Fast Burn

“He’s a hell of a lot more than an assistant to Sahara.” Leese glanced at each mirror, then pulled onto the rain-washed road. “Remember when Catalina was taken?”

Justice said, “I’ll never forget it.”

“None of us will,” Brand said, though he’d been involved only peripherally.

“We found her because Sahara had planted a GPS device on her.” He paused as he switched lanes, then continued with “I think she has one on herself, too.”

Brand gripped the seat behind Leese. “She said so?”

“She reminded me of the ‘protocol’ for Catalina. At first, I didn’t understand, but it’s starting to come together. I assume Enoch knows how to track her.”

Justice already had out his phone. “I’ll call him now.”

Miles withdrew his phone as well. “I’ll notify the others why we booked. They’re going to wonder, especially since our cars are still there.”

Brand hated feeling ineffectual, but while the others all seemed to know what to do, he hadn’t a fucking clue. He kept picturing Sahara, her attempt to look blasé at what she saw as his rejection.

Fuck, it had been a rejection.

Of the job...and of her personally.

But not for the reasons she thought. He wanted her, too much in fact. More than she wanted him, obviously, since she would always put the agency first.

“I got hold of Armie,” Miles said as he put the phone away. “He’s letting the others know. They’ll head over to her place to ensure her car is safely off the road.”

Armie, like Brand, was a fighter but not a bodyguard, but as a close personal friend to each of them, he’d do what he could. “They know where she lives?” Brand asked.

“They followed us there when Catalina was threatened.”

He’d missed a lot, Brand realized. Maybe too much. It pissed him off.

“Enoch is meeting us at Body Armor. Poor dude is frantic.” Justice pocketed his phone again. “He and Sahara are close.”

“She’s special to everyone who knows her,” Miles said.

Brand almost groaned. Special? Hell yeah, she was, in too many ways to count. From the time his friends had signed on at Body Armor, Sahara had been after him to join up, too. For too long now they’d engaged in a game of enticement and resistance—Sahara enticing and him resisting.

If it was just the job, no problem.

If it was only the strong physical chemistry, he could probably fight that, too, despite the fact that Sahara personified sexy in a classy but still touchable way.

It was more than that, though. Sahara was the whole package, a gorgeous woman with an enormous heart and a real head for business. She knew what she wanted and she went after it without reserve.

She’d wanted him...but he’d turned her down. And now men had her—

Miles nudged him.

Lost in his thoughts, Brand glanced up and caught his friend’s frown. “What?”

“Take a breath. If you’re going to do this, you need to get a little control.”

“I am controlled.” Hell, that was one of the major ways that he and Sahara clashed. She wanted all the control, always, in every situation, but then so did he.

“You look ready to erupt.”

Shaking his head, Brand shoved the rage deep inside and locked it down. He’d get Sahara back, then he’d destroy the bastards who’d taken her. “I’m fine.”

“It can’t be you,” Leese said from the front seat, “because you don’t know what you’re stepping in to.”

“Like you do?” Brand didn’t get annoyed. It didn’t matter what reasoning Leese used, he wouldn’t change his mind. “You can’t tell me that rescuing your boss from kidnappers is part of your normal workweek.”

“No, but each one of us has dealt with similar situations.”

“We’re tried and tested,” Justice said. “You’re not. God only knows the number of ways you could fuck it up, and Sahara will be the one hurt.”

Miles was the only one not giving him shit. “Fact is,” he pointed out, “Sahara called Brand, and she made it clear that the goons who have her would recognize us. Even if we can trace her, who’s to say they won’t spot us and kill her for it?”

“No,” Justice insisted.

“She called me.” Brand drank in a deep breath of humid air. “Plus you’re all married—”

“Not me,” said Justice.

“You will be soon enough.”

Justice couldn’t deny that, and it had him growling again. Maybe, like Brand, the lack of ability to fix this problem ASAP left Justice frustrated.

But Justice didn’t have the knowledge that he’d parted ways with Sahara under less than ideal circumstances. That was all on Brand and it was fucking well eating him up, adding to the need to do something. “Tell me the plan and I’ll see that it happens. But understand this—I’m going after her and that’s it.”

