Bound by Vengeance (13 page)

The radio inside the car caught him off-guard. He startled slightly, yanking himself from his thoughts as Vince’s smooth voice broke across the airwaves.

“Sector One, is everything alright up there? That car was doing an awful lot of moving and shaking. What’s going on?”

Josh rolled his eyes and picked up the receiver. “All clear. Alpha was just knocking me down a peg or two, per usual. You want to come take my place for a bit?”

The radio crackled with the sound of Vince’s feigned thought. “That would be a negative, Bravo. I’ve been on the receiving end of those blows before. It’s not a place I like to be.”

“Roger that.”

A small smirk played on Sebastian’s lips as he stared out the window. Perhaps he wasn’t losing his touch after all. He wondered if Marx saw the way his teammates looked at him. Maybe it wasn’t enough or maybe the big man just didn’t care. Sebastian snarled beneath his breath. He’d never showed an ounce of mercy or compassion on the job. Not once. He understood the importance of making sure his life and family affairs were in order, and like it or not, he did whatever needed to be done. What the hell else did he want from him? What else was there? Frowning, he rubbed the ache in his neck and watched the warehouse doors. He was sick of waiting around on Laychee. The bastard was dragging things out and pushing his patience too far. Not to mention the little stunt he’d tried to pull with his security team. That was far from forgiven. His fists curled as he remembered the pictures. Pictures of Taylor, his sister, and his partner.

Josh glanced over as his hand closed around the door handle. “What the hell are you doing?”

“Shaking things up a little.”

“Are you insane?” Josh hissed, grabbing his arm.

They both froze as headlights swept across the grounds. The beams bounced with the uneven terrain, reflecting off the rusted railroad cars and abandoned truck trailers scattered throughout the yard. Motes of dust and sand kicked up behind the vehicle and swirled in a reddened cloud. The gleaming Navigator was as out of place in the dilapidated surroundings as Sebastian’s sleek S550.

“Shit,” Josh muttered. Slamming his coffee back in the holder, he grabbed the radio. “Thanks for the head’s up asshole. We got company.”

“Sorry boys. I was taking a piss. Stand by. I’m keying in the plates and running them now.”

“Taking a piss,” Josh repeated dryly. Lifting a brow, he turned to Sebastian. “Maybe we should cath him the next go round.”

His shoulders shook with a silent laugh. “The idea does have merit.”

Another curse burst past Josh’s lips as the SUV rolled closer. Sebastian closed his eyes. It was too late to pull out. Any movement and they would be spotted for sure. There were no guarantees they hadn’t been already. His jaw tightened and he rolle
d his shoulders. The stiffness knotting the muscles was becoming unbearable. Pulling his pistol free, he wrapped his finger around the trigger. Now it was a waiting game, a matter of who would twitch first. His gaze shifted between the encroaching Navigator and the warehouse doors, his tension ratcheting.

“Do you want the good news or the bad news?” Vince asked.

Sebastian squeezed his throbbing sinuses between his thumb and forefinger, ignoring the questioning look from his partner.

“Just give it to us stra
ight,” Josh spat. “You’re in enough trouble as it is.”

“The good news is I think we just locked down Laychee’s supplier. The vehicle is registered to an Armando Soeleze, a known weapons dealer. He was on the BATF radar for a while, but two years ago, he se
emingly dropped off the face of the planet. No one’s seen or heard from him since.”

“Yeah, great. Lucky for us, he’s back in orbit. What else do you got?”

“He’s most likely armed and extremely dangerous.”

Sebastian slumped. That was the best their eyes and
ears could come up with? A low pulse of anger surged through his system. Beside him, Josh rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, that’s real helpful of you. Thanks a lot.” Scrubbing a hand over his face, he turned in his seat. “What the hell are we gonna do here, Baas?”

