Locke and Load (13 page)

Pryor cocked his head. “Do you have a briefcase for me?”

Rojas grinned. “All in good time, Agent Pryor. Not until I have my chopper.”

Desperate to keep things civil until all the key players were in place to secure the anthrax and take Rojas and his men down, she rose to her feet and faced the man. “You killed Prochaska and his associates.”

“It’s like I told your detective friends, I saw an opportunity and I took it.” His attention shifted to Pryor. “You should thank me. There are papers in the case with the anthrax. Those men were working with a terrorist group out of Kabul. They had some nasty things planned for the theme parks in this state.”

Her heart rocked, and for the first time ever, Nikki was actually grateful the monster had interfered and stopped the threat.

Now, they just needed to stop his.

“As I see it, your government owes me a debt, and I intend to collect.” He shrugged, pulling his gun from the shoulder holster under his white jacket.

Blind panic threatened her sanity at the sight of him drawing a gun. She swallowed, and prayed no trace of it showed. “And the anthrax? Seriously, Santiago?” Making use of his first name, she tried to meet him on a personal level…and stall, hoping Brooke showed up soon.

“Ah,
querida,
” he said, pushing her hair over her shoulder. “You know that is not how I do business, but if it will ensure safe passage for me and
mi esposa
, then so be it.”

She clenched her teeth until her jaw hurt to keep from screaming she was not his wife. Never would be, never had been, not in her mind, anyway. It was just a damn piece of paper and a horrible arrangement she’d been blackmailed into.

“She’s not your wife,” Cage growled, his murderous tone sending chills down her spine.

“Ah, Detective Burnett. I almost forgot you were there,” Rojas said, turning his attention exactly where she did
not
want it. “I must say, you appear a little lopsided. Here, allow me to help.” Then he raised his gun and shot Cage in the right arm.

She hissed in a breath and twisted Rojas around. “What are you doing?”

“Having some fun.” He backhanded her to the floor again and glared down. “Do not ever interfere.”

The sound of an approaching helicopter was the only thing that stopped Nikki from attempting to grab the gun and use it on the bastard now helping her to her feet.

“Sounds like our ride is approaching. Good thing I chose a warehouse with a landing pad.” He winked, then nodded to his lead man again. “Go up and wait for it to land, and make sure Agent Pryor here isn’t trying to trick us.”

“I’m not,” the agent assured. “I just want the anthrax. Everything else in here is yours.”

That seemed to please Rojas because he threw his head back and laughed. “I like your style, Agent Pryor.”

While the exchange was going on, she used the time to assess both of Cage’s gunshots, and a slice of relief cut through her anxiety when she noted he only suffered a flesh wounds to his upper biceps.

The radio in one of the guards’ hands crackled, followed by an
all clear
message.

More relief flooded her veins.

The Colombian picked it up. “Buena. It’s time.”

In Nikki’s mind, she saw plain as day what was taking place next. Agent Hudson emerging from the helicopter, then three quick suppressed shots from her twin Glocks as she headed for the entrance. Heaven help any more of Rojas’ men the woman encountered on her way to her perch.

“Bear with me, Agent Pryor, while I take care of some personal business.” He nodded toward his henchmen.

Her heart dropped as they dragged a handcuffed Delaney and Wilson to the side while two others forced Cage to his feet, pressing on his wounds, smiling as he cursed and grew pale.

No… She sucked in a breath, her chest instantly tight. Not now... They were so close.

Her mind went numb for a second, and the plan with Homeland faded away. This changed things. Dammit!

“It seems you’ve been a naughty girl in my absence,
querida
. Did you think I wouldn’t know? We had an agreement, and you broke it. You know I can’t let that go unpunished.”

Her stomach knotted as she tried to remain calm. “I didn’t come down here to see Cage. I was only here to do my job.”

“You were here, and he was here,” he barked, waving the gun around. “You stayed together under one roof. I have pictures!”

She stepped closer and touched his arm. “It was part of the job. A precaution to keep me safe from Prochaska.”

