chapter 29
Audrey’s arms had grown nearly numb after two hours of being tied up in Ernie’s study. For the first hour, she’d struggled against the bindings attaching her arms to the heavy sofa with no success. For the second hour, she’d sat quietly and watched the clock on the mantel count down. How could she get free?
The door swished open, and Ernie entered with a large vest in his hands. His soldier entered behind him and crossed the room while tugging out a sharp knife.
Audrey gasped and pressed back against the cushions, her heart racing.
“Hold still,” the soldier said, leaning over her to saw through the rope.
Raw feeling returned to her hands, and sharp needles dug into her wrists. She rubbed them, trying not to cry.
With a swoop of movement, the soldier forced her up and against his chest, securing her arms being her back. She kicked out, struggling. “Stop—” she said, tears streaming down her face, terror raising her voice to shrill as she took in the explosives attached to the vest.
Ernie restrained her arm and shoved it through the vest. “You know I can’t expect the commander to come alone or even to listen to me. This will ensure he has to.”
It was a real bomb. Audrey shoved back against the soldier, kicking out as Ernie pushed her other arm through and fastened the front with a lock.
“There we go. Try to disengage the lock, and… boom.” Ernie nodded for the soldier to release her and withdrew some sort of detonator from his back pocket.
Audrey stilled and glanced down at the explosives now strapped to her chest. The bite of fear weakened her knees. How could she get away from the bomb and get the baby safe? She eyed the remote resting in Ernie’s hand.
“Don’t even think about it.” He reached over and increased the volume on the television across the room. “I suggest you sit.”
Her legs wobbling, Audrey maneuvered over to sit on the sofa. Would the bomb explode if she moved too much? How stable were the explosives? “Please let me go, Ernie.”
“No. Now watch the news—it’s full of all sorts of interesting stuff.” He threw back his head and laughed, the sound maniacal.
The commander would strike hard and fast at the house. What about the bomb? It might explode before the commander even realized it existed. “The commander might shoot you before you can speak with him,” she said.
“Shhh.” Ernie focused on the television reporter, who confirmed that Senator Nash had been kidnapped earlier and that several people, including Lilith Mayes, had been taken into custody, but nobody knew where the senator had been taken.
Trembles wound down Audrey’s spine. Had the senator really survived, and had Nate been taken into custody? No way. The reporter, a vivacious blonde, told the audience that the FBI was searching furiously for the senator.
Audrey glanced at the bruises around her wrists. At least they’d unbound her. She eyed the lock atop her chest and the wires extending from a black box to some cream-colored putty stuff. “Don’t you have to be at the hospital, considering you’re Nash’s chief of staff?” she asked.
“I’m on vacation—out of the country with my family,” Ernie said, frowning at the television. “But I did just call and say I’m on a flight headed back home and will be in tomorrow. Of course, by then, I’ll be long gone from here.”
Audrey shook her head. No wonder the house was so quiet—Ernie’s family wasn’t home. “The senator trusted you. Completely.”
Ernie rubbed his graying beard. “I know, and I’d hoped to bring him on board. He has such lovely thoughts about science and the sanctity of human life. I’m afraid Lilith will have to kill him once she’s out of custody. So much for life.”
Audrey gasped. “You can’t have a U.S. senator killed.”
Ernie shrugged. “Sure I can. You don’t really understand the scope of our society, do you?”
“I guess not. How big are you?” Who were these people?
He took a deep swallow of whiskey. “Considering the amount of people we’ve lost lately, or had taken into custody, we’re not very big. But like I said, I can rebuild.”
That’s what he thought. Audrey fought the urge to rub her pounding cheek. “What’s your plan, anyway? You got the commander to agree to come alone and talk, but what then?”
Ernie rubbed his chin. “I kill him.”
Audrey’s shoulders straightened. “Excuse me?” How was that a plan?
“Cut off the head of the snake, and the body will fall.” Ernie reached for the bottle behind him to refill his glass. “After the commander is dead, we’ll dismantle his organization piece by piece. Your mother is next, but my scientist wants to have a nice long talk with her first. I assume she’ll cooperate.”
Audrey glanced at the clock on the wall. She swallowed the acidic taste of fear, and her stomach lurched. Nate had to be going out of his mind, but there had been no opportunity to reach him. She jerked her head. “Wait a minute. If you kill the commander, am I next?”
“You should be.” Ernie glanced with derision at her stomach. “I know what an abnormal creation you have in there. But our scientists want to study you and this aberration briefly, before we rid the world of the anomaly.”
