Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
J ogging up the stairs, Saskia tried to adjust to the weird green light of the night vision goggles.
She couldn’t hear Cam at all, only her racing heart and her own footsteps.
She stepped into an office. There was an empty desk and two chairs. She ducked down. There were several small windows looking down into the open part of the warehouse.
Peering out, she couldn’t see anything. There were the shadows of the boards, temporary walls, and other obstacles.
A flash of movement. Cam .
“Saskia, someone’s on the property,” he yelled, voice echoing through the space. “Stay hidden.”
What? Her heart went into overdrive. She clutched the laser rifle. Cam disappeared from view.
Maybe it was one of the Norcross Security guys? Her belly turned into a knotted mess. But if it was, they would’ve called first.
God . Were Mikhailov and his goons here? How?
She kept looking through the goggles down into the warehouse. Somewhere, a door opened and closed, the noise echoing loudly.
Saskia’s sweaty hands clenched on her weapon.
She kept staring.
There .
She saw the large figure of a man moving cautiously through the maze of obstacles.
Then another.
She let out a breath and tried to stay calm.
Neither of those men were Cam. God, what if he ran into them?
He was too good. He had this.
Then she spotted another guy. All three were moving cautiously, and something told her that the weapons they held in their hands were real.
Then she saw one guy just disappear. One second, he was there, the next second he was gone.
She grinned. Her man was badass.
She swallowed, and then saw one guy realize his friend was missing. He turned back to—
There was a noise outside the office where she hid. Saskia stilled and shrank down.
Oh, God, oh, God, oh, God.
The scrape of a shoe. Someone stood at the door to the office, more shadow than anything else.
She didn’t dare breathe or move. How many of them were there?
Then there was a muffled shout from down below. The figure in the doorway spun. With a curse, he took off down the stairs.
Her pulse was skittering like crazy. She looked through the small window again.
She only saw two of Mikhailov’s goons now. They were charging through the obstacles, searching for Cam.
“He’s got this,” she whispered soundlessly.
Then she saw him. He rose up behind one of the guards.
He attacked with brutal speed and power. He and the man scuffled. It was hard to make out every move in the green-cloaked darkness. They slammed into a fake wall, and it tipped over with a crash.
Another man ran toward the fighting pair, shouting.
She smiled. Cam would deal with these guys, no problem.
But then Saskia spotted another shape sneaking up behind Cam’s location. Someone moving slowly and silently.
No . Clutching her laser weapon, she gasped. Cam wouldn’t even know that guy was there. Unlike the others, he was being careful.
She leaped up and quickly darted out of the office. She made it to the stairs, trying to step as quietly as she could.
When she reached the bottom, she moved in a large circle around the fighting men, toward the man creeping up on Cam.
There was a grunt, the sound of body slamming into something.
Saskia carefully crept closer. She saw two figures fighting, trading vicious, sharp jabs and kicks. It wasn’t elegant or pretty. This was the real deal.
Fighting for your life.
Cam—she’d know his muscular, tall form anywhere—kicked the guy. The man slammed into a table and flipped over.
Where was the other guy?
Then a shadow moved. It leaped up, racing toward Cam.
“Cam!” Saskia charged forward.
The goon fired, the shot deafening. She swung her laser rifle like a bat. It slammed into the man’s arm, knocking the pistol out of his hand.
The man cursed in Russian and turned.
Then Cam was on him.
The sound of flesh meeting flesh made her wince. She straightened and made herself watch.
Cam was fighting to protect her.
It was all so fast and brutal. It was hard to make out the individual blows. Then with a fierce kick to the head from Cam, the goon collapsed. In the darkness, Cam grabbed her hand and towed her through the warehouse.
“How did they find us?” she asked breathlessly.
“No idea. We need to go.”
Outside, they sprinted for the cottage. Cam had a pistol in his hand, scanning the area.
A huge black Escalade was parked outside the warehouse. There was no one inside.
Cam raced to the shed where he’d parked their truck and opened the garage door.
“We’ll take the Colorado.” He circled the gray truck.
Saskia jumped in. Before she had her belt done up, he’d reversed out fast, did a wild turn and sped down the driveway.
