Password to Her Heart (22 page)

She adjusted her knee-length beige skirt and pulled down the soft, pink T-shirt she had worn with it. She had to admit that she was surprised at Mercury’s ability to pick out such nice clothing. Most men seemed to hate shopping, never mind having to dress a woman and find interesting things. But somehow, from panties and bras to lingerie, sleepwear to everyday wear, he was successful in choosing gorgeous things. By the names on the tags they were high quality and expensive.

She chuckled. Since complimenting Mercury, Lee and Stitch got in on buying her things, and this morning she found red-and-black lace lingerie, with thigh-high stockings, garters, and panties that were missing the crotch. She felt her cheeks warm. Maybe she’d wear it for them one night when they least expected it.

Chuckling, she heard the door to the room open and thought it would be Lee. He should have been back by now.

Her heart raced and she covered her mouth. Standing in front of the closed door was one of the Hispanic men who’d nabbed her off the streets on her way home from work that night.

“What are you doing here?” she asked and then looked toward the bed at Keith. She stepped closer and the man smiled.

“If you want your brother to live, and the Marine who is here with you, then you’d better cooperate.” He opened his light jacket and revealed a gun with a silencer.

She shook her head. “Don’t hurt him. What do you want?” she asked.

“You. It’s time to go. Move now, cooperate, and don’t make a scene or the man I have watching Lee will kill him at the gas station.”

She knew he was telling the truth. There had to be someone watching Lee.

She glanced at Keith and the Hispanic man raised the gun, pointing it at Keith.

“No. Please don’t kill him. Please. I’ll go. I’ll do whatever you want. Just don’t hurt them.”

“Then move it.” He reached his hand out, and she glanced over her shoulder at Keith. She prayed that he would be safe.

“They’ll kill them all. He has men watching the others, too.”

“No. Please. Don’t hurt them.”

He held her gaze. “Just know that I can, and that you better cooperate or they’ll all die.” He shot the gun, making her jump. She turned and saw the bullet in the pillow directly next to Keith’s head. A half an inch closer and he would have killed him right there. She was shaking in fear, wondering why this was happening. The man took her hand and walked with her down the empty hallway.

Shawna wondered where all the nurses and people walking around were. All other days the floor was kind of busy. Minutes didn’t pass without a soul walking by. Just as they got to the staircase, she saw the nurse. She was heading inside to check on Keith. Shawna hoped that she saw the bullet hole. Looking up at the cameras on the wall, she wondered if someone were watching. “Help me,” she stated and then felt the smack to the back of her head. She gasped, and the man gripped her neck.

“Not too smart. One call and the boyfriend at the gas station will blow up.”

She couldn’t let that happen. She loved them all too much. She had to cooperate.

Lee didn’t like the way the sports car with the dark-tinted windows seemed to be following him. He picked up on the sports car as he left the gas station and headed back the block over to the hospital. As Lee pulled into the parking spot, the car stopped on the side of the road. He debated about what to do when the phone rang.

“Lee, tell me that you have Shawna?” Tex asked, sounding frantic.

“No. She’s inside the hospital. I just got back.”

“Fuck!”

“What? What is it?”

“Someone who works for Chavez is in the area. The hospital called the police. There was a bullet hole in Keith’s pillow and Shawna is missing. I was hoping she was with you.”

“Oh fuck. What do I do?”

“I don’t know. I’m on my way. The police should be arriving.” Just as Tex said that, Lee heard the sirens and saw the police. The sports car quickly headed back onto the main road.

“Tex, I won’t be at the hospital. There was a car I thought was following me. I’m going to follow it now.”

“Be careful, Lee, and call me for backup. Sandman is involved now, too. Shit!” Tex exclaimed.

* * * *

“What the fuck do you mean someone took her? Who was it? Chavez’s men?” Mercury asked Tex over the phone. Stitch and Tiek were standing there looking shocked and angry.

