Chapter Seventeen
As always, the tranquilizer haze cleared slowly.
Kitty blinked a few times, trying to shake it off as voices faded in and out. Try as she might, she couldn’t grasp all the words, only pieces.
“Conscious now… Happy?” The man sounded familiar, but she couldn’t place him. She pressed a palm to her forehead, shaking her head again. Somehow, she knew she needed to remember. Fast.
Adrenalin pounded through her, making her heart speed and her leg twitch. Something wasn’t right.
In front of her, Dr. Fields finally came into focus.
Events slammed down on her, as they always did after the tranquilizer, and she rode them out. The helicopter, Ahmed’s men. Sending Nick away even as the pain on his face made her ache to call him back.
Glancing around with still-clearing eyes, she spotted Ahmed, again overdressed in a custom-made suit, and wearing the same arrogant look as before. They were outside, and a helicopter waited nearby.
She was bound, her hands zip-tied together in front of her. A good precaution, she supposed. But it wouldn’t be good enough. Not if she could help it.
They didn’t even look at her. Over her head, they carried on negotiating their agreement as if she wasn’t even there. She was only another bargaining chip. She’d been a spectator to a lot of conversations like this in her life. Her parents used to talk about her right in front of her. They made decisions about her future without her input.
Now, Fields and Ahmed decided her fate.
Not anymore.
“Yes, I am happy. You’ve included all the research, correct?” Ahmed’s eyes trailed to a suitcase on the floor.
“Yes, I have included copies of my research.”
Ahmed studied him. “I asked you for enough information to reproduce the drug, doctor. I need to know that the information is in the flash drive you’ve included.” His tone only hinted at the warning in his mind.
“I can’t vouch for the intelligence of your chemists, Mr. Ahmed.” Fields smirked, crossed his arms over his chest. “But a reasonably smart researcher should be able to follow along reasonably well.”
Ahmed’s eyes narrowed on Fields. Kitty listened as he debated the chance that Fields had double-crossed him and withheld information. “I will find you, doctor. If the research is not all here, there is nowhere you’ll be able to hide from me.”
This time, there was no mistaking the threat.
Fields huffed and glared back, offended, as if he were above reproach. Kitty might have snorted if she wasn’t worried about attracting their attention. “I’ve done as you requested. If you employ skilled scientists, you’ll be able to produce the drug well enough.”
A wave of red-tinted hatred washed over Ahmed’s thoughts. Fields exhibited so many of the things Ahmed hated about Western cultures. Arrogance, a lack of loyalty or decency. An obsession with money and material possessions. Too much self-preservation and too little altruism.
Ahmed’s hatred was based on stereotypes. But in this case, Kitty couldn’t disagree. Fields was those things.
Ahmed mastered his emotions, though, straightening his back. “You’ve provided me with the hundred doses we agreed upon.”
“Yes. It’s there.”
“Very well.” Ahmed passed the suitcase to his ever-present assistant. Without a word, he removed a phone from his pocket. After a few taps on its face, he lifted his head and nodded. “I’ve transferred another portion of the agreed upon funds to your account.”
He pulled a slip of paper from his pocket. “This is the final account information. When my assistant and I have left the property safely, I will authorize the remainder of your funds to be transferred into this account.” He held onto the paper when Fields tried to take it. “The last portion is the largest, doctor. Do not consider betraying me.”
As he let go of the page, Fields snapped it up with a sneer. “Fine.”
Ahmed’s hands folded in front of him, as if he was in prayer, and he bowed slightly at the waist. His thoughts contradicted his outward politeness. I hope your own people cut off your hands, you vile traitor.
The bloodthirsty nature of his thoughts made her wince, drawing Ahmed’s attention. “You are awake.”
She held his gaze.
“Good.” He smiled. “We go.”
Without another glance in her direction, he nodded to his assistant before walking toward the waiting helicopter. As he moved, the helicopter’s propellers picked up, kicking up the tails of his well-made suit jacket. His assistant motioned to two guards and they stepped forward, pulling her off the chair and to her feet. The assistant then pulled a set of handcuffs from his pocket and closed one around his wrist and the other around the handle of the briefcase. Kitty’s stomach sank as he handed the key to another guard. Then he nodded and followed Ahmed.
The guards beside her nudged her forward, and she followed their directions, her mind racing.
How was she going to get that suitcase? She needed to steal the key somehow. Or remove that guy’s arm. Real simple.
Hopelessness threatened, reminding her that she’d been an idiot to leave Nick—to try to do this on her own.
She needed to stop that. She’d had enough of that defeatist thinking in her life. Don’t fight back. Don’t cause conflict.
Well, not anymore.
She had to think. She could do this.
Glancing back, she caught sight of Fields watching them leave. From fifty feet away, she could feel his relief. Good luck managing her, Ahmed.
With a jolt, she understood. He was happy to see her go.
He was afraid of her.
Empowered, she smiled at him, and his face sobered. She almost laughed.
