Chapter 2
CHAPTER TWO
From his hiding place in the shadows, Vander worked to get a grip on the sticky panic riding him.
He’d been on countless missions. He’d charged into danger more times than he could count.
But having his wife—his pregnant wife—in danger, undid him.
Fuck. He had to get a grip.
He sucked in a deep breath. Across the room, he saw her clock his location. She nodded at him, her face cool and controlled. He could almost hear her.
Go, Norcross. Stop wasting time and get help.
He didn’t want to leave her.
Fuck. He controlled the urge to hit something.
He watched the thieves spread out through the room. They were all armed with modified AR-15s, no doubt altered to be fully automatic.
“All the elevators have been locked,” the man in the wolf mask called out. “All the security cameras have been jammed. We’re in charge now.”
Vander released a breath. They must have overpowered the security guards. The best way to help Brynn was to get this fucking situation under control.
And he couldn’t do that alone.
The intruders, whoever the hell they were, were collecting cellphones. Brynn was on the other side of the room, and there was no way for him to get to her.
He knew they shouldn’t have come to this damn party.
His hand flexed into a fist, then, with one more look at her, he slipped out of the room. He moved fast and silently down a darkened corridor, flanked by empty, glass-walled offices.
This was what he’d been trained for.
The military, then Ghost Ops, had made him very, very good at sneaking around.
And killing.
If any of those fuckers touched Brynn…
He breathed deeply and slipped into a conference room. The city lights filtered through the windows, gleaming off the long, glossy conference table.
He pulled out his phone and pressed the number he needed.
“Vander, I thought you were out partying tonight,” his friend, Detective Hunt Morgan said.
“Hunt, a group of ten masked, armed intruders just forced their way into the party at the Haldon Capital offices.”
“Fuck.”
Vander knew Hunt would already be planning out everything he needed to do. “I got away, but…” His lips pressed into a hard line. “Brynn is with the hostages.”
Hunt cursed again. “I’m coming.”
“You tell SWAT to not come charging in like fucking cowboys, Hunt. My guys have got this.”
Hunt made an annoyed sound.
“SWAT is backup only. Saxon has the lead.”
“Vander, you can’t—”
“My pregnant wife is going home safe tonight.” His tone was lethal. “And I only trust my team to do that. I trust you to help them.”
There was silence. “I’m on it.”
“They said the security cameras and elevators are locked down. There were guards in the lobby when we arrived. I assume they’ve been neutralized.”
“Acknowledged.” Hunt paused. “You going to lay low until we get there?”
“Fuck, no.”
Now Hunt sighed. “Be careful, Vander.”
“I’ll do what I have to.” He ended the call.
Then he called his best friend and second in command.
“How long did you last at that party?” Saxon Buchanan drawled, sounding amused. “Gia and I had a bet you wouldn’t even get there.”
“Saxon.”
Instantly, his friend’s voice sharpened. “What’s happened?”
Vander ran down the situation. “I need you to bring a team in. Whoever you can get quickly.”
“Rhys, Siv, and Cam are close. Park’s out of town and Rome’s away.”
Vander’s brother, Rhys and Camden Morgan were both former Ghost Ops. Siv was former Norwegian special forces. They were some of the best at Norcross Security.
“Boone’s in town, and I know he’ll want to help,” Saxon continued.
Vander’s hand tightened on the phone. Boone Hendrix was another former Ghost Ops operator, and Vander trusted him. He and his woman were in town from Vermont for a visit. Vander knew Boone hadn’t let his skills get rusty. “Good.”
“Ace will run comms.”
“Fast, Saxon. My fucking wife is in there.” If they found out she was a cop, she’d be in even greater danger.
“We’re coming,” Saxon said. “We’ll plan and I’ll call you back. Sit tight.”
Oh, no, there was no way in hell Vander was going to hide while Brynn was a hostage. “I’ll take out who I can before you get here.”
Saxon cursed ripely. “You armed?”
“No.” And he greatly regretted that.
“You can’t risk taking them on unarmed.”
Vander made a low sound. “You know I don’t need weapons to be dangerous.”
Saxon blew out a breath. “I’m on the way. Don’t get yourself killed in the meantime, or your wife will be royally pissed off.”
The line went dead, and Vander knew Saxon would be rushing to get the team assembled to infiltrate. Saxon had been at Vander’s back since they were in high school. Along with his brothers, he was the man Vander trusted most.
Now, he needed to find some weapons.
Brynn had slowly worked her way closer to the bad guys.
The guests were all scared and restless. Some were sitting on the floor, others standing, huddled together. Through a glass wall, she saw Wolf and Pig had Carolyn in an office. She couldn’t hear what they were saying, but there was lots of shouting and arm waving.
She’d already catalogued them all. From the voices and mannerisms, she guessed they were all males, late twenties to early thirties. American accents.
What the hell did they want?
“Kristine, sit down,” a man nearby whispered.
“I can’t breathe. I need…I need…”
Brynn looked to her left. A young man and a woman were standing nearby. The woman wore a pretty blue dress and had pale blonde hair. The man had neatly styled dark blonde hair. His worried gaze was on the woman.
One look, and Brynn could tell the woman was a breath away from a panic attack.
“It’s going to be okay.” Brynn took the woman’s hand. “Slow your breathing.”
“I can’t.” Her blue eyes were wide, pupils blown. “It’s not going to be okay.”
Brynn squeezed her fingers. “Look at my face.”
