’s Camila?”
“Chris—”
“WHERE IS SHE?”He shoved Mercer away.Pain exploded through his head.Didn’t matter.
Chris stumbled to his feet.“Camila!”Nothing.He looked toward the bathroom.Empty.
Bedroom.Empty.Kitchen.“Camila!”Sloan appeared from the hallway.Her face told him.
No.Chris stared at her.“Where is she?”Sloan didn’t answer.His voice dropped.“Where the fuck is she?”
“Chris.”
“No.”He shook his head.“No.”Mercer stood.“They breached during the north-perimeter diversion.”
“I know what happened.”
“We have teams—”
“Where is she?”
“They took her.”Everything inside Chris stopped.Two words.They took her.His eyes moved toward the broken rear entrance.“No.”
“Walker—”
“No.”He started toward it.Mercer grabbed him.Chris spun.“Get off me.”
“You’re injured.”
“I don’t give a fuck.”
“You took two significant blows to the head.”
“Get off me.”
“Medical needs to clear—”Chris shoved him.Hard.Mercer stumbled backward.Logan stepped between them.“Chris.”
“Move.”
“Listen to him.”
“Move, Logan.”
“We’re going to find her.”Chris stared at him.“Going to?”Logan went quiet.Chris laughed once.There was nothing sane about the sound.“She was three fucking feet away from me.”
Nobody answered.“I had her hand.”His voice broke.“I had her.”Sloan stepped closer.“This was coordinated.”
“I know.”
“They knew exactly how we’d respond to the north attack.”
“I KNOW.”Chris slammed his fist against the wall.Pain shot through his hand.He didn’t notice.“I knew it was a diversion.”
“Chris—”
“And I still fucking lost her.”
“You were hit.”
“I don’t care!”Mercer’s voice sharpened.“Enough.”Chris turned.Mercer stepped directly in front of him.“You losing control doesn’t help Camila.”That almost did it.Chris stared at him with murder in his eyes.“Careful.”
“I’m serious.”
“So am I.”
“You want her back?”Chris stepped closer.“What the fuck do you think?”
“Then act like an agent.”
“I don’t give a shit about being an agent right now.”
“You better.”Mercer pointed toward the operations equipment agents were already bringing inside.“Because being her boyfriend isn’t going to find her.”Chris’s jaw clenched.
“Being the man who loves her isn’t going to trace the vehicle.”Silence.“Being angry isn’t going to identify Diego’s location.”Chris breathed hard.Mercer lowered his voice.“But Special Agent Chris Walker might.”That landed.Barely.Chris closed his eyes.Camila.
Think.Think.Vehicles.Timing.Diversion.Costa.He’d seen Costa.
“Costa.”Sloan frowned.“What?”
“Emilio Costa.”Chris opened his eyes.“He was inside.”Logan immediately grabbed his radio.“Get Costa’s known vehicles and associates.”Chris continued.“Two men took her through the rear.”
“How many total?”
“At least three interior.”
“Vehicle?”
“I didn’t see it.”
“Direction?”
“Rear.”Mercer nodded.“We’ll pull road cameras.
”Chris turned toward the destroyed doorway.His chest hurt.His head pounded.Blood ran down the side of his face.None of it mattered.Then something hit him.Harder than the weapon had.Baby.Chris went completely still.Sloan noticed.
“What?”He didn’t answer.“Walker?”Chris looked toward the bathroom.
The pregnancy tests.He’d left them there.Two pink lines.His eyes closed.“Fuck.”
Mercer frowned.“What?”Chris looked at him.“She is pregnant.”Silence.Complete.Nobody moved.Mercer stared.“What?”Chris’s voice cracked.“She is pregnant.”Sloan closed her eyes.
She already knew.Logan looked between them.“Camila?”Chris snapped:“Who the fuck else?”