“They were supposed to be random, but our buyers had needs.”
“And you did them at specific intervals. Jana saw the pattern. She just didn’t believe you could be so disgusting.” Connor hadn’t made that mistake. He’d screwed up when it came to Drake but not Marcel. Connor had always seen through Marcel.
He just missed the more obvious villain at his back. All those years... Connor shook his head, trying to force out the memories. He couldn’t get swamped with emotions now. He needed a clear head to get his wife back.
They weren’t going up against a novice. Drake had skills that rivaled theirs. He likely also thought he’d killed some of them, so they had the advantage of numbers.
Marcel swallowed. “This was my last job. I was cleaning things up when Jana arrived.”
“You should have sent her away,” Cam said, his voice deadly calm.
“He couldn’t.” Shane grabbed a fist full of Marcel’s shirt. “He wanted her for himself.”
Connor needed one more piece before they could move. “Keep talking. Why does Drake want her?”
“He knew she’d eventually tell you and you’d put it all together. You’d add up what happened in the past and put it together that he ran the whole thing.”
“Why not take Jana out?” Cam asked.
Marcel never broke eye contact with Connor. “Because you would never stop.”
“That’s right.” He leaned down and met the man face-to-face. “There’s one more thing you should know.”
Marcel squirmed and tried to back up but Shane had a death grip on him. “Hold still. If she’s hurt, if she even has a hangnail, I’m going to gut you.” Connor meant every word.
The last of Marcel’s composure slipped. He half cried and half begged. “I... You can’t...”
Holt rolled his eyes. “Shut up.”
“How do we find her?” Cam asked.
That was the easy part. Now that his head had cleared and he had focus, Connor didn’t need help with this. “I know exactly where she is.”
Shane shot Connor a narrowed-eye look of disbelief but then it cleared and one of his eyebrows lifted. “You put another tracker on her?”
“No, I showed it to her and she put it in her pocket.” Connor had never been so grateful for anything in his life. He let her have the choice and she made it and now it would save her.
He’d deal with the guilt of his friendship with Drake putting her in danger later. Now he’d focus on the rescue.
Holt laughed. “Always did love that woman.”
“You are not alone in that.” Connor pointed at Marcel. “Put him in the truck. He’s coming with us.”
Chapter Eighteen
Jana looked around for anything she could use as a weapon. Drake had dragged her from the office to a car waiting nearby. The ride in the trunk had been short, which gave her plenty of time to mentally berate her reaction. Drake had whispered something to her back at the fire about being safe and she froze.
That voice had played in her mind ever since the kidnapping, just waiting for her to have something to compare it to. Then she heard it. Soft but still so clear. She never expected one of Connor’s oldest friends would be the attacker. Would want her dead and Connor pleading for her life.
Drake loaded a bag onto the helicopter but his other hand stayed on the gun. “I knew you recognized my voice.”
“You were the one behind me when I was tied to the chair.” There was no reason to pretend now. He’d showed his hand and she had nothing left to lose...except her life.
But Connor wouldn’t let that happen. He’d remember the scene in the bedroom and the tracker and find her. He just had to notice her gone and battle whatever grief and guilt might attack him first.
“I couldn’t afford to let you hear me. Well, until now. Now it doesn’t matter.” Drake dumped a second bag next to the first.
She didn’t know where they were or when he brought a helicopter in. She didn’t see a pilot but if he was like the Corcoran team members, he could fly certain planes. These men had skills across the board.
Realizing Drake possessed them too set off a new burst of panic inside her. She had to push that all back and force her teeth not to chatter from the fear.
Connor taught her not to let the terror show. Relax, stay calm and collect intel. Stall and no matter what, do not let someone get you in a car. She’d already violated that but she assumed the rule applied to helicopters as well and planned to win that round.
She glanced around at the desolate area. Brush tumbled past in the slight wind and towering rocks lined the distance. They stood in a lower-lying area, almost flat and filled mostly with smaller stones and rough trails where the elements had worn paths into the ground.
“Why?”
He didn’t pretend to be confused. “Because this operation is over.”
“You were running drugs in those extra crates.” Her voice shook as she said the words. That came from anger, not fear. Kids needed the immunizations and he turned a simple act of charity into a money-making scheme.
“Guns.”
The word didn’t make any sense to her. “What?”
“There’s more money in weapons these days.”
The reality of the scheme hit her full on in the chest. “It was you at the beginning.”
“Beginning, middle and the end. Thanks to you, the formal end to this operation, one that has gone on and funded me for years, is here.” He frowned at her. “As you might imagine, I am not happy about that.”
One thought ran through her head. Bad guys should look like bad guys. People should be able to point them out and stay clear. This guy was every inch the good soldier. He had the all-American good looks. There was nothing disgusting and scary about him in an overt way like there had been with that one kidnapper.
