Malcolm came to pick up Pippa just as Brigid finished her lettuce wraps. They were exactly what she needed. “How’s Angus?” she asked.
“Stubborn and cranky, but he enjoyed the chicken-and-rice dish.” His dark green eyes sparkled, and in his black jacket, he looked like a badass. Several women had tracked his progress across the restaurant, but he hadn’t seemed to notice. Droplets of rain clung to his dark hair. He held Pippa’s coat out for her. “It’s raining. Did you have fun?”
“I did,” she murmured, her face rosy from two glasses of wine.
“Good.” He looked around. “You guys leaving?”
Nari waved him off. “I’ll get the check—you two go ahead. We need to return to the office in case Raider or Wolfe has news.”
Mal nodded. “Okay. I’ll be in bright and early, but if anything breaks, let me know right away. I’ll be there.” He put his arm around the pretty brunette and they headed for the door.
“I like her,” Dana said, finishing her wine. “They make a nice couple.”
“They really do.” Nari signed the check. “Okay. Our two hours are over. Time to head back to reality.”
It had been a nice two hours. Brigid scooted from the booth and led the way past the other patrons, opening the door to a light rain. Darkness had just started to push away the light, and it was an easy trek across the parking lot to Raider’s gleaming truck.
She clicked the fob to unlock it, and two men emerged from behind it.
Nari immediately stepped up to her side, her heels clicking. “What do you want?”
Brigid looked rapidly around, but nobody else was near. The bar was off the main drag, and the parking lot well lit. Should she scream? Wait a minute. She looked closer. “Josh the Bear?”
Josh’s eyebrows rose. “Yep.” He pulled out a snub-nosed pistol. “Our truck is behind yours. Let’s take that one, Luke.”
What was happening? Had Raider been found out? Wait a minute. No way could Josh have traced Raider back to the HDD. This wasn’t making any sense.
Luke, a dead ringer for Idris Elba, looked at Dana. “She the reporter?”
“Yep,” Josh said, gesturing at them with the gun.
Ah, crap. Josh had followed Dana. Brigid looked for a way to run back to the restaurant without getting shot, but no avenue presented itself.
Dana stepped up on Brigid’s other side. “If it’s me you want, leave them.” Her voice shook, but she tried to push herself in front of Brigid.
“No,” Josh said. “I could shoot one or even two of you, but I’d rather not. Just come with us, we’ll have a discussion, and I’ll let you go.”
“Bullshit,” Nari said, kicking up so fast her leg was just a blur. She hammered Josh in the wrist, and the gun flew out of his hand, dinging a Buick. Her shoes were in the dirt, and her bare feet brutal. She kicked Josh beneath the jaw and pivoted, nailing Luke right in the balls.
Brigid froze for a second and then bunched and ducked, head-butting Josh as hard as she could in the gut. He doubled over with a painedoofand grabbed her shoulders, throwing her against the truck. She impacted with a loud crunch, and pain ripped down her arm. “Run, Dana,” she yelled, falling to her butt on the wet dirt.
Dana turned to run for help, but Luke was on her, grabbing her by the ponytail and sling-shotting her against the truck. She hit next to Brigid and dropped with a cry of pain. Brigid scrambled to her feet as Nari and Josh traded blows, Nari clearly winning. She dropped him to his knees and did a quick spinning kick to his head that knocked him against the post of the streetlight.
Brigid went for Luke, who was reaching for his gun. He pivoted and punched her in the cheek. Stars exploded behind her eyes, and she fell fast, landing on Dana. Dana grabbed her and hauled them both to their feet, where they tried to balance each other.
Luke whipped out a square object and pressed it to the back of Nari’s neck. The thing crackled, her head jerked, and she flopped to the ground.
“Nari,” Brigid cried out, rushing to her friend.
Josh caught her around the waist as the other guy grabbed Dana. He carried her easily around the truck to a larger red one and tossed her in the back seat, then followed her in, quickly grabbing zip ties from the back-seat pocket and securing her hands.
Dana landed next to him, and he did the same to her while the other guy ran up front and jumped in the driver’s seat, quickly speeding away.
Brigid reached for the door handle with her bound hands, pulling wildly.
“Childproof,” Josh said calmly as the driver slowed down to meander sedately onto the main road.
It had all happened so fast. Brigid tried to catch her breath and leaned forward to look beyond Josh to Dana. The reporter had mud in her hair and a bruise forming on her chin, and her eyes were dazed. “You okay?”
