Digitalis (36 page)

The guy sprang up and swung a back-handed fist at Max. Though he stumbled, Max never released his weapon.

Griffin lunged into the fray. Both hands grabbed at the man fighting Max. A kick darted up and caught Griffin in the knee. “Aagh!”

Max rammed a hard right into the guy’s face, quickly followed by a swift undercut to the gut. But the assassin seemed unfazed. He rammed Max hard.

Stepping in again, Legend caught a fist—but not the one that nailed his jaw. Flames erupted from the large man’s eyes. He sliced both hands against the assassin’s shoulders.

With the way those three were going at it, Colton couldn’t risk taking a shot. No telling who he’d hit. He glanced back to Piper, relieved to find her hovering in the closet.

Crack! Crash!

“Stop him!”

The noise drew him back around. A tangle of bodies left the door propped open. Squirt and Legend wobbled to their feet. Struggling to extricate himself from a tangle of cords from the overturned TV, Max cursed and jerked free. Unbelievably, the assassin had slipped away and escaped the room. Max scrabbled to his feet and flung open the door.

Sparks flew off the metal frame as Max pushed into the open, but

he ducked and kept moving, followed closely by Griffin. How did that guy take down two of their best?

With a deft move, Azzan landed a punch that dropped the first guy He’d no sooner taken a step than another brick wall slammed into his back. He hit the beach, face first. Grit puffed in his face. He swiveled around, trying to lock his legs around the guy, but the rock-solid abs seemed to be a mile wide.

The guy flipped him over.

Azzan used the man’s over-eagerness and managed to spin out of the man’s grasp and leap to his feet. The big guy was just as fast—and enormous. But what frightened Azzan was the fluid moves that belied his size.

And the guy knew how to fight.

Despite his best technique, the gorilla avoided a lethal strike. He wasn’t even trying to kill him, but to knock him out and get on with things. They’d set a trap, he’d fallen into it, but he wouldn’t get downed again.

Raiyah
.

The thought of her spiraled adrenaline through his veins. He had to get back to her and to the old man. Had they already killed him?

The gorilla of a guy shifted and dove in fast.

Azzan came at him from the outside. Slid a hand around his neck. Used the other to swing the guy around in a corkscrew move, then retraced the steps, landing the guy on his back. The gorilla landed with a thud.

Go, now!
Azzan launched over the broad chest, but the guy raised a hand, caught Azzan’s foot. He flipped forward. His hands dusted the beach. He used the momentum to roll himself through and bounce upright. Kept moving.

“Stop, or I’ll shoot!”

He made the fatal mistake of looking back. Saw the muzzle aimed at him. The determined gaze behind the scope.

Dressed in black, head to toe, the guy aimed an M4 at him.

Breathing hard, Azzan slowly rose to his full height, wiped the dribble of warmth sliding down his chin. Muscles twitching, firing neurons told him to run. But the look in the man’s face … the way he held the weapon with a relaxed yet determined pose made him hesitate.

“You can run,” he barked, “but you’ll only die tired.” “Go ahead.” With an evil grin, gorilla pushed to his feet. “Run.” He sneered. “Please make my day.”

The wiry guy spoke from behind. “He’s never missed yet.” Rhetoric like that had tricked many of his kind. So had whizzing bullets.

“I just wanted to help the old man and the girl.”

The man was slipperier than a brand new foal, and for that reason, Colton wouldn’t lower his weapon till Max and Legend had the assassin secured. “Help them, what? Die?” He watched as a very ticked off Max came up behind the guy, grabbed his arm, and yanked it back and up, forcing the man to his knees.

“Help them by running?” Max cinched plastic strips around the guy’s arms.

He and Legend hoisted the assassin to his feet. They trudged back to the hotel, and Colton felt the tension knots mount at the half-dozen patrons watching from their patios and windows. He lowered his weapon to the side and held it at an angle that hopefully wouldn’t put anyone into a panic. They had witnesses, and that most likely meant authorities.

Speaking of … that wail in the distance was probably their personal escort to the local prison.

“Short on time,” he mumbled to Max as they crossed the paved entrance to room 166.

Inside, Max and Legend moved the man toward the bed—but he stumbled. Slumped against the bed—and used the momentum to bounce back up. He thrust a foot into Legend’s gut, doubling him. Then he flung around and did the same to the Kid, who flew back into the TV.

Piper screamed.

With a wicked move, the guy hopped through his arms, bringing his hands to the front. He threaded his fingers, then spun and looped his arms around Piper’s neck. With a thrust, he pulled her into a stranglehold.

Weapon snapped up, Colton felt everything in him go cold. “Let her go!” Colton roared, sighting the guy. He could take him, but the risks were tremendous, especially with a weapon he wasn’t intimately familiar with. He could miss and hit Piper. Or Midas hovering over Piper’s father.