He rubbed a forefinger across the stubble dotting his chin and pondered the situation. They didn’t have many options, and they sure as hell didn’t have the gun power to go toe-to-toe with someone like Soeleze. Laychee alone was questionable enough on a night when they had the whole division in place. Tonight, it was just two teams on the ground and one on standby in the air. His eyes snapped up to the windshield as the doors to the SUV swung open, bathing the interior with a bright flood of light. Several soft clicks flooded the inside of the Mercedes as Josh snapped off a succession of pictures. Holding his breath, Sebastian waited. His entire body stiffened into rigid attention as two of the men exiting the Lincoln looked their way. Josh released a ragged exhale beside him.

“Stay calm,” Sebastian urged softly. “We’ve got this. Send the pictures through. Let Vince do his job.”

“What, like my last act?” Josh asked with a rueful laugh. “Mission first, right?”

“We’re going to be fine.”

From the corner of his eye, he watched Josh send the images through. Within a few minutes, Vince would have facial recognition matches. It was what they needed if they were ever going to take Laychee and his crew down. He glanced back up and tensed. Three of the five men were starting to edge their way toward the Benz. Their leader, a burly baldheaded man with caramel skin, shouted something he couldn’t decipher. Blowing out a steady breath, he slowly unlocked the safety and cocked the hammer on his pistol. Josh’s weapon clicked in tandem beside him.

His fingers crept toward his ear as Josh pulled the plug on the radio and swiped a scrambler over their electronics. “Nighthawk, get Sector Three in the air. We’ve been compromised. Hostiles are engaging.”

A small tremble ran through him. Images of Taylor flashed before his eyes, and for a brief second he wondered if it would end up being the last time he saw her. His stomach clenched as one of the men reached back and drew a gun from his waistband. The lanky pair flanking him started to do the same. This was it. The world started to unfurl in slow motion.

“On three,” he whispered.

Sebastian grabbed the door handle. He counted without thought, his mouth dry and parched. On the count of three, they both sprung from the car. Bright flashes detonated a few feet away and the silence was shattered with a rapid hail of gunfire. Glass blew around them in an outward spray. Sparks flew from the car as it rocked beneath a steady barrage of bullets. The ricochet of metal off metal was deafening. His heart pounded as he hit the ground and crawled under the car to join Josh on the other side. His partner glanced down with a wince, clutching his upper arm.

“Were you hit?”

“No. It’s nothing, just some glass.”

Sebastian nodded, his eye
s darting to the line of railroad cars and truck trailers. They would at least offer some shield on the way to the road. His heart skidded to a halt in his chest as more shouts joined the fray. A bullet passed too close for comfort setting off a dull ring in his ear. The world droned in and out around him. Jerking his head toward the cluster of rusted metal, he motioned for Josh to run. Reluctance shone in his partner’s blue stare.

“Go. I’ll cover you.”

“Baas…”

“Go!” he snapped.

He winced, ducking his head for a second as a semiautomatic rifle sent pieces of the car shooting past him. His shoulders heaved as he drew several steadying breaths. Pursing his lips together, he raised his weapon and stepped out from behind the car. The first shot caught one of the gunmen square in the chest. He hit the ground, a rapid stain soaking the front of his shirt. Sebastian fired again, catching another between the eyes. The outward spray of blood and brain halted the men beside him for just a second. In the distance, he could hear the chopper closing in. Vince was shouting something about the rally point in his ear. His breath bordered on hyperventilation as he picked off a third shooter and dove back behind the car. Bracing his back against the door, he jammed his fist against his head and waited.

They weren’t closing in the way he’d expected. Most of the bullets weren’t even hitting where he sat bunkered against the car. A cold chill ran through him as Sebastian realized why. They’d given up on hitting him and were concent
rating on penetrating the gas tank. His shoulders shook with embittered laughter. He had to give it to them—that was one way to flush him out. Most likely in pieces.

“Bravo, tell me you made it,” he said, pressing his earpiece deeper.

“Affirmative. Where the hell are you?”

Sebastian closed his eyes. Trapped. Pinned down in a bad spot with no way to escape. He’d always prided himself on being an honest man, but now wasn’t the time. The truth would only draw Josh out and get them both killed.

“Don’t worry about me. I’m right behind you.” He waited until there was a pause in gunfire before speaking again. He could only assume they were reloading. “Get to the rally. If I’m not there in six, leave without me.”

