“You’ll bring him with us?” Becca asked.
“He’ll come along behind us. I’ll have my team pick him up,” Levi lied smoothly. “We’ll talk about it on the plane.”
She looked over at him and he could see the uncertainty there.
He gave her what he hoped was an encouraging smile. “I love you, Becca. Stay safe.”
He would have said more but there was the crack of a gun going off and then blood bloomed across Donnie’s chest. It took him a second to realize what had happened.
A sniper. There was a sniper inside the house. On the balcony above them.
“Stand down, Levi. Send Dr. Walsh and Owen out right now or I take you out, too.”
That had not been the voice he’d expected to hear. For a mere second he’d thought somehow Ezra had found his way here. Or Dante and Sasha and Tucker. But they were radio silent for hours yet. Only two people knew they’d been taken.
That commanding voice had a crisp English accent and an unmistakably feminine tone.
Ariel was pissed.
Levi had Becca in his grasp, his gun lodged firmly in her side. “Dr. Adisa, I didn’t think you had it in you. And you would have taken the shot if you had it. I salute you. You’re willing to do what the boys aren’t. You play hardball, sister. How about we make a deal? I leave Owen for you and you let me head out of here with Rebecca?”
Levi had shrunk back against the wall. He’d moved them under the balcony where Ari would have no shot. Levi looked to the hallway under the balcony as though trying to decide if it was a path that wouldn’t get him killed.
Owen took the opportunity to stand up. It was awkward and he felt ungainly, but if there was even half a chance, he had to take it.
“After what you did to Robert, I think I’ll pass,” Ari yelled. “And we’re done playing your games, Levi.”
Levi’s eyes turned to Owen. “Well, then I guess I can do what I like.”
He was out of time. Levi raised the gun his way, and that was the moment Becca made her move. Her elbow came up and back. Owen threw his body to the ground, holding his head up. He felt heat graze his shoulder and then pain flared as he hit the ground and the chair came apart. Owen spread his arms and they came loose. He was still bound to the arms of the chair, but a few painful tugs and he was free. He rolled toward Donnie Lennox’s body. He needed that gun.
Becca struggled as Levi fired again, throwing his aim off.
Owen cursed those bloody zip ties but managed to get that gun in his hand.
He forced his body to move and brought the gun straight up, and he found himself staring right at Becca.
“Your move, Owen,” Levi said, his voice showing no sign of tremor. “I’ve got this to the back of her head. You might be able to make the shot, or you might hit that big gorgeous brain of hers.”
Levi wasn’t much taller than Becca. He was right. Taking the shot would be risky, and he wasn’t as steady as he should be.
“Becca, do not move,” he commanded. “Don’t hurt her.”
“We’re at a standoff, you and I,” Levi said. “I’m going to back out. I don’t trust that Ariel is still in that perch of hers, so I need to get out of here now or she’ll come in behind me. We can do this the nice way or I can go down in a blaze of glory. It’s your choice.”
There was no choice at all. “Just let her go.” He struggled to get to his feet. “I’ll take her place. I’ll go with you and we can work something out.”
He wouldn’t. He would kill the fucker the first chance he got, but he would lie through his teeth if it meant Becca was standing at the end of this. And Levi was right. Ari was out there. Ari was coming down those stairs, and not for a therapy session.
“I think I’ll skip the hostage-taking portion of the day, but I need a head start. Sorry about this.” Levi pulled the trigger and Becca screamed.
Owen’s shoulder lit up like it was on fire, but he stayed on his feet. Levi shoved Becca his way and she stumbled into him. He looked her over.
She shook her head. “I’m fine. Go. Get that asshole.”
It was all he needed. Despite the fact that his left arm didn’t seem to work anymore, he took off after Levi Green.
He caught a glimpse of the man running down the hall before he turned and disappeared. Owen slowed, not wanting to get caught in a trap. He eased around and saw the door closing.
He raced to the end of the hall and flung it open just in time to see Levi Green hit the street. Levi had dropped his weapon and he started down the street, seeming to revel in how many people were walking along the front of the house.
“Damn it,” Ariel said, running up behind him. “You can’t shoot him here and he knows it. Bastard.”
Levi turned and tipped his head as though to say they were welcome to try again another day.
“We have to move out. He’ll call the police in again.” Owen forced himself to shut the door. “We have to call them in ourselves. Apparently there’s a kid in this place somewhere.”
“The police are going to have a field day with this one.” Ariel held a semiautomatic in her hands, the same one he’d seen Robert pack during their flight from the cabin.
“Owen?” Becca walked in, her face pale. “Owen, are you okay?”
He was now. He strode to her, and despite the pain in his shoulder, he wrapped his arms around her. “I’m fine, but we have to move out and quickly.”
“I’m parked behind the house. Rob is waiting for us. Well, he’s passed out in the back, but he’ll live. A couple of university students were renting a cabin not far from the accident site. They got us to hospital. After they patched Rob up, I hotwired a car and we left before we could be questioned.”
“How did you find us?” He refused to let Becca go, taking her hand in his and following after Ariel.
“It was a hunch. Becca had said Levi must be working with Huisman. He couldn’t take you to a hotel. Rob told me MSS was coming. They wouldn’t make a move until they knew they had you, so that bought us some time. It was a good bet he would bring you here.” Ariel moved to the rear of the house. “I parked in the back and snuck up.”
“You’re hurt.” Becca hustled to keep up.
There was blood on his shirt. A lot of it. “I think the bullet’s still in there.”
“It’s not a fatal wound. We’ll deal with it after we get away.” Ariel held open the door to what looked to be the garage. “Don’t mind the body. I had to deal with the MSS agent.”
Owen gaped at the woman on the ground. That was a lot of blood. It looked like Ari knew how to use a knife, too. He stared at her, wondering where his peace-loving shrink had gone.
Ari merely shrugged. “I wasn’t always a therapist.”
He took Becca’s hand and walked out of the house to join his friend. He was in excruciating pain, but they had one more stop to make.
Ariel rushed to the car, a minivan. It was still running in the long drive that led back around the house and out to the street where Levi Green was likely trying to get the upper hand back by bringing in the police. “Take Owen to the back of the van with Robert and do what you can for them. I’ll get us out of here.”
She could hear the wail of sirens on their way. Her heart ached for Paul’s son, but they had to go.
Becca opened the door and stepped inside. Owen followed as Ariel took off.
Sure enough, Robert was laid out on the bench seat. His eyes opened briefly. “Sorry, man. They wouldn’t pull out the bullet without anesthesia. How did we get you back?”
“Ari is lethal, mate. You need to watch yourself with her.” He sat back with a groan of pain. “And she’s a terrible driver.”
“Hush.” Becca wasn’t in her seat. She knelt down. “I’m going to have to pull the bullet out of you when we get somewhere safe. Try not to move it.”
“Ariel saved you?” Robert still sounded out of it.
Ariel was a superhero. “Yep, and she took out the bad guys while she was doing it. She’s a keeper, mate.”