Rafe's heart twisted as he drove Caro’s two-door Mazda coupe at breakneck speed behind the armored truck. The taillights bounced as the bulky heavy car turned. Anything might have happened in that gray metal box that bullets couldn’t penetrate. Bile rose in his throat as he wondered exactly what Jose was doing to Liz.
He couldn't grasp why his former best friend had done this. How could he be so wrong about the man? Caro had warned him not to befriend her college ex-boyfriend, but the guy worked beside him every day for years.
Jose had to have help inside the bank and an accomplice driving the truck. Someone with training and it was likely someone else he had worked with. The guys at Miami Dade Police were some of the best men he knew, but at the moment he didn't know who he could count on.
Sirens echoed behind him, not too far back. How had Jose escaped the bank while surrounded? He’d had a well-constructed plan, obviously.
Rafe needed someone he could rely on outside the police force and John Morgan came to mind. John was Liz's brother and former FBI. As Jose had his phone, Rafe had borrowed Caro’s and searched his sister's phone contacts, but she didn't have it. The armored truck drove fast toward the airport and he voice-texted “my love” which was likely Luke. Send me John's number.
A moment later the number appeared on screen and he hit dial. John answered before it finished ringing. "Rafe, where are you and Liz?"
Liz and Jose flew onto the highway and he floored the gas on his sister’s small car to stay right behind his wheels. "On 395 East. Jose has Liz in the back of an armored truck." His best guess was they were headed toward the airport.
"Luke called to let me know that Elizabeth had been taken hostage. What’s going on?"
If Jose boarded a plane, he might get away with his bank heist. The money had already been transferred but it might be possible to stop the transaction. Armored trucks carried cash, which would be a sure bet for Jose and whoever helped him in case the funds weren’t transferred online. "I'm following the truck—we’re heading to the airport. I can't let Jose take off." Not with Liz.
The sirens were still clear in the air, and right behind him.
"I'm at the airport,” John said. “I will help you intercept."
Rafe pressed on the accelerator, staying on the truck’s tail. Had he missed something about Jose that even John saw? The armored truck veered right off the exit and he followed. "Why are you at the airport? You're not in the FBI anymore."
"Jose chartered a plane. I had Morgan Enterprises track his activities and this popped up. You know you can trust me. It's why you called."
This was a well thought out plan, but then Jose had always been smart. Too smart? To his surprise, Rafe put his trust in a Morgan. He gripped the wheel as he saw the armored truck steer through a fence. "Jose has professional help. I never saw this coming."
"Doesn't matter as long as we get Elizabeth back. I called the bank. They have over a hundred million dollars on that truck and clearly an escape plan. Peter already put a hold on the transaction Liz sent though Jose won’t realize that for hours."
Rafe drove his sister's little car through the grass and followed the truck. Why had Jose taken Liz hostage? When Rafe had chased Jose and Liz at the bank, he’d seen the poor woman who clutched her son as her shoulder bled from being shot—Jose wouldn’t hesitate to shoot Liz.
Brandon needed a mother, his mother, and Rafe would bring her home. A dagger-like pain traveled up his spine as he thought of the alternative. He raced the car onto the tarmac in pursuit. "I can't let them leave. I will stop them."
"I want my sister and the money returned to the bank." John said, sounding like his father for a moment.
"Liz is my priority." The money was secondary. Under a normal situation, he'd rely on backup and the hostage negotiators, but Rafe didn’t know who he could trust. Who else on the force might be in on this with Jose? He gripped the steering wheel so tight the leather on the steering wheel split.
The armored car veered right. He followed.
"Mine too,” John said. “When we're done here, we'll talk about how you got my sister pregnant."
Rafe's gaze narrowed on the slits of windows for the truck. Really? "I didn't know she was your sister at the time."
"That's so not an excuse for you. You were always Mr. Stand Up for What's Right."
Who he was before Liz had no bearing on him now. She’d changed him and given him a family. "Right now, I'm turning onto the tarmac that's marked private."
"I see the truck. Slow down—I’m going to intercept."
Rafe pressed on the brakes and looked around. "How?"
A Maserati Quattroporte raced toward the driver's side of the armored vehicle and smashed into the door. The designer car split apart, causing the armored truck to spin. Rafe’s car squealed to a stop. Liz could be killed if the truck tipped.
Iciness chilled him to his core as he imagined how he'd explain to Brandon. There were no words. Liz had only ever been a good person and he'd stupidly held her name and money against her. He was a first class idiot.
His phone went static. Had her brother been in that wreck? He sighed with relief when John tapped on the passenger window holding his cell phone. Rafe rolled down the glass and John slipped the phone in his pocket as he held two guns on his back.
"The car was on automatic. I've been waiting here since Luke called with the news. Here, take one of my semi-assault rifles—let’s go." He took it off his shoulder as an offer.
Rafe opened his door and loaded the weapon with plastic bullets. John nodded. Crouching, Rafe and John crept closer to the armored truck. It had finally stopped spinning after crashing into a concrete building. The female driver was slouched over the steering wheel blood trickling on her face.
