"Get them to a van. Now!" Monique heard the panicked pitch creeping into her voice.

She had no idea who had located them or who'd fired that shot in the bar, but she wasn't about to wait around and find out. It didn't really matter if it was LVMPD, SWAT, the Feds, or her boss. The last thing she wanted was to end up in cuffs. Or worse. Even a couple hundred thousand wasn’t worth dying for. They needed to get the hell out of Vegas. The money should already be in the account. She could transfer it to her off-shore and run. It wouldn't be the first time she'd gone into hiding. It probably wouldn't be the last.

"What the hell is taking you so long?" She'd climbed out the locker room window and snuck back into the garage at the rear of the building.

"I'm coming," Tank’s voice was thick with resentment. "I'm trying to carry a drugged woman. She isn't exactly light. If you're not going help, shut the fuck up.”

"Freeze! FBI!"

They both paused mid-step, but only for a moment as they realized the woman's voice was still down the hall, not yet in this outer room. But it was close, closing in, and she'd already proved that she wasn't afraid to fire a gun.

"I'm won't go down for Gupta," Monique hissed. She pointed at Casey. "Move her to the van first. She’s our high-ticket. You can get the other one—"

"I’m not going back in there."

"I pay you to deal with this shit so I don't have to,” she spat at him.

"Do you want to bury another body? Because if I go back in there, someone'll die and it won't be me. Dead Feds cause a lot of questions."

“It’s not like I’m sticking around to deal with it.”

“Word'll spread and it’ll freak your clientele out.”

She glared at Tank and held the door open so he could get his ass into the garage. She glanced at the lock on the door, hesitating. It was a cheap one and wouldn't hold anyone off for long, but it might buy a few minutes.

“Fine. Leave the other one here. Hurry up!"

Monique ran to the bay door they used for deliveries and raised it as Tank shoved the barely conscious woman into the back of an unmarked delivery van. He slammed the back door shut when a crash sounded at the doorway they’d just come through. A woman burst through it, gun trained on them.

"FBI! Don't move!"

Monique's mouth pinched into a thin line and pure bewilderment registered as she recognized the woman in front of her, identical to the one Tank had put into the van.

"Where's my sister?"

Sister? Realization dawned on Monique. Twins.

Was it conceivable they’d snatched the wrong woman? The full impact of her situation clicked into place. Casey must have been an undercover FBI agent and Tank seized her twin by mistake. Her mind raced, trying to come up with ways to stay alive, to keep this agent off-kilter enough for her to come up with an alibi for all the charges they would throw her way. The only one that made sense was to profess her innocence until this woman cut her lying tongue out. As long as she pled innocent to everything, they had the burden of proof and there wasn’t enough to convict her. What they had, her boss would easily make disappear.

"I don't understand what’s happening." She let her gaze slide slowly over the woman in front of her, stalling as she raised her hands to her shoulders and took a step backward. "Casey…Miles, right? What in the world are you doing here?"

"A better question would be why you’re here." The agent smiled but there was no humor in her expression as she pulled out a second gun and trained it on Tank. Her lips drew back in pure hatred and ferocious malice. Monique knew it mirrored her own. “Monique Bentley, you’re under arrest.”

“Arrest? For being at one of my own buildings?”

“On charges of trafficking, possession of narcotics, and kidnapping.”

Monique's brows lifted high on her forehead in mock surprise. “I don't understand what you’re talking about.”

"You had this dipshit kidnap my sister."

Monique saw Tank's face distort with contempt. If he got his hands on this agent, she was dead, but at least he knew enough to keep his mouth shut. For the moment. "I did no such thing."

"You've been using the 4Teen Center as your front while you drugged and sold women to the highest buyers."

Monique let loose a loud guffaw. "My goodness, you've a wild imagination. I help abused women. Of all people, I would be the last one to exploit—"

The gunshot reverberated through the room, making her ears ring as concrete from the floor chipped and scrapped against her shin, drawing a thin line of blood. Monique's body jerked backward in shock as the agent leveled the gun at Monique's chest.

"The next one won't be a warning. Both of you, on your stomachs, hands behind your head."

"Okay, let's all calm down." Monique eyed Tank who followed her lead, raising his hands behind his head. She eased her body closer to the passenger side of the van, prepared to open the door to shield her body. "If you would put down the guns, we'll discuss why you think—"

"There’s nothing to discuss. Where is my sister?”

"I have no—"

"Toni?" A woman inside the van called out, sounding like a weak puppy. “Toni!”

It was louder this time as if knowing her twin was near gave her strength to call out. Monique cursed her luck, wishing they’d had time to knock the woman out before moving her.

Recognition flashed in Casey’s -Toni’s - eyes. "Rose?"

Her grip on the gun slipped, and it was all Monique needed to make her move. Diving for the passenger door, Monique yanked it open and jumped inside. In sync with her movements, Tank jerked open the back door of the van, revealing the woman inside, curled in a ball with her arms around her knees, leaning to one side, her wrists and ankles zip-tied together. They had only seconds before gunfire erupted and Monique screamed at Tank. He jumped into the driver's seat, twisting the key in the ignition and slamming his foot on the gas pedal. Tires squealed on the concrete floor, dark smoke rising behind the van.