He fished out his cell phone. Once they were out on the main road, he put the phone on speaker.
“Norcross.” Vander’s voice.
“Vander. They found us.”
Vander cursed. “How?”
“No clue. We just sped out of the training center. We’re heading north.”
“Okay. I think—”
“Howdy, boys.” A female voice cut across the line.
“Hex?” Vander said. “How the hell did you access this call? It’s a secure line.”
There was a snort. “Norcross, I’m a hacker. A really good one.” The woman’s tone changed. “I’ve been digging into your bad guys. Twenty-four hours ago, Mikhailov hired Syntax.”
“What’s Syntax?” Cam asked.
“A group of hackers out of Estonia,” Hex said. “Very good, very expensive. They don’t care who their clients are, as long as they pay. My guess is that he had them search for Saskia.”
“They found us,” Cam said.
“Fuck a duck.” There was the sound of clicking. “Peeps, you have a big problem. Mikhailov is tracking your phones.”
Saskia gasped.
“Toss the phones, Cam,” Vander ordered. “Go dark. Check in when it’s safe.”
“Acknowledged. Doing that now.” Cam tossed his phone out the window. “Yours too.”
Saskia put her window down and did the same.
Cam turned onto another road. It was dark, with no traffic. He picked up speed.
“So, we’re safe now?” she asked.
“I hope so.” Then his gaze shifted to the rearview mirror. He stiffened.
She looked back. Headlights were speeding toward them. “How?” she cried.
“Is your belt done up?” he asked.
She nodded.
The truck shot forward. She grabbed the seat, her heart in her throat. She looked back and her stomach swirled. “They’re gaining.”
“Hold on.” His voice was grim.
Suddenly, there were blinding lights in front of them. Another car cut in front of them from a side road.
Cam swore, hit the brakes and swerved. Their truck skidded, and the SUV behind them rammed into them.
As the truck lurched, Saskia screamed. She was tossed around, her seatbelt digging into her shoulder, then their truck skidded into a ditch beside the road.
Dizzy, she blinked. Everything was blurry.
“Cam?” She turned. He was in the seat beside her, not moving. His chin rested on his chest. “Cam!”
The doors were wrenched open.
Oh, no . She saw a goon lean in on the driver’s side. The man lifted a handgun, and shot Cam twice in the chest.
“No! No .” Saskia went wild.
Cam, no.
As panic and terror ripped into her, hard hands yanked her out of the vehicle.
* * *
Cam came to, stifling a groan.
His chest throbbed like he’d taken an RPG to the ribs. He pulled in a painful breath. Somewhere distant, he heard a woman’s heartrending sobs.
He tried to sort through the situation. The pain made it hard. He touched his chest. There was no blood, but it hurt like hell.
He felt the thin, high-tech, ballistic vest under his shirt. It was cracked.
Vander paid a small fortune for the still-experimental, but super-slim and lightweight vests. It fit under their business shirts and was discreet.
His had taken the brunt of two bullets, and while it had stopped them, he still felt like he’d been hit by a hammer.
He blinked in the low light, breathing through the pain. He was cramped, and he felt vibration.
He was in the trunk of a car.
He lay back and he listened to the sobbing. It tore at him.
Saskia .
He also heard the deep rumble of male voices.
“You’re murderers ,” she yelled. “You won’t get away with this. I’ll make sure you pay—” Her voice broke.
Ah, shit, she thought he was dead. Cam pressed a palm to his abused chest. There was nothing he could do about that. Right now, he needed to pull himself together, make a plan, and get her safe.
They hit a bump, and a spike of agony rammed through him.
Fuck . It made him gag. He lost time for a while, his brain drifting through fog.
The next thing he realized, the car wasn’t moving, and he smelled aircraft fuel. He strained to hear anything. He couldn’t hear Saskia.
Shit . They were at an airport.
There was a dim glow, but he couldn’t see much. He ripped off the side panels in the trunk. He found an emergency kit, including a small flashlight.
He clamped the light in his mouth, then pried the panel covering the trunk latching mechanism.
It took him a minute, but then there was a dull thunk as the trunk released.