“No!” He grabbed her by the throat and squeezed. Hard. “Do you think I am stupid?”

Cage’s muffled curse hit her ears, along with Delaney’s and Wilson’s before the sounds of a struggle. Shit. She tried to turn her head to see what was happening, but was unable. “It’s the truth,” she croaked, and held the bastard’s probing gaze, talking herself out of passing out.

He released her and nodded as she stumbled back and sucked in several breaths.

“I believe you,
mi esposa
. But it changes nothing. You broke our agreement. No contact with your Burnett. So the punishment stands.”

“No,” she cried, lunging forward, but two of his goons grabbed her arms and dragged her away. She struggled, losing her shoes and her mind, her heart pounding and pounding while Rojas raised his gun and aimed it at a restrained and bleeding Cage, now held fifteen yards away.

God, no! This wasn’t happening. Her nightmare…the one that had haunted her dreams for years, it was playing out in slow motion in front of her.

Where were Brooke and Sam and Knight? Surely she’d stalled the monster long enough for the men to arrive at the new location and for Brooke to get into position.

Take him out! Take him out
, she screamed in her head.

But Rojas continued to raise his gun, damn smirk twitching his lips.

What if they weren’t here? Terror seized her pulse, increasing the volume on the sound of blood pumping through her veins.

She had to do something. Anything. “All right. You win. I’ll go with you.”

He turned then, amusement lighting his dark eyes. “Of course I win. I always do. And you’re right. You’re going with me. That was always the plan.”

Smug bastard
. She tipped her chin and stared at his arrogant face. “You kill him and I won’t stay with you. You know that. Nothing you do will keep me with you then.” Her tone was low and lethal to her ears as his goons held her off to the side.

The prick’s smile widened. “I have other means to keep you.”

No. He didn’t. She would not go, no matter what went down in the next few minutes.

He returned his attention back to the man she loved, re-raising his weapon. “Go ahead. Remove his restraints. There is little pleasure in killing a fish in a barrel.”

Cage stood there, face proud, cheek swollen, staring Rojas down. Blood dripped off his fingertips onto the floor from the bullet holes in his upper arms.

It’s my fault.

He was hurt and bleeding and about to die because of her.

She glanced back at the gun, gauging the distance between her and Rojas. Dammit. He was too far. Even if she lunged, she’d never reach him in time.

As the man’s chest stopped rising with a held breath, signaling he was about to pull the trigger, Nikki brought her hands down hard into the groins of the men restraining her. Catching them off guard, their holds slackened and she rushed forward, praying she got between the bastard and Cage in time.

The sound of gunfire echoed in the warehouse as her scream mixed with Cage’s shout. A second later, Rojas fell to the floor, two bullet holes in his forehead.

Brooke…

Nikki swiveled around to face Cage, the pain in her chest unbearable with her not knowing if Rojas had fired his gun. If she’d been too late. If Cage had been shot, too.

Several more shots rang out, and her mind registered Rojas’ men falling to the ground.

But Cage was still standing.

Thank God. He was still standing.
Still standing
. Not shot.

“Nikki!” He rushed forward, grimacing as he raised his hands to cup her face, and kiss her forehead.

“You’re okay,” she breathed, weak with relief. “He didn’t kill you.” Tears dripped down her cheek as she clutched his shirt, the pain in her chest increasing.

“Nikki?”

She blinked, trying to see his face, but she was so tired. So tired.

“No…oh God, no…she’s been shot!” Anguish resonated in his tone. “Call an ambulance! Nikki? Nikki, stay with me. Stay with me,” he pleaded, cradling her against his chest while he lowered them to the floor.

As commotion went on around them, she was vaguely aware of Brooke and Sam’s concerned faces, and a furious Knight.

Someone’s head was going to roll.

The thought flittered through her mind as Cage came back into focus.

“Nikki? Nikki, open your eyes,” he urged, brushing her forehead with his lips. “Don’t leave me. Don’t you dare leave me. I love you.”

