Chapter Twenty-Two

Wyatt knew before the man rounded the corner it would be the thug who kidnapped them. The drug dealer Amelia identified as Donald Bainbridge’s supplier. Wyatt had only seen him from a distance but when he appeared, his lips contorted into a shark-like smile, he recognized the face. Four men came with him, all with weapons pointed at Wyatt’s head. He’d have been able to disable the first man with no problem, but if he tried now, they’d shoot him. Hell, they probably would anyway. He served no purpose to them.

“Don’t even think about doing something stupid,” the drug dealer said, obviously reading his thoughts. “I’ve got shooters stationed on the roof who won’t hesitate to blow the head off your pretty little girlfriend.”

He couldn’t see the top of the building from his vantage point, but he didn’t doubt there were guns pointed at Amelia and Ryan right now. With Ryan’s training, he knew it too. It would be suicide to try to run now.

“I knew if we waited here, you would eventually show up. But damn, it took you long enough.”

Wyatt wanted to snip out a cutting remark. They couldn’t have beat them here by much. Their advantage had been knowing the jungle while he, Amelia and Ryan had been winging it.

“Tell your friends to put down the weapons and join us now or I won’t hesitate to give the command to end their lives.” He smirked. “Just ask the priest.”

The man wanted a reaction, but Wyatt refused to give him one. He would kill him for murdering Father Juan, but he would not call for Amelia.

The man lowered his weapon and stepped back. “Shoot,” he instructed the others.

“Wait! We’re coming out.”

His heart stopped when Amelia and Ryan stepped through the leaves. Two of the goons rushed after them and prodded them forward with guns in their backs. One took out a roll of duct tape and bound first Ryan’s and then Amelia’s hands behind their backs.

It was all he could do to keep calm when inside, his blood boiled, and fury raged like a hurricane. He turned back to the man. “Who are you?”

“My name is Gustavo, but you can call me your executioner.”

Cute. “What is it you want? Why did you kidnap us?”

“I was hired to take the woman. She’s a very valuable commodity. You,” Gustavo raked his eyes down Wyatt’s body, “were supposed to bring in a hefty ransom. Who travels without identification, anyway?” He jerked his chin in Ryan’s direction. “He was taken for ransom, too, but it became personal when he killed my cousin.” He turned his icy gaze to Wyatt. “And you killed my men.”

It wouldn’t do any good to point out that his men tried to kill them first. And Wyatt would kill these men, too. Somehow, someway, he would end them.

It probably wasn’t a good sign that Gustavo was being honest about why he and Ryan were abducted. That meant that he had no plans to let them live.

“As the Americans say, time to get this show on the road.” Gustavo smiled evilly. “Ah, right on time.”

#

Amelia didn’t care about the gun at her back, but the three currently aimed at Wyatt, not to mention the shooters on the roof, made her heart pound with fear. Gustavo admitted that Wyatt and Ryan were abducted for the ransom they’d bring in, but now he wanted revenge. Amelia had to think of a way out of this before he killed them both. Maybe she could exchange her life for theirs. Gustavo said she was the valuable commodity, so she had room to bargain.

“Ah, right on time.”

She wasn’t the least bit surprised when Donald Bainbridge sauntered through the clearing to stop directly in front of her. He wore an olive-green safari jacket and blue jeans with hiking boots that looked like they’d never seen the woods. She could see the revulsion on her face reflected in his mirrored shades. He was even more disgusting than she remembered. If there weren’t guns pointed at her right now, she’d slug him in the gut.

He removed the sunglasses and hooked them over a jacket pocket. “Where is it?”

“If you’re talking about your bag, you’ll have to ask your friend over there.” She nodded towards the man holding a gun on Wyatt. It made her physically sick knowing the least bit of pressure on the trigger would put a bullet in his head, but she worked hard to keep her composure. “The last time I saw it was before he kidnapped me.”

Donald took a menacing step forward until he invaded her personal space. His face was mere inches from hers, but she refused to back down. His breath smelled of coffee and tobacco. You’d think growing up in a family of doctors, he’d be more concerned about his health and the dangers of cigarettes.

“Don’t play stupid with me, bitch. The thumb drive. The only reason you aren’t worm food right now. Where is it?”

Unease crept down her spine. She hadn’t told anyone about witnessing the drug exchange or taking pictures of the journal detailing his crimes, yet he knew about the flash drive. She’d tried to be careful but finding both Jody and Marin standing behind her computer when she transferred the files had rattled her. Someone told him and since Jody was dead, that meant Marin sold her out. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

She hadn’t been shocked to see Donald. She was, however, stunned when Jody strolled up beside him and wrapped an arm around his waist. She was dressed in the same drab olive jacket, blue jeans and hiking boots. Date mates. How high school.

If Jody was standing here, that meant the other body Wyatt found in the hospital was Marin. She glared at Jody. “Ieshia and Marin are dead,” she accused.

Jody shrugged negligently. “So? I didn’t do it.”

Amelia’s lip curled with disgust. She must be his contact while he was out of the country. “You set me up to be kidnapped.”

Jody just smirked, not denying the accusation. There was no reason continuing to pretend she didn’t know what they were talking about since Jody witnessed her copying files firsthand. “Okay, fine. I did have the flash drive, but when Marin and I went to deliver the baby, I gave it to her for safe keeping. I have no idea what she did with it.”

“Liar.”

Amelia’s head snapped to the side when Jody’s hand connected with her cheek and she tasted blood. She heard Wyatt growl and prayed he didn’t do something stupid to get himself killed.

She faced Jody. “I have no reason to lie,” she lied.

