“I know you will.” Jagger’s lips curved in a small, appreciative smile. To Ryker, he let the man know under no uncertain terms, “If you want to fire me for hookin’ up with my team’s handler, I’ll give Baxter a call and have him save me a spot in the unemployment line. But that’s not happenin’ until we’ve found Talia.” He stepped closer. “Please, Jason. I need access to Lopez. If Sinclair was helping Sanchez in some sort of revenge plot against Talia for what happened in Afghanistan all those years ago, Lopez may know something about it. Hell, that could exact reason the guy was demanding to see her before she was taken.”
“Or this Lopez character is in on it,” Gwen proposed. “His claims of having more information on Sanchez could’ve just been a ruse to lure her out into the night.”
Rather than look the woman’s way, Ryker held Jagger’s stare for several seconds before dropping his gaze with a muttered curse beneath his breath.
“I’ll get you in,” the other man agreed. “But don’t think I won’t be right beside you in that room.”
“The more the merrier.” Jagger took no issue with the condition. “But I’ll be the one asking the questions.”
After a moment’s hesitation, Ryker pulled his phone from his pocket and said, “I’ll make the call.” A quick look Keith Sinclair’s way, and he added a grumbled, “Make thattwocalls.” He sighed. “What a fucking mess this is turning out to be.”
The man was right. It was a huge fucking mess. One with the deadliest of consequences. And what terrified Jagger the most was knowing the woman he loved was at the center of it all.
18
Natalia willedher pulse to remain calm and steady, keeping her back plastered against the wall. From this angle, if someone came through the door, she’d have the element of surprise and could attack them from behind.
More than an hour had passed since she’d woken up in this room, and she hadn’t seen anyone since. No one came. There were no sessions of torture. No demands for information or ransom. It was just her and the four bare walls that enclosed her.
The only way out was the locked door she prayed someone would open soon.
When her years of training and experience finally kicked in, the fear and sadness that had been threatening to consume her was replaced by a fiery rage. Talia channeled her anger, using it to fuel her plan of escape.
Another desperate search of the room had resulted in nothing but dust and grime from years of neglect. This place was quiet, and clearly off the beaten path. An unfrequented building that apparently afforded her abductor the security of her never being discovered.
Where is this place?
Natalia had no idea where she was or if this was the place where her life would end. The only thing she was certain of was that she wasn’t giving up without a fight.
She had to escape. Find her way back to the man she loved. Did he even know how she felt? Of course not, because she’d put off saying it aloud. And now…
It might be too late.
No. Screw that. She wasnotgoing to let herself think that way.
It wasn’t over until it was over, and her heart was still very much beating. For life. Love. And for the future she wanted to build with Jagger.
None of those things were out of her reach until she’d breathed her final breath. Since that time hadn’t yet come, Natalia wasn’t about to give up the fight.
Jagger loved her. He’d said so right before making love to her in the most magical of ways. She wasn’t going to just sit here and wait to be killed. Not when she finally had something of her own to live for.
I’m going to find my way back to you, Jagger. As God is my witness, I will not give up. Not as long as there’s still breath in my lungs.
The thought rolled through Natalia’s head seconds before a sound reached her ears. Whatever it was, it had come from the other side of the door.
Someone’s out there!
And from the way it was getting louder, they were quickly approaching the door.
A spike of adrenaline rushed through Natalia’s system as she drew in a deep breath and straightened her spine. With her shoulders pushed back, her hands formed two white-knuckled fists in preparation to strike.
Her idiot kidnapper was about to learn the importance of always cuffing behind the back.
The sound of a key being inserted into its lock preceded a slow turn of the knob. Her pulse raced with anticipation at the awaited round of hand-to-hand combat.
When the door opened, Natalia waited for the person to come into view. The second they did, she went into action.
A deep growl escaped the base of her throat as she jumped onto the back of the man who’d just entered the room. At the same time, she brought her cuffed hands around to the front of the asshole’s head.