The world narrowed to pinpoint focus. She’d take out Ernie long before he had the chance to study her child. “You think you’ve thought all of this out.” She shook her head. “Boy, are you a moron.”
“Think so?” Ernie’s eyebrows rose.
An explosion sounded right outside the door.
“Yes,” Audrey whispered, instinctively edging toward the floor, curling over to protect the baby. She tried to sidle closer to the detonator.
Gunfire pattered outside, and then inside the mansion. Ernie jumped up and drew a gun from the bookcase, his eyes a wild hue. “What’s going on?”
The soldier at the door backed away, two guns pointed at the entry. “I’d say we’re under attack.”
Cries of pain littered through the night, and smoke wound under the door. Terror flooded Audrey, and she glanced frantically around for an escape. The vest lay heavy around her middle. Taking stock, she crept toward the desk while the two men in the room focused on the door. Saying a quick prayer, she slid down in front of the stable mahogany.
On the other side of the desk, glass shattered with a resounding crack. Sparkles rained through the air—deadly pieces of the window.
Both Ernie and the solider pivoted and fired over her head toward the window. Return fire dropped the soldier. In the distance, one more explosion sounded.
Her hands shaking, her head pounding, Audrey waited for silence. Ernie hauled her in front of him, the detonator in his other hand. She gulped and faced the window, her entire body shuddering.
The commander stood with a wide stance, a Glock in his hand, the rain splattering down to cover his black uniform. A landscape light focused up on him, making him seem like an antihero from an action flick. Hard, dangerous, and emotionless.
He beckoned her with one finger. “The house will blow in two minutes,” he said, his voice easily carrying through the storm.
Ernie laughed. “She blows in thirty seconds.”
Tears streamed from Audrey’s eyes, and she blinked them out. The commander would let her explode before he allowed himself to be taken hostage. The baby was her responsibility, and she wouldn’t let him down.
Terror threatened to consume her, but she had no choice. Taking a deep breath, she shot an elbow into Ernie’s gut. With a muffled “oof,” he bent over. She pivoted and snatched the detonator from his hand, whirling away from him.
The commander calmly plugged him three times in the chest.
Blood splattered toward the window. Ernie’s mouth opened wide as he went down.
Dead.
The commander stepped over the broken windowsill, already unfolding a Swiss Army knife. He leaned down and studied the lock on the vest.
Audrey held her breath. Get it off, get it off, get it off. She didn’t twitch.
The commander inserted a small knife and twisted. The lock popped.
Audrey’s heart dropped to her feet.
Silence. Nothing blew up.
The commander unzipped the vest, and the sound magnified in the death-filled room. He expertly removed the explosives and took the detonator from her hands. Placing both on the desk, he jumped through the window and held out a hand.
She paused. The building was going to explode, and yet, she had to gather her strength to accept his outstretch hand. “Thank you,” she said, her mind fuzzing.
“Of course.” He kept her hand in his while leading the way to a Hummer idling in the long driveway. “Keep your head down and hurry.”
She ran and jumped into the front seat of the Hummer. The commander followed suit, driving away from the palatial home. “You can’t blow up the home of a U.S. senator’s chief of staff,” she said, her gaze on the side-view mirror.
The commander pressed down on the accelerator with more force. “Why not?”
Indeed. In his world, there was nothing wrong with blowing up the home and killing people still in it. Audrey shook her head. “I guess this will be one more mystery to go along with the senator disappearing.”
The commander glanced down at her. “Maybe. Don’t really care. Are we going to get his recommendation for funding or not?”
“I don’t know.” Probably not.
The world lit up bright yellow and orange behind her, and she leaned away from the side mirror, even as her gaze remained glued to the image of fire and wood roaring through the night. Glass shattered in every direction, and smoke billowed up.
She’d been so close to exploding. So far, her baby had been in more danger in the past few days than most people saw their entire lives. Sorrow and fear threatened to swamp her. Where was Nate? More than ever, she needed him.
The commander steered onto another street and the image disappeared.
Sirens sounded in the distance.
“Explain about this group,” the commander said, his gaze on the dark street in front of them.
Audrey put on her seat belt and told the commander everything she knew as they drove through Virginia. Finally, she wound down. “That’s all I know.”
He nodded. “I surmised most of that explanation.” A quick glance at his watch had him focusing out the front window again. “Lilith Mayes and three of her men were released from custody an hour ago, and their car should’ve gone off a cliff by now. No need to worry about them any longer.”
Audrey’s ears rang. “You had them killed.”