She might end up losing Gupta’s delivery but they would live to start over.

“Go!” she yelled.

* * *

Panic rocketed through Toni’s body. They were escaping and, if she didn't get Rose out of the van before they hit the street, she would never see her again. It was too risky to shoot at the driver through the open rear door of the vehicle . It was more likely that she would hit Rose.

She played through the few options to safely retrieve to her sister and only one made any sense. But the chance of hitting her mark was extremely slim. She took aim at the back tire of the van and fired one shot. A loud whoosh of air reverberated toward her and the car listed to the left, swerving. Rose's body slammed against the side of the van and Toni saw the driver trying to regain control as it skid sideways.

As the vehicle swayed, the doors swung closed, blocking Rose from view as Toni raised her gun and took aim again. Her second shot took out the left tire. This time, it exploded, rubber peeling off and flying to the sides. Sparks flew as the rim scrapped the asphalt of the parking lot, cutting into the concrete. With their getaway vehicle useless, Tank let the van skid to a stop.

"Get out!" Toni yelled, running for them, slowing as she got close. She spotted Leo coming out of the building to her left where he'd triangulated his position from the door that was their original access point at the rear of the building. Somehow, he must have heard her shots and located her.

"Freeze!" he yelled. “Las Vegas Police!”

The front doors on either side of the van opened and Leo and Toni each took aim, covering the exit points. There was no escape and both Tank and Monique seemed to recognize the matter.

"We’re coming out," Monique called.

Cautious relief flooded Toni. The situation wasn't completely diffused, so she couldn't let her guard down yet, but Rose was here, only a few feet away and alive. Once these two were in custody, she could hold her. There was an end of this nightmare in sight.

Toni positioned her body to the left side of the door, preparing for Monique's surrender from the passenger seat as Leo did the same on the driver's side, moving closer to the back corner of the vehicle opposite her.

The rear doors of the van flew open, nearly hitting Toni as she angled herself in the opposite direction. She froze, instinct kicking in and dropped into a crouch, making herself as small a target as possible in the open parking lot.

"Is she what you want?" Monique's bodyguard held Rose by her matted hair, her neck arched as she knelt in front of him in the back of the vehicle. "I'll give her to you but, you're have to let us go."

Leo shot a warning look her direction. They weren't letting them get away, but neither was about to tell this maniac that, not while he still held Rose hostage. From where Toni stood, the door blocked her view of Tank still holding Rose captive and Toni wasn't able to get off a clear shot. But Leo had a clear view of them both.

"Drop your gun," Tank ordered.

No, don’t!

Leo raised his hands, his weapon held out in an open palm, useless, before he squatted to the ground and laid it flat.

"Kick it away." Leo followed the order, kicking it toward where Toni crouched. It stopped almost a foot away, between them. "And your other one."

If he dropped his second weapon, Leo had no way to protect himself. He was a sitting target and Toni didn't doubt for a second that there were weapons stashed in the van. She slid the gun in her left hand, the 9mm she'd taken from Monique's office to the ground, preparing to kick it toward Leo. His gaze flicked toward the gun on the ground as she pulled her Sig from the holster at her ankle.

Toni pointed the Glock in her hand at the passenger side door, still waiting for Monique’s exit, and the other at the back of the van, searching for a reflection in the passenger side mirror. She needed a better idea of what was happening inside the van, to alert her to where Monique might be since the passenger seat appeared empty. In fact, from the reflection, the entire front of the vehicle looked empty. Toni stood, hoping it would give her a better vantage point. If making herself into a bigger target deflected attention from Leo and Rose, she'd do it. She wasn't going down without a fight.

"Okay," Leo cajoled Tank, trying to keep him from noticing Toni creeping closer on the other side of the open door. "I put it down. Now, let her go."

The scrape of shoes dropping to the asphalt was music to Toni's ears as she edged closer to the back door of the van. She saw her sister's feet, teetering in high heels at the bumper, her body still blocked by the back door. Rose’s first step toward Leo was wobbly and tentative but grew steady as she realized she was being set free. Toni reached the edge of the door, her weapon trained on Tank, when Rose spotted her.

"Toni!"

Shock registered on the face of the man in the back of the van when he realized Toni had him in her sights. Rose stumbled toward her sister, having no idea what she'd done to compromise their positions, and blocked Toni’s shot.

Toni ignored the bruises marring her sister's face and the dress tangling around her legs as she lunged for her sister's waist, pulling her away from the back of the van to get her out of danger. Gunshots exploded all around.

She went down with Rose, rolling on her back. Toni pushed herself up on one arm, folding a knee underneath her as she tried to leverage her weight and drag them to some cover before either got hit. Her left leg was useless, unable to bear her weight and she couldn’t move. She looked down and spotted the entry wound as blood seeped through her jeans, spreading across her thigh. She clasped a hand over it, trying to stem the flow. As if seeing it suddenly made the pain a reality, her leg burned, on fire, and she groaned with the sheer agony.

