Shadows and Silk Page 17

  “Compact powder? Believe me, you’re pale enough without it. Maybe try getting a little sun instead.”

  “This is my creation,” he said. “What these underground labs were built for, and why Ramos has paid me so much money he’s almost bled himself dry. But let me tell you a little secret. This is the pure stuff. Not the mix I’ve been passing off on Ramos. We’re going to have some fun, Doctor MacKenzie. I always did prefer my women to have some intellect. And I like it when they fight.”

  The promise of what was to come flashed in his eyes, and Lindberg opened the little round case in his hand. Darcy could see it was filled with a loose white powder, and sweat coated her frigid skin while her heart pounded against her chest. There was no way out of this. She was going to die. And she was going to die painfully.

  Think Darcy, think!

  He moved toward her and stuck the tip of his gloved finger into the powder, holding the case steadily in his hand. She’d only get one chance, but he had to get close enough. Just a couple of more steps.

  He was just about to close the case when he made that last step, and she kicked up with her legs, ignoring the excruciating pain in her arms and wrists as all of her weight was put on them, and she kicked out at his hands so the case of powder flew up and into his face.

  All it took was one small touch of Rabbit on the skin for the drug to take effect. Doctor Lindberg had just taken an entire face full. White coated his face and eyelashes, and his pale eyes looked up at her with disbelief and hatred.

  “You bitch!” he yelled.

  If he touched her she would be just as dead as he was, and she prayed the increased dose would work even faster than a small amount. He stumbled back, and his skin flushed red from the effects of the drug, even as perspiration dotted his skin. She wanted to look away as he began tearing at his clothes, trying to get them off to seek the release his body craved, but she couldn’t take her eyes off the horrific sight in front of her.

  She had to be ready to fight him if he came for her. Her mouth went dry with fear as he tore the last of his clothes away, and his erection stood angry and red away from his body. Madness gleamed in his eyes, even as he took himself in his hand and started working the shaft with impossible speed.

  He took a step towards her and Darcy screamed and screamed, praying for Brant and a miracle. The monster took one more step and then his eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed to the ground, his head hitting the concrete with a sickening thud. His nude body lay still next to her feet, and the scent of death filled the air.

  Darcy couldn’t control the nausea this time, and she turned away as her stomach heaved and her eyes flooded with tears.

  Chapter Eighteen

  “I want communication every step of the way,” Declan said. “Smith and Huxley take the north side. Max and Brant cover the southwest and I’ll take the southeast. Jade will cover us from here. SEAL Team 6 and 4 are both here. Don’t get in their way. Our mission is to get all of the hostages out alive if we can.”

  They were all dressed for battle—dark green camo and facepaint, and night vision goggles strapped to their heads. The SEALs would go in first and take down as many as they could to clear the path for the agents going inside the underground compound. It must have taken Ramos every bit of four years to build such a place.

  The sound of gunshots echoed in the distance, and Declan gave the signal for them to move into position. They all split off in the directions they’d been told to go. Dec had been right about this looking like a military operation. And not just any military operation. The way Ramos had his soldiers set up around the perimeter, and the way they moved in coordinated fighting positions looked like it had been taken from the US military handbook.

  There was no time to scout the area any more than had already been done. It was sink or swim now, and the longer they waited the less of a chance for survival Darcy had. Brant and Max cleared the chain link fence and then ran for cover as all hell seemed to be breaking loose around them.

  The ruins were exactly like Darcy had said. No more than mounds and valleys of grass with the occasional broken tablet or carving scattered about. It was a large area square footage wise, but they headed away from the main ruins and towards the opposite end of the gated area. There were valleys and hills here as well that were apart of the original Mayan site, but it wasn’t the main area where the temples and relics had once stood. And within the swells of the hills were doors that led to the underground tunnels of Ramos’s organization.

  “We’re in position,” Huxley called out. “Going in.”

