Midnight Shadows (17 page)

A giant light brightened the darkness outside and the sound of a helicopter hovering above told her time was up. Silva had arrived.

Lauren drew a deep breath, did her best to ignore the sobbing sound coming from her lungs. She had known this day would come. Even before Silva’s men found her, she had known he would eventually seek her out for retribution. He was an unforgiving man and the blow she’d dealt him would not be forgotten or forgiven.
 

How many people even knew what she had done? She was guessing as few as possible. A doctor for sure since he would’ve had to have medical treatment, along with several stitches. Even though it would have meant certain death, she wished for the thousandth time that the knife she’d plunged into his chest that last day hadn’t been deflected by a rib. If only she had been able to pierce his cold, black heart.

Footsteps sounded outside her room and Lauren turned around, prepared to face her fate.

Robert unlocked the door and pushed it open, his anticipation a living thing. Ever since he’d let her return to Cruz, he had been plotting to have her back. Her escape from Cruz had been a major setback. How he had dreamed of taking her and making her pay for what she had done to him. It had taken every ounce of his patience not to annihilate Cruz the moment he’d heard of Lauren’s disappearance.

Other than the woman in front of him, no one living knew what she had done to him, what he had suffered. He had managed to hide the injury until he could get to his personal physician. It was a convenience that the doctor had croaked not long after that. Made things easier all around.
 

And here stood the woman who’d dealt him that blow. Her head was cocked arrogantly. That look of insolence had challenged him the first time Cruz had brought her around. Like she believed she was more than she actually was. A part of him had enjoyed her spirit. So few men or women challenged him anymore. Obedience was expected from everyone and as comfortable as that was to him, having someone actually go against him had ignited a spark he hadn’t felt in years. But then she had taken it too far. It dug into the pit of his stomach that he hadn’t been able to make her pay at that time. But good things come to those who wait. Robert had waited long enough.

“You’re looking a little worse for wear, my dear.”

“Your men weren’t kind when they abducted me.”

Though healing, the bruises on her face, stood out in sharp contrast to her pale, lovely skin.

“You shouldn’t have resisted so vigorously. I don’t like my merchandise damaged. At least not by anyone but me.”
 

He swept his gaze up and down her lovely form, enjoying the way her body shuddered in fear. She made such an enticing picture, like a slender flame in the wind. Only this flame wouldn’t be extinguished until he’d had his fill.

“I was told you were unconscious for a time. I do hope you’re feeling better. I have plans for you and though it’s not necessary for you to feel well, I do want you to stay conscious.”

For the first time he saw the flare of panic in her eyes and he knew a moment of triumph. Defiance tempered with terror. What an aphrodisiac!

“I’ll die before I let you touch me again.”

“Oh, my dear. If you only knew what your challenging words do to me, you wouldn’t say such things.” He glanced down at his watch. “Unfortunately it’s late and I’ve had a long trip. Once I’ve had a few hours sleep and something substantial to eat, I’m sure I’ll be up for the challenge you seem so willing to offer.”

He gave her a small, smug smile and turned to leave. The vase that had been sitting on the table flew by his head, so close that he felt a gust of air before it crashed against the wall beside him.
 

Without batting an eye, he continued to the door. As he opened it, he threw over his shoulder. “Clean up the mess or you’ll be punished worse than you were the last time we were together.”

The instant the door closed, he heard a harsh, vehement curse. Yes, he was quite pleased with her.

Chapter Fifteen

 
Midnight

Ian paced, checked his watch, and then paced some more. This had been his routine since Sabrina left. Three days of not knowing where she was, or what was happening to her.

In his estimation, they were relying on Holden Marsh way too much. So what if the guy had checked out and was who and what he claimed. That wouldn’t mean shit if he wasn’t able to control this Silva character. If anything happened to Sabrina…if the bastard put even the slightest scratch on her… He couldn’t even finish the thought. Nothing could happen to her.

“You okay?”

