“All right, then.”
Everly moved closer and whispered to Dax. “We have to get to my office.”
“No, we’re not doing anything until it’s safe,” Dax whispered against her ear. “They don’t know we’re here. They’ll leave soon. If they get the SD card, then we’ll have to steal it back, but not until I’m sure you’re safe.”
The elevator dinged open, and Everly felt a sick slide of dread that the possibility they would all die had just skyrocketed.
• • •
T
he building was silent except for the sound of Gabe’s and Connor’s shoes against the floor. The guards seemed to have taken a break, but Gabe was focused on Everly. He’d almost made it to the elevator when Connor stopped him. “I lost service on my phone.”
Gabe looked down at his cell. Sure enough, he had no bars. “That’s weird. There must be something wrong. No wonder they’re not answering. I bet their phones aren’t working, either.”
At least he knew where they were going. The doors opened and he started to step inside.
Connor grabbed his arm. “You don’t understand. I had service out on the street. I think someone’s got a cell phone jammer on the building. A very powerful one. Whoever it is, they don’t want anyone to be able to call in or out.”
Everly was upstairs. And she likely wouldn’t know what she was getting into. She could have walked into an ambush.
Gabe made the decision in a heartbeat. He stepped into the elevator. “Go and get help.”
“Gabe! Get your ass back here.” Connor started toward him, but Gabe pressed the button to close the doors.
“I’m going to kick your ass,” Connor growled as the doors banged shut. He could hear the reverberation of Connor’s fist against the metal.
Connor was the only one who could get help now. Gabe couldn’t stay downstairs and hope for the best. The floors ticked by, his adrenaline spiking with every inch closer. Someone was up there and they wanted Everly.
Had whoever killed Mad caught her? Was she already dead?
His heart clenched at the thought of her being in pain, in fear. He would have done anything in that moment to change places with her.
He’d always thought that a husband wanting to die before his wife was a protective thing, but now he realized it was selfish at the core. He didn’t want to have to live without her. He didn’t want to feel the pain that would come from knowing she was gone.
Please. Please. Please, let her be alive.
It had been years since he’d prayed, but he would have begged anyone he must to spare her life.
The elevator stopped and the world seemed to slow. The doors opened so sluggishly, and the first thing he saw was a woman on the ground, her body crumpled in unnatural angles. Bile crept up his throat, but then he realized the woman in front of him had silvery blond hair, not Everly’s sweet reddish hue.
Tavia.
Not Everly. Tavia was dead.
“Nice of you to join us, Bond,” a dark voice said. “Please to step out of the lift.”
He put his hands up and stepped out of the elevator. The man in front of him was a giant bull with broad shoulders and a barrel chest.
He had tattoos slithering up from under his T-shirt and covering his neck. His dark hair was cut in an almost military style so there was nothing to detract from the jagged scar that ran down his face.
Those tats told the tale. Even in the low light, Gabe could make out the ones on the man’s arms. There was a church and weeping angels. He’d spent some time on the Internet earlier in the day and he’d seen those tattoos on Russian mobsters. They detailed their crimes and the punishments they’d survived.
He made sure his hands were visible and hoped Connor could summon the police in time. “What’s happening?”
“You’re going to play dumb?” The younger man beside the Russian was Everly’s friend, Scott. It looked as if Everly and Mad had been surrounded by betrayal. Scott held a semiautomatic with the ease of one long used to the feel of a gun in his hand.
Playing dumb was his only option. He let desperation creep into his voice. “If you’re looking for money, I can get you plenty of it.”
Where was she? Had Dax figured out the situation and hidden with her?
“He is the plane builder?” The Russian stepped forward, looking him over.
“Yes, uncle. And he’s loaded. What are you doing here this late, Bond?” Suspicion crept across Scott’s face, and he looked around as though trying to decide if they were alone.
If they didn’t know Everly and Dax were up here, then he wasn’t about to give them away. He needed to give Dax a shot at getting her out of here. “I left some paperwork. I need it for the lawyers. God, why would you kill Tavia?” Because she was obviously involved. He didn’t say that. He looked down at her and shook his head. “She did so much good in the world.”