“Of course.” He increased the speed of the windshield wipers.
Her vision blurred. “I don’t suppose you’re taking me to my apartment?”
“No. It’s time you came in-house,” he said. “The senator isn’t likely to give us funding, and your time undercover is over.”
“What about funding?”
“I have other sources. Always have a contingency plan.” He rubbed a large hand over his wet spiky hair.
She cleared her throat, her mind reeling. Yeah, she’d known the commander would try to sequester her somewhere else at some point, but she hadn’t known it would be so soon. It would’ve been easier escaping from outside the organization. “I don’t want to go in-house.”
No expression crossed his hard face. “How else am I going to get Nathan to come home?”
Audrey’s breath caught. “Nate? Why would he come home?”
The commander glanced at her, the skin twitching at the corner of his eye—the closest he’d ever come to rolling his eyes. “Please. We know Nate is here, and we know you’ve had contact. He’ll come home in order to save his baby.”
They’d been so careful, but the commander had known them all since birth. “What if he doesn’t?” Audrey asked, focusing outside the front window.
“He will. Plus, I assume you know about the kill chips?”
Audrey thought about lying, but why bother? The commander knew all. “Yes. How could you do that?”
“Plan B.” The commander turned the Hummer onto the interstate.
“Where’s your other facility?” Audrey asked. Since she’d been truthful, maybe he would be, too.
“You’ll see the other facility soon enough.”
There had been very few times in her life that she’d been alone with the commander. She’d been raised by nannies, attended boarding school, and then went to college abroad. But she’d known him her entire life. Kind of. “I used to wonder if you’d marry my mother,” she said quietly.
He started. “Your mother and I have a good relationship.”
They’d been together, nonexclusively, for Audrey’s entire life. “Why haven’t you married each other?”
“Why would we?” he asked.
“Love?” She breathed out the word, knowing it was a mistake.
“Don’t be silly. Love is a chemical reaction. You know better.” Disapproval firmed his lips. “My Gray boys know better.”
Audrey kept silent. Even after raising them, training them, studying them, the commander didn’t know Nathan or his brothers. Love had kept them together and had helped them to survive. Then it had nearly destroyed them.
She loved Nate. Completely and truly… and she’d fight for him. For both of them. Maybe they had a chance, and maybe not. But she’d go down fighting.
Since the commander was taking her in, maybe he would finally level with her. “Is Jory still alive?” she asked, holding her breath.
The commander twisted a knob and sped up the windshield wipers. “Are Shane and Mathew with Nathan?”
Audrey pressed her lips together. “No. He’s alone.”
“Pity. Well, he’ll bring them back to me.”
“Why?” Audrey turned to face the commander. “Why do you want them back so badly? They don’t want to work for you.”
He leveled a surprised look at her before focusing on the road. “I created and trained them to be the best. They are the best. Right now, more than ever, with the competition out there, I need them back.”
“What competition?”
He sighed. “We’re not the only group vying for funding, and we’ve actually been attacked. I need the Gray brothers to defend us as well as take out the competition. They owe me.”
“They don’t owe you anything.” Audrey sighed and settled back into her seat. She could try and jump from the vehicle, but taking such a risk with the baby would be a mistake. Plus, her face hurt, her head ached, and her leg pounded. She needed to regroup before fighting again.
The commander switched on the radio, and classical music filled the vehicle. “How badly are you injured?”
“I’m not.”
“Did your abdomen take any impact?” he asked.
“No.” Of course he was only worried about the baby. Audrey swallowed, allowing her mind to drift a little bit. When she’d called him, she’d known he’d come, even though his motivations weren’t what she’d like. She sighed again. “Thank you for coming to get me.” To save her.
“Of course.” He glanced her way, a massive man with ramrod posture. “I own you.”
* * *
Nate stared at his cell phone while the storm raged outside the small cabin. Over at the table, Shane kept track of all news reports regarding the senator and the explosion at Ernie Rastus’s place. The commander’s fingerprints dusted all over that one.
Matt organized and cataloged weapons on the sofa, checking clips and muttering to himself.
The cell phone remained silent. “Why hasn’t he called?” Nate asked no one in particular.
Nobody answered him.
The commander hadn’t called because he wanted Nate to sweat it out. To be so desperate when the call finally came that he’d agree to almost anything.
Senator Nash suddenly appeared in the bedroom doorway, a sling around his arm. “What’s going on?”
Nate frowned. “We took a bullet out of your shoulder. You need rest.”
Nash shrugged and then winced. “I want to help find Audrey.”
