Page 49 of Russian Rescue

Closing my eyes, I refocused my attention on the mission at hand and not the man I wanted to get naked with again. I took a breath. “We’re good,” I answered.

“Thank God,” he breathed. “Okay, I’ve still got eyes on Amanda. She’s in the east room on the bed.”

“And the guards?” Marcus pulled out his pistol and screwed on the silencer while I did the same.

“Still four. All together in the living room.”

“Perfect.” I grinned. This was going to be easier than I thought.

Marcus and I went quickly to work attaching our fast ropes to the anchor we’d hooked up on the roof. We dropped them over the edge, watching them unravel the twenty stories until the black ropes dangled almost to the ground.

“Still clear?” I asked Wes as Marcus and I got into position on our second ropes, the ones just long enough for us to swing down to the floor below us where they held Amanda.

“Yep. They’re watching TV. I’ll let you know if they move. I’ve got the engine running, and I’m ready to extract you when you get down.”

Marcus and I stood on the edge of the high-rise, the wind gusts pushing against us as we leaned out and hung tight to our ropes.

“We’re breeching now,” Marcus said.

“You’re clear. Still four in one spot.”

I grinned at Marcus, who returned the smile. Yeah, he missed this shit too.

Together we pushed off with enough force to send us flying away from the building as we dropped. We aimed our pistols as we hit the end of our ropes and shot simultaneously at the window while we flew toward it. Glass shattered just before we hit it, and we rolled into the living room and detached from our ropes as the guards scrambled to their feet. They didn’t even get a chance to pull out their guns before Marcus and I dropped all four with our shots.

We spun around, pressing back-to-back as we scanned the empty room.

“Clear,” Marcus said.

“Clear,” I mirrored.

“Holy shit, that was awesome!” Wes added. “Saw the whole thing on cams.”

Marcus and I moved to the door of the bedroom and knocked before we opened it.

“Amanda?” I called, hoping to calm her before we entered. “We’re friends of your brother, Wes. We’re here to save you. Don’t panic when we come in.”

There was no answer, so I gently turned the knob. My pistol led the way into the room, but as soon as my sights landed on Amanda, I quickly lowered it.

Her blue eyes that looked just like Wes’s widened as they took Marcus and me in.

“Hey,” I said softly, slipping my pistol into the holster. “I’m Piper. Wes sent us.”

“Who... what... what’s happening?” She tucked her legs up to her chest, big tears now forming in her eyes.

“We’re here to save you. Your brother sent us. You need to come with us, and we’ll get you to safety. Wes is waiting for you outside.”

A piece of her dark hair fell in front of her face, but she didn’t release her grip on her legs to move it out of her eyes. “Wes? My brother, Wes? What? How do I know that’s true?”

Wes popped into my ear. “Tell her only Wes would know that it was her who broke Dad’s favorite baseball trophy when we were eight. I covered for her.”

I repeated what he said and watched her fearful eyes start to soften.

“Then tell her that about the brother-sister dance she wanted to do for her wedding to We are Family. No one knew we were going to do it, so she’ll know it’s me.”

“Brother-sister dance? To We are Family?” I snorted as I pictured Wes doing a synchronized dance with his sister.

“Shut up, Piper. It’s what she wanted, so I was willing to embarrass myself in front of two hundred people to make my sister happy on her wedding day. Just tell her.”