Chapter Fifteen

Rebekah

I had no idea how Tanner got us a room in a packed casino on a Saturday at seven in the morning, but he did, and I was too exhausted to question it. Instead, I showered and brushed my teeth and slid on some clean clothes, enjoying a minute to breathe.

I heard him on the other side of the door on the phone, his voice low and urgent. I tried not to be nervous. We were safe here. Nobody but his team knew we were at this hotel and we’d checked in as Charles and Diana Spencer. I smiled at that. Plus, he’d already proven what lengths he’d go to in order to keep me safe. It was his job, yes, but the soft, girly parts of me desperately wanted to think it was because he felt something, anything, for me, even after our short time together. Because I sure felt something for him. Even though a tiny voice in the back of my head still reminded me that he’d lied to me from the beginning, I focused on what my heart said—he’d lied, but he wasn’t a liar. I could trust him. With my life.

I ran a hand through my wet curls and opened the door to find him staring out the window from our twenty-third-story view.

He spun when he heard me, his gaze raking over me in my yoga pants and T-shirt. “Feel better?”

“Much.” I spied the tray on the table. “Did you get food?”

“Yeah. I ordered room service while you were in the shower. I figured you’d be hungry.”

“God, I could kiss you.”

His grin was adorable. “Nobody’s stopping you.”

I grinned right back, but ran to the food instead, lifting the lid to find scrambled eggs, bacon, and pancakes. “Maybe later.”

He laughed as I dug in.

“Did you eat?” I asked mid-bite.

“Yeah.” He watched me with amused eyes. “You take long showers.”

I tossed my napkin at him, which he caught easily.

“So, the team should be here in a few minutes,” he said, growing serious.

“Including my cousin?” I still wasn’t sure what to make of that. I’d gone my whole life feeling alone except for my grandparents. The idea of family was so foreign, but kind of exciting, too.

“Including your cousin.”

I bit a piece of bacon. “Is he nice?”

“Sure, I guess.” He glanced out the window again. “He’s a SEAL.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means ‘nice’ isn’t the first word that comes to mind.”

“What then?”

He faced me. “Cool. Badass. Smart.” He shrugged. “He’s a family man now, so I guess he’s nice.”

“He is? A family man, I mean?”

“Yeah. He’s married with a couple of kids, I think.”

More family to meet. This was getting better and better. I smiled. “I can’t wait to meet him, I just wish it was under better circumstances.”

“Me, too.” He peeked out the window again, his body tight.

I swallowed, my instincts kicking in. “Why do you keeping looking outside? Is something going on?”

“No.”

I watched his amber eyes flit away. “Liar.”

Before he could respond, there were three rapid taps on the door. He immediately jogged over and opened it without looking through the peephole.

“Mav.” A tall, light-skinned, really, really good-looking black man stepped inside and they did that half handshake, half hug thing that guys did.

“Tito, brother. Come in.”

Another guy with chocolate brown hair and eyes followed, then another, and another . . . it was a regular testosterone hottie fest.

Tanner faced me and I stood, feeling tiny and a bit self-conscious.

“Guys . . . this is Rebekah.”

I waved. “Hey.”

He pointed them out one by one. The black guy was his leader, Tito. The next one was Bubba. Then Wolf.

The last man stepped forward before Tanner could introduce him and held out his hand. “And I’m John . . . Tex.”

I smiled up at him. “My cousin.”

He smiled right back, looking me over like he could hardly believe it either. “Yeah. I guess so.”

I ignored his hand and grabbed him around the waist for a big hug.

He laughed and hugged me back. “Nice to meet you.”

“You, too.” I glanced up into his face. “Weird, right?”

“You could say that, but good weird.”

“Definitely good weird.” I stepped back. “Thank you for coming to help me and my grandpa.”

“Of course. We may have just met, but we’re still family.”

I nodded as a warm feeling bloomed in my chest and brought tears to my eyes.

“Why don’t you sit and finish your breakfast while we figure out a plan?” Tanner suggested, his eyes gentle and understanding.

“Yeah. Okay.” I sat and nibbled on my eggs, but I couldn’t help but overhear their conversation about drug cartel leaders and hackers and escape plans, all while my eyes continually pinged back and forth between Tanner and Tex. God, how my life had changed in a matter of days.

Tex lowered his voice, but I still heard him. “They know you’re here. I got a surveillance image . . .” He held out his phone.

Tanner glanced at the screen and stifled a curse, his eyes shooting to mine.

I stood and paced to the window, crossing my arms in front of myself. A minute later, Tanner came up behind me and cupped my shoulders.

“You okay?”

“Not really.”

His forehead touched my crown. “I’m so sorry this is happening, but I’ll keep you safe. I swear.”

I spun in his arms. “I know you will.” I felt the other men’s eyes on us, assessing our interaction. “Should we keep our distance now that your team is here?” I whispered.

He frowned. “What? Why?”

“Because . . . aren’t I just a part of your job or whatever?”

“You were, but you’re definitely not anymore. Jesus, Rebekah, how can you doubt that after last night?”

My heart thrummed in my chest. “I—”

“We’ve gotta move, guys,” Tex interrupted. “I tapped into the hotel’s security cameras and it looks like we have company.” He spun his laptop to show two men with scorpion tattoos entering the first-floor stairwell, guns bulging from their waistbands.

Tanner faced me again, cupping both of my cheeks in his hands. “We will finish this discussion later.”

I nodded blindly, too frightened to say a word.

He took my hand. “Let’s go.”

The men loaded up their gear quickly and Tanner tucked me into his side as we ducked out of the room. We moved down the hall with me in the middle, directly behind Tex, and that was the first time I noticed his limp, but he didn’t seem to have a problem keeping up with everyone. I shot Tanner a questioning glance, but he was focused on scanning the hallway.

Wolf and Tito took the lead while Bubba followed in the rear. They led us quietly to the back to the employee area and the service elevators. We side-stepped storage boxes and housekeeping carts and the guys dispersed in a small radius around me as Wolf hit the button to call the elevator car to get us down to the ground floor.

Tex frowned down at his phone, his face growing pale. He lifted wide eyes to his teammates. “Wolf.”

“Yeah?” Wolf seemed preoccupied, hitting the elevator button over and over when it didn’t seem to be moving fast enough. “Come on, come on,” he mumbled under his breath.

“Wolf!” Tex ground out more urgently.

“What?” Wolf whipped around.

Tex indicated his phone. “It’s Cookie. The power’s out at the house.”

Wolf frowned, not comprehending.

Tanner stiffened beside me, his hold on me tightening.

“Fuck,” Tito grumbled, his eyes roaming the empty storage space around us.

Wolf’s eyes suddenly grew round. “Son-of-a—the security system.”

Tex nodded and looked down at his phone again when it buzzed with another incoming text. “They’ve got it under control.” He glanced back up. “For now.”

“We’ve got to get the hell out of here,” Tanner said.

Wolf began smacking the elevator button again, his body language suddenly urgent, probably imagining the worst.

Then the lights died.

The entire room went pitch black.

The indicator light showing what floor the elevator was on went blank. It wasn’t coming. We were stuck.

My stomach dropped. My throat grew tight. I thought I’d be sick.

I turned my head to hide in Tanner’s chest as tears sprang to my eyes. What would happen to Grandpa if I died today and nobody was there to take care of him?

No.

No. I couldn’t think that way. I was stronger than this.

I sucked in a breath as I felt the men tighten into a huddle around me, their communication silent but clear. I lifted my head and glanced up into Tanner’s face. I would see this through with him. I had to.

His amber eyes melted in the darkness, but their intent was obvious. He wouldn’t leave me. He touched my cheek in a fleeting gesture of reassurance before we moved.

Tito stepped up and took the lead. Using hand signals, he led the team to double-check their weapons then toward the back staircase. Tanner never let me out of his sight, though I knew I had to be slowing them down.

In the stairwell, we moved single file and I was sandwiched between Tanner and Bubba. I kept my fingers curled through Tanner’s beltloops and my head close to his back so I didn’t lose him in the darkness and so he’d know I was right there and be able to keep his focus on what was ahead.

It was quiet.

So quiet.

I don’t know how many flights of stairs we went down. I was sure we should be near the bottom . . .

As we curled around a corner from one floor to another, a door suddenly flew open behind us two floors up. The guys sprang into action.

Tanner swung around, shoving me behind his body, blocking me from the threat.

Bubba turned, dropped, aimed his weapon, and immediately began to exchange fire with them as I was tugged away by Tex.

I reached for Tanner, a cry on my lips, but he was next to Bubba, both of them shooting and ducking for cover.

Tanner took one second to look over at me, our eyes locking for just a millisecond. “Get her out of here!” he shouted.

I kicked and screamed, out of my mind with fear as I was hauled away by Tex, Tito, and Wolf in a sprint down the stairs.

We eventually hit another storage area, where Tex got a better grip on me, hauling me over his shoulder much like Tanner had done that night in the casino.

Hot, hopeless tears leaked from my eyes as I lifted my head and studied the door we’d just emerged from, hoping to see Tanner and Bubba follow.

Nothing.

Screams and gasps followed us as we continued in a flat-out run through the storage area, by the kitchen, and out a back door and into an alleyway.

Tex slowed to a trot as we neared a street. I could hear their heavy breathing from exertion, a few more screams, and the muffled bang of gunfire. I began to cry, wilted on my cousin’s shoulder.

Still, he didn’t put me down. Not until we were safely ensconced in their Humvee. They ripped out of the parking lot and away from the casino.

I lifted tear-filled eyes to Tex. “You’re not just going to leave them there, are you?”

“Hell, no,” he said. “But we had to get you out of there and safe first.” He leaned over and put an arm around my shoulder, which just made me cry harder as I sagged into him. “Maverick wouldn’t have it any other way. They’re tough and they’re trained.” He tipped my chin up so I’d look him in the eye. “Once we get you safe, we’re going back for them. I swear.”

“Where are you taking me?”

“To the police station,” Tito said.

I wiped my eyes. “Why aren’t the cops here now?”

“This Op was classified,” Wolf said. “And we weren’t exactly planning on this shit.”

“We were just going to go in, get you, get out,” Tex explained. “This damn cartel and their hacker have turned into our worst nightmare.”

We sped into the police station, and though I didn’t want to go in, I swallowed my pride and worked to get my shit together. The guys gave me a cover story. I was just supposed to go in and report the break-in to my truck and the footprints outside my house. I was to take my time, talk slow, use the restroom, get a drink, whatever I had to in order to stall until I heard something from them.

I could do this. I could. But when Tex’s phone buzzed with yet another text, my heart fell out of my chest.

He lifted sorrowful eyes to mine. “We’ve gotta go, Rebekah. They’re pinned down and under fire.”