“And you let her go?” His black eyes snapped dangerously.
“She went to save people from getting hurt.” He stepped closer to Affrica’s brother.
“How’d that work out?”
“Look, I get it. You don’t like me. Fine. I don’t give a fuck. I know I’m not one of your illustrious teammates. This isn’t about me; it’s about your sister who seemed to think you’d be able to get her back.”
“You let her go with him. Why didn’t you go after them?”
“Because I can’t control her like you can your woman and sister. Oh wait, you can’t either. You may as well face it, Aidrian O’Shea. I love your sister, and once she’s back safely, she’s going to know it. I want to marry her. So you can like it or not, I don’t care, but that’s how it’s going to be. I didn’t rush him because he’d already shot one and she, your sister, went to him to save more from being injured. No, it didn’t work out but it was better than him opening on all of those in the lobby.”
Maverick said something to Hondo in Irish, and Hondo’s scowl grew deeper. Then, Maverick switched to English. “Let it go, brother. He’s man enough to stand up to you with more of us with you. You know your sister. We need to get her back. He’s passed the test. He manned up and showed he not only cares for your sister, a great deal I would wager, but that he also has a backbone.”
“He did,” Dimitri added.
“I concur.”
Reeve glanced to the door and watched his brother stride through. “Scott?”
His brother’s blue eyes were hard even as he gave him a nod. “Let’s go get her back.”
Landi kissed Dimitri and settled beside Tori. The five men left the hospital room.
“What’s the plan? You can’t launch your own attack in the city of New York.”
“We can’t?” Dimitri pressed the elevator button.
Maybe I should have said they shouldn’t, because they most definitely can do it.
Reeve glanced at each of the men. Their expressions gave nothing away as they all piled into the elevator and rode down in silence. He trailed them to an SUV in the parking lot. Scott got behind the wheel and drove them to a hotel where, still silent, they all went in to the second-story room.
“Get moving!”
Affrica did her best not to stumble at the shove Miles delivered to her back. He’d given her some sort of shot in the car, and she’d just woken a bit ago, disoriented and unsure of how long she’d been out. Her arms were secured behind her back so she couldn’t check her watch.
Okay, so agreeing may not have been the smartest thing I’ve done but I couldn’t let him shoot and possibly kill more people.
Images of Tori getting shot filled her mind and she blinked back tears. She was fine. She
had
to be. Reeve would keep her safe.
What about you, genius?
’She'd been wondering that since she woke up. What about her? She didn’t know. All she knew was if Miles was going to go through this, he didn’t want to kill her.
He said I was promised to him. That tells me he wants me alive. So I have a bit more time.
A bit. Hopefully, it would be enough for her brother to get to her.
Miles shoved her three more times until she fell. Hands back as they were, she was unable to stop herself and hit with a grunt. Rolling to her side, she stared up at the man there. He held a pistol as if he longed to use it.
“What happened to ya, Miles?” she asked.
“You,” he seethed. “You happened.”
Okay, she’d not been expecting that response. “Me? Yar sayin’ this be mah own fault?”
“Yes.” He gestured with the gun. “Get up.”
“If ya wanted me on mah feet, you shouldna hae pushed me.” She got to her knees and lurched up.
“I don’t need you perfectly unharmed. Bleeding will work as well,” he snapped. Miles pressed the barrel of the gun into her arm. “Get moving.”
He’d snapped. She knew that for sure. There was no sanity left in his gaze. At all. She wasn’t sure there ever had been, but now, she knew for certain there wasn’t any. She stumbled along in the direction he indicated.
Okay then. Perhaps he would shoot me.
They made their way down a narrow hall, one light shining at the end. The air was musty and tickled her nose. More tears arrived as she began sneezing.
He sent her into the room with a not-so-gentle nudge. Again, the floor welcomed her with open arms as she fell. This time, she remained there, on her side, and didn’t move.
Miles crouched over her and sliced through the restraints on her wrists. “Stay here, I’ll be back soon.”
He left, and the door closed behind him. She heard two locks engage and sighed heavily.