“I love you, too,” she said…at least she thought she did. She opened her mouth, but damn, she was so tired, and cold. And happy. So happy her chest hurt.

No, that might’ve been the bullet.

She didn’t care. It was worth it. So damn worth it. He wasn’t hurt because of her.

And Rojas was dead. The bastard couldn’t threaten Cage anymore. Never again.

A flood of contentment washed the pain from her body, and her last thought before darkness came was that Cage was safe, and it was over.

Finally over.

T
he light was bright when Nikki started to open her eyes. It was an effort, one she’d put off for a while. Selfish. She knew. But she was dreaming of Cage, and he was at her side, no longer brooding, just strong and affectionate, blanketing her with an incredible warmth that soothed her soul.

It had been so long, so damn long since he’d opened up like that to her, and dammit, she hadn’t been ready to give that up. Hadn’t been ready to open her eyes and break that magic.

But they fluttered now, so she didn’t fight it. The sound of beeps and muffled voices filtered through her brain as her vision cleared and a myriad of wires and tubes met her gaze.

And Cage.

He was sitting in a chair pulled up against the bed she was on. Shoulders slumped, head down, resting on her hand that he held, he looked so dejected it broke her heart. She tried to lift her other hand to touch his hair, but pain shot through her chest and stole her breath. Her eyes fluttered closed and she rode out the wave of pain.

The sound of the beeping changed, and she could feel him stiffen and squeeze her hand.

“Nikki? Nikki? Open your eyes,” he ordered. “Come on, baby. Come back to me. You can do it.”

Back to him? She’d never left him. Not really. She had always been his. And she tried to tell him, but there was something in her dry throat preventing it. And dammit, now she couldn’t reopen her eyes. She was so tired.

“Nikki? I love you. Come on, baby.”

Unable to get her eyes open again, she concentrated all her strength and managed to squeeze his hand to let him know she heard him. And loved him.

Then fell back into that wonderful, warm dream.

Sometime later, when she opened her eyes again, Cage was still there, holding her hand, kissing her knuckles.

“It’s okay. I got you. You’re in the hospital. Rest up. Get strong. I’m not going anywhere.”

This happened several times, at all hours of the day and night—at least she thought it did. It was tough equating what was a dream and what was real, but either way, Cage was always there.

Except this time.

She blinked her eyes, and the room came into focus. A different room. With less wires and beeps…and her throat was clear. Still dry, but no blockage.

Had she been in this one the whole time? Was the other room and Cage just part of her dreams?

Disappointment and pain mixed with the physical throbbing already in her chest.

“Nikki? Hey, you.”

She turned her head toward her friend’s voice and found the woman smiling a wavering smile.

“Lisa?”

“Yeah, TJ and I came as soon as we heard,” she replied, sitting in a chair by the hospital bed. Sam stood behind her, relief easing his tight mouth into a smile.

Hospital?

She blinked again. That’s right. She was in the hospital because…?

Everything came flooding back.

The warehouse. The shooting.

“Cage?” She glanced around at the other faces moving closer to the bed.

Knight, TJ, and Brooke.

“He’s fine,” her friend reassured with a squeeze to her fingers, careful of the IV. “Poor guy has been here non-stop for three days.”

She’d been out for three days?

“Yeah, I thought he was going to take the nurse’s head off when she suggested he get his arms tended,” TJ said with a grin. “It took Sam and bossman, and his boss, to persuade him.”

He
was
here. He hadn’t been a dream.

Did this mean he’d changed his mind?

He’d told her they were done. That he couldn’t look at her without feeling guilty.

Hope sparked and tried to take root in her heart, but she blew out a breath and held it at bay. He probably wanted to make sure he didn’t need to add her death to his guilt.

She knew he loved her. Of that, there was no doubt. Just not enough to outweigh his guilt.

Brooke pushed from the wall she’d been leaning on and unfolded her arms. “Your man’s down the hall visiting a Detective Hutchins, along with his cute partner and that other detective.”

Her man?

