The Maze (ATCOM) (25 page)

“I
have to finish this,” she said. “I need a weapon.”

“This
is a rescue mission. Your rescue,” he said, though it was pointless, as he took
a Beretta 9mm from his hip holster and handed it to her. Then he handed her his
H&K MP5 and clapped her on the shoulder. There was understanding in his
dark blue eyes as he nudged her away from her brother and told her Brendan
would be on the chopper waiting for her.

Attie
wasted no time slipping the Beretta into her waistband and closing her hands
around the submachine gun. It had been too long. She promised Brendan she’d be
back soon and disappeared into the trees.

She
was immediately flanked by Brandt, who was just plain scary and made her
thankful he was on her side. He was a genius with explosives and tough as
nails, hence the nick name Iron Man. The tall, dark haired, dark-eyed,
unsmiling man looked like he’d just as soon break her in half as talk to her. He
took no prisoners and had scared the daylights out of her the first time she
met him. He was the first man to ever intimidate her. Hell, he still did, but
once she’d gotten to know him she realized he took his job very seriously and
was the best at what he did.

Attie
moved silently through the trees in search of Noah and Carlos. She ducked
bullets and took cover behind trees and boulders. A man charged out of the
trees to her left and was taken down by Kyle’s bullet.

She
trusted these men with her life and felt a tug in her chest. She missed them.
She missed this. These guys were her family. This was where she belonged. At
that moment she decided she was going to go see the psychologist at ATCOM and
get help. Then she would return to the world she belonged in, fighting side by
side with men she’d come to trust and rely on.

Things
were quieting down around them as ATCOM gained the upper hand. Attie continued
her search, knowing Brandt was behind her, protecting her. It didn’t take her
long to find her target. She stopped dead in her tracks when she stumbled into
the clearing near the mountain’s edge.

Noah
had Carlos by the throat and was holding him over the ledge at a dangerous
angle, his face a mask of cold rage. The bandage on his head was red with fresh
blood.

She
saw something else in his face that hit her straight in the heart. This had
gone from professional to personal and that was not like him. He didn’t get
emotionally involved in anything. He was always the soldier. Right now Noah
Kincaid—The Rock—was dangerously close to losing it on the sadistic bastard she
wanted to see dead as much as anyone else.

But
that would be too easy. Carlos wouldn’t suffer like they had. It would be over
quickly and he would never have to pay for his sins. She wanted to see him pay
for a very long, long time. With every day reminding him of what he’d done, as
she had suffered the last year. She wanted him to spend his days cooped up in a
cell with no hopes of escape, because that was what she had been feeling for
the past year. She had been a prisoner in her own home, afraid to remember,
afraid not to.

Stepping
forward, she called out to Noah, trusting Brandt to cover them from behind.

“You
can’t do this, Noah,” she said, inching closer.

He
didn’t look at her, simply tightened his hold on Carlos’s neck.

“Not
like this. It’s too easy. We can’t let him get away with what he’s done.”

Carlos
looked at her, a smile on his lips. He looked ready to burst, but he was still
the madman she remembered. Even in death he would be victorious and she knew
they couldn’t let him win this way.

She
stood a foot away from Noah now and reached out to touch his arm. The muscles
beneath her hand bunched and strained, but she didn’t let go.

“Let
him go so we can take him in and make him pay for the rest of his life,” she
said quietly. “Do it for me so I can live out my days knowing he’s in misery,
because he will hate prison. Please, Noah, let me finish what I started one
year ago. I had enough to put him away then and we have enough now.”

Noah
turned tortured eyes to her and her breath hitched. She had never seen this
kind of emotion from him. He fought an inner battle between good and evil. Noah
never did anything rash, never fed his emotions. Until now. A war waged inside
him and she wasn’t sure which side was going to win.

When
he spoke, his voice was ragged with emotion.

“I
can’t risk him getting out of prison and coming after you. I won’t have you
living in fear and looking over your shoulder the rest of your life, Attie.
This is the only way. It has to stop.”

Her
heart leapt.

“You
can’t slay my dragons, Noah,” she said quietly.

“The
hell I can’t.”

“It
isn’t your decision. It’s mine. If anyone kills him it should be me.”

His
eyes flickered and his mouth tightened. A muscle clenched in his jaw. It was
her kill and he would respect that.

Noah
eased his grip and Carlos took deep, gulping breaths. He was pulling Carlos
back from the ledge when Attie saw what was in Carlos’s hand. She lifted her
weapon and opened her mouth to warn Noah, but Carlos had aimed the pistol at
her and fired before she could stop him.

She
felt the punch of a bullet as it tore through her chest, heard the crack of a
high-powered weapon in the distance. She recognized the sound of a sniper’s
rifle. None of the ATCOM agents had been carrying a sniper rifle.

