The radio crackled in his ear. “All quiet.”
“Team beta, report.”
“It's quiet out here too.”
Ethan pushed the curtains wide and stared into the darkness, his near perfect vision zeroing in on the west gate, which was wide open. His mouth went dry. “They left. Look through there,” Ethan said to Aaron and then pushed the button for the communications mic in his ear. “I need a vehicle, now.”
Five minutes later, Ethan and Aaron sped down the highway in a rented sedan as the rest of the team convoy scrambled to catch up.
“How do you know they headed to the airport?” Aaron asked from the passenger seat.
“Because the senator had a GPS device planted in Caroline’s necklace.” A fact Cotter had informed Ethan of as he ran through the foyer to get to his vehicle.
Ethan punched the gas pedal to the floor, driving at a breakneck speed down the near abandoned highway.
Ethan made a hard right, put the vehicle in a controlled skid around a wide curve and then sped back up on the straightaway.
“Man, Senator Cotter really screwed the pooch,” Aaron said.
The bright lights of the runway appeared in the distance and Ethan stomped on the gas. “Right now I don't really give a flying fuck who's to blame. I just want to get Kate and Caroline and Celine back safely.”
Ethan squalled tires onto the tarmac, his headlights flashing on two forms too big to be the small females they were tracking. “That's not the girls.”
“That's Caroline's private jet.” Aaron ripped his pistol from his holster.
Ethan screeched to a stop, lunged out of the vehicle, gun drawn, and took aim at the lead man scurrying from the limo to the airplane. “Stop right there!”
The dark-haired man turned and Ethan's heart stopped when he saw Kate unconscious in his arms.
The second man fired off a shot and Ethan ducked behind the door. He pressed the comm button. “We need back up now! We got two suspects boarding the plane. One of them has Kate.”
Aaron took aim at the second man and fired off two shots.The suspect dropped to the ground, unmoving.
The first suspect continued running toward the jet and Ethan took aim, but held off from firing. If he missed, he might hit Kate. “Cover me.”
Ethan took off in a full out sprint, completely uncovered and vulnerable and uncaring. He'd rather die than let anything happen to Kate.
He ran past the man on the ground, his attention focused solely on the plane.
“Ethan, watch out!”
A shot cracked through the air and Ethan heard a bullet whiz right past his ear. Another shot fired off, ending in a dull thud. Ethan spun, his weapon trained on the now dead man on the ground. He nodded his thanks to Aaron for having his back and then took off running after Kate, Aaron pounding behind him.
The airplane engine roared to life. Ethan took the steps two at a time. Light haloed around the suspect as he tried to yank the door shut. Ethan lifted his gun and fired, the bullet pinged harmlessly into the side of the plane. Ethan sprinted to the top of the stairs, his pistol raised and ready. Another shot whizzed past his right shoulder. He dove for the floor of the airplane in a controlled roll and came up firing. One bullet, straight to the man's head. He dropped like a brick to the ground.
Aaron jumped over Ethan and ran into the cockpit. “Clear!”
Ethan got to his feet and took off down the luxurious plane, his heart stopping the same moment his feet did. Kate was laid out on a leather couch, eyes closed, her mouth slack, with her hair hanging over the edge in glistening black waves. He went to his knees beside her. “Kate, can you hear me?”
She moaned and moved her head, and then slipped back into unconsciousness.
“Dammit, Kate, wake up!” Ethan roared, fueled by fear andfury.
Kate opened one eye and lifted a shaky hand to her head, a small gold locket fell from her grip.
Ethan's spine went stiff as realization dawned. They'd tracked Caroline's GPS, but Kate was the one with the necklace. “Aaron, check the rest of the plane.”
Aaron ran past him, slammed through the back door, and then cursed. “They're not here!”
