Page 18 of Rescuing Micah (Prey Security: Cyber Team #3)

Dying couldn’t be an option, because he was all that was standing between Teresa and death, and the woman he loved was not going to die there.

Ignoring the sharp pricks from the syringe he had balanced precariously in his fingers, he forced the horrific truth of his abandonment out of his mind and focused.

This had to work.

He had to get out of this bed.

That was all he needed, from there, he would kill anyone who got in his way.

Earlier, after Teresa had been taken away from him, the nurse had returned. It was clear that she was affected by his impassioned plea to Teresa, a plea his girl hadn't responded to. Not that she owed him any sort of response. He’d broken her heart, and he deserved her fury.

Although the nurse hadn't spoken a word, he had, he’d gone all out trying to convince her to untie him. He hadn't kept anything from her, he’d explained who he was, his training, and his years of experience, and promised to make sure she got out, too.

But it hadn't worked.

The woman was too afraid to get out of her own way and assist in her own rescue.

So he’d picked another option. One he wasn't as comfortable with, but desperate times called for desperate measures. Screaming at the woman, he’d scared her enough that she’d dropped her syringe on the bed before hurrying out.

It wasn't much to work with, but it was something.

At first, he’d hoped he might be able to use it to cut through the leather, but although the needle was sharp enough to pierce the leather, trying to use it as a saw brought little progress.

Not giving up, Micah had shifted gears. Now he was trying to use it to undo the buckle.

Already, he was close. He had it mostly lifted, all he had to do was thread it back through and …

Success.

Hope soared inside him.

With his right hand free it didn't take long to free his left hand, and then both of his ankles.

Then Micah threw himself off the bed. The drugs had already left his system, and while he hadn't eaten anything or had any water since before he was abducted, his body was still stronger than anyone else’s there.

Having nothing to wear but the flimsy hospital gown was annoying, but he’d do this naked if he had to.

Searching the room for something he could use as a weapon, all he could come up with was a scalpel.

At least it was sharp, and his hands were a weapon all of their own, but neither allowed him to take out multiple targets all at once like he could if he had a gun on him.

Still, he’d work with what he had, and he’d come out on top.

Teresa’s life depended on it.

Gripping the scalpel in his fist, he headed for the door.

While he was yet to see anything outside this room, he knew from Ava, Isabella, and the teams that had raided several of the trafficking ring’s properties that there would likely be armed guards about somewhere.

If he wanted to gain the upper hand, he would have to be careful and smart.

All he had to do was get one guard alone, kill him, and take his weapon. After that, it should be easy enough to take out the rest of the guards and any of the doctors or nurses who were there by choice. Once he’d done that, he could find Teresa, make sure she was okay, and call in backup.

Right as he was reaching for the door, he heard a sound on the other side of it.

The only reason he’d survived years as a SEAL was because he had learned quickly to trust his instincts. They could be the difference between life and death. They weren't something to be second-guessed or examined too closely. If they told you something was wrong, then something was wrong.

Hanging back, placing himself where he’d be hidden by the door as the person stepped through it, he watched and waited.

Soon the door opened, with more caution than he would have expected from any of the guards who must be there, or any of the doctors, and he wondered if it could be the nurse he’d scared back to check on him.

But it wasn't a woman who stepped through the doorway.

It was a man.

Dressed all in black with a weapon in his hand.

Had to be a guard.

Knowing he was only going to have one chance to strike, he made the most of it. Darting forward, he wrapped an arm around the man’s neck and jerked him back, the blade of the scalpel pressing into the other man’s skin, ready to slice through his carotid artery.

“That any way to thank your friend for coming after you?” the man drawled, and Micah froze.

That voice.

It belonged to Nathaniel.

At least he thought it did.

But his heart was thudding in his chest, and he was so afraid to move in case he was imagining it.

“Can't mess this up,” he murmured, unaware he’d spoken aloud until Nathaniel spoke again.

“Then let me go and we’ll find her. She’s not dead. They don’t want her dead yet. They want to keep her alive until there’s nothing left for them to take. Let’s go find your girl.”

Find Teresa.

Yes.

That’s what he had to do.

He couldn’t fail her again.

Slowly, he removed the scalpel and released his hold on the other man.

Nathaniel. It was his friend’s eyes he saw when the man turned around, so full of empathy, an understanding that came only because Nathaniel had also messed up with the woman he’d fallen for and almost lost her to this same ring.

“They can't have her,” Micah murmured.

“No, they can't,” Nathaniel agreed.

“Where are we?”

“Believe it or not, about an hour outside the city.”

“Still in the US.” If they were, Nathaniel shouldn’t be there. Navy SEALs weren't allowed to operate on US soil.

“Better not tell anyone I'm here then.” His friend winked and then grinned. “Come on, man, let’s go find Teresa and get you both the hell out of here.”

That sounded perfect, and he kept his grip on his scalpel as he followed Nathaniel to the door. “Who else is here?”

“Tobias, and a couple of other Prey people they could pull together at short notice. Enough of us. We got this.”

Holding onto that belief, they both slipped back out into the hall, and he saw he was in one room off a long corridor. There were so many doors, and Teresa could be behind any one of them.

A shout sounded down the hall, and Micah didn't think.

He started running toward it, ignoring Nathaniel’s yelling at him to stop.

Locating the room where the shout had come from, inside he found Teresa lying unmoving on a bed.

The doctor she’d bitten stood beside her, a scalpel of his own in his hand as he held it to one of her fingers, a couple of nurses were huddled in the corner, and a man he had to assume worked for Prey held a weapon on the doctor.

The doctor watched them with crazed eyes and from the little he’d interacted with the man, Micah knew he wasn't one who could be reasoned with.

Besides, the man had taunted Teresa, and for that, he deserved what he got.

Which was why he didn't feel an ounce of regret about tossing his scalpel and watching with satisfaction as it sank into the doctor’s neck, piercing his carotid artery.

Stepping over the dying man as he dropped to the floor, Micah went straight to Teresa’s too still body. There was a bloody wound on her stomach, a line of stitches haphazardly holding it closed, and a much smaller cut on her finger. What the hell had the doctor been playing at?

Not that it mattered, the man was dying, and the bright red gash on Teresa’s otherwise pale skin was a taunting reminder of the fact that he’d failed her all over again.