Around him, five of his changed soldiers stood guard. If she moved, they’d fight back. She couldn’t control all of them. If she added Ahmed’s goons to Fields’s goons, well, that was more than she could manage. That meant she would need to wait until she was in the helicopter to take on Ahmed and his entourage. There were only four of them.
She bided her time.
She dragged her feet going toward the chopper, using the extra moments to scan the helicopter pad. There had to be something here. Something she could use.
Panic made her heart race in her chest, so fast her breathing quickened. The predator who had taken her was larger than the one she’d left. She needed to push that aside for now. She’d never be able to do this if she worried about what would happen if she failed.
As she delayed, the guards around the helicopter pad turned. Some even braced themselves, their hands going to the guns at their waists and backs. She paused, this time not as a stall tactic, but out of curiosity.
From the east, two helicopters banked over the trees. She hadn’t heard them over the chaos in her head.
The guards at her side tensed, looking up. In front of her, Ahmed and his assistant dove into the helicopter, and Ahmed started yelling instructions to the pilot.
This was her chance.
She reached out to her guards. She told one he couldn’t move. The other, the man with the key to the briefcase cuffs, she told him to give her the key. They struggled against her wishes, but she concentrated on them, forcing them to do what she wanted.
A moment later, the key was in her hand and the guards were on the ground on their stomachs.
She spun, running toward the helicopter, her hands still bound together. Around her, others began to run, some scurrying for cover, others moving toward higher ground. None of it swayed her. She only had eyes for that helicopter.
As she closed the distance, Ahmed barked orders at the pilot, who worked frantically, flipping switches and adjusting dials. Kitty reached out to him, telling him to stop. The helicopter runners bounced back onto the tarmac as she dove into the chopper.
Ahmed leaped forward, though, pushing the pilot aside and forcing the lever that controlled the chopper up. The aircraft swept into the sky.
She lost control of the pilot as she hung out of the helicopter. Her legs dangled, half in and half out, her hands bound together. Her stomach dropped as the wind whipped at her. She couldn’t get a grip, couldn’t pull herself in. She struggled, swinging her legs, even as she slid farther off the side.
There was only air below her.
She couldn’t hold on. She’d fall to her death here, now, after everything that had happened to her.
Unwittingly, her thoughts went to Nick. Loss threatened to paralyze her.
Her eyes met Ahmed’s assistant as he debated whether to help her or not. Perhaps she is meant to fall. This is dangerous enough without her.
Immediately, he shook his head. Ahmed wants the girl. She must come. Reaching forward, he grasped her wrist, and she used his leverage to hoist herself into the cabin of the chopper.
As she lay on the floor, heaving, the assistant bent over her and shouted, “Are you well?” His concern appeared authentic. She didn’t believe it. She’d heard his thoughts before. He was no good guy.
One hand was on her back, the other hung lose in front of her with the suitcase attached.
She nodded. You can’t move.
He knelt in front of her, frozen. Only his eyes moved, rolling around in his head.
She glanced past him to where Ahmed argued with the pilot. Working quickly, she twisted the key in the handcuffs. The lock clicked open, and the shackle fell off the assistant’s wrist. She gripped the suitcase handle in her hands. She had it. All the information.
Now what?
The entire exchange had taken only a minute, but it was long enough. They were at least ten floors up and climbing.
Maybe she could force the pilot to land again.
The wind whipped her hair as she glanced out the open side of the craft. The height made her dizzy, made her belly drop a bit. But that wasn’t what made her feel like she couldn’t breathe.
Below her, Nick stood on the helicopter pad, staring up at her. He was here.
She didn’t want to consider the anguish on his face, what it must look like to watch her fly away. Instead, she shifted and leaped backward out of the helicopter.
She told the pilot, Fly the helicopter into the ground. Into the ground.
Even as she fell, she watched the nose of the aircraft tilt forward, toward the trees. She continued her litany, Go down. Go down.
The wind was worse in free fall. Her stomach…it felt like riding a roller coaster but much, much faster. She wanted to scream, but she tamped down on her terror, spinning in the air to face Nick.
Ahmed’s helicopter crashed into the neighboring trees, and the force blew her to the side, knocking the wind out of her.
It didn’t matter. Nick was below her.
Catch me. Catch me.
…
Nick had seen Kitty as they crested the hill, the only woman in the circle of armed men, flanked by two guards. The second his helicopter landed at Fields’s compound, Nick bolted off, headed for her.
God, he hoped he wasn’t too late.
Though he had pistols at his hips, he didn’t need them. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he began throwing guards through the air. Next to him, Blue, Seth, and Luke had disembarked, too. Seth sped forward, faster than humanly possible, and leaped into the air, crashing down on two guards with fists to their faces.
As their reinforcements—Pike and his men, Martins and the few he trusted—folded into the throng, Nick lost sight of Kitty. Damn it. He couldn’t move her or help her if he couldn’t see her.
He needed to find her. Fast.
