Page 42

N ate dragged his hand through his hair, his fingers grasped at the strands until his scalp burned.

Cold air blasted him in the face through the vents in the truck, but all it did was turn his sweat cold against his boiling skin.

He kept his gaze on the purple and black building.

Bars caged in the windows except for the fire escape on the second level.

They were wasting valuable fucking time. “Where the hell is he?” he seethed.

Ashley let out a sigh and lifted the mic at the neckline of her shirt. “Dylan, where are you?” She pressed her finger to the bud in her ear and then turned to him. “He just parked and is on foot. Only a few blocks away.”

Nate’s phone buzzed in his pocket and hope surged through him. He pulled it out and read the screen.

Josh.

His chest sank and he swiped to answer. “Yeah,” he said.

“I have some info on Diego Sanchez. He owns a club in Old San Juan called Club Viejo. I wasn’t able to find any ties to Carlos with regards to ownership, but from what I’ve found out, Carlos and Diego go way back. I can work on getting a warrant, there’s enough to—”

“No need. Thanks for your work.” Nate disconnected. “Diego owns Club Viejo and there’s a lot of background on him and Carlos. She has to be there.”

She just has to.

Nate made an impatient sound under his breath.

“I’m not waiting around while they could be doing god knows what to her.

” He opened the passenger door and climbed out.

He slammed the door and the vehicle shook.

He didn’t have a plan and he didn’t need one.

This wasn’t about the case anymore and hadn’t been from the beginning.

He’d go in, shoot Carlos and his buddies in the fucking head, and get Maddie out.

He strode by local musicians that sat on the side of the old cobblestone streets. Coins piled on the red felt liner of their guitar cases. Heat still hung in the air despite the sun setting below the skyline and dusk coated over the stars.

Ashley’s fingers curled around his elbow and yanked, but his arm didn’t budge. She planted her feet beside him, bringing him to a dead stop.

He reeled on her. “What?”

“You can’t just walk in. Geez, Nate. Screw your head back on please. Let’s talk about this for two minutes.”

Hot air burned his nostrils on an exhale. He shook his head, but let her tow him to the side of the building next to them.

“Let me go in first, and survey the club. Your stride has FBI written all over it.”

“Hold up.” A deep purr sounded near his ear. Nate pulled out his gun and whipped around, shoving the mouth of it in Dylan’s chest.

“Jesus,” Dylan squeaked. “Jumpy are we?”

Ashley chuckled behind him. “Did you pee your panties, Dyl?”

He narrowed his eyes into slits at her but a smile played on his mouth. Nate’s scowl deepened and he lowered his weapon. Thankfully the dark shadows concealed them and no one had witnessed him pull his Glock. “Use your head. I could have shot you.”

“I thought you guys were going to wait? Parking is a bitch in this part of town. I just ran like three blocks.”

Nate hung his weapon close to his hip and out of sight from any passersby. “No time. Maddie’s inside,” he said, nodding to the building beside them.

A pool of dread opened in his stomach. God, please let her be there. Logically, they could have taken her somewhere else… she could be anywhere. He took a deep steadying breath. No. She was here. His nerve endings tingled, his senses picking up on her energy.

“Well, shit. What the hell are we waiting for?”

Ashley grabbed Dylan’s arm, stopping them both. “Maybe we should split up. Dylan, you and I can go in the front entrance, and Nate, why don’t you look for a way in through the back? We’ll surround them.”

Nate rubbed his palm over the back of his neck. This was taking too long. But damn, Ashley was right. It would serve them better to split up, especially if he could get Maddie out of harm’s way before shots went off.

“Do you have your earpiece?”

Nate closed his eyes and groaned. Shit. He’d been in such a damn hurry that he’d completely forgotten.

Ashley patted his arm. “Don’t worry. I have my phone.”

“All right, wait here.” He flicked his gaze to Dylan and back. “I’ll text you when I’m in position.”

“Okay,” she said, nodding. Dylan leaned back against the wall, and Ashley dragged her toe across the pavement.

It was on the tip of his tongue to tell them to pay attention, but he didn’t want to waste one more second.

He jogged toward the back of the building, slowing when he reached the corner.

He pressed his back against the shaded wall, and held his automatic poised in the air.

An alley ran behind the building, sealing him off from the rest of downtown.