“Let’s get to Body Armor and see what we’re dealing with.” Leese drove aggressively despite the rain. “After that, we’ll make some quick decisions.”

Along the way the men called their significant others. Their low voices were intimate, except for Leese, who spoke via the speaker through the car’s Bluetooth.

“Dear God,” Catalina said, her worry plain. “Poor Sahara. She has to be frantic.”

Logical assumption, yet Brand couldn’t picture her being anything other than her usual cool, in-charge self. That, too, could be a problem. He reminded himself that Sahara was intelligent. Surely, she wouldn’t provoke her kidnappers.

“Please be careful, Leese,” Catalina whispered, “and please bring her back safe.”

“You know I will.”

Each of the women knew and cared about Sahara, so Brand had no doubt they’d all shared those sentiments.

Enoch was in the lobby waiting for them when they arrived. He’d already assigned extra guards on the building, not only on the ground floor but also as lookouts on the upper floors. “If there’s surveillance on the building, we’ll know.”

“Smart move.” Leese led the way to the elevator and they all rode up to Enoch’s office. He had his computer on and immediately showed them what he’d found. “She’s not far from her house, only about forty-five minutes.”

They each stood behind Enoch, leaning forward to see the screen. “They’re not driving anymore?” Miles asked.

“Don’t appear to be. The GPS has her stationary for about five minutes or so.”

“Looks like she’s in the slums,” Justice complained.

“The program can’t show me exactly where,” Enoch explained. “But if you get near the area you should be able to pick up her signal on this cell phone.” He handed it to Leese.

Brand took it from him.

No one said anything about it.

“I have access to some funds,” Enoch explained. “But I doubt it’ll be enough to pay off kidnappers.”

“Let’s wait and find out how much ransom they demand, then we’ll decide what to do.”

The waiting went against the grain for all of them, but until they got that call, it was all they could do.

“If Sahara was here,” Enoch stated, “she’d ask me to get coffee, so that’s what I’m going to do. All of you, make yourselves comfortable and I’ll be right back.”

* * *

THE VAN BUMPED over rough ground, taking her farther and farther away. No one spoke to her, but the four men riding in the cargo area continually watched her.

She pretended not to care and merely looked back, making note of what she could. Even sitting, their height was discernible, and under the dark sweatshirts and jeans, she could guess their weight.

One man had pushed up his sleeves and she saw that he was freckled. Another had darker hands, as if he spent a lot of time in the sun.

The man who appeared to be in charge was the only one not eyeballing her. He spent his time on his phone, not speaking but definitely perusing something.

When the van stopped, he pocketed the phone and moved to crouch in front of her.

“Give me your hands.”

Sahara glared into faded blue eyes. “Why?”

His answer was to roughly grab her, jerk her arms forward, then hold her wrists while another masked man wrapped them in rough rope.

Clearly, they’d never done this before because with a little wiggling, she’d be able to pull free. What good that would do her, she didn’t yet know. If she remained in the van with six men, two up front and four guarding her, she may as well be hog-tied.

For now, though, she held still and merely muttered, “I scare you that much?” She tsked. “And here I’m so much smaller.”

His hand came up to clasp her throat, not tightly but in clear warning. “You have quite a mouth on you.”

“Quite a brain as well.” Defiant, she stared at him. I will not let them cow me. “What do you know about Scott?”

Disgusted, he let her go with a slight shove and sat back against the metal wall of the van.

Sahara said, “You know something, obviously. I want to know what.”

The big man waited, watching her, and finally shrugged. “Do you believe your brother is dead?”

“No.”

He sat forward again. “Have you had any contact with him?”

“No.”

With a note of frustration, he asked, “Then what makes you think—”

“Somehow, if he were truly gone, I’d feel it.”

The freckled guy barked a laugh. “Female logic.”

She snorted. “Male logic would be an oxymoron, wouldn’t it?”

“Shut up,” the leader said.

The two men in front got out, closing their doors seemingly without fear of being heard. That told her that they must be someplace isolated...or perhaps they had a way of sneaking her out of the van without anyone noticing.

Seconds later the doors at the back of the van opened.

