Page 45 of Rescuing Erin

I crawled under the table and waited, but when no one immediately came through the door and Colin’s grunts got louder, I couldn’t stay there. I looked on the floor for anything I could use as a weapon. A shard of the laptop’s case was within reach. I picked it up and, without thinking, ran full speed at the man who now had a gun pointed at Colin. The man turned but before he could do anything, I thrust the plastic spike as hard as I could into the side of his neck. He stumbled, and we both fell to the floor. My head smacked the concrete so hard it bounced and we rolled. I needed to get up and get the gun but I couldn’t move I was so dizzy.

With a roar that rivaled the sound of the explosion back at Abe’s cabin, Colin had the chain free from the hook that was holding him hostage and had it wrapped around Warren’s neck.

“I told you I’d kill you, motherfucker!” he yelled.

Warren fought and kicked at Colin, trying to get free, but the chain was too tight around his throat for him to do much.

“See you in hell.”

Colin lurched back, and Warren’s feet came off the floor. With a sickening snap, Warren went limp, and Colin dropped him unceremoniously on the floor. The door slammed open and two loud bangs rang out. I turned to see the man I’d stabbed drop the gun that he’d been pointing in my direction.

With his hands still cuffed and dragging a chain, Colin stalked toward me.

“Clear!” someone yelled from inside the room.

Colin didn’t seem all that worried about the new arrivals, so I remained on the floor, still too dizzy to move, and now with the added ringing in my ears it made standing damn near impossible. He stopped at my side and held his hands out.

“Get these fucking things off me,” Colin growled his orders to one of the men dressed in black.

Black gloved hands worked the lock on Colin’s handcuffs. Once his hands were freed, he knelt next to me and picked me up. Standing didn’t seem to be a problem for him. He lifted me as if he hadn’t received two severe beatings in the last few hours.

He looked down at me, and our eyes locked. “Is it over?”

“Yeah, sunshine, it’s over.”

My body quaked in relief, and I buried my face in his chest and sobbed, too overcome with emotion to say or do anything else. He was alive. We’d both made it.

It was over.

Chapter 16

“Six tangos down,” Brooks said, coming into the room. “How many did you count?”

“Only saw four. Warren and three others,” I returned.

“Warren? Charles-motherfucking-Warren? Piece of shit extraordinaire?” Declan asked.

“One in the same.”

I held a shaking Erin in my arms and watched Declan yank the masks off the men in the room. I didn’t recognize the one Erin had taken down but the other man I knew. We’d worked a CIA contract with him years ago. He’d left the agency and word was he was doing contract and mercenary work. Seems Warren had kept in contact with his old operative. Not good.

“All clear,” Max announced, joining us in the room. “The team is waiting. The helicopter is here.”

“Where the fuck are we?”

“Joshua Tree National Park. About a hundred and sixty miles northeast of San Diego.”

“Erin needs a medic.”

“We’re headed to Twentynine Palms. Z and the rest of the guys are waiting for us there. ETA ten minutes,” Dec informed me.

I didn’t bother sparing Charles Warren’s corpse a second glance. My woman needed medical attention. I’d died a thousand deaths watching Erin stab the dirtbag in the neck. His gun had been pointed directly at her chest; she was mere seconds away from being shot. By some miracle she’d gotten the drop on him, and they’d fallen to the floor. But the sound her head made hitting the concrete made me think she’d cracked her skull open. Thank God, it hadn’t, but there was no question she had a concussion. I wasn’t sure if she was the world’s bravest woman or the stupidest one. She could’ve been killed. For all intents and purposes she should be dead, the asshole had a clear, point-blank shot. I wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth, but we’d be having a conversation about her following directions and never putting herself in harm’s way again.

I followed Declan out of the maze of hallways and squinted when the harsh sunlight hit my face.

“Close your eyes, Erin.”

“I think I’m going to throw up.”