Confused,
she looked at Noah as her legs buckled beneath her. Pain wracked her body. She
couldn’t breathe.

The
ground came up to meet her. She saw Carlos lying beside her with a bullet hole
in the center of his forehead and two holes in his chest. As the blessed
darkness claimed her she smiled. Noah’s and Brandt’s bullets.

It
was over.

She
was finally free.

* * * *

“What
the fuck happened? Holy shit! Attie!”

Noah
clutched Attie to his chest, protecting her from any more harm, her blood
staining his clothes. He wasn’t aware he had reached the chopper until he heard
Brendan shouting. A hand touched his arm and he pulled away.

He
was numb, his head buzzing. Santiago had won after all. And it was all his
fault. He’d underestimated the man and now he would lose Attie because of it.

Pain
like he’d never felt tightened his chest. He kept replaying the last few
minutes in his head. Santiago pulling a gun. His bullet hitting Attie. Her look
of surprise and confusion, then peace. She’d been smiling as she went down.

It
wasn’t supposed to be her.

Someone
grabbed his arm and Noah jerked away, holding Attie’s limp body tighter against
him and growling at whoever tried to take her from him.

“Jesus!
She’s been hit. You were supposed to be protecting her!”

Brendan
was irate, shouting, cursing over the sounds of the helicopter.

The
hand on his arm tightened. “She’s going to bleed out, Noah. You have to let her
go so we can treat her.”

Noah
stubbornly held on to her, ignoring Gabe.

“Goddammit,
Kincaid, get her on that chopper.” Brendan.

Noah
looked at Gabe, eyes dark. “I can’t let her go.”

Gabe
very carefully unpeeled Noah’s fingers from around Attie and gently took her
from him so he could lift her into the chopper where Colin waited. Noah stared down
at his hands.

Gabe
put a hand on his shoulder. “She’s going to be fine. We have to go.”

Coming
out of his daze, Noah nodded and climbed into the chopper. He no more than sat
down when Brendan lunged at him, face twisted in rage.

“How
the hell did this happen? You were supposed to protect her,” he shouted as the
chopper lifted off.

On
the floor, Colin worked to stop Attie’s bleeding. Kyle sat in the corner,
watching, his expression unreadable and Gabe waited, ready to intervene if
necessary.

“You
son of a bitch,” Brendan said, fighting to remain conscious. “You slept with
her.”

Noah
didn’t block the punch that slammed into his jaw. Welcomed the physical pain.
In Brendan’s place he would have done the same thing. He never should have let
this mission get personal. It was ATCOM’s number one rule and he’d broken it.

He
was a damn fool and he deserved more than what Brendan was giving him. He
suspected if Brendan had been up to par, he would have beat the hell out of
him. And Noah would have let him. He was a piece of shit for what he’d done.
And now Attie was paying the price.

Jesus,
how many times was she going to have to pay?

“She
better make it through this,” Brendan said, swaying. “I’ll kill you if she
doesn’t.” Then he fell back into his seat, eyes closed.

Everyone
was looking at him, but Noah paid no attention. His eyes were on Attie. If she
didn’t make it, he’d save Brendan the trouble. He would retire and never look
back.

Chapter
24

Max
hung up the phone and breathed a sigh of relief. The team was on their way
back. No casualties. Yet.

History
was repeating itself. The last time this team had rescued Attie she had been
taken straight to the hospital, not expected to live. Gabe’s report was no
different this time. Santiago was dead, shot by two ATCOM bullets and a
mysterious sniper bullet. What the hell was that about? Tyler Lynx was out of
the country and he was the only sniper they had. Who else had been on that
mountain with them?

Max
didn’t like unknown variables. He hadn’t sent a sniper in, yet one had been on
the mountain. That didn’t settle well. Had another government agency been in on
the game? CIA or FBI?

No,
no way in hell. He would have known. He still had contacts in the CIA; they
would have alerted him. Especially knowing the history ATCOM had with Santiago.
No, something else was going on and he wanted to know what.

Everything
surrounding Santiago was fucked up. Somehow, the bastard had breached security
and discovered the identity of his agents. St. Klare went to extreme measures
to make sure that very thing didn’t happen. In the years he’d been running
ATCOM, no one had ever broken through their security.

There
were only two explanations. One, St. Klare had a bug in the system, or two,
they had a mole. Neither of which he liked.

The
door of his office swung open and Sheri rushed in. She came around the desk and
hugged him, eyes swimming with tears.

“Oh,
Max, they made it. They’re safe. I’m going to meet them at the hospital. Attie
is going to need a friend. Can I hitch a ride with you?”

Max
set her away from him. He certainly hadn’t expected that. He wanted to tell her
that Attie didn’t have friends like Sheri wanted to be, but kept his mouth
shut. Sheri could rule with an iron fist when she wanted to, but at the same
time she was too sensitive to be part of the team. She was going to be
devastated when Attie didn’t return her friendship.