He inched his nose around the edge and scanned the alley behind the building.

A white van sat close to the rear exit. Hope surged through him.

It had to be the same van that they’d used to grab her.

She had to be here. Another car, a black BMW with a green rental sticker, filled one of the last two parking spots.

He lowered his weapon and moved toward the large steel door. The pewter knob burned his palm as he turned it. It didn’t move. Fuck! It was locked.

He resisted the urge to pound his fist in the door, and stepped back and took in the full exterior.

There was a small balcony on the second story.

A ladder hung nearby, but he wouldn’t be able to pull it down without hitting the van.

Not that he gave a shit if he damaged the vehicle.

He wouldn’t be able to reach the ladder from the hood of the car.

But, if he climbed onto the roof of the van, that would put him directly below the balcony.

The building wasn’t that high. He’d be able to pull himself up and get in through the window. He tucked his gun in the waistband of his pants and rubbed his damp palms on the tops of his thighs. Sweat rolled down his spine as he stepped up on to the back bumper and hefted himself on the hood.

He climbed on top of the roof of the van and tilted his head back to survey the distance to the balcony.

He reached his hands up, but still needed another foot.

He bent his knees into a deep squat and leapt off the ground.

His hands closed around the vertical balcony bars.

The muscles in his hands screamed as he swung his feet up and positioned them on the rods.

He swung his legs over the railing and dropped onto the floor of the balcony.

The old wrought iron creaked beneath his feet.

He cupped his hands and pressed them to the glass.

A black leather couch took up one wall, and a floor-to-ceiling stripper pole highlighted the center of the room.

Black lights hung from the wall, illuminating every piece of white in the room to a vibrant purple.

The room was empty.

He pressed his hands to the glass and heaved it up.

The old wood shook with each inch he raised it until there was enough clearance for him to climb through.

He lowered his feet to the floor and the laminate creaked beneath his weight.

The muscles in his shoulders tensed and he froze.

Music bumped from the floor below, hopefully blocking out the telltale noise.

He widened his stride, balancing his weight on the balls of his feet. He pulled his gun out and moved his finger to the trigger.

He skirted around the stripper pole and the black light caught his crisp white T-shirt, making him stick out like a purple dinosaur.

He paused at the doorway, his breath shallow and barely audible to his own ears.

Voices carried from down the hall, but he’d have to get closer to make anything out over the hum of the party downstairs.

At the closed door, he pulled out his phone. Not having his earpiece was a really shitty deal. At least he had some form of communication. He moved his fingers swiftly across the screen.

I’m in.

He kept his phone in his free hand. As soon as he was closer and could get a vantage point, he’d let them know he was in position.

He eased open the door, light from the hall streamed into the dark room, and he scanned the hall before pressing his back to the doorjamb.

He kept his Glock drawn and pointed to the floor.

A loud smack resounded through the air. He froze.

Ice coated his skin and his breath stalled in his lungs.

He’d heard that sound too many times to count in his life.

Had been on both the receiving and delivering ends of it.

“Is that all you’ve got?” Maddie’s defiant, derisive voice cut through him. His teeth ground together and the muscles in his face grew hard. Dammit to hell and back, what was she thinking challenging them? Anger seared through his body. He’d wring her damn neck—

But she was alive…

Carlos’s deep, rumbling voice followed. “Enough. I want the last shot, and then you can kill her.”

Fear gripped his heart. He had to close in before it was too late. He kept his back flat to the doorjamb and peered around the corner. A short hallway led straight ahead, breaking off to the left where their voices drifted from. He crossed the distance in five wide strides.

His pulse drummed against his eye socket, threatening to blind him.

He peered around the corner of the hallway and into the larger sitting area.

Hector’s back took up most of his view, Carlos and another man stood beyond them.

Through Hector’s wide stance, Maddie’s slim legs flashed at him.

He bit a hole in the top of his tongue. The metallic taste of blood filled his mouth.

His fingers itched to fire, but he couldn’t risk it.

“Don’t you want to hear what I did to Tony first?”

Nate’s shoulders eased down and he shook his head, the corner of his mouth tugged into a smile. Later, he’d give her props for quick thinking. He pulled out his phone and typed a message to Ashley.

I’m in place. Go.