“I want out of here,” the assassin said. “And I don’t want anyone following.”

“Not happening,” Griffin said with a fierce growl as he came to his feet, holding his stomach. “The only place you’re going is six feet under.”

“Stop—stop—stop!” Piper held out her hands to both Colton and Griffin, her stomach arched out as she tried to maintain her balance. Her eyes were wide—but not with the terror he’d expected at being the personal shield of an assassin.

“That’s right,” the assassin said with a sneer. “Listen to the lady.”

Something glinted in Piper’s expression. “Colton, don’t shoot him. Please—I promise, he won’t hurt me.”

“How do you know that?” Yet even as he asked, he couldn’t help but notice the matching eyes.

“He’s… he’s my cousin.”

With the issued Glock trained on the assassin, Colton held firm but still.

So did the assassin. He peeked over Piper’s shoulder. Then shifted. “Lily?” The disbelief pitched his voice. “I don’t … understand.” He released her.

That was all the team needed.

Griffin pounced on him. Rammed his fist into the guy’s face. Immediately, Max was on him, too.

With another scream, Piper shuffled back as the three wrestled. She spun to Colton. “Make them stop. Please!” Tears rimmed her eyes. “You saw what he just did.”

“Azzan, please—tell them you’ll listen, you’ll cooperate.” They pressed his face against the floor as the Kid worked to secure his hands and feet. It looked as chaotic as trying to wrestle a squid. “Okay, okay …”

Everything went still. Could they believe the guy?

Not on their lives!

Max palmed the guy’s face, pressing downward, and leaned close. “One wrong move …”

“How do I know I can trust you people?” the assassin—Azzan—asked.

“You don’t.” Max eased off him, his weapon held firmly on the guy.

On his back, Azzan looked up at them, his hands held out in surrender.

“Get up, nice and slow. You’ve already made enemies with my team. I’m sure Legend won’t hesitate to split your gray matter.”

Griffin hoisted the M16 higher. The way his former MARSOC buddy hugged that weapon made Colton hesitate, that and the venom pouring out of his eyes.

With a wicked look at Piper, Max said, “You’ve got things to explain.” He pointed to Azzan. “He’s Palestinian—inherent Jewish enemy. An assassin.” Breathing hard from the fight, Max glared at her. “Any other surprises we should know about?”

“It’s not her fault.” Azzan slowly rose and settled on the edge of the extra bed, gripping his knees as he caught his breath. “She didn’t know. Nobody knew.”

“Except me.”

Colton’s gaze slid back to the old man, who pushed himself out of the bed.

“Whoa, wait.” Midas shoved to his feet. “You shouldn’t be—”

Rosenblum waved him off. “I am fine.”

“Like he—”

“Hey.” Glaring at the medic, Azzan stood.

Griffin jerked visibly.

Azzan lowered his head. Raised his palms again.

But the guy’s eyes showed no submission. He was placating them. Buying time. And another thing registered—Azzan had the exact same eye color as Piper. Even same skin tone. The similarities stopped there. Their differences included the scar above his left eye that bore testament to the guy’s hard edge. Crooked nose. Scar behind the left ear—bullet scar, if Colton wasn’t mistaken.

“There are bigger threats than Azzan now,
nachon?”
Rosenblum said as he shuffled toward Max. Very close.

Max shifted. Stared down at the man with gray, mussed hair. “Yeah?”

Most people didn’t like others invading their personal space. Especially anyone with military training, because it weakened their tactical advantage. It meant death. Even Colton felt tiny balls of tension beading at the base of his neck. There was too much happening here that the team didn’t know about. That left them vulnerable.

Again, Rosenblum inched closer. Why was the old man pushing it?

“Back up, man,” Max said, an edge hitting his words.

This time, Piper dove into the fray. “It’s just—” She hesitated when the Kid moved toward her. “Would you calm down?” Her voice piqued.

Max glowered. “We’ll sort this later. Let’s move out.”

“No, listen,” Azzan said. “The reason my uncle went into hiding is because right now six messengers are either entering or are already within the borders of Israel with backpack nukes.”

H
old up.”

At Max’s terse words, Piper turned to her father, noticing the way he wobbled, and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. Were they bonier than before?

“Nukes? Are you serious?” Colton’s voice scraped down her spine.

“I thought this was a simple snatch-n-grab,” the Kid whined.

Her stomach rumbled, having not eaten since they’d been on the plane, but also from the threat hovering in this hotel room. She glanced at her father. At Azzan. Why had her father entrusted her cousin with the reason why they went into hiding? And how long had Baba known his nephew was an assassin?