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Though his brothers didn’t like it one bit, they moved to the agreed-on location, and Bill’s team of three guys was there within minutes, in full tactical gear with additional tactical gear for the Armstrong men.
“You really need to wait out here,” Maverick told him.
Ace was having a difficult time breathing, his body hurt so badly, but he couldn’t just stand by while t
hey went in.
“You’re a stronger man if you trust us to do this,” Cooper said.
“You’re too weak. You might give away our approach,” Maverick added.
At his brother’s words, Ace knew he was defeated. He couldn’t be the reason something happened to her. Though it would kill him to stay behind, knowing she might be in mortal danger, or that he might be sending his brothers on a suicide mission, he had to be strong enough to trust all of them.
“We won’t come back without her,” Cooper assured him, placing his hand on Ace’s unhurt arm.
“I want you both to come back to me too,” Ace said. “I don’t know if I can stand to wait idly by.”
“You can, because it’s what’s best for her right now. Do I need to stay and babysit you?” Maverick asked.
“No. I need you in there,” Ace told him.
“Then you need to keep your word and wait out here,” Mav insisted.
“I will,” Ace said, not looking at either of his brothers.
“Say it while looking in my eyes,” Maverick demanded.
Ace glared at his brother, but finally he nodded. His vision was blurring again, and he knew he wouldn’t be any good to them. He truly would be a hindrance. He was going to stay put and be there for Dakota the minute she was pulled out of the situation.
“We’ll be back before you know we’re gone,” Cooper assured him.
“We won’t let you down, sir,” one of the agents said.
Ace nodded at him. Then he sat back in frustrated impatience as the three men and his two brothers disappeared down the street. Each second that passed felt like an hour. Ace sat in the vehicle, his eyes peeled for any movement as he listened for the sounds of gunshots or screaming.
It was silent. That silence nearly undid him. He’d made a mistake. He shouldn’t have let them go without him. It was all going to go completely wrong. He had no doubt about it.
Struggling to his feet, he slid into a bulletproof vest while he gripped his gun in his uninjured hand. He needed to get in there and help them. Everything inside him screamed for him to do so. He hadn’t been wrong about his instincts yet.
Taking a step forward, he pushed back the pain that was trying to pull him under, and he carefully made his way forward. When he had Dakota safely back in his arms, he wouldn’t let her out of his sight again. No way, no how.
She was far too important to him. She was now a part of his life and his family, and he wasn’t ever going to let her go.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Dakota’s head was pounding as consciousness slowly returned to her. She couldn’t open her eyes, the throbbing was so great, and when she tried to lift her arm to massage her head, she was unable to raise it, which sent a jolt of panic through her.
Struggling, she finally wrenched her eyes open as she tried to figure out what was going on and where she was. The room was dark. She closed her eyes again and forced herself to calm down. She concentrated on what she remembered last.
Forcing her breathing to calm, she remembered rushing Ace to the hospital. Then they’d been hit by another vehicle. He’d flown forward. She would never forget the sound his head had made as it came into contact with the windshield of his SUV. She had to fight back tears as she lay tied to the bed.
She didn’t know if Ace was alive or dead. One second she’d been panicking as she’d tried to help him; the next, someone had grabbed her, punched her in the head, and the world had gone black. Now she was in some cold, dark room.
Opening her eyes again, she strained to see around her. Not much was visible in this prison. Ace had been right all along. The people after him had gotten her, and she didn’t know why she was still alive. Maybe they wanted to use her against him. That had to be the case. She knew he would feel responsible and he would stop at nothing to get to her.
She just wasn’t sure if he would make it in time. Or if these sick fools would kill her right in front of him to teach him a lesson. She had hope, though, because if she was still alive, that meant they hadn’t killed him yet.
Taking calming breaths, Dakota tried to listen for any noise of approaching people. Not a sound could be heard anywhere in the place. It was creepy. She would almost rather hear someone, even if he was making threats. At least then she would know where the danger was.