Ian glanced over his shoulder at Quinn Braddock. Samantha’s fiancé was sprawled in a chair across the room. Though he appeared relaxed, Ian knew those sharp eyes had missed nothing.
 

He hadn’t asked but got the feeling Quinn had been assigned to him. As chief of police, Zach had his hands full taking care of the citizens of Midnight. Brody James had gone back to Mobile to handle some business, and Logan Wright was in the midst of gathering enough equipment to face a full-fledged Armageddon. And Sabrina’s sisters were digging deep to find what they could on Silva.

Even though Quinn was in the middle of renovating offices to open his medical practice, he’d apparently put things on hold until this case was over. So in the meantime, Samantha’s fiancé had been glued to Ian.
 

Did they think he would go out on his own?
 

Okay, maybe at one time he would’ve. But he trusted Wildefire Security and had complete faith in Sabrina’s family. They were as motivated as he was to bringing her home safely.

“I’ll be okay as soon as Sabrina’s back home.”

“I’ve been there, you know.”

Ian nodded, knowing Quinn spoke the truth. Last year, around Thanksgiving, Samantha had been taken, had almost died. Ian had been with Sabrina when Savannah had called and told her what was happening. That event had been one of the biggest reasons Sabrina hadn’t told her family about what she’d gone through with Cruz.
 

He wondered if her family knew how very much she had shielded and protected them.
 

“You and Samantha went through hell.”

Quinn gave an abrupt nod. “The Wilde women are survivors. They may look delicate on the outside, but their steel is bone deep.”

Yeah, he’d seen that toughness first hand. He knew what Sabrina Wilde was made of. He also knew she was sometimes too gutsy for her own good.
 

“She—” The ring of Ian’s cellphone caused both men to stand. Showing how on edge everyone in the house was, Savannah and Samantha rushed into the room with Logan right on their heels.

Ian pressed answer and then the speaker keys, allowing everyone to hear.

“We’re in,” Marsh said. “Sabrina’s fine.”

Ian glared down at the phone. “What the hell took you so long to contact us?”

“Had a little glitch. Lauren’s not here.”

“What do you mean she’s not there?” Logan growled from the doorway.

“He’s got her stashed someplace else.”

“Dammit, that’s the only reason Bri’s there,” Samantha said. “We’ve got to get her out of there before—”

Marsh cut her off. “No, not yet.”

“What do you mean not yet? What are you holding back on us, Marsh?”

“Not a damn thing, Mackenzie. I have it on good authority that Silva is with Lauren now. He’s due to arrive soon. I believe he’ll bring her with him. We need to keep Sabrina here until they arrive.”

“And just how long do you plan to wait?”

“As long as it takes.”

“Like hell, Marsh,” Ian snarled. “She’s—”

“Look, she’s in absolutely no danger. She’s locked in a room…no one can get to her.”

Before he could protest again, a gentle hand touched Ian’s arm, squeezed gently. “Marsh, it’s Savannah. Did Bri tell you anything to say to us?”

“Uh, yeah.” Marsh’s voice held mild confusion. “She said to tell you ‘Roll Tide.’”

A smile curved Savannah’s mouth as she looked over at her sister.

Ian would have asked her why they were smiling but Savannah held her finger to her lips and shook her head to keep him quiet.

“What’s the location, Marsh?”

“Ensenada, Mexico. Address is 1001 Rico Road. There might be a problem, though.”

“What?”

“There are three other women here.”

“By choice?” Samantha asked.

“No. Hell no.”
 

“Then we’ve got our work cut out for us.”

“We can bring in more people if we need them,” Logan said.

“How many men does Silva have at the house?”

“Three, not counting me. I don’t know how many he’ll bring when he arrives with Lauren. When I—

“Shit,” Marsh said softly, urgently. “Gotta go. Someone’s coming. I’ll be in touch soon.”