The woman’s eyes met Brynn’s. Brynn gave her an encouraging smile. “It is going to be okay, I promise. What’s your name?”
“K-Kristine.”
“Is this your boyfriend?”
“Fiancé,” Kristine murmured. “Ben.”
Ben swallowed and slid his arm around Kristine. “I work here.”
“Any idea what these guys want?” Brynn whispered.
He shook his head.
Kristine made a small, frightened sound. “No one knows what’s happening. What if they shoot us all?”
“That’s not going to happen. And trust me, the police will be here before you know it.”
Kristine swallowed. “You mean that?”
“I do.” Brynn lowered her voice. “My husband got out. He’ll get help.”
Relief crossed the couple’s faces. Kristine dragged in a shaky breath.
“You’re doing great, Kristine,” Brynn said. “Deep slow breaths. That’s it.”
The woman calmed a little, although her face was still impossibly pale. “Thank you.”
Brynn nodded.
“Hey, no talking!” One of the intruders, wearing a dog mask, shoved the butt of his rifle into Ben’s side.
Kristine cried out and the man moved the gun to hit her.
Brynn grabbed the butt and pushed it away. “She’s scared. Take it easy. She just needs a minute.”
The man lunged forward. “No talking.”
“Leave her alone,” Ben said. “She’s pregnant.”
The man’s dark gaze dropped to Brynn’s stomach and he hesitated. “Just be quiet.”
Suddenly, there was a commotion. Wolf dragged Carolyn out of the office, moving so quickly she almost stumbled and fell. He shoved the woman to her knees in front of the guests, then lifted his gun and pointed it at Carolyn’s chest.
Oh no. Brynn tensed.
“Ms. Stewart here tells me that she can’t complete the money transfer I’ve requested.”
Shit. They were trying to steal money.
A young man stepped forward. “It’s true.” His voice was shaky. “All transactions from company accounts require authorization to go through our sister office in London. As a security precaution. To…uh, prevent unauthorized transfers.”
“Fuck!” a man in a horse mask yelled.
Wolf glared at the man, then at Carolyn. “There has to be a way.”
The CEO swallowed. “There isn’t. I’m sorry, but—”
Wolf slammed the butt of his gun into the side of the woman’s head. Carolyn fell to the carpet with a sharp cry.
“Caro!” a man called out.
Blood oozed down the side of Carolyn’s head. She pressed a hand to it. “I’m okay, David.”
“I was hoping to do this the easy way, but I guess it’s going to be the hard way.” Wolf straightened, gaze running over the room. “I want one hundred million dollars transferred into an offshore account. And I want it done within the next hour.”
Gasps broke out across the guests.
From the floor, Carolyn spluttered. “That’s impossible, it—”
Wolf took two steps and dragged over the man who’d called out Carolyn’s name. Brynn guessed he was her husband.
Then Wolf pressed the barrel of his gun to the side of the man’s head.
“David.” Carolyn blanched, her voice a whisper. “Please, don’t hurt him.”
All the color drained from David’s face.
“Bear,” Wolf barked. “Get in that office. Hack the system.”
A slim Black man in a bear mask shouldered forward, carrying a black bag. He strode into the glass-walled office and sat at the desk. He started pulling out gear and plugging it into the computer.
“You better hope he gets in.” Wolf’s voice was as hard as steel. “If the transfer doesn’t happen within the hour, I will start killing people.”
Brynn’s stomach did an uncomfortable twist.
“After one hour, I will kill one person every ten minutes. Starting with him.” He shook the terrified David. “Understand?”
Carolyn nodded.
“Now, Ms. Stewart, what can you do to help Bear get what he needs?”
Carolyn swallowed hard. “I need Ben. He’s my systems guy.”
“No,” Kristine whispered.
“It’ll be okay.” Ben kissed her cheek, then stepped forward. “I’m Ben.”
Pig strode over and shoved Ben toward Wolf.
“Get in that office and get to work.” Wolf’s voice was Arctic cold. “Get my guy in.”
“You won’t get away with this,” an older man blustered. “I hope you like cold, dank cells, because the only place you’ll end up is in jail.”
Fox appeared and backhanded the man. The older man fell down on one knee, his lip split. Cries broke out.
“Shut. Up,” Fox hissed.
Brynn needed to deescalate the situation. “Ms. Stewart is doing as you ask.” Brynn kept her voice calm and even. “Please, everyone is scared, and doing as you ask.”
Right then, a phone started ringing.
The masked men all froze, and guests looked around.
It was a phone at the reception desk.
Wolf was still for a moment, then strode over to the desk. He stabbed at a button. “What?”
“This is the San Francisco Police Department.”
Relief punched through her. She recognized the voice—Theo Davies was one of the department’s top negotiators. Vander had gotten word out.
“My name is Theo. I just want to talk, and see if we can get you what you need.”
“How the fuck do the police know we’re here?” Boar growled.
Wolf’s body stiffened. “We’re getting what we need.
If any cops try to come in here, be warned, we have all the entrances to the building rigged to blow.
” He ended the call, then yanked the phone cord out, then threw the phone viciously at the window.
It clattered to the floor. “Bear, disable all the phones.”
“On it.”
Wolf set his hands on his hips. “Everyone, stay quiet and don’t move. I don’t want to kill anyone, but make no mistake, I will if I have to.”
Brynn bit her lip. She hoped that Vander didn’t try any of the doors and get blown up.
No, he wouldn’t try to leave.
Not while she was still here.
Her heart skipped a beat. It was more likely he’d try to take these guys down himself.