“My sister was a coke head who liked to sell little girls to the highest bidder,” Scott said. “How would it affect the old bottom line if everyone knew that Crawford Industries has been a front for human trafficking for years?”
Mad had been looking for the girls. Mad had figured out something was wrong. Despite the situation, one worry eased in his chest. Mad had been trying to do some good of his own. “I don’t believe it.”
“You don’t have to.” Scott stepped forward. “All you have to do is get Everly Parker up here.”
“I’m not supposed to see her tonight. She told me she was going back to her place,” Gabe lied.
“Step away from the elevators, Bond.” Scott moved around the last line of cubicles and started to trek the rows, looking down each.
Was Everly there?
“Why do you want Everly?” He had to keep them talking.
“That is none of your business,” Scott’s uncle said. “If you don’t get the Parker woman up here, I will kill you. You’re no use to me, and our plan to clean up this mess is now blown, no?”
Scott’s jaw tightened, showing his anger. “Yes, it is. Still, you might want to leave him alive. I think he might be very useful in getting Everly to talk. I don’t think she’ll come if I call since it appears she stood me up.” He regarded Gabe. “She’s hot, as you know. I tried to hit on her when we first met. I guess she’s only willing to give it up for a billionaire.”
“Why were you stalking Everly at all?”
“We figure out that she’s Crawford’s sister long before he does,” the Russian said. “We use Crawford Industries for many years. His father was easy man to deal with. The son, not so much. I think you will be easier, though. You seem like reasonable man.”
“He has a sister, too. I could always send the boys to find her. You didn’t think we were alone, did you? I have several of the most sadistic criminals the brotherhood has ever seen going through Tavia’s office even as we speak. I think you’ll like them.” Scott pulled out a walkie-talkie. It would work despite the jammer because it would be tuned to a frequency of the user’s choice. “Niles, come in. I have a new job for you.” Scott smirked Gabe’s way. “He’ll be more than happy to entertain your sister until you take me to Everly. I’ll ride along with you to
make sure you don’t get lost. If you and Miss Parker give me what I want, your sister won’t be damaged. Too much.”
Gabe’s heart stopped.
“Are you sure we need the Parker woman?” The Russian stared at Scott.
“If there is a computer element to this clusterfuck, Everly is very good with hacking a system. It occurs to me that she might be helpful in case there’s some security on the diary, and she would likely be more willing to lend a hand if we have her boyfriend here.” He looked down at the walkie-talkie and pressed the button again. “Niles? Come in.”
“Everly is probably in Brooklyn.” Once Gabe got the Russians outside, Dax would have some freedom of movement to get Everly to safety. Connor would likely be waiting for them when they went downstairs. God, he’d joked with the man about being more than an analyst. He prayed he’d been right now. He didn’t need Connor’s brains. He needed a hunter.
She was either here or she was on her way back to Connor’s, where she would be safe. Either way, he had a better chance of getting out of this if they took to the streets. No one knew where Sara was and he wasn’t about to tell these men where his sister and her unborn child were. He would die first.
“Niles, come in.” Scott cursed at the walkie-talkie. “I thought Everly was staying with you. Isn’t she at your place?”
It would take them longer to get to Brooklyn. It would buy him more time. “No. She said she needed some space. We’ll find her there, I’m sure. I have a car downstairs. We can go get her right now.”
The Russian chuckled. “How quickly they turn on each other. Americans. You’re all the same. You look out for yourselves.”
Scott’s gun was aimed squarely on Gabe again. “That’s not his reputation at all.”
Shit.
“Look, she’s just some chick I was banging. I don’t want to die.”
Scott’s eyes narrowed as he studied Gabe. “Really? Just some chick? She was your best friend’s sister. Even if I believed for a second you don’t have feelings for her, you cared deeply about him. I know she’s not in Brooklyn. I’ve already been there and had a look around so I know you’re lying. She’s here, isn’t she? I thought I heard the elevator earlier, but I wrote it off as paranoia. I was right. She’s here and she’s hiding.”
Panic threatened. He forced himself to stay calm and cool. “I’m alone. I told you. I came up here to get some paperwork.”
“Sure you did.” Scott strode his way, but Gabe held his ground. He stayed put even when Scott shoved the muzzle of the gun under his chin, pain jarring through his system. “Where is she?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know.”
