Shane jumped up. “Let’s do this, then.”
“Shane, Dr. Madison is mine.” A cautionary tone Shane had never heard before ran through Matt’s deep voice. “You save your wife.”
Shane bit back a sharp response. His brother was the ultimate protector, had been since Shane’s birth. Matt had taught them all, and he’d trained them until they hated him. But he’d been the first through any door and had stood in front of Shane and a bullet more than once. Shane sighed. “You couldn’t kill a woman, Matt.” Though he wondered. Had Matt been closer to the lunatic doctor than Shane had known?
“She’s not a woman. She’s a monster.” Matt cocked his Beretta and tapped his earpiece. “At your mark, Nate.”
The wind picked up and scattered leaves across Shane’s boot. He readied his stance, his Glock cocked and ready.
“Fire in the hole,” Nathan said through the earpieces.
Two seconds later, the roar of an explosion split the silence into fragments. Fire rolled toward the sky, lifting the metal hangar door. Heat flashed through the air, and they ran toward the blaze.
The sound of fire cutting through oxygen flashed Shane to another time. His hearing fogged. His gut swirled. No. Coldness. He needed to focus. An ember singed his neck. Pain ripped through his skin. He sucked it in, allowing the vibrations to center him. Nothing like pain to sharpen the present reality.
A soldier ran around the building, firing a Colt M16 fully automatic. Shane dropped from a run into a slide that would’ve made Ty Cobb proud, catching the soldier at the ankles. The man pitched forward. Shane aimed for the jugular and pulled his trigger, rolling to the side and leaping to his feet. The soldier was dead before he slammed to the ground.
Shane leapt through the gaping hole on Matt’s heels. Scorched metal scented the air while smoke billowed a haze across his vision. The whirring of jet engines wound through the crackle. The Learjet glided through the open hangar door. He caught a glimpse of dark hair in a side window. Dr. Madison turned her face, a smile lifting her lips. Red nails flashed as she waved. The smacking sound of her pursing her lips and sending him a kiss filled his ears even through the metal and glass.
Anger ripped through him. He ran toward the jet. Was Josie on it? Pausing, trusting his brothers to protect his back, he closed his eyes and listened. Hearts beat all around him, rapidly pumping blood and adrenaline. A soft pitter-patter caught his attention… the heartbeat well known. Josie.
Thank God for super hearing.
He pivoted, running around to the other side of the rumbling Falcon jet. Josie struggled with Tom, who clouted her on the head and threw her in the open hatch.
Shane bunched to leap forward. A soldier rammed a gun barrel into his neck. “Don’t move.”
The gun ripped away from Shane along with the soldier’s body as Matt took him down. The crunch of bones against concrete overwhelmed the sound of fire. Then fire roared louder.
He had to get to Josie. Was she hurt? The Falcon edged toward the opening. Shane jumped forward, loping into a run. Heat whipped around him. Tom smiled, pulling up the stairs. The engine revved louder.
Two soldiers immediately ran around the plane toward him.
Fast as a whip, Malloy appeared from the side and shot the first guy, taking him down. Nate shot the second.
Shane gave a curt nod to Malloy, who nodded back. Yeah, he owed the cop for that one.
Arriving at the plane, Shane reached up, yanking down the ladder. Tom shot a kick into his face, and Shane dodged to the side. Then he dove into the plane, landing on plush carpet and swinging his legs around.
Tom jumped back, levering a M9 pistol between Shane’s eyes. Tom retreated another step down the narrow aisle, gesturing for Shane to stand.
Shane rolled to his feet, his gaze slashing to a pale Josie, who sat behind Tom in a cushioned brown seat. Her blue eyes had gone wide. She began to stand, eyeing the gun. Shane gave a slight shake of his head, and she sat back down.
Her shoulders trembled, and Shane felt a fury he’d never imagined. How dare they mess with his wife? He shifted his shoulders, angling his body so Tom couldn’t push him out of the plane. The jet picked up speed, rolling toward the open runway. He forced a sarcastic smile on his face. “Why don’t you lose the gun and fight me like a man? I mean, you’re kind of trained, right?”
Tom returned the smile. And fired.
Josie screamed.
Pain exploded through Shane’s chest. The bullet threw him back against the cockpit door. Each rib vibrated as if plucked, and he could actually feel his stitches separating. He slid to the ground and stopped himself at a crouch. “You asshole.” The prick had purposefully aimed for the bulletproof vest. “Can’t take me at full strength, huh?”