“I’ve got men in the hospital now going over the surveillance tapes. We got a license plate on the vehicle and Lee is following a car that he believes was tailing him. They shot a bullet into Keith’s pillow, Mercury.”

“That’s probably how the bastards got her to go without a fight. What are we going to do? Where should we meet you?” Mercury asked.

“Head this way, toward the hospital, and I’ll call you if anything changes or if we get a lead on her. I should have seen this coming. I should have known that something was up when I had that feeling in my gut,” Tex told him.

“You weren’t the only one who had that feeling. It was more than just us falling in love and feeling vulnerable. It was that instinct that kept us alive when we were in the field facing danger. You do whatever you need to do to find Shawna. We’ll be there soon.”

Mercury explained to Tiek and Stitch about what was going on. Tiek slammed his fist down on the island in the kitchen.

“Fuck. He’ll kill her. She’ll go through hell again, and then the fucker will kill her to get back at Keith, at all of us.”

“Calm down. I’m not going to let that happen. You two grab the gear and the guns,” Mercury told them.

“Why?” Stitch asked.

“Just do it,” Mercury said, and as they left the room, he ran toward his bedroom to grab some things he needed. He called Calico, their ex-commander.

“Calico, Chavez and his men have Shawna. I need your help. I won’t let them destroy the only family I’ve ever had. I need to do something. You have to help me.”

* * * *

Lee wasn’t surprised when the black sports car veered off the highway and onto the exit for the private airport. Of course they were going to join the assholes that took Shawna. But he had to be sure he didn’t just go on some wild-goose chase. He needed proof.

He parked along the perimeter of the building adjacent to where the sports car parked. Two Hispanic men got out of the car, pulled small travel bags from the trunk, and then locked the car up. Lee texted the license plate to Tex. He carefully made his way around the building, pissed that all he had was a small firearm on his ankle. He pulled it out and carefully moved closer. The moment his eyes locked on the dark sedan, he saw Shawna being pulled from the vehicle and he lost it. He texted his location to Tex, and told him to hurry.

Just as the two men approached the three men with Shawna, he saw Shawna shaking her head and planting her feet into the ground as they pulled her along. A second later she started swinging.

“Fuck.”

Lee pointed the gun and aimed at the tall guy with his revolver out. If he took him out now, that would almost even the odds. He took the shot, the guy went down, everyone turned, and Shawna ran.

Lee bolted away from the wall and headed toward them, running at full speed. A few shots whizzed by his head, and he ducked and rolled then saw the one with the gun shooting. He took another shot, pissed that he didn’t carry his Glock.

As he headed toward Shawna, men grabbed her and stopped her from running. Someone turned and shot at him. Shawna saw him and screamed out his name just as another shot went off and hit him. He fell to the ground then quickly got up. He grabbed his arm. A flesh wound. In the distance he could hear the sirens blaring, and he looked up in time to see Shawna fighting off the other men. One hit her with something. She faltered and fell to the ground. She looked enraged, and as the guy pointed the gun right at her, Lee yelled out her name just as she kicked the gun from the man’s hand. She fell to the ground and grabbed the gun as Lee got himself up despite the pain in his arm and headed toward her. He couldn’t use his gun. He was helpless, but the need to get to her was intense.

She continued to fight the two men. One guy grabbed her by her hair and started pulling her toward the car again. She swung at him and then Lee heard tires squeal. Police cars and unmarked cars pulled onto the scene just as Shawna punched the guy and a gunshot went off. Shawna fell backward, hit the car, and slunk to the ground.

“No! Shawna, oh God, no!” he cried out. He made it to her as the police grabbed the other guys, including the one that shot her. She was bleeding from her shoulder. He placed his hand against her cheek as Tex and Stitch fell to their knees beside them both.

“Oh God, baby, are you okay? Shit, she’s hit, Stitch, and so is Lee,” Tex stated, pulling Lee over to sit beside Shawna.

