Stepping behind the man, Mena took in her surroundings. The land was void and empty. Nothing but rows of partially constructed greenhouses in the distance. She couldn’t see how Hakeem and Glaze planned to escape with her.
“My friend, the exchange is complete. The money has already been delivered to your account. Our arrangement is settled,” Tubeec said, walking Hakeem back toward Glaze and Mena. “But I do need you to let me have Ms. Mena Nix. She is critical to a service that I’m providing to a client.”
“Can’t do that, Tubeec,” Hakeem said, an eerie smile on his face. “You won’t be harming anyone else ever again.”
“What can you do?” Tubeec asked, a challenge in his tone. “It is only by the mercy I am extending to you right now that you haven’t been shot dead by my snipers hiding in the hangar. You couldn’t possibly believe that I am alone out here.”
Mena watched as Cangrejos emerged from the hangar, heavily armed. She remembered him clearly from her captivity with Wangari and Isaac. The man hadn’t hesitated to put a bullet in Isaac’s head. Would he do the same to Hakeem? Glancing around, Mena looked for a place to provide cover, but the only option was to run into the hangar where she suspected more danger awaited.
Glaze tensed at the sight of Cangrejos, his gun moving between Tubeec and his henchman, ready to shoot either of them if necessary. Hakeem was oblivious to the new threat emerging behind him and Tubeec.
Hakeem laughed. “You once told me that you weren’t afraid to die. Well, neither am I.”
“But you have so much to live for. A thriving business that has proven to be immensely lucrative. A beautiful sister who risked her own life to save yours. Why should you throw that all away?” Tubeec asked.
Hakeem flinched at the mention of his sister, his eyes growing dark and cold.
Tubeec continued, “Let’s remain cordial to each other. Give me Mena and go on your way. No hard feelings.”
“You should have told your men to kill me,” Hakeem said. With one swift move, his hand released a knife from his waistband and moved in an arc, plunging into Tubeec’s chest.
Tubeec’s eyes bulged in his face, his hand flying to his chest as he gripped the hilt of the knife. Blood seeped from the wound in a thin line, staining his shirt as he stumbled backward, crashing to the ground. A smile creased his lips.
“Too bad you won’t get to see your wife and kids in hell!” Hakeem said, then stomped on Tubeec’s chest with his foot. Blood darkened the front of Tubeec’s shirt as he grunted in pain, his facial muscles taut in a gruesome grimace.
Glaze screamed, “Get down!”
Mena dropped to the concrete as a blaze of bullets erupted from the hangar. Hakeem scrambled toward them, ducking low to avoid being shot.
Returning fire, Glaze squatted to the ground next to Mena, pressing his body against the warm cement as he tried to take out the hidden gunmen.
“Damn it!” Glaze screamed as his gun stopped responding. His finger flexed against the trigger, but nothing happened. “Out of bullets.”
Covering her head with her arms, Mena remained still on the ground, afraid to move. After several seconds, the popping sounds ceased.
Mena peeked above her arm and watched as Hakeem crawled to a large military vehicle hidden between two of the partially completed greenhouses. A quick glance over her shoulder revealed two men emerging from the hangar, carrying rifles pointed at her and Glaze.
The men stomped across the wide concrete, pointing guns at Glaze’s head.
“Go. We have no use for you,” a man said with a heavy French accent to Glaze. The man then turned to Mena. “You, get up.”
Glaze glanced at her, his eyes full of regret as he stood and walked backward toward the greenhouses where Hakeem awaited in the military vehicle. Would they try to help her? Or were they abandoning her to save themselves? She couldn’t blame them.
Mena stared down at Tubeec Hirad. A fitting end for the man who’d terrorized her and Wangari and killed Isaac and Grace. She hoped he rotted in hell.
Mena raised her hands in surrender as the men surrounded her, pushing her forward into the hangar. Her footsteps echoed as she entered the towering structure. Across from the private jet, guns, and ammunition littered tables lined against the hangar wall. Her eyes adjusted to the dimness inside the covered area.
A man stood near the plane.
One, unfortunately, very familiar to her.
Her heart pounded in her chest as dread seeped through her veins. Watching the man approach, Mena couldn’t breathe. She’d thought she was in danger before, but Tubeec was a minor nuisance compared to what this man from her past represented.
“Adam Russell,” Mena whispered, confusion wracking her brain.
“Tie her up and get her on the plane,” Adam commanded.
“No, wait! Why are you doing this? What do you want from me?” Mena screamed, trying to resist the men. Her efforts were wasted as they secured her arms and legs with zip ties and lifted her off the ground.