Sahara could see they were inside a large garage or warehouse. Dim, smelly and cold.

Three of the men climbed out. The leader, bent over in the confines of the van, took her arm and said, “Let’s go.”

For once her heels were a hindrance. With her hands tied, she couldn’t use them to help her gain her feet. He solved that dilemma by dragging her on her butt toward the doors.

“Brute,” she accused.

“I didn’t drag you by the hair, did I?”

No, and she didn’t want to prod him to it either.

When another man reached in, the boss said, “I’ve got her,” and everyone else backed off.

Sahara realized what he meant when he stepped down, then hauled her out and over his shoulder. With one muscled arm he pinned her legs behind her knees, and with the other... Dear God, he had his hand spread wide over her behind!

She reared up, using her bound hands to brace against his back. “So a kidnapper, and a perv, too?”

The swat he landed on her cheek stung, but she didn’t cry out. She just gritted her teeth and, as he possibly intended, kept quiet.

He carried her as if she weighed nothing, going down concrete stairs and into a smaller, colder, darker room. Along the way her hair spilled loose, draping down to cover her face. She also lost a shoe, but the man paused to pick it up. He turned a corner, careful not to smack her head on the wall, and went down more stairs.

Her heart started to pound nervously and her mouth went dry.

Someone turned on a light and she saw that her prison was even worse than she’d suspected. Very small, maybe eight feet square, all concrete.

She did not want to be alone here, but as he set her on her feet she quipped, “How quaint.”

The big man actually laughed.

Then he surprised her by bending down, clasping her ankle and helping her to step back into her shoe. From his kneeling position, he looked up the length of her body.

Grateful for her coat, which still covered her, Sahara tried to feign confidence. It wavered a lot when he came back to his feet, lifted her chin and gently brushed her hair out of her face. Sahara jerked away, but he only grabbed her upper arm and finished running his fingers through the unruly tresses, finding two pins still caught in her hair and pocketing them.

So maybe that wasn’t about inappropriate thoughts, but rather he didn’t want to take the chance that she’d know how to pick a lock.

She did, of course, but whether or not a hairpin would work depended on the lock.

Around them, she realized the others were working, turning on an overhead light—and blessedly, an electric heater. She moved closer to it, holding out her hands and trying to stop her shivers.

A cot was set up in the corner. It looked clean with a folded blanket and a pillow on top. One of the men added an extra blanket. Did they expect her to sleep here?

She hated that possibility.

“We realized after we had it arranged that you, being female, might find it too chilly.”

Clearly the freckled guy had some notions about “females.” In this case, since she was cold, she let it go.

When he continued to look at her, she said, “Thank you?” and he nodded in satisfaction.

Every second of this kidnapping got more and more bizarre.

Other than the cot, she noticed a portable toilet in the farthest corner, with a roll of paper on the ground beside it. Oh, no and no.

“Who are you people,” she demanded, “and what do you ultimately want?”

Ignoring her question, the boss said, “It’s time.”

Her heart again stuttered. They would leave her here alone now?

But no, apparently only the boss would go, because he sent a penetrating look to each of his cohorts. “No one touches her, understood?”

They nodded.

Then looking at her, he said, “That rule is rescinded if she tries anything.”

Oh, that didn’t sound good. “Define ‘try anything,’ please.” If she breathed, would that be provocation to jump her? “May I sit on the cot? Could I move the cot closer to the heater? May I have my purse back?”

“You’re a smart lady. I’m sure you’ll figure it out.” He started to go, but then paused. “No, you can’t have your purse. Not yet anyway.”

The freckled guy clutched it, as if he held the prize.

Sighing, she watched the leader go back up those stairs and wondered how long he would be. For some insane reason, she felt marginally safer with him nearby; since he’d been the one doing all the talking, she felt she knew him a little better.

The rest, other than Freckles, were unknown quantities. They could be rapists, murderers—or just plain insane.

Predatory gazes tracked her as she circled the room, inspecting it. Other than the heater, the portable potty and the cot, the room was empty. She saw no other electrical outlets, so she went over to the cot and, using her knee, nudged it away from the wall. She bent, put her hands against the rickety frame and began scooting it toward the heater. Thanks to the metal legs on concrete, it loudly screeched as if death was near.

