Broken Bridge Read online

  East nodded. “Yeah. You know, it came right after the part where he’s going to kill some people.”

  I glowered at them both. “You think they don’t deserve to die?”

  Ben shoved into the small antechamber with us. “Oh no, they deserve to die. But we aren’t the people who kill people. There are people we can pay to do that. But if you’re determined to do it yourself, then we’ll watch or hold someone down.” He started shoving a vest on too.

  “What the fuck are you three doing?” I roared, exasperated with the lot of them.

  “We’re coming with you,” Ben said simply.

  I shook my head. “No, you are not. I know what I need to do. All of us will make a scene, and it will be ineffectual."

  East laughed. “Um, I'm usually the guy in the van, the lookout, watchtower, all of that. But I know I can take out one or two bad guys.”

  Drew chuckled. “I am useless with firearms, but I can talk my way into anywhere. So if there are bad guys that we need to talk our way past but not necessarily shoot, I can handle that.”

  Ben just gave me a smirk. “I’m better than you at everything.”

  I didn’t know how he did it. Even with all the stress and terror ripping through my muscles and my soul, he managed to make me almost smile. “You wish.”

  “We’re coming.”

  And then I heard the clicking and clacking of heels on the marble floors and couldn’t contain my annoyance. “No, you are not coming.”

  Livy laughed. “Tell me there are some extra-small-size Kevlar vests in there.”

  I cursed as I grabbed more ammo and shoved it in the bag. “Ben, deal with this.”

  Livy stepped forward then, shoving East and Drew back. “I will not be dismissed. This is my house, and that’s my ammo you’re taking, my friend. So I am coming.”

  Ben opened his mouth to argue, and she pinned him with a glare and a finger on the chest that shut him up quick.

  I frowned. “They’re riding with you. I’m going on my own.”

  Amelia and Nyla laughed from outside in the butler’s pantry, both with their arms crossed. “You know Amelia and I are the only ones legally allowed to have guns. If you get caught with those, you’re going to need someone legal to, you know, point out that you can have those. Or we can say you’re with us and we’re going to find terrorists, blah, blah, something. And since I became Section Chief, you seem to have forgotten that you have other avenues. Just give me time.”

  “That’s going to be a lot of noise. We don’t have time for shock and awe.”

  “I’m not saying you have to stop. I’m just saying there's a less dangerous way, and I’m also going to get you backup. Either way, you're not going alone.” She met my gaze directly, and her hazel eyes were clear and brooked no argument. I turned to Amelia, and she was also doing the same direct communication. The two of them were not playing, and they were my backup. And the rest of my family… Well, they were the backup’s backup. Whether I liked it or not, they were all coming. And no one was trying to stop me from whatever I needed to do.

  “Fucking hell. Why do you lot need to be like this?”

  Liv shrugged. “Because we’re so pretty in these vests. Honestly, sweetheart,“ she said, turning to Ben, “can’t you just make this better fitting? Like sexy so you can put it under a dress or something. Right now, it’s like chainmail. Ugh.” She gagged.

  Telly sniffed. "And they never have my size." Telly, as big as her personality was, was about the size of a sprite. A curly-haired, dark sprite.

  East just clapped a hand on her shoulder. “You can use one of the larger ones. And it won’t matter anyway because you’ll be in the van with me.”

  She clapped. “Oh my God, yes. Because you do need an expert in the van.”

  East grumbled as he marched out with her. “I’m the expert. You’re the apprentice."

  Drew just gave me a nod and followed the two of them as Ben clapped me on the shoulder. “One of these days, you’re going to realize we are the family that never leaves you. We are the family that stays with you, the family that will bleed for you and with you if necessary. We won’t go anywhere without you, and you certainly will not move without us. The sooner you accept that, the better off you will be, mate.”

  Luckily everyone had filed out of the antechamber, leaving me to gather the rest of the weapons. But Liv paused at the door, giving me a couple of moments to blink back the tears misting my eyes. “He’s right, you know? You and Emma have the same problem. You forget you’re not on an island all alone. You’re on the Lost island with people who love you.”