“I’m not going anywhere without you. You get your as
s there, you hear me?”

He sighed softly. “I hear you.”

“We did good today, right?”

He felt a pang of sorrow hearing the uncertainty and hope in his partner’s voice. Shutting down the unwanted rush of emotion, he dropped his chin against his chest. The gunf
ire picked up with renewed intensity. The car jerked against his back. He couldn’t risk letting Josh hear his position, but he responded in a quiet murmur to himself. “Yeah, buddy. We did.”

A jolt of pain rocketed through his shoulder, snapping him to his
senses and igniting his rage. He snorted with agony, his eyes darting to the line of trailers. Reaching behind him, he fingered the sharp shard of metal jutting from his back. It was better than a bullet. Biting back a cry, he wrenched it free and hurled it to the ground. The sight of his blood glistening back at him only served to fuel his anger. Wincing, he jerked his second weapon free and edged toward the front of the car. Taking that path was a longer run, but there was no way he could come around the back where their attention remained focused. Another bullet or two and the car would blow. It was better to go down fighting than stay trapped like a rat on a sinking ship. He owed himself, his team, and his family that much.

Dimly, he wondered what had ha
ppened to Sector Two and if they had made it out okay. He could barely hear the radio in his ear over the pounding of his heart and the gunfire. Even his breathing was unnaturally loud as he tried to focus on his training and draw off his instincts. Taking one more deep breath, he closed his eyes, counted to two, and ran. His first plan had been to go backwards and fire off shots as he went. The terrifying frenzy of bullets chasing after him changed his mind. Dirt and rocks flew up, pelting his legs. A shot to the side of his bulletproof vest almost brought him to his knees. The pain was enough that he wondered if it went clean through. Another bullet whizzed past, clipping the edge of his ear.

Darting between the blue plastic barrels lined up through the ya
rd, he kept his eye on the road. A cold prickle stirred on his nape. Cold enough to turn his blood to ice. Cursing, he dove into the open slit of one of the railroad cars. Bullets pinged off the sides, and a chunk of blue plastic flew past and his heart skidded. He’d escaped one explosion only to set himself up for another. A slow crackle erupted from the barrel, sending an electric ripple across his skin. Roaring with pain and frustration, Sebastian fought to slam the metal doors shut.

Fire rushed through
the open crack and his world exploded. The car jolted upward with the blast and rolled. Rocked off his feet, he slammed against the far wall and tumbled end over end. A hellish eternity passed before everything stopped and stilled. Gasping for breath, Sebastian blinked against the darkness. His eardrums pulsed in and out with the world around him and a high-pitched ringing flooded his skull, making him wince. He struggled to sit up, to move, but bit-by-bit his surroundings and the pain started to fade away. The pull of his eyelids became too much. His chest rose and fell slowly.
One… two… three
…then, he felt no more.

It started with a pained gasp and spread into a violent cough that made his chest and ribs throb. Struggling to sit up, Sebastian fought against the straps holding him down. He bucked violently against the restraints, panic stabbing clear through to his core. His eyes flew open and slammed back shut against the bright, intrusive glare.

“Easy, Baas.”

His chest jerked at the familiar sound of his partner’s voice. Letting out a huge sigh of relief, he sagged back down against the bed and slit his eyes open. It was hard to focus, and for a minute, he saw double. Running his tongue over his parched lips, he tilted his head toward his arms.

“Untie me,” he said in a hoarse rasp.

“I can’t do that, partner. Not yet.”

He nodded in mute understanding, his gaze shifting to the ceiling as a cold ball of dread coiled in his stomach. Strips of fluoresce
nt lights dangled from the metal rafters overhead along with a more concentrated round, metallic spotlight. He’d seen them enough times before to know where he was. Closing his eyes, he supposed the infirmary was better than the reconditioning room. Maybe. The straps raised some serious concerns, given the fact that no one else but Josh was around. Maybe Marx just wanted him alive and conscious enough to endure whatever he had coming. Turning his head to look at his partner, Sebastian frowned.