It didn’t matter if they blew his head off as long as Everly was safe. His brothers would protect her. It would be all right. An odd calm settled over him. Scott and his uncle wouldn’t find her.
The Russian looked down the hall. “I don’t like the silence. My boys know to answer back. Don’t kill him until I return.”
As his uncle walked away, Scott tightened his hold. “Everly, sweetheart? Are you here? Because I’ve got a gun pressed against your pretty boy’s head and I’m about to pull the trigger.”
Gabe prayed again that she couldn’t hear Scott, prayed that she was smart enough to stay hidden.
“I’m here.” Her hands came up first. He watched in horror as she slowly rose into sight over the cubicle wall. “Gabe came looking for me. I wasn’t supposed to go off on my own.”
She placed a heavy emphasis on
own
. Dax was nearby and he intended to make his move.
The gun at Gabe’s jaw never faltered. He would give that to the asshole. Scott—if that was even his real name—seemed well trained. “I want that diary, Everly.”
Her eyes were wide as she shook her head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I came up here to grab a hard drive. I got a message
saying something important was on it. I can get it for you, but you have to let Gabriel go. He doesn’t have anything to do with this.”
What the hell was she doing? She was obviously bluffing since he knew the diary was on an SD card and not a hard drive. He wasn’t going to let her take the heat when the Russians found out they didn’t have the right information. “No. She’ll tell me where the hard drive is, then you’ll let her go.”
Of course, he wasn’t stupid. Gabe knew how it was going to work. Scott couldn’t afford to leave either one of them alive.
Even if he could wait until Connor brought the cops and it turned into a standoff, they could trade Everly for their freedom. Gabe would go with them as a hostage.
“I’m going to get that hard drive one way or another,” Scott promised. “Once I’m assured the information is on the drive, I’ll need the name of the person who sent it to you. Move. We’ll all go to your office.”
She nodded and started to move toward the end of the aisle. “Don’t hurt him. If you do, I won’t help you.”
“Everly, baby, the minute you give him what he wants, he’s going to kill me. Then he’ll kill you. Don’t do this.” Gabe was going to have to make a move before then and give her a chance to escape. The only problem was, he wasn’t sure she would take it.
She stopped as she moved out into the aisle, making herself completely vulnerable. “What you told me earlier? I should have said it back, Gabriel.”
She was killing him. “It doesn’t matter, baby.”
“I love you, too. I’m never going to leave you.” Her jaw was tight, and yet her words came out softly, as though she was trying to impart some truth to him.
He had to get them out of this. “Everly, you know what I would want.”
Scott jammed the butt of the gun against his jaw again, making pain flare. “You two shut up. Everly, if you want your boyfriend’s head
on his shoulders for the next few minutes, you’ll turn around and walk toward your office. If you try anything at all, I’ll pull the trigger. Is that understood?”
She nodded and turned, moving slowly toward the bank of executive offices.
Scott had such a tight hold on him, Gabe found it hard to move. He shuffled forward. If he stumbled, would that give Everly time to flee? Or would she fight back?
If he lived, they were having a serious talk.
A horrible scream stopped them all in their tracks and suddenly Gabe found himself falling forward. He hit the ground with a hard thud, his knees buckling and pain shooting through him. No time for agony. Adrenaline poured through his body, forcing him to turn onto his back. Everly was standing over him. He turned and saw Dax. Damn. The man was good with a gun, but it turned out Dax also excelled at finding weapons in an office setting. He’d stabbed a pair of scissors into Scott’s right foot. Gabe winced as he glimpsed how deep Dax had managed to sink them.
“Son of a bitch!” Scott was on the floor, but he hadn’t dropped the gun. As Dax got to his feet, Scott aimed at him, the metal glinting in the low light.
“Run!” Dax yelled as he dove for the cubicles. “Get her the fuck out of here.”
Gunfire resounded, so close it nearly split his ears. Everly was trying to drag him. She wouldn’t leave, and Scott was going to catch them again if they didn’t flee. Dax leapt over the wall and disappeared. Scott shot again, this time Dax’s way. It was all happening at lightning quick speed. Gabe grabbed Everly’s hand.