  Brant and Max ran to their own entry door, taking care of the guards they’d caught from behind quickly, and rigging up the small explosion to blast through the heavy door.

  “We’re in,” Brant called out, going low through the smoke and into the tunnels.

  “In,” Declan said.

  “Both of your areas are clear,” Jade said.

  “Shit! Shit!” Huxley suddenly yelled. Rapid gunfire and the screams of the dying echoed in theirs ears.

  “Report, goddammit,” Declan said. “Huxley? Don’t you fucking die on me. Sophia will be pissed.”

  A small exhale of a laugh could be heard through the earpiece and Brant knew the sound well. He looked at Max and saw the other man recognized it as well, and even as the sounds of death filled their ears, they started down the tunnels with their weapons ready. They had to keep going.

  “She will be pissed,” Huxley said softly. “Smith is down. And I’m—hit.” A few seconds of labored breathing went by before he spoke again. “Take care of her for me, Dec. I know you will. I’ve always known about—”

  “I’ll take care of her,” Declan answered before Huxley could tell whatever deathbed secret he’d been about to share. “She’ll be safe. I swear it.”

  The line went silent, and Brant and Max traded off covering for each other, moving through the tunnels like death itself when they came across the cartel soldiers.

  “Report,” Declan ordered.

  “All the rooms we’ve found so far are empty,” Max said. “We’re coming up on the last few in this sector.”

  “I’ve got one that looks promising,” Dec said. “It’s got very nice locks.”

  “SEALs are kicking butt and taking names,” Jade said. “The party is still going on, but there aren’t as many to tango. No sign of Alexander Ramos yet. Keep your eyes open down there.”

  There were several locked doors at the end of the hallway, and then another that tunnel led to the left. The underground area was huge, and they’d never find what they were looking for paired off this way.

  “I’m splitting off,” Max said, echoing his thoughts. “We’ve got another tunnel. I should be headed in your direction Dec.”

  “Copy that. I’m still working on this door. It’s coded.”

  Brant nodded once at Max, and then Max split off and went quickly down the other tunnel. Brant went through process of unlocking and securing each of the rooms he came to, and if he’d only been giving them a cursory glance, he would have missed the secondary door inside the last room he opened.

  It was a bunker of sorts, with two cots and a makeshift closet filled with blankets and extra clothes. But behind it was another metal door. This one smaller than the others, only coming to his shoulders. There were two different locks on the door, but the keys were hanging right there on a hook.

  “I may have something here,” he said. “Stand by.”

  The keys turned easily in each lock, telling him they were used often and well maintained because of it, and he held his weapon at the ready as he turned the knob. The smell of blood and dirt and fear hit him in the face as he pushed the makeshift closet out of the way and let the light filter in.

  Pale, dirty faces stared back at him out of terrified eyes, and he counted quickly, noting that Darcy wasn’t among them.

  “I’ve found the girls. It looks like at least one of them is hurt. Darcy isn’t with them.”

/>   “I’ll find her,” Max promised.

  Brant had to put his trust in Max. He had no other option.

  “Hi,” he said, making slow movements and keeping his gun down as he approached the girls. He knelt down in front of them, but to the side so he could see the door. “I’m going to get you out of here, but you’re going to have to help me. I can’t carry all of you. Is everyone able to walk?”

  “Except for Jenna,” one of them said. She looked to be the oldest. “I think her leg is broken.”

  “Okay then. I’ll take care of Jenna and the rest of you are going to stay behind me.” He took out the gun from his ankle holster and held it out to the one who’d spoken. “Shoot if I tell you to and then run like hell.”

  She nodded and took the gun, and then Brant scooped Jenna up in his arms. She was unconscious and he didn’t like her color, but there wasn’t time to examine her now. They started out the door, but Declan’s voice made him pause.

  “We’ve got a little problem here,” he said.

  “What kind of a problem?” Max asked.

