Lachlan swiveled. Airman Kowalski had panicked in the chaos. She grabbed Rowan and ran across the ice with her.
Fucking hell. Lachlan was well aware that with one wrong move, Kowalski could seriously hurt Rowan.
Suddenly, a soldier in gray fatigues landed right in front of Lachlan. Anger flooded him, and he kicked the man’s weapon away. They charged at each other.
Lachlan gripped the man, swinging him around, and landed a hard punch to the man’s gut. The soldier stumbled back, then yanked a combat knife off his belt.
Fuck this. Lachlan moved in, ducked the swipe of the man’s knife and landed a hard jab to the man’s throat with his prosthetic hand. As the man choked, Lachlan followed up by slamming his elbow into the man’s head. The soldier’s head snapped back with a gurgle, and his knife clattered to the ice.
With another punch, Lachlan knocked him out. Lachlan stepped over the man. He had to get to Rowan.
He spotted Airman Kowalski balancing on the edge of the rooftop, still holding a struggling Rowan in her arms.
Kowalski’s milky-white gaze locked on him.
“Stop, Lachlan.” Rowan stared at him, her eyes huge. Then she looked back at Kowalski. “It’s okay, Airman Kowalski. We just want to help you.”
The airman tilted her head, looking confused.
“You have a daughter who misses you,” Rowan said. “You want to see her, right?”
Airman Kowalski made a sound like a moan.
Suddenly, a soldier raced past Lachlan. He fired his weapon at Kowalski and Rowan.
“No!” Lachlan swung his weapon up and fired. The man fell to the ice with a cry.
Lachlan turned and watched as a startled Kowalski lost her balance. She fell over the edge of the rooftop.
Taking Rowan with her.
“Rowan!” Lachlan leaped forward. “No!”
He watched them plummet toward the ground, his stomach contracting. God, Rowan, no. He’d lost her, he’d failed her.
Pain pulsing with every tortured beat of his heart, he turned and raced for the stairs.
Chapter Sixteen
They hit the ground with a force that stunned.
For a second, all Rowan could do was stare up at the blue sky and blink, trying to get her bearings.
Beneath her, Airman Kowalski moaned. Rowan instantly realized the woman had protected her. The airman had wrapped herself around Rowan and taken the brunt of the fall.
“Help…me.”
Rowan scrambled to her knees on the broken pavement. God, the woman had spoken.
“Airman Kowalski? I will help you. Just hang on. Lachlan and Team 52 will be here shortly.”
Airman Kowalski moaned again. “Ai-mee.”
“Aimee? Your name is Aimee.” Rowan pressed a hand to the woman’s white shoulder. It felt icy to the touch. “I’m Rowan.”
Aimee’s white eyelids fluttered.
A screech of tires made Rowan’s head jerk up. A gray SUV and a small delivery truck pulled up right beside them.
No, no, no. She shifted in front of Aimee.
Armed men dressed in gray leaped out of the SUV. Rowan stepped forward, but the men shouldered past her. She gave one a hard shove but he grabbed her arms, holding her still.
“Leave her alone!” Where the hell was Lachlan?
Several soldiers knelt by Aimee, gripping her arms and legs. She struggled weakly.
“Get it loaded on the truck,” a man barked.
“No.” Rowan had to stop them.
She rammed into the man holding her. She knocked him off balance and grabbed at his rifle. She snatched it and stepped back, aiming it at his chest. “Back off.”
Another soldier off to the side whipped his weapon up and fired. The shot hit right near Rowan’s feet. With a cry, she leaped back, her shoulder hitting the side of the building.
The man who’d fired gave her a nasty smile. “Bad move, chaton.” He had a lyrical French accent. He took a step closer, and she aimed her rifle at him.
The group of soldiers lifted Airman Kowalski off the ground. They hustled her prone form toward the truck.
No. The soldier near her took a step closer.
“Stay back or I will shoot you,” she snapped.