Affrica took her time in getting up, rubbing her wrists. One recessed light offered illumination so she took in her new digs. Spartan. A thin mattress along one wall. No windows and nothing to sit on.
“Hurry, Reeve.”
She rubbed her arms, trying to ward off the chill which settled around her.
I can do this. I’m in a building; there will be a way to get out. This isn’t me humping it across the Outback with men trying to kill me.
In the far right corner, she noticed a blinking red light.
Great, the fuck has a camera on me.
She went to sit on the mattress, and while it wasn’t much of a stretch, she did her best to look scared. Resting her head on her drawn up knees, she stared at the door.
Think about all your brother taught you. Him and the others.
She chewed on the inside of her cheek and did another slow take of the room.
When the door opened, she realized she’d not moved for a good chunk of time for her limbs protested when she got to her feet. Miles still held his gun and beckoned to her.
“Come on.”
She walked toward him and noticed how he backed up to keep her at the other end of his gun. “Why are you doing this, Miles?”
He gestured for her to go down the hall. Not a word was spoken as he took her to a room that had a long table spread with food on it.
“Eat.”
She was hungry and didn’t argue. Scooping some of the food on her plate with the silverware, she sat at a chair and picked up the spoon, only to place it back and grab the fork.
At least it’s not plastic.
Of course what good was a butter knife when the other person had a pistol?
Miles got himself some food and sat across from her. She ate, well aware of his brown gaze burning into her.
“Are ya gonna answer mah question?”
“You should have stayed with me out there. You shouldn’t have left me. It would have gone much better.”
She swallowed the potatoes au gratin and put the fork down. “Ya handed me a file with pictures of genocide. Ya know how I feel about things like that, Miles. Why would ya think I’d go along to cover it up?”
His expression gave her pause. She shook her head in shame. “Wait, they got to ya o’er there.” He ground his jaw. “For what, Miles? Money?”
“Money and you. It didn’t matter; they were going to stop the story. Why shouldn’t I get part of the pot? These people are savages, and no one cares about their loss.”
She shook her head. “That’s nae true, Miles Horne. They had families and loved ones. And the story dinna get stopped. It went out there and brought the awareness needed.”
“So naïve, Affrica. You think just because you did that exposé makes you safe and popular?”
“I dinna give a damn about accolades, Miles. That was yer thing, ne’er mine. I took photos. I
take
photos, and I’ll ne’er let money turn my head from injustices in the world.”
“Such a martyr. Yes, I did. Is that what you wanted me to say? I did it. I took money, and I didn’t report on the truth.” He shoved his plate away. “So what? I’m richer, and I have you. So I got what I wanted from the deal. I don’t care if the story did get out.”
“Ya dinna have me, Miles. Ya ne’er did.”
“Ever since I first saw you, Affrica. I wanted you. I wanted to date you, fuck you. I would have treated you like a queen. But you continually shunned me. Blew me off. I didn’t like that. So when the opportunity arrived, I took it. Sue me. I’m may be a bastard but I’m an opportunistic bastard.”
She toyed with her fork then wiped her mouth. Drinking some water, she sat in silence as the room began to get a bit fuzzy. Damn, he’d drugged her again.
Affrica woke in that same room, lying on the mattress. The light from overhead cast shadows down in the corner by the door. As she lay there, she stared at the heavy door. Two locks on the outside, how was she going to manage this?
She shoved her hands in her pockets and fought against the cold which seeped into her bones. The change at her fingertips had her staring at the door one more time. Affrica wanted to shout with joy as it hit her.
The way out!
She didn’t immediately get up for her limbs were still shaky. But she plotted, and the moment she began to feel stronger, she rolled to her feet and walked to below the camera. Content Miles couldn’t see her even if he currently sat before whatever monitor the thing fed to, she undid her hair and held the wooden stick in her hand.
Toeing off one shoe, she crouched by the bottom hinge and put the flat of the stick against the bottom. Using taps, she moved it up until it just rested in there, it hadn’t come all the way out yet. She moved up to the top hinge and repeated the procedure. Once her shoe was back on, she removed the pins completely.