  “That door I was telling you about? I finally got it open. Ramos has this place set on a timer to blow to hell and back once the exterior doors are breached. We’ve got about twenty-two minutes to get out and get clear.”

  “Jesus,” Brant said, not sure if he were swearing or praying. “Find her. You’ve got to find her.”

  “Get the girls out,” Dec said. “Jade, meet him at the exterior and you can lead them to safety.”

  “On my way,” she said.

  “I think I’ve got something here,” Max said. Brant could only listen with helplessness as Max cursed at the lock on the door. “Gotcha, you bastard,” Max said. And then he said something that froze Brant’s blood.

  “Oh—shit. This is bad.”

  “Is she alive, goddammit?” Brant screamed.

  “She’s alive.” Brant heard Dec’s exhale of relief. “But, holy shit is this something I never want to see again.”

  “Just get her out of there,” Dec growled.

  “Roger that. I should be on the east side. I think. This place is a maze. She’s manacled by some heavy duty chains. It might take me a minute to get her down.”

  “I’m headed your way,” Dec said. “I can’t disarm this bomb. I don’t have enough time, and it’s unstable as it is. This place is going to blow. Get those girls out.”

  Brant sighed with relief that they’d found Darcy, and he looked at the bedraggled girls in his care and said, “We’ve got to run. Help each other if you have to. I know you can do it. I need you all to be really strong right now.”

  They looked at him like with trust in their eyes and nodded, and then Brant started running for the nearest exit.

  His heart pounded in his chest and his lungs burned as they ran, and he tried to lead the girls so they wouldn’t fall over the bodies they’d left on the ground. He heard Dec say, “Holy shit,” as he caught up with Max, and then he listened to both of them curse as they tried to free her from the chains. He didn’t know what Darcy had faced in that room, but he prayed he could help her get through it.

  “Declan?” the sweetest voice he ever heard came through the earpiece.

  “Figures you’d give him the credit,” Max said good-naturedly. “But I’m actually the one who saved you, sweetheart.”

  “My hero,” Darcy said. And then a single gunshot sounded through his earpiece followed by another—an insurance shot—and then everything went silent and his blood chilled. Sweat soaked his skin and clothes by the time he saw the hole where there had once been a door, and he saw the quick pinpoint of light against the ground—a signal from Jade.

  “I’m in place,” she said. “I’ll take them from here. Go help them. Go. Go!”

  He handed Jenna over to her waiting arms. Arms he knew were strong enough to bear the load. And then he turned around and headed back inside the tunnels, the temperature not nearly as cool as when they’d first entered.

  “Max, Dec,” he said softly, knowing the receiver would pick up his voice. But there was no answer from either of the other men. He took out his earpiece so he wouldn’t be distracted by trying to hear something that wasn’t really there as he took the opposite hallway from where he’d been. He knew he was heading toward the direction Max had gone, but he didn’t know how far he’d made it or how long the tunnel was.

  The lights flickered, and he hoped to hell the SEALs had secured the perimeter and weren’t right on top of them when this thing blew. He could count on Jade to pass the word.

  Brant’s footsteps were silent as he slowed and listened for any signs of life. His hand was steady on his weapon and his focus complete. He’d been in similar situations more times than he could count—only this time it was the woman he loved and his friends whose lives hung in the balance. He couldn’t let that affect him though. They’d all be dead if he did.

  He calculated the time they had left before the bomb blew in his head, and knew he was fighting a losing battle. But just as he had the thought he heard the whisper of voices from not far away.

  The tunnels came to a crossroads, and it was sheer luck that had Brant coming up to the side and slightly behind Alexander Ramos instead of directly in front of him. Fear and rage ate at Brant from the inside out as he watched Ramos yank Darcy up by the hair and hold the gun to her head. Her small cry was like a knife to the heart, and he swore Ramos wouldn’t survive, one way or the other.