Two men came forward and, without a word, lifted each end. They carried it toward the heater. One of them, with a questioning look, waited.

It was in her nature to test the limits, so she said, “A little to the left please.”

They obliged.

“No, a little to the right now.”

Again, they did as she asked without comment.

“Perhaps a tad farther back—”

The cot hit the floor with a clatter and the two men walked away to stand with the others.

She smiled inwardly and said with sugary sweetness, “Thank you so much.”

All five of them nodded.

Hmm... There was an odd gallantness to their behavior in direct conflict with hardened criminals. Testing that, she sat on the side of the cot and tried to look dejected.

Time ticked by in utter silence. Only the occasional sound of someone shifting position intruded.

She let out a sigh. In the smallest voice she could manage, she asked, “Am I going to die?”

Someone—she wasn’t sure who, since she didn’t look back—said, “Not if you follow orders.”

Well. They certainly weren’t ruling it out. Hopefully, Leese had understood her subtle message and was already at the office with Enoch. The tracking device could be easily positioned in her clothes or jewelry. For now, she’d made it part of her necklace. She prayed they wouldn’t take that from her—if it would even work down in the bowels of the building.

She stood to pace. Her heels made a distinct clinking noise against the concrete. It wasn’t just the feminine style of stilettos that she loved, it was the sound the heels made that really did it for her. The cadence helped her to focus.

She’d deliberately called Brand instead of Leese. If she’d had more time to consider it once they thrust the phone into her hand, she might have come up with another solution. But the boss man had already explained that he studied up on all her guys and had files on each of the bodyguards, new and old. That meant she had to take them by surprise somehow.

They wouldn’t have anything on Brand since he wasn’t part of the agency. At least, she hoped they wouldn’t. He’d been there a few times, most recently that very day. But then, clients came and went, too, as did delivery people. For all they knew, Brand wasn’t anyone special.

She knew better.

Brand Berry was her own personal temptation, and that made him special indeed.

Dragging him in to things kicking and complaining wasn’t really her style, but then neither was losing.

Would he come after her?

She honestly didn’t know and wasn’t sure if she wanted him risking himself anyway. Circling the room again, she thought about what she’d say to him, what he might say to her—

“Sit down,” one of the men said.

Another added, “Or at least take off those heels.”

With a toss of her hair, she continued to pace. “If I’m dying anyway, I might as well suit myself.”

She heard the footsteps as one of the men started forward with a snarl.

Then the boss man’s voice intruded with “Back off,” as he bounded down the steps.

“She started it.”

Sahara turned with disbelief. “Grade school complaints? Really?”

A hard hand clamped around her arm and the boss said near her ear, “Quit pushing your luck,” while propelling her toward the cot.

She couldn’t keep herself from asking, “Or what?”

He pulled out a big shiny blade—and effectively stole her bravado.

CHAPTER THREE

SHE SHRANK BACK as he brandished that knife—then let out a thick breath when he only cut away part of the knot holding the ropes around her wrists.

Resisting the urge to rub the abraded skin, she asked, “Just to be clear, you’re not going to stab me?”

“No. But if you can’t contain yourself instead of needling my men, I’ll take away all of your clothes and tie you naked to the cot.”

As far as threats went, that was a doozy. To cover her horror over such an idea, she grumbled, “I’d freeze.”

An arrested expression showed in his eyes seconds before he laughed. “You’re entertaining, honey, when you’re not provoking.” He spun her around and, without a lot of finesse, jerked away her coat.

“Wait,” she protested, trying to hold on to it. “I really will freeze and I promise not to—”

He tossed it to one of the others and said, “Check the pockets.” Then he eyed her up and down. “Behave.”

She had to swallow twice to get her heart out of her throat. Rather than agree with his edict—because she really wasn’t sure she could behave—Sahara crossed her arms. The small room had already warmed considerably, so everyone would see it as a defensive move and she knew it.

“Nothing in them.” The man handed the coat back to her, but when she only glared, he dropped it on the bed.