“I’m fine. It hurts really bad, but I’m fine. I thought they shot you. I was so angry,” she told Lee. He leaned over and kissed her. She cringed and was crying.

“Rest. Let’s apply some pressure to the wound. Tex, you apply some to Lee’s wound.”

“I’m fine. It grazed the skin, I think. I just can’t really move it. Take care of Shawna,” Lee said.

The ambulance arrived on the scene and Shawna looked white as a ghost.

“She’s going into shock!” Stitch yelled to the paramedics. “Stay still and relax, Shawna. Everything is going to be okay,” he told her.

“Where are Mercury and Tiek?” she asked. Lee could see her eyes beginning to roll. The adrenaline rush was leaving her body. The shock of being shot was beginning to take control.

Lee looked at Tex and Stitch as they looked back toward Shawna.

“Mercury and Tiek are fine. They’re making sure nothing like this will ever happen again,” Tex said.

Lee felt that tightness in his chest, that feeling that the danger wasn’t over, not by a long shot.

* * * *

Tiek and Mercury were side by side as they joined the military police in Brazil, prepared to enter Chavez and Roman’s estate and private facility. The sons of bitches were building missiles in their own backyards. Mercury and Tiek wanted to be sure to put this entire ordeal to rest. On their way to the military base, after being prepped on the mission, they got word that both Shawna and Lee were shot. Lee’s was a flesh wound, but Shawna needed surgery to remove the bullet. Mercury wanted to be there for them, but he knew he vowed to protect his family and put this fear, this monster to rest once and for all. As Calico looked into Emoy Roman, the flight and chatter about the package being delivered from the US to Brazil, he figured out that Shawna was part of that package, along with some illegal weapons being delivered to people in the US to cover Chavez’s tracks. That was how they found out about the terrorist missiles and plans on attacking civilians on US soil. Chavez had gotten a copy of the thumb drive and the one with specific details on how to build the missiles from scratch.

The government was now involved because the Brazilian government informed about them about acts of potential terrorism. They conceded to the need for infiltration by both the US government and the Brazilian government.

Calico pulled some strings to get Tiek and Mercury in on the mission. As they held their positions, Mercury looked at Tiek. “Be smart, we want to make it back to our family.”

“You got it, Commander. They’re why we’re here. Chavez and Roman need to go down, permanently.”

As they got the signal to move in, the sounds of gunfire and echoes of smoke bombs surrounded the facility. People were running and scrambling in an attempt to escape.

Mercury heard the words “Chavez and men escaping right side of house,” so he and Tiek abruptly turned around in time to see them fleeing.

“Stop!” they yelled out. Chavez turned around and shoved another man in front of him so he wouldn’t get hit. Mercury fired, hitting the ground around Chavez. The other man yelled out and then turned to shoot at Mercury and Tiek. Both Mercury and Tiek fired their weapons and watched Roman and Chavez fall to the ground.

More gunfire erupted behind them and they heard the gunfire slow down. Finally there was a call on their ear mics confirming that they had control of the estate.

Mercury looked at Tiek as they stared at the two bodies lying on the ground.

“I would have loved to taken him alive. Both of them. Maybe even give them some of the treatment they gave Keith and Shawna,” Tiek stated.

“It doesn’t matter. They can’t hurt Keith or Shawna anymore. Our family is safe now. That’s exactly what I wanted in coming here.”

Tiek nodded as the chaos continued around them. There were police everywhere and information being yelled out from person to person within earshot. They found completed missiles, and an arsenal of weapons and plans to develop a huge bomb.

“Let’s go home, Merc.”

Mercury chuckled. “I love when Shawna calls me that.”

“I know you do.” Tiek smiled.

“But that doesn’t mean you can do it, too.”

“Sure it does. We’re family now, remember?”

Mercury smiled as they made their way back to the vehicles to wait for the opportunity to head out of there. Their job was done. One last mission, one final challenge to ensure that their woman would be safe forever.