“Thank you,” Reed said quietly. “All of you.”
Walker’s expression softened slightly. “She’s family now, Reed. We don’t leave family behind.”
The words hit Reed like a physical blow, loosening something that had been wound tight in his chest since he’d found Elena’s room empty.
Family. Yes. That was exactly what she was.
“Let’s move,” Reed said. “We’ve got a long drive ahead of us.”
They filed out of the cabin into the gray pre-dawn light, breath misting in the cool air as they loaded into the SUV. Reed took the driver’s seat, his knuckles white on the steering wheel as he pulled onto the road and accelerated toward the highway.
Behind him, his brothers were silent, each lost in their own thoughts. But Reed could feel their resolve, their anger, their readiness to do whatever was necessary to bring Elena home.
Webb thought he’d won. Thought that taking Elena would make them back off, would scare them into submission.
He was about to learn how wrong he was.
Reed pressed the accelerator harder, watching the speedometer climb as the safe house disappeared in his rearview mirror. He picked up his phone, ready to pull in every favor owed to him from his contacts at the government.
Hold on, Elena.I’m coming.
And this time, nothing would stop him.
CHAPTER 15
The gag tasted like oil and old cloth, pressing against Elena’s tongue until she wanted to retch.
She lay on her side in the back of a moving van, her wrists bound tightly behind her back with zip ties that bit into her skin every time the vehicle hit a bump. The darkness was absolute—no windows, no light source, just the rumble of tires on asphalt and the muffled sound of voices from the front cab.
Elena had stopped struggling twenty minutes ago. The zip ties wouldn’t break no matter how hard she twisted, and thrashing around in the dark had only bruised her shoulders and depleted her energy. Better to stay still. Stay calm. Wait for an opportunity.
Dear Lord,she prayed silently,give me strength. Give me wisdom. And please... please let Reed know I didn’t leave by choice.
The thought of him waking up to find her gone, of him thinking she’d abandoned him again after everything they’d been through—it was almost worse than the fear of what Webb had planned for her.
The van slowed, then stopped. Doors opened, footsteps approached, and then the rear doors swung wide to reveal the gray light of pre-dawn.
Marcus Webb stood silhouetted against the sky, his silver hair immaculate, his expensive suit unwrinkled despite the early hour. He looked at Elena the way a collector might examine a rare artifact—with appreciation, possessiveness, and absolutely no regard for her humanity.
“Bring her,” he said to someone Elena couldn’t see.
Rough hands grabbed her arms and hauled her out of the van. Her legs buckled after being cramped in the same position for so long, but the guards holding her didn’t give her time to recover. They half-carried, half-dragged her across what appeared to be a private airstrip, toward a sleek jet that sat waiting on the tarmac with its engines already humming.
Webb walked beside her, his pace leisurely, his hands clasped behind his back like they were taking a morning stroll.
“You never should have left me, Elena.”
She tried to respond, but the gag turned her words into unintelligible sounds.
Webb smiled. “I know, I know. You had your reasons. Principles. Morals. All those tiresome concerns about how WATCHDOG might be ‘misused.’“ He made air quotes with his fingers, his tone dripping with condescension. “But you have to understand—what we created together was extraordinary.Youare extraordinary. Your mind, your capabilities...” He shook his head with what appeared to be genuine admiration. “I’ve worked with hundreds of brilliant scientists over the years, and none of them come close to you.”
Elena glared at him over the gag, pouring every ounce of her hatred into her eyes.
“I need you, Elena,” Webb continued, apparently unbothered by her hostility. “WATCHDOG is powerful, but it could be somuch more. With your help, we could expand its capabilities beyond anything the world has ever seen. Governments would pay billions for that kind of power. We could reshape the entire global intelligence landscape.”
They reached the jet’s boarding stairs, and Webb paused, turning to face her fully.
“I’m going to remove your gag now,” he said calmly. “If you scream, my men will hurt you. Not permanently—I need your mind intact—but badly enough that you’ll regret it. Do you understand?”