Another bout of hope fluttered through Nikki’s heart. Brooke was a woman of few words, but when she spoke, each word held merit. Did her astute friend witness something while she’d been unconscious?

“You gave us quite a scare,” her boss said, moving closer to the bed. “Might want to make sure you have your Kevlar on before taking a bullet next time.”

She laughed, then winced as pain pulled at her chest. “Yes, sir.”

Her voice sounded hoarse and scraggly.

“Here, drink this. Someone get the nurse.” Lisa’s anxious frown deepened as she held a cup with a straw to Nikki’s mouth. “I think we were supposed to tell her when you woke up.”

Before she could tell them to wait, a nurse walked in and went about checking and probing.

“I’ll tell the doctor you’re fully awake.” The pretty woman nodded, then glanced at the others. “Don’t stay too long. You’ll tire her out. She needs her rest.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Knight said, receiving a brilliant smile from the nurse in return…along with a lingering glance before she left the room.

She caught Lisa’s eye-roll and managed her own smile. Must be tough having a hot father. Women of all ages were always throwing themselves at Knight. One time, she and Brooke had counted seven advances in one day.

He had to be causing a stir here.

She glanced at Brooke who was back to leaning against the wall. “How many does that make?”

“Five so far today, and two of them were male.”

Knight shifted his feet. “Okay, you’ve had your fun. I’d like to clear the air and apologize to you, Nikki.”

“For what?”

“For letting you down. Not finding out about Rojas’ escape sooner. Then we had a difference of opinion with Homeland. Sam and I came to blows with them.”

“He means we ignored orders and rushed the warehouse,” the former SEAL clarified.

The fury she’d seen on her boss’s face before she’d passed out made sense. “Let me guess, they wanted you to wait until Pryor had the anthrax out of the building.”

“Yes.”

“I can’t really blame them, sir,” she said. “What exactly did happen to the anthrax? And how the hell did Rojas get his hands on Cage?”

“The anthrax was in a silver case in the back room at the warehouse. It’s now secured,” he answered. “And Rojas found Cage through his partner’s phone.”

Her chest squeezed. “Delaney was on his payroll?”

“No.” Sam shook his head. “They got the location when Wilson contacted Delaney with a phone they were monitoring. They tricked the detective into thinking he’d gotten free, but it was a set-up.”

She closed her eyes and blew out a breath. That meant both Wilson and Hutchins had been shot because of her.

“They were shot by Prochaska’s men,” Knight said, as if reading her mind.

“Yeah,” TJ stepped closer. “I have the footage. Rojas’ men showed up a minute later, wiped out the Czechs, called 911, left Hutchins there, and took Wilson.”

She rubbed at the dull throb in her head, grateful her stomach no longer knotted, but her chest hurt like a bitch.

“And that is enough shop talk for now,” Lisa said. “Sam, go get the nurse back in here.”

“No. I’m good,” she insisted, afraid the woman would give her a shot or put something in the IV to make her sleep. She wanted to be awake in case Cage returned.

Sam headed for the door anyway. “Sorry, Nikki, I’m more afraid of my wife than you.”

“Wuss,” Brooke muttered.

“Hey!” Her friend frowned. 

Nikki smiled, bouncing her gaze between the two women, lingering on the one standing. She lifted her chin. “It’s over, right?”

“Yes.” Brooke’s dark gaze bored into Nikki’s. “Rojas is dead.”

She closed her eyes and exhaled long and slow, welcoming the discomfort in her chest. It meant she was alive. But the man who shot her was dead. The man who’d made her life a living hell for years could no longer hurt her or threaten Cage.

Cage was safe.

Safe…

God, she could hardly believe it. Never thought she’d ever feel the relief removing the stiffness from her body she hadn’t realized was there. Rigidity had become part of the norm because she’d been living in fear for so long. But no more.

Never again.

She opened her eyes and smiled at Brooke. “Thank you.” She had more to say, but her damn throat heated and she had to clear it to continue. “I feel like I can finally breathe.”