“I
have to make a call first.”

“I’ll
meet you in your car. We have to run into town and pick up some flowers and
balloons first, so hurry up.”

She
bounded out of the room and Max rubbed his forehead. Balloons and flowers? He
was too old for this.

He
picked up the phone and dialed Jed Devayne’s number, wishing he didn’t have to
do this again. The last time had almost ruined his old friend. This time wasn’t
going to be much different.

Jed
had raised Attie and Brendan from the time they were in knickers. And he’d done
a fine job. Both were outstanding agents. Brendan was a daredevil who walked
too damn close to the edge and Attie was the most stubborn, bull-headed woman
he’d ever met. She’d stormed ATCOM’s walls and none of them had been the same
ever since.

He
still remembered the day she graduated the academy. Jed had been proud, sitting
on the sidelines as Attie walked across the room, head held high. She’d earned
her place and she deserved it.

If
only he’d known when he broke down and agreed to let her try the academy.
Hindsight was twenty-twenty and all that but, hell, he could have saved them
all a lot of heartache.

A
woman shouldn’t have to go through what Attie had. No woman. And not one of his
agents. It was hard enough the first time. He never thought he’d have to go
through this again. What the hell had happened on that mountain? He would get a
full report tonight, then he would decide if he was going to continue to allow
women to become agents.

Dialing,
he waited for Jed to pick up, and prepared to tell him his niece was en route
to the hospital.

And
pray she made it.

* * * *

Attie
opened her eyes slowly and blinked as bright light filtered in. Her chest hurt.
She recognized the white walls of ATCOM’s hospital and heard the familiar bells
and whistles. She had been here before. It smelled the same as she remembered.
Like antiseptic, bringing back many painful memories of the time she spent here
healing and hurting.

ATCOM
employed some of the best doctors in the world, but they’d called the priest
for last rites the last time she’d been here. She’d surprised them all then and
she was sure she was surprising them again because she was very much alive.
Santiago hadn’t gotten the best of her this time either.

Someone
moved beside her bed and she looked over to see her uncle standing beside her.
He picked up her hand with tears in his eyes. Oh, God, it had happened again.
She’d done the one thing she vowed never to do: she’d hurt her uncle.

Everything
came crashing in on her.

“Uncle
Jed,” she said, her voice cracking. She cleared her throat and squeezed his
hand. “What’s wrong? Is it Brendan? Where is he?”

Jed
blinked the wetness from his eyes and said, “Brendan is waiting outside the
room along with six burly men that are making the staff irritable with their
scowls and questions.”

Attie
smiled. She bet she knew who those men were. They could be intimidating when
they were protecting something. “He’s okay, then?” she asked.

“Got
a nice set of scratches across his chest. Otherwise he’s fine.”

“Thank
God.”

Jed
leaned down and kissed her cheek. “It’s over. You can rest now. That bullet
wound is going to need some time to heal, so don’t go harassing the nurses
about letting you out of here anytime soon.”

Attie
held tight to his hand, feeling tears well in her eyes. She owed this man more
than she could ever repay. He had raised her and been there for her whenever
she needed him, and she had pushed him away after her release from the
hospital. The love he had for her in his eyes warmed her heart.

She
had made a lot of mistakes over the last year. Pushing away the people who
meant the most to her. Her family was her support system; she needed them. It
had taken Carlos Santiago and his maze to make her see the truth, as difficult
as that was to accept. He may have been a madman, but he’d helped her. In his
own sick, twisted way he had shown her the path to healing.

And
it began here.

“I’m
sorry, Uncle Jed,” she said quietly.

He
bristled. “Nothing to be sorry for. You just rest and get strong. There are
plenty of stalls to be mucked when you get home and Demon needs a new gate.
He’s destroyed his, the rogue.”

Attie
chuckled, then winced. Her horse, Demon, was a temperamental thorn in the sides
of both Brendan and Uncle Jed. For the first time in a long time she was
looking forward to going home, and not because of what was in the barn. This
time she was going home to heal her heart and her mind instead of her body.

She
pulled Jed down for a hug and whispered, “Thank you. For everything. I should
have said it a long time ago.”

When
he pulled away, his cheekbones were tinged pink, but his eyes sparkled with
joy. Attie knew that the past had been laid to rest. Her uncle was one of a
kind. He didn’t hold grudges. He would do whatever it took to help her through
this.

But
the path she was about to embark on couldn’t be taken by anyone except herself.
And she was ready to begin.

Clearing
his throat, Jed straightened. “I better let those men in before they break the
door down. Not one of them will admit it, but they worry about you. I’ll be
back after dinner with a change of clothes for you. Don’t let those guys stay
too long. You need your rest.”

“I
promise.”