Two heartbeats later, a flurry of movement on the other side of the room from the staircase caught his eye. “FBI! Drop your weapons!” Ashley’s scream sent goosebumps over his skin.

His stomach twisted into a tight knot. Carlos’s hands raised in the air, as did the other man’s. Hector backed up.

“Let her go!” Dylan came up beside Ashley, his gun trained on Hector.

Nate’s lungs burned with the need to breathe, but he couldn’t for the life of him suck in a breath.

Hector’s hand slid around his back. Nate stiffened and stepped around the corner.

Before he could form a course of action, Hector pressed the muzzle of the gun to Maddie’s temple.

Ashley and Dylan yelled simultaneously, but their words didn’t register.

All sound fell away from him, their screams miles away, as if he were in a wind tunnel.

A white mist clouded his vision, blocking everything out except Hector’s form.

Hector already knew he was going to prison.

He’d shoot her without a second thought.

He had to take a chance.

Only milliseconds slipped by, but they seemed like minutes. He closed one eye, steadied his automatic, and hovered over the trigger. Sweat rolled over his brow and dropped into his eyes, but he didn’t blink. He couldn’t move, couldn’t be off by a millimeter.

He wet his lips and pulled the trigger. Maddie’s scream tore through him and he broke into a dead run. His fists pumped through the air as he watched the bullet rip through the back of Hector’s pants, hitting him in the hamstring. He collapsed like a house of cards.

Nate’s knees connected with the floor as he slid to Hector’s side, tearing the gun from his fingers.

Dylan charged at them, tackling Hector, while Ashley cuffed Carlos and the other man.

Maddie sat on the floor, her blue eyes wide.

A trickle of blood ran down her temple. Nate dropped beside her.

He ached to pull her into his arms, but he needed to see for himself that she was okay… that she hadn’t been shot.

His hands closed over her shoulders and he brought his face an inch from hers. “Maddie, are you all right? Are you hurt?”

She shook her head wildly, but her chin trembled, belying her tough front. He pulled her against him, crushing her into his chest. Her arms circled around his waist and she breathed into his throat.

“How did you find me?” Her voice shook.

He ran his hands in a slow, constant stroke down her back. She was so slim, yet so fit and strong. Pride expanded in his chest. She hadn’t broken under the pressure, hadn’t wavered when she’d been seconds from death. Instead, she’d fought. She’d kept them talking and stayed strong.

His fingers found the silky strands at her scalp, reveling in the scent of her coconut shampoo. “We found a small lead with the club’s name at Carlos’s yacht company.”

She pulled away and tilted her chin. “When Ashley and Dylan came in… I thought…”

His jaw hardened. “You thought I didn’t come?”

She shook her head. “No. I knew you were here.” Tears misted her eyes and she pressed her lips together. “All I could think about is that if I died, you would think I had slept with Carlos.”

Nate snorted a laugh. Somehow, all that seemed so damn insignificant now. Despite that, hope soared through him. Later, he’d get more answers. For now, it didn’t matter. He was barely aware of Ashley and Dylan leading Carlos, Hector, and the other man out of the building.

He moved his palm to cup her cheek. A thick black ring circled under her eyes, her makeup smudged across her cheekbones, and her hair tangled. Her left cheek bore a hint of purple, and her bottom lip swelled.

Rage shot through him. He’d heard the smack, but seeing the damage sent a fire blazing in his guts. He slid his thumb over her bottom lip.

“I’ll fucking kill them for that,” he breathed.

Maddie’s eyes lit with amusement and the corner of her mouth split into a grin, revealing her white teeth. “Don’t sweat it. They hit like girls.”

A deep laugh rumbled in his throat. God, she was amazing. “Maddie, I love you.” His voice pitched with emotion, but he didn’t give a shit.

Tears shone in her eyes. “I love you, too. I knew it at Dana’s wedding.”

His smile wilted. “Me, too.”

Her eyes widened. He swept a tendril of hair out of her face and closed his mouth over hers.

Her warm lips moved against his and relief washed through him.

Nate pulled away, pressed one last kiss to her full mouth, and helped her to her feet.

She tucked her shoulder under his and he led her toward the stairs.

It was over. She was here, in his arms, and he’d be damned if she ever left.

He’d never let anything get in the way of his love for her.