  He had to take a deep breath and assess the situation. Declan faced Ramos, and his weapon was on the floor in front of him and his hands were up, though Brant knew that didn’t mean anything. There wasn’t man or machine who could move faster than Declan. Max lay crumpled on the ground to Ramos’s other side, and there was so much blood around his body he knew his friend couldn’t have possibly survived.

  “You won’t stop me,” Ramos said. “Even now your SEALs are dead and the drug is being transported to the first of many auction sites.” He rubbed the gun down the side of Darcy’s face, and laughed as she flinched. “But maybe I’ll keep her. I watched on the surveillance tape what she did to my scientist. She is feisty, yes?”

  “You know none of us are getting out of here,” Declan said calmly. “That little insurance plan you’ve got cooking down the hall will make sure of that.”

  “Then I guess I should kill you now so I can make my escape.”

  Ramos lifted the gun and several things happened simultaneously. Darcy went limp in his arms, Declan dropped and went for his gun, and Brant took the shot he’d been waiting for.

  He didn’t even wait to watch Ramos fall. He ran to Darcy and scooped her up in his arms while Declan threw Max over his shoulder and they both ran like hell towards the exit. The lights continued to flicker and the hill they were inside of seemed to moan and stretch around them, shaking loose chunks of concrete and debris.

  The pale light of morning could barely be seen as the lights went out all together, and Brant stretched his legs and pushed himself even harder as an unholy rumble shook the ground beneath them. They shot out of the underground tunnels and headed for the safety of the trees. Then the earth crumbled beneath their feet, and the hillside behind them dissolved like snow. The atmosphere charged around them as a heat like nothing he’d ever felt chased him like a demon out of the depths of hell.

  Chapter Nineteen

  The only thing Brant knew was that he couldn’t let go of Darcy. The shockwaves sent them flying through the air, and he tucked her tightly against his body and turned so he’d take the brunt of the fall.

  He landed with the force of a thousand men, and he stared up as the sun began to trickle through the leaves above him, and he wondered if this was the white light everyone talked about. He couldn’t breathe and he had no feeling in his limbs, so he figured this must be it.

  And then his lungs started to work and he inhaled in a deep gasp of air, even as the feeling came back to his limbs in the form of pain. Not heaven. And then the woman
he still held tightly in his arms moved and lifted her head so he could see those bright blue eyes, and he decided maybe it was heaven after all.

  “Brant,” she said. And then she burst into tears, burying her head against his chest as her tears soaked straight through what was left of his shirt.

  “It’s all right, sugar,” he said, pulling her closer. “I’ve got you. I’ve got you.” He buried his face against her hair and breathed her in. “And I’m never letting you go. I love you, Darcy.”

  Her head jerked up, and if he’d been a hair slower, she’d have headbutted him in the chin.

  “What?” she asked. “What did you say?”

  Chaos reigned around them as helicopters started circling overhead and shouts and orders were carried out with equal urgency. He should get up and help get things organized, but he only had one thing on his mind at the moment—holding on to Darcy as if his life depended on it. He was through running and making excuses. Love did exist, and it was right there in his arms.

  He rolled her to her back, the ground a soft carpet of moss and leaves, and he leaned down so they were eye to eye. Tears continued to fall, and he wasn’t so sure a few of them didn’t belong to him.

  “I said I love you. It’s no illusion. And I can’t live the rest of my life without you beside me. It’s always been you,” he said, repeating the words she’d once told him. And then his mouth found hers, and all the aches and pains disappeared as her touch soothed his body and soul. It was a kiss of longing and of new beginnings, filled with sweetness and the promise of things to come.

  Something nudged him in the side, and he barely noticed, so focused on the heat of Darcy’s mouth and the way she felt beneath him. And then something a little sharper kicked him in the side, and he grunted as he looked up to see two disgruntled MacKenzies standing over them.

  Darcy buried her face against his neck, and he could feel her silent laughter, but he wasn’t the least bit amused.

  “What the hell do you two want? Go away.” He moved to ignore them and start kissing Darcy again, but Shane decided to speak.