Brooke nodded. There was no need to elaborate or get into specifics. The understanding in the woman’s dark eyes, along with a slice of envy, proved she knew exactly what Nikki had meant.

Lisa squeezed her hand and regained her attention. “You have another visitor,” she said, motioning toward the door with her head.

Expecting to see a nurse, Nikki sucked in a breath at the sight of Cage filling the doorway. His right eye was nearly swollen shut, temple and both arms sported bandages, and a purple bruise covered his jaw and cheek.

He’d never looked so damn good.

“You came back.” She smiled, unable to hold it in.

“I never left,” he said, advancing to the other side of her bed.

That’s when she noticed another chair with a pillow, and a hospital bag with his bloody shirt peeking out.

She blinked up at him. “It wasn’t a dream. You really were here.”

He nodded, sinking into the chair, reaching for her hand to bring it to his lips. His gaze was fierce with affection. “I’m never leaving your side again, Nikki.”

The hope she’d been holding back, keeping at bay, flooded her being, soaking her heart and soul until her face was wet from the overflow.

“I’m not leaving yours either.” She squeezed his hand tight.

“But I’ve got to go,” TJ said, holding up his phone. “Seems my sister has found trouble again.”

Knight straightened with a nod. “Okay. I’ll head back with you…”

“Is Tarah okay?” she asked, unhappy to find she wasn’t in a position to help.

The computer whiz nodded as Sam reentered the room. “Yeah, for now. She didn’t say much, just that she needed me, bossman, Sam, and Lisa to meet her back at headquarters.”

“Who? Tarah?” Sam asked.

“Yeah.”

The former SEAL glanced down at her. “The nurse will be in soon.”

Shoot. “Okay.”

“Take it easy. Call me,” Lisa said, kissing her cheek, then moving so Sam, Brooke, and TJ could do the same before Knight stepped close.

“I expect you to take several weeks to recuperate.” He touched her arm and nodded. “KA could use a few good agents down this neck of the woods.” His gaze bounced to Cage then back. “Something we can discuss when you’re up to it.”

Cage…a Knight?

“Yes, sir.” She liked the idea of him working with her for the agency.

Just then, Delaney sauntered into the room carrying a big teddy bear and a handful of birthday balloons. He stopped as the others advanced. “Where’s everyone going?”

“Come on, Jersey boy, I’ll buy you a drink,” Brooke said.

Delaney’s face light up like a boardwalk pier at night. “Hold that thought.” He rushed over to the bed. “Hey, Nikki. So great to see you awake. I got you something soft to cuddle with, ‘cause my partner has a hard head. And some balloons. They were all out of the get well ones.” He thrust them at Cage, then bent to kiss her cheek. “Good to see you. Wow, look at the time. I’ve got to go.”

She watched, amused as he hurried to catch up to Brooke, setting his hand on the small of her friend’s back.

“So, beautiful tiger, what kind of drink are we talking? Hot? Cold? I know a place that serves both.”

“I was thinking of one in my hotel room.”

Delaney stumbled. “Your hotel room’s good. And, uh, if this
drink
is going to be in anyway strenuous, then please be gentle with me. I recently used my ribs to stop a few fists and one large boot.”

A devilish gleam entered her friend’s dark eyes. “If you’re good, maybe I’ll kiss it for you.”

Jersey cocked his head as they neared the door. “And if I’m bad?”

“Then I’ll kiss other things, too.”

“I ever tell you my nickname? It’s Brian
Bad
Delaney.”

Nikki was still smiling as their voices faded down the hall.

“She’s going to eat him alive.” Cage chuckled as he set the bear and balloons on the chair.

“I get the impression that’s what he wants.”

“And what about you, Nikki? What do you want?” He returned to her side, staring down at her, brushing back the hair at her temple, that fierce affection still blazing in his eyes. “Name it.”

“You, Cage. Just you.”

“You have me, Nikki. You’ve always had me.” He lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her soft and tender, lingering, seeming reluctant to break the connection. “I love you,” he said against her lips. “Never stopped.”