The line went dead and for several seconds everyone just looked at each other. Ian glanced over at Sabrina’s sisters and broke the silence. “What’s the Roll Tide message mean?”

“It’s her code,” Samantha answered. “Only the three of us know about. If everything’s okay, she’s to say ‘Roll Tide.’
 

The tension in eased Ian’s spine. Such a little thing but he felt a hell of a lot better.
 

“I’ll get online…see if there’s a blueprint to the house.” Savannah said.

“We’ll need a plane,” Ian said.

Zach put in. “I got a buddy with a plane in Mobile. He’s offered it and his pilot anytime I want to use it. I’ll give him a call.”

Logan started for the door. “Now that we know it’s a private home and we’ve got more than Lauren and Sabrina to rescue, we may need some different gear. We also need to make sure we can get our weapons into the country without getting caught.”

“I can help you with that.” Quinn went to follow him. “I have some contacts down there.”

“Quinn, I—”

Glancing over his shoulder at Samantha, Quinn shook his head. “Don’t even think about it, Sam. We’ve talked about this already. We’re in this together.”

Samantha shook her head. “I just wanted—”

“Landsakes, looks like y’all are having a party in here.”

Everyone turned to the door where Sabrina’s Aunt Gibby stood. Her bright, cheerful statement didn’t hide the worry in her eyes. The elderly woman was no fool.
 

“It’s just work, Aunt Gibby,” Savannah said. “Did you need something? Is the baby okay?”

“Everything’s fine, Savannah Rose. She’s sleeping like a lamb. I just came down for a snack and heard what sounded like a pretty intense discussion.” Her sharp eyes roamed the room. “Where’s Sabrina Sage?”

“She’s…uh, she’s…” Samantha bit her lip and looked around the room for help.

Knowing how Sabrina and her sisters felt about their aunt, Ian figured Samantha was torn between telling the truth and lying to someone she loved. He helped her out by saying, “She’s working away from home right now, Miss Gibby.”

“But she’s okay?”

“She’s just fine, Aunt Gibby.” Savannah wrapped an arm around her aunt’s shoulders and led her from the room. “Why don’t we go grab that snack?”

Showing everyone she wasn’t easily fooled, the elderly woman looked over her shoulder. “I trust that she’ll be returning home safely and real soon.”

The instant Gibby was out of earshot, Samantha gave Ian a grateful smile. “Thanks for the save. I didn’t want to lie to her, but my brain froze for a suitable answer.”

“No problem. Besides Sabrina would’ve skinned my hide if her Aunt Gibby became upset.” He glanced around the room. “Okay, now that we know our location, let’s get to work and make this happen.”

Chapter Sixteen

Ensenada, Mexico

They had been here for months. Three women. Abused. Traumatized. Prisoners.
 

They lived in an oversized bedroom, slept on cots, shared a bathroom. It was like an old school dormitory. And the stories they’d already shared revealed more about Robert Silva than anything Holden Marsh could have said. These women, for whatever reason, had caught Robert Silva’s eye and apparently whatever Silva wanted, Silva took.

The plan was to rescue Lauren. The plan hadn’t changed, the number had just increased. No way in hell was she leaving these women behind.

Fully aware of the danger of revealing any information that wasn’t absolutely necessary for them to know, Sabrina maintained her role. Until this was over, she was a captive just like them.

Marsh had only been by one time to check on her. He’d been obnoxious and so vulgar, Sabrina had experienced some serious moments of doubt. Could he have fooled them? Was he as evil as he seemed and she was now a victim like these other women?
 

She’d squashed the doubts. There had been an audience…it had been all for show. Besides, Holden Marsh had to excel at deep cover. He’d been inside Silva’s organization for almost two years. The man had more than a convincing way with sleaze.

She had wanted to give a little of her own back simply because being talked to in that manner was infuriating. However, more than anything she had wanted to give her sisters a message—their agreed upon one. So instead of snarling out curses, she’d jumped on his back and growled her message in his ear.