No, Drake seemed normal, likeable. Objectively attractive. And that false persona made him all the more dangerous.
“You kidnapped me to hurt Connor?” And not protecting her would destroy him. He ran drills and drove them apart over the issue. To find out he’d let his guard down would break him. Never mind that she walked away and stepped out of his safe cocoon.
“I had my people grab you because, once again, you were nosing around where you shouldn’t have been. You know, I thought when Connor married you and you dragged him away from his career—”
Rage heated her skin from the inside out. “I didn’t.”
“I was there, Jana.”
“So was I. Connor wanted out of undercover government work, or whatever you two did.” She never made him chose between the job and her. Even now in those dark times when she wanted to, if only to make a point, she didn’t.
“Connor loved the kill. You ruined that for him.”
That wasn’t her husband. That wasn’t the man she knew. The one that rescued and saved. “You don’t know him at all.”
“Says the woman who dumped him.”
“That didn’t happen.”
Drake’s hand swept across the Utah desert. “Looks like it.”
“I was going back. Not right now, but eventually. I don’t belong here.” The truth hit her then. “But you knew that. That’s why you had to take Connor out. You knew I would tell him and he would wonder how anything could go wrong with the shipments if you were watching over them.”
“Being smart will be your downfall.”
“Let her go, Drake.”
At the sound of Connor’s voice, Jana whipped around. She was so happy to see him, she almost didn’t feel Drake’s arm snake around her neck. Then he pulled her in tight and she had to grab his forearm to keep from choking.
“I see your skills are at a functional level.” Drake shouted and it echoed in her ear. “What, is there a microphone on her? A tracker?”
His anger didn’t stop Connor. He and Holt moved in slowly. Cam entered from the side, directly parallel to Drake.
“This is over,” Connor said with a nod.
He didn’t look at her. Stress pulled on his face and his body tightened as whatever emotion zipping around inside him took hold.
She’d seen this before and it soothed her rather than frightened her. This was warrior Connor. Just having him there had her sagging in relief against Drake.
“This has been going on long before now and eventually I’ll set up somewhere else with someone other than Marcel, and move on.” Drake gave Cam a quick glance. “You should stop moving unless you want to explain to Connor why his wife’s blood is spilled all over the ground.”
Connor lifted a hand. “Hold up.”
“Speaking of loose ends, it would be helpful if you finished him off for me.” Drake lifted his chin in the direction of the area behind Connor.
Until then she hadn’t noticed the truck in the distance or Marcel tied up and walking in closer. He looked as if they’d dragged him outside the window. She knew that wasn’t true, but she also knew Marcel had paid for some part of his role in this already.
“On your knees.” Holt gave the order to Marcel and he obeyed.
“You’re outnumbered here, Drake,” Connor said.
Drake laughed and his breath blew against her hair. “Why do you think I’m alone?”
He said the words and fear tumbled right on top of Jana again. She’d begun to believe in the miracle. Connor never failed and he wouldn’t this time. But there were other players and that could mean shots fired from anywhere.
She tried not to move anything except her eyes as she glanced around. Drake had been careful not to leave her a weapon. There was nothing within lunging range, not even a rock. That left the bags. She saw the guns inside one before he zipped it up. That bag had to have some weight. Question was if she could get the leverage she needed to swing it.
“Marcel?” Connor called out the man’s name without turning around.
Marcel didn’t hesitate. “He has a second-in-command type. Bruce. I haven’t seen him in a few hours.”
Jana scanned the area, looking for any signs of life. She took in every inch of red rock and dried tree and didn’t see anyone. She’d settle for a snake at this point. Anything to draw Drake’s attention and give Connor a clean shot.
“Only one, Drake? I guess that’s because we killed everyone else.”
“And you think your two are enough?” Drake nodded in Cam’s direction as Drake angled his body tighter behind her. “Though I admit it’s impressive this one survived the fire. Maybe you did learn something about leadership from me, Connor.”
“I learned about being a man from my wife.”
Jana’s heartbeat triple timed. She hoped those weren’t the last words she’d ever hear from her husband. Connor stood there out in the open, without a shield of any type, and it terrified her.
Yeah, she had to do something. Risk it all. If the bag pulled her shoulder out of joint or she got a shot in the side, so be it.
“Romantic.” Drake’s arm tightened. “The only question here is if I take her with me and make you spend your life hunting her down or if I take off and drop her from the sky. Preference?”
Connor didn’t move. She knew the reaction was practiced...and killing him. But she would not go out like this. She would not be a victim or saddle the man she loved with the burden of watching her die.
Her choices put them here. He’d trained her and she would fight. He would know she pushed and shoved and did everything to come back to him.
Drake made a tsk-tsk sound. “Unfortunately, it’s too late for anything else.”