The boss extended a hand past her and Freckles brought him her purse. He upended it on the cot, then pawed through everything. A comb, her cell phone, a bag of M&M’s, a small tin of aspirin, a tampon—he balked at the sight of that, then balked again at the pack of condoms.

Pale blue eyes slowly pinned her.

She shrugged. “I’m nothing if not prepared.”

He stared a moment more, then asked, “Did you leave your keys in the ignition?”

“Please. My car has a keyless ignition.” She gave him a look of haughty indignation for thinking she’d be so foolish. “The key fob is in an inside zippered pocket.”

He opened it, his large hands clumsy against the small accessory. Her keys went in his pocket along with her cell phone—not that she’d expected to keep either. It’d be great if they at least left her purse with her.

“This?”

“Makeup remover cloths. Never know when I might need to do a touch-up.” She unbent enough to reach for the purse. “Allow me, before you destroy something.”

He gestured in a be-my-guest way, but said, “Any tricks at all, and you won’t like the results.”

She glanced up and saw two men with guns trained on her.

Definitely no trust at all. Opening another pocket, she retrieved her lipstick and mascara, with a small vial of perfume. The last pocket, on the bottom of the purse, held a power bank and extra cord. “In case my phone dies.”

He took everything, squeezed every inch of her purse to ensure nothing else was inside, then dropped it on the bed with the things he hadn’t confiscated.

Considering how he’d just manhandled her purse... “What did you do with my car? And if you say you torched it and shoved it off a cliff, I’m going to be really pissed.”

Amusement curled one side of his mouth. “It’s parked at the end of your driveway.” He eyed her askance. “Know a lot of cliffs around the city, do you?”

She waved a hand. “I meant that metaphorically.” She gave him her own shrewd look. “How did you know where I live?”

His gaze hardened. “We know everything about you.”

Well. That was alarming. “You’ve been following me for a while?”

He reached out and smoothed his thumb over her cheek, freezing her with the alarming gentleness. “Get comfortable, Sahara. It’s going to be a long night.”

Now she clutched at him. In bold accusation, she said, “You’re leaving me here alone—” she stabbed a finger toward the others “—with them?”

All she could see were those pale eyes, but they definitely softened. “You’ll be on this side of the locked door, and the guards will be on the other. Stay quiet, stay still and they’ll have no reason to disturb you.”

A little desperate, she blurted, “But I’m hungry.”

“You have candy.” He gestured at the M&M’s on the cot.

“I need real food! I worked all day, straight through lunch in fact, and was going to eat dinner as soon as I got home.”

Under the tight mask, his jaw flexed. He turned to one of the men and said, “Go rustle up something. Make it quick.”

The guy literally bolted from the room, taking the steps two at a time.

Glad of the slight reprieve, she sat on the cot and sighed again. “How much did you ask for?”

He knew exactly what she meant and replied, “Half a million.”

The quick answer threw her. “Really? How did you come to that number?”

“Why not? You’ve got it.”

She had it, yes, but it wasn’t lying around like petty cash. Was poor Enoch scrambling, trying to figure out a way to get the funds together?

Or more likely, Enoch and her men were coming up with a daring and romantic play to get her back without giving the villains a single dime.

She liked that theory better. “So because I have financial security, you figured you’d rob me of it?”

“We’re not robbing you. Scott’s the one who cheated us out of it.”

“By dying?” she asked, incredulous. No other conclusion came to her because her brother was an honest, honorable man.

Snorting, boss man sat beside her. “You don’t believe that any more than I do.” His massive thigh pressed against hers and she felt the heat of his body all along her side.

“No, I don’t.” Trying for subtlety, she inched away. “Tell me why you don’t believe it.” She needed some reassurance, damn it.

He gazed down at her. “You don’t know your brother very well, do you?”

Insulted, she half turned to face him. “I know him better than anyone!”

“If you did, you’d know that whole death scene was a setup.”

The words wrought a visual in her mind, choking her more than a fist could. Over sixteen months ago, her brother, Scott, and his then-girlfriend had gone out on his yacht on a beautiful sunny afternoon—and never returned. The Coast Guard found the yacht floating at sea, the deck covered in blood, his blood and hers...but no bodies.