Chapter Thirty-seven
As Josh stared down the barrel of a rifle, he hoped this asshole believed they didn’t have a chance of getting off the roof of the NIB. With Mike on his way to the White House, help was coming. If they could stall long enough, then Bridges could get here with his guys. That would take a while, but that was the only possibility he saw.
“I can fly,” Candy said. “Put the gun down, Mikhail.”
Josh dropped his chin to his chest. Why did she confess? No, no, no. That wasn’t how this kind of game was played.
“Put the gun down, Mikhail,” Candy repeated, climbing to her feet. Josh tried to edge in front of her, putting himself between her and the gun. His mate spun on him. “If we are going to try this mating thing, you have to be fucking alive to do it. If you—”
“Or you,” he added.
“Yes, if one of us dies, then forget it.”
Was that her way of saying she wanted to be with him? Elation and true fear struck him at the same time. He was so close to having her, and so close to having her taken away.
“Enough talking.” Mikhail raised his aim overhead, specifically at Josh. “The only reason I’m keeping you, Mr. Smart Ass, is because you’re a director. I will get paid well for you. And I will enjoy beating you when you are tied and can’t defend yourself. It will be for Yulian.”
“Someone is paying you to kidnap people?” Candy asked. That was surprising. “What happened to you and your brother doing it all yourselves?”
“It’s a lot easier than trying to get the money myself. Now get in the helicopter. I’d hate to give up the director’s worth, but I will if either of you cause problems. Director, get in on the other side. Any moves and I’ll put a bullet in Miss Army’s head.”
Shit. Hands in the air, he walked around the helicopter. He’d bide his time and wait for the opportunity to attack. There would be one. He just needed to be patient.
As he settled in the seat, Mikhail shoved his mate forward. That was enough for a death sentence in his book. Patient, he’d be patient. Candy opened the pilot’s door and climbed in. He read the confidence in her eyes. He hoped she had a plan. He knew she was good. She wouldn’t be where she was if she wasn’t.
Mikhail hopped into the back and held a pistol to his mate’s head in the pilot’s seat. The rifle slid behind the back seats. No chance for him to reach that without getting up. No opportunity there.
Candy started up the helicopter and they all put on headsets. He prayed she didn’t do anything to get herself killed. But Mikhail now knew how to get her to bend to his wishes. Threaten him, her mate. Dammit.
“Where are we going, Mikhail?” she asked.
“To the cargo docks, where the ships are,” he said.
Josh caught her eye. That was a strange place to go. Was the man planning to take a cruise home? Candy lifted off, quickly turning them in the wrong direction. But Mikhail wouldn’t know since he wasn’t familiar with the city. He glanced at her, but kept his poker face. He hoped she knew what she was doing.
The local air traffic control man spoke through their headsets. Mikhail poked his gun into Candy’s head again. “Don’t talk to them.”
“I have to,” she explained. “They need to know who we are and where we’re going.”
“No, they don’t,” the Russian said in perfect English. “We will be gone before they can get anyone to find us.”
Air traffic came on again, asking for identification and destination. Candy maintained radio silence. After a couple of minutes, Josh saw the White House come into view. Oh, shit. Was she going to do what he thought?
His mate glanced at him and grinned. Oh, fuck. She was.
Candy kicked their air speed much faster than it should have been. At the same time, she dipped them to tree-top level. Air traffic control screamed over the headset, warning of restricted airspace and threatening to shoot them down. Candy switched them off.
“What are you doing?” Mikhail yelled. “Get out of here. Go to the docks or I will shoot you.”
“Mikhail,” Candy said calmly, “if you shoot me, you will be a red smoldering splotch on the back lawn of the White House. Now be quiet while I buzz the place.”
“You’re buzzing the president’s home?” Mikhail looked out the window. “Isn’t that illegal?”
“Damn right, it’s illegal,” his mate laughed, “and you should be loving it. Your flyboys do this to our ships at sea all the time. It aggravates the hell out of them.”
“That’s why we do it,” Mikhail proudly said as if he had some personal role in what the Russian military did. “Circle again,” he directed with glee on his face.
He hoped she remembered about the snipers mounted on the roof. That would explain her gut-wrenching, vomit-producing flying.
“We need to keep going,” Candy said, “before they mount an attack.”
“Yes, yes. Go, then,” the Russki said.
Candy turned them in the correct direction and high-tailed out of the city.
“Mikhail,” Candy said, “you’ve pulled off an incredible feat. Having the hostages to divert attention away from the White House was genius.” Josh looked at Candy. Was she going over the edge? Lack of food and sleep making her loopy? “How did the men get inside the building to take hostages?”
“That was easy, Miss Army Girl. You Americans think you’re so safe here in your little country. We made our own truck with fake floor where my men hid until they passed security.”
“How did you get the caterer to use it?” Josh asked.
“We took his family.” The Russian shrugged like it was an everyday thing, common sense.
“Army Girl, how did you get to the fountain?” Mikhail asked. “No one in Russia has that information. You do well to hide it.”
“That fountain escape route?” his mate said nonchalantly. “Lots of people know about it. It’s been there a long time. How many bombs did you plant in the president’s home?” she asked.
The terrorist smiled. “You would like to know, wouldn’t you?”
She scowled. His mate did a good job with a sneak interrogation, pumping the guy full of praise. Josh hadn’t realized her ploy until a few minutes ago, either. The bastard played along for a bit, giving information that meant little, though.
The water and large cargo ships came into sight. “Where are we landing?” Candy asked.
“Not here,” he said. “We’re landing on a boat at sea.”