“No, it’s not.” Throwing all her weight, she nailed her head into his jaw. The thwack of pain had her stumbling and him swearing.
That worked in the movies. Not in real life. Pain seared across her temples. Stars buzzed in her head as she reached for the bag but her fingers refused to move. She couldn’t grip and the daylight dimmed. She dropped down as the shots whizzed over her head. Her last thought was for Connor but even then the words wouldn’t come.
* * *
C
onnor
saw
her
drop
as her head lolled back. The hit knocked her out and part of him thought that was good. With her down, Holt and Cam unloaded into Drake. His body jerked and blood stained his shirt and head. After all the yelling and threats, he slid to the ground and his gun clanked against the helicopter as he went.
Connor didn’t waste time on the man who’d betrayed him in every way possible. He and Cam crowded in on Jana. The world fell away and the idea of more bullets didn’t matter. He wanted her up and to safety.
Placing two fingers on the side of her neck, Connor found a pulse and felt a whoosh of relief when her eyelids fluttered. “Come back to me, honey.”
She inhaled sharply. “Are you okay?”
“We’re all fine.” His hands still shook and his brain stuttered on every other word, but none of that mattered. All he wanted was to hold her. Get her out of there and somewhere safe.
“I’m sorry.” She whispered the word against his neck as he wrapped an arm around her and gathered her close.
The smallness of her voice made him ache. “For what?”
“Everything.”
“Let’s get you up.” He got his legs under him with Cam’s help and had a hand under her knees when the sharp crack of a single shot echoed from the distance.
It was the signal. Shane on lookout. He clearly saw something approaching.
They all turned. A single shooter walked straight toward them with Connor and Jana in his sights. Guns rose as Connor flattened her to the ground and rolled over her.
At the last second before the battle began, Marcel knocked into the guy. Stood up and ran, hitting him from the side and sending him reeling.
The man shot and Marcel went down with blood running out of his shoulder. But the attacker never got up. The team pumped enough artillery into him to make sure he never moved again.
Wobbling and woozy, Jana struggled to sit up. Connor didn’t feel much better. Even without a head injury like hers, the past few minutes drained the energy from him but he found the strength to stand. He got an arm around her and guided her over to Marcel. Cam was already on his knees in the dirt, working on Marcel’s injury as Holt talked with Shane over the satphone.
Marcel panted and the words came out of him in staccato beats. “Bruce. Down.”
“That was him?” Connor asked.
“It’s done.” Marcel closed his eyes.
Connor took that to mean they’d gotten all of Drake’s men. Also looked like Marcel gave up fighting. Not knowing whether Cam could pull the guy out of it and wanting to give some hope, Connor crouched down on the other side of him and let Cam do his work.
Battling his anger and the pulsing need to rip this guy apart, Connor picked up Marcel’s hand and shook it. Those last few seconds meant something and Connor would honor those. “You saved her.”
Marcel looked past Connor’s shoulder. “I almost killed her.”
Jana leaned her knees against Connor’s back. He looked up and saw the cloudiness in her eyes had cleared.
“It’s how you end that matters,” she whispered.
Connor thought that said it all.
* * *
I
t
took
hours
to clear the crime scene, which extended over several miles and throughout the desert. The police and emergency vehicles descended thanks to Shane’s calls for help. They’d all been interviewed and checked out.
With Drake’s job, a jurisdictional battle waged. Federal officers of all sorts showed up, each claiming the right to investigate and move in. Local officials didn’t agree. Connor was left to help sort it out.
Jana spent longer than she wanted in a hospital bed while the doctor convinced Connor she didn’t have a concussion. He did paperwork and the men joked. It all seemed so surreal.
So many dead men out in the desert. Men now in the morgue because of terrible decisions they’d made and their refusal to take any responsibility for their actions.
Except for Marcel. At the end he played the hero. He bounced into Bruce and got shot in return. Maybe it was a type of penance.
She’d forever see that final look in his eyes. Love and regret, pain and guilt. Forgetting the betrayal and fear would take longer. But she had a goal now and after hours in a hospital she was following through with it.
Not that Cam agreed with her tack.
He stepped in front of her, putting his body between her and the private plane. “Connor is going to kill us both.”
The hangar smelled of fuel and people scurried around outside. She’d been in and out of small airports like this her entire life. They almost felt like home. Almost. “He’s not.”
“When he realizes you left the hospital and—”
She held up both hands. “I’ll take full responsibility.”
She had to do this. She needed Connor to understand she made the conscious choice. She wanted to go home.
Cam swore under his breath. “He’s going to flip.”
Footsteps thudded over her shoulder. She glanced up in time to see Connor walk in. Dressed in clean clothes and showered, he made her senses dance. Seeing him had her brain scrambling and her stomach twisting in anticipation.