Jed
opened the door and stood aside as six brawny men filed into the room. He gave
each one of them a warning look before disappearing out the door. Attie
realized how lucky she was to have him in her life. She could never have made
it without him.

She
smiled as Brendan, MacKenzie, MacGregor, Brandt and St. Klare surrounded her
bed. They were all in fatigues and looked battle weary. How long had they been
standing sentry outside her door?

“You
look like hell,” MacGregor said with a grin and that sexy Scottish brogue that
women found irresistible.

Attie
grinned. “I wouldn’t enter any beauty contests if I were you.”

That
earned guffaws and some clucking. Attie relaxed and slipped her hand in
Brendan’s. They shared a moment while the others talked around her. None of
them mentioned the bullet hole in her chest that had missed her heart by an
inch, or the mission. It was just like old times. They joked and teased and
strutted like roosters and she loved it. It made her realize what she had done
to herself the past year when she locked herself away and refused help. The
best medicine was standing in front of her. She’d never deny it again.

One
by one they said their goodbyes, ordered her to stay in bed until the doctor
gave her the green light and filtered out of the room. Attie warned them to
start getting in shape, knowing that each of them was in top physical
condition, because she was coming back to kick their ass on the obstacle course
at the academy.

Brendan
gave her a hug and tweaked her nose once they’d gone. “You take care of
yourself. No harassing the nurses,” he said.

Attie
rolled her eyes. “I’ll do my best. You’re okay?”

Brendan
grinned. “Gonna have a sexy scar across my chest the women are going to love.
Or would have, if I hadn’t sworn off them.”

Attie
raised an eyebrow. Her brother was a magnet when it came to women, almost as
bad as St. Klare. Women were his life. He loved them. She never gave it much
thought; it fit his lifestyle. A different woman every night was his style. He
wasn’t the settle down, get married type. That would kill him. He was too much
of an adventurer to settle down with one woman. And his women didn’t seem to
mind. So what was this about?

“You?
Sworn off women? I don’t believe it.”

His
face grew serious and she began to worry. “Oh, my God, you’re serious,” she
breathed.

“I
am. But now’s not the time to discuss it. Know what, there’s nothing to
discuss. I’m turning over a new leaf.”

“Now
is the time.”

“You
need your rest.”

“Dammit,
Brendan, fess up. What made you swear off women?”

He
sighed. “You really should get some rest.” He paused before plunging ahead.
“The reason Santiago snatched me in the first place was because he knew I had a
weakness for women. He set me up and I fell for it hook, line and sinker.”

She
was struggling to keep up. Must be the drugs they were giving her. “He knew…it
was a woman? How?”

“Long
story short. I was in the airport waiting for my flight, a blonde bombshell
approached me. I bought her a drink and did what I always do.”

“Took
her to a hotel,” Attie guessed.

“Yep.
I didn’t even make it to her car before she stuck a needle in my arm. It was
lights out for me and I woke up tied to a chair. Inside a damn mountain. Still
haven’t figured that one out. I’m sorry, sis, I never should have let my guard
down.”

“So
you have no idea who this woman was?”

“Nope.
Never seen her again.”

“You
couldn’t have known, big brother. You didn’t do anything wrong.” She didn’t
want Santiago to ruin anyone else’s life. There had been enough of that
already.

He
smiled, but it lacked its usual luster. “I screwed up and it made me realize a
couple of things.”

“No,
don’t do this,” she pleaded. “Don’t let him do this to you.”

Brendan
leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Don’t worry, this has nothing to do with
Santiago.”

It
had everything to do with Santiago, but she was too tired and sore to argue.

Serious
now, he said, “It’s over, sis. Santiago will never come after you again.”

Attie
squeezed his hand. “I know. One thing, though, who was the sniper? Was Lynx on
the mission?” Tyler Lynx, ATCOM’s sniper, was a quiet, nondescript man who did
his job very well.

Brendan
shook his head. “That’s the weird part. Lynx was out of the country. None of us
were carrying a sniper rifle, but that was definitely a sniper bullet in
Santiago’s forehead. We don’t know whose it was.”

Attie
closed her eyes. Only one person on that mountain had a sniper rifle. Antonio.
She couldn’t explain why he’d saved her life and doubted she ever would know,
but she was grateful anyway. He was an enigma she would never understand, but he
had helped her. For that she would never forget him.

She
patted his hand. “Doesn’t matter. It’s over.”

Brendan
smiled. “Yeah. I better go, I told Jed I’d help him repair Demon’s stall today.
That horse is a menace, Attie.”

“He’s
my menace. Go, and don’t overdo it.”

“Promise.
Get some rest, you look terrible.”

Attie
punched him in the arm and waved him out the door. When the room emptied she
turned her attention to the man leaning against the wall near the door. He
looked tall and strong, except for the white bandage on his temple.