Cam pushed it open, trying his best to block the pain in his torso, and sat up.
They were at a small airstrip. Probably on some rich guy’s estate.
Cam fished around in the emergency kit. He found some painkillers and dry swallowed a few of them. It wouldn’t do much, but right now, he’d take anything he could get.
He pulled the damaged panels out of his vest, then climbed out of the trunk.
His vision swam, but he locked his legs. He had to get to Saskia. If they got her on a plane…
No . Not gonna happen.
He peered around the car.
He saw a guard carrying a struggling Saskia toward a private jet. She was fighting him every step of the way.
Then the asshole hit her.
Cam growled. She sagged and the man tossed her over his shoulder. The guy boarded the Cessna Citation.
Fuck .
Cam scanned around. Headlights cut through the darkness and a van pulled up beside the jet.
Ultimo Catering. It had a logo with a whisk beneath it.
A man climbed out wearing a shirt and ball cap with the company logo on them. The guy opened the back of the van, then grabbed a box, and headed up the steps into the plane.
Cam raced out, sprinting across the tarmac. He reached the delivery van, and inside he saw another box, ready to go. He slipped around the side of the van and waited.
The delivery driver came back down the plane steps, whistling.
Cam darted out. He slipped an arm around the guy’s neck.
“Sorry.” He pulled back and cut the man’s air off.
The guy gurgled and kicked his legs. It only took a few seconds before he sagged. Cam dragged him around and stripped off his shirt and hat.
“I’m really sorry.” He shoved the man in the back of the van. The guy would regain consciousness before too long.
Cam slipped on the shirt, covering up the bullet holes in his T-shirt. He pulled the cap low over his face and hefted the box. He closed the van doors.
He hurried up the steps and into the jet.
The pilots were talking quietly in the cockpit. Cam kept his head low, gaze on the floor as he headed into the main area.
There were two guards. Saskia was laid out on a cream couch, unconscious.
His jaw tightened. She was okay. He could see her chest rising and falling.
Hold on a bit longer, sweetheart.
“Get that in the galley,” a guard grunted at Cam.
“Yeah.” He kept his head down.
“Leo, I’ll check with the pilots. We need to get to Montana. Mikhailov is waiting for his prize. You check on the woman.”
As the first guard headed to the cockpit, the other leaned over Saskia.
Cam dumped the box in the galley and continued on.
There was a small luggage compartment at the back of the jet. He pulled the door open and slipped inside. He pressed against the wall. There were only a couple of bags in the space.
He heard the guards talking.
“Catering guy gone? Okay, let’s go.”
Montana . So Mikhailov had holed up somewhere there.
Well, there was no way the sick fuck was getting his hands on Saskia.
Cam sat down and listened to the rumble of the engines. The plane taxied, and he braced himself as they took off.
He’d had rougher rides.
Once they were airborne, he heard the guards talking and crashing around in the galley. Then he heard a higher-pitched voice.
He tensed. Saskia was awake.
A moment later, he heard her quiet weeping. The sound stabbed at his heart.
His head hung to his chest. Shit . Her pain was his. He realized now that there was no going back.
His destiny was forever tied to Saskia Hawke.
He waited, time moving like molasses. After things turned quiet, he cracked open the door. The guards had gotten food and were sprawled in the chairs at the front of the cabin. One was asleep, the other had headphones on.
Saskia sat on the couch, her legs curled to her chest, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Cam had to stop himself from going to her and pulling her into his arms. He slid out of the compartment, careful to stay out of sight of the guards.
He waved his hand.
Her head jerked up. Her eyes went wide, and every drop of color drained from her face.
She made a small sound and swayed.
It took everything he had not to charge across the cabin to her.
He flexed his hand and held one finger up to his lips.
Her tears increased, but a smile bloomed on her face. She squeezed her eyes closed for a second, then she stared at him. Like she couldn’t believe he was real.
Cam pressed a palm to his chest.
Her lips trembled, then she pressed a palm to her own heart. A second later, she blew him a kiss.
It was hard, but he forced himself to slide back into the luggage compartment.
He blew out a breath.
She’d be in his arms soon.
Then he’d get her safe, once and for all.