  “Weren't all those people dead?” I asked. She gasped, a look of shock on her face. “Oh my God, stop. I haven’t gotten to the last season yet.”

  All I could do was shake my head as she turned around and grabbed an extra Kevlar vest. “The rest of the world has seen it.”

  “Well, I was late to the party. And also, I was just holding off on the last season because I was afraid I was going to get pissed off, and now you’ve ruined it for me. Grab that last vest for Middleton. If we find him, we will capture and keep him somewhere. We wouldn’t want him to get shot in the process before we can ask him several questions.”

  I scowled at her. “You’re very annoying, you know that?”

  “Yeah. I know. My husband keeps trying to tell me. East keeps trying to tell me. Drew, well, Drew is in love with me. Obviously. And you love me too.”

  Livy turned to walk away as I muttered, “Yeah, I do.” I grabbed the handle of the bag once it was chock full of all the equipment we were ever going to need for a siege, and I swiped a tranq gun and placed it in the holster in the middle of my back. It was time to go get my girls. And all I could do was pray to God they were both still okay.

  Chapter Three

  Emma

  I worked hard to stay still and just being a comfort to Darcy. Unfortunately, she cried softly, and there were no words I could offer to reassure her. “Darcy, I need you to be strong, okay? We’re going to get out of here.”

  The despair in her voice strangled her words. “How? You came to rescue me, and they caught you. And no one knows where you are. You don’t have your phone, and there’s nothing we can do.”

  “You have snuck out of how many boarding schools now?”

  Darcy hiccupped. “Three.”

  “Yes. I have been known for sneaking out a time or two myself, and I actually know how to fight. I can’t take three armed gargantuan arses, but you and I could take one down. We can do it.”

  “What do you mean we can do it? Have you not noticed our hands are tied?”

  I smirked. “Don’t worry. They won’t be for long. All we have to do is hold out a little bit longer. Let them leave one guard in here. And help is on the way.”

  “What do you mean?” It was as if she was afraid to let the hope seep through.

  “You really think Bridge is just going to leave it? His sister gets snatched from school where she’s supposed to be safe, and he’s going to sit by and do nothing?”

  “Well no, but I don’t have my phone. He has no way of tracking me.”

  For once, I was glad my husband and his mates were security freaks. Granted, I’d walked away from my guard, but I had counted on East and Telly being themselves. Well, more on East. He was a security nut. He was preoccupied with everyone’s safety on a visceral level.

  Nyla told me that on the weekends he often spent time mulling over scenarios in which someone might be able to break into his systems and into our homes. Who did that? East, that was who. So I knew he would have a failsafe after I said no to Bird’s Eye. He would have found another way, even if it meant putting trackers in all of my shoes.

  I don’t know what had possessed me to even think about looking for it, but there it was, that little tag in the heel of my boot.

  Tricky, tricky.

  Hopefully East and the team were looking. But on the off chance they didn’t look until much, much later,
I had to get us out of here. I wasn’t sure we’d ever get our opportunity, but then one of the guards was talking about a rotation. He was leaving, and another was headed outside for the night shift. Which left one guard inside with us. Excellent.

  They had moved Darcy and me to a back room with a none too gentle hand. The big one with no neck whose shoulders were up by his ears told me to behave myself or he was going to teach Darcy all kinds of things she didn’t need to know yet.

  Scumbag.

  I could not wait until my husband got his hands on him. Bridge was going to make such an example out of his sorry arse.

  Meanwhile, Darcy was trying to get comfortable. “You okay, Darcy?”

  “Yeah. Pretty sure he tried to touch my boob, though.”

  Everything inside me turned to a column of solid ice from the fury. “Honey, focus on my voice, okay? Nothing that happens to you here has anything to do with you. They’re the sick arseholes. Do you understand me? This isn’t about you. You’ve done nothing wrong. Do you hear me?”

