Page 136 of Fatal Intent

“Nice of you to join us, Bowen.” Ellis moved the blade, and a stream of red trickled down her throat to the collar of her black t-shirt. “Look what I found. A lovely fairy princess who admits she belongs to you. Is that true?”

Was he serious right now? He sounded as though he’d lost touch with reality. “She’s mine. Don’t hurt her, Ellis. You and your buddy Donovan wanted me. You’ve got me. Leave her alone.”

“Aww. Listen to the pathetic EOD man. He’s willing to sacrifice himself for his woman.”

“Ellis,” Chase snapped. “Rein it in, man. You sound crazy.”

The other soldier’s eyes glittered. “I’m not crazy. Donovan needs to know whether Rayne is telling the truth.” His gaze swung back to her as he tugged her head back even farther. “Isn’t that right, sweetheart?”

She nodded slightly.

“If you want the truth, Donovan, you’ll have to interrogate Bowen. Hard. He might not have been a Navy SEAL like you, but he went through extensive training along with his teammates.He’ll be hard to crack. With the right incentive, though, I’m sure he’ll cooperate. Won’t you, Bowen?”

He said nothing. Didn’t matter what he admitted or didn’t. Donovan and Ellis both planned to kill him. The truth was plain on their faces.

“Place a second chair facing Rayne,” Donovan said, his hand gripping the hilt of his Sig. When Chase did as asked, the sniper glanced at Ellis and tipped his chin.

Ellis grinned and shifted the blade of the Ka-Bar to rest against Rayne’s jugular.

“Cut his zip ties. If you move, Bowen, your woman will pay the price.”

One slip of the knife and he could lose Rayne in minutes. He gave a slight nod. Man, what was taking Seth and the others so long to get into place?

Chase freed his own Ka-Bar from the scabbard and circled around to stand behind Grant.

The passionless kiss of steel sparked the nerves in Grant’s wrists and forearms. With a hard jerk, Grant’s arms were free. He shook them to restore circulation.

Chase propelled him toward the chair facing Rayne and shoved him into the seat. “Hands behind your back.”

Grant complied. All the while, his gaze remained locked with the woman he loved.

Chase caught the duct tape tossed to him and secured Grant’s wrists to the slats at the back of the chair, then taped his booted ankles to the chair legs. “He’s not going anywhere. Start your interrogation, Donovan. We’ll have company soon. I can feel it.”

“Why are you doing this, Donovan?” Grant asked, voice soft.

“My brother Hal is dead because of you.”

“Hal and I were friends. We respected each other. I had no reason to hurt him, so explain what you mean.”

He scowled. “I’m the one in charge, not you. I’ll ask the questions.”

“So ask.”

“What do you know about antiquities going missing on missions before Red Dawn?”

Grant stilled. “Antiquities? That’s what this is about?”

“Answer my question. If you don’t, your woman will bleed.”

His blood ran cold. That wasn’t what he’d expected at all. It was one thing for him to be the target of torture. He couldn’t allow them to hurt Rayne. “I heard about it after the fact. I didn’t know about the missing antiquities before or during Red Dawn.”

“What about your teammates?”

“Same for them.”

“Were you with them every minute during Red Dawn?”

He started to say yes, then paused. Grant thought through the mission and their roles in the operation. “No.”