"Rose, you have to get back inside. Call for help." Toni nudged her sister who lay beside her. Rose took the brunt of the impact when they fell and Toni prayed she hadn't hit her head when they went down. She shook her again. "Come on, Rose. Get up."

There were five shots, fired in quick succession from beside her and Tank fell from the back of the van to the asphalt. He didn’t move.

"Leo!"

He groaned in reply. "He's not getting up," he answered weakly.

Toni saw Leo’s shadow on the ground and, from the angle she ascertained he leaned with his back against the rim of the blown tire. "Toni?"

"Hang on, Leo."

Toni searched for any sign of Monique. She still hadn't exited the van yet. They couldn’t have missed her. Sirens blared down the street, heading their direction. The cavalry would arrive and she sure as hell needed them now. Leo was hurt, badly, and while her injury didn't hit an artery, she suspected it shattered her femur, which would cause a fatal amount of blood loss if she didn't get to a hospital quickly, and Rose wasn't responding.

She shoved against her sister’s arm again, rolling her over. "Rose. Come on, wake up."

A small gash at the side of her head oozed blood, the crimson brilliant against her pale flesh. Several smaller cuts marred her sister's face, but they were old and beginning to heal. Panicking wouldn't help but Toni found it difficult to think clearly. "Rose!"

Toni cringed at the pain that rocked through her as she leaned over her sister, prying her eyelids open, her pupils dilated and unresponsive to the sunset glaring down into them, but she was breathing. There was that.

A quiet laugh echoed from inside the van. "Rose, Casey, Toni…so many identities. How do you keep them all straight?" Toni looked away from her sister as boot heels clicked on the asphalt. Monique approached gun in hand, leveling it at Toni's chest. "At this point, I have no idea who either of you might be. Although, I guess it doesn't really matter."

The sirens closed in but they sounded like they were still a few blocks away; they wouldn't be here in time to save her. Leo was on the other side of the van and didn't know that Monique was outside the vehicle, or that she was armed. He had no clue the danger they were all in.

“What are you going to do? The police will be here any second.” Toni tried to be loud enough for Leo to hear, praying he was still conscious. Please, don't let him be…

When they hit the ground, she'd dropped both of her weapons but they had to be close. She slid her hand under her sister's side, her fingers searching for the feel of metal.

"There isn't much I can do, is there?" Monique shrugged nonchalantly. "I mean, I was kidnapped along with your sister and barely escaped. As it was, I only got out because you amazing agents killed my attacker.” She shot a glance at the body behind the van. “I grabbed his gun but, unfortunately, not before everyone was killed trying to help me escape. "

"No one will believe you." Toni's fingers brushed against the butt of her Sig .380.

"No?" The woman laughed hysterically, waving her gun at the sky. "Who'll contradict my story?"

As Monique broke eye contact, Toni shoved her hand under her sister, her fingers closing over the gun, dragging it toward her.

"She won't." Monique spun and fired a shot.

Toni waited for the bullet to rip into her, and then she realized what Monique said, what she'd done.

"No!"

Toni sat up and emptied the rest of the magazine, point blank, at the woman in front of her. Spent shells ticked as they hit the asphalt around her but Toni couldn't stop firing, not even when the weapon clicked empty and Monique crumbled at her feet. The agony burning through her leg didn't compare to the pain of her heart being ripped from her chest.

Her own wound forgotten, Toni rolled over, pressing her hands over the bloodstain spreading across Rose's chest, trying to hold onto the life as it flowed from her sister's body, pooling beneath them both.

"Toni!"

Leo's weakened voice called out to her but agony tore through her and she released a guttural cry of rage, fear, and grief. She wanted to check her sister for a pulse but she wouldn't release the pressure over Rose's chest wound.

Chaos erupted around her. Faces surrounded her, trying to speak but Toni didn't understand anything over the wail of the sirens. Or was that her own keening cry? A paramedic pried her hands from Rose and she fought him, trying to stay close to her twin, even as they lifted Toni onto a gurney. She sat up, screaming for her sister. They couldn't separate; Rose would never realize she came to save her. If they split up, she'd lose her.

"Toni, stop." Jones stood over her, holding her shoulders down as a paramedic tried to get an I.V. into her arm. "You've got to let them treat you."

"I have to stay with Rose."

"This leg is bad. We need to stabilize her.” The paramedic turned to Jones. “We need to get her to Sunrise Hospital right away. She needs surgery."

"Go, T. You can't do anything here if you die." He glanced over at where the paramedics surrounded Rose and Toni watched his face, searching for a clue as to her sister's condition. He sighed. "I'll stay with her. Trust me."

The darkness closed in around her and she welcomed it if it meant Rose would live. She had no choice. "Leo?" she whispered, hoping to hold on long enough for Jones to understand what she asked.

"He'll be fine. He's lost a lot of blood, but it appears it missed anything vital. Just sleep, T."