  “I-I-I hear you,” she stuttered, but I could tell she was worried. The fear was getting to her. And I needed to get her out. I strained, trying to listen. I could still hear them, but eventually it became quiet. And that was my cue.

  “How? We don’t have anything to cut these zip ties with.”

  "One step at a time, babe."

  I jackknifed myself into a standing position. The ties around my ankles were going to be annoying, but I would worry first about getting my hands free. I needed leverage. My feet were tied so close together it might not work, but I had to try. Planting my feet and trying to put my weight on the back of them, I brought my hands forward and then slammed them down to my hip.

  The restraints snapped with a ping, and the zip tie went hurtling across the room. I sucked in a sharp breath. “Holy shit. Okay, get to your feet, Darcy. I’m going to see if I can do something about getting my feet free.”

  Darcy huffed and puffed and wiggled, trying to get her feet free. I found a pipe and wedged it between my feet, braced it against my ankles, and winced at the pain. Then I twisted the pipe, grimacing as the plastic dug into my skin before it finally snapped. Brilliant.

  I ran to Darcy, and she stared at me wide-eyed. “Wow. Do you think you can get me free?”

  “Oh, I know I can. Come on, feet up. Let’s get them free first.”

  She laid back and put her feet in the air. I did the same trick with the pipe, sliding it between her ankles. She winced and gritted her teeth. I gave her an apologetic smile as I twisted the pipe once, and another half turn before… snap.

  She breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh my God. We’re going to get out of here.”

  "Didn’t I tell you?” I showed her how to release her hands. That one took several tries. She was crying by the end of it, but finally, her restraints were off and she rubbed her hands together. “Oh my God. I never would’ve known how to do that. Why has Bridge never taught me how to do that?“

  “He’s your brother. He wants to protect you. There are some things he thinks you don’t need to know, and maybe you probably shouldn’t know.“

  “These cunts could have killed me. I need to know things.”

  “I agree. We can argue about your usage of cunts later."

  She nodded. “What do we do next?”

  I handed her the pipe. "What we’re going to do is walk out of here." I kneeled down to the door. Standard-issue lock. Light security. They weren’t expecting a fight.

  Apparently, no one told them they were getting me.

  I noticed the desk. “Darcy, go through that desk in the corner. See if they have anything useful. I‘m going to check for guards in the hall.”

  I confirmed we were clear in the hall, and Darcy pulled something from the desk. “It’s a Swiss army knife.

  I sighed. “This could’ve cut your restraints.”

  Her brow furrowed. “Right?”

  “It’s okay. The tools will open the door, and that’s all we care about. You hang on to the pipe and hold it like a cricket bat, yeah?”

  “I've never played cricket.”

  “Ah, okay, like a field hockey stick then. In fact, do the one thing they tell you not to do and hold it above your waist.”

  She grinned at that. “Yeah, that I know how to do.”

  With the door open, I peered around and then took Darcy’s hand. “You follow me. If I say run, you run. Don’t ask any questions, just book it, do you understand? Do not stop. I think the main road is due north of here. If you don’t know which way is north, follow any lights you see. Got it?”

  She nodded. “Yeah, I understand.”

  “Now move.”

  We kept to the shadows, and I pulled her close behind me, careful not to shuffle our feet. I worried my boots made too much noise, but I needed to keep them on so that Bridge could find us. Darcy was in her trainers, so it was easier for her to keep quiet.

  I made her wait as I went to check the main room down the hall to the left, looking for a guard. He was on rotation, which meant it was safer to know where he was and figure out the path of least resistance out of this place.

  Luckily, he whistled as he went down the other hallway.

  “I’m going to do something very, very stupid. If push comes to shove, don’t go out the front door, okay? You find another way out of the building, a side window, side door, anything, then head due north. Do you understand?”

  She nodded. “Yeah. What are you going to do?”

  “I’m going to make someone’s day.”