“I don’t think you will.” He took another step closer.
“You really don’t want to test me. I’ve had a few really bad days.” She watched helplessly as the back doors of the truck swung open, and the soldiers carried Airman Kowalski inside.
The man kept advancing on Rowan, a menacing look on his face. He had a narrow, almost pretty face. Her gaze dropped to his weapon and she glimpsed a tattoo on his wrist.
Shit, Rowan didn’t want to kill him.
Suddenly, gunfire erupted from nearby. The man’s body jerked and he dropped his weapon. Rowan ducked and saw Team 52 burst out of the Cosmopolitan, led by Lachlan.
The soldier near her cursed, then turned and ran for the truck. Rowan raised her rifle and fired. She peppered the truck, aiming at the tires.
Soldiers at the back of the truck returned fire. Rowan swallowed a scream and saw Team 52 dive for cover.
Except Lachlan. He strode forward, continuing to fire his weapon. God. He moved with sure, fluid steps, like he was bulletproof.
His team moved in around him, weapons up.
With a squeal of tires, the truck and SUV screamed off. Team 52 walked out onto the street, firing at the fleeing vehicles.
Finally, they lowered their weapons. Rowan straightened and watched Lachlan walk toward her, his finger pressed to his ear.
“Brooks, track the vehicles,” Lachlan ordered. He looked at Blair and Seth. “You’re lead on finding those assholes.”
The pair nodded, swinging their weapons onto their shoulders and taking off at a jog.
Lachlan zeroed in on Rowan.
She froze, and suddenly wished she could run away, as well. He reached her and took her stolen rifle. He shoved it at Smith.
Then Lachlan grabbed her and started patting her down.
“Lachlan—”
“Quiet.” He checked her over, his face intense.
Satisfied she wasn’t hurt, he looked at her face. “Fuck.”
She winced at his tone and cleared her throat. “I’m okay.”
“You fell off a building!”
“Again,” Axel added unhelpfully.
She shot the man a glare just before Lachlan yanked her to his chest. She wrapped her arms around him and held on tight.
That’s when she realized his big body was shaking.
“I’m really okay,” she assured him. “Aimee—Airman Kowalski—broke my fall.” She looked up. “Lachlan, she asked me for help, and told me her name. I don’t think she can control herself, but she’s in there and wants help.”
“Forget about Kowalski for now.” He pressed his cheek to the top of her head.
She held on. Absorbing the heat and strength of him.
“Lachlan.”
Rowan turned her head to look at Axel, standing beside them. “Brooks lost the truck. They went into a warehouse in an industrial area nearby, and then disappeared.”
Lachlan cursed. “We need to find them.”
Smith stepped forward. “I’ll join Blair and Seth. We’ll find them.”
“Go.”
Rowan found herself loaded into the back of one of the Suburbans with Lachlan, Axel, and Callie. Soon, they were back at Lachlan’s apartment.
Rowan made coffee, while Lachlan and the others worked. They had various maps and satellite feeds up on the television screen.
Blair and the others kept reporting in. No sign of the truck or Aimee Kowalski.
Everyone was tense, and feeling useless, Rowan kept serving refills of coffee. The minutes ticked by, and Rowan kept hoping Aimee was okay.
Suddenly, Brooks’ face flashed on the screen. He was flanked by an unhappy-looking Ty and a man so handsome he made Rowan blink. He had silky black hair, high cheekbones, and an air of unshakable authority.
“Jonah,” Lachlan murmured.
So this was Jonah Grayson. Holy cow, the man would just have to crook a finger and the women would come running.
“We have some news.” Jonah’s green gaze moved to meet Rowan’s.
Unease slithered over her. Jonah Grayson had the same kind of look in his eyes that Lachlan did—scary. But his actually scared the crap out of her. Her hindbrain was telling her to run.
“Lars is awake.”
*
Lachlan saw Rowan tense. He reached out and grabbed her hand, squeezing her fingers.