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God, please let this be the moment we figure this out.He picked up his pace, slipping through the heavy glass doors leading to the pool enclosure, uneasy tension rippling through him. The entire wing of the refurbished hotel was quiet at this hour, too quiet for a place that usually hummed with diplomatic staff and visiting military contractors. His every instinct screamed that something was off, but the text from Quinn still glowed in his mind like a beacon.Meet me by the pool.
He paused under a dim overhead lamp, scanning the area. Something still felt off. Too still. Too silent. But hope shoved logic aside. Tiles stretched around the perimeter of a large rectangular pool, the water reflecting the faint glow of a few underwater lights. Shadowy lounge chairs and potted palms lined the edge, giving the place a half-abandoned air. Definitely not a typical rendezvous spot, Quinn hated this space.Why would she want to meet here?
A prickle coursed down his spine. He stepped farther in, searching the darkness.
“Quinn?” he called softly, voice echoing off the high glass ceiling. Nothing. Only the distant hum of an air conditioning vent and the soft slap of water against the tiles.
Suddenly, an arm closed around his neck from behind, wrenching him backward. Dagger’s reflexes kicked in, and he dropped his weight, throwing his attacker off balance. He grabbed for the man’s wrist, ready to break or dislocate if necessary.
Another shape rushed in from the side, trying to tackle him around the waist. Dagger spun, slamming an elbow into the assailant’s face and sending him sprawling. Adrenaline surged, lightning-bright and focused.
He twisted his head, getting a glimpse of the first man’s face in the pool’s dim glow, and recognized the patch on his jacket.Aegis Force Solutions.Langford’s men.
A chill of fear bled into Dagger’s veins. Iif they were here, then Quinn’s text must have been a trap.They have her.He could almost taste the raw panic rising in his throat, but he forced it down, letting cold, lethal training take over.Why?
Two more shadows moved in from behind a row of lounge chairs. Dagger lunged into actionwith no wasted movement and hammered the old SEAL mantra in his head. He ducked the first blow, then pounded his fist into an attacker’s jaw. The man staggered, cursing.
A second man rushed him, and Dagger’s foot lashed out, sweeping the attacker’s legs. Momentum carried them both off balance, closer to the pool’s edge. The attacker grabbed Dagger’s vest, and they tumbled into the pool together with a jarring splash.
The shock of cool water enveloped him, muffling the world in a watery hush. But Dagger lived for this environment. SEALs thrived where others freaked. He twisted, trapping the man in a chokehold, ignoring the panicked thrashing as he forced water into the attacker’s open mouth.
His heart pounded with a single, driving thought.Quinn’s in danger.That fury propelled him, fueling every savage move. Within seconds, the man’s struggle slackened. Dagger shoved him away, letting the limp body sink. He didn’t know if the guy would drown or if he’d resurface and cling to the pool edge, but it didn’t matter.
Dagger broke the surface, gasping in a lungful of air, water streaming down his face and neck. He spotted two men on the far side of the pool, weapons raised, but he didn’t flinch. He heaved himself out with a swift motion, dropping into a crouch on wet tiles. The second his boots hit the ground, he lunged.
One man stumbled back, trying to retreat as Dagger descended on him, fists raised. Behind him, the other attacker was already pivoting, something metallic in his hand.
Dagger heard the telltale crackle of electricity a split second too late.
Searing agony jolted through his body, nerves on fire as the Taser’s prongs connected. His knees buckled, muscles spasming. He went down, vision dancing with painful stars, a ragged cry tearing from his throat.
The weapon pinned him in place, current ripping through him in pulses. He collapsed onto his side, chest heaving, arms shaking uncontrollably.Get up,he commanded himself, but his limbs refused to obey.Quinn…
He heard a scuff of boots and forced his gaze up. Three men closed around him, breathing hard. One of them kicked the Taser aside, but the damage was done. Trembling with aftershocks, Dagger’s body felt like a lead weight.
Footsteps echoed behind them. He had just enough time to see Flash step inside the enclosure, scanning with alarm.
No,Dagger thought, cold dread pooling in his gut.He’s walking into the same ambush.
“Flash,” he croaked, trying to warn him. But a brutal heel slammed down on his ribs, driving the air from his lungs. Pain exploded, silencing him.
Flash started forward, eyes flaring with fury.He’d fight,Dagger knew.SEALs don’t run.But then one of the men pressed a muzzle to Dagger’s temple, lips curling in a silent threat.
Flash froze, shock and rage twisting his features. The man with the gun flicked a glance at a cohort, voice taut. “What do we do with him? The boss said just this guy.” He jerked his head at Dagger’s prone form.
The second man shrugged, arms crossing over his chest. “We’ll let the boss decide,” he said, glancing from Flash to Dagger.
Dagger could barely breathe, let alone fight. His mind reeled with the realization that Langford had taken a personal vendetta to a deadly extreme, kidnapping Quinn, setting a trap, now threatening to kill a United States service member.What the hell is this man’s endgame?
He struggled to move, but his limbs felt like stone.Stay awake,he ordered himself.Stay alive.Quinn needed him. If she was still alive at all. The horrifying thought lashed his gut, fueling a new wave of desperation.
But pain and exhaustion dragged at him. The last thing he saw before darkness began to press in was Flash’s wide-eyed fury, fists clenched at his sides and the gun still pressed to Dagger’s skull.
Brawler roundedthe back corner of the compound with Beast trotting just a step ahead, the Malinois’s ears pricked as though catching the tension in the air. Brawler had decided to let Beast roam off-leash for a few minutes, let him stretch those legs. But the instant he heard muffled shouts and saw movement near the dimly lit parking lot, every hair on the back of his neck stood up.
He froze, eyes narrowing. Five men. One had Dagger slung over his shoulder, limp as a rag doll, unconscious or worse. Another shoved Flash, who was bound, toward a waiting SUV.Even from across the distance, Brawler recognized the cold fury radiating through Flash’s rigid stance.
Brawler’s pulse kicked.What the hell is going on?