Saving Serena (Hawk Security #1)

Chapter 45

CHAPTER 45

Duke

We’d stopped at an intersection away from the location. The block ahead looked deserted.

“No movement and no external guards or even cameras,” Jordy reported after his drone made two circles of the building. “That’s the good news. The bad news is that the building’s walls are too thick to get anything on infrared, and we have five points of ingress to cover.”

Lucas nodded. “Since there’s only one vehicle other than the EPA car, we don’t have a large group to deal with—probably two perps.”

My phone vibrated.

“Records suck on buildings this old,” Jordy said. “I’ve given you the best interior layout I can find.”

Lucas checked his phone. “I hate moving without better intel, but we go with what we have. The second phone call to Benson probably already happened, and knowing him, the ransom is on the way.”

I exchanged a look with Lucas. His meaning was clear. Time was our enemy. Once the kidnapper had the ransom in his hands, the hostages were more liabilities than assets.

“One person per entrance.” Lucas pointed at Jordy. “That includes you. We go in slow and quiet. If you locate them, pull back, call the location, and wait for backup. We don’t move without two-to-one superiority.” That was his Delta training talking. “Non-lethal force—if necessary, shoot to incapacitate.” That was not Delta, but his civilian status talking.

I nodded. We’d practiced the more difficult non-lethal shots at the range for months.

Terry shook his head. “We should have brought Constance.”

“Hey,” Jordy complained. “I can handle myself.”

Terry slapped him on the shoulder. “What I mean is that without your eyes in the sky, we won’t know if we get a squirter.”

“Going in all the doors is the best way to avoid that,” Lucas countered. “I’m on lead. Quiet entrance on my signal.”

We jogged along behind Lucas to the site, splitting up to our assigned doors.

“Unlock, now,” Lucas said over comms.

I checked mine. The handle turned freely, and the door creaked open an inch for me. “Cobra unlocked.” One by one, we all acknowledged access.

“Enter,” Lucas commanded.

I checked the layout on my phone again before lifting my M4. Wincing at the creak, I opened the door with foot pressure and started in. The musty corridor was straight and clear of people but littered with trash. A rat scurried away when I entered the first room.

“Is it all there?” a male voice came through the cracked open door of the third room ahead of me. “Okay. Nobody followed you, right?”

“Did you slit open each bundle, one at a time, and move the loose bills to our bag, checking for a tracker?… Good, and you left their bag behind?” The guy was careful. “Good. See ya soon.”

I stepped into the room next to that one and whispered into comms. “I hear a perp, third room in on the right-hand side, talking to an accomplice. No eyes on hostages yet.”

“Hold for backup,” Lucas ordered.

“Copy,” I replied.

Lucas barked orders as he always did. “Winston, egress and reenter on Cobra’s door. I’ll be right behind you. Terry, move forward to where your corridor intersects Cobra. Jordy, hold fast.”

“Now you and me can have a little fun,” the guy next door said, louder this time.

“He’s threatening one of the hostages,” I whispered, hoping to hell it wasn’t Serena.

“Hold fast,” Lucas repeated.

Screw that. It could be Serena he was threatening. “Going in.” I moved slowly into the hallway, dodging boxes and papers on the floor.

“Expediting,” Winston mumbled.

I heard the muffled scream before I reached the door. The hostage had obviously been gagged.

“Yeah, I’m gonna enjoy this,” the sick fuck said.

I peered through the crack in the door and saw my worst nightmare. Serena’s eyes shimmered with tears. Her gaze was locked on the knife in the guy’s hand, her attempt to scream muffled by the tape on her mouth. She was handcuffed, and he had her backed against the wall.

“Yeah, I’m gonna enjoy this.” He cut down the front of her top and tore it open the rest of the way.

Yanking this asshole limb from limb would be too kind to him, but I couldn’t jump him just yet. With the knife that close to Serena, it was too dangerous. Moving as silently as I could, I opened the door wider. Shit. A lamp leaning against the wall next to the door started to fall, and I grabbed it with my other hand, letting my weapon fall to its sling.

Serena noticed me, and her eyes gave me away.

Johnson’s head whipped around, and he moved quicker than I thought possible, sliding behind Serena with his knife at her neck. “Lift that rifle, and I slit her throat.”

With my dominant right hand holding the lamp, my sidearm holstered, and my M4 hanging on its sling, I had no play here—not yet.

“Hands up and step into the room.”

“Okay,” I said loudly enough for Lucas and the others to hear over comms. “Put the knife down. Nobody is getting their neck slit today.”

“Almost to you,” Lucas said in my ear.

Serena shook her head violently as I stepped inside. With the movement, Johnson’s blade scratched her skin and drew blood. Not doing that had been his one chance at living through this.

Gritting my teeth, I held the lamp and stepped forward, all my focus on the bridge of his nose, dead center of his head.

After a step, I judged the distance at four meters. Every frogman had to qualify with a handgun, including a three-meter shot to the head drawn from a holster in less than a second a half—no misses allowed. My best was seven-tenths of a second at five meters. All I needed was the opening. I let the lamp fall.

The noise of shattering glass should have shifted his focus to the floor for a split second—it didn’t.

“Hands up,” he repeated.

I flexed the fingers on my hands and slowly raised them, watching for the opening I needed.

“One hand on the scope and unclip the rifle with the other. Then let it drop.”