The woman wasn’t going anywhere and there was no one in the passenger seat. No sounds came from the back either. As they made their way toward the rear of vehicle, John stood back to cover Rafe.
Rafe knocked on the dented metal door. Liz had to be fine. He swallowed and then shouted, "Come out, Jose."
Something banged inside. Rafe's shoulders tensed as the door was kicked open. Rafe stiffened and held the rifle firm against his chest. Jose and Liz came out of the shadows with Jose holding his handgun to Liz's temple—his arm around her neck.
His heart stirred that she was alive. Thank God.
Jose held her close to him as they stepped out of the truck. "If you shoot me, Liz is dead."
Her blue eyes were wet from tears that she no longer shed, and her skin was pale white. Rafe wanted to hold her in his arms, but he refused to flinch. The soles of his shoes dug into the tarmac. "No one has to die today."
Jose walked backward toward the hangar where private planes were kept. He dug the end of the gun into Liz’s temple and she squealed.
He jerked, and wanted to hold her in his arms and step in front of the bullet.
Jose's glare became cold. "How did the Morgans win your loyalty?"
"Jose, you aren't thinking clearly. None of the children are like Mitch. Liz is innocent."
"Her father paid me to get rid of the brat. Crazy how much folks will pay for a kid of their own, and how much others want to pay to get rid of them. When Mitch died, I lost my side income and you somehow made a fortune."
Mitch had been behind the kidnapping? He’d thought so, but now it was confirmed. His son Brandon was not a brat. Their son was sweet.
Liz's eyes widened as she stared at him. She struggled and he silently begged her to stay still. Somehow she listened as she stilled. Jose took a step back with Liz and Rafe took a step forward, like they were in a twisted dance. "You were on the take?"
"So are you and don't deny it. How else could you afford that apartment?"
Sirens blared. The police were getting closer. If they kept him talking, Jose was more likely to be arrested. Stall. "Indirectly, I suppose. My mother is their maid."
Rafe lost sight of John, but kept his focus on Liz.
Jose lifted his chin as he gritted his teeth. "You hated the family and yet you have never once expressed concern over money."
Rafe followed him. The police cars began to circle around them, judging from the sirens and the blue lights. “I worked every case to the best of my ability. Fairly.”
"There is more to your story,” Jose said. “I don't believe you."
"I don't care what you believe." Jose continued to head toward the private planes, slowly walking backward. A few were on the tarmac. There was no way he'd let him leave with Liz. Rafe stayed close. If Jose talked, they had a chance.
Liz hardly blinked and wasn't saying a word. Rafe's heart sped up as he imagined what might yet happen. "Let Liz go. You know you can't get away with this."
Jose squeezed Liz tighter as a policeman shouted from behind him, "Stop. Put your hands in the air."
Jose came to an abrupt halt near the plane and then he snarled at Rafe as blue and red lights shone on his face. "What did this skinny blonde do to you that made you change?"
Rafe took another step. The answer was none of Jose’s business. He had changed, but he chose to lie. "I'm still the same."
The policeman yelled again, "Freeze."
Liz’s blonde hair wrapped around the end of the gun as Jose pressed his finger into her cheekbone. "No, you and your sister both betrayed me."
Jose’s muscles tensed as the wild look in his eyes grew more crazy. Every instinct said in a second Jose was going to shoot.
Rafe held Liz’s gaze. He refused to let one muscle relax. Sweat formed on his neck as coldness inched up his spine. They had one chance. He swallowed. "Liz, duck now."
She elbowed Jose and lowered her head.
Then explosions echoed from behind him. John must have shot, and his shoulder pinched as he jumped to get to Liz.
Liz hit the ground as Jose jerked back. Rafe cocked his rifle as he met his former best friend's pain-filled gaze. "Liz, run."
Liz's high heels clicked on the tarmac as she dashed toward her brother John. Jose turned the handgun toward Liz, but Rafe stepped in the path so Jose had no shot. "Jose."
Jose’s handgun was aimed at him now as the officers made a line with their cars around the plane. "Rafe, I won't go to prison."
Jose turned the gun toward his own head.
Something stung Rafe as an explosion of guns fired behind him.
One of the officers must have shot.
Jose fell backwards and his weapon went off. Rafe watched everything in slow motion as he fell. His legs felt weak.
Once the bullets stopped, he heard Liz scream his name. "Rafe! You’re bleeding."
Why did she scream that? His shoulder pinched. Her high cheekbones and gorgeous blue eyes hovered over his and she grabbed his hand with trembling fingers. John kneeled beside her. "Liz, the paramedics are on their way."
Rafe reached out and cupped her face. He licked his dry lips as he said, "Liz..."
Everything grew darker. Liz pushed down on his shoulder where it stung. "Rafe, stay with me."
Then everything went quiet as the world became black. Peace released him. Liz and Brandon were safe. No one would harm them. If he died now, he'd be satisfied.