“She won’t talk, so kill the two men,” Donald ordered with a dramatic upward flail of his arm.

The men with the guns just stood there, making no move to do his bidding.

He swiveled around, eyeing the troops. Then he threw up his hands. “What are you waiting for? Shoot them!”

“We don’t take orders from you, amigo,” one of them informed him.

Donald’s jaw clenched. “Gustavo,” he growled.

Gustavo rolled his eyes. “Do as he says,” he ordered his men. They lifted their weapons and pointed them at Wyatt and Ryan.

Amelia’s eyes widened in horror. “Stop! I’ll tell you where it is.”

“Too late.”

Before she could reveal the hiding place, a cacophony of shots rang out. A sob tore from her throat. Wyatt didn’t stand a chance at point blank range.

A head exploded into a fine red mist and she cried out to see Wyatt covered in blood. Her brain couldn’t process that it was Gustavo who was already dead before he hit the ground. Every one of his armed men met the same fate, including the two snipers on the roof, who rolled off and landed with dual thuds. The gunfire lasted less than five seconds. Wyatt and Ryan were alive, albeit covered in blood, but the entire group of kidnappers were dead.

When the shooting started, Donald Bainbridge hit the ground and curled into a ball with his hands covering his head, sobbing like a baby. Jody plastered her back against the hospital with her hands in the air.

Ryan glanced around in wonder. “What the hell just happened?”

Shapes materialized from the forest dressed in tactical gear holding high-tech weapons. “Maggie,” she cried, recognizing her friend instantly despite her head and face being camouflaged. Beside her was her husband Carter. Coming from a different part of the forest were Grant Colton and Sawyer Oldham, and from another Noah and Ethan Addison. They looked like a bad ass squadron of superheroes.

She’d never been so happy to see them in her life.

Suddenly an arm wrapped around her neck and she was jerked off her feet. The grip against her windpipe was the only thing keeping her upright. Then she felt the sharp poke of a gun against her spine.

“Stay back,” Jody ordered when Wyatt lunged for her. “I won’t hesitate to kill her.”

With her hands bound behind her, she couldn’t pry at the forearm pressing against her trachea. Jody was squeezing the life out of her. Spots danced before her eyes and blackness edged her vision.

“Put down your weapons, all of you. That’s good. Now kick them away. Amelia and I are going to leave now and if any of you try to stop us, I will shoot her.”

Jody dragged Amelia with her as she moved away from the building towards the clearing.

Donald jumped to his feet. “Good job, sweetheart.” He brushed dirt off his jacket. “I was just about to save us, but you beat me to it.”

Jody aimed the gun at Donald and fired.

Donald’s eyes widened in shock and betrayal before his knees gave out and he crashed to the ground.

“I won’t go to prison for him,” she muttered. Then she swung the gun to Wyatt. “You look like you’ll be trouble so bye, bye.”

A shot rang out. Jody’s hold around Amelia’s neck loosened and she fell forward, twisting so she landed on a shoulder since she couldn’t brace her fall. Even as she struggled to breathe, she scrabbled around to see Jody face-planted into the ground with her arms wrenched behind her back, courtesy of Kayla Hepburn, who must’ve stayed hidden in the woods when the others emerged.

She frantically searched for Wyatt, who was running her way. Relief had her losing the breath she’d worked so hard to replenish. A quick glance told her that Ryan, Maggie, Carter, Grant, Sawyer, and the Addison brothers were all unharmed as well.

“The shot…” she croaked.

“Into the ground,” Kayla answered from her perch atop Jody’s back. She, too, was dressed in khaki colored tactical gear, a cap covering her light brown hair. She finished securing Jody’s arms before shoving off her to stand. She whipped out a knife and severed the tie around Amelia’s wrists.

“Thank you.”

Then she was tugged up and into a muscular pair of arms. Wyatt leaned back and framed her face with his hands.

“Are you okay, babe?”

Since breath was still scarce, she nodded.

Wyatt pulled her against him again. “I was so damn terrified.”

She was, too. She’d have nightmares of guns being pointed at Wyatt’s head to go along with ones of being trapped with giant anacondas in a dark cave. She stayed against his solid chest until her breath returned, but tortured screams had her tugging against his hold. “I need to check on Donald.”

“Let him suffer,” Wyatt growled, tightening his arms.

“You know I can’t.” Wyatt reluctantly released her, and she dropped down beside Noah and Ethan, who were administering first aid.

“I’ve been shot! I’m dying! You have to help me!”

“You’re not dying, asshat,” Ethan sighed. “Drama queen much?”

“My arm is on fire! I think it’s severed!”

“It’s barely a scratch,” Noah groused. “You have the right to remain silent. For the love of all things holy, use it.”

Amelia nudged Ethan aside, expecting to see a gaping hole where the bullet had blown through his arm. Instead it was as Ethan described: barely a scratch. His jacket was torn and bloody, but he’d live to see the inside of a federal prison. “You’re lucky Jody has horrible aim,” she told Donald.

His eyes rolled back. “I think I’m going to pass out.”

Noah and Ethan exchanged their own eye rolls as they lifted him up to remove his jacket and shirt. He whined and moaned the entire time. She’d have injected him with a sedative just to shut him up, but she took perverse satisfaction in his pain and anguish. The drugs he peddled killed people. Kids. He deserved to suffer.

Wyatt placed the backpack of supplies beside her. She thanked him and dug inside for butterfly bandages. She only had a couple left, but that would be enough. Donald screamed like she’d lit him on fire when she patted an antiseptic wipe over the wound.

“What the hell are you doing to my grandson?”