“I’ve got this.” All Nate needed was one more person trying to get shot in his stead. “You, ah, need to worry about your future.”
Matt nodded. “Senator Nash disappeared and will never be found.”
The senator shook his head. “I don’t understand. Why did I disappear?”
“Chances are the commander has figured out you’re double-crossing him, but even if not, he’d kill you because you know too much about his organization,” Nate said slowly, his vision graying. “After this whole fiasco, he’ll take Audrey and run before tying up any loose ends.” Where was Audrey?
The senator reached out to clutch the door frame with one gnarled hand. “You’re telling me the commander would actually kill a U.S. senator and that I’m a loose end?”
“Without a hiccup,” Nate said. “I’m not sure about that PROTECT group, either. They might want you dead.”
Shane typed more keys on the laptop. “I can create an identity for you, Senator. We can also make sure a body is found that is identified as you, but you’ll have to stick with it.”
The senator ran a gnarled hand through his gray hair. “Okay. I’m staying with you guys. With Audrey. I mean, a kid needs a grandparent, right?”
Nate stilled. He wasn’t adding to family here. “Um, one of the most powerful organizations in the world wants us captured or they want us dead. Sticking with us is a bad idea.”
The senator smiled. “I’m glad we’re in agreement.” He swayed. “I guess I’ll go take a nap.” He shut the door behind himself.
Nate shared an amused look with Matt.
“Let’s worry about him later.” Shane unrolled a map Nate had created of the compound. “We need to go over this again. The plan sucks.”
“The plan really sucks,” Matt agreed without turning around.
Nate stalked over to study the map once again. “The plan is my only chance.” The clock was counting down, and he had no good options. This was do or die, and the odds stank. Something in his chest hurt.
“I hate statistics, but the odds of you surviving this are not good,” Shane said, his gaze down, his shoulders rigid. “We have to find a better way.”
“What would you do?” Nate asked softly, heat filling his head. “If the commander had Josie right now, what would you do to get her back?”
“Anything.” Shane smoothed out the paper, a muscle in his jaw visibly tightening. “But that doesn’t mean I like this. We should all go in at once.”
“No.” Giving the commander exactly what he wanted would be suicide for all of them. “I know I can’t control either one of you, but this is the way it has to go down right now. You have Josie and Laney to worry about.” Nate left fear in the dust and allowed the soldier inside him to take over. “And Jory. We have to find out about Jory.”
A strangled groan rumbled up from Shane’s chest. “We will find him, and we’ll do the job without sacrificing you.”
Nate fastened his brother’s arm and turned him. “My woman is in there, and so is my baby. I have to go.” His entire life was being held hostage by the commander. He waited until Matt turned to face him. “If I don’t make it, promise me—”
“You’ll f*cking make it,” Matt growled, fury hardening his jaw. “That’s an order.”
Nate nodded, his throat closing. There were so many words he needed to say, so many in such a short time. “Thank you both.” The multitude of words wouldn’t come, so he did his best. “For being my brothers.”
Shane’s eyes darkened, and he yanked Nate close for a hug. “Shut up,” he muttered.
Nate hugged back, his heart aching. “You shut up.”
“Both of you shut up.” Matt clicked a clip into place. “We’re going with the plan, but we all survive it. I trained you until my head nearly blew off my neck, and you’ll f*cking remember every single session we had. Remember who you are, what you can do, and who needs you.”
Nate swallowed, his shoulders going back. “I’ll remember.”
Matt threw him a weapon. “Take this.”
Nate tucked the Glock into the back of his waistband. “If you say so.”
“I do.” All soldier, Matt stalked forward to view the map. “I think you should go in this way.” He pointed to an area heavily patrolled to the north. “They won’t expect it.”
Nate sighed. “Mattie, we have the plan they won’t expect, and that’s what we’re going with.” He understood Matt’s need to protect him, but there wasn’t time for another debate. “You know what I can do, and you know what you would do if Laney was in there.” Hell, Matt would lay siege to the place to get her out. “Trust me. I know what I’m doing.”
Matt eyed him for a moment and then grabbed him for a quick hug. “Okay.” He let go and turned to study the map again. “I guess we go with your plan.”
Good. Nate nodded. He needed his brothers on board. “We’re good to go.”
On the table, his phone rang the tune assigned to unknown numbers.
Nate swallowed and answered the call on speaker. “Yes.”
“Nathan! So good to find you, boy.” The commander’s voice had gotten even deeper in the last five years, if that was possible. “It’s time to come home. Your woman and baby are here.”