  I did take my shoes off for that because I needed silence. He couldn’t hear me coming.

  One-on-one with the element of surprise, I could do this. It had been a long time since I’d taken a Krav Maga class. Even longer since I’d done a jujitsu class, but I would have to try. The idiot was checking room to room, and he’d found a way into one of the back offices, two doors down from where we’d been kept. He was rummaging through the drawers, and I went to the other side of the door, hiding in the shadows. When he didn’t find what he wanted, he headed toward where they’d kept me and Darcy. I wasted no time. One step, two step, jump.

  I catapulted myself onto his back, reaching one arm around his thick, fat neck, and locking it in place with my other arm as I tucked my head next to his. And then I pulled a Tyson. It was really disgusting, but it had to be done. The coppery taste of blood on my tongue made me gag.

  While he was really trying to unlock the unlockable hold around his neck, I wrapped my legs around his waist, locking my feet together, and then I bit down harder on his ear, tearing it.

  He tried to fight, but he didn’t have much breath in him. I just held on for dear life as he bucked me into the wall, slapping me against it. But I held on, protecting my skull but also making sure that he couldn’t undo the hold. He tried to grab my hair, but he was already weakening. He tried again to dislodge me against the wall. Boom. My back felt like it was cracking, but I still held on. That was the thing about chokeholds. You didn’t need to hold them long. The average human who didn’t expect that their airway was going to be cut off didn't have much time. Their brain would shut down quickly without oxygen.

  Slowly he sank to the ground, but I kept holding on. No way I was going to let him catch a last breath. I wanted to avoid fighting him hand-to-hand, because while I was quick, he was enormous. There was no way I was winning that fight. One hit from a meaty fist and I would go down. And then Darcy would be up shit's creek with no paddle.

  He whimpered, and I took another tear of his ear between my teeth. My stomach roiled again at the coppery taste on my tongue, but I didn’t let go until he fell forward and lay absolutely still.

  I lay on top of him, breathing hard. I unlocked my feet. Quickly, I checked his pulse, low and steady. He was breathing, but he was out.

  I ran for my shoes that I'd placed in the corner, shoved my feet in them, trying not to wince at how cruddy my feet were going to be, and ran for Darcy.
r />   She was cowering in the corner, ready to wield her pipe. I put my hands up. “It’s me, it’s me. We’re good.”

  She still scooted back. “Why do you have blood on your mouth?”

  “I’m a vampire now. Come on.”

  Her lashes fluttered as if her brain was having a hard time processing it. But then she smiled. “You’re weird.”

  “Yes, so I’ve been told. Now come on.”

  We went to the opposite end of the building and found an office with a window. I checked it quickly for wiring, didn’t find any, and slid it open. “Okay, up and out.”

  Darcy glanced around. “What if they come looking for us?”

  “Ideally, we'll be gone before they miss us. Come on.”

  I hoisted her up and out then handed her the weapon. And then I was right behind her.

  I closed the window and tried to wipe any blood that lingered around the sill so they wouldn’t know which way we’d gone straightaway.

  I took her down to the corner of the building and pointed the way to the road. “You see that tree line there, up and over? There’s a road there on your left. If we get separated, keep to the shadows, stay down, walk about a mile, and you can jump out and flag down a car when you see one, okay? You understand me?”

  She blinked at me. “You are so calm.”

  “I’m not. I’m mentally freaking the fuck out, but I can’t freak out, okay? I’ve gotta get you to safety, get you back to your brother, who’s going to kill me.”

  She laughed. “He’s lucky to have you.”

  “I know. I keep telling him that, but he remains unconvinced.”

  “Well, he’s a moron.”

  "But I love him. So there’s that.”

  She smiled. “I’ve always wanted a sister.”

  “And now you have one. Let’s get through this, and then we’ll do the whole girly shit, mani-pedi, throwing stars thing.”

  Darcy laughed. “Throwing stars?”

  “I feel that throwing stars should be in every young woman’s arsenal.”