‘I know,’ Clay muttered back. ‘He called us old.’
Frederick snorted a shocked laugh. ‘Shut up. This is serious. What are we going to do?’
‘You’re going to shut the fuck up,’ the guard snarled. ‘Or not.’ He delivered a kick to Clay’s ribs. ‘I’d enjoy fucking you up. The guy you killed was my cousin.’
Clay breathed out slowly, and Frederick had known him – and trained with him – long enough to know that that long breath masked a moan of pain. Arching his back and neck, Frederick looked around and saw the man who’d helped drag Thorne into the van. He was walking toward the Hummer, favoring one leg. The man who Gwyn had shot in the foot had left with the white van, so either he or Clay must have injured this guy. They’d have to use that fact in their favor.
Frederick glanced at Clay and saw him noting the same thing.
The man who’d kicked Clay squatted beside them. ‘The boss is going to slice you up while you’re still alive. I’ve seen him do it before. The guy gettin’ sliced always screams and screams until he passes out. The boss lets him come to, then starts all over again. I’m hoping he lets me help this time. I hope he lets me cut you.’ Holding his handgun by the barrel, he swung it up like he was about to bring it down on Clay’s head. Clay closed his eyes and gritted his teeth against the blow.
Rocking up to his knees, Frederick was about to throw his body into the gunman’s when another shot rang out. The gunman jerked, then crumpled into a moaning heap. Frederick sat back on his heels, stunned.
‘What the actual fuck?’ Clay muttered. He rolled onto his back and sat up, the movement ungainly. His wince indicated that he probably had a cracked rib or two.
The other guard began to run for the Hummer, but five more shots rang out, four of them hitting the tires, just like their attackers had done to the SUV. The would-be driver changed direction and headed for the trees, but soon came out with his hands raised, dragging one leg, two young women with rifles behind him. One was tall, with long black hair, the other a petite blonde.
Frederick let out a harsh breath. ‘Oh my God.’
‘What?’ Clay’s back was to the direction of the trees and he twisted his body, doing a one-eighty rotation on his ass. ‘Taylor?’
‘And Daisy.’ Frederick’s eldest daughter did not look happy to see him.
Taylor came running when she saw them. ‘Dad! Pops!’ She kicked the handgun away from the now-bleeding man, then dropped to her knees, pulling a switchblade from her boot. She cut the zip ties and inspected their faces, then mouthed Wow at the ruined SUV.
‘What happened here?’ she asked.
‘I could ask you the same question,’ Clay said, rubbing his wrists. He looked at the Hummer, all four of its tires now flat. ‘Nice shooting, baby.’
‘I only did one side. Daisy did the other.’ Taylor popped to her feet, searching the pockets of one of the dead gunmen.
‘What are you doing?’ Daisy asked impatiently.
‘Finding zip ties. Here they are.’ Taylor dug them out and cuffed both survivors, because the one who had been about to brain Clay was still breathing. And moaning. Loudly.
‘You can relax now,’ Taylor told Daisy, who lowered her rifle but did not appear convinced.
‘You said it was calm and quiet out in the country,’ she said to Taylor, and Frederick was very aware that she was ignoring him completely.
‘It is, except for this week.’ Taylor extended a hand to both him and Clay, pulling them to their feet. Clay groaned softly and Taylor looked concerned. ‘What happened?’
‘Probably a bruised rib,’ Clay said, and Frederick didn’t correct him. Clay had reached for his phone and was dialing. ‘We need to call this in. Did you pass a white van? They took Gwyn and Thorne.’
‘Yes,’ Taylor nodded grimly. ‘Joseph is chasing them.’
‘Voicemail,’ Clay said, then texted the information to Joseph.
‘How did you two get here?’ Frederick asked as Clay dialed 911, stepping away to report their status. Hopefully the cops would be on their way after Frederick’s first call, when they’d still been in the SUV.
‘Joseph had picked up Daisy from the arrivals terminal at BWI and we were most of the way here when you called,’ Taylor said. ‘He was planning to drop us off at Clay’s and head back to Judge Segal’s home when he got Thorne’s call. He heard the crash and knew you needed help. Luckily Thorne had just told him that you were leaving Clay’s house. The 911 dispatch was feeding him information as you gave it to them, Dad. Joseph got your message that Thorne and Gwyn had been taken away in a white van. We were almost to Clay’s driveway, so he stopped his SUV and told us to get out, because he was going to follow and he didn’t want us in the line of fire. Joseph had extra rifles in the SUV, just in case we ran into trouble on the way from the airport. Daisy and I knew that you two were in danger, so we grabbed the rifles and got out. The white van passed by a few seconds later. We could see your wrecked SUV and this asshole –’ she jabbed the toe of her boot into the gunman still writhing on the ground ‘– about to hit Clay with his gun. So I shot him. Then we saw the other asshole running away and we brought him back. Now you know it all.’
‘Good timing,’ Frederick offered, but Daisy deliberately looked away.
Taylor sighed at her sister’s wordless rebuke. ‘Not good enough, because they got Thorne and Gwyn.’ She visibly tried to relax her bunched shoulders. ‘Joseph was on the phone with one of his people when Thorne first called him, by the way. His team is searching the judge’s house.’
Frederick nodded. ‘We knew that. Alec caught it on the scanner.’
Taylor frowned. ‘He’ll catch this on the scanner too, and will be worried.’
‘Hold on.’ Frederick called Alec and assured him that he and Clay were okay, but that Thorne and Gwyn had been snatched. Before he could hang up, Jamie took the phone. ‘What’s happened?’
Frederick sighed. ‘They drugged Thorne and dragged him away. Threatened to shoot him if Gwyn didn’t cooperate, so she did. The last time I saw him, he was alive and breathing.’
‘Oh my God,’ Jamie whispered. ‘No. Please.’
‘I’m so sorry,’ Frederick murmured. ‘There were seven of them in two vehicles, including the driver of the van. We got three of the gunmen, between Clay, me and Gwyn. One of the survivors went in the van with Thorne and Gwyn. The bartender was driving.’
Jamie moaned. ‘No. I told him to let Joseph handle this.’
Frederick wanted to reassure him, but all he could do was give him the facts. ‘Joseph is in pursuit right now.’
‘Okay,’ Jamie whispered. ‘I have to tell Phil. This could kill him.’
‘We’re going to get them back,’ Frederick said firmly. ‘I swear we’re going to get them back.’
‘How . . . Why are you there? Did they leave you?’
‘No. Like I said, they had two vehicles. We were going in the second one, but that’s when Joseph arrived. We have a survivor, who knows where they were going. We’ll get him to tell us.’
‘How?’ Jamie asked, sounding so lost.
Frederick glared at the man who’d tried to run away. ‘Don’t worry about that. He will talk to me. I have to go. I’ll call you back.’
Clay finished his call to 911 at the same time and walked over. ‘What are you going to do?’ he said under his breath.
‘Don’t ask,’ Frederick said gruffly. ‘Plausible deniability.’
Clay looked torn. ‘Don’t do anything you can’t live with.’
‘I can’t live with Tavilla gutting Gwyn while Thorne watches,’ he spat bitterly.
Clay nodded. ‘What can I do to help?’
‘Make sure my daughters don’t see this,’ Frederick whispered.
‘Okay.’ Clay squeezed his shoulder. ‘Thorne would want you to keep your soul intact.’