One second he was storming forward, the next he was tumbling through the air. Someone had thrown him. He hit the wall of the building behind him, the force knocking the wind out of him. He stood, shaking his head like a dog fresh from the bath.
Around him, the entire place had exploded into chaos. Shots were fired, so he ducked behind a dumpster. Across the field, a helicopter took off.
A slender form hung over the side, legs dangling. The sight stole his breath.
Kitty.
His heart hammered in his ears, and his brain scrambled to think of a way to stop the helicopter. He’d take it down if he hadn’t been so afraid he’d hurt Kitty.
But he could only watch helplessly as it wavered in the air then lifted higher.
One moment, he watched the helicopter leaving with the woman he loved. The next, she dove backward out of the aircraft, like she’d been shot out of a cannon. As she fell, she twisted through the air above him, clutching a suitcase to her chest.
Time slowed as she plunged toward the hard ground. Her clothes—those ridiculous clothes he’d swiped for her from Walmart—were plastered against her and flapped in the wind.
Her voice thrummed through his mind.
Catch me. Catch me.
As if he needed to be told twice.
Around him, the sounds of fighting drifted in the cold breeze, but Nick only had eyes for her.
His pulse thumped in his temple, but he took a calming breath. He couldn’t afford fear. He reached out with his mind and snagged Kitty out of the air. He had enough foresight to slow her, not grind her momentum to a halt. If he stopped her too fast, he was afraid he’d jolt her, hurt her.
Slowly, he lowered her to the ground.
When she touched down, she was running. Toward him. He opened his arms and folded her into him. In one movement, he tucked her under his chin, breathing in the scent of her, rubbing his cheek against the softness of her hair. She was safe.
Around him, the chaos looked like a scene out of an action movie.
Scratch that. A sci-fi action movie.
Other movers were tossing objects. A dumpster flew through the air, crashing into a truck. A shed broke apart, the pieces raining down on a group of three men.
Nick watched as two guards opened fire on Luke. The bullets froze in midair, dropping to the ground just before the guards lifted and flew against the side of the compound, fifty feet away.
A man ran, faster than a train, toward Blue, his jaw tight. Nick opened his mouth to warn her, but Seth dropped from a two or three story height, tackling him.
Nick leaned back. “We have to get you out of here.”
Kitty shook her head, pulling away, glancing at the still burning wreckage of the helicopter she’d tumbled from. He couldn’t read her thoughts, but whatever she was thinking wasn’t good.
She shoved the suitcase she’d been carrying into his arms. “No. Fields went inside.” She patted the suitcase. “There are a hundred doses of Solvimine in here and Fields’s research. We need to destroy it.”
She started toward the compound. Where was she going? He caught up with her in two steps. “Kitty. Stop.”
When they reached the entrance to the compound, he placed a hand on her arm. They were tucked away from the chaos on the helicopter pad. “Kitty, wait, we need a plan…”
She shook her head, her hand resting on the door pull. “We don’t have time, Nick.” Her voice was strong, but her eyes pleaded. “He’s in there. He can’t get away. We have to stop him.”
“No, we don’t.” Frankly, he didn’t give a shit about Fields anymore. He only cared about getting Kitty somewhere safe and protected. “Martins is here. He’ll handle it.”
Martins’s men were engaged behind them. The fight was out of control, no order at all.
No one was going after Fields.
“You don’t believe that, and neither do I.” She shook her head. “We have his research, but he can recreate it. He can make more Solvimine. Unless we stop him, it doesn’t end. He can’t get away.”
Staring into her pleading face, he knew she would resent it—resent him—if she didn’t do this.
It was a nightmare. The safest decision was to leave, to get her out of here and fight another day. As he held her gaze, though, the words got stuck in his throat.
Her fingers dug into his forearm. “Please.”
“We might lose him,” he warned. “He has guards. He’s a mover. Do you understand how dangerous this is?”
“I do.” She nodded. “I need to try.”
He understood. If she walked away, if she hid, she’d regret it. She’d been afraid of this guy for months. She’d been afraid of standing up for herself for months, years…maybe her entire life.
If this is what she needed, he needed to help her do it.
He loved her.
“Fine.” Christ. “We go together.” He wasn’t letting her out of his sight. Not after what had happened. She wasn’t falling out of any more helicopters on his watch.
His instinct was to go first, to be the first one to face whatever was inside. But he had to admit she might be better equipped. “Do you know where he went?”
Tapping her temple, she smiled, and it lit the chaos like a ray of sunshine. “Yep. Let’s go.”
She threw open the door, and he glanced behind them before he followed her inside.
He couldn’t shake the sick feeling in his gut.
They twisted through the compound. Kitty didn’t speak, so he followed her lead. She turned corner after corner. Her face pinched tighter, and she cocked her head a few times, the way she did when she was listening to people around her.
Finally, the hall ended in an exit.
His instincts flared. There was nothing good on the other side of that door. But before Nick could tell Kitty to wait, she threw it open and dove outside into the dying daylight.