Using one, she began to wedge the hinge apart then just pulled once she could get a good proper hold on it. Slipping through, she paused before running up the hallway toward the door. Yanking it open, she didn’t even slow at the thunder which cracked overhead, just bolted.
* * * *
Reeve tapped his foot as his impatience increased. They hadn’t found her yet. Two days and no sight or anything from Affrica. Or Miles. He slanted his gaze to the left and stared at the men who were accompanying him.
All of them had their game faces on. They were on the outskirts of a smaller town in upper New York. The men had weapons on and comms. He sat in the backseat of the black SUV and wished he could get out.
The door opened, and Scott stuck his head in there. “You, stay here.”
He narrowed his gaze. “What? No. I’m not staying behind. If she’s in there, I’m going.”
“Nope.”
His brother’s voice was so final. Reeve leaned forward. “Why? Why am I staying in here?”
“I need to know you’re safe in here.”
“This isn’t about me; it’s about Affrica.”
The other door opened, and Hondo peered in. “We doing this or what?”
“Be right there,” Scott said. “Just telling him to stay put.”
Reeve bit back a growl. “I’m not staying put.”
Hondo pinned him with a glare. “Yes, you are. We don’t need to be worried that you could get captured as well. You stay here. You’ll hear us, and if anything comes in behind us, you let us know. Don’t leave this vehicle.”
“You’re not giving me orders.”
“Yeah, I am. You wanting to be out there puts
my
sister in more danger because you’re going on emotion. I won’t let that happen.”
“And you don’t have emotion?”
“I have done this a long time. Let us do what we do. Don’t leave.” Hondo backed out and slammed the door.
Scott met his gaze. “We’ll find her, Reeve, but let us put all our attention on getting her out of there safe and not worrying if you’re okay or not.”
“Scott?”
His brother had been in the process of leaving but he appeared fully once more. “Yeah?”
“Find her.”
“We will.” A sharp nod, and he was gone as well.
Reeve watched as the four men spread out and worked with precise unity. They didn’t walk; they flowed. He’d never seen anything like it. Definitely not in movies.
The dead autumn leaves swirled around, and he blinked and frowned. They were gone. All of them. There one minute, gone the next. He stared from where they had been to the door. The moment his hand curved around the lever, his brother’s voice reached him.
“Don’t even think about it, Reeve. Stay put.”
He scowled and lifted the binoculars they’d left for him. Staring at the old farmhouse, he sighed.
How can they be so sure she’s in there?
They couldn’t. He knew that but they seemed confident by the intel they’d gotten. Reeve had to trust them and take into account their experiences and let them decide things.
He lowered the black matte item and gazed out the window his shoulder rested against. Movement. He frowned, rubbed his eyes and looked again.
A large explosion rocked the area, and he jumped, as did the person who’d been hiding in the tree line. In his ear, he could hear the men remaining in constant communication as they closed in upon the area.
“I see her.” Reeve said as he pushed open the door. “I see Affrica.”
“Location?”
“Running along the tree line to my south. I’m going after her.”
He jumped out and slammed the door. Without even one final gaze up to the house, he took off after her. “Affrica!” he called as he ran.
She slowed and turned. He knew the moment she recognized him for she ran out toward him. Unfortunately, she wasn’t the only one there. Another emerged from the trees, and Reeve ran faster as he saw Miles.
“He’s here! He’s here!” he relayed the information to the others. “Miles is after her. I see him.”
Muttered curses fell into his ear, and while he didn’t understand all of them, the gist of them he got. Most definitely. When the first shots rang out, he wasn’t ready for them. Sure, logically he knew he should have been—Miles had a gun—but he hadn’t been.
He reached Affrica and tackled her to the ground, keeping her below him and hopefully out of harm. Her body was ice cold, and she shivered, but damn it all, she was alive.
“You scared me, sweetcheeks.”
“What are ya doin’ here, Reeve?”
“The big boys allowed me to tag along.” He lifted his head to discover Miles was running toward them, even faster now. There wasn’t anywhere for them to go. They were in the middle of the field. “I need you to keep running.”
She held him. “We stick together.”