RunningScaredBN (2 page)

“Already done,” Thorne said. “He texted that you hadn’t shown up. We figured there was trouble, so we made the appointment across town.” He checked his watch. “In about twenty minutes.”

“Good,” Riley said. “We’ll keep the same plan as before.”

A tense silence filled the vehicle. Justin knew that both Sabrina and Thorne were waiting for him to object. He should. Not only was his partner hurting physically, she’d lost even more confidence. And that was exactly why he wasn’t going to object. Even though he’d always known much of Riley’s tough attitude was a self-defense mechanism, she needed to regain her equilibrium. Coddling her would further erode her confidence.
 

And bottom line, he trusted his partner. If she believed she was up to the task, then he damn well believed it, too.

 
“Sounds good,” Justin said.

He dared a look behind him. The relief on Riley’s face reinforced his thoughts. Now to get the information they’d come for and get out without bloodshed.

Riley allowed herself to relax back against the seat. The car weaved in and out of traffic with an ease she admired. Sabrina navigated the narrow streets as if she’d been born here. Riley kept her eyes open for possible threats, grateful to be in the company of some of the most competent LCR operatives she knew.
 

LCR leader Noah McCall had chosen each operative on the Elite team for his or her talents and skills. She was only one of a handful without military or covert experience. The biggest reason she was even a member of the Elite team was sitting in the front seat—two hundred twenty pounds of aggravated male. Though he wasn’t known for his easygoing attitude or friendly expression at any time, today Justin Kelly’s granite-like expression would rival even the fiercest of ancient warlords. He was worried about her, and when he worried, he had a tendency to act like a hungry bear with a bee up his butt.

She and Justin became LCR partners before the Elite team was formed. He was former special ops and by rights should have had a partner with the same level of experience. But from the moment of their first assignment together, they’d worked as if they’d been with each other for years. They had a connection she couldn’t explain. She only knew that when in the midst of action, they read each other as if they were of one mind. Noah had told them he wasn’t about to mess with a winning team.

Riley reminded herself of her own competence. Even though she didn’t feel particularly capable at this moment, she knew she could get herself out of any situation. She’d been through too much, escaped hell to become a lethal operative for the most well-known and admired rescue organization in the world. Not only would she not let LCR or her partner down, she refused to let herself down.

“Okay.” Aidan pointed toward an abandoned, ramshackle structure. “There’s the place where Malak told us to meet him.”

“I’ll let you guys out about a half block away, drive a few blocks,” Sabrina said. “We’ll be back to get you in five. Radio us if we need to get back sooner.”

Justin gave Riley a quick once-over. “Stay beside me. If things go sour again, I want you to get out ASAP. I’ll handle the jerks this time.”

She wanted to argue, but now was not the time. Lives depended upon them getting this information and in a timely manner. They couldn’t miss this opportunity. There would be a chance later to discuss this new autocratic position he’d taken.
 

Riley adjusted her clothing, then opened her door and stepped out. Justin got out behind her and then stood in front of her as he assessed the danger.
 

She huffed out an exasperated breath. “Dammit, Kelly, get out of my way.”

“Zip it, Ingram. We can talk about my overbearing ways later. Right now your ribs are hurting and you’re not at full capacity. I take the lead, or you get back in the car. Your choice.”

“Fine,” Riley snapped.

“Looks clear. Let’s move.”
 

They went down the broken sidewalk together, both appearing to stare straight ahead while still scanning for threats. Stopping at the meeting site, Justin took one more sweeping glance and then eased the door open. Riley stood at his back, her eyes roaming everywhere. She would not mess this up again.

As Justin stepped inside, he grabbed hold of Riley’s belt and pulled her with him. She could complain later. For right now, he wanted her glued to him.

“Malak?” Justin called out.

“I am here, my friend. Sorry you had troubles.”

Malak Salazar stepped out from behind a half-empty bookcase. Short in stature, with a heavy beard and wire-rimmed glasses, he appeared to be the least-likely candidate for intel sharing that Justin had ever seen. Which was exactly how he’d become one of the best in the business.

“No worries. We handled it. You have what we need?”

“Yes. Please follow me.”

Justin’s trust would go only so far. “Why can’t you give us the info here?”

“Because I have something for you.”

Justin shared a questioning glance with Riley. Malak had been a friend and ally to LCR long before either he or Riley had become operatives. Had something changed? Had he been bought out?

As if unaware of their doubts, Malak started ahead, apparently expecting them to follow.

“What do you think?” Riley asked softly.

What did he think? He thought he wanted to throw his partner over his shoulder and get the hell out of here.

“He’s never done anything to make us doubt him before.”

“You’re right,” Riley said. “Let’s go.”

Hoping they weren’t making the worst decision of their lives, Justin walked beside Riley, following behind Malak.

Gun in her hand, ready to fight for both herself and her partner, Riley peeked inside the doorway where Malak had gone. Her breath caught on a gasp at the unexpected and new complication.

“What the hell?” Justin muttered softly.

Malak stood beside two young women, standing in a corner. “They are from a village close-by. Their father has sold them, and they are to be taken tomorrow. I’m asking you to rescue them.”

Their low-risk, no-worries op had just become a major complication.

Chapter Two

Swirls of steam filled the tiny bathroom. Riley stood beneath a scalding-hot shower and let the tension drain from her body. Even though the op hadn’t been perfect and more complicated than expected, it had been successful. Thanks to McCall’s connections, two young women who would have been enslaved for years had been relocated and were now out of harm’s way. And she and Justin had gotten the information they needed. This time tomorrow, several more young women would be rescued from sexual enslavement and years of servitude.

This op was somewhat different than most. A few weeks ago, Taylor Vaughn, a freelance journalist embedded in the small community on the outskirts of Sinjar, had contacted Noah. An up-and-coming wannabe terrorist group had been causing trouble in the area. These men, about twenty in number, were apparently hoping to join the ranks of a much larger and more vicious terrorist group. It was rumored that they were rejects and cast-offs from a defunct Al-Qaeda cell. They were gaining strength and notoriety throughout the region by kidnapping young girls and women and selling them.

This type of horror wasn’t new to the region. The journalist had originally come to the community to write a story about everyday life within the war-torn country. When Vaughn had learned of this new group, she’d known it was only a matter of time before they reached her location. With her help, as well as Malak’s intel of when the kidnappings were taking place, the LCR Elite operatives would hijack the transport to rescue the women, as well as the reporter, who planned to allow herself to become a kidnapped victim also.

Despite the heat of the shower, a shiver ran up Riley’s spine. Though she understood why the journalist felt the story was worth the risk, she wondered if the woman had really known what she was getting herself into. Volunteering to become a hostage to conscienceless and soulless men was a far cry from talking to sources about it. The ugly reality of enslavement, even with the promise of rescue, wasn’t an experience anyone could understand unless they’d lived it.

Pushing those dark thoughts aside, she gathered her long, thick hair and scrubbed hard, relishing the clean feeling. Three days without a shower reminded her far too much of the days and weeks she’d been forced to go without. The refreshing scent of lemons and limes made her skin zing. She heard a tuneless, humming noise and almost dropped her soap in shock. The sound was slightly off-key but musical nonetheless. The most astonishing part of all was that it came from her. Simply amazing.

From the time she was five years old until she was eighteen, music had filled her heart and her world. When her parents had realized her talent, voice and piano lessons had followed. She had taken to both as if she were born to them. Music had been an essential part of her soul, feeding her creativity and giving her the freedom to fly.
 

On her eighteenth birthday, the music had stopped inside her head and her heart. Having no choice, she had continued playing, but music no longer filled her with joy and peace. It had become a duty, forced upon her. The possibility of music moving through her again had seemed as out of reach as the stars.

Shaking her head at this phenomenal occurrence, Riley rinsed the soap from her hair, applied a liberal dose of conditioner, and worked it through the long strands. She once again rinsed, and then, feeling squeaky clean and almost lighthearted, she turned off the water and exited the shower.

The tiny room was filled with steam, and she opened the door to allow some of it to escape. Breath left her lungs when she realized she wasn’t alone.

Stumbling back into the room, Riley slammed the door shut and grabbed a towel to wrap around her body. “Dammit, Kelly. What the hell are you doing in my room?”

“Sorry, Ingram. I did knock.”

He didn’t sound the least bit apologetic. In fact, he sounded quite pleased with himself. Ever since her injury last year, she’d been struggling to get back on level ground with him. Things were different between them. While part of her felt a shimmering glow at that difference, another part wanted to squelch the change. Status quo was how she’d existed for so long. Her survival was tied to maintaining distance. If she let her guard down, would chaos erupt?

“Did the steam coming beneath the door and the sound of running water not give you a clue what was going on in here?”

The case they’d handled in New York a few months back had cracked open a door neither of them had walked through yet. It was like they both hovered on the doorstep, just waiting. Riley had told herself a million times that she needed to slam that door shut. If she did, she knew Justin would never try to reopen it. And that was something she didn’t know if she could bear.

 
But here he was, invading her space, getting in her way, when a few months back he never would have considered such a thing. With one word, one look, she could stop this new familiarity—end it for good.

Realizing he hadn’t answered her question, she bit her lip, wondering if he had left without saying anything else. “Justin?”

“Yeah?”
 

She jumped several feet back, startled at how very close he sounded. She swallowed her nervousness. For heaven’s sake, this man was her partner. She had worked with him for years. She trusted him on every level. So why was she now so very aware of him in such a different way? Why did his voice cause ripples of delight to shimmy up her spine? How and when had she let her guard down?

“Why are you here? What do you want?”

The instant she asked, she regretted the words. They not only sounded unfriendly, but her voice actually quivered.

“I wanted to check and see how you’re feeling.”

Vulnerable, scared…needy. With only a towel wrapped around her wet, naked body and the man she dreamed of nightly on the other side of the door, that would be the truthful answer. But one she could absolutely not speak.

“I’m fine. Just need to get some rest.”

“You think you damaged your ribs more when you were running? Should we bind them up before we head out tomorrow?”

“No…I—” She probably should repeat that she was fine and let him return to his room. It was the sensible thing to do. But having a conversation with Justin that didn’t involve the details of a mission almost never happened. Call her weak, but she couldn’t resist the temptation.

Without giving herself more time to think about it, she said, “Give me a sec. Let me throw some clothes on.”

She dried off quickly, then wiggled into her underwear. Just as she was about to fasten her bra’s front closure, she jerked to a stop. The stark light of the single bulb in the ceiling was as unforgiving as it was bright. It hid nothing. The scars would never go away. No matter how much time passed, she would always have them. Who did she think she was fooling? Justin Kelly had never seen her like this. He’d probably already figured out she was damaged on the inside. A girl with her kind of closed-off personality and snarky attitude usually had something painful to hide. But he couldn’t know that that was only half her damage. The other half was on her body, the marks left by a fiend…a sadist, a monster. Marks that had scarred her both inside and out. Marked her for life.