I followed his instructions. That let me lower my hands to a better position to draw my SIG, if the opportunity came. My M4 was useless in this scenario, as it would take too long to swing into position. It clattered to the floor.

“Now the handgun.”

Serena’s eyes were wide with fear as she shook her head.

I kept my hands still. “I’ll do anything to keep you safe, Tiger.”

At the word Tiger , recognition shone in Serena’s eyes. She kept her hands close to her body and slowly raised them, inch by inch.

“Now the handgun. Two fingers only,” the dead man walking said.

“Non-lethal,” Lucas said in my ear.

Serena

My heart thundered in my chest as Duke dropped his rifle. He’d become defenseless to save me. “I’ll do anything to keep you safe, Tiger.”

Now, Johnson had told him to give up his handgun as well. I couldn’t let this asshole hurt my man.

Tiger. I became the tiger. Bringing my hands up close to my chest, where Johnson couldn’t see them, I grabbed his wrist and forearm the way I’d practiced with the master chief and swiveled, pulling the knife a few inches away as I ducked downward.

A shot rang out.

I twisted.

Two more shots in quick succession, and the knife dropped away.

I pulled free of the monster as he cried out and crumpled to the floor.

Duke was on me in a second, pulling me away from Johnson. “Hostage secured. One perp down.” He kicked the knife away.

Johnson moaned loudly, writhing on the floor.

I shivered in his arms. “You came for me.”

“Of course. Because you’re mine, Tiger.”

Lucas burst into the room, followed by Winston.

Johnson moaned again. “Fucker. I need an ambulance.” He had wounds in both shoulders and one leg.

I broke loose from Duke’s hold and kicked the asshole. “You’re only alive because he can’t shoot straight.”

Duke pulled me back. “I didn’t miss.”

“He’s right,” Lucas said as he leaned over Johnson with a bandage for his leg. “Non-lethal was my order.” He started on the injury. “Who else is working with you?”

Johnson spat at him.

Lucas punched his wound.

The big man screamed. “Nobody.”

“Bullshit,” I called.

Winston looked around. “Where’s the other hostage?”

I snorted, laughing at my own stupidity. “She went to pick up the ransom. She’ll be back soon.”

Lucas’s brow creased. “Come again?”

“She was behind the whole thing. Katelyn killed Leo, sent the Russians after Sophia, and hired this piece of shit and his brother to go after me.”

Duke shook his head. “I never did like her.”

“Jordy,” Lucas said to the floor. “We have incoming. Katelyn Connor, co-conspirator. Winston, get the med kit from the car.”

The big ex-FBI agent hustled away.

Duke pulled my shirt closed. “You’re braless,” he whispered in my ear. “Did he?”

“No,” I said, tucking my shirt in to keep it from flowing open.

“You’re shaking.” He opened his arms for me. I hugged him and his lumpy body armor. His tight embrace slowly eased my tension.

Ten minutes later, Winston and Lucas were still tending to Johnson when Jordy walked in. He had a handcuffed Katelyn with a rope around her in tow.

She spat at him and turned to me. “I’m going to kill you. You ruined everything.”

Jordy threw a duffle bag on the floor. “She had this.”

“Damn right,” she screamed. “That’s my money.” Her voice accelerated into dog-whistle territory.

Lucas grabbed the duct tape and shut up the shrieking Katelyn for good. “I’ve heard enough from you.”

I bit back a laugh.

“Call Wellbourne for these two,” Lucas directed. “And an ambulance.”

I turned to Duke. “Do you still have that necklace? I’m fucking tired of being kidnapped.”

“Sure do.” He fished it out of a pocket and fastened it around my neck. “You’re officially mine, Serena Marie Benson.”

“I’m yours,” I agreed. “And, you are mine.”

“This will have to do until I can find a ring.”

The words made my chest tight. I pushed him back. “You can’t say that.”

“Sure I can. You’re mine now, and I plan on making it official.”

Momentarily speechless, I pulled away.

“Do you guys need a minute?” Lucas called from the other room.

“No,” Duke said as he inched forward. “It’s taking her a minute to accept her fate.”

“Fate? Maybe we should start by dating for a while.”

He shrugged. “Or not.”

“You can’t just say we’re going to get married. You’ve got to do this right. Get my dad’s blessing, bring a ring, down on one knee, the whole bit.”

He changed the subject. “How did you learn that escape move you used?”

“From the master chief who taught me to pick locks.”

“Now I really have to thank this guy. What’s his name.”

“Master Chief Brass.”

Duke froze. “Brass?” He gripped my arm. “What’s his first name?”

“Fred, I think. But I wasn’t allowed to call him that.”

Duke’s mouth dropped open.

“What?”

“That’s my friend, Freddy.”

“The one who…?”

He nodded. “Marilyn’s husband. He died in a helo holding my hand.” Tears threatened in his eyes. “He always said he’d find me a strong woman one day, and he really did.”

I threw myself at Duke and hugged him. “Maybe it really is fate.” The master chief had brought us together, giving me the tools to survive and be rescued by his best friend.

“I want to go home now.” I had my man, and I wasn’t ever letting go. Plus, I had some new ideas for positions we could try.

As he held me, I knew I’d found my partner in life, the man who cherished me as much as I did him, who would show me exciting times, stand up for me if I needed it, and protect me always.

Though hopefully, the